From: A Happy Escapee
Date: 04 Mar 2000
Time: 00:12:57
To all those who are complaining about this site, consider the following:
1) I worked for UND as classified staff for over four years, in a position that allowed me to hear quite a bit.
2) I graduated UND with a degree.
3) I lived in UND Family Housing.
4) My spouse's family is from Grand Forks.
5) My spouse both graduated from the institution and worked as a classified staff in a position that allowed her to hear a lot.
That being said, this site is a long-overdue kick in the pants to the status quo-loving powermongers of Grand Forks. In particular, the constant refrain "If you don't like it you can leave!" is not limited to the University; it's a mantra that my family heard uttered time and again throughout the entire city.
If you are considering UND as a higher education institution, please look elsewhere. Ignoring for a moment that the climate is brutal beyond compare, it's simply not a decent place to go to school. However, if right-wing facism disguised in a thick northern accent is your idea of fun, then throw on your brown shirt and join the others! But if you don't like -20 below winters (which "keeps da riff raff out!"), a non-existant cultural experience, and little to no entertainment institutions, then I implore you to look elsewhere.
I can assure you that rape really is a problem at UND. I can assure you that a student's probability of success is heavily affected by his line of credit. And I can assure you that the crime rate in that town is much higher than reported.
Lastly, to the natives that will surely be furious about my comments, allow me to say this: I *DID* leave your damned city. It was the best thing my family ever did.
Thank you for your site.