The week between Christmas and New Year’s is about the last time a university communicator would expect to have to engage in crisis communications. Minard Hall at North Dakota State University had other ideas. The northwest wall of the four-story academic building, which was being prepped for an addition, collapsed Sunday, “leaving offices exposed to the elements with a gaping hole and cracks in the brick façade,” according to the Fargo-Moorhead Forum. There were no injuries.

NDSU did a nice job making senior officials, including the university’s interim president and director of facilities management, available for comment. More impressive was the information the university posted online: a news story with daytime photos of the aftermath of the collapse, a statement from the interim president, and, laudably, still photos taken from a webcam trained on the building as the collapse happened.

Bad news happens. Acknowledging it in an honest, forthright manner builds trust with stakeholders. Congrats to NDSU for recognizing this oft-forgotten truism. | TCF

Are business schools effectively teaching ethics? That’s a good question to ask, especially now. The other day, North Dakota State University’s longtime president, Joseph Chapman (right) resigned amid growing criticism over his expensive new presidential residence. Presidential is the operative word. Cost overruns exceeded $2 million, compared with the original $900,000 that had been budgeted for the project. But the good news doesn’t stop there. The Forum, a Fargo newspaper, reports that the donation-funded NDSU Development Foundation paid $22,000 on a charter flight and hotel bills for Chapman and his family to attend President Obama’s inauguration. (By comparison: University of North Dakota reportedly spent $2,176 to send its president, Robert Kelley, to the inauguration.) No surprise, Chapman resigned the other day. “It just isn’t fun,” he told the Associated Press.

Now consider this: It takes a while for a construction project to balloon over $1 million past its target budget. But it’s only now the board says it will probably — probably — ask for an audit on spending for the president’s house. All of which demonstrates this much: Even well-educated people — because we can assume the board members are — can make choices that in retrospect lacked clear direction or ethics. If this can take place in a university setting, what does this say about the education we provide business students?

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be asking educators from around the country this simple question: Are business schools effectively teaching ethics? Stay tuned.

I saw a sign just before driving across the Montana border with North Dakota that said, “Bad Route Road.” Who names a road “bad route?” I don’t know, but that sign pretty much sums up how I feel about the drive east today along the Lewis and Clark Trail, now known as Interstate 94.

I left Montana a day earlier than planned. I have been dreading this portion of the trip. I knew what to expect. When I worked for Shell Oil Company in my 20s, eastern Montana was one of our regular spots to work. We would fly into Billings, Montana and work around Glendive and Sidney in Montana, and Williston in North Dakota. I don’t remember much about it except dry dusty fields. I do remember a very exciting helicopter ride out of Williston over the Badlands. Very dramatic.

It’s not really fair to these states, but after where I’ve been these last two weeks, the drive is less than enticing. But drive it I must. By leaving early I can break the trip up in smaller parts. The only bright spot on this leg was that the Yellowstone River accompanied me to the border. I would see it every now and then and get a lift.

It didn’t help that I started the trip in a foul mood. I am pretty even tempered, so it took me to Custer, Montana, to realize I was angry about something. I don’t feel too bad about feeling bad. John Steinbeck mentions his foul moods quite regularly. This is my first. Ha! I need to deal with that and move on. No joy stealing allowed.

Regarding Custer, it was located close to Bighorn, Montana. There is a national monument there at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. At one point I crossed the Big Horn River. I never saw the Little Bighorn.

The other thing I have seen is a lot of casinos and Dinosaur Museums. A lot of casinos. I didn’t stop at either unless it was attached to a gas station; plenty of them are.

I also got to meet a nice North Dakota State Trooper. He pulled me over for speeding in the pitch black night just after I crossed the border. I was going 83 in a 75. He acted like I was going 100. In the end I think he was intrigued by my story. He wanted to know where I was going and how long I would be in the area.

Those Texas tags. A woman alone.

