With budget cuts in the future, faculty express their concerns.

Students aren’t the only ones who could be affected by Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s proposed 10 percent budget cut in state expenditures, and $4.7 million in cuts to SDSU. The proposed budget could mean faculty won’t see raises for the third year in a row.

Jack Warner, executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents, said no pay raises does not reflect the state’s view of faculty.

“I’m seeing a continued enthusiasm for the work they [faculty] are doing, and if you look at how the institutions are performing, they are all growing in enrollment, research and student success,” Warner said. “You don’t see that type of success with people who aren’t fully committed to their jobs … so it’s disappointing they are not receiving a salary increase.”

Warner said the absence of pay raises is common throughout the nation. Since South Dakota isn’t the only state facing budget cuts, he said he hasn’t seen the fiscal situation affect retention or faculty recruitment to a large degree.

“North Dakota and Wyoming are in good shape, but after that, pretty much every state in the country is struggling fiscally,” Warner said. “We haven’t seen an inability to recruit talent because when we set initial salaries they are competitive, but the longer we go without raises, the more difficult it will be to remain competitive.”

On the other hand, Paul Johnson, faculty senate chairman and entomology professor, said he has seen an increase in the amount of faculty looking to leave SDSU.

“I know a number of instances where people have had to make significant adjustments to family activities … which makes a difference,” Johnson said.

“The number of people I hear about seeking employment elsewhere has gone up in the last few months.”

According to the BOR 2011 Factbook, South Dakota is having trouble keeping faculty salaries competitive with other states. In 2010, faculty salaries fell behind counterparts in the regional market by almost 8 percent, and by about 32 percent nationally. The Factbook said that South Dakota has been losing ground in salary policy since 2006.

Despite being the state’s largest university, SDSU’s faculty salaries are trailing within South Dakota. According to the BOR 2011 Factbook, SDSU currently has the fourth-lowest pay for professors and associate professors within the six South Dakota regent schools, while they have the third highest pay for instructors, and second highest pay for assistant professors.

Warner said that while there is no official hiring freeze in place, each faculty position is being looked at carefully.

“I don’t believe in a rigid hiring freeze,” Warner said. “Instead, we scrutinize every open position. I look at the justification that is required with each request, and it’s really the rationale that the institution provides that determines whether the position is filled.”

Warner said cutting faculty positions is a possibility.

“Ultimately, we will likely have to have fewer staff in order to reconcile the budget cuts because a lot of money goes to personnel,” he said. “The first choice of where those cuts come from is always existing vacancies. That may not be the case in all situations, but we do know that if we’re going to make cuts in our budget … some positions will have to be left open … or reconfigured.”

A furlough is a possibility that the BOR is looking at, Warner said. A furlough is a time period that faculty are required to not work and are not paid.

“It’s one of the many ideas on the table,” Warner said. “Furloughs have been done in other places to help reconcile, and they do get you through a given year, but they don’t adjust your base. It’s certainly an idea worth considering … .”

Johnson said faculty views a furlough as a preferred option to positions being cut.

“Nobody wants to be terminated or see their colleagues terminated, but budgets have to be balanced, too,” Johnson said. “If any furloughs do come along, all we can do is just hope they’re short in duration.”

While Warner praises faculties’ “productivity” and their ability to carry a “strong instructional load,” Gary Aguiar, president of the Council of Higher Education (COHE), thinks a lot is being asked of faculty.

“We haven’t had a pay raise in two years, so our purchasing power has declined,” Aguiar said. “Student enrollment increases so we get stretched thinner and now there are much higher expectations for research. Faculty are feeling pretty stretched, demoralized and disrespected by the system.”

Aguiar said faculty members have options and ways to have their voices heard regarding salary policy.

He said joining Faculty Senate, Graduate Faculty Council, COHE (the bargaining agent for higher education), speaking up at department meetings, joining committees on campus and speaking to individual administrators on campus are a few ways for faculty to have their voices heard.

Johnson said it is important for faculty to be involved and communicate with administrators.

“Communication is key, especially when people are not happy,” he said.

While there are ways for faculty to have their voices heard on campus, Johnson said ultimately, decisions are made in Pierre.

“It’s a political issue,” he said. “Even though administration officers on campus may be sympathetic toward faculty… a lot of the real decision making is out of our hands and in Pierre with the BOR and Legislature. Until the Legislature and governor are inclined to recognize the value of state employees, there is really not much the rest of us can do.”

