April 29, 2011 – May 3, 2011
In this edition:
Published April 28, 2011
Success for Williston in Legislative Session
By: Eric Steltzer, KFYR-TV News Stories
A bill was passed this Thursday afternoon giving Williston State College $11,518,698.
This article includes video footage.
Published April 28, 2011
BSC Energy Center project included in budget
By: Rebecca Beitsch, Bismarck Tribune
Funding to finish the top floor of the Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College is included in the state’s
higher education budget, as is money for expanding the University of North Dakota’s medical school.
Published April 29, 2011
Bruce Rafert named NDSU provost
By: Forum staff reports, INFORUM
Bruce Rafert, a vice provost and dean at Clemson University, has been named the next provost of North Dakota
State University.
Published April 30, 2011
N.D. LEGISLATURE: What got done?
By: Teri Finneman, Grand Forks Herald
Republicans, Democrats both point to infrastructure, tax relief: In just under four months, North Dakota
lawmakers finished a nearly $10 billion budget and approved hundreds of new laws that will affect residents across
the state.
Published May 1, 2011
Higher Education Notebook: MSCTC named among top 10 percent of community colleges
By: Amy Dalrymple, INFORUM
Two major initiatives for the North Dakota University System were not funded last week in the Legislature’s final
budget, but that doesn’t mean they won’t move forward.
Published May 1, 2011
Biking: Collegiate rivalry wheels in cash for charity
By: Ryan S. Clark, INFORUM
North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota extended their longtime feud along with extending a charitable
hand by competing in the 26th annual bike race, which is used to raise money for Newman Centers on both
campuses. The Newman Centers are Catholic-based foundations that serve students on each campus.
Published May 1, 2011
NDSU senior creates flood-fight upgrades
By: Mike Nowatzki, INFORUM
Engineering student helps Salvation Army: As a child, Andrew Lynch loved listening to his dad’s police scanner.
He also developed a knack for computers, using them since age 5. So when spring flooding arrived this year, the
Salvation Army volunteer saw an opportunity to make some upgrades.
Published May 1, 2011
Dance expressions: Form and fusion Dance Company to showcase spring performance
By: Linda Sailer, Dickinson Press
The Form and Fusion Dance Company at Dickinson State University will present its 10th annual spring performance
with a variety of choreographed dances.
Published May 1, 2011
ND Legislature plays role of ‘Evita’
By: Donald Bruce Beard (Banning, Calif.), Letter, INFORUM
North Dakota Legislature declared NCAA deal was not a deal.
Published May 1, 2011
Not the real ‘Fighting Sioux’
By: Conrad Bernard (Moorhead), Letter, INFORUM
They should be known as the UND ―Fighting Sioux Wannabes.‖
Published May 2, 2011
NDSCS students design home in 3 days
By: Carrie McDermott, Wahpeton Daily News
A three-day competition, a design charrette, was part of the regular coursework for the architectural drafting and
construction management students at North Dakota State College of Science.
Published May 2, 2011
Hammond out of retirement
By: James C. Falcon, Minot Daily News
It was in the beginning of March when Hammond received an SOS call from MSU. Dennis Parisien, who took over
for Hammond, had resigned and the Native American Center was in need for a director, especially with the Spring
Honor Powwow coming up.
Published May 2, 2011
NCAA: Nothing’s changed
By: Minot Daily News, Jamestown Sun
Did anyone realistically expect the NCAA to change its stance on the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux
nickname and logo simply because the Legislature passed a new state law that orders the university to keep the
nickname?
Published May 3, 2011
NDSU Increases Economics Of Soybeans
KFGO
To improve soybean yields economically, producers are exploring combinations of production management
strategies. North Dakota State University is conducting several research trials to assist with this goal in mind,
according to Greg Endres, NDSU Extension Service area agronomist at the Carrington Research Extension Center,
and Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Service agronomist in Fargo.
Published May 3, 2011
NDSU Researcher Studies Disease-Causing Bacteria
KFGO
You can’t see them, but bacteria can cause serious health problems in the human body and on surfaces such as
medical devices and food processing equipment. These collections of bacteria, called bacterial biofilms, are the
subject of intensive research in NDSU’s Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences.
Published May 3, 2011
Dalrymple: Nickname is in NCAA’s court
By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM
Says UND to face consequences due to state law upholding ‘Fighting Sioux’: Gov. Jack Dalrymple couldn’t
resist a sports metaphor when he spoke Monday about what happens next in the saga of the University of North
Dakota’s embattled Fighting Sioux nickname.
*Click on the title to go to the full article.
**Some of the articles are no longer available seven days after publication. They are, however,
archived on the publication’s website and are available for a small fee.
Published April 28, 2011
Success for Williston in Legislative Session
By: Eric Steltzer, KFYR-TV News Stories
This article includes video footage.
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=48493
After 78 days, North Dakota`s Legislative session wrapped up. KUMV talked to State Legislators from the Northwest
portion of the state who is calling this session a success.
"We`ve got dollars coming back to the city on a couple of bills, which is going to help us with city infrastructure
problems. We got a little bit of help with the K-12 bill that is going to give us the opportunity to get a few extra dollars
back to our school district," said Rep. Gary R. Sukut.
