While students are off campus earning money for their return in the fall, or enjoying the summer, Physical Plant will be hard at work repairing, building and designing new features at SDSU.

A steam line running from Frost Arena to the Barn will be replaced.

Other changes include:

? The Briggs Library cooling tower will be replaced, starting May 15.

? The Crothers Engineering Hall roof will be replaced over the old part of the building.

? The parking lot next to Pugsley will be repaved, the Larson Commons loop, and the Animal Science Arena parking lot will be repaved.

? Pugsley will receive a kindergarten addition to the northeast corner of the building.

? The Sorenson Center will receive a flight simulator for the aviation department.

? Design will begin for the Wintrode Student Success Center this summer. The building will replace the United Ministries Center.

? Design for the new Wellness Center will begin.

? The new science building is under debate. It will either be attached to Shepard Hall or become a stand-alone building.

? The Wecota Hall basement will receive classroom additions.

? The $3.5 million Equestrian Center build will begin north of the Highway 14 Bypass.

The Physical Plant is in charge of all the ongoing projects this summer. Students will be hired for the summer. Contact Abigail Wiebesiek at 688-6617.

#1.884462:2932035428.jpg:methodist (Small).jpg::

I’m graduating Saturday, or at least that’s my hope, and although I may just be going back home to work after graduation, I still believe in SDSU and love the time I’ve spent here.

To those people who can’t wait to get out of here, who maybe even can’t stand it here, I have one question to ask: have you put anything into it, any effort or commitment? The only way you will get something in return is to give of yourself and invest your time, energy and, as most college students have found out, money.

I was somewhat of a hermit my freshman year, never going to any events unless pulled from my room by an upperclassman friend from my hometown, and only going to events put on by my RA because I felt sorry for her. My roommate was unique and hardly ever there. We talked, but no real bond formed. I hated my freshman year and knew I had to do something, make some sort of change, or else…

My sophomore year was much better. I know this difference was due in part to the people around me that year, but I also started to step out of my box and break out of my shell on my own. I got a job on campus, joined hall government and took the time to really get to know my roommate and our neighbors. I volunteered at church and went on its spring break trip, not to mention became a member of the Collegian staff at the end of that year. I also joined another student organization and became an RA.

The number of things I was involved with was overwhelming at times, but I wouldn’t change anything because I’ve had too many great experiences, met too many amazing people, and learned more life lessons than I had thought possible in the last two and a half years.

I’ve been taking in all the sights and sounds of campus throughout this past week, trying too to squeeze in as much fun as I can with my friends that are staying here. I know I will be back to visit, but knowing that I will hold the title of alumnae soon makes me nostalgic and a little emotional.

Last week, Heather Mangan wrote about having a quarter-life crisis. I found much truth in her statements, the symptoms of a quarter-life crisis. I identified with many of them, mainly the ones pertaining to an unknown future. One of my favorite quotes that I found this semester keeps me going when I start to dwell on all the unanswered questions that I have. It simply says, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Now I know not everyone is a Christian, religious or even spiritual in any way, but maybe Heather said it in a better way. She said, “Enjoy being young and at your prime. Live today and worry about tomorrow when it comes.”

My advice for underclassmen, especially those who will graduate in the next year or so, is not to be afraid. Don’t be afraid first of all to admit that you are afraid, scared, frightened. This is the first step in moving on and getting past that fear. Talk to your friends and, more importantly, take a break. Enjoy being a Jackrabbit while you can.

#1.884817:3433791728.jpg:faith_tc.jpg:Faith Moldan, Columnist:Ty Carlson

Women’s hockey may not have the big hits that men’s hockey does, but that has not taken away the appeal of playing for many female students on campus. In its third year, the Women’s Hockey Club has 19 players. The team has seen numbers jump from 10 the first year, and 12 last year.

Rachael Person, a founding member of the team, has been with the squad all three years. She played hockey in high school in Pierre and discovered that once she got to SDSU, she still wanted to play.

“I found out what I had to do to start a team and contacted others,” Person said.

Jessie Kuechenmeister, Alyssa Clasen, Rae Granbois and Melissa Anderson helped Person start the team. Anderson serves as the team’s public relations manager.

Person said many of the team members played in high school, but a couple of players have never played at all.

“We have no problem teaching them how to (play). We have a wide variety of skill on the team, and we have a wide variety of players from around this part of the country,” she said.

The team is young this year, with four freshmen starters and six freshmen total. Players and coaches are excited about the number of younger players, as the team does not have to worry about losing many players to graduation. Person said she hopes as the years go on, more girls will start to notice that SDSU has an official team. Many of the current members became involved through word of mouth.