Warner said addressing faculty salary policy is a top concern of the BOR. He said once raises are given, they are based on merit and given in order to maintain cost of living.

“[The BOR is] concerned, and [salary policy] will be a priority for us after we get through the budget challenges we are currently facing,” he said. “[Faculty] can certainly expect raises in the future and hopefully the fiscal year 2013 budget will have some relief on the salary side.”

Christman and Skogland aim to expand the involvement of students across campus.

Shad Christman and Maria Skogland followed in the footsteps of the current Students’ Association president and vice president as state FFA officers and hope to do the same in SA.

Like Brett Monson and Erin Kennedy, Christman, a junior speech communication and political science major, and Skoglund, a junior agricultural economics major, served together as state officers for the Future Farmers of America.

In December, Christman started talking to Skoglund about running for SA.

“We worked together really well as state FFA officers, and we know each other’s strengths and personalities, so I was an obvious running mate for him,” Skoglund said.

Christman and Skoglund have three main platforms for their campaign.

The first is to create a congress of student organizations.

“Our vision is to see sort of another branch of student government that would act as a place where a representative or any number of people from all the groups across campus could come together and talk about issues on campus,” Christman said.

Skoglund said the congress would make it easier for students to get involved.

“Since one of our long-term and general hopes for campus is for every student to get plugged into their area of interest, it would make it more accessible and easier for student organizations to reach out to students,” she said.

Their second platform is to look into establishing reciprocity with more states. Skoglund said they will do this by looking at available studies, as well as taking into account the various impacts of expanding reciprocity.

“We know we can’t walk in and fix it right away, but we could like to ask the questions and look at … what it would mean for our university and for our state,” she said.

Finally, Christman and Skoglund want to create an SDSU-wide day of service.

“The connections between campus and the Brookings community are great, but we want to make it greater and make a big statement that says students want to help out the community,” Christman said. “Our vision is to work with all of the non-profit groups within Brookings.”

Christman said he and Skoglund also hope to address issues like parking, sidewalk maintenance and the Wellness Center and Performing Arts Center expansions.

“Our goal is to make sure these issues are addressed and in a timely manner,” Christman said. “However, those are platforms we share with Mark and Anthony, so to put our first three platforms out there boldly is a way to set us apart.”

Christman said that if elected, he and Skoglund will work to create more unity within SA.

“We need the strong leaders in the senate to come together in a more unified sense,” he said. “We want to start early with some training and get-togethers to get everyone acquainted and vamped up for the year.”

Skoglund said that if elected, she and Christman will work to represent the students.

“[We] understand our position is to represent over 12 thousand students,” Skoglund said. “… As we continue our growth and development, we need to maintain the student voice in the decisions that affect current students and all of our future Jackrabbits.”

Christman said students should care about what SA does and pay attention this election season.

“This is our place, we’re paying to go here, and we have the ability to change and to do great things,” he said. “We want to encourage everyone to be active, find their passions and to vote.

Mark York and Anthony Sutton plan to address meal plan prices and SA unity.

Mark York and Anthony Sutton hope to use their previous experiences on the Students’ Association to start the year strong as president and vice president.

York is a junior agronomy and math major and Sutton is a junior history and political science major.

“We decided to run around Christmas break,” Sutton said. “We had a lot of conversations about it for a long time, and we really wanted to make sure we were the right fit for SDSU. We compliment each other well and think we are the best answer for students.”

York and Sutton have three main platforms they are running on.

Sutton said their first platform is to expand the Wellness Center and the Performing Arts Center.

“We’ve looked at this year in and year out, and students are losing opportunities because we don’t have these facilities in place,” Sutton said. “If we get the PAC done we can bring in major concerts to campus rather than the Swiftel Center.”

York said the Wellness Center is in need of more space and services.

“Unless you go early it’s pretty crowded,” he said. “We also want to make sure we expand funding for student health so students don’t have to wait so long for a doctor appointment.”

Sutton said their second platform is to provide cheaper meal plans for students who live on campus, as well as expand dining hours. York said currently the cheapest meal plan available to freshman is $1,330, while the cheapest meal plan available to sophomores is $915.

“There aren’t always convenient food service hours available to service all of our students, and there are limited choices,” Sutton said. “Students want options, so let’s work with Aramark and student affairs to give them more options.”

York said they would also like to see an increase in the amount of flex dollars students can spend at the meat lab and dairy bar.

“We want students be able to spend more money at these places,” York said. “Right now you can only spend $50 per semester; we would like to see it raised to $300.”