"I think it was a great success for at least our part of the state in the oil patch area in the Northwest. We have
infrastructure money of $370.6 million that we will be giving out. That is a one time fund, and I can tell you the city of
Williston is going to receive a good amount of that," said Sen. Stan W Lyson.
The senator also said property tax reductions were one of the session’s larger accomplishments. There will be an
income-property tax relief of $341.8 million for taxpayers during the next biennium.
In other legislative news, a bill was passed this Thursday afternoon giving Williston State College $11,518,698.
State College officials say they have a plan on how they will use the money and will release the specifics at a later
date.
Published April 28, 2011
BSC Energy Center project included in budget
By: Rebecca Beitsch, Bismarck Tribune
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-andpolitics/2011_session/article_64d651c0-71e1-11e0-a475-001cc4c002e0.html
Funding to finish the top floor of the Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College is included in the state’s
higher education budget, as is money for expanding the University of North Dakota’s medical school.
Lawmakers agreed to give $4.3 million to finish the top floor of the building which looks out on the Missouri River.
Senate Appropriations chairman Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, said the project may cost less but could be used to
turn the space into something more education-geared, whereas unfinished it largely has been used for banquets.
BSC president Larry Skogen said much of the fourth floor simply needs to be finished with walls and flooring over the
cement and furnishings but also would include some technology aspects for teaching.
The main area will remain an open meeting space that can house 650 people — the largest space on campus. The
wings of the building will house classrooms and flexible laboratory space. Skogen said this has been part of the
master plan for the center since 2008.
The bill also includes funding for the medical school to open up more slots within its program.
The medical school won’t get the extra building that had been requested earlier, but the additional $1.8 million will
provide the funding to cover additional students as part of the program.
That money will open up eight more slots in the program for four years.
―They can absorb them within their current space,‖ Holmberg said.
There also is $100,000 for a study on ―space utilization‖ within the school.
The money also will accommodate additional residency slots, like the program run in Bismarck, adding nine more
slots a year for three years.
Published April 29, 2011
Bruce Rafert named NDSU provost
By: Forum staff reports, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/317930/group/homepage/
FARGO – Bruce Rafert, a vice provost and dean at Clemson University, has been named the next provost of North
Dakota State University.
Rafert, 61, will begin his work as NDSU’s chief academic officer in July, President Dean Bresciani announced today.
Rafert is dean of the graduate school and professor of physics and astronomy at Clemson University in South
Carolina.
―Dr. Rafert brings a career-long level of recognized experience and success in enhancing the caliber of academic
offerings from instruction to research,‖ Bresciani said in a statement.
Rafert will earn an annual salary of $255,000. He succeeds Craig Schnell, who is retiring from the administration and
returning to the faculty.
Published April 30, 2011
N.D. LEGISLATURE: What got done?
By: Teri Finneman, Grand Forks Herald
See the bolded sections for issues pertaining to higher education.
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/202072/group/homepage/
BISMARCK — In just under four months, North Dakota lawmakers finished a nearly $10 billion budget and approved
hundreds of new laws that will affect residents across the state.
The 2011 Legislature ended its work Thursday, with Republican leaders calling it a ―landmark session.‖
―We did some historic things for the state of North Dakota,‖ Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem of Bismarck said.
―What other state in the United States has the economic vitality that North Dakota has? We truly are the envy of the
nation.‖
―This was a great session for the citizens, and we’re really proud of what got accomplished,‖ said House Majority
Leader Al Carlson of Fargo.
So what exactly did get done this session?
Tax relief and infrastructure funding are two major pillars that both Republicans and Democrats point to, although the
parties have differing perspectives.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a $490 million tax reduction package into law Wednesday, calling it ―truly a landmark
piece of legislation.‖
The bill provides $341.8 million in property tax relief, $120 million to reduce individual income tax rates, $25 million to
reduce corporation income tax rates and $2.1 million to reduce the financial institutions tax rate.
The owner of a $150,000 home will see a property tax reduction of about $506 a year.
―For the people of North Dakota,‖ Dalrymple said before signing his name to the bill.
Democrats strongly opposed the $25 million tax break for corporations. Senate Minority Leader Ryan Taylor of
Towner said the money could have been used to fund programs for children that Republicans opposed and to aim
relief more at small businesses.
On the infrastructure side, the state will spend $600 million to rebuild and repair state highways across the state. The
Legislature also provided $370.6 million for oil counties and $60 million for non-oil producing counties for
infrastructure needs.
Democrats are pleased with the investment, but said this isn’t the end of the needs.
―The story about our infrastructure is certainly not done,‖ said House Assistant Minority Leader Lee Kaldor of
Mayville. ―There’s going to be some bragging about how much we put into it, but we’ve got a big, big burden out
there.‖
Other big talking points this session were putting UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname into state law, passing a
statewide texting-while-driving ban and making young teens wait a little longer to get a driver’s license.
The Legislature approved $235 million for state water projects. This includes building an east-end outlet and
expanding the west-end outlet at Devils Lake, a water control structure at Tolna Coulee and flood control in Fargo.
Sen. Dave Oehlke, R-Devils Lake, was glad the Legislature approved his proposed ban on Internet hunting and made
progress for Devils Lake.
