It is that time of year again. The holidays. The season is in full swing with lights, parties, decorations and, of course, music. Holiday music is gaining momentum and is heard everywhere: radio, stores, carolers and holiday programs.

After a while, all the renditions of “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” sound the same. However, one musical group coming to campus has another rendition to offer.

Tonic Sol-Fa will perform at the Performing Arts Center on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The a capella group is known throughout the Midwest for their annual holiday tour and are “simply four voices and a tambourine,” according to their MySpace page. The group, based out of St. Cloud, Minn., is made up of four vocalists, Mark McGowan, Shaun Johnson, Greg Bannwarth and Jared Dove.

Even though Tonic Sol-Fa is known as an a capella group, their songs possess an upbeat tempo with encouraging messages.

The group is influenced by pop, rock, jazz, gospel, country and classical music. According to their MySpace page, they sound similar to The Beatles, Barenaked Ladies and Rascal Flatts.

The group has been performing together for over a decade, according to their official Web site, www.tonic-solfa.com. They have toured nationally and internationally and already have dates booked through December 2008. In addition, Tonic Sol-Fa has released six albums, a boxed set and a Christmas DVD.

The quartet’s first album, Style, was released in July 2001 and the most recent this past summer. They have sold one million albums and performed in front of crowds of 250,000 people.

Among their six albums, two are holiday themed, containing unique twists on holiday classics. Sugarüe was released in 2001 and is composed of holiday songs such as “The First Noel,” “Joy to the World,” “O Come All Ye Faithful” and the group’s own “Sn

Waiting tables is a common college student’s job and, at times, it is not all that fun. However, it is a job all people should experience once in their life. It teaches patience, composure, respect and understanding for all those people providing a service on your behalf and for those earning a living off of tips.

I don’t work at the typical restaurant where customers come in and order their meal from a waiter. However, I am a server at Carousel Buffet at Jackpot Junction in Minnesota, actually. Unlike most buffets, as a server I provide customers with their choice of a Pepsi product (but we don’t have Dr. Pepper, so quit asking!), milk, coffee, hot/ice tea or water, usually a combination of drinks. In addition, I bus their table and refill drinks as they go through their meal and clean up their sticky syrup, ice cream, ripped straw wrappers and whatever else is left on the table or floor after they leave.

One thing I don’t mind picking off the table (or the floor for that matter) is a tip. It makes that fourth refill or searching through the busy kitchen for salsa-because that customer “just has to have it” only to throw most of it away-worth it.

Many people do not know to tip at buffets. Well, now you do. If you are a returning tipping customer, I will work twice as hard to get you that refill, clear your plates and give you extra mints. I am not demanding the norm of 15 percent of the bill, but a dollar and some respect is not going to break you. If you disagree, come work a shift with me and we will discuss it afterwards.

Thankfully, working in Minnesota gives me the right to earn minimum wage. For those waiting tables in South Dakota, it is another story, and those tips are “vital.”

“A lot of places-especially Applebee’s-are paying us $2 to $3 an hour. Those tips are our income,” said Margaret Geissinger, a waitress at Applebee’s in Brookings since January and has been with the restaurant chain for over five years.

“You have to have a certain amount of patience,” said Rachael Tritz, who has been a waitress for over three years and currently works at Bravos. “Unless you can put in the hard work, you won’t get a good tip.”

Both waitresses agree a 15 percent gratuity is an appreciated amount, but that a tip has to be earned. They said conducting small talk, social skills and the ability to multitask adds to a tip while things that are out of their control, such as quality of food, takes away from it.

In their experiences, most customers tip at 15 percent and the best tippers tend to be males (interesting) ages 30- to 40-years-old. When it comes to college students, “Tips are really good or terrible.”

On the “good” side is sophomore biology major Stephanie Cooper and senior Megan Horan, a pharmacy major, who both say they tip 20 percent.

“I tip really well because I have been a waitress,” Cooper said. “It is a job more difficult then people think.”