An official club sport, the team has three coaches: Heath Issacson, Chris Weyman and Dallas Shearer. Issacson, the team’s head coach, said if people attend a women’s game expecting to see guy’s hockey, they will be disappointed.

“The speed of the game is different. There is more stick handling and positioning,” he said.

Person said, “We still play an interesting game and have been known to get in fights. Fans who are interested in the sport should come to watch just to get a different aspect of the game.”

Issacson played on the men’s team at SDSU for five years and also coaches the high school girl’s team in Brookings. He said that as a coach, he has to have a different mindset then when he was a player.

“You have to be aware of the little things,” he said.

The women’s team plays at Larson Ice Arena many of the same nights as the men’s team, and does not charge fans admission. Playing before or after the men, the women’s team hopes that fans come early or stay later to watch the women play.

The team split a set of weekend games with NDSU Dec. 3 and 4. SDSU lost 7-5 the first night and won in overtime 4-3 the second.

“They out shot us,” Issacson said. “We have two more next weekend in North Dakota. We’re evenly matched (with NDSU).”

SDSU beat Northern State in a scrimmage earlier this season, 12-1. The team has a full schedule of games in January, starting with tentative games with Colorado Jan. 13 and 14. They play at Rainy River Community College Jan. 21 and 22, and at home versus Rainy River Jan. 28 and 29.

One gold star stands out from the blue ones on the service flag that hangs above the main entrance of SDSU’s Administration Building.

“The SDSU family grieves for the loss of one of our sons,” South Dakota State University President Peggy Miller said. “Let us all pray that we will never have to replace another star in this way.”

Spc. Gregory Tull of Pocahontas, Iowa, was killed Nov. 25 in an attack near Hit, Iraq. Tull attended SDSU from 2003 to 2004. He was scheduled to come home within the next month, after being in Iraq since early this year. Tull was the gunner on an armored Humvee when an

improvised explosive was detonated near the vehicle. A National Guard spokesman said, “He didn’t have a great deal of protection other than the protective gear he had on. You’re somewhat exposed from that particular kind of blast in that position on that vehicle.”

Flags were flown at half-mast on campus Monday by request of President Miller and Governor Rounds. A service was held in front of the Administration Building, with the lowering of the American flag and altering of the service flag. Long-time friend of the university, Kathy Larsen, made the banner in 2003. V.J. Smith, SDSU alumni director, and President Miller requested that a banner be made at the start of the Iraq war. She said it’s not about her, but about the people that are serving.

“The banner serves as a reminder to all of us here that there are members of our SDSU family serving on active duty in the military … that we should keep them in our thoughts until they return home safely,” said Dean of the College of Arts and Science Jerry Jorgensen.

The banner was modeled after a World War I display that was meant to recognize SDSU students and faculty serving in the armed forces. During World War I, more than 200 students served in the military. Smith said alumni appreciate the fact that the university remembers.

“The news of the loss of any soldier is always heartbreaking. This news hits especially close to home,” Jorgensen said.

Jorgensen, a colonel in the United States Army, was called to active duty in June 2004 to serve for one year at the Pentagon.

“For me personally, as a soldier, it serves as a painful reminder of the terrible cost of war. My heart goes out to his family for their loss,” Jorgensen said.

The university family sent flowers to the memorial service at his local church.

Tull, born in Phoenix, Ariz., in December 1984, was attending SDSU the Fall 2004 semester until he was activated on Nov. 2, 2004 in the Iowa Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery. He qualified as a forward observer and proud of his service.

“He was very confident in what he did, a very bright young man and he really was a go-to-guy in his unit,” said a guard spokesman. “He was a guy who didn’t shirk his duty. He wanted to be where it was happening.”

Tull is survived by his mother and father, Eileen and Gary Tull, and brother Bryan, all of Pocahontas. He is also survived by his grandparents, Bill and Janet Velau, of Garner, Iowa, and Erland and Phyllis Nelson, of Humboldt. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time.

A group of alumni headed by Jim Wooster is raising money to begin a scholarship to honor Tull, according to President Miller. Tull will not be forgotten as his name was placed on the gold star. Larsen said it was hard to put all the stars on the banner because she knows a lot of students.

“It was hard to do then, and it’s harder to do now,” she said.

#1.884832:1800621722.jpg:soldierrecog01_tc.jpg:Kathy Larsen adds the gold star with Spc. Gregory Tull’s name to the banner outside of the Administration Building Monday during a special service honoring Tull.:Ty Carlson
#1.884831:860650316.jpg:gregtull_crtsy.jpg:Spc. Gregory Tull:

Tuition rates are being cut, but not for all SDSU students.