―Finally this session, people finally were understanding on a statewide level how serious of a problem the Devils Lake
area really is and what needs to be done with it,‖ Oehlke said. ―So, it’s kind of exciting to see that there will be an
outlet put in by this time next year, and we’ll be able to get some relief from the rising waters there.‖
A dozen new field inspectors were added to enhance oversight of North Dakota’s oil and gas industry, as well as two
new Highway Patrol troopers to enforce truck regulations.
Legislators approved $3.1 million to recruit, train and retain child care providers. They also boosted funding to senior
service providers by $300,000 to help cover costs of providing meals to the elderly and gave $1.7 million in grants to
support domestic violence agencies.
The Legislature approved $997 million in state funding for K-12 schools and achieved its goal of funding
adequacy. Projects at college campuses across the state were approved, and Chancellor Bill Goetz said he
intends for tuition to hold steady at community colleges and be limited to 2.5 percent increases at the state’s
four-year universities.
About $4 billion of the state’s budget is general fund money. The ending fund balance projected for the 2011-13
biennium is $51 million, said Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks. There is also estimated to be $386 million in the
budget stabilization fund and $700,000 in a new strategic investment and improvements fund.
The Legislature also set aside nearly $342 million to use for property tax relief during the 2013-15 biennium. The
Legacy Fund is expected to have more than $600 million in the bank by the end of 2011-13, although legislators can’t
spend any of that money until 2017.
Rep. Eliot Glassheim, D-Grand Forks, said there were arguments among Republicans about how much money the
Legislature was spending and what it meant for the future.
―They seem to be afraid that they won’t be able to say no in the future if they don’t say no now and that drives me
bananas,‖ Glassheim said.
Kaldor said he found it amazing the Legislature passed multibillion budgets like transportation and human services
with little to no debate. Yet in the final days of the session, legislators were fighting over amounts worth $200,000, he
said.
Carlson said it’s much harder to govern with money than without it. He said critics have also said the state spent too
much money.
―There was a lot of spending but, in my opinion, we put it in the right place,‖ he said
Stenehjem said no matter how much money there is, there’s bound to be somebody who didn’t get covered for
something.
Taylor said there were good things achieved this session, but also misplaced priorities.
―North Dakota is growing, and that’s a new thing for our state. I think the ideology of cutting (spending) maybe just for
the sake of cutting does not fit a state that is growing,‖ he said.
Taylor also thought the Legislature needed to look past the two-year budget cycle and take a long-term view of North
Dakota’s future.
Children seemed to take a backseat this session, with money denied for Head Start and other children’s programs,
Taylor said. Democrats also say less time could have been spent debating multiple pieces of legislation opposing
federal health care reform.
―It seemed for a while there was one a day,‖ said House Minority Leader Jerry Kelsh of Fullerton.
Every session, there’s a list of items that don’t make the final cut.
―One of the things that we tried to address but didn’t get done was some of the tax issues dealing with the energy
industry, especially oil,‖ said Rep. Blair Thoreson, R-Fargo.
Some legislators wanted more done with high-fence hunting protection and animal welfare. Dickinson legislators
vow to be back next session to get funding for a Theodore Roosevelt resource center.
Now that the session is over, Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley has said the work will begin to let the public know what was
accomplished and to start setting priorities for the next one.
Legislators return to the chambers in mid-November for a special session on redistricting and federal health care
reform.
Published May 1, 2011
Higher Education Notebook: MSCTC named among top 10 percent of community
colleges
By: Amy Dalrymple, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318104/group/News/
Unfunded initiatives
Two major initiatives for the North Dakota University System were not funded last week in the Legislature’s final
budget, but that doesn’t mean they won’t move forward.
Legislators did not approve a request of about $870,000 for campus mental health services. The bulk of the money
would have added a full-time mental health counselor at campuses that don’t have one.
Chancellor Bill Goetz said even though the funding request wasn’t approved, he plans to have discussions with
campus officials on how mental health services can be addressed in at least a minimal way.
―Not addressing it, I think, is failing on a responsibility to a need that we have on every single campus,‖ Goetz said.
The Legislature also did not include about $5 million that was in Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s budget recommendation for
performance funding. Those dollars would have been allocated to campuses based on how they perform on certain
measures.
The state Board of Higher Education is already making progress toward looking at a different funding model and will
continue working on performance funding, Goetz said.
―The concept is something the board feels strongly about and I anticipate that we will continue to work in that area,‖
Goetz said.
Published May 1, 2011
Biking: Collegiate rivalry wheels in cash for charity
By: Ryan S. Clark, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318138/group/Sports/
FARGO – Rivalries, especially the good ones, often times exceed what happens on a football field or a basketball
court.
They seep into everyday life and if there’s that chance to get the best of a rival, it is a safe bet that anything will be
done to achieve victory. Even if it means crawling out of bed on a Saturday morning to see which school can raise the
most money through a bike race.
Because even if rivals are going at it for a good cause – like charity – there are still bragging rights on the line.
―There is a trophy that is given out and it does have the winner’s name at the bottom of it,‖ said Tonia Splonskowski.
―Then there’s bragging rights too.‖
North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota extended their longtime feud along with extending a charitable
hand by competing in the 26th annual bike race, which is used to raise money for Newman Centers on both
campuses. The Newman Centers are Catholic-based foundations that serve students on each campus.
