Thirty-five teams, mostly consisting of SDSU students, participated in the 17th annual Oozeball tournament Saturday.

“It’s the only fundraiser we do,” secretary of Staters for State Amy Finnegan said.

Each team’s registration fee of $40 goes to help fund student and alumni appreciation projects put on by the organization, Finnegan said.

The tournament is usually scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. but had to be moved to noon Saturday because of weather conditions.

“We’ve had to cancel before because of snow, so [moving the time] is better than cancelling,” Finnegan said.

Despite the chilly temperatures, over 200 students gathered at the courts behind Hansen Hall for a day of very muddy volleyball.

“My friends made me do it,” sophomore Marty Konechne of the Oinkers team said. “We signed up, like five minutes before it was due.”

The tournament was played double-elimination style, so teams who lost their first game had the opportunity to play again. When not playing, players were encouraged to take advantage of the free food available. Coca-Cola donated the beverages while Papa John’s donated 75 pizzas for the event.

“This is great fun. I didn’t expect to win our first two games,” sophomore Sarah Heim, also of the Oinkers, said.

“This wind sucks, but I’m having a blast!” Konechne said.

Konechne, dressed in a wrestling singlet, said his team had been sitting behind the portable toilets all day in an attempt to keep warm.

Besides the mud volleyball tournament, Staters for State sponsored a costume contest among the teams. The organization took photos of every team after they played a game. The winners of the costume contest will receive SDSU ice cream.

“The best part of the day was getting dressed up in nerdy outfits and seeing two of my teammates in wrestling singlets,” Heim said.

The Sigma Epsilon team came out on top when the day was over, receiving “This Mud’s for You” towels as their prize. Tell Your Mom I Say Thanks were the runners-up. Those who ordered “This Mud’s for You” t-shirts may pick them up Wednesday at the Alumni Center.

Winners of the costume contest will be notified this week. Their prizes may also be claimed at the Alumni Center.

#1.885065:1173832796.jpg:oozeball05_ty.jpg:More than 200 students participated in the mud volleyball tournament on Saturday.:

The new suite-style residence hall, Caldwell Hall, will be making some changes in on-campus living when it opens next fall.

Beginning next fall, sophomores with a 2.5 GPA or higher, who have no record of disciplinary action taken against them and are not on academic probation will have the option of living in the hall.

Caldwell Hall is named for Ada Caldwell, whose claim to fame was being the instructor of prestigious students such as Harvey Dunn.

Each suite will have four bedrooms, each with double occupancy. Two bedrooms will share one sink, while all four of the bedrooms will share one central bathroom with a shower and toilet. None of the bedrooms will be carpeted, although the lounges and day rooms will be.

Since Caldwell Hall will accomodate 300 residents, space won’t be as much of an issue next year.

“Students will be out of the day rooms next year,” Residential Life Director Mike Kervin said.

Caldwell is equipped with 11 handicap-accessible suites. Most of the rooms in the new hall are already full, but a few spots are saved for potential handicapped residents who haven’t registered yet.

“We’ll have all the spots filled by this fall,” said Kervin.

Changes are in place for students returning to Young Hall or Binnewies Hall next fall, as well. The two buildings in Larson Complex will receive similar renovations as most of the other residence halls have seen over the last three years. Those renovations include adding movable furniture such as desks and lofts.

The Berg and Bailey apartment complexes will also undergo resident changes next fall.

“They’ll be back to non-required student residents such as juniors and seniors who fit the requirements,” Kervin said.

#1.885106:2419354083.jpg:caldwell2.jpg:Caldwell Hall, located north of the Larson Complex, will be ready to house students by fall 2005, helping to relieve the residence hall shortage.:

Wecota Hall residents have been monetarily recognized for their inconveniences with the construction on the first floor of their building.

“[Wecota residents received] $100 from Student Affairs for whatever they choose to use it for,” said Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Doug Wermedal.

Hobo Dough is accepted all over campus as well as at numerous Brookings businesses including restaurants and gas stations.

“This has been a year when many students have been inconvenienced. It’s a recognition for those students who have been inconvenienced,” Wermedal said.

Wecota residents were informed of the gift via letter to their campus mailboxes and the money was credited to their Hobo Dough accounts the week before spring break.