Horan says she looks for servers to be kind and courteous, and typically tips even if they are bad.

If you are on the “terrible” side, the next time you go out to eat, think about what is like to be in their shoes and remember a little bit goes a long way.

These Hearts will perform at the Safari Lounge on Dec. 15 at 10 p.m.

These Hearts, based out of Fargo, ND, originally formed in 2006 as These Hearts Turn Quickly, according to their MySpace page. After a “three-month lay-off” the band re-emerged in September 2007 with new members, a shortened name and new music.

Currently the band consists of Ryan, guitar and lead vocals; Skyler, 21, bass and backing vocals; Daryl, 18, guitar; and Isaiah (Zeus), 18, drums.

The group classifies their music as “screamo/hardcore/punk,” according to their MySpace page, and is looking for a label. Some of the group’s influences include Senses Fail, Silverstein, Burden A Day, Write This Down, Nodes of Ranvier and more.

Their new song, “Determining Policy,” is available for listening at their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/thesehearts). The song has a strong guitar presence and a beat resembling a mix of Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The lyrics are both screamed and sung. They reflect the end of a relationship where one partner has high expectations, but does not fulfill them on their part: “You never take into account/ who I am and where I want to be/ I ask that from you because/ you expect that from me.”

The band Web log on their MySpace said they will “be heading into the studio at the end of Xmas break.” This summer they will be touring the Midwest playing on the Small Pants Big Personality tour. The band is currently playing weekend shows around the Midwest, including the Safari Lounge.

“I’m always open to new bands and open to new sounds,” said Amber Kontz, manager of the Safari Lounge.

Kontz, who had never heard of These Hearts, said that the band contacted her to ask if they could play. As of now, the show will be free and a donation bucket will be passed around for the band.

The Safari Lounge-which is located at 421 Main Ave.-regularly hosts bands, and Kontz has a goal of a band each weekend and ultimately each Friday and Saturday night.

Bands at the Safari Lounge consist of a variety of genres. “Jam bands,” sets of improvision-like performance, often play at the Safari Lounge, and recently a bluegrass band performed. Kontz also had a hip-hop group booked, but they cancelled.

Kontz encourages feedback about bands, whether they previously played at the Safari Lounge or if customers would like to see a band. Check out the Safari Lounge’s Facebook group to learn about upcoming bands.

It is 7 a.m. on the weekend. You are standing in a meat packing plant cooler surrounded by lamb carcasses. You have been preparing for at least a half an hour already. You are decked out in an insulated coat covered by a white lab coat, a hard hat, cotton gloves and steel-toed shoes. The intensity level is rising and the competition is about to begin.

Those steel-toed shoes you are standing in are those of a member of the SDSU Meat Judging Team.

“SDSU has a strong tradition. For those students on it [the team] it is a real honor,” said Duane Wulf, a meat science professor, team coordinator and 1987 team member.

According to Wulf, a meat judging team evaluates beef, lamb and pork carcasses and cuts for their quality and value. SDSU’s team, established in 1929, participates in competitions across the nation, including Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. Many of these competitions take place in meat packing plants.

Their season consists of seven intercollegiate meat judging contests. During the High Plains Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest in Plainview, TX, records were broken. Matt Grussing, a junior animal and range science major, is the first SDSU student to earn first overall in the High Plains competition. He earned a score of 1069, which is also the highest score received by an SDSU student in school history.

Grussing grew up on a farm with cattle and previously judged in other competitions on Future Farmers of America and 4-H teams. He joined the team with no previous knowledge of judging meats because it was something new to try.

Grussing set the record only to break it at the season’s final competition, the International in Dakota City, Neb. Wulf said that this is the “superbowl” of meat judging contests. Grussing, again, was first overall and set a new record of 1070 points.

“I was surprised,” Grussing said. “It’s something to be happy and proud about. I’m glad I could represent the college.”

The team was fourth overall at the International and has “constantly” been in the top five since 2000, according to Wulf. The SDSU Meat Judging Team won the International back in 1984.