Splonskowski, who is one of the race organizers, said the race is the major fundraiser for both Newman Centers. The
goal is to raise $80,000, or 30 percent of the Newman Center’s annual $225,000 budget.
No one from either school will argue that raising some green is a good thing.
The race has three formats it uses to determine which school wins. Race organizers look at the finishing times of the
top 20 racers from each side, which school had the most entries and which school raised the most money to figure
out who won.
Who won the race won’t be available until today, but for what it’s worth, the Sioux hold the edge in the series.
As for the race itself, it welcomes all kinds of riders.
Charlie Hansen, an architecture student at NDSU, is one of the more serious riders. He placed 11th in last year’s
race.
―It’s a low key race but there are some competitive people,‖ Hansen said. ―But it is a fun ride and it’s something that
gets the body moving.‖
Biking 33 miles will keep anyone moving, especially when it is windy outside. The wind is one of the reasons why no
one from NDSU got a chance to see anyone from UND. Splonskowski said because the wind was coming from the
north, it meant that NDSU riders would ride from Fargo to Hillsboro and in turn, it meant that the UND riders would
start in Hillsboro and work their way back to Grand Forks.
UND riders were bussed down to Hillboro, which is the halfway point between Fargo and Grand Forks, to start the
race.
Along the course are vehicles traveling to make sure that riders are taken care of during the race.
Part of the fun that comes with the race is what some of the costumes riders are wearing. Loren Loh, a NDSU
alumna, finished the race in a little more than an hour. Loh, one of the more serious riders, was decked out in all
black from his helmet down to his cleats, which are used on a standard racing cycle.
If Loh had arrived to Hillsboro five minutes earlier, he would have seen Sara Lahr and her friends, who were all
dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
―We wanted to dress up as the Ninja Turtles for Halloween, but it just didn’t work out,‖ said Lahr, who is one of the
campus missionaries at the UND Newman Center. ―But when it came time for the race and what we wanted to wear,
we came up with this.‖
Published May 1, 2011
NDSU senior creates flood-fight upgrades
By: Mike Nowatzki, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318118/
FARGO – As a child, Andrew Lynch loved listening to his dad’s police scanner. He also developed a knack for
computers, using them since age 5.
So when spring flooding arrived this year, the Salvation Army volunteer saw an opportunity to make some upgrades.
Lynch, who will graduate this month with an electrical engineering degree from North Dakota State University, was
instrumental in allowing the Salvation Army here to expand its coverage area during the flood fight from a 196square-mile urban area to a 4,600-square-mile regional area, said Steve Carbno, disaster services manager.
―He took us from a 15-watt light bulb to a floodlight just in what we were able to do this year compared to what we’ve
done in the past,‖ Carbno said.
Lynch admits he’s a geek who loves to carry a radio, and his technical prowess shows in the computer and
communications setups at the Salvation Army’s flood-response command center at Main Avenue and 16th Street.
But it’s a strong desire to help people, not flex his nerd muscles, that mainly drives the 21-year-old in his volunteer
role.
―Pulling up on the scene of a fire, you know you’re going to do some good,‖ he said. ―You’re helping somebody else,
whether that be a victim or whether that be an emergency responder.‖
During the spring 2009 flood fight, Lynch worked a single shift serving food at Fargo’s Sandbag Central, his first taste
of the Salvation Army’s work.
He earned his amateur radio operator’s license that August and, through the ham radio community, was put in
contact with Carbno that December.
Lynch applied to become part of the Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services team and was accepted. He
responded to a number of major events in 2010, including the Galleria On 42nd apartment fire and the Wadena,
Minn., tornado.
His technical skills came into play during the long period of preparation for this year’s spring flood.
Using a laptop, projector and free Google Earth software, he created a large map on the command center’s wall to
mark where resources were needed and deployed. As the flood progressed, he added road closures to help crews
find the best routes.
―This was a huge, huge asset to us this year,‖ Carbno said.
When he was bored one weekend, Lynch wrote a software program that takes National Weather Service flood
hydrograph data and regurgitates it into a simpler format for checking river levels more quickly.
Lynch also combined three radios – a digital police scanner, dual-band ham radio and UHF radio used for Salvation
Army business – into a single pack that can be plugged into a wall outlet or generator to give responders instant
communications access in the field.
The upgrades haven’t gone unnoticed. Carbno said the Salvation Army’s divisional leaders are looking at
incorporating Lynch’s upgrades into their overall response.
Lynch said it was difficult and stressful juggling his schoolwork, volunteering and his tech support job in NDSU’s
College of Engineering and Architecture. Still, he plans to continue volunteering for the Salvation Army after he
graduates and starts a new job as a computer support specialist for a Fargo firm.
―I’ll still wear the pager. I’ll still get up at 1 in the morning. I probably won’t stay as long, but we’re all volunteers on the
team. We all make it work,‖ he said.
Published May 1, 2011
Dance expressions: Form and fusion Dance Company to showcase spring
performance
By: Linda Sailer, Dickinson Press
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/47380/
The Form and Fusion Dance Company at Dickinson State University will present its 10th annual spring performance
with a variety of choreographed dances.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 8, in the DSU May Hall Stickney
Auditorium.
―The students choreograph this work and it covers all gendres of dance and all music types,‖ said Pattie Carr,
company director.