I told him I was headed to a hotel. He asked me about my luggage. He said it looked like I was moving. I had to laugh. My sister Phoebe had said, so poetically, that we were squeezed in like sardines in a can, or the way you would pack if you were trying to keep from making one last trip when moving. Apparently he thought so too. When I told him I had driven almost 4000 miles and was headed to Maine on a cross country trip, he got nicer. Once he figured out I didn’t have a criminal record and probably did not have any bodies stashed in my stuff, he let me go with a warning. He told me to enjoy my visit to North Dakota.

So tonight, it is Dickinson, North Dakota. Where in the world is Dickinson, North Dakota?  This city of 16,000 is in what is locally called the “The Western Edge.” North Dakota State University is located here. They made national news when a tornado struck in July 2009.

Dickinson is the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park memorializes Theodore Roosevelt’s original ranches in the Dakota Territory known as “the badlands.” He came to the area when he was 24-years-old.

Deborah, my friend of more than 30 years, told me I HAVE TO take a bus tour through the park. “Just do it,” she said. She is in the process of taking her two children to every state capital in the Union. They will hit three more at Christmas. She knows what she is talking about. Besides, if you knew Deborah, you’d know I can’t go home unless I take that bus tour.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

No, not Christmas, although certain stores are probably beginning to deck their halls with boughs of holly. Every weekend for the next five months, including during the holiday season, will be chock full of football.

The NFL is wrapping up its preseason. The regular season kicks off next Thursday in Pittsburgh with the Steelers and Titans. College football is getting a head start this week. A handful of games were played last night, including the Iowa State Cyclones’ 34-17 win over North Dakota State.

Here in the Corridor, people are excited about a new year of football.

Herky, Iowa's mascot, gets Hawkeye fans revved up for the upcoming football season during Fry Fest Sept. 4 in Coralville, Iowa.

The Northern Iowa Panthers are making the 89-mile trek down the Avenue of the Saints to Iowa City, where they will play the Iowa Hawkeyes at 11 a.m. CDT tomorrow. UNI has a good football program. They made the Division I-AA championship in 2005 and led Appalachian State, 16-7, before the Mountaineers came back to win in the second half, 21-16.

The Panthers also went into the 2007 playoffs (that’s right, I said playoffs) with an undefeated record before falling to Delaware, who was quarterbacked by Joe Flacco, now of the Baltimore Ravens. UNI went back to the postseason in 2008 and looked poised to return to the championship game, leading Richmond, 20-7, going into the fourth quarter in the national semifinals before the Spiders stunned the UNI-Dome crowd with a score in the game’s final seconds to win, 21-20. Led by Coach Mark Farley, the Panthers begin the 2009 campaign ranked fourth in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes were able to weather a rough couple of years. After a good start to a 2006 season full of high expectations, the Hawkeyes got walloped by then top-ranked Ohio State on national television, and it seemed like they never recovered from it. In fact, it took two years. They stumbled their way to the Alamo Bowl in 2006, put up a good fight against Texas, but still lost, 26-24, and ended the season with a losing record at 6-7.

The Hawks wouldn’t fare much better the following year, finishing 6-6 again and missing a bowl game. In addition, the team had off-the-field incidents that were highly publicized in the local media.

So by the middle of 2008, the Iowa faithful began to get restless. When the Hawkeyes lost three consecutive games and fell to .500, some fans began to call for Coach Kirk Ferentz’s head (see my “GO Time” webcast from last October). But Kirk would return to his role as king of the Hawkeye Nation when the team began to turn it around, winning six of their last seven, including a last-second upset win over Penn State at home and a convincing victory against South Carolina at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.

That brings us to the present. After the Hawks’ incredible end to the season, expectations are once again high. Here’s my thought: the Hawkeyes will be good, but they won’t be great. Iowa will win games. They should beat UNI tomorrow. My prediction: Iowa 28, Northern Iowa 14.

But their schedule is too tough to be much better than, oh, I’d say 8-4 again. They go to Penn State, who hasn’t forgotten what Iowa did to them last year. In fact, they’ve ordered a “white-out” for that game. They also go to the Horseshoe in Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. In my opinion, that’s two losses right there.

For the Hawkeyes to be in the hunt for the Big Ten title, they need to win at Wisconsin and at Michigan State. Leaving either Columbus or State College with a win would be a big help as well, but don’t count on it.

