The ten Greek organizations affiliated with SDSU had a successful week of recruiting new members, with 90 new members added to the Greek system.

Sometimes referred to as “rush week,” recruitment week is a time for the chapters to seek out new members to add to their ranks. This fall, recruitment week ran from Sept. 16 to Sept. 25.

Female fraternity Alpha Xi Delta brought in the most new members with 20 new pledges.

The new recruits will now begin pledge classes to become full members of their respective fraternities.

Greek Council Advisor Shonda Reed said the process and the rules of recruitment are not the same for both sexes.

Men and women fraternities have their own set of rules set by a national organization, Reed said. Individual chapters are allowed to add to those rules so long as the new rules don’t violate the existing rules, which include no hazing and no alcohol at official recruiting events.

Senior Erik Risa, recruitment chair for male fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR), said one key to getting guys to come to events is through their stomachs.

“What we normally try to do is some free food to get people out there,” he said. “We give a free meal and a house tour.”

Risa, an animal science major, said they also try to have a former alumnus of AGR come and talk during the week. This year retired animal science professor Dr. Dan Gee spoke to the prospective new members.

Risa said recruiting can sometimes be harder for Alpha Gamma Rho because the frat is nationally agricultural. In order to join, a student must have an agriculture major, background or career in mind.

“It makes our job a little more difficult because there may be some interested, but we have to turn them away,” he said.

Despite the requirement, the recruitment events for AGR produced a strong turn-out. AGR added 17 new members.

“That’s the biggest class that we have had in the last four years,” Risa said.

Sophomore Laura Geraets of Ceres said her fraternity gained seven new members this year.

“We’re very happy with the number of people we got and the quality of the people we got,” she said.

Geraets, the Ceres recruitment person, said her fraternity held several events, including a hay ride, a scavenger hunt and a hamburger feed.

Senior Jessica Schultz, the membership vice president for Alpha Xi Delta (AZD), said this was one of the best recruitments they’ve had in several years.

“We haven’t had this many people pledge since the 80s,” she said. “Two years ago we only had four members. At the end of last year we had 24 and at the start of this semester we had 12 due to graduation. Now we have 32.”

Schultz, a sociology and Spanish major, said AZD had many successful recruitment events.

“We had a Mardi Gras party?that went really well, we made masks,” Schultz said. “Our info night was AZD-wood, we used all the different streets and that was the best party we’ve ever had.”

“It’s the year of Greek life altogether,” she said. “All the chapters that were hurting seem to be doing well.”

The summer months passed with high temperatures and low rainfall across the state, not only affecting the family farmer, but also affecting college students.

Kim Cassel, Ag Program Leader of the Cooperative Extension Service, deals with many of these issues.

She said the office deals not only with “cows and crops,” but also with family issues.

Cassel said she wants the students to know they don’t have to handle it all by themselves this year.

“If any student has any questions, they need to see their advisor and ask for help or come see us, if they’re feeling they need to ask for help?counseling help,” Cassel said. They don’t need to deal with it alone.”

Cassel said this is not the only year students will be affected by the impact of the drought.

“The financial implications for the students is not just this year, but future years as well, whether we get moisture or not,” Cassel said. “We advised the students to reassess their financial status if their farm was affected by the drought.”

The office formed a drought task force of Exten-sion staff and SDSU faculty to help with the growing problems.

Being part of that team helped the SDSU staff see upcoming needs in the new school year, Cassel said.

“It was because of working with families our faculty saw students dealingwith the guilt of leaving plus the financial issues. That’s where the university stepped in,” she said. “The university has given the students a chance to reassess where they are.”

Cassel said many students feel guilty about leaving their families to attend school. The students ask themselves, “Can I come to college and have a good time?”

“The human issue and the human toll is becoming as much of an issue as the cows and crops,” Cassel said. “[People] feel bad because they have a crop and their neighbor doesn’t.”

In a press release from this August, SDSU economists Gary Taylor, Matthew Diersen and Alan May calculated that the drought had cost South Dakota’s economy $1.8 billion.

Cassel said the northwest corner of the state was hit the hardest by the drought.

In the release, Taylor said the drought was costing much more than just the family farmer.

“The total effect of the drought of 2002 is not reflected only in the value of lost agricultural production in South Dakota,” Taylor said.

“The losses incurred in other sectors of the economy as a result of decreased earning in the agricultural sector should also be included to obtain a true picture of the total effect on all industries and consumers in South Dakota,” he said.

Cassel said many families were forced to sell some of their animals and they were also purchasing fewer convenience-food items.