―It’s always the upper class,‖ she added. ―This year, we have three student directors who really do the bulk of the
work — Jessica Aparicio, Amanda McCabe and Keneisha Miller.‖
―We lead exercises, make sure everyone gets on time and we make decisions about costuming and dance,‖ said
Aparicio.
The dance company of 24 students began working on the spring performance midway through fall semester.
―First, you have to create the work, then rehearse the work, and consume it,‖ said Carr. ―Right now, Ron Gingerich
(associate professor of theater) is working on the lighting design.‖
The program includes dances such as ―Hmm, Whatcha Say‖ and ―Broken Baby Dolls‖ by Miller, ―Nature’s Hymn‖ by
Carr, ―The Mix‖ and ―Roxanne‖ by Aparicio and ―The Time‖ by McCabe.
―There’s some fun stuff — a real variety of work,‖ said Carr.
―We have a lyrical hip-hop dance first and it may be the first time we have a kick dance,‖ added Aparicio. ―We have
modern — a couple are happy and a lot are edgy.‖
DSU began offering a minor degree in dance 11 years ago.
―It’s been such a blessing — it’s made my life so wonderful,‖ said Carr. ―We have almost, but not quite, a one-to-one
ratio of men to women. Most of the men come from the athletic department.‖
She credits the men’s increased interest in dance to those who want to try something different.
―I’m assuming the TV dance show has certainly helped us,‖ she added.
Most of the women enrolled in dance have participated in a high school dance program or studied dance at a studio.
―Our program focuses on ballet, tap, jazz and modern — we focus on dance as a fine art,‖ said Carr.
―They want to become better dancers,‖ she said. ―They may be elementary education or music and theater education
majors. It’s something they can use when they start teaching in school — helping with musicals or dance lines.‖
Aparicio, who plans to teach elementary education, appreciates the DSU dance program.
―Dickinson is a lot about diversity, so we get to experience diverse dancing, like Chinese dances, and now we bring in
hip hop and kick,‖ she said.
The spring production is an opportunity to showcase the work of the students.
―My students come first — it’s first and always about the students,‖ said Carr.
At the end of a performance with the audience standing on its feet, the students understand that it takes hard work to
have quality results, she said.
―From my perspective, dance teaches life skills, I firmly believe that,‖ Carr added.
The students consider the performance as a gift to the community.
―We have such support from this community,‖ said Carr. ―Form and Fusion has become a community tradition.‖
The performance is for anyone who enjoys the arts, who enjoys dance.
―It’s a quality university performance,‖ said Carr.
Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for students younger than 12 and seniors. The Box office number is 701-483-2154
and is open from 1-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Published May 1, 2011
ND Legislature plays role of ‘Evita’
By: Donald Bruce Beard (Banning, Calif.), Letter, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318069/group/Opinion/
The settlement agreement – the deal signed by the NCAA and North Dakota in 2007 – allowed the Spirit Lake Sioux
and the Standing Rock Sioux to approve continued use of the Sioux logo by November 2010. When the Standing
Rock Sioux Tribal Council disapproved of such use, the settlement agreement required the University of North
Dakota to retire the logo by August 2011.
Oh, the cries of outrage! The brick lady from Hebron: ―No small minority should tell us what to do!‖ The retired alumni
leader from Grand Forks: ―Bowing to political correctness is a mistake.‖ The fox from Fargo: ―The NCAA will cave,
once they see our resolve.‖ (Oddly, the fox had reasoned that when North Dakota failed to keep its word, the NCAA
would be impressed and cease its opposition.)
Thus inspired, the North Dakota Legislature took on the role of Evita, declaring the deal was not a deal and, by law,
requiring UND to retain the logo, the Standing Rock Sioux and the NCAA be damned.
Full-throated, the Legislature sang out, ―I had to let it happen, I had to change ... So I chose freedom, Running
around, trying everything new.‖
Recognizing a sinister Madonna when they saw one, the NCAA insisted a deal is a deal and announced that the
settlement agreement will be honored. This means no post-season NCAA tourneys at UND and no wearing of the
logo elsewhere during post-season competition. Also, by extension, nonleague powerhouses like Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Boston College and others – all NCAA members – can remove themselves from UND’s regular-season
dance card.
Faced with a resolve more adamant and grounded than its own, the Evita Legislature may wish to sing a different
refrain. ―And as for fortune, and as for fame, I never invited them in. Though it seemed to the world they were all I
desired. They are illusions. They are not the solutions they promised to be.‖
Beard is a native of Reynolds, N.D., and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from UND.
Published May 1, 2011
Not the real ‘Fighting Sioux’
By: Conrad Bernard (Moorhead), Letter, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318111/group/Opinion/
In response to Rich Peterson in the April 27 Forum, why should we let the North Dakota government hot shots allow
the University of North Dakota to keep the nickname? After what your ancestors did to the Sioux people in the past
and are still doing to this day? Racial discrimination is still here today. I live it every single day in the Fargo-Moorhead
area.
People say they honor and respect us, but where is the honor and respect for me and the other Sioux people? Maybe
you should look up the word ―honor.‖ You say that the NCAA should lean hard on the schools that don’t want to play
UND in the conference. Why?
The teams that are in the conference are following what the NCAA wants and have no problems with that. So you’re
saying that the NCAA should go easy on UND because they are the ―Fighting Sioux‖ from North Dakota?
