First presented in 1978, Buried Child launched Shepard to national acclaim as a playwright and won him the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. With years of high praise for the project, the director and cast at SDSU were more than eager to bring the play to the stage.

“I’ve been a huge fan of the play for many years,” theater director J.D. Ackman said. “I’ve been at SDSU for 21 years and I’ve been trying to get the play for a while now. We finally got it into this season. Sam Shepard is, without question, one of the great American playwrights. There is so much to [Buried Child] and it gives the actors and me a lot to work with and consider.”

Echoing Ackman’s comments, theater actors like Andy Schnabel and Zach Swanson were eager to tackle the difficult material.

“It’s awesome to be given the chance to do this play,” Schnabel said. “We’ve been wanting to do this show for a long time now and it’s a privilege to be a part of it. Sam Shepard is the modern day Shakespeare and it is interesting to be able to do a show written by somebody so renowned.”

“I was not familiar with the source material,” Swanson said, “but I had heard about how good it was. It is my first foray into Shepard’s material and it really makes me want to delve deeper into his work. There is so much to his writing that isn’t caught on the first read through.”

While much of Buried Child’s plot cannot be discussed in full detail, Ackman did share a little bit about it.

“The basic set up is that a young man is coming home to visit his family,” Ackman said. “What he finds is not what he expects.”

Ackman was able to talk briefly about the themes and finding the right cast to present them on the stage.

“With a play like this, I like to see how the actors feel about the script, the characters, and the themes,” Ackman noted. “The script seems to be based in reality but there are elements of surrealism and symbolism that make it a potentially exciting piece of theater. Shepard is known for writing about the mythos of the American West and about rugged individualism. This play is set in Illinois and there are references to the West and it’s presented as this place to where we escape. In this particular story, though, there is no escape.”

“It’s something new for me,” Swanson said. “It is the darkest show I have been involved in but it is interesting to see how people can incorporate so much of it into [their own lives] when it is such a serious show.”

With the serious and frequently dark tone, though, both the cast and director hope that people are not deterred from seeing the production.

“It is heavy material,” Schnabel said, “but people are not exposed to it on a daily basis. The play comes across more as a movie than a play and it is a nice change of pace for theater. Hopefully they will love it when they come to see it.”

“I would advise people not to come with preconceived notions,” Swanson said. “Everyone can relate to at least one of the characters in some regard.”

Overall, Ackman praised the cast and said that seeing Buried Child gives audience members the opportunity to see what he considers to be one of the great American plays.

“It has been terrific working with the cast,” Ackman said. “They really are some of the finest actors on campus and none of them were hesitant about tackling the material. Buried Child is the Death of a Salesman of another generation in its impact and in its ability to address issues [concerning] family and human values. The best plays are about human beings and this play is about what is to be human. I really just encourage people to come see it and judge for themselves.”

Buried Child will be presented as the first show of the new year and will open with an initial evening show on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Evening shows will then be at the same time through Saturday, Feb. 18. The production will continue on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and will run through Saturday, Feb. 25 at the same time. A Sunday matinee will be presented at 2 p.m. on Feb. 26.

Tickets for the show are currently on sale and are available from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets can also be purchased at 6 p.m. on performance nights through Saturday, Feb. 25. SDSU students can attend the performance for free. Individual ticket prices are $18 for adults, $16 for senior citizens, $12 for faculty and staff, and $11 for non-SDSU students and children.

Adele: It seems that nearly everybody has been turned on to this songstress in the past year and it is for good reason. Adele has the most distinctive voice in music today and I absolutely love her soulful style. I highly advise that everyone give her album “21” a full listen as each song is completely different. I cannot stand artists that are stuck producing songs with only one sound, which gives me reason to love Adele. While it is easy to spot her voice, she often uses a different style in each of her songs. “Someone Like You” is an affective ballad about love lost, while “Rumor Has It” is a wonderfully upbeat, more soulful song. I was unaware that Adele had won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2009, but from her continued great work last year it is clear to see why.

