The Dakota Student

The possibility of changing UND to a tobacco-free campus is being looked into, according to UND President Charles Kupchella. The President's Cabinet has been looking into the issue for the past few months, trying to iron out what the ban would cover and how it could be implemented if it were agreed upon.

Five years ago Oct. 5, the Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) opened its doors to UND and the city of Grand Forks, unveiling a $100 million facility that is still referred to by many as "The Palace on the Prairie." UND played The University of Minnesota that night, losing 7-5.

Some of North Dakota's $500 million-plus surplus should be used to alleviate rising tuition costs around the state, the Democratic candidate for Tax Commissioner said at a campus press conference Monday. Brent Edison believes rising tuition costs are affecting North Dakota students, so Edison is calling for $50 million during the next two years to be spent to halt tuition increases.

UND features a number of medical-related programs that are not based out of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, but Facility officials hope to rein in these outliers soon. UND's Strategic Plan calls for the construction of the Allied Health Facility at the site of the school's current south parking lot.

The majority of graduating undergraduates received honors for their overall GPA from 1999-2004, but changes to academic rules likely will leave this unprecedented streak unmatched in the future. To address grade inflation, which is occurring at UND in addition to other schools around the country, the GPA requirements will be bumped up for the honors bestowed during graduation.

The Public Interest Law Student Association (PILSA) at UND will focus their annual First Monday event on a major topic in the region the past few months: the death penalty. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was sentenced to death two weeks ago after being convicted of the kidnapping leading to the death of UND student Dru Sjodin in November 2003.

In a move aimed at benefiting the students interested in angel and venture capital investment opportunities as well as other entrepreneurial ventures, The Dakota Foundation has contributed $200,000 toward helping students get hands-on experience and dealing with venture capitalism in all aspects.

The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has granted UND's Center for Innovation the designation of "Soft Landings International Incubator" for their efforts to assist international firms in establishing business relations within the United States.

The UND School of Medicine recently experienced a milestone. On Sept. 22, UND President Charles Kupchella signed a Memorandum of Understanding with University of Manitoba President and Vice-Chancellor Emoke Szathmary and UND Vice President for Research Peter Alfonso to further research efforts undertaken jointly.

Partying is as easy as "0-1-2-3," according to motivational speaker Randy Hareson, who spoke to the UND community Tuesday. Hareson has been touring since 1998 giving his message to all demographics. Hareson, who first drank at 13, first tried marijuana at 15, and first tried cocaine at 17, had a heart attack from a cocaine overdose at the age of 21.