I remember the words from the great Chief Crazy Horse: ―Don’t trust the paleface for he speaks with forked tongue.‖
The government has told the Sioux people what to do, where to live, how to speak, and they are doing it again. Our
voices fell on deaf ears. Furthermore, Mr. Peterson, we don’t get a dime of compensation from UND or the casinos.
They should be known as the UND ―Fighting Sioux Wannabes.‖ But keep in mind, you won’t be as great as the real
―Fighting Sioux.‖
Published May 2, 2011
NDSCS students design home in 3 days
By: Carrie McDermott, Wahpeton Daily News
To view the original article, please visit:
http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2011/05/02/news/doc4dbebba47abab491496256.txt
Teams of North Dakota State College of Science students designed a home in three days last month.
A three-day competition, a design charrette, was part of the regular coursework for the architectural drafting and
construction management students. The winners were announced Friday.
"The biggest reason for doing the design charrette is to challenge the students to work in teams and communicate
with each other," said Paul Lekang, architectural drafting instructor.
This is the second year the school has put on the competition, and Lekang said that it was leaps and bounds better
than the first year.
"Half of the students knew what to expect this time, and the faculty was more organized this time, too," he said.
Published May 2, 2011
Hammond out of retirement
By: James C. Falcon, Minot Daily News
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/554296/Hammond-outof-retirement.html?nav=5010
Drum groups pounded out soulful songs and ornately dressed dancers danced around in a large and colorful display
of Native American culture, Wylie Hammond was on top of everything.
Was everything going to plan? How was the concession stand operating? Were they running out of supplies?
Almost one year ago, Hammond announced his plans to retire. Now, he is back at his old post.
So much for retirement.
After 18 years with Minot State University, Hammond decided to retire. There were fish to be caught, deer to be shot
and grandchildren to visit. And now was the time he was going to do it.
When he announced his retirement, Hammond received a card from the members of the Native American Cultural
Association Center wishing him a happy retirement. There was an addendum: "P.S. Please don't leave us."
It looks like their wish came true.
It was in the beginning of March when Hammond received an SOS call from MSU. Dennis Parisien, who took over
for Hammond, had resigned and the Native American Center was in need for a director, especially with the Spring
Honor Powwow coming up.
After 18 years of dedication to the powwow, Hammond said he "didn't want to see it go down the tubes."
"They dusted me off and dragged me back," he said with a grin.
Hammond said that he has always been interested in different people and cultures, but the Native American culture
hit close to home after his aunt discovered that his family was part Penobscot. The Penobscot, who were an
Algonquin-speaking tribe, historically came from Maine and Canada.
"My great-great-grandfather had married a full-blooded Penobscot lady," Hammond said, noting that this piqued his
interest in the Native American culture.
In 1975, Hammond took a position as director of student affairs at Mayville State College. During his 11 years there,
he worked with a number of Native American students, many of them from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
Indians. He then worked as director of student life at the Cochise College, in Douglas, Ariz., but when his father-inlaw suffered from health problems, the Hammond family returned to North Dakota.
In 1992, Hammond was hired initially as a counselor to work with multi-cultural students at MSU. As the Native
American student population grew, Hammond realized that something needed to be done to accommodate them
and he proposed to then college president Erik Schaar that a Native American center be created.
"Our largest minority population was Native American, and also because the largest minority population in North
Dakota was Native American," Hammond said. Even now, Native American students make up the largest minority of
the student population at MSU. This was enough to warrant a Native American center, Hammond thought.
The center was established in 1996. It was first located in Old Main, but when that building was remodeled, the
center moved into the third floor of the student center where it remains today. This, in Hammond's opinion, is one of
his greater accomplishments during his time at MSU. Another was the powwow.
"When I first came (to MSU), the powwow was only a one-day event," Hammond said. "It grew under my tutelage
and we expanded it to a two-day event because it got larger and larger, which I think is a positive thing for the Native
students here, who are really involved in that."
Without the Native American center, Hammond said, the college wouldn't have the powwow.
Working with other tribal colleges was another part of his job that he enjoyed.
"It was a rewarding job here." he said of his 18 years at MSU, as he had the opportunity to travel to tribal colleges.
"Every time you go someplace, it's like going home. Seeing old faces and remembering old times. And the older you
get, the more fun that is. I really enjoyed that part of my job."
"I was able to draw our academic side and the administrative side closer to Native people and culture by being a
liaison between Minot State and the various tribal colleges," he said. "From that, a number of institutional
committees were developed working with those tribal colleges."
Memorandums of Understanding with the Turtle Mountain Community College, in Belcourt; the United Tribes
Technical Center, in Bismarck; and the Fort Berthold Community College, in New Town, were penned through his
work.
"That was through not only my efforts, but part of what I was promoting," he said. Through this, Hammond said he
could help Native American students to "achieve whatever their educational goals might be."
For those hoping that Hammond will stay on, they may find themselves dismayed. Hammond won't become a
permanent fixture at the college again. Friday was the closing date for the search of his replacement. He will serve
as a guide for the new director and help get him or her on his feet.
