The votes have been tallied and according to The North Dakota Secretary of State Election Results page, here is how the measures faired. (I have approximated the numbers for easy of reporting, and the results have not been certified, and are unofficial as of printing.)
Measure 1 Measure 2 Measure 3 Measure 4
60% Yes 24% Yes 36% Yes 67% Yes
40% No 76% No 64% No 33% No
One thing to note: Out of 532,000 plus voters only 175,000 plus voters actually voted. Basically 33% of registered voters turned out to vote.
As for the results, Measure 1 passed with a good majority. I really hope that measure 2 comes back written better. Finding a way to get rid of property taxes is a great idea. Doing it right, that’s even better. Measure 3 had me a bit perplexed, I thought for sure we would want to protect our religious freedoms. I hope we see this one again. Now for Measure 4, I abstained from this vote for a reason. I do not believe that we should have to vote on something that is basically blackmail. I am not saying that the UND nickname is right or wrong. I am merely commenting that we should have been able to have our voice heard without threats from the NCAA and other entities. It’s like the kid that owns the ball and says you have to play by my rules or you don’t get to play with me. Call me old fashioned, I was taught and raised that behavior like that is just wrong. Just like the people of the Standing Rock Reservation should have had their voices heard on the issue as well. Our country was founded on the ideal of the voice of the majority rules, this vote did not let the people’s voice be heard in an unbiased manner. It was doomed to fail, the reasons for that would take more space than I have. Our state and our nation are at a crossroads, where we need to learn to balance opposing views without drama. Lately it seems that all you have to do to get what you want is become extremely vocal and keep it up long enough that people change their mind. The majority needs to stop being silent and start speaking up. The voter turnout for this election proves just that, 33% voted.
UND News
Raptor researchers band
peregrine falcon chicks at UND
Students and biology faculty from the University of North Dakota and the University of Minnesota-Crookston took part in a rare scientific opportunity Wednesday, June 13, 2012, analyzing and banding three peregrine falcon chicks that recently hatched at the tall UND water tower.
Tim Driscoll of the Urban Raptor Research Project, Susan Felege, assistant professor of biology at UND, and several others watched as the peregrine nestlings were carefully lowered down the more than 100-foot-tall water tower to the waiting arms of the researchers, all the while, the chicks’ parents – Roosevelt and Terminator – circled worriedly overhead. Once finished, the researchers returned the falcons to their nest — a bit frightened but unharmed. Roosevelt and Terminator have been nesting at the tower since about 2009. The eggs were laid in April and hatched in late May. The mating pair has produced six other chicks. Researchers say there is only one other mating pair of peregrine falcons in North Dakota. The other pair lives in Fargo. There are dozens throughout Minnesota.
Story and photo courtesy of UND Media Relations
Tim Driscoll, of the Urban Raptor Research Project, carefully places a band around the leg of one of three peregrine falcon nestlings that hatched recently atop the tall University of North Dakota water tower.
UND runner-up in GWC Commissioner’s Cup race
For the third consecutive season, the University of North Dakota has finished in second place in the Great West Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings. Utah Valley University captured its third straight GWC Commissioner’s Cup, which is awarded to the institution with the best overall regular season performance in GWC-sponsored sports. UND’s 62.5 total points were topped only by UVU’s 83.5 points.
The Fighting Sioux won the GWC regular season championship in women’s basketball and shared the league’s regular season title in football. UND also had runner-up finishes in men’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
The GWC Commissioner’s Cup is given each year to the Great West Conference member who accumulates the most points in relation to placement in conference-sponsored championships for its combined men’s and women’s athletic programs.
UND enjoys record-breaking year in the classroom
The University of North Dakota Athletics Department has emerged from its final year of NCAA Division I transition stronger than ever academically.
UND’s 377 student-athletes combined to achieve a 3.173 grade point average during the 2011-12 academic year, the highest in UND Athletics history. More than 65 percent (246 of 377) of the student-athletes achieved a 3.0 GPA during the spring 2012 semester, while more than half (199 of 377) boasted a cumulative 3.0 GPA. An additional 48 student-athletes recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs during spring 2012, including 13 who own cumulative 4.0 GPAs.
“Our student-athletes and our coaches have once again demonstrated their dedication to academic excellence,” said UND Athletics Director Brian Faison. “Given the challenges of Division I transition, particularly those posed by the tremendous travel, this is a great testament to their commitment to putting academics first.” Thirteen of UND’s 18 teams, including all 10 women’s teams, achieved a 3.0 during the 2011-12 academic year. The top team grade point average belonged to the Great West Conference champion women’s basketball team, which recorded a 3.507 GPA. Men’s cross country (3.50), women’s cross country (3.442), women’s track and field (3.404) and women’s swimming and diving (3.351) rounded out the top five team GPAs. UND’s 10 women’s teams combined for a 3.30 GPA, while the eight men’s teams had a combined 3.01 GPA.
The record-setting GPA performance punctuated another tremendous year in the classroom for the Fighting Sioux. Among the other academic highlights in 2011-12:
UND’s women’s golf team earned NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition for the second straight year.
UND claimed both the WCHA Male (Brad Eidsness) and Female (Jocelyne Lamoureux) Most Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year awards.
Eidsness received postgraduate scholarships from both the NCAA and the WCHA.
Lamoureux was named the first Academic All-American in the history of UND women’s hockey
Lamoureux, junior football player Emmett Lynch, junior swimmer Veronica Medon, junior hurdler Kirsten Haas and senior distance runner Lindsay Anderson each earned Academic All-District honors Medon and her teammates earned fall 2011 College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCSAA) Scholar All-America Team honors
Seventy-two Sioux have earned academic all-conference honors, with spring honorees yet to be named.
Senior football player Catlin Solum was named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
In competition, UND earned six Great West Conference and Western Collegiate Hockey Association team championships in 2011-12. Story courtesy of UND Athletic Media Relations.
Upcoming Events
Blues on the Red Summer Music Series.
If you are a blues fan this is the event for you. This annual summer happening (co-sponsored by the City of Grand Forks, the Greater Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau) features the region’s top blues musicians and some of the best barbecue around. Admission is FREE, with food and beverages available for purchase. Beer garden area is available for those over 21. Blues on the Red is held in downtown Grand Forks at the Town Square. Make sure to bring your own lawn chair. Hours are from 6-10 pm. Dates for the summer are: June 23; July 28 and August 25, 2012. August will feature three acts and run until 12 midnight. For June 23, the featured performer is The Shuffle Cats and Corey Stevens.