Starting next year, out-of-state students who are incoming freshmen, and transfer students will see the change. The 200 percent out-of-state rate will be cut to the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate of 150 percent of what in-state students pay. International students, not on exchange programs, will also be affected by the change.

Students’ Association President Ryan Brunner said, “It would cost a lot of money to do it flat out, so we phase it in.”

With the change, SDSU picks up states east of South Dakota. The WUE rate had previously been offered to 15 states west of South Dakota, and excluded Minnesota, which has a reciprocity agreement, and adjacent states Iowa and Nebraska, which have their own rates.

The Tuition Review Committee, made by the South Dakota Board of Regents and faculty and students from each of the six BOR schools, first looked into making a cut because of the declining number of high-school graduates projected in the next 10 years. This decline is expected to accelerate in South Dakota and other states in the high plains, according to the committee. The decline in high-school graduates has, in effect, dropped enrollment numbers in South Dakota’s public higher education institutions.

However, the number of non-resident first-time freshmen may be increasing. According to the committee, non-resident enrollments may not be sufficient to counter the loss in resident enrollments in the next decade.

Ralph Brown of the USD Business School concluded that further reductions in the 150 percent tuition rate residents of Iowa and Nebraska pay would not result in sufficient enrollment growth to offset the loss in tuition. More students from those states might be interested in attending SDSU and other system schools, but overall system tuition revenue would fall.

With the cut, the current non-resident undergraduate tuition rate of $242.60 would be reduced to $114.55, 150 percent of the undergraduate resident rate. The committee and BOR said they feel that, if marketed correctly, it would increase the number of students in the system and offset any losses. Sixty-seven additional students will be needed to offset revenue losses.

Two markets that are being heavily targeted are Wisconsin and Illinois. The similarities between the two states and South Dakota are beneficial in recruiting students, as is the possibility of a more diverse student population created by students from Wisconsin and Illinois. Brunner said appealing to high-school students in these states is worth the effort, as the drive from Wisconsin or Illinois to SDSU is close to the drive time of students living in western South Dakota. Both Illinois’ and Wisconsin’s high-school graduation rates are expected to rise in the next couple years. Several BOR schools have large numbers of alumni in these areas, which is helpful in recruiting students.

While students are cleaning their clothes in Hansen and Caldwell Halls, they can help clean the environment, too.

Students’ Association’s recycling program will kick off in the two residence halls because the halls each have recycling on individual floors. The advantage of starting the recycling in laundry areas is that it prevents a pest problem, like there would be if food containers such as pop bottles and cans were recycled. SA Senator Brad Blaha said the two halls have shown great interest and support for this program.

SA Vice President Tim Wrenn said, “This will get the machine going. We need to work out the kinks.”

Working with Students’ Association on this project are Dean Kattelmann, director of physical plant, Mike Kervin, director of residential life, and Doug Wermedal, assistant dean of student affairs. The three met with the SA recycling committee to give some history of the past programs and help brainstorm, according to Kervin.

Wrenn wrote a proposal for Kattelmann and Kervin to look at. This proposal must be accepted before the trial program can actually be initiated.

“Dean Kattelmann and I asked to see a detailed plan that we could approve or tweak if needed,” Kervin said.

Kattelmann said SA needs to have the residents of the two halls agree that they want to be part of the test project.

Blaha said, “I think students need to be patient. We have an effective committee working with the administration.”

Also working with SA and serving on the recycling committee are members of Students Helping Animal Rights and the Environment, College Democrats and Republicans, representatives from residence halls and of the Resident Assistant Council.

According to Blaha, this committee, “really wants to see this program succeed on campus and is totally committed.”

Blaha also said that the committee will look at recycling other items after it knows whether the idea will catch on.

“We have to start in phases and find out what works and doesn’t work,” Wrenn said. “It comes down to whether or not the students want it.”

Students can give feedback by contacting their respective SA representatives. The committee’s next meeting is Dec. 2.

All of the hard work SDSU’s Residence Hall Association put into its bid to host MACURH, a regional student leadership conference organized and run by students, next fall paid off. RHA was awarded the conference at this year’s MACURH in Lincoln, Neb.

Katie Jo McGuire, the chair, leader and face of MACURH 2006, as one member of the RHA executive board described her, was happy with the results.

“It came together really fast, really quick and really good. We got a lot of positive comments,” she said. “We needed one yes. We have a whole year (to finish and complete everything).”