Published May 2, 2011
NCAA: Nothing’s changed
By: Minot Daily News, Jamestown Sun
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/135036/
Did anyone realistically expect the NCAA to change its stance on the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux
nickname and logo simply because the Legislature passed a new state law that orders the university to keep the
nickname?
In case anyone was still hopeful of that happening, Bernard Franklin, an NCAA executive vice president, sent a letter
to UND to clarify the organization’s stance.
For the record, the NCAA still considers the nickname hostile and abusive, and expects UND to abide by the details
of a 2007 agreement that says the university will discontinue using the nickname and logo by Aug. 15, 2011, unless it
receives support from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes. Spirit Lake tribal members have endorsed the
nickname, but the Standing Rock tribal council remains opposed to the nickname.
In its letter, the NCAA also reiterated that UND would be subject to sanctions for continued use of the nickname and
logo, even when the new state law takes effect in August. In other words, from the NCAA’s standpoint, nothing has
changed.
No one should have expected anything different, despite the level of support for keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname
and logo among legislators.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. A scheduled meeting between NCAA officials and legislators and Gov. Jack
Dalrymple was canceled after the NCAA was informed that the meeting might be open to the public. Instead, the
NCAA sent a letter to UND to reiterate its stance against the nickname and logo.
We don’t expect anything to change between now and Aug. 15.
Published May 3, 2011
NDSU Increases Economics Of Soybeans
KFGO
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.kfgo.com/agri-business-news.php?ID=8975
Of broadleaf crops grown in North Dakota, soybeans will continue to be the leader in acreage in 2011.
To improve soybean yields economically, producers are exploring combinations of production management
strategies. North Dakota State University is conducting several research trials to assist with this goal in mind,
according to Greg Endres, NDSU Extension Service area agronomist at the Carrington Research Extension Center,
and Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Service agronomist in Fargo.
A soybean intensive management study has been conducted since 2008 to examine combinations of planting rates,
row spacing and special foliar inputs using early and late-maturing varieties to identify the most profitable
combination. Best management practices are used in the study, including seed inoculation and seed
fungicide/insecticide treatments.
Six site-years of data have been generated from trial locations at Carrington and Prosper.
―Planting rates of 150,000 and 200,000 pure live seeds (PLS) per acre have been compared with an average early
season established stand of 138,000 and 175,000 plants per acre, respectively,‖ Endres says. ―NDSU currently
recommends an established soybean stand of 150,000 plants per acre, with a variance of 10 percent, to maximize
yield potential. Current results from the study indicate a yield advantage of just less than 1 bushel per acre, or 1.5
percent, averaged across site-years for the high planting rate. However, when costs and benefits are calculated, the
lower planting rate is more economical.‖
Fourteen-inch row spacing has averaged 1.1 bushels per acre or about a 2 percent greater yield than using 28-inch
rows.
―This confirms other university data indicating a higher yield potential with intermediate rows versus wide rows,‖
Kandel says. ―Also, in the NDSU study, canopy closure occurred an average of a month earlier with the 14-inch rows,
compared with wide rows. Quicker canopy closure provides advantages, including greater weed competition, soil
moisture conservation and increased capture of sunlight, all potentially resulting in higher yields using the narrower
rows.‖
Special foliar inputs, including a nutrient combination, plus a growth promoter at early vegetative stages, were applied
sequentially. This was followed by a fungicide treatment during the flowering to early-pod formation stages. Across
site-years, the special inputs increased soybean yield 2.2 bushels per acre, or about 4 percent, compared with the
untreated check. However, there only was a modest return on investment.
―In another ongoing study conducted at Carrington to examine special inputs for soybeans, numerous individual
products or combinations applied at various plant stages have not consistently provided yield gain or economic
returns,‖ Endres says. Farmers should use caution when considering additional inputs beyond recommended
management practices that are based on university research.‖
Study results indicate the combination of planting 150,000 PLS per acre in 14-inch rows, followed by the combination
of special foliar inputs, provides the highest return on investment among the options explored.
The intensive management study will be continued this crop season at Carrington and Fargo.
―This year, an addition to the research is comparing soybean performance under tiled versus undrained soil
environments at Fargo,‖ Kandel says. ―In addition, other soybean production management studies are planned in
2011 to continue investigating soybean response to other factors, including tillage systems, planting dates, fertilizer
placement, seed inoculation and special inputs.‖
The research is being supported by the North Dakota Soybean Council.
Published May 3, 2011
NDSU Researcher Studies Disease-Causing Bacteria
KFGO
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.kfgo.com/agri-business-news.php?ID=8976
You can’t see them, but bacteria can cause serious health problems in the human body and on surfaces such as
medical devices and food processing equipment.
The bacteria may show up as plaque on teeth or cause otitis, a middle-ear infection, or cystic fibrosis, a disease that
causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs. The bacteria also can lead to a sometimes deadly foodborne
illness.
These collections of bacteria, called bacterial biofilms, are the subject of intensive research in North Dakota State
University’s Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences.
An estimated 60 to 80 percent of bacterial infectious diseases involve the formation of biofilms, according to the
National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, 76 million Americans suffer from
foodborne illness each year.
Researchers don’t know how many of these foodborne illness incidents involve bacterial biofilms.