Their last platform is for students to be able to use the Wellness Center for free during the summer.

“Currently, the Wellness Center can’t be used for free in the summer unless you are taking summer classes,” he said. “Right now it’s either $8 a day or $70 for a summer pass … Students are paying fees to support the Wellness Center, so they should be able to use it in the summer.”

Sutton said faster Internet, parking and snow removal are also issues they want to address.

“They are always concerns, but they aren’t our main platforms because there are so many individual senators who work for these issues,” he said.

York said talking to the students and hearing their opinions is a huge priority.

“We’ve been talking to students for a couple of months now and have met with 40 student organizations,” he said. “I have pages full of things students would like to see done. This is the road map and this is what we will get done because we are here to represent the students.”

York said if Sutton and he aren’t elected, they will pass on the list of student requests to the president and vice president to make sure the students’ voices are heard.

York said that if elected, Sutton and he will work to make SA a more cohesive unit.

“In the past you’ve had the executive board and then you [had] the individual senators who all run around working on their own projects and they don’t necessarily work together as much as they could,” York said. “We want to make sure that everyone is working together and making the most of the year.”

Sutton said he and York will be able to hit the ground running considering they both have senate experience. He said that no matter the outcome of the race, students will be in good hands.

“We want to work with students to be their friends, colleagues and their voice,” Sutton said. “By hearing them it allows us to be their vision. We can get started on day one because we have a lot of know how and connections. As soon as we have the opportunity, we are 110 percent the whole way.”

Students across SDSU’s campus often find themselves wondering what the Students’ Association is and what the group does.

Brett Monson, SA president, said SA is made up of three advisers, an executive board and 28 senators. The advisers to SA are Marysz Rames, vice president for student a_ airs, Dan Hansen, assistant dean for student services in the college of pharmacy and Zeno Wicks III, plant science professor.

Hansen said the role of the advisers is to be a resource to the members of SA.

“We are 100 percent just a resource. We’re not there to write legislation or tell them what to do,” he said. “Once they’ve identified what they want to accomplish, I’m there to answer any questions, help them set up meetings, and line them up with the right people.”

According to Monson, the president and vice president are elected every year in March and they appoint the other members of the executive board. The executive board consists of the president, vice president, financial chair, administrative assistant, and the state and local government committee chair.

“We (the president and vice president) are the foundation for our team and we work with the rest of the executive board and senators to make a cohesive unit,” Monson said. Anyone who wants to become a senator has to get at least 50 signatures from students of their own college. Once they have 50 signatures their name can be put on the ballot.

“This is important to verify that the students who wish to be put on the ballot are in their college and that students support them being on the ballot,” said Anthony Sutton, SA senator and finance chair.

Monson said senators hold a variety of responsibilities.

“Senators are required to serve on at least one committee and have two office hours a week, as well as attend Monday night SA meetings. They also have to go to one Board of Regents meeting or Students for Higher Education Days in Pierre,” Monson said.

Monson said when a senator position is open for whatever reason, a senator-at-large is then appointed to _ ll the position.

SA runs o_ of funds generated from the general activity fee. Currently, students pay $25 per credit for the general activity fee. Monson said SA gets $70,000 from the general activity fee for office supplies, scholarships for executive board members, and travel. SA also distributes about $2.4 million of these funds to other student organizations, such as UPC and student clubs.

SA also works closely with a variety of administration on campus. Hansen said members of SA are given time on a regular basis to sit down with members of administration to discuss issues and give their input.

“[SDSU President David] Chicoine and other administration have done really well at making sure that students always have a voice in decisions, which is not the case at most universities,” Hansen said. “It’s something that, at least since I’ve been here, we’ve always had the luxury of having.”

Students also interact with administration on campus through a variety of committees.

“Almost every committee on campus has one to two student representatives, with some being made up of over 50 percent student members,” Rames said. “They are our pipeline to make sure student input and feedback is heard.”

Hansen said that administration works hard to incorporate student opinion into their decisions and “depending on the issue,” SA holds a lot of influence.

“When dealing with an issue that affects more than just the students they are more just part of the information gathering, but when it’s an issue that only affects student they play much more of a role in the decision,” he said.

Monson said that despite SA’s influence, in the end, Chicoine makes the decisions.

“We can’t just go into President Chicoine’s office and say “OK. You need to do this,” Monson said. “In the end, he says “yes’ or “no’ with virtually everything in the university.”

Monson said SA has been influential in a variety of decisions on campus. He mentioned the bike sharing program that will start this spring, the Wellness Center and Student Union expansions, and the student discount club as a few of SA’s accomplishments.

