SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - JUNE 19, 2013
The person who doesn’t exist. Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson is sorry to see Chancellor of Higher Education Hamid Shirvani leave his position (“found him really impressive”), although Jenkinson believes it was probably for the best. Jenkinson says there is now an “urgent imperative” to name an interim chancellor. He cites about 20 specific characteristics the interim chancellor must have (has to be a true Nodak who is dynamic, forceful, pragmatic, self-effacing, etc.) and several things the chancellor should not be (narcissistic, overbearing, disrespectful). In short, a person so perfect, he or she can’t be found.
“College graduation rates should be ‘taken with a grain of salt.’” -- A UND representative after it was reported that 54 percent of UND students graduate within six years compared to 70 percent at the U. of Minnesota in Minneapolis. A UND economics professor explained that “part of our admission strategy at least in North Dakota is to give people a chance to come here and improve themselves.” Or as one irate parent raged, “My son should have a chance to flunk out.” If these comments sound a wee bit defensive, they are. This was the paradox that Hamid Shirvani found in ND -- universities that wanted to give everyone a chance, but still be considered excellent.
The Wall Street Journal ran an opinion piece by a ND legislator last week advocating GMO wheat. The author said wheat was losing ground in ND to GMO corn and soybeans. This week a WSJ article discussed how seed technology and climate warming were increasing ND’s share of U.S. corn acreage. Corn acreage in ND is rising - wheat acreage is dropping. The value of the 2012 corn crop in ND equaled wheat. ND and N. Minnesota were given as an example of a region benefiting from climate change. The changes are slow, in the past 100 years ND’s average temperature has risen 2.7 degrees.
Remember the “Beverly Hillbillies” -- the fictional Clampetts became oil rich and acquired a Southern California mansion and other toys. The Three Affiliated Tribes also find oil money is burning a hole in their pocket. They have already acquired a mansion and are now fitting out the tribal yacht -- Chairman Tex Hall plans to dedicate it at New Town near the Fourth of July. A Minot Daily News reader thinks the tribes should have more important priorities, such as housing. He said, “This yacht will be used for such a short period time during the year (unless it comes with skates).”
Let’s hope it’s different today. When the late Otis Olson (85) completed the 8th grade, he left school to take over the family farm on the banks of the Red River from his disabled father. The farm had been homesteaded in 1879 by his grandparents, Christian and Marie Olson. Church, cooperatives, local government -- you name it -- Olson was active in those organizations and often on their boards. Historians and economists comment on the historical proliferation (and likely inefficiency) of local governments and other small organizations in ND, which residents seem to like. It may be a factor in ND’s high level of social capital ( the value of social networks and cohesion).
Today's young people today face terrible problems. Consider a couple that bought a new home for nothing down, refinanced it to buy a new car, and then, guess what, found their mortgage under water. But that’s only half of it, one of them has a $100,000 student loan taken out to finance a college degree in navel gazing. The future is bleak.
What would Sigrun Emily think about those young folks? Sigrun was born in 1921 to an Icelandic family on their farm near Hensel. She did not speak English when she began school, had to work for her board and room while she went to Cavalier High School, but graduated as valedictorian. Unable to afford college, she moved to Los Angeles during WWII and worked as a telephone operator. She returned, married Clayton Morrison and they began farming. Sigrun didn’t stop -- she taught herself typing and shorthand and became social editor of the Cavalier Chronicle. She kept going, acquired new skills and worked up through a series of positions to become the auditor of Cavalier County. Sigrun still had time to serve on nearly every board in the county. She died last week, praised for her knowledge and forthright, fair-minded manner.
Like ND, Minnesota was largely a white state. That’s changing -- today MN has a 17% minority population. Blacks are the largest component, but Asians are the fastest growing. Both groups are concentrated in the Twin Cities.
All in the family. Don, Devin, Dustin, Desiree and Doree Kiplin are Grand Forks siblings who stick together -- dealing meth, that is. Members of this trailer court gang range in age from 26 to 42, have a history of crime and have all been arrested. The meth is procured in Texas and the Twin Cities.
The Prairie Pothole Region, hmm, that name doesn’t sound too inviting. But to duck hunters it’s paradise. This wetlands region extends through ND from the South Dakota border northwest to Canada and is considered a “duck factory.” Hunters fear the factory is slowly shutting down as sloughs are drained and farmed.
DAKTOIDS: Open for business. The State Penitentiary in Bismarck has been expanded and modernized, going from 560 beds to 810 . . . Over 70% of Bakken crude oil moves by rail and about 20% by pipeline -- a few years ago those percentages were roughly reversed. The oil rail shipments are a boon to the BNSF and Canadian Pacific railroads in ND, which would otherwise be suffering from a decline in coal traffic . . . If you are 11th out of 11, you have only one way to go. That was the overall rating UND teams received in the Big Sky Conference.
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