Before joining the team, students are required to take AS 200-Introduction to Meats Judging-with Wulf. Students can only be on the team for one season, which runs from January through November. Limiting participation to one year allows other students the opportunity to join.

At competitions, participants are split into six groups; members of the same team are separated, according to Tim Nath, the team’s coach and member of the 2004 team. All team members judge at competitions. However, only four judgments are submitted for scoring. The chosen four are not known until after the contest is over.

Throughout the day, teams judge 10 classes. Each class consists of four carcasses, which they rank one through four. For some of the ranking, a reason is submitted, which the team is also scored on. A reason is a written statement as to why one carcass ranked higher than another, according to Wulf.

The team also competes in beef grading and specifications, which is determining if a meat cut is correct, according to Grussing.

Both Grussing and Nath agree traveling, meeting new people and networking with those already in the industry make the invested time worth it. Grussing said meat judging has taught him to keep motivated and not give up.

Competing on the team teaches students skills such as leadership, teamwork, communicating and more that future employers look for in prospective employees, Wulf said.

The City of Brookings approved $60,000 for an increase in rental housing inspections in October.

The money has been worked into the city’s 2008 budget. According to city council members Tim Reed and Ryan Brunner, the money will be spent on inspectors to evaluate rental units. A Code Enforcement Officer for housing in general will be in charge of the inspecting and enforcing of fire and safety codes.

The rental units that will be inspected are still undetermined.

It is the city’s responsibility to make sure rental units are safe and to be a voice for those renters who are uncomfortable coming forward with complaints, Reed said. Still, renters are encouraged to report complaints either through campus or the city.

The housing inspections will also help the lack of rental licenses, according to Reed. The increase of SDSU students has created an increase in rental units and not all landlords have obtained licenses.

Reed, along with the rest of the council, has been working with the Students’ Association (SA) on the issue.

“Our focus is to make sure the quality of housing is livable and safe,” said Alex Brown, SA president. “Everyone has a right to live in a nice house.”

Currently, 14 percent of housing has been inspected in Brookings, according to Brown. The city has a goal of 15 percent and even though it’s only a one percent increase, Brown said it is a step in the right direction. A rental unit should be inspected every three years.

Both Reed and Brown say if students are given a nice place to live they will have the incentive to keep it that way.

Students have mixed fillings about whether the money is a good investment for the city or not.

“It’s a good thing,” said history major Courtney Boom, about the inspections. Although she is only a freshman, Boom looks forward to renting. “You want to know your house is safe and approved (passes inspections).”

Freshman HaiLee Thomas, a pre-nursing major, agrees.

“They (students) deserve it. They bring a lot of income to the city,” she said.

However, junior Derek Koupal, a manufacturing engineer major and a renter, said the $60,000 is a “waste.”

“College kids don’t need that nice of a place to live,” he said.

Martha Koenig agreed saying the money should be used to investigate filed complaints instead of inspecting all rental units because all landlords are slumlords.

Try telling that to renters like Lindsey Kozel and Steve Iverson.

A senior health promotions major, Kozel, along with four roommates had mushrooms accompanied by mold living in their basement. In addition, their furnace broke and gas leaked leaving a harmful smell in the house and a smoke detector does not work. Kozel said their landlord doesn’t want to fix anything, and a compliant has been filed.

Kozel said their landlord owns a lot of property in Brookings and cannot keep up. They will be looking for a new place whose landlord has good references, and discourage people from renting from their current landlord.

Similar to Kozel, Iverson, a junior sociology major, said a previous landlord was “hard to deal with.” Iverson rented a house with five others and had a problem with the water system, which the landlord knew about. When the washing machine was in use, the water would back up in basement. An inspection was conducted while Iverson lived at that house that found it not up to code. The windows were too small to crawl out of, in case of a fire, and the electrical wiring in part of the house was not right.