Mat Kearney: Matt Kearney is another artist that I had heard little from before 2011. I enjoyed his single “Nothing Left to Lose” when it was released in 2006 but that’s the extent to which I listened to him. Kearney’s fourth album “Young Love,” released in 2011, turned out to be one of the best albums of the year. Rarely can I sit down and listen through an album in its entirety and love every song, but that happened with Kearney

Bridesmaids: Judd Apatow has been hit and miss as a producer, but he always makes an attempt to help tell stories that are at one moment side-splittingly funny and at another incredibly heartfelt. That is what he and Freaks and Geeks co-creator Paul Feig have managed to do with Bridesmaids. When it was released, the film was called the female version of The Hangover, but in my opinion Bridesmaids is actually a slightly better film. The film is co-written by Kristin Wiig and what she does with the script is brilliant. She shows that multiple female characters can each be fleshed out within a film while allowing every character to add to the larger picture. This film works so well for me because none of the characters seem to be two-dimensional. The script is also one of the most memorable of the year, with each actress getting the chance to deliver a line that will stick with you long after the credits role.

Super 8: I was hesitant to watch this film when it first came out, mainly because I fail to recognize why director J.J. Abrams is considered such a visionary. Still, I gave the film a chance and I am glad I did. It is important to note that the entire film is an homage to director Steven Spielberg, whose early films not only provided the formula for blockbuster movies but also deal with many of the issues that are addressed in Super 8. Abrams’ story is far-fetched and some of it gets lost along the way through the film, but what remains consistent are the great characters and the tangible ideas they represent. The kids in the film are discovering their lives and are forced to deal with major losses. The entire film is not so much a sci-fi action film as it is a meditation on loss and forgiveness. Those who go back and watch Spielberg’s E.T. will find many of the same ideas.

Emma Stone: This year, Emma Stone has made her star power evident by starring in The Help and Crazy Stupid Love. Each performance is different, but something remains the same in both: Stone seems to be one of the most effortless actresses working in Hollywood today. She was already one of the funniest, but her work in The Help shows a completely different side of her. She has moments of humor, but her role is largely a dramatic one and Stone nails it. She also gives a simultaneously funny and sexy performance in Crazy Stupid Love. While that film was in a genre that Stone was more comfortable with, her character is unlike anything else she has shown us. After her work last year, I cannot wait to see more from her.

Brad Pitt: Brad Pitt is a worldwide superstar, yet I’ve often found it hard to like him as an actor. In his earlier films, he seemed to rely on his looks more than his actual talent. Last year, though, was a complete breakthrough for Pitt, a year which showed me the impact of a truly talented actor. Pitt first stared in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. While the film was actually one of the worst of 2011, Pitt gives a commanding performance as the domineering father of the film. Adding to that, Pitt gave the finest performance of his career in Moneyball, which was one of the best films of 2011. As a fan of baseball I was excited to watch a film that addressed the problem of payrolls within major league teams. What I didn’t expect from the film was a towering lead performance. As he ages, Pitt seems to accept roles more closely related to his own life and that works to his overall advantage. He seems to be delving deeper into his characters than ever before and it shows. His many emotions and his great acting ability are put on full display and I applaud him for a great year.

Coming soon: Year of the music

The fight between Crash and Brokeback Mountain remains one of the biggest Oscar upsets.

Five years ago, on March 5, 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made one of its most controversial choices for Best Picture when they awarded the top prize to Crash over the odds on favorite Brokeback Mountain. Many accused the Academy of being homophobic and questioned whether they were oblivious to the changing face of cinema. Now that some time has passed, it’s a great time to reflect back on the two films.

Crash was actually released in 2004 so the fact that it stayed around long enough to win the top prize in 2006 is astounding. Last year’s “The Hurt Locker” is the only other recent movie I can think of that has accomplished the same feat.

Crash features an impressive ensemble of Hollywood players and it weaves their stories together in an impressive, if not convenient, way. Where Crash excels is in its storytelling. The film examines the racial and social tensions that are present in an era when many seem to think that racism is a thing of the past. It’s an intriguing film because it doesn’t play it safe and it often gets under the skin with its blistering honesty. Matt Dillon, in the performance of his career, plays a particularly jaw-dropping cop who, more than once, lets his racist thoughts bubble to the surface. His character isn’t the only one, however. Writer and director Paul Haggis, who became the only individual to write back-to-back Best Picture Oscar winners when Crash followed Million Dollar Baby, writes what I believe to be the finest original screenplay of the last decade and fills it with complex and conflicting characters. It forces us to realize that in the busy world in which we live, we are lucky if we ever really truly make contact with others around us. At one point in the film, Don Cheadle’s character says the following: “In any real city, you walk…you brush past people, people bump into you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.” Additionally, the tagline for the movie poignantly states that “moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.”