“Grocery stores were reporting people were buying the staples,” she said.

“Instead of the box of Au Gratin potatoes, people would be buying a bag of potatoes.”

The SDSU College of Engineering presented the 2002 Engineering Expo Friday at SDSU in Frost Arena.

At the Expo, high school and SDSU students compete in various competitions based on ideas taught in engineering. Students from five states were invited to compete.

According to Isaac Anderson, a junior mechanical engineering major, the college events have money prizes and the high school had trophies and SDSU prizes including shirts, hats and gift cards.

Anderson, who was on the high school committee this year, said he helped judge and participated in Expo.

“This year, I was a judge for the scrambler and I participated in the college event called the baseball frenzy.The machine had to be completely automated and it had to shoot 30 baseballs 250 centimeters at three targets,” he said.

Write It-Do It is a contest where the first two members of a the team build something out of blocks and then they have to describe it by writing about it on a piece of paper. Then the next two people have to go into the room and build the item from the description.

The scrambler is a contest where a team builds a machine that has to throw an egg 25 feet towards a bulls eye target that has different points for each ring. The team has two minutes to throw two eggs and that includes reloading their machine.

Anderson said he was pleased with how this year’s events went.

“I think Expo went very well this year, everything went very smoothly and we had a very good participation,” Anderson said.

Having the annual event is a good way to attract younger students to engineering and give SDSU students first-hand experience, Anderson said.

“I think Expo is a very good idea because it shows high schoolers what you do in the engineering major. And it is a good way for the college students to use the things they learned in class in real problems,” Anderson said.

With May fast approaching, many students are thinking about where they are going to be living next year as much as they are thinking about final tests and what’s going on with the weather.

For many upperclassmen, that place will either be off campus housing or the Berg and Bailey apartments.

Sophomore Paul Sampica, a business economics major, said he and his friends already have an apartment set for next fall.

“We saw an advertisement and called Berg and Bailey and checked them out,” Sampica said.

“We decided we liked it and signed the paperwork right here,” Sampica said.

Sampica said he is looking forward to his living arrangements next year.

“I can’t wait to get out of the dorms,” he said.

“There will be more freedom, more space, less rules. Less regulations, basically,” said Sampica.

Legal Aid Attorney Pat Lyons, who helps students when they have legal questions said checking out the lease agreement is key.

“Read it. That’s the important thing,” Lyons said.

“If it’s important enough for the landlord to put it in there they will enforce it,” Lyons said.

Lyons said that if students don’t fully understand the lease, they should take steps to make sure they do.

“If they don’t understand it, they should probably come and see me,” he said. “It’s important to know what the duties are.”

Talking with other people in the building is also a good research tool, Lyons said.

“Check with current tenants to find out if they have had any problems and how responsive the landlord has been,” Lyons said.

Lyons said one of the biggest problems he sees are roommate ones.

“One of the biggest problems we have is lack of compatibility with roommates,” Lyons said. “They say ‘we got along so well when we were on the same floor’. Then you move and they don’t get along so well anymore.”

Students with any legal questions should set up an appointment with Lyons by calling 688-5181. The Legal Aid Office is room 217 in the University Student Union.

A team of students from the Advertising Campaigns class will compete in the regional competition April 20 in Minnesota.

The presentation is a marketing campaign for Bank of America, which helps to sponsor the event.

The group will be having a dress rehearsal of their campaign presentation Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. in Shepard Hall 131.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Advertising professor Dennis Hinde said the competition is linked to advertising students coursework.

“We do it in conjunction with our Advertising Campaigns class, which is the last class our advertising majors take,” Hinde said.

“It is an opportunity for our seniors to do a professional advertising campaign.”

Hinde said last year the students came close to going to nationals.

“If we win in Minnesota we go on to the nationals in Florida in June, he said.

“We have some tough competition. Last year Wisconsin beat us by a hair, and they went on to win.”

Hinde said the campaign is not easy.

“It’s a very detailed campaign,” he said. “They have to do a 20-minute presentation in front of three judges.”

Senior Brian Aust, an advertising major said the competition is nationwide.

“It’s a national advertising competition that advertising majors from across the country compete in,

The College Democrats and the College Republicans are living proof that college students do care about politics.

The Democrats meet every Monday at 5 p.m. in the Jackrabbit Room and the Republicans meet about every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. Freshman Sara Landau, a physics and chemistry major, said she joined College Democrats because she wanted to be involved.

“Last year, I took a government course where I learn how much the government affects our lives but how little most people participate in the governmental process, so I decided to get involved,” Landau said.