Both Kozel and Iverson agree the $60,000 is a good investment.

“I would park my bike and go inside the desolate structure and walk around to see what I could feel, see or hear. Sometimes I would get very quiet, close my eyes and try to image what the place was like before it was deserted. While listening I could hear moans, creeks and whispers. The air around me would start to move slightly and the temperature would drop. If I were really lucky, I would feel a hand on my shoulder or someone touching my back. It was usually at that moment I would start asking questions, ‘Is there anyone here? Hello, my name is Patti. Do you have a message for me?’”

This was how Patti Star, a certified ghost hunter, described her first encounters with spirits around age 12, according to her Web site www.ghosthunter.com.

Star, along with Chip Coffey, will give SDSU students an inside look at their ghost hunting expeditions in Lincoln Music Hall on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.

The presentation consists of video clips, photos and Star and Coffey’s ghost hunting experiences, according to Heather Roberts, member of the University Program Council (UPC). The program will be conducted in the Lincoln Music Hall because “it’s said to be haunted.”

The event will also feature a ghost hunt through several buildings on campus, according to Roberts. Twenty-five students’ names will be drawn to go on the ghost hunt. Each student can pick a friend to join him or her. Students embarking on the hunt can bring a camera or video camera and are advised to wear warm clothes.

Star is the president and owner of Ghost Hunters International, Inc., since 1996, and wants “to prove that life goes on even after death,” according to the Web site. She also owns the Ghost Hunter Shop in Lexington, Ky., which provides books, CDs, DVDs and ghosting hunting equipment to meet all ghost hunting needs. Star has also been a part-time teacher at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Kentucky since 2001. She teaches Introductory to Ghost Hunting and Advanced Ghost Hunting.

On her Web site, Star said ghost hunting “has been a passion … for a long time.”

“When I was a kid I loved to explore and check out old abandoned houses, closed factories, forgotten school houses and even a tall smoke stack,” she said.

Star says she doesn’t remember being afraid when she was younger and eventually brought kids and family along with her on her expeditions. She began taking her research more “seriously” in the early 1990s.

Since then Star has written a book, been voted one of the 2007 Top 10 Ghost Hunter Paranormal Investigators in America and won many awards.

Star will be presenting with Chip Coffey, a psychic, medium and a paranormal investigator, according to his Web site, www.chipcoffey.com. He is a certified paranormal investigator and works with law enforcement and victims’ families on murder and missing person’s cases.

On his Web site, Coffey said that when he was young, he knew when the phone would ring and who was on the other line. He was giving impromptu readings for family and friends by the age of 10.

When it comes to receiving information during readings, Coffey says it’s “hard to explain.”

“It’s like the information completely bypasses my five human senses and is imprinted in my brain. I often ‘see’ images or short ‘videos,’ and I ‘hear’ the messages, although not as if the words are actually being ‘spoken’ to me.”

Coffey began working as a full time psychic and medium in 2001 and has conducted over 9,000 readings worldwide.

SDSU’s licenses with WebCT expire in July 2008 and will switch to a new learning management system, Desire2Learn, according to Dr. Michael Adelaine, vice president for information technology.

A learning management system “allows instructors to duplicate their learning environment and make it easier to have practice tests, videos and chats,” Adelaine said.

A committee consisting of faculty, technology personnel and administration researched potential systems, said Adelaine. After the list was narrowed down, the committee debated between renewing the school’s license with WebCT and switching to Desire2Learn.

Adelaine said the two learning management systems are similar in many areas except for their cost, which was the determining factor. WebCT costs are “significantly higher” than Desire2Learn, and that still costs over a million dollars, which will be paid for with student tuition dollars.

Desire2Learn pilots will launch during the spring semester and the entire school will be on board by Fall 2008.

Currently, there are roughly 2,000 SDSU courses using WebCT’s services, according to Adelaine.

Dr. Virginia Norris, a psychology professor, finds WebCT to be useful. “It allows me to set it [content] in a separate area than in my e-mail,” she said.