Crash exposes us as the people we really are and not just in the terms of how we see ourselves. From a critic’s standpoint, in addition to featuring a great script, the film features some Hollywood actors giving the finest performances of their career to date. Sandra Bullock does more with 10 minutes of film than she has done in some of her other full length movies and Thandie Newton exposes the talent of an actress that has remained under the radar for far too long.

Brokeback Mountain is based on the novel by Larry McMurtry and was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger bring to life two cowboys who fall in love while herding sheep in Wyoming. Many people shied away from the film because of its taboo subject and that just goes to show how close-minded some people are about the matter. What’s interesting about Brokeback Mountain is that it fits in with other romantic films rather nicely; it’s not merely the “gay cowboy movie.” Ledger gives what could be considered his finest performance, and supporting players Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams also deliver great work.

What I think works best about the film is that it takes one of the most controversial topics of our time and infuses it into one of the oldest genres around. It was a gutsy move; one worth applauding all of those involved with the making of the movie. Many people were as uncomfortable with the subject matter as some of the main characters in the film were, but by using such a heated topic, it goes on to create one of the most moving pictures of our era. It is by no means a conventional picture, but that’s what I liked about it. The film lets the story build upon itself and it allows the actors involved to do some of the finest, most intimate work of their career. Director Ang Lee, who won the Oscar for Best Director in 2006, takes many chances with the film and all of them seem to pay off. I think those who are willing to give the film a try will be surprised at its impact.

We now arrive back at the question of whether or not the Academy made the right choice 5 years ago. For my money, Crash is still the best choice. Each year has multiple films that are worthy of the prize and I can imagine that it is hard for voting members to pick a favorite. Whether homophobic tendencies were behind the voting we’ll never know. What remains is that the 2006 ceremony gave us a worthy Best Picture, as well as two cinematic high points from the last decade in film.

Students’ Association and BOR spoke out against a bill requiring centers on S.D. campuses.

A bill that would have put pressure on the Board of Regents and SDSU to create a veterans resource center for the SDSU campus failed in the South Dakota Senate.

House Bill 1196 originally stated that “each public institution of higher learning under the control of the BOR shall provide a veterans resource center on campus to serve the needs of student veterans.” After working its way through the Senate Education Committee, the word “shall” was changed to “may,” giving the BOR the legal permission to establish such a center should they chose to do so. On Feb. 24, the bill passed the Senate Education Committee by a vote of 6-0, but failed in the senate March 1.

The bill found some supporters in addition to some detractors. A resolution to support the bill failed in a Students’ Association meeting, and the BOR spoke out against the bill. Opposition came from the issues of funds and the space needed to build the resource center, specifically in the original wording of the bill that would have required campuses to provide for a center without funds.

“The bill would benefit student veterans; there is no doubt about that,” Paul Turman, the BOR’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, said. “The problem is that administration would be required to shelve some of their other building expansions projects in looking to create this new center.”

As the proposal was written, SDSU would have been responsible for finding the space and the equipment needed to get the veteran’s resource center up and running. The State Department of Veterans Affairs would then have been given the responsibility of hiring, training, and paying the staff required to get the center running.

The BOR feared that the center’s costs would be projected onto students.

“There is no funding at this point,” Turman said early Tuesday afternoon. “If there were a source of funds, [the BOR] wouldn’t hesitate to build the center, but with the financial times we are in now…it becomes difficult. [SDSU] would almost be required to use student fees to make sure that they are in compliance with what the law says.”

Members of SDSU’s Veterans Club are trying to make the center a reality.

SDSU Veterans Club President Derek Douglas was present at both the House and the Senate Education committees meetings and talked about his passion for the project.

“The first year of college is hard for veterans,” Douglas said. “If there were a veteran’s resource center on campus, it would ease that transition from military to college.”