Monson, Hansen and Rames encourage everyone to get involved with SA.

“Student government plays an important role on campus and it’s a real opportunity to be heard,” Rames said. “It’s a very exciting and rewarding experience and it plays an important role in what we do at the university. For anyone that wants to be involved, they won’t be disappointed in their experience.”

For any students who wish to run for a senate seat, the deadline to file is Feb. 14.

With the unveiling of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s proposed budget cuts, students can expect tuition rates to rise.

State support for higher education has dropped from 58 percent to 45 percent in the last decade, said Jack Warner, executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. If Daugaard’s proposed budget is approved, state support will go down to 38 percent. Warner said that because of the budget cuts, students can expect a “reasonable” rise in tuition and fees.

“It’s always a dilemma to chart a course between maintaining stability for students and families, while maintaining the mission of the university,” Warner said. “We want students to have a basic array of services in order to succeed and we will probably reorganize and downsize in order to keep those priorities in mind while making it affordable at the same time.”

Warner said the rise in tuition “will inevitably have an impact on students.” He said students can expect tuition increases to be consistent with the averages over the last dozen years, which is about a 6 to 8 percent rise.

In the last five years SDSU students have seen a 20 percent increase in in-state tuition cost per credit. From fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2011, which ran from July 2009 to July 2010, in-state tuition per credit raised about 8 percent, while the total cost for incoming, in-state cost rose by almost 4 percent. Warner said there are two main priorities the BOR keeps in mind when setting tuition prices.

“One is to maintain enrollment growth projectory and increase the number of graduates,” Warner said. “Second, we want to maintain our recent success in growing our research. We’ve had some high rates of growth in research, but we are still ranked low among other states in the country.”

Warner said that although tuition has been on the rise, South Dakota is still in good shape compared to some surrounding states.

“We’re still priced comfortably within the market,” Warner said. “After this year, we should still be in the middle of the road.” According to the BOR 2011 Factbook, South Dakota ranks third regionally in overall cost, beating Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Montana. North Dakota and Wyoming have a lower overall cost by less than $1,000.

Regardless of how SDSU compares to other institutes, some think the rising costs are still unacceptable and will hurt in the end. Gary Aguiar, associate professor of political science and president of the South Dakota Council of Higher Education, said a student paying for over half of his or her education is “outrageous.”

“Society benefits from having an educated society,” Aguiar said. “If students have to pay more than half [of their education], that excludes a large part of potential students who could be the next great scientists, poets or business leaders and they won’t have the opportunity to help all of us improve our society.”

Warner said that with the current economic environment, the demographic of students is changing.

“The mix has changed a bit. A lot of enrollment growth has been from out-of-state students, which is useful because the only age group in South Dakota that is growing is the over-65 group,” he said. “We need young people to come to the state and stay.”

Warner said the university centers in Rapid City, Aberdeen and Sioux Falls have also grown because they are convenient for working people. He said there has also been an increase of online distant learning students.

Despite rising costs of education, Allison Puckett, a freshman undeclared major, said the cost is worth it in the end.

“Money has been kind of an issue for me, but I think if someone wants something bad enough they are going to have to work for it and sacrifices will be made,” Puckett said.

“…I know there will be some money issues throughout my life, but hopefully it’ll pay off in the long run with the help of a good-paying job.”

Only one day after Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced his budget proposal, SDSU President David Chicoine addressed how a possible loss of nearly $4.7 million would affect the university.

“What will happen this year, we don’t know,” Chicoine said, speaking at the Jan. 20 town hall event in SDSU’s Agriculture Engineering building.

Daugaard’s proposed fiscal year 2012 budget calls for a 10 percent cut in spending. This would equal a $127 million reduction in state expenditures. Chicoine said that with the proposed budget, SDSU could expect to lose close to $4.7 million in state funding, compared to last year’s $1.4 million cut. It will be the third year in a row that faculty will not be given raises, and the roughly $4.7 million cut in state funding could be equivalent to about 75 full-time positions at SDSU.

“I tried to put a human face on the dollar amount,” Chicoine said.

Gary Aguiar, associate professor of political science and president of the South Dakota Council of Higher Education, said it would be hard to lose that much money and not cut some positions.

“I imagine administrators have been looking for places to cut that will do the least damage to the university, like temporary hires and adjunct or part-time lecturers,” Aguiar said.

Laurie Nichols, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said no pay raises might affect faculty morale.

