[Vision2020] BSU President fires one across the bow

Wed Jul 28 11:17:35 PDT 2010

Golly Saundra,

As one who unfavorably compares OU to ALL Texas Colleges and Universities in regard to football and the mundane items such as academics, I must admit you fooled me completely.  I would never have guessed from your classy responses you were an OU product....

SueH 

From: Saundra Lund 
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 5:20 PM
To: 'Carl Westberg' ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
Cc: president at uidaho.edu ; bobkustra at boisestate.edu 
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] BSU President fires one across the bow

In part, Carl wrote:

"Actually, the unfortunate animosity has not been a one way street.  Neither side has clean hands."

Precisely, Carl.  I could regale Visionaries with tales of my experiences of bad BSU behavior towards UI - both here and in the southern part of the state -- back when I first moved here in the Dark Ages (1988) and even before I officially started at the UI (1/1989), but what's the point?  The rivalry in good forms and bad - in sports and in academics -- existed long before I moved here.

BSU Kustra's comments are simply, IMHO, another example of BSU trying to convince others too smart (that would be UI graduates <g>) to fall for it that their BS doesn't stink.  Will his revisionist history succeed with anyone other than BSU administrators, students, and alum, or will it just make BSU look like a bunch of thin-skinned whiners rather than educated adults?  Only time will tell, but I'm betting on the intelligence of the good people of Idaho to recognize that the sports-and-academic rivalry has always been a two-way street with plenty of good and bad from both sides.  Should everyone strive to do better?  Absolutely, and that clearly includes BSU's Kustra.

And, as a gal born & raised in Oklahoma who will always be a Sooner (one parent a Sooner & the other an Aggie/now Cowboy), it's clear Kustra doesn't have a clue as to what he's talking about with respect to other rivalries!  Living a sheltered life can have that effect, I suppose.

To bring it closer to home, surely an educated man like Kustra can't truly be so totally clueless as to the serious academic-and-sports rivalry right across the state line between UW & WSU?!  If so, it's clear the man is highly overpaid!

One other point:  while I'm not a Nellis cheerleader, I've got to give him kudos for his classy response.  Perhaps Kustra could benefit from some lessons.

Just the Humble Opinion of Someone Who Thinks the Importance of College Sports is VASTLY Overrated

& a UI Alum

& a UI faculty wife,

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

~ Edmund Burke

***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2010 through life plus 70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the author.*****

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Carl Westberg
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 4:30 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] BSU President fires one across the bow

Actually, the unfortunate animosity has not been a one way street.  Neither side has clean hands.  The response to this will be interesting, as there is much intermarriage between the two schools, both literally and figuratively.  Could make for some interesting family reunions in our state.  I'll probably have to disown my BSU graduate niece now.  BTW, here is the response from President Nellis............"I was disappointed to learn of President Kustra's reported remarks during his meeting with the Idaho Statesman editorial board. I'm sorry to hear that Bob feels so negatively about his visits to Moscow. Both the University of Idaho and the city of Moscow take great pride in the friendly, welcoming and warm environment that a quintessential college town like ours can uniquely provide. 

"Bob is right that athletic rivalries bring out passion in people for their alma maters; I've seen this first-hand between national rivals like West Virginia and Pitt, or Kansas and Kansas State. And I've experienced this here in our own state - both positive and negative. People with passion for their institution can say and do things that they regret. It's unfortunate that this happens and all of our institutions should work to ensure that we don't accept this unacceptable rhetoric. Late last week, I reached out to Bob to let him know that I was personally disappointed in the student opinion piece published by our student-run newspaper. I shared that disappointment with the Argonaut editorial board as well. 

"In-state rivalries are meant to be fun. Our long-time rivalry with BSU is important to the state, the economy, and the fans from both teams. We embrace and celebrate that rivalry and I very much hope it continues. It goes without saying that we value our relationship with Boise State both on the field and court and in the many ways in which our two institutions work together to serve our state and its citizens."

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From: reggieholmquist at u.boisestate.edu
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:34:18 -0600
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] BSU President fires one across the bow
To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com
CC: bear at moscow.com; idahovandal1 at live.com; vision2020 at moscow.com

Win at football.

I keed, I keed.

Seriously, though.  I just transfered up here from BSU, and I think the animosity exhibited by UI boosters toward BSU in general is kind of silly.

-Reggie

On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 4:30 PM, Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com> wrote:

What have they done to achieve this?

Sunil

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From: bear at moscow.com
To: idahovandal1 at live.com
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:16:32 -0700
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] BSU President fires one across the bow

Carl,

This is a surprise to you?  Just look at a comparison between not just athletics  but also academics at both schools, and you'll see that Boise State is planning to, if it hasn't already,

become the premier flag ship university in Idaho. And we have "US" to thank for it........

On Jul 27, 2010, at 2:31 PM, Carl Westberg wrote:

  >From the Statesman.....doesn't seem very politic of a university president......

  Kustra on the BSU-Idaho football rivalry: No reason to play it, even in Boise
  Staff - Idaho Statesman
  Published: 07/27/10
  Boise State president Bob Kustra said he stands behind football coach Chris Petersen's statement that his team should no longer travel to Moscow for games, Kustra said Tuesday in a meeting with the Idaho Statesman editorial board.
  The future of the 40-year-old series is in doubt after this season's trip to Moscow, with Boise State headed to the Mountain West Conference in 2011, while the Vandals will continue in the Western Athletic Conference.
  "I frankly don't care whether we ever play 'em again as long it goes,'' Kustra said. "I don't see any reason to do it in Boise, but if somebody sees a reason to do it in Boise, fine.
  "I guess (Idaho football) coach (Robb) Akey would argue that if he upsets Boise State, then that's a really big deal, but why is that to Boise State's advantage?''
  Petersen said Monday, while in Salt Lake City for the annual WAC preview meetings, "Why would we (go to Moscow)? I don't think our fans even like to go up there. Most of Idaho's fans are in Boise anyway.''
  Kustra said he and Petersen talked about the issue last month, on the same day Boise State was invited into the Mountain West. He said they are on the same page.
  Kustra said it's a "cultural issue,'' pointing out an article last week in the Argonaut, the University of Idaho student newspaper. The headline of the article was, "Who do we hate?''
  "This is a great example of why my wife and I no longer travel to Moscow games,'' Kustra said. "It's a culture that is nasty, inebriated and civilly doesn't give our fans the respect that any fan should expect when visiting an away team. ... I don't think at Boise State you're going to find that, so for me personally, when I read what Pete said I knew, I knew.
  "For me, this is not about football. For me, this is a cultural issue. It's about fans having to learn how to treat other fans and universities. What bothers me more than anything else, is that the fans are not about denigrating our athletic program. ... What bothers me personally is the denigration of our academic programming. That's what I simply can't tolerate.
  "I've seen rivalries all over America, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Texas-Texas A&M, Kansas-Kansas State, but you can go inside those rivalries and you'll find all kinds of slams and digs and whatever, but I've never seen the nastiness aimed at the quality of our academic program that I find here in Idaho from the University of Idaho Vandals and as long as that goes on, why would I want to encourage a game where people don't know how to act like grownups?''

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