Overall however, the prognosis for the Hawkeyes is better than it is for The Team Formerly Known As The Victors. Coming off their worst season ever, the Michigan Wolverines are hoping for an improvement in 2009. But things have not started off good in Ann Arbor, as the focus in the media isn’t so much on Michigan’s game with Western Michigan in the Big House, but on second-year coach Rich Rodriguez and allegations that he’s forcing players to practice longer than the maximum 20 hours a week set by the NCAA.

The Detroit Free Press investigation has infuriated many supporters of the maize and blue. Just take a look at the comments fans have left behind on their website. In fact, if Michigan doesn’t win tomorrow, make that site the first one you visit, because the chances are good Wolverine fans will be looking for someone to blame for the loss, and with the Free Press breaking this story a week before the season opener, they’re a likely choice to be the scapegoat in the event of a loss.

That’s my take on the opening week in college football. Enjoy the games, and your three-day weekend. In observance of Labor Day, I will take the day off from blogging, but I am stacked with plenty of reruns.

GO HAWKS!

School Name: North Dakota State University

Chapter Designation: Phi

School Size: Medium (13,229)

Number of Men in Chapter: 76 (Spring ’09) / 63 (Fall ’09)

3 Secrets for a Successful Recruitment:

1. When you are recruiting, it is important to engage the recruit during all of your events. When you have a philanthropy or social event coming up, be sure to invite them along so they feel like they are a part of the fraternity. Be sure not to say anything to dissuade them from joining. Call them by their name, not new guy or pledge.

2. Remember that recruitment is about giving someone an opportunity to join Theta Chi. You should be excited about the opportunity to have someone else experience what you have experienced. For example, if there is a band that you enjoy, you are going to be trying to spread the word about how good that band is. Show them excitement and bring enthusiasm to recruitment events, so they get excited too.

3. On campus events are great ways to recruit. Most campuses have events for freshmen to attend when they first arrive. Get some brothers together and head on over there to recruit. Freshmen are looking for things to do and friends to make at college. Recruiting from campus organizations is another way to find recruits. Since they are showing initiative and are in campus organizations, you know they have a steady head on their shoulders and won’t drag your chapter down.

Traps to Avoid:

1. We try to avoid recruiting with alcohol as it will only damage your chapter. By recruiting with alcohol, you are giving the new recruit a bad image of your chapter. Instead, show them the positive things about your chapter i.e. your level of involvement on campus, your dedication to philanthropy, and your dedication to academics. Doing this will help you recruit the right guys, not the ones who just want to party all of the time.

2. Don’t introduce the new recruit to the fraternity right away. Hang out with them away from the house, and with only a few Brothers at a time. Go out and play Ultimate Frisbee or football so they can get comfortable with everyone.

Above is a picture of a peddler in North Dakota. The picture was taken in the first decade of the 20th Century.

The picture is from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress.

Here is how the picture is described— 

Man by horse-drawn buggy displaying photographs to woman. Displayed on ground, on buggy and on horse are mounted photographs. Behind is a tar-paper house. In back of buggy is an open wood chest with the initials “J.V.H.” on side.

The photo may have been taken by a Job. V. Harrison of Rock lake, North Dakota.

Please click here for all the information available about this picture. 

The picture comes from a larger set of photos about the Northern Great Plains between 1880 and 1920.   

The collection is offered by the Institute for Regional Studies at the North Dakota State University.

Here is a link for Rock Lake, North Dakota.  Rock Lake is a small town that has a lake and is near the Canadian border.

Here is the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Here are some basic facts about today’s North Dakota–

Area, 70,665 sq mi (183,022 sq km). Pop. (2000) 642,200, a 0.5% increase from 1990 pop. Capital, Bismarck. Largest city, Fargo. Statehood, Nov. 2, 1889 (39th state), simultaneously with South Dakota. Highest pt., White Butte, 3,506 ft (1,069 m); lowest pt., Red River, 750 ft (229 m). Nicknames,Sioux State; Flickertail State. Motto, Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable. State bird, Western meadowlark. State flower, wild prairie rose. State tree, American elm. Abbr.,N.Dak.; ND

Here is a link to a post I made earlier this year about President Obama’s policy for rural America.