Douglas, who has served three deployments in Iraq, said that SDSU has around 500 student veterans, many of whom find it hard to adjust.

“The dorms provide a social structure for incoming college students,” Douglas said, “but most of the veterans are too old to live in the dorms.”

That challenge, combined with the fact that veterans currently have no one individual to turn to with questions, is a daunting thing for many. Before the bill failed, Douglas said that he believed that the formation of a veteran’s resource center would help alleviate some of these problems.

“If the bill is passed, there would be two main accomplishments,” Douglas said Tuesday before the bill failed. “It would provide a centralized point of contact for services on campus…and it would also build that sense of community for the student veteran’s population.”

Andy Ellis, adviser to the SDSU Veterans Club for the past two years, expanded on this, saying that student veterans can’t ease into the change as well as might be able to.

“Incoming student veterans can’t relate to freshman,” Ellis said. “We’re talking two ends of a spectrum. The military is such a cohesive, structural environment that many of these student veterans are looking for almost militaristic directions so that they can feel more comfortable.”

Ellis said that the group has been talking to veterans in order to find out what they want and he believes that a veteran’s resource center would be a place where daily help would be available.

“We really just want veterans to be able to come back and be integrated back into society,” Ellis said. “Good leaders lead from the front, and right now SDSU is really the flagship of the educational system in South Dakota, but we don’t appear to be.”

Both Douglas and Ellis, however, believe that existing space within The Union could eventually provide for the most ideal setting.

“The Union has really been branded as the living room of the SDSU campus,” Douglas said. “The fact that all of the services are in that one centralized area would make it a great location.”

“The Union really is the central area,” Ellis agreed. “If we were to eventually see a veteran’s resource center in that location, it would be more up-front and accessible for student veterans.”

The Veterans Club was also looking to propose an orientation for student veterans, which would have been conducted through the resource center.

“We would like to push for a one-stop shop for veterans,” Ellis said. “A veteran’s resource center would steer [veterans] in the orientation process and would also provide a social network.”

On the issue of the cost for a veterans resource center in the future, Ellis said that the cost of the center would be minimal for the university.

“All it is going to cost the university is a piece of real estate,” Ellis said. “Veterans would be happy to come on as staff. If the university were to give us the real estate, we would go from there.”

If a veterans resource center were to come to SDSU, it wouldn’t be the first within the South Dakota higher education system.

In fall 2009, a veteran’s resource center was added the union at The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The center was made possible through a private donation and is capable of holding up to 20 students.

If the bill had passed, the university would not have been required to place a veteran’s resource center on campus, but Douglas said that SA could have put pressure administration to get a center established.

After the bill failed Tuesday night, Douglas could not be reached. The SDSU Veteran’s Club has set their next meeting for 7:30 p.m. March 23 at the VFW

#1.2042917:1361807169.png:DSC_0493.png:From left to right, Taylor Zoelle, Garrett Rebstock, and Jessie Krantz present the flags before a Jacks home basketball game. :Collegian Photo by Andrew Turner
#1.2042916:736875553.png:DSC_0491.png:From left to right, Taylor Zoelle, Garrett Rebstock, and Jessie Krantz present the flags before a Jacks home basketball game. :Collegian Photo by Andrew Turner

Tim and Laurie Nichols

After working just a few miles apart at different colleges, Tim and Laurie Nichols made SDSU home 16 years ago.

“We met when I was working at Washington State University and Laurie was at the University of Idaho,” Tim said. “We were actually only about seven miles apart.”

The opportunity to move to SDSU came when Laurie received a call from the university to take over as dean of family and consumer sciences. “I wasn’t looking for the job, and I didn’t really know if I would be the one offered the job after everyone had been considered,” Laurie said. “It was just something that was dropped into my lap and I thought that taking the position would allow some movement within my career.”

Before Laurie agreed to take over the position, she thought about how the possible move would affect Tim’s position as well. “I said that I would only consider taking the position if there were a possible position for Tim as well,” Laurie said.

Laurie decided to take the position in August 1994 and Tim took a position in the college of agriculture and biological sciences that same fall.

Laurie became the provost of SDSU in June 2009 and Tim was made the dean of the honors college in 2008.

