Open Thread #53

Wazzup?

Hana Japanese Grill opens

As Herald reporter and fellow area blogger Ryan Schuster previously reported, there is a new dining option at the Columbia Mall's Dakota Cafe food court. Hana Japanese Grill opened earlier this month and serves Japanese food including sushi, chicken dishes, and seafood. It's owned by the same group that owns the Magic Chopstix location in the food court.

Has anyone tried out this new restaurant yet? If you have, please share your thoughts. Are we talking about a carbon copy of Magic Chopstix here or is this place unique?

I'm glad to see another restaurant open at the food court. What other types of restaurants would you like to see open up in the remaining spots?

Open Thread #52

It seems like all I ever do these days is work, work, work...not enough time for blogging! What plans do you have for Thanksgiving? Have you already started decorating for Christmas?

Open Thread #51

What should we talk about?

Changes at UND

Face it...UND is the engine that drives Grand Forks. That engine has been undergoing a series of major changes lately. There are so many things going on at UND that it is almost hard to keep track of them all. A short review is in order...

•President Charles Kupchella is leaving his post at the end of this school year and a nationwide search is being undertaken to find his successor.

•The UND athletic programs are all being reclassified to NCAA Division I.

•The UND/NCAA Fighting Sioux logo and nickname lawsuit was recently settled outside of court. Although UND has three years to gain tribal support for the nickname, I doubt most of us really think that will happen. I feel strongly that...for better or for worse...in a few years UND athletics will have a new nickname and logo.

•The UND Athletic Director, Tom Buning, has resigned his post and a search will now have to be undertaken to find his successor. What should UND look for in a new AD? Clearly, a new AD would have many, many issues on his plate. Another issue facing UND athletics is facilities...a new football stadium is not out of the question for some time in the future.

•NDSU has grown dramatically in recent years. This year, NDSU now has almost as many students as UND does...the two campuses have never been so close in this critical number. Will NDSU grow larger than UND or will UND soon experience another growth spurt? UND was founded as and has remained as the flagship university in the state...would a larger NDSU hurt UND's prestige?

•Universities...and UND in particular...are no longer exclusively educational endeavors. While UND still exists primarily to educate, it has also been experiencing dramatic growth in research projects. Also, fundraising has become a major issue facing UND. For instance, a campaign will soon be launched to increase UND's endowment to $500 million...a seemingly astronomical sum.

Clearly this is a time of change...major change...at UND. I'm sure I'm leaving out other ongoing and upcoming changes. I'm curious how you think UND will pass through this era. Will a better campus emerge? What would you like to see in a new UND President? Will education start to take a backseat to research and fundraising? What will UND be 5 years from now? How about 15 or 30 years from now? The UND of the future is being shaped today and I'm curious what you think that UND will be like.

Open Thread #50

Wow, the big 5-0!

I Love Grand Forks #2

"I Love Grand Forks" is going to become a monthly tradition on GFL. There's lots to love in this city and I love reading through everyone's reasons. Name a few of the reasons why you love Grand Forks.

New GFHPC website

The Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission has a brand new website. It's great to see decent looking local government websites...the same can't really be said for most of our local government sites.

I like the fact that local history - something which is very important to me - now has a presence on the web. I would like to see more historic images and some more informative text added, but good start.

Happy Halloween!

What will you be doing this Halloween?

I'll be handing out candy to the half a dozen kids that make their way to my home. We used to get more trick or treaters, but the numbers have really dropped off in the last few years.

Whatever you do, please stay safe and keep the holiday fun for all.

Update - 11/1/2007 - 12:29 AM
Guess what...I didn't have ANY trick or treaters tonight. Pathetic! I suppose it didn't help that my house appeared to be the only one on the whole street that was giving out candy...bunch of cheapskates. Oh well, I hope the kids had fun at the Alerus Center. Still, nothing can quite compare to going trick or treating door to door...those were the days, huh?

UND/NCAA settlement

I haven't blogged about the UND/NCAA settlement yet. I know that the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo brings out very, very strong opinions on both sides of the debate. I wonder how you, the readers of GFL, are responding to this settlement?

Here's a brief synopsis of what the settlement outlines. UND will have three years to gain acceptance among the state's Sioux tribes for the continued use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. If, at the end of those three years, that acceptance has not come through, UND will retire its current nickname and logo and a new one will be chosen.

Do you think UND will be able to convince the state's Sioux tribes that the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo are neither hostile nor abusive? How do you think the tribes should fairly decide whether or not to accept the logo? What do you think about each tribe allowing each enrolled member to vote on the issue? If the current logo and nickname are retired, what do you think the UND athletic teams should be called? Would a new nickname and logo decrease or increase your level of interest and/or support for the UND teams?

I haven't personally discussed the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo on this blog to a great degree. I have made it clear that I am a supporter of the nickname and logo and that I do not find them hostile or abusive, but I have not exaggerated on my opinions.

My thoughts on the Fighting Sioux have evolved over the years. When I first went to UND, I was a supporter of the name and logo. Then, the proselytizing of one too many enlightened professors briefly convinced me that the name was bad and had to go. Now, I am back to being a strong believer that there is nothing inherently wrong with the nickname and logo and that it is used respectfully and should only serve to bring pride to the state's native people.

However, even though I remain a supporter of the Fighting Sioux, I have been growing weary of the fight as of late. UND does so many good things for so many people...notably for the state's native people...but the Fighting Sioux debate has become an undeserved burden for us. I believe that there is nothing wrong with the nickname and logo, but the fact that this debate has raged on for so long has given UND a black eye that distracts from all the good that the state's oldest and largest educational institution does. I will always be a supporter of the Fighting Sioux, but this debate must come to a conclusion soon. The finality of this settlement should ultimately put an end to this debate. UND encompasses so many things for so many people...we will be no less of a university if we must ultimately change our athletic nickname and put an end to the undeserved negativity that has been hurled at our campus.