Rumors prove untrue in REA agreement
Stigma of 'Dear Chuck' letter on logo and nickname issue continues to confuse many.
Kyle Johnson
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News
"If you read the letter and the agreement, it's obvious that they both can't be right," Kupchella said.
The lease agreement says that if construction on the arena would have stopped, UND officials would have been able to "draw funding" from Engelstad's loan financing the construction in order to finish the construction themselves.
Officials from the Alumni Association, which helped secure Engelstad's gift, deferred comment on this issue to Kupchella.
No impact
UND and REA officials agreed that no deal had been made between Engelstad and UND regarding the logo during construction.
Since the arena has opened its doors, the rumors have remained, however. Many people now think that a logo or nickname change would result in UND's loss of the REA, a claim that was also emphatically denied.
"I have never heard any conversation that would lead me to believe that anything like that would happen," said Bob Gallager, UND's vice president for finance and operations.
"There's no truth to the rumors. It's a $100 million facility. It's not very realistic that they would kick out the school and leave it empty."
Kupchella also said these rumors are false, saying that the "agreement is the agreement. We would never have agreed if things like that were in there."
Jody Hodgson, general manager of the REA, said the Engelstad family remains committed to the university, but neither they, nor arena officials have plans to kick UND out if the nickname and logo were changed.
"As always, the REA will work with UND on this issue," he said.
7 years down, 23 to go?
Although all parties contacted universally denied the rumors, one common topic might be able to explain why many people are confused.
The REA is run by Ralph Engelstad Arena, Inc., a non-profit entity that oversees the facility's operations. A board of directors - which includes a few long-time Engelstad friends - manages the facility.
According to Gallager, Engelstad chose this management to ensure that UND wouldn't inherit a facility that was losing money. UND will take control of the arena on Sept. 30, 2030 at the latest. The school would be able to take control sooner, if both sides desired, but none of the officials said it was an urgent issue.
The lease agreement says that if construction on the arena would have stopped, UND officials would have been able to "draw funding" from Engelstad's loan financing the construction in order to finish the construction themselves.
Officials from the Alumni Association, which helped secure Engelstad's gift, deferred comment on this issue to Kupchella.
No impact
UND and REA officials agreed that no deal had been made between Engelstad and UND regarding the logo during construction.
Since the arena has opened its doors, the rumors have remained, however. Many people now think that a logo or nickname change would result in UND's loss of the REA, a claim that was also emphatically denied.
"I have never heard any conversation that would lead me to believe that anything like that would happen," said Bob Gallager, UND's vice president for finance and operations.
"There's no truth to the rumors. It's a $100 million facility. It's not very realistic that they would kick out the school and leave it empty."
Kupchella also said these rumors are false, saying that the "agreement is the agreement. We would never have agreed if things like that were in there."
Jody Hodgson, general manager of the REA, said the Engelstad family remains committed to the university, but neither they, nor arena officials have plans to kick UND out if the nickname and logo were changed.
"As always, the REA will work with UND on this issue," he said.
7 years down, 23 to go?
Although all parties contacted universally denied the rumors, one common topic might be able to explain why many people are confused.
The REA is run by Ralph Engelstad Arena, Inc., a non-profit entity that oversees the facility's operations. A board of directors - which includes a few long-time Engelstad friends - manages the facility.
According to Gallager, Engelstad chose this management to ensure that UND wouldn't inherit a facility that was losing money. UND will take control of the arena on Sept. 30, 2030 at the latest. The school would be able to take control sooner, if both sides desired, but none of the officials said it was an urgent issue.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
Dave Garton
posted 3/02/07 @ 12:32 PM EST
I don't know what has been said or promised in private by UND or the late Mr. Engelstad over the use of the logo or Sioux nickname nor do I care.
I do know that one day the politically correct police will win in there quest in changing the nickname through the court system. (Continued…)
Kris Kerzman
posted 3/02/07 @ 5:20 PM EST
I was in the student senate meeting the night Reggie Morelli, then head of the REA, announced that there was an agreement between Ralph Engelstad and the University of North Dakota. (Continued…)
Al Nowatzki
posted 3/02/07 @ 7:54 PM EST
I was in the same student senate meeting that Mr. Kerzman references. In fact, I took some photos of this meeting that were later published in the Dakota Student (right around November 7th, 2000). (Continued…)
Jeff Achen
posted 3/02/07 @ 8:53 PM EST
I was the Dakota Student news editor and lead reporter on this issue during that time. I also recall Kerzman's reporting on Mr. Morelli's comments about "conditions. (Continued…)
John Hoff
posted 3/03/07 @ 3:32 PM EST
It's obvious there is a lot of paperwork that hasn't been made public and, really, it should all be made public. State open records requests would be the way to do this. (Continued…)
alumni
posted 3/04/07 @ 4:18 PM EST
A gift isn't a gift when you stick stipulations behind it... whether it's in writing or verbally, it's just not a gift.
The best word for this is a Bribe. (Continued…)
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