“It is a great day to be a Jackrabbit,” President David L. Chicoine stated as he welcomed a yellow t-shirt-clad class of 2011 to the campus of South Dakota State University at the first ever Jackrabbit Convocation.

The event, which was held late Tuesday afternoon, began in Frost Arena with a formal Convocation ceremony. Several faculty members and staff dressed in regalia were present to ring in the new school year. President Chicoine, Students’ Association President Alex Brown and Academic Senate President Madeleine Andrawis welcomed the students to SDSU.

President Chicoine challenged students to take full advantage of all opportunities available to them, as well as returning to this campus as sophomores, while Brown encouraged all students to get involved.

Two faculty members, Laura Diddle-Hildebrant, associate professor of music, and Tim Nichols, assistant dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, were also asked to speak during the ceremony. Diddle highlighted the unique relationship of students and teachers on our campus and noted how our differences are what pull us together. Nichols pushed students to open their minds and hearts to all that SDSU has to offer and have real-life experiences. Students were then given the traditional South Dakota State University coins, which they placed in a well as the event continued at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The coins will be returned to the class when they cross the stage at graduation.

The second part of the Jackrabbit Convocation, an all-university Welcome Back Bash at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, got underway with a free picnic and inflatable games. SDSU student and the 2008 Miss Rodeo South Dakota Lady-in-Waiting Tara Trask hosted a Pep Rally program that included messages from Head Football Coach John Stiegelmeier and Women’s Head Basketball Coach Aaron Johnston, music from the Pep Band and information on Hobo Day 2007. The night concluded with a live concert by country artist Lady Antebellum and a free showing of the movie “Knocked Up.”

“[It was] a nice way to introduce students to faculty,” freshman pharmacy major Danielle Moeller said. “It’s nice to know the faculty is friendly and pushing for you to succeed.”

The Jackrabbit Convocation was a new effort for the SDSU campus. In previous years the student alumni group, Staters for State, had sponsored the welcome back event “A STATEly Beginning,” with a UPC sponsored Welcome Back Bash directly following.

“The idea for a formal convocation came from the President’s Office,” says Adam Karnopp, chairperson of the committee formed to put the Jackrabbit Convocation together. He noted that Fall Convocation is standard among many universities and hopes this will be an annual tradition for years to come. Many departments and organizations came together to put this event on, including the Provost Office, the Academics

Office, the Admissions Office, Aramark, Residential Life, Staters for State, UPC, the Music Department, the Athletic Department and others.

Jim Speirs, advisor to Staters for State, thinks the Jackrabbit Convocation is a great addition to the school year. “It says something about the university when everyone can work together to create an event like this,” he said.

#1.883376:2259726446.jpg:convocationwideangle.jpg:Frost Arena was filled Tuesday with professors in regalia and students in yellow during the Fall Convocation.:

The SDSU men’s swimming and diving team opened their season by beating USD by more than 30 points. The team hasn’t beat USD in more than 10 years.

The Jacks earned a total of 130 points at the meet.

“It was electric, really exciting. The guys went into the meet fired up with a lot of focus,” said Assistant Coach Phil Hurley, who traveled with the team to the Vermillion meet.

The team performed well right off the bat. In the first race, the medley relay, SDSU took first and third place. The second race followed suit, with State swimmers placing both first and second.

“Everybody was ecstatic that we were ahead of USD in the beginning, but we didn’t let up,” stated sophomore swimmer Josh Mueller.

“The first couple of races set a positive attitude for the rest of the meet. I think it’s just a testament of their desire to win,” Hurley said.

Even without any divers, SDSU placed first in eight of the fourteen events.

“As a result of winning, there has been an increased sense of togetherness, an attitude that has carried over in to the locker rooms and at practice,” stated Hurley.

“This is a good victory for the men’s program. USD has typically been a strong program. A win over them is special,” said Head Coach Brad Erickson, who is in his 31st year of coaching at SDSU. “When Phil and I did the line-up, we knew our team was strong enough that regardless of where we placed them, we would be able to pull out a win.”

Coach Erickson is looking forward to a good year.

“We expect to see better performances this season. We’re already so much further ahead, swimming times now that we didn’t swim until late January last season,” he said.

Both coaches, as well as the swimmers, agree that this year’s team is full of talent.

“This is the most talented team in the school’s history,” said Hurley, who has been with the Jacks for the last three years.

Mueller also added, “I think we have a really strong team this year and hopefully we will place well at conference.”

But winning, of course, isn’t what’s most important.

“How each individual performs and if they’re swimming up to their potential is what I look at,” Erickson said.

He expects both the women’s and men’s teams to break many of the school’s records this year, quite an accomplishment for such a young team. Of all the men and women swimming for SDSU this season, nearly half are freshmen.

“Phil has done a great job of recruiting and bringing in new talent. It will be a very promising season.”

Next up for the swim team, the men will travel to St. John’s in Collegeville, Minn. on Dec. 2, while the women will be competing at home against Nebraska at 11 a.m. Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will face the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay at home on Dec. 9, starting at 1 p.m.

#1.883967:2422205843.jpg:swimming01.jpg:A SDSU swimmer competes against USD at the first swim meet of the season.:

We’ve all heard of eating chicken noodle soup to help fight a cold, or drinking plenty of water to prevent a hangover. These are just two examples of home remedies passed from generation to generation. For any problem you encounter, there is certain to be a remedy to cure it. Below is a list of innovative, tried-and-true approaches to a few common ailments. Warning: Use at your own discretion.

Hangovers

An African remedy for preventing a hangover is to eat peanut butter before drinking.

American Indians claim that eating six raw almonds before drinking helps prevent a hangover.

Making a potassium-rich banana milkshake sweetened with honey can provide one of the fastest-acting cures.

Sore throat

To help relieve a sore throat, add the juice of one lemon and one teaspoon of salt to one cup of warm water. Gargle three times a day for one minute.

Mix one teaspoon to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle one mouthful every hour, swallowing afterward. Repeat twice each time, being sure to rinse your mouth with water afterwards to avoid enamel erosion.

Colds

The minute you feel a cold coming on, start taking more Vitamin C. It can shorten the length of the cold and make the symptoms less severe.

A bath with a few drops of cinnamon in the bath water is said to relieve congestion and generally make you feel better.

Student remedies

“Warm vinegar works great for removing chewing gum from clothing. Use a butter knife to scrape it off,” Jade Hillestad said.

“Sleeping is the greatest. It cures everything,” Danny Andrawis said.

“Drink lots of water and eat something starchy, like bread or crackers, to prevent a hangover,” Jackson Rentschler said.

RemediesCompiled by Tiffany HaynesDon’t have much money and need a little boost? Here are some inexpensive ways to boost your beauty.

Yellow teeth?After you finish brushing with toothpaste, dip your toothbrush in peroxide. As with toothpaste, don’t swallow it!

Stinky feet?Before you go to bed at night, put deodorant on your feet. Pull on a pair of socks, and tomorrow your feet will smell a little less.

Rough, tough hands?Soak your hands in milk for 10 minutes. They should feel like a baby’s bottom.Don’t have 10 minutes? Before you go to bed, put Vaseline on your hands, then put on a pair of mittens and you’ll wake up with supple hands.

Puffy eyes?If you’re up too late studying for exams and want to avoid that puffy look, rub a little hemorrhoid cream underneath your eyes.

Sore throat?Gargle with warm water and salt.

Dull hair?Brush an egg onto your hair. It’ll shine for days.