Say Anything Blog

The NDSU President’s House debacle continues.  You remember that the state legislature set a limit on the new palace for the NDSU President at one million dollars.  That wans’t good enough for the now outgoing regime so they simply ignored the limit and spent two million.

There was some jockeying around but in the end everyone suffered except for the lucky guys that get to live in the Presidential Palace.

North Dakota State University received permission Thursday to spend just under $200,000 in university funds on its president’s house.

Members of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education voted unanimously during a meeting at Minot State University to modify their previous action, which required private dollars to cover the entire cost of the house.

Board Vice President Jon Backes, who voted “regretfully yes” to using NDSU dollars for the house, said it was the only practical option since the money has already been spent.

The state legislature authorized a limit.  NDSU didn’t just have cost overruns.  They ignored the limit and spent state money without authorization.  If Sandy Blunt, the former worker’s compensation department director, can be charged with a felony for approving moving expenses for an ex employee then why aren’t the people responsible for misappropriating state money at NDSU up for charges?

I guess it depends if you’ve aggravated the state’s workers compensation lawyers or not.

The financial shennanigans doesn’t end there.  NDSU gleefully blew through the budget that was set for their new downtown building. 

The board also retroactively approved about $3.5 million in additional spending for NDSU’s Richard H. Barry Hall.

NDSU was authorized to spend $20 million on the project, but officials did not include the cost of furniture and the cost to acquire the property in the total.

The same thing goes.  They had a limit and ignored it leaving the taxpayers on the hook to make up the difference. 

Finally it turns out that the President of NDSU couldn’t be expected to live and a palace and work in any old office:

The board also retroactively gave NDSU permission to spend about $800,000 on projects in Old Main, which includes about $414,000 to remodel the president’s office.

Do you get that?  Chapman spent $400,000 in remodeling his office.  He didn’t get the necessary permission and the State Board of Higher Education (clowns) have now given their retroactive approval.

Just what kind of ego does this Chapman have.  $400,000 for his office?  That will buy an average person’s HOUSE two or three times over.

The state university system is out of control.  Per Capital North Dakotan’s are paying the most in the country to support higher education.  Instead of reasonably priced tuition for our kids the money’s going for fancy offices and palaces.