Norris has been using WebCT for about six years and has taught online classes through it. She said it allows her to contact students and provide them with information and assignments.

Journalism and Mass Communications Professor Lyle Olson also teaches an online online class through the WebCT system and said that over the years, students seem to become accustomed to the program and appear to like it.

“It’s not perfect, but it allows students to access videos and Word documents,” he said.

Some instructors, like Delmer Lonowski, a political science professor, disagree.

“I can’t find a use for it,” he said. “What can they do on WebCT they can’t do in a classroom?”

Lonowski, who has used the system, said it is impersonal. Not using it forces more interaction between instructors and students.

Students who use WebCT find its services useful as well.

“It works,” said freshman Chris Hey, an aviation major. “It’s really easy to use. Just log in and your classes are there.”

Both Elise In’t Veld, a senior biology pre-medicine junior, and Jason Nguyen, a senior psychology and pre-medicine major, like WebCT because they can easily access their grades. They said they do not mind switching systems as long as the new one is always running properly and instructors tell them where to go.

“It’s just something else to remember to log into,” Nguyen said.

Olson said the switch to Desire2Learn is “inevitable.”

“It’s like getting a new version of InDesign,” he said. “You have to make adjustments.”

Desire2Learn was founded in 1999 and has over 4 million users world wide according to its website. They “provide a user-centric, Web-based platform for the delivery of online teaching and learning …” The learning management system caters to grade schools, secondary education, corporations, associations, health care and government. Colleges and universities like Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the University of Iowa, North Dakota University System and others use the system.

A new SDSU Web site will launch next summer catering to users’ personal needs.

“Ideas come and go. You focus on one and it has a shelf life and then comes time to change,” said Dr. Mike Adelaine, vice president for information technology.

Marysz Rames, vice president of student affairs, said developing the new Web site “is not an over night process.” The production process goes through three phases: input, design and technology.

Currently production is in the input stage. Focus groups will be conducted among faculty, students, staff and alumni to identify what the users want.

“The key is to continue to work with students and what they want,” Rames said. “That’s the trick.”

Details and total cost of the project are still being worked out. The new Web site will be paid for with university dollars.

“We strongly feel the need to invest in this,” Rames said.

The new Web site’s format will differ from the current one and will focus on undergraduate and graduate students, said Adelaine.

A page will also be provided for external and potential student users.

“Our hope is the Web site will be the face of the university to outside users,” Rames said.

Under that face will be portals for students and staff to access. The separate portals will provide easier navigation by “packaging” items. This way, users will have direct access to pages they need and won’t have to sift through pages that don’t pertain to them.

MyState Online use has increased since its debut last year and will serve as the students’ portal. It will continue to display events, announcements, links and support services. Another perk is that students will be able to view open computers in labs without leaving their rooms. Students will also be able to customize their MyState Online.

The staff’s portal will be called Inside State.

“All schools are using it [the format],” Rames said. “We’re now figuring out how to use it properly.”

To make the new Web site superior to the old, new software was purchased so managing the site is easier, Adelaine said. New tools such as alerts will help web managers keep the site’s content updated. The new software also allows web managers to change the same information on multiple pages by changing it on one page.

Pages with bigger hits will transfer into the new Web site. Admissions, financial aid and athletics are among those that will make the move.

Students also have elements they would like to see remain and some changes they want on the new site. “It’s not as easy to access things like teachers, links and Web sites for classes,” sophomore nursing major Libby Lemaster said about the current Web site. She would like the new Web site to be easier to navigate.

Other students, like Michelle Poskevhic, a third year nursing student and junior psychology major Whitney Christensen disagree. Both think the current Web site is easy to use and like the direct access to Web Advisor and the library.

Anita Brands, a senior English major, wants to see more updates on the new Web site and a calendar of events. She said since she and her friends live off campus, they are always searching upcoming events.

“I don’t think it’s interesting and flashy as it could be,” said Thomas Westman, a construction management sophomore who likes the look of GoJacks.com.