Both Laurie and Tim see many advantages in working at the same school. “We can talk about events that are going on and really understand each other,” Laurie said. “It really allows us to support one another.”

“We can relate to each other’s challenges and successes,” Tim said, “and we can be supportive on hard days and celebrate on the good days. We can always bounce ideas off of each other and brainstorm what would be the best approach to any situation.

Laurie is really smart and more experienced than I am so she always gives good advice.”

If the couple were to cite one disadvantage of working together it would be that their work always seems to come home with them.

“We walk the dogs in the morning and we begin by talking about our day, but we always seem to get pulled back to the topic of work,” Laurie said.

“We tend to bring work home,” Tim agreed. “It happens more often because we both work here. Sometimes, no matter how much you love your work, you just need a break.” The proud parents of two have been together for almost 18 years and their time at SDSU has been great.

“Having the opportunity to share a job I love with the woman I love is the best thing about working with Laurie,” Tim said.

On the topic of Valentine’s Day, Tim said that it is less of a deal than it once was, but that doesn’t stop him from celebrating the holiday.

“I’m pretty much a hopeless romantic,” Tim said. “[Valentine's Day] is a fun excuse to show Laurie how much I love her. Maybe it’s flowers… maybe it’s just a nice dinner together with the whole family. It really is the thought that counts.”

Bob and Lisa Otterson

After working together at Southwest Minnesota State, Bob and Lisa Otterson came to SDSU together.

“Several years ago, we thought about positions where we could be together,” Bob said, “and SDSU was on the list from the early days.” The couple has been married close to 15 years and are the proud parents of three children, ages 8 to 12.

Bob serves as the executive assistant to the president, a position he’s held since the fall of 2007 and Lisa is an academic adviser and instructor in the College of General Studies.

“It’s always been a goal of ours to work together,” Lisa said. “Bob and I both see college campus life as an extension of ourselves.”

Before coming to SDSU, both Bob and Lisa spent time at a number of colleges in the United States. Bob worked at three colleges in three different states, while Lisa worked at six colleges in four different states.

After all of their hard work, the Ottersons seem to have found what fits them.

Bob is an SDSU graduate and he also served as a graduate assistant in journalism. “We chose SDSU for a number of reasons,” Bob said. “We both appreciate the comprehensive nature and we also appreciate what the school provides for Brookings in terms of performing arts, athletics, and education.”

“We have a strong connection to the campus community,” Lisa added. Working together has many advantages for the Ottersons and it provides them with some convenience. “I find that SDSU is a great environment for [not only] professional fulfillment, but also for professionals with children,” Bob said. “We both appreciate the fact that our children can stop in and say “hi’ should they ever want to.”

Although Bob’s schedule is a little more unpredictable, he does appreciate any time in the day that the two can spend together. “I just enjoy the opportunity to get together for lunch,” Bob said. “We may just end up sitting down to a sack lunch together, but it gives us the time to talk about the weekend and I really enjoy that time that I get with her.”

Nick and Kelly Wendell

Nick and Kelly Wendell met while they were both students at SDSU.

He was a freshman and she was a sophomore. “We actually met for the first time at the interview process for New Student Orientation Leaders in December 2000,” Nick said. “I still remember being introduced to her in the corner of the Gallery Lounge.”

Nick and Kelly were both hired and their involvement in similar activities allowed the two to become close.

“We became great friends,” Nick said. Kelly graduated from SDSU in May 2003 and Nick followed in December 2004.

The two married in August 2005 and worked in separate ad agencies in Sioux Falls.

“It helped us to have experiences away from SDSU,” Kelly said. “It makes us appreciate being staff members here.” Nick ended up coming back to SDSU in August 2006 as the program adviser for the university program council before becoming the assistant director for student activities in June 2008. Kelly returned to SDSU in 2007 to work in the admissions internal marketing department.

“Kelly and I both ending up in students affairs has been a bit of good luck,” Nick said. “That combined with a shared college experience meant that we were able to connect with a lot of the same professionals.”

Since they began to work at SDSU, the Wendells have found several advantages. “We definitely have a good understanding of what the other does,” Kelly said. “It’s also a little easier to coordinate our schedules. Last year we managed to find the time to eat lunch together pretty often.”