Here is a link to a history of North Dakota. If you go this link you will find a lot easily accessible information about North Dakota. 

I have never visited North Dakota. I hope I will get the chance to do so some day. There are many different places to live and ways to live. I wish I knew more about things other than where and how I live. 

North Dakota seems so out of the way. Not out of the way to the people who live there. But just out of the way to anywhere I have visited or feel that I am likely to visit. Still–Someday I feel I’ll make it to North Dakota. I never thought I’d see Wyoming and I went there once. You never know where life will take you.  

Below is another picture of old time North Dakota. The picture was taken between 1900 and 1909. 

Here is how the picture is described—

Four women out of doors by log cabin. Two are seated at a table set with teapots and dishes. An elderly woman is standing behind them with a tin or a box in her hands. Another woman is standing to one side of the picture. Trees, a garden, and a rock pile are visible. A barrel, a bucket, and a wash tub are against the cabin. Likely taken in North Dakota.

It’s the March Times of Crazy Craziness or “March Madness” as some call it. I forgot to do brackets. Or, actually, I forgot that it might be fun to do brackets until I started watching the first game this morning. I do that every single year. I see all the teams forming and get all the bracket invites on Facebook and I’m like, “boring!” And then I see the first few games, get all excited about college basketball, and realize it’s too late to fill out a bracket. Whatever.

Minnesota is playing Texas tonight. I’m not thinking the Gophers will get too far, but they have a bright future. Their team is young and they’ve got a great coach in old Tubby. They’ll be back. Also, little North Dakota State University is in the tournament for the first time! I don’t really have any special desire to see them win, but my aunt did go there, and I have spent a lot of time in Fargo. And as my friend’s dad put it, “They’re probably the only team with five white guys as starters.” Hah! It’s true.

“Lost” was probably my least favorite of the season last night. I mean, it was fine, but nothing really happened. Kind of dull. And Christian was kind of very creepy. And Kate better stay away from Sawyer and Juliette! Also, Sawyer was a bit harsh, but I did like him telling Jack to back up off.

I felt very grown up yesterday, because I started a second savings account so that I could set aside the taxes I will owe on any freelance dollars I make this year. I’m putting away 30 percent from each check. That is a lot. You better do something useful with my money, government!

I’m thinking of hiring a hypnotist to convince me that I love running. Do we think it’ll work?

I’m reading a cute little book called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a name, eh?! My roommate recommended it and I’m loving it. It’s a novel about a series of letters written back and forth right after World War II. I’m interested in that time period anyway, but it helps that the writing is really clever and funny. While reading a book with a name like that, I feel like I should be reading something more scholarly as well. I have lots of options — many of them in the basement, where I put all of my stuff when I had to move out of my cubicle — but I just don’t wanna. I wanna read about potato peel pies.

Our little tomato and pepper seeds are planted and sitting by the south window. We’re keeping them watered and hoping that the sunlight keeps them warmer than the 42 degrees that the rest of the house is at. I hope they grow!

I got a letter from my Compassion child yesterday! She lives in Ecuador. Sometimes I write to her in Spanish — poor translators. They probably have to try to figure out what I’m saying and then re-write it.

OK, I’ve got to be out. Go, Gophers, go!

NDSU Wins Over Oakland in Summit League Tournament NDSU Goes to NCAA March Madness. NDSU Basketball Wins over Oakland 66-64.[More..]

… University for the Summit League championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. No. 1 seed NDSU (26-6) trailed much of the game – by 14 points in the first half – and needed a rally in the final five minutes to earn an NCAA bid in its first year of Division I eligibility. … Women

In their first year of Division I eligibility, the North Dakota State Bison (26-6) won the Summit League Championship, 66-64, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. NDSU trailed for much of the game, and was down by 12 with 9:05 to …[More..]

