By Michael Benedict and Stephen J. Lee
Herald Staff Writers

The North Dakota Board of Higher Education appeared to react swiftly to the letter from UND donor Ralph Engelstad to UND President Charles Kupchella.

Bev Clayburgh, a member of the state board from Grand Forks, said Engelstad faxed her a copy of his letter Dec. 20, about 4:10 p.m.

"It was a stunning letter," she said.

Within minutes, she called Larry Isaak, chancellor of the university system.

Isaak confirmed Clayburgh's account, saying she called him about 5 p.m.

Isaak said he then called Bill Isaacson, president of the board, shortly after Clayburgh called him.

Other telephone calls followed and by late in the night Dec. 20, the board had decided to amend the agenda of its Dec. 21 meeting to include the UND nickname issue, according to Isaak and Clayburgh.

The board voted 8-0 during the meeting -- held via video conference -- to keep the nickname and to approve the new logo.

While Engelstad's letter was part of the reason the board decided suddenly to act on the nickname issue, Isaak and Clayburgh denied it was the major one.

"I don't think it was that alone. There were a number of factors," Isaak said, including moves to have the Legislature vote on it, the attorney general rule on it and the rising furor over the issue.

"My advice was there were a number of things in play, and that is why I said to the board the next morning that the board should discuss the issue."

Although she acknowledges it may appear that the board reacted quickly to Engelstad's threat of walking away from the hockey arena, Clayburgh said Engelstad wasn't pulling the strings.

"You will never get me to admit that," she said Sunday. "Because that wasn't a decisive factor for me .¤.¤. People will have to read that letter the way they want to read it. My decision on the name change was made long ago, and the $100 million had nothing to do with it."

Clayburgh said she's never talked to Engelstad about the name change.

"He didn't receive any commitment from me personally."

That goes for the higher ed board, too, she said.

"As far as the board is concerned, there have been no commitments or conversations with Engelstad," Clayburgh said. "We have not made a single promise to Mr. Engelstad."

She said she doesn't know what commitments Engelstad is referring to in his letter, except that they may refer to conversations he had with Kupchella.

Engelstad's strong words don't bother her as they did board member John Korsmo, who sharply criticized the Las Vegas casino owner.

"We should be grateful," Clayburgh said. "Anybody who is going to give $100 million, I think we ought to say thank you very much. It's a very generous gift and not one that comes along very often."

Kupchella could not be reached Sunday for comment.

Here's what others at UND involved in the issue had to say when told of the Engelstad letter:

Lucy Ganje, name oppo nent, and UND professor: "Opponents of the nickname have known for a long time that money and power were deciding this issue. This derailment of a legitimate process on the UND campus is appalling."

A staunch opponent of the name, Ganje referred to a commission that was established by Kupchella to examine the name issue.

"What does this teach our students and our community about integrity and honor?" she said.

• Jesse Taken Alive, Standing Rock councilman and member of the now de funct nickname commission: "We all knew there was money behind this (the reason the name was kept). It's kind of a sad day to see all these revelations.

  "It's true something (UND) and somebody (Native American people) are for sale. It will really blemish and leave a big scar on the University of North Dakota."

• Jim McKenzie, UND pro fessor, and name opponent: "I think Engelstad's money has always been, for some people, a very important part of it. It's been part of what I heard from people way up (in UND's administration) when I raised this issue.

  "In their minds, they thought the name should be changed, but wait until we get past Engelstad."

• Burly Nelson, UND Stu dent Body president: "Ralph Engelstad has been a great benefactor to the University of North Dakota. We appreciate that, but I can't imagine he would have been the deciding factor.

  "It could have been one of the reasons they (the board) decided when they did. If this letter is true, I can understand Mr. Engelstad's frustration with the issue."

• Leigh Jeanotte, UND di rector of Native American Programs: "I think quite obviously, the name is up for sale in my opinion. It's about money. It's probably pretty obvious. It's come down from that (money). It's shocking."
• Jeanette Satrom, a member of the state Board of Higher Education: "I don't think Dr. Kupchella is indecisive," said Satrom, referring to Engelstad accusing Kupchella of indecisiveness. "I think it takes him awhile to make a decision.

  "As I think about the letter, I don't know if I talked to anyone about it (prior to the board meeting). I guess, I look at the decision of the name and logo as being completely separate from Ralph Engelstad."

• Scott Lowe, a UND professor and nickname opponent: "You hope for the best. You hope people are making decisions based on principle and not money.

  "It surprises me actually that Ralph (Engelstad) would put anything in writing. I always thought he would act more subtly."