Michael Kervin, director of Residential Life, was one of the necessary signatures RHA needed before it could officially submit and present its bid.

“This is a great achievement for RHA and the team that put together the bid,” Kervin said.

His involvement in the process is minimal, as is that of Residential Life, with the exception of giving advice and support. Members of the residential life staff are active as advisors for RHA and are volunteering their time next fall during the conference. Troy Alfson and Dana Northrup are the two staff that have advised RHA through the bid process.

Kervin said, “(People attending the conference) will see one of the best campuses in the upper Midwest. When someone mentions SDSU, they will be able to say that they were here and what a beautiful campus and area it really is.”

Melissa Tiede, a member of the RHA executive board and co-chair of the housing and registration for MACURH, said she was very excited to hear that RHA had received the conference.

“We will be meeting two times a week . . . starting after Christmas break. We will need volunteers for most of the different areas of the conference,” she said.

The conference will bring about 650 people to SDSU and the Brookings community for four days next November.

“It (MACURH) will bring a lot of money to Brookings and the university,” McGuire said.

McGuire said RHA will need volunteers to help with registration, signs and decorations, just to name a few things. Students living on and off campus are encouraged to help. Interested persons can contact RHA via e-mail at MACURH2006@gmail.com, or call Troy Alfson at 688-5148 for more information. RHA’s next MACURH meeting is Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. in The Market.

Students’ Association’s proposed $1.35 per credit hour increase in General Activity Fees has been amended and raised to $2.75.

SA approved and passed two resolutions at its last meeting, Nov. 21. The first established a committee similar to the one used in the Union. It places the responsibility of the facility operation on students and states students should have control of a facility that they build and operate.

SA President Ryan Brunner said about the committee, “Students will have input and work with the money.”

The second resolution increased the GAF to $2.75, effective in 2007. The increase would place SDSU in the middle of the six Board of Regent schools. With a GAF of $21.30, SDSU has a smaller fee than both Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota. One dollar of that increase will go towards the cost of operation for the facility and the other $1.75 is part of a 25-year bond issue.

Mitch Fargen, senator at large, said, “Think what you’re giving back to campus.”

With an average of 16 credits each semester, students would pay $88 a year for the Wellness Center.

Brunner said, “The people who pay for it will use it. It will be open during games and exclusively for student use.”

Members of the community will be allowed access, as the city is donating half a million dollars to the project.

The concept of a new Wellness Center is not new to SDSU, as plans have been stalled for 13 years. A consultant in 1993 conducted a study of SDSU’s needs and concluded the existing facilities no longer meet the demands of the various programs that are the responsibility of the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department (HPER). The Board of Regents and South Dakota Legislature approved plans for construction in 1994, but nothing came of this approval. The project was modified four years later. Approval of this plan expired in 2001. Ten years after the original approval, the BOR and Legislature approved a revised project for construction. The revised plan was submitted to the 2005 Legislature, but was tabled.

With the project tabled and $6.1 million in funds available, SA looked into the option of increasing GAF. Increased enrollment has increased the number of scheduling conflicts between groups such as intramurals, varsity athletics, club sports, students and members of the community using the Physical Education Center (PEC) and Intramural Building.

Other numbers at SDSU have jumped as well. Participation numbers for intramurals increased by 16 percent last year, and may do the same this year. Participation in club sports such as hockey, cricket and rugby has increased 15 percent. Numbers for Student Health and Counseling Services, which will be included in the new building, are on the rise in the number of medical and counseling visits and prescriptions dispensed. Last year, nearly 105,000 students used the equipment at the Wellness Center. Numbers are on pace to do the same this year.

The increased participation does not fit in well with the jam-packed schedule at the PEC and Intramural building. Although West Hall was built as a hospital, it is no longer suited to serve as Student Health Services clinic.

SA is currently in a signature campaign. Students who want to sign the petition can in the SA office, and those who signed the petition for the $1.35 increase and no longer want their names on it should contact the SA office. Representatives from SA will present the proposal to the BOR Dec. 15.

The days of waiting in line to pay tuition are coming to a close for SDSU students.

A year and a half ago in August 2004, the South Dakota Board of Regents endorsed the plan for the e-commerce program and approved the new third-party vendor, Infinite, in June 2005. SDSU signed a contract with Infinite a month later.

Spring and summer terms of 2006 will use both paper and electronic bills, with the fall term completely electronic.

“We didn’t have easy decisions,” said Larry Youngren, an accountant and internal auditor for SDSU.