North Dakota State earning are wrong on PT. They have them listed as $69 earned when in reality it is $73. I know it doesnt sound like much but they are playing the championship game tonight against Oakland. If they win, they will earn …[More..]

North Dakota State University freshman Katie Birkel was named to the Summit League women

CALL FOR PAPERS: NARRATIVES OF TRANSGRESSION AND TRESPASS for The Twelfth Annual Red River Conference On World Literature at North Dakota State University:
April 17-19, 2009

The Red River Conference on World Literature has a tradition of high-quality papers informed by contemporary literary theory and criticism and we welcome voices from across the globe. We invite papers and panel proposals on topics that investigate any of the following topics. While we are particularly interested in proposals that focus on the conference theme, papers and panels on all aspects of world literature will be considered. Possible topics include, but are not limited to processes in which transgressions and trespasses reveal limits/barriers/boundaries, sometimes breaking open spaces that yield transformation, as in the following:
- mystery
- detective and espionage
- postcolonial, postmodern and global readings of trespass
- cultural and territorial transgressions
- comic transgression
- carnivalesque/grotesque
-theories of transgressions / trespass
- textual/corporal violations
- treason and translation
- monsters and misfits
- censorship, inquisition and policing
- transgressions of gender, social class and ethnicity
- teaching transgressions in world literature

Individual presenters should submit a 250-word abstract; include your name, professional title, complete mailing address, and e-mail address. Proposals for panels must include an abstract for each presenter, as well as names, professional titles, addresses, and e-mail addresses of all participants. Abstracts submitted as e-mail attachments in Word or Word Perfect are preferred but hard copies will also be accepted. Additional information can be found at: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/rrcwl/

Submissions must be received by JANUARY 12, 2009

Address all submissions or inquiries to: Carol.Pearson@ndsu.edu

Carol Pearson, Coordinator
Red River Conference on World Literature
Department of Modern Languages
320 Minard Hall
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105

Carol Pearson
North Dakota State University
Minard 320
Fargo ND 58105

O: (701) 231-8315
Email: carol.pearson@ndsu.edu
Visit the website at http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/rrcwl/

The phrase “psychology of religion” means to use scientific methods that can improve our understanding of religion. Religious orientation can be labeled as Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and many other religious affiliations. Religious individuals believe in a divine power and can be separated into two religious orientations: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic religious motivations are characterized by internalized beliefs that are adhered to regardless of the external consequences. Extrinsic religious motivations are characterized by a desire to gain status, security, self justification or sociability. Conducting a research study helps determine whether intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation has a relationship with depression in individuals.

In a previous research study, Genia, Vicky, and Shaw hypothesized that depressive symptoms were negatively related to intrinsic religious orientation and positively related to extrinsic religious orientation. The results supported this hypothesis and the final conclusion between depression and extrinsic scores showed a correlation when the sociodemographic variables are controlled. Extrinsic orientation puts the center on oneself and prevents spiritual growth. Intrinsic orientation, however, seeks future growth, faith, humility, and perfection. According to the data in this periodical, religiosity (without regard to particular denominations) in adolescents is related to less problem behavior and prayer is an effective coping strategy to decrease anxiety and depression. Referring to Carl Jung, adolescents with high levels of church attendance and spiritual meaning in life, that is, intrinsic orientation, demonstrate lower levels of depression.

To see if a correlation exists between religion and depression, a random sample of twenty-five students (aged 18 to 24) was taken from North Dakota State University, which consisted of 12 females and 17 males with religious preferences of Evangelical Free, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Jewish. Since this study focuses on intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation, only religious individuals who believe in a divine power participated in this experiment. The participants were asked to fill out a voluntary consent form, followed by their personal data, which included sex, age, religious denomination, church attendance, household income, and marital status to find possible confounding variables. After the participants completed these forms, they took the Religious Orientation Scale Survey (ROS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to find out if there really is a relationship between religious orientation and depressive symptoms in individuals.