“It takes a toll every time you go another year, but folks are understanding and realize it’s not just higher education that is taking the hit,” Nichols said.

Chicoine said that with the decline of state support, tuition rates could rise. Aguiar agreed, saying that he sees a rise in tuition as very likely.

Nichols said the budget cuts also present challenges in future enrollment and existing programs.

“It’s not a matter of looking at a single factor,” she said. “It makes it harder to keep growing and we have to figure out how much bigger we can get with less resources than we had before. I hope students realize this is not unique to our state and that they can still get a quality education at SDSU,” she said.

Bob Otterson, executive assistant to the president, said that despite budget cuts, SDSU can still expect growing numbers.

“This university has tremendous momentum right now. Students feel it and the public and neighboring states recognize it. It would be difficult to slow down that momentum,” Otterson said.

Otterson said most building projects will not be affected because they are largely supported by donations.

Nichols said support staff for any new buildings could put a strain on the budget.

I think [construction] could slow down a little because we need to get our arms around the budget. It won’t bring everything to a screeching halt; it’s just a matter of reanalyzing and figuring out where we’re going,” she said. “Staffing new buildings puts a strain on our budget and we have to take a hard look at this.”

Nichols said the university is making attempts to cut spending.

“We’re doing some real work on fringe benefits and working with the units in the colleges on that. I challenge the campus to see if we can save $1 million on fringe benefits, because it’s money we don’t have to cut elsewhere,” she said.

Chicoine said that since the budget has not been approved yet, things could change. He said he doesn’t know if the 10 percent cut will stick.

“Every vested interest will argue they are more deserving than anyone else, and I don’t know how far those arguments are going to go,” he said.

Daugaard will be traveling around the state to talk about the proposed budget and Chicoine encourages people to get involved.

“It will be important as we go through the next steps for people to express their views before the legislature takes responsibility,” he said.

Chicoine said that final budget bill will come out in mid-March and will be signed into law in late March or April. After that, the South Dakota Board of Regents will meet at SDSU from March 31 to April 1 to make university budget decisions.

As neighbors and allies, Canada and the United States are dependant on each other in many ways. Both the United States and Canada benefit from a peaceful and cooperative relationship, but South Dakota as a state also benefits from the relationship between the two nations.

Martin Loken, Consul General of Canada visited SDSU Monday, Sept. 13 to discuss the relationship between the United States and Canada and how that relationship affects South Dakota.

“For a Canadian, it’s a tremendous honor to be assigned to the U.S. because no other country is more important,” Loken said.

“Canada and the U.S. have strong connections in many ways, particularly when it comes to commercial relations, energy and international cooperation,” Loken said.

As far as commercial relations go, Loken said the U.S. and Canada are constantly working together to make and exchange products.

“Canada and the U.S. don’t just sell things together, we make things together,” Loken said.

Loken said many goods are transported back and forth between the U.S. and Canada during production, which ensures that both countries are benefiting from the product.

The strong cross border economic activity between Canada and the U.S. has a profound effect on both countries economically.

Loken said eight million jobs in the U.S. are dependent on Canada, with over 24,000 jobs in South Dakota being contingent upon trade between Canada and the United States. The U.S. sells to Canada three times as much as it sells to China, while South Dakota is one of the 34 states that has Canada as its number one export partner. Bilateral trade between South Dakota and Canada totaled $687 in 2009.

Loken said it is important to know how important it is to have open and integrated markets to ensure that North America stay strong in the face of global competition.

“It’s important to keep with the way Canada and the U.S. have been working together for decades,” Loken said.

Energy also plays a huge role in the trade relationship. Canada is the U.S.’s largest and most reliable source of oil, natural gas, electricity and nuclear fuel.

Along with being a huge energy source, Canada and the U.S. work together to find environmentally friendly and safe energy sources.

“Canada and the United States are on the same page when it comes to energy,” Loken said.

Finally, Loken said Canada and the United States work together in the face of globalization.

“We have shared values and beliefs and work together in a lot of ways,” Loken said.

U.S. and Canadian soldiers fight side-by-side; they work together to find a way out of the economic crisis and to prevent terrorism, Loken said.

Loken said it is important for college-aged students to understand the relationship between the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s important to understand that economic growth comes from more than what is happening in the United States,” Loken said.

