Here is his reply.........I hope someone tries to fire him......

 

Kelley denies pressuring Summit League on nickname issue

By: Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald

BISMARCK - UND President Robert Kelley repeated this morning his denial that he ever asked Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple to publicly come out against accepting the Fighting Sioux as a league member until the school's controversial nickname issue was resolved.

"Tom has been very consistent with me that once we resolved the logo issue, the Summit League would review our appeal," Kelley said today as he waited for the House Education Committee to begin hearings on three bills that would require UND to retain the nickname and logo.

"I am very surprised to find Tom thought there was pressure put on him to speak out on this issue," Kelley said.

"There has been some urgency on our part to get this resolved. I think he felt some urgency on our part. But I don't recall ever putting pressure on Tom as he implied."

Kelley said he has not spoken with Douple about the commissioner's statement.

"I have not had any conversations with Tom since our acceptance into the Big Sky Conference in November," he said.

"I can't speculate on where this is coming from or why at this time."

Kelley also said he "can't speculate on what he might have understood," or whether Douple may have heard something from someone else at UND.

"I have the highest respect for Tom, and I thought he understood perfectly that this (retirement of the logo) was the responsibility of the state board, and once it was resolved we would be able to move forward.

"My responsibility is to move ahead, and that's what we're doing."

Kelly has been against the name since the first time he talked about it... As a leader of a institution such as UND, you would think that one might have pride in being a part of it and its culture.  I left UND at the begenning of Kelly's involvement at UND.  I always feared that he was against even trying to keep the name.

For those of you that want to change it, how about this... Go change your last name.  Its just a name, no big deal, or do you have some pride in it?

walleye101 Said:
Who cares??? Get a new nickname and move on UND. Not that hard, UND wasn't smart enough to cut a deal with the tribes in earlier years. This will always be an issue, just change and move on and focus on the future. Not that hard really.

I care !!! and it's not right...that a school has to change it's storied name because some tree-hugging wanna be hippie Indian in some other state complained to the NCAA…who in turn felt it appropriate to cost schools across the country millions of dollars to either change a name or fight against it…and top of all of that you have our own wussface panty wearing board of higher ed which chose the gutless way around the issue because it’s UND and not their precious NDSU…I would see a point if either Indian community was up in arms against it however it is the complete opposite both reservations support the name it’s just due to Standing Rocks inadequate leadership a vote never took place…so I CARE !!!!

doublebarrelsaloon Said:
I thought I heard the student senate at und voted to officially oppose the bill.

I think the University feels like they have already lost and are trying to put this behind them…which makes sense…however as a fan and a supporter of the University I do not want to see the name change…

doublebarrelsaloon Said:
I thought I heard the student senate at und voted to officially oppose the bill.

greyrider Said:
.  Who's really telling the
truth?????

"There has been some urgency on our part to get this resolved. I think he felt some urgency on our part. But I don't recall ever putting pressure on Tom as he implied."]end quote

eyexer Said:

doublebarrelsaloon Said:
I thought I heard the student senate at und voted to officially oppose the bill.

that doesn't mean jack.  If you want something with some meaning, let every alumnist vote on the issue.  now that would mean something.  and I think we all know what the result of that will be.  In fact, if the name changes, those same alumni are going to vote with their pocket book.  Several alumni  that I know personally have vowed to never give them another dime if the name changes.  These people donate over 250K a year to the school. 

svnmag Said:
101,

I was going to ask you to remove your 88 avatar until I remembered Jr. dropped a KFC sponsorship because some hussy wrote him about cruelty to chickens.  So, I'll just say I vehemently disagree with you on this subject.  When you keep moving on from the Original Recipe you end up with a tub of shiite.

Someone called McFeelings yesterday afternoon deciding to be offended by "The Fighting Irish".  McFeelings REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS because no one had been treated like the Indians.  Hogwash.  There's not a a culture on this planet that hasn't been exploited and enslaved by another.  The Sioux logo is a symbol of respect and spirit. 

McFeelings needs to get his own olive sandwich and move on.

doublebarrelsaloon Said:
I thought I heard the student senate at und voted to officially oppose the bill.

A resolution spearheaded by Student Body President Matt Bakke and Vice President Grant Hauschild divided members of Student Senate on Sunday. The resolution passed by a slim margin, 10-8-4. Three senators were absent and were counted as abstentions.

The resolution sought Senate's opposition to three bills currently being discussed by the North Dakota House of Representatives.  The House Bills 1208, 1257, and 1263 call for the university remain as the "Fighting Sioux". Each has its own provisions, but three all work toward the goal of keeping the nickname.

Bakke and Hauschild expressed concern that these bills would affect UND Athletics negatively, costing the university athletic games and revenue for the university. According to Hauschild, the bills will be discussed this week and a stance on the bills was vital to their defeat.

Several senators met the resolution with opposition, claiming students were not informed of Student Government's actions.

"You're doing this behind students' backs," charged Off-Campus Senator Brenden Jehlicka, referring to the delicate manner with which the resolution was distributed to senators and then passed on to a limited number of constituents.

Other senators supported the resolution, citing the legislature's delayed reaction to the nickname decision and sudden creation of the three bills was unprofessional.

"It's absolutely pathetic that they're throwing this out there now," Greek Senator John Kappel bellowed. "We should pass this to screw them over."

Engineering and Mines Senator Kevin Kraft also voiced his dissent with the resolution. Kraft was the only senator to email the resolution to his constituents for review. He believes the student body should have been contacted about the issue.

"I'm not comfortable making a decision of this magnitude," he stated, making it clear he wanted to know the opinion of his constituents before voting.

Amidst the debate, Government Affairs Commissioner Chelsea Stone reminded all those present "This issue affects people, not just money and material things."

Director of American Indian Studies Leigh Jeanotte, also weighed in on the issue, explaining the tribes are sovereign nations and he is appalled at the legislatures expectations of the tribes as laid out in HB 1208 and 1257.

According to Jeanotte, the Spirit Lake Tribe would have to change their entire constitution to achieve a referendum vote.

Jacob Gapp took the podium after Jeanotte. Gapp, chair of the Student Organization Funding Agency, revealed he learned of the resolution by mistake.

"It is very important we do have student input on this matter," warned Gapp. He went on to say that "shot-gunning something though a committee" will only hinder Student Government's ability to help students, both through the nickname retirement transition and its normal duties.

doublebarrelsaloon Said:

eyexer Said:

doublebarrelsaloon Said:
I thought I heard the student senate at und voted to officially oppose the bill.

that doesn't mean jack.  If you want something with some meaning, let every alumnist vote on the issue.  now that would mean something.  and I think we all know what the result of that will be.  In fact, if the name changes, those same alumni are going to vote with their pocket book.  Several alumni  that I know personally have vowed to never give them another dime if the name changes.  These people donate over 250K a year to the school. 

I hafta partially disagree with you on this in the sense that students currently attending might want to be done with this and move on and be able to take pride in something other than controversy. I mean they are the one who have to put up with all this bs either way on a day-to-day basis. I agree a cut in alumni money would hurt but from a strictly opinion standpoint alumni have the luxury of staying out of the mess while still being able to point fingers. I think most of us are that way with our alma maters we read the paper and point fingers but still don't have to be at ground zero of it. I'm just as guilty as anyone in that regard especially involving sports.

walleye101 Said:
Who cares??? Get a new nickname and move on UND. Not that hard, UND wasn't smart enough to cut a deal with the tribes in earlier years. This will always be an issue, just change and move on and focus on the future. Not that hard really.