The sleepy little hamlet of Minot, North Dakota, just can’t stay out of the news.  First it was B-52s with hot payloads, now it’s a blunder of another kind.  During a national day of mourning, September 11th, it’s going to be party time on a Minot campus.

It seems that the College of Business at Minot State University is planning a celebration – a picnic – on September 11th.  College of Business Dean JoAnn Linrud announced the mandatory student and faculty function will take place on Tuesday 9/11 on the lawn in front of the campus building called Old Main.

Inside Old Main is Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.  It was named in honor of North Dakota native Ann Nicole Nelson, who was killed on September 11th, 2001.  She was working for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the north World Trade Center tower. 

No memorial services are planned at Minot State University for Ann Nicole Nelson or any other victims of 9/11 on September 11th.  It’s business as usual.

Students need a ticket to attend the picnic.  Protesters and mourners aren’t invited.