“We both love SDSU,” Nick said.”To be able to work on campus during an exciting time in the history of the university has been a really unique opportunity.”

Though the benefits far outweigh the challenges of working together, both Kelly and Nick see some disadvantages. “We tend to take work home a little too much,” Kelly said. “It’s really easy to do.”

“Our peaks times of the year are the same,” Nick said. “Our house is nuts in late summer and early fall because we are both at the table to ensure that opening weekend and the Meet State program are successful.” Both Kelly and Nick enjoy working together and it is the growth that is occurring at SDSU that is one of the best parts of the job.

“We both feel fortunate to be here,” Kelly said. “It’s an exciting time for growth and change and it is fun to be a part of that.” “Kelly and I have always enjoyed collaborating to infuse creativity into the projects and programs we are involved with,” Nick added. “It is really fun to be a part of that process and we have a lot of respect for each other’s work.”

Valentine’s Day for the couple is an exciting time.

“Valentine’s Day has taken on a new meaning in our house since 2008,” Nick said. “Our daughter was born on February 14th, so we have a great reason to celebrate, although the celebration usually includes cupcakes and balloons instead of chocolates and flowers now.”

With every passing semester, SDSU continues to move toward more green ways 8212; both environmentally and economically.

The university is considering implementing a charge for mailing diplomas to graduates. In addition, Academic Affairs and the Registrars Office are beginning to work on a proposal that would make more of the graduation process online.

“We’re trying to take the graduation process and move toward a more electronic approach,” Aaron Aure, a registrar in records and registration, said. “We are only beginning this process, but by May of this year, we are hoping that some of the goals we have will be met.”

As the process stands now, graduation applications generally have to be submitted near the beginning of the semester that potential graduates plan to graduate. Additional mailings are sent out to gather information on whether students plan to walk in the commencement, and the responses generated help SDSU plan for the actual ceremony.

Even after that, more mailings follow 8212; mailings that provide everything from maps of the campus to times of the actual ceremony.

Under the new proposal, SDSU intends to change how all this material reaches students.

As mentioned, most graduation-related mailings will eventually be accessed online. Students, meanwhile, will pay a small charge to insure that their diploma reaches them after graduation.

The idea of a $20 charge will help the school cut costs on some of the expenses associated with graduation and will be wrapped in with the graduation application. Printing diplomas and the cost of mailing graduation materials currently costs SDSU over $5 a package, and with nearly 13,000 students, the cost becomes rather substantial.

“Students will only be responsible for the costs of mailing a diploma,” Provost Laurie Nichols said. “The rest of the charges will continue to be an institutional expense.”

Under the proposed plan about to be considered, students will also be able to bypass the charge should they decide to pick up their diploma after graduation in person.

In drafting the proposal, SDSU looked at other institutions to find out what works best.

“We’ve spent time looking at the processes other schools use when mailing out graduation material,” Aure said, “and we believe that this is a great way to move toward a more paper-free process.”

Aure is currently working out possible ways for students to make the payment.

“Once the charge is created, it may be possible for students to use HoboDough to pay the charge,” Aure said. “We are really just trying to make the process as convenient for students as we can.”

#1.1918860:2701291014.png:GradsBW-file.png:Graduates of SDSU may soon be responsible for a small charge in order to receive their diploma after graduation. :File Photo

University Bookstore employees were busy the morning of Jan. 24 after a sprinkler malfunction on the main floor of the bookstore caused extensive water damage.

Around 7:45 a.m., a main floor sprinkler was set off, damaging much of the merchandise in the bookstore. The water was shut down around 8:20 a.m. and cleanup was completed by 10:30 a.m.

“We had a lot of people helping during cleanup,” Derek Peterson, the director of the bookstore said. “We had a number of the people from the Union, Residential Life, and facilities services who really need to be thanked.”

The reason as to why the sprinkler malfunctioned has not yet been discovered.

After the water was shut off, main floor clothing had to be taken down and moved in order to clean up all the water.

“We’re not sure what we are going to do with the merchandise,” Peterson said. “We have an adjuster coming in and we’ll look at the options we have.”