“When I initially joined, I thought it would be all politics and candidates. However, while we do a fair amount in regards to them, we do have other things on which we focus, such as humanitarian projects and that for me, was an added bonus,” Landau said.

“So far, we have sponsored a number of voter registration tables in the Breezeway. We also went to a gathering in Sioux Falls for College Democrats that was held by the Johnson campaign, which was really fun,Landau added. “We helped out when Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson came to campus and have had a number of candidates for the primaries come and speak at our meetings.”

The College Democrats recently hosted Rick Weiland, who announced his candidacy for Congress. They have also sponsored the Women in Politics Forum.

Junior Nicole Christopherson, an English major and president of the College Republicans, said the goals of the club are to get students involved.

“Our main goal is to introduce students to candidates throughout the county and state and get involved in politics,” Christopherson said.

“It’s also a chance for them to meet other students that believe in the same things they do,” Christopherson said.

Senior Kevin Maxwell, a political science major, said he was involved with the Republicans before he got to SDSU.

“I was involved with Teenage Republicans in high school and many friends I made throughout the state joined College Republicans as well,” Maxwell said. “Our state convention is fun and as a former state officer, I’ve been able to travel to Las Vegas, West Palm Beach, Omaha and Washington, D.C.”

“The College Republicans help on all aspects of the campaign. A college Republican can write a letter to the editor promoting an excellent candidate for office. They can help pass out stickers or put up road signs,” he said.

“Even an occasional literature drop to tell the community about a candidate for public office. The most important thing that we do is encourage fellow students to get out and vote because the college student is typically the only unheard voice in politics.”

Maxwell also added that Steve Kirby and Mark Barnett were on campus April 9. Larry Pressler and Larry Diedrich have been on campus and discussed their congressional campaigns.

He said that they are hoping Tim Amdahl and Gov. .Bill Janklow will visit before the end of the semester. John Thune has also been on campus a few times to field student questions.

Students should email sdsugop@yahoo.com. to find the next time the Republicans meet.

The SDSU Rife and Pistol Club is one of the oldest clubs on campus. The club meets every evening on the range in the basement of DePuy Military Hall.

Coach Dean Balsiger said the club is open to everyone.

“It is open to all students, faculty and employees of the university and provides firearms training in both rifle and pistol to a widely diverse population of members,” Balsiger said.

“We provide basic firearms education, safety training and experience, as well as the opportunity to participate in recreational and or competitive shooting to our members as well as the local population,” Balsiger said.

He also added that membership fluctuates from year to year, with about 35-40 paid members but only a dozen or so are active.

The club has experienced a great deal of success, Balsiger said.

Serious practice begins in October, and matches start in November and December.

“In national competition, the sport is divided into three categories, ROTC, NCAA-affiliated programs and non-NCAA programs or club sports, which is where we compete,” Balsiger said.

“For the school year 1999-2000, we placed third in the nation with one of our shooters in the top 10 individually. This past year, we finished fifth behind the likes of Texas A &M and Penn State, yet managed to have one individual in fourth place nationally and one in 12th,” Balsiger said.

Balsiger said the club typically has six or seven meets a year.

“Unfortunately, North Dakota State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln are the only two collegiate programs anywhere close, so we tend to compete against each other three or four times a year and travel can sometimes be a problem,” Balsiger said.

He also added that they will shoot open matches in South Dakota and Minnesota and hold monthly in-house matches for the practice of competing shoulder to shoulder.

Mike Flanery, a junior manufacturing engineering technology major, said he has been involved in shooting for awhile.

“I’ve been in the club for three years now. And I have been shooting competitively for about seven years or so,” Flanery said. “We shoot .22 caliber rifles and pistols. You can join the club in the fall or spring. We generally have a night so you can try it out,” Flanery added.

“We shoot prone, standing and kneeling.There are 10 bulls on a target and each one is worth 10 points. A full target is worth 100 points. Our matches consist of four targets per position,” Flanery said.

A match is called a 1200 because that is the most points possible. Every year, the club competes in the collegiate sectionals. Brian Erra has been in the top five for the last four years Flanery said.

Flanery, the club’s treasurer, said the program has received recognition nationwide.

“We have had two shooters in the program in the Junior Olympic Rife Competitions held at the olympic training center in Colorado Springs in the last four years. One of the shooters is myself and the other is Brian Erra,” Flanery said.

“Our program is also rated in the top 10 college clubs in the nation. That means a team of four people shot a combined score high enough to place us this high in the nation,” Flanery said.