Nursing junior Melissa Flannery agrees the Web site should be “spiced up.”

Oops… something broke last night when the party got out of hand and the police were called. Now legal advice is needed from that “new someone.” Luckily, that new someone has been chosen and is ready to help.

Kelly Smidt, an SDSU graduate student, has been chosen as the Students’ Association’s new legal aide attorney.

“Of course I was excited,” Smidt said. “At the same time, I realize this is an important position and hope to do the best job I can.”

A native of Brookings, Smidt’s new responsibilities as legal aide attorney include providing legal advice, not representation, to students and working alongside SA to provide presentations about legal issues to organizations on campus, according to Alex Brown, SA president.

Smidt was chosen from two candidates by SA. Brown said they were looking for a legal aide attorney who could deliver presentations to organizations on campus concerning a variety of legal issues and someone the students would be able to feel comfortable with.

Brown said Smidt’s past experience in the field helped him stand out from the other candidate. He also added that because Smidt is a graduate student, he has a “unique viewpoint.”

Smidt agrees that his status as a graduate student puts him at an advantage because he can better identify with the students and the issues concerning them.

He hopes to help students with legal issues put their focus back on school and help students avoid legal problems all together.

Smidt received a BA from Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. and a juris doctor (a law degree) from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He practiced as an attorney for “quite a few years,” and has “a lot of experience working with many people’s legal problems and issues.”

He is currently working on an MA in English and would like to teach someday. He said the legal aide position at SDSU enables him to continue to use his legal skills to help people.

Smidt was hired after Pat Lyons retired as the legal aide this summer. Lyons was SDSU’s first legal aide and held the position for 31 years.

Both Lyons and Brown agree that the legal aid attorney position is important because students are apt to have legal issues and it provides students with the opportunity to obtain legal advice they may not get elsewhere.

“It is a position that allows students to really know their rights,” Brown said.

College is all about breaking out on your own, but if you need to break your lease or happen to break something, you may need legal advice from someone.

For many, that someone has been Pat Lyons, but for those students returning to SDSU this fall, that someone will be different.

Pat Lyons has retired as the Students’ Association’s legal aid attorney after 31 years.

“I elected to not renew my legal aid contract because it was time,” Lyons said. “I had discussed legal problems with between 350-600 students a year? It has been a privilege, an honor, to serve our students in the capacity of legal aid attorney.”

The legal aid attorney assists SDSU students with legal advice, according to Lyons. The legal aid also works with SA to bring students presentations about legal issues concerning everything from alcohol consumption to housing, said SA President Alex Brown. One thing the legal aid attorney does not do is provide representation.

Alcohol related problems are the most frequent issues students seek help about, according to Lyons. Off-campus housing is also another issue for a lot of students, dealing with everything from landlords to roommates.

Lyons joined the SDSU faculty in 1975 as an assistant professor in the economics department and became the legal aid attorney the following year.

“It (the legal aid attorney position) was an opportunity to do what I was trained to do,” Lyons said. “Be an attorney, dealing with legal problems. It also was an opportunity to provide a needed service to our students.”

Lyons enjoyed helping students with their legal issues, and the position allowed him to interact one on one with students.

Lyons will continue to teach on campus and looks forward to the upcoming semester.

“We’re going to miss Pat,” Vice President of Student Affairs Marysz Rames said. “It’s a big loss to the program.”

The SA, with the help of Rames, interviewed potential candidates to replace Lyons over the summer.

“We are looking for someone to be there for students, and to look out for their best interests,” Brown said.

The new legal aid will help students with leases and housing issues and may need to do presentations to the residences halls or other student organizations on campus.

“We will never be able to find another Pat Lyons,” Brown said. “He was the first, and he has set the bar incredibly high.”

#1.883378:1535314931.jpg:Lyons_06.jpg:Lyons helped over 350 students a year as legal aide.:Eric Landwehr/University Relations