While most of the damage was contained to the first floor, some of the textbooks in the lower level were damaged as well. Still, the bookstore remained open while cleanup duties were performed.

Students were allowed to use the south entrance of the bookstore in order to find the books they may have needed for classes.

“The bookstore was still able to meet the needs of students without any interruption,” Peterson said.

The main entrance of the bookstore was reopened on Monday and an e-mail was sent out to all SDSU staff and students to inform them that the bookstore was open for business on all sales.

The university has yet to assess the extent of damage, and repair costs are not yet known.

#1.1918787:1335322393.png:Bookstore_FloodTONY.png:Jillian Carstensen and Ed Bain empty a water-filled shop vac after a sprinkler malfunction caused water damage in the bookstore.:Collegian Photo by Tony Gorder

Move over, Tony Stark.

SDSU is making a move in military research to be conducted by the university’s electrical and mechanical engineering departments.

The project is being done as part of a proposal to help produce technology that can be used by U.S. military.

The proposal came from congressional earmarks recommended by Sen. Tim Johnson and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

Electrical Engineering

The electrical engineering side of the research is focused on alternative power technology.

Dennis Helder, associate dean for research at SDSU, said researchers are trying to help the military reduce its usage of petroleum.

The plan to reduce dependence on petroleum was outlined in a 5-year proposal, which was made up of contracts from the military.

“One of the largest liabilities in Afghanistan comes about because of the fact that diesel fuel trucks become a major target within traveling convoys,” Helder said. “If one fuel convoy is taken out, multiple units could suffer from that.”

In trying to reduce the usage of fuel through generators, several different ideas have led to promising results.

The use of microgrid systems is one possible solution. These systems use energy storage and alternative energy generation to reduce the amount of fuel used by standard military generators.

Solar cells, which have been made portable and are able to produce energy quickly, is also an idea being tested. In a related experiment a substance was painted onto test equipment with a stripped-down surface, resulting in a solar cell that was capable of producing electricity.

About 20 people are involved in the research, including faculty, engineering staff, and both undergraduate and graduate students.

“The fact that students can work on the research is really exciting,” Helder said.

Seth McGill, an electrical engineering graduate student, was hired to do research. He completed his undergraduate degree in May 2010.

“I became involved with research within the first semester after graduating,” McGill said. “I’ve been working on research projects for about a year now and I think it is a unique opportunity to get away from computers for a while and to just get some hands on work.”

For McGill, being able to observe the entire process is possibly the biggest reward.

“I really want to see an end product,” McGill said, “and being able to go from an idea, to designing and seeing that idea producing something that works, is a great reward.”

In their endeavors, the SDSU research team is partnered with Radiance Technologies, an Alabama-based company serving as a subcontractor. Radiance Technologies works on the design and development of the technology produced through the research done at SDSU.

“The company takes the basic concept so that the military can adapt ideas to implement the technology,” Helder said.

Helder believes that advances in technology help U.S. troops across the world.

“I would say that my major goal in doing this research is to produce technology that can … save as many lives as possible,” he said.

Mechanical Engineering

In the mechanical engineering department, research is largely dedicated to materials testing.

“When we were originally given the money to conduct research, the proposal had three main goals outlined,” said Fereidoon Delfanian, the director of the materials evaluation and testing laboratory (METLAB). “Those three goals were to provide service to the Department of Defense, to provide service to South Dakota industries and the region around us, and to create a setting to serve research and education purposes.”

As with the electrical engineering department, research is ongoing and continues to produce results.

In 2008, $2.6 million allotted by the Department of Defense went toward the development of what the department called a fatigue-odometer sensor (FOS) and another $1.84 million went toward funding nondestructive testing of lightweight cannon systems.

Both projects were aimed toward determining the point at which military vehicles and weapons begin to wear down and become unsafe, Delfanian said. Research is also being done to determine the life of a cannon barrel, catching potential problems before they arise.

SDSU went from a subcontractor to a prime contractor in 2009 and began working with U.S. Army Benet Laboratories in New York, a primary design, development, and engineering facility for a wide range of military equipment. As a prime contractor, SDSU began to take more responsibility for research.

The Future

Significant research continues in both departments, and a new $9.3 million contract was given to SDSU for continued testing of gun barrels used by the military. That contract will run through 2013.