The 79th Little International will take place at the Animal Science Complex on the SDSU campus March 22 and 23

High school students from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska will visit SDSU for the judging contests during the day and SDSU students will participate in livestock fitting and showmanship contests in the evenings, said Adam Wirt, 2002 Little I student manager.

Those events usually attract over 1,000 spectators Wirt said. Wirt, an Agricultural Systems Technology major said his job as student manager has many different responsibilities.

This year’s theme is “Pride, Promise and Prestige” and there are over 100 students working to put on this year’s Little I. Other events that will take place over the weekend include agronomy exhibits and a tractor driving contest.

The Block and Bridle auction will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Students will be auctioned off to perform four to six hours of work.Proceeds from this will benefit the Block and Bridle Club.

“My job is to kind of oversee everything that’s done. I bring all of the groups together,” Wirt said. “I just have to make sure everything gets done.”

Wirt said he moved up positions from last year.

“I was the assistant manager last year,” Wirt said. “We have an election in the College of Ag Bio for assistant manager and then the next year you move up to manager,” Wirt said.

Junior Justin Lessman, an Ag Journalism major, said Little International is a big event.

“Little I is the biggest student run agricultural exposition in the nation,” Lessman said.

Lessman, who is the assistant catalog superintendent, said Little I is like a class reunion, with many people returning from previous years.

“Little I is an event rich in history and tradition,” Lessman said.

“Still today, participants from years ago show up to Little I to see how it is the same as when they were in school as well as discovering how it has changed through the years,” Lessman said.

Lessman said his position this year involves a permanent part of this year’s Little I.

“I serve as the Assistant Catalog Superintendent this year. As far as the catalog goes, it is not just a program of the events of Little I. We try to make it something that is informative and enjoyable to read and take home,” Lessman said.

“Pat Leary down at Harold’s Printing plays a major role in getting the Little I catalog out each year,” Lessman added.

SDSU’s Little International is patterned after the Chicago Livestock Expo. The first Little I was held at SDSU in 1921 and has only been cancelled three times. Little I was cancelled in 1926 due a scarlet fever outbreak and 1944 and 1945 because of World War II.

For more information on Little International, check out their website at www.ars.sdstate.edu/LittleI/index.htm or call 688-6351.

In addition to Little International, the Family and Consumer Sciences Expo will also take place on Friday, March 22.

This year’s theme is: “Celebrate! Careers in Family and Consumer Sciences” and includes displays, workshops, demonstrations and judging events.The Expo concludes with a fashion show at 2 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom. For more information, contact the Family and Consumer Science office at 688-6181

Not all students who take a spring beak trip away from school will be taking a break from work.

Students from Catholic Campus Parish (CCP) will be going on mission trips during spring break week.

This year, the students will be going to Holly Springs, Miss., and Pontotoc, Miss.

A third mission trip was scheduled for San Antonio, Texas, but housing plans fell through and the trip was cancelled.

In Holly Springs, the work the 10 students will do includes fixing, painting and making a fence.

In Pontotoc, the nine students will be doing primarily Habitat for Humanity projects.

Both groups will also be visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., which is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

Sister Joan Marie Brander of CCP said the trips have several goals for the student.

“The purpose of these mission trips is to mingle and see another part of the country, and for the students to experience another culture and broaden their horizons,” Brander said.

Students who go to the missions become more involved upon their return, Brander said.

“Many times those who go on the trips become more involved at CCP. They become leaders here at CCP, they become more involved from their experiences together,” Brander said.

Brander, who attended some of the first missions, said she likes helping put them together.

“It’s one of the things that I enjoy doing the most in my job-planning these spring break mission trips,” Brander said.

Brander said students benefit from going on the missions.

“One of the benefits of it is all the people on these trips usually become very bonded. They develop long lasting relationships here,” Bander said.

Senior Matt Urban, an electrical engineering major, who is going on the Pontotoc mission, said he is returning to Mississippi for a second time.

This will be Urban’s fourth mission trip. He keeps coming back for several reasons.

“I keep coming back, one because my friends do, and it’s nice to do things with people you know,” Urban said.

“Second, I wouldn’t get to see some parts of the country otherwise and seeing things that I would never see otherwise. And third, is the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment I get in helping others,” Urban said.

Senior geography student Sarah Passick was part of a mission group that went to San Antonio., Tex.

During the night, students worked at a homeless shelter and during the day the students renovated housing for people who were making the transition from being homeless to independent living.

“Parts of the trip were difficult, having grown up in the MidWest it was hard to see people living like that. But, it also gave me a good feeling in knowing that I may helped brighten someone’s day,” said Passick.