One of the issues that drove SDSU to look for a new third-party vendor and make the switch to e-commerce was that, over time, more bills are being paid by debit card-20 percent to be exact at SDSU. The switch does not mean that credit and debit cards will no longer be accepted.

“We could not afford not to accept credit cards,” Youngren said.

Though it may be convenient for students to pay their bills using debit or credit cards, the South Dakota Board of Regents and university must pay fees charged by these companies. The Board of Regents paid $500,000 in fees, and SDSU paid $145,076. With the e-commerce program, credit card fees are shifted to the card user and not the university.

“It’s getting to a point where we have to control costs,” Youngren said.

VISA will no longer be accepted with the new program, Youngren said. VISA’s credit card rules will not permit the vendor to charge a percentage service fee, and would require the university to charge the same fee for e-check transactions as well, rather than not charging the student. Students who use VISA, along with all others, will receive notification of the changes and what they need to do.

“We’ll provide as much info for them (students) so they can make informed decisions,” Youngren said.

The new program provides students with another option for paying their bills.

“They don’t have to stand in line when they just need to pay their bill,” Youngren said of students not needing to check on financial aid or use other resources available at payment time.

Besides shortening the wait time, the program offers a number of other features. E-mail notifications will be sent to students and the authorized payer, an account students can set up for themselves, parents or whoever is paying the bill. Online statements with a 16-month history, current activity information with real-time updates and detailed transactions are some more features. The new detailed transaction is more detailed compared to that which a student currently finds on WebAdvisor.

Students can access the online billing, current account activity and authorized payer profile Web sites through WebAdvisor. These sites are still currently under construction.

This change is not only happening at SDSU, but at the five other Regents schools.

“There’s some common needs,” Youngren said.

Other schools across the nation are already using e-commerce programs. Youngren said he really liked Oregon’s Web site, and would like to use it as a model for SDSU’s.

“We have taken a look at other schools,” he said.

Youngren said the new program is another reason students should activate and use their university e-mail accounts. There is less bounce back with these accounts compared to some students’ personal accounts.

Refunds will also be distributed using the e-commerce system through credit and debit card returns and direct deposit to bank accounts starting March 2006. The option of paper or electronic refunds exists as well.

Students visiting Student Health and Counseling Services on the SDSU campus may not realize how fortunate they are to be cared for by the facility’s staff of nurse practitioners. Gov. Mike Rounds wants South Dakota to know how lucky the state is, as he has declared November 6 through 12 National Nurse Practitioner Week.Rounds’ proclamation reads, “In recognition of the many contributions that this dedicated group of healthcare professionals makes to the health and well-being of the people in the communities they serve . . .”South Dakota has 309 licensed nurse practitioners and SDSU has 12 on faculty. Carla Dieter, coordinator of the nurse practitioner program, said that the faculty collaborates with physicians from the Brookings Hospital.”They’re part faculty, part nurse practitioner,” she said. “They have a part-time practice in addition to teaching.”Students in the nurse practitioner program at SDSU graduate with a master’s degree, according to Dieter.”We graduate 15 to 20 per year,” she said. Students have options when it comes to where and how they complete the program. “We have students from all over: Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska,” Dieter said.Those completing the distance-based option are required to come to campus once a semester during clinical courses, Dieter said.She also conducts video conferences with the distance-based students.Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education and advanced clinical training. Most have master’s or post-master’s degrees.”They diagnose common acute and stable chronic conditions,” Dieter said. Besides diagnosing such health problems as strep throat, hypertension, asthma and diabetes, they prescribe medications, treat illnesses and counsel patients on healthcare issues.Many nurses work in rural areas and local communities.”More than 20 percent of nurse practitioners practice in rural settings with populations of less than 25,000, and (of the) 62 percent who work in cities with populations of more than 50,000,” according to Rounds’ proclamation.Students must take a national certification exam upon completion of the program. The national average for passing is 85 percent. Last year, SDSU students had a 100 percent passing rate.”We’re on our way this year too,” Dieter said.Michele Wieseler, of Miller, is enrolled in the distance-based program.”I loved going to school, so I’m expanding my nursing career,” she said.Wieseler completed her associate and bachelor’s degrees at Presentation College.”Having a career and getting a graduate degree is doable with the Internet. SDSU has many opportunities,” Wieseler said.She is completing her graduate degree while at home working by taking one class a semester.”I anticipated that I would get lost in the shuffle (at a big school), but I feel very taken care of. They help us succeed,” she said of the faculty.

#1.884903:3084066428.jpg:nfa02_tc.jpg:Melissa Scotting demonstrates how to care for an injured leg on Michael Garrett.:Ty Carlson