Faculty at SDSU are in constant contact with what the military calls a contract officer’s technical representative.

“Their job is to monitor the progress made,” Helder said. “I have contact with him once a week, and we have a quarterly site visit.”

#1.1898197:3689467306.png:metlab-BRUA.png:The METLAB has a variety of machines to test the hardness and density of different materials for the U.S. Army.:Collegian Photo by Stephen Brua

In recent years, Hollywood has gotten the idea that remaking nearly every movie is a great idea. The lack of original, new ideas is almost sickening and just when I’ve labeled just about every rehash a cinematic disaster, True Grit comes along and gives me some kind of hope.

The film is a remake of the 1969 Western directed by Henry Hathaway. The original starred John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, in what would become his only Oscar-winning performance. The interesting thing is that the film is considered by many movie reviewers to be a lesser entry to Wayne’s resume. At the time of the Oscar win, Wayne’s health was beginning to decline, and many argue that the award was a last minute effort to acknowledge the career of a true legend.

Filling the shoes of Wayne in this reinvention is Jeff Bridges, an Oscar winner last year for his work in Crazy Heart. Behind the camera are Joel and Ethan Coen, the directing team who previously directed Bridges in the cult classic The Big Lebowski.

What largely makes the new True Grit work is its ability to tell us a familiar story from a different angle. The original film largely focused on the character of Rooster Cogburn, probably because Hollywood studios at the time knew Wayne’s star power would draw people to theaters. The 1968 novel by Charles Portis, upon which both films are based, actually focuses on the character of Mattie Ross, portrayed by Kim Darby in the 1969 version and by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld in the remake. The Coens’ decision to move Ross to the center of the story is what makes the film work. The story, after all, builds around Ross’ decision to hire someone who can track down the man who shot and killed her father. That man turns out to be Cogburn, a United States Marshal who shows “true grit.’

The performances in True Grit are some of the best from 2010. Bridges reinvents Cogburn, bringing both humor and tragedy to the character. As secondary as the character may be, Bridges crafts another astonishing performance, showing the audience that he is one of the finest actors working today. He has come to be someone we can always expect a great performance from.

The real stand out of True Grit, however, is Steinfeld. The fourteen year-old actress seems like a seasoned actress and it’s surprising to see that True Grit is her first feature film. In a year filled with great performances, she is at the level of them all. Her Mattie Ross is a strong character and Steinfeld takes the audience on a journey by showing the character’s growth throughout the film. Personally, I cannot wait to see more from this actress, who’s basically guaranteed an Oscar nomination for her work here. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin show up in the film as well, although their characters didn’t seem to be as developed. Damon’s is much more developed, providing humor to the often brutal film. Brolin’s acting abilities, however, seem to be squandered. His character shows up in the last twenty minutes of the film and seems to have little depth. Any possible complaints I have of the film would probably be because of his character.

The Coens’ direction is really what drives True Grit, however. Since their feature film debut in 1984 with Blood Simple, the Coens have established themselves as the finest directors currently working in film. No director has presented such a wide array of films, and since their debut the Coen brothers have been nominated for an astounding ten Academy Awards, winning four. The duo started by writing unmistakably original material and they have a unique style. Their views of an ultimately bleak world are always brought to life with wit and a surprising real-life resonance. In 2007, No Country for Old Men became the first adaptation for the brothers. Up until that point they had only written original works, the most notable being 1996′s Fargo. The success of No Country for Old Men combined with that of True Grit, shows that the Coens are more than capable of producing adaptations that match their work written directly for the screen. True Grit also follows the lead of No Country for Old Men in that both were in the western vein, with True Grit becoming the Coens’ first real “genre-film.’ The Coen brothers use every one of their filmmaking abilities to create something wholly original, however. The western is a hard genre to add anything new to, and most directors won’t even touch the seemingly outdated genre. Lucky for audiences, the Coens have done just that, creating the best western since Clint Eastwood’s 1992 masterpiece Unforgiven.

Final Comment: Joel and Ethan Coen continue their streak of masterpieces, producing a truly great film. Jeff Bridges show us, once again, his incredible acting talent, but it is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld who will truly blow you away.

Rating: 10/10

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