Although residents appreciate the gift, some said that it hasn’t done much to curb their annoyance with the construction.

“The fact that we got the $100 doesn’t change the fact that there’s still noise, so they wake us up at 7 every morning and we have to walk outside to get our mail,” said freshman Krista Evenson.

For freshman Maggie Dunnagan, the money won’t help much because she will be transferring next fall.

“We’re leaving, we’re not staying here next year, so it doesn’t help that we can’t take the money off our Hobo Dough account,” she said. “The $100 helped, but it still doesn’t make the construction better.”

Wermedal explained that in serving other SDSU students by constructing a state-of-the-art research center, the Wecota residents were unintentionally inconvenienced.

“The university wants to serve all our customers, but we’ve needed to be aggressive in our construction,” Wermedal said. “At SDSU, we have great students, and we wish it could be different.”

Since they have the money, Wecota residents said they will spend it.

“I spent some of it at the bookstore, so I’m still helping the school out,” Evenson said.

Dunnagan hopes to take full advantages money before she leaves SDSU.

“[I buy] food. We eat out a lot with it.”

#1.885195:3889788785.jpg:wecotaconstructionjerry.jpg::

As long as residents and staff of Mathews and Brown Hall have their university ID, they won’t need to worry about forgetting their keys.

Card lock systems have been installed on the doors of Mathews and Brown Halls as a test. A software company that currently works with SDSU offered to install the locks on campus as a way to test its product.

“We don’t know what student response will be,” said Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Doug Wermedal. “The test is to find out. There’s a chance we may only use the locks for short-term housing, like for summer camps. It may not be a system we use all over.”

The card locks were installed for other reasons, Wermedal said.

“First for security. There’s been a growing emphasis on security on college campuses,” he said.

Residents and staff in Brown and Mathews have access to the buildings just as they would with normal keys. The card lock system reads each person’s ID card, and the person gains access to the building if their card is approved. Cards from residents in other halls will not unlock the doors.

The card locks were installed on the two outermost entrances to the lobbies of both halls before spring break. Staff members had their first experience with the locks during break, while students were introduced to the new locks upon their return.

Mathews Hall Director Kim Kiber said she saw many students attempting to open the doors with their cards before they were activated. She thinks student reaction will be positive.

“I haven’t heard a lot,” Kiber said.

Lindsay Garton, a freshman resident in Brown Hall, said she hasn’t used the card lock system yet but thinks it will be more convenient.

“It’s easier to swipe a card, and I can’t always find my keys,” said Garton. “I can get to a card faster than keys. It’s one less thing to carry around.”

#1.885243:1876166077.jpg:Dorm key cards-close Mi.jpg:A student uses his ID card in the swiper.:

Not going anywhere for spring break but still want a few fun memories? The Juice has the 4-1-1 on what’s in theatres this coming week.

Constantine, The Wedding Date and the newly awarded movie of the year Million Dollar Baby are all currently playing in either Watertown, Brookings or Sioux Falls, but a few more promising flicks will be opening starting this Friday.

The Jacket

This dramatic, romantic thriller starring Adrian Brody and Kiera Knightly follows a returned military veteran (Brody) after an amnesiac attack. After being heavily medicated and placed in a body drawer of a morgue while restrained by a straight jacket, Brody sees his future, including his death in four days. His only hope for survival is the girl from his visions of whom he has not yet met.

Be Cool

This comedy starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Vince Vaughn, and Danny Devito is the long-awaited sequel to the 1998 hit Get Shorty. The film follows Chili Palmer’s (Travolta) transition from the film industry to the music business.

The Pacifier

Vin Diesel stars as Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe who is assigned to protect the five out-of-control children of an assassinated scientist, Shane is suddenly faced with juggling two outrageously incompatible jobs: fighting the bad guys while keeping house.

Robots

Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams and Mel Brooks provide voices for this computer-animated comedy in which a young robot tries his hand at “making it” in the big city.

Vibrant outfits and palpitating drumbeats filled Frost Arena on Saturday as people of all ages and ethnicities gathered for the 15th annual Wacipi Powwow.