#1.1599696:2477678836.jpg:Martin Loken, Consul General of Canada, discusses economic and energy ties to South Dakota.:Martin Loken, Consul General of Canada, discusses economic and energy ties to South Dakota.:Collegian photo by Ryan Robinson

Every year students come back to SDSU to see a land of blue and yellow, familiar faces and new changes. Along with the ever-familiar construction projects and the buzz of the first football game, students are coming back to find a new name for a familiar building. The Board of Regents approved the change of NFA to Wagner Hall last April.

Wagner Hall is named after former president of SDSU and his late wife, Robert and Mary Wagner. Robert served as president from 1985 to 1997.

“Many, many years of service and dedication to this institution are why the Wagner’s rose to the top when renaming NFA,” said Laurie Nichols, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Robert Wagner is remembered on campus for two things. First, for many alumni he is remembered as the professor of marriage. He was an incredible teacher and students often had to sign up three semesters early to get into his popular marriage class. Second he is remembered as a president with great leadership skills who led us through a financially challenging time.”

According to the SDSU Foundation’s website, Robert earned a sociology degree from SDSU and was a sociology professor and administrator before his presidency. Mary earned both a master’s degree in social sciences and PH.D. in sociology from SDSU. She served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and South Dakota Senate before becoming a sociology teacher at SDSU.

“Naming NFA Wagner Hall is a way to provide recognition of Wagner’s accomplishments at SDSU as president,” said President David Chicoine.

“The naming committee at SDSU comes up with possible names for buildings and positions on campus. After the committee has narrowed their decision down to one name, they present the name to the president of SDSU, and then it is approved by the BOR,” said Nichols.

Names of buildings and positions on campus are usually named in two ways. One way is that a building or position is named after a financial donor who contributes 50 percent or more to that particular building or position. The other option is to name the building or position after a president, dean or beloved faculty member who have made considerable contributions and who people love and respect.

Tyler Odegaard, a senior biology and economics major, is happy to see the building renamed.

“After calling it NFA for so many years it will be hard for me to make the transition, but I’m happy to see a past president honored for his service and accomplishments,” Odegaard said.

The hot days of summer are just around the corner and while some already have great holiday or work plans for the long-awaited academic break outside Brookings, others may be staying put and wondering what the town offers on its slower days.

Here are some suggestions, but keep in mind that creativity is key to finding amusement whether you are in a world-class city or in good old Brookings.

1. McCrory Gardens. If you are cooped up inside all day long working, McCrory Gardens is a great place to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Soak in the aroma of a variety of flowers while you walk with a friend and enjoy this beautiful garden Brookings has to offer.

2. Attend the Brookings Summer Arts Festival. The Arts Festival gives you an opportunity to get to know people in the community, learn about different cultures, and eat lots of great food. The event takes place July 10-11 in Pioneer Park.

3. Join a softball league. Fuel your competitive spirit and get a good workout by joining a softball league. The City of Brookings Park and Recreation office has plenty of information regarding softball leagues and other programmed activities. Go online and find out more at http://www.cityofbrookings.org/departments/park_rec/progguide.php

4. Play Disc Golf. Disc golf is a great opportunity to get outside, get some exercise and sharpen your hand-eye coordination. With two different courses in Brookings, you can always challenge yourself and have fun.

5. Attend the Uncle Sam Jam. This free event provides a variety of Fourth of July fun. From a parade in the morning to a pork feed, inflatable kids’ games, train rides, a kids’ craft corner, kids’ tractor pull, live music and fireworks, you will surely have a lively and fun Fourth of July.

6. Go to Zesto.There is nothing better than ice cream on a hot summer day. With a large variety of ice cream, malts, shakes and toppings, you’ll never run out of selections and your taste buds will never be bored.

7. Go biking on the bike path.Get to know Brookings a little better and reduce your carbon foot print by taking advantage of the bike path. A map of the bike trails and parks in Brookings can be found in the city’s website: http://cityofbrookings.org/departments/park_rec/parkmaps.php

8. Go to the city pool.Whether you just go to lie out and get a tan or to unleash your inner child and go down the waterslide, swimming and relaxing at the Hillcrest Aquatic Center is a great way to escape the heat of the summer. The Center’s season opens May 22, with daily individual tickets costing $4 and individual season tickets, Proxy-Connection: keep-aliveCache-Control: max-age=0

445.

9. Attend events at the Swiftel Center.The Swiftel Center provides a variety of entertainment options without having to go to Sioux Falls or a bigger town. Be sure to constantly check http://www.swiftelcenter.com/ for upcoming events.

10. Go on a picnic.Grab a blanket, a picnic basket and a friend and take advantage of one of the beautiful parks in Brookings while enjoying a delicious meal.