One interesting thing about being a student-athlete is the ability to travel for the University on a regular basis. I have run in cross country and track meets from California to Montana, and Missouri to South Carolina. Sometimes we drive (like our 16 hour one-way trip to Bozeman) and sometimes we fly. Everywhere we go we come across UND alumni, UND supporters, and people that are simply interested in us and our school. Often, seeing a large group of people all wearing the same thing, they will approach us and start up some sort of conversation.
I would imagine that for most schools the questions would be about important events going on and the education in general.
'How do you like it there?'
'How are classes treating you?'
'Anything new happening over there?'
This would be perfectly logical for anybody to ask. You'll never guess what people are interested in when talking to UND athletes: the nickname issue! For years I've had to field questions such as:
'Have you guys figured out what your new nickname is going to be yet?'
'Yeah, how is the whole process going?'
'Hey, didn't you guys have some nickname trouble or something?'
There's no good way to describe how I feel answering these questions, but humiliated and embarrassed are the two big ones that come to mind. There are so many things going on at UND- successful programs, education, new buildings, record-breaking student-athlete GPA and service hours, but we instead have to waste our time talking about our nickname debacle. I would LOVE to talk about school, running, and what I do in my little free time, but I have to instead offer my ideas of a cool new nickname and how I feel about the NCAA. It's frustrating at best.
Is that how we want our university to be known? When UND gets brought up in conversation, do we want it to be the nickname issue or do we want it to be our success both academically and athletically? If you wish for the former, I'm sorry; there's not much for us to agree on. I'm sick of it and would love to shine forth UND to all, not be sidelined by this issue.
This brings me to my next topic: card games. Yes, card games. How many of you have ever played with somebody who changes the rules in the middle of the game? It's annoying. I've been on both ends before- the rule changer and the offended, and many a time we've had to clarify that rules can't be changed mid-game, and that's for EVERYBODY'S benefit.
Well I saw the rules changed today. I was working a Vacation Bible School in rural central North Dakota, checking my phone periodically for messages from camp (if any), and I had a text from my Dad telling me that President Kelley had entered further into this issue by suggesting that he might allow the 'no-nickname' option to come back into the discussion after public backlash from the removal of it. I remember that when the committee was first presented to the public, people seemed pleased that the group was so diverse in their UND interests and the consensus was that an agreeable solution could be reached. However, now that trouble is a-brewing the rules can be changed. Suddenly the committee's recommendations don't mean as much anymore.
Let me ask you this: you really think the committee has 'the fix on'? You REALLY think that they are throwing UND's best interests away just to piss off a few hundred folks? You REALLY think that keeping the attention at UND on the lack of a nickname is a good thing for the University moving ahead? You REALLY think threatening to go to a different college if we pick a new name is helping anything? I say we let the committee keep going with their decisions. They are courageous enough to understand what is best for the university long-term.
By the way, in my few years at UND I've never seen or heard anything about Devils Lake High School's former mascot. They were the 'Satans' until 2002, when they got rid of it (because it was offensive). Of course people fought it and claimed that it's not a problem in a town called Devils Lake, but I'm pretty sure people have moved on. So will we.
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