Over 300 singers and dancers competed in seven different categories: men’s traditional, men’s grass, men’s fancy, women’s traditional, women’s jingle dress, women’s fancy shawl and drums, which included singers. Each category was then subdivided into three age groups: junior, teen and adult.

Many people also competed in one of the three specials throughout the day. The Honoring special, Rabbit Dance special and junior boy’s traditional special were sponsored by individuals and were separate from the main competition.

Powwows were originally held in the spring to celebrate the new beginning of life, to hold naming ceremonies and to pray, but their significance has changed over the years. Native Americans now compete in song and dance categories for cash prizes, like those awarded to the top point-earners on Saturday.

For most, though, it’s not the cash that brings them to Powwows.

“I like it because I get to watch adults, so maybe I can be as good as them someday,” said juniors’ fancy shawl dancer Kayla Parker. “Maybe I can be a champion.”

“Enjoyment of dancing” is what keeps Ron Cross Dog, a men’s traditional dancer, coming back to powwows.

“I’ve been going to powwows, oh, all my life,” said Cross Dog as he gazed down at his son competing in the junior boy’s traditional dance.

Like Cross Dog, going to Powwows is a family event for many of the singers and dancers.

“I have cousins, aunts and uncles and one brother here,” said Parker.

The Wacipi was sponsored by the Native American Club here at SDSU, but numerous volunteers from the community and around campus lent their support to the club members Saturday. Among the volunteers were Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Doug Wermedal and Dean of Student Affairs, Marysz Rames, who each spoke at the event.

“It’s important that we strive to get SDSU administrators to get involved for recruitment and retention purposes,” said Native American Student Advisor, Steven Martin. “Their involvement goes a long way. Tribal community members see support through the administration.”

Having the Powwow on campus benefits both tribal and campus community members, according to Martin.

“The powwow is important to a campus community such as SDSU because Native American communities visit and see the effort and support [from SDSU]. It helps attract potential students, and it provides current students the opportunity to take ownership in what they’re doing as far as planning the Powwow,” said Martin.

#1.885285:1004723666.jpg:powwow6.jpg:The SDSU Native American Club sponsored the 15th Annual Wacipi Powwow that was held last Saturday. Hundreds took part in the event.:

When construction on the first floor of Wecota Hall commenced in late December, hall residents were more than a little disgruntled.

“They started the main construction a couple weeks after [winter] break,” said Wecota resident freshman Lindsie Page.

Page and other third-floor residents are annoyed on a daily basis by the loud noises generated from the construction crew on the first floor.

“They start at 7 o’clock; it’s early,” said Page. “The pounding noises are really loud.”

“We don’t even set our alarm clocks anymore,” said Wecota freshman Kelsey Severtson. “We just hear the pounding and know that it must be 7 or 8.”

To get to their dorms, residents of Wecota Hall must pass through a first-floor construction zone, which is often dusty and noisy. They then must push past the plastic sheeting that covers the entrance to the stairwell that leads to their floor.

“We can’t complain enough,” said freshman Wecota resident Nicole Gapp.

Gapp says that construction workers didn’t know anyone was even living in the residence hall until she spoke up one day.

“I walked downstairs complaining about how it was noisy when I woke up. One of the construction workers made a comment to another about how he didn’t know there were girls living upstairs.”

That’s when construction workers installed the plastic sheeting to prevent the dust they produced from traveling upstairs.

Page says she didn’t know there was going to be construction before she chose to live in the hall. Her resident advisor informed the residents of the imminent construction the week before winter break.

“I don’t think any of us realized how extensive it was going to be that week before break,” said Page.

Many residents say they and others have expressed their annoyance to their hall director to no avail. Gapp says that the third-floor girls received an e-mail from him, but that it did nothing to quiet complaints on the floor.

The construction will cause further inconveniences for the residents before the work is done. The third-floor Wecota residents will eventually have to travel outside to get to their front desk, mailboxes, and laundry facilities according to a letter they received before winter break.

Gapp said the camaraderie she shares with her fellow third-floor residents is what keeps her in the hall.

“If the atmosphere up here wasn’t what it is, I would have moved this semester,” she said.

Doug Wermedal, assistant dean of Student Affairs, said the noise will all be worth its annoyance