―However, food processing equipment is often contaminated with bacterial biofilms,‖ says assistant professor Birgit
Pruess, whose lab is focusing on studying biofilms. ―This is of particular importance in a state like North Dakota,
where so much of our nation’s and world’s food supply is being produced.‖
Pruess is one of a group of scientists in the Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences conducting
research on the development of infectious diseases and how organisms’ immune systems respond to those diseases.
They are committed to understanding microorganisms and the disease process to enhance North Dakota’s efforts to
protect against intentional and unintentional disease outbreaks.
But bacteria’s ability to form biofilm isn’t all bad: It can be used in bioindustrial processes. For instance, bioethanol
production sometimes involves the formation of biofilm. This can be an advantage because the multiple species that
form the biofilm are very close to each other, which facilitates the separation of the final products.
―The information that will be obtained from the research in my lab will constitute a major breakthrough in our
understanding of the physiology that underlies biofilm formation and will have implications in several biofilmassociated problems and/or applications,‖ Pruess says.
One possible application is the development of novel drugs to treat biofilm-associated infectious diseases. Bacteria in
a biofilm have a community lifestyle that has similarities to humans. They communicate with each other, are able to
move to more desirable places and even have a molecular form of a memory that lasts about 20 seconds.
―As a general rule, disrupting the communication pathways that lead to processes like biofilm formation is a promising
alternative to traditional drug therapies that reduce bacterial growth while inducing resistance,‖ says Pruess, whose
lab has a long history of studying regulatory pathways at the genetic level.
Biofilm-bound bacteria form three-dimensional structures consisting of multiple layers of bacteria. For example,
bacteria at the outermost edge of the 3-D structure are exposed to more nutrients and oxygen than the bacteria in the
center of the colony. The outermost bacteria also are exposed to the host’s immune system or, in cases of infectious
diseases, antibiotics.
―Drugs are often unable to penetrate deep into the biofilm,‖ Pruess says. ―This means that they will need a target at
the surface of the 3-D structure that constitutes the biofilm. We anticipate that this project will lead to the identification
of a number of genes that can serve as targets for novel biofilm prevention and treatment options.‖
Her research aimed at identifying such surface targets is funded by a $358,750 grant from the National Institutes of
Health.
A second project she is working on deals with determining the precise conditions under which bacterial biofilms form.
Despite years of research on biofilms, few comprehensive studies address this question.
Pruess, in collaboration with Anne Denton, an associate professor in NDSU’s Department of Computer Sciences,
found that nutrients available to the bacteria are instrumental in determining the amount of biofilm that is formed.
Pruess and Denton will pinpoint single nutrients that will inhibit biofilm formation, which also will be helpful in
developing biofilm prevention and treatment techniques.
Pruess and Preeti Sule, a Ph.D. student, have studied a pathogenic E. coli strain grown on the surface of meat. E.
coli is a naturally occurring bacterium found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most strains are
harmless, but some can cause serious illness in humans.
The strain Pruess and Sule studied would not form biofilm under most laboratory conditions. However, it probably
does when grown on meat, Pruess says.
They also found that eliminating flagella, the hairlike structures that help bacteria move, increased the bacteria’s
ability to form biofilm, as well as the bacteria’s cell division rate and pathogenicity, or ability to produce an infectious
disease in an organism.
―These findings open countless avenues to the development of novel meat treatments that would simultaneously
reduce the cell number, the ability to form biofilm and pathogenicity,‖ Pruess says. ―The research, which is funded by
the State Board of Research and Education and the North Dakota Beef Commission, could help with one of the
unresolved problems in meat processing: contamination with E. coli.‖
Published May 3, 2011
Dalrymple: Nickname is in NCAA’s court
By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM
To view the original article, please visit: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/318312/
FARGO – Gov. Jack Dalrymple couldn’t resist a sports metaphor when he spoke Monday about what happens next in
the saga of the University of North Dakota’s embattled Fighting Sioux nickname.
―At the moment, the ball is in the court of the NCAA,‖ the governor told The Forum’s Editorial Board.
The North Dakota Legislature recently decided to defy the NCAA’s directive and keep the Fighting Sioux nickname
and logo. Dalrymple signed the bill, saying it represented the public’s wishes.
But, he acknowledges, UND now must wait to find out how severely the NCAA punishment is for keeping the
nickname and logo despite its mandate to retire them.
―There are going to be consequences,‖ Dalrymple said, ―and they’re not happy consequences.‖
Those could be relatively minor, he said, such as a prohibition of wearing jerseys with the ―Fighting Sioux‖ insignia.
Or the consequences could be more severe, including a ban against playing in postseason NCAA competitions.
The law takes effect Aug. 1, which the university will abide, and UND will find itself in noncompliance with the NCAA
by Aug. 15.
In effect, Dalrymple said, lawmakers put themselves in the position of being both judge and jury by passing the law
putting UND at odds with the NCAA, despite an earlier settlement that would have retired the logo since it was not
approved by two tribes.
The legal settlement, reached in 2007, spells out penalties for post-season play.
If UND suffers dire consequences as result, legislators could alter their decision, if it proves unpopular in the arena of
public opinion.
―They will have to hear back from their constituents,‖ Dalrymple said, adding his decision to sign the bill was a ―tough
call.‖
―But I believe the people of North Dakota have something to say about it,‖ he added. ―They are the owners of the
University of North Dakota. They said this is what we want.‖