The hypothesis of the NDSU study is based on Genia, Vicky, and Shaw’s research. I predicted that people who were extrinsically motivated would have higher symptoms of depression than those with an intrinsic orientation. This hypothesis was accepted after viewing my results on the following graph. As depressive scores increased, extrinsic scores increased and intrinsic scores decreased. This means that people who have intrinsic religious views have fewer depressive symptoms. So, if people seek future growth and have more personal attachments to their religion, they are less likely to have depression. The results from both studies show that an intrinsic view of religion is related to lower depressive symptoms.

If the studies in both of the results are true, then we should be aware of our religious motivations and how they can affect our own depressive symptoms. Gaining awareness of this correlation will empower people, making them conscious of the connections between their symptoms and motivations. The sample of NDSU students that participated in this study is representative of all college students between 18 to 24 because they were randomly chosen for a scientifically designed study. The relationship between depression and religion is also useful for people other than college students, whether it’s a doctor trying to detect or treat depressive symptoms, parents deciding how to teach their children about religion, or individuals seeking knowledge about their psychological symptoms.
Works Cited

Genia, Vicky, & Shaw, Dale. (1991). Religion, Intrinsic-Extrinsic Orientation, and Depression. Sociological Aspects, 32 (3), 274-283.
Spillet, M. A., Park, H.-S., Murgatroyd, W., Raynock, D. C. (1989). Relationship between intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation and depressive symptoms in Korean Americans. Taylor & Francis, 11, 315-324.
Navara, Geoffrey S., & James, Susan. (2005). Acculturative stress of missionaries: Does religious orientation affect religious coping and adjustment? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29 (1), 39-58.

A federal district court in North Dakota granted the government’s motion to dismiss a claim that the United States ban on industrial hemp is unconstitutional. Here is the opinion: Monson v. DEA Opinion

The opinion relied in part on the Eighth Circuit’s decision, United States v. White Plume, involving Indians arguing that the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie protected their right to farm industrial hemp for commercial purposes.

The North Dakota State football team is 10-0 and ranked #1 in the FCS (formerly I-AA) coach’s poll.

They are ineligible for the FCS postseason play-offs because they are in their fifth and final year of Division I reclassification. Thus the team is hoping for a invitation to an FBS (formerly I-A) bowl game.

According to a story written in the Fargo Forum, NDSU athletic director, Gene Taylor “wonders if a 10-1 or 11-0 team would make for a better story and be more attractive to a bowl committee than a 6-6 team that finished in the lower half of its league.”

Although it may sound farfetched that, here is some food for thought:

• NDSU is ranked #1 in FCS coach’s poll.
• An undefeated record
• Two wins versus FBS opponents including:
  • A road win versus Minnesota – a Big Ten opponent.
  • A 30-point road win versus Central Michigan – the MAC West champions.
• Lots of parity among top FCS and lower level FBS teams. Think Appalchian State over Michigan, Northern Iowa over Iowa, and NDSU over Minnesota.
• Great fans – NDSU brought 30,000 fans to the Metrodome, when the team played Minnesota.
• Last year Boise State went undefeated and even though they are in a non-BCS conference, they earned an invite to a BCS bowl. The game between Boise State and Oklahoma turned out to be one of the greatest football games of all-time.

What do you think about a FBS team getting a bowl invite?

North Dakota State University will take on the University of Minnesota in football this Saturday in Minneapolis. The Bison faithful are flooding the phone lines on the Twin Cities local talk radio stations. Other media local media outlets are paying close attention, as well. This much I figured, but with a number one ranking in FCS football (formerly I-AA) the team is also receiving some well deserved national attention.

“Our guys in our program are starving for national recognition,” said Craig Bohl, NDSU head coach, during his Monday press conference.

I wish I could say that this type of attention could be garnered through academia, but the fact of the matter is that a whole lot of people care more about sports than breakthroughs in organic chemistry.

Highlighting the week’s media coverage was an article on the front of the USA Today sports section. That was followed by a few articles on the Bison on ESPN.com.

Here are some links to some stories I found:

USA Today Article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-10-16-north-dakota-state_N.htm
ESPN/AP Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=3065085
ESPN/AP Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=3066717

If you know of any nationally published articles I may have missed, please share them with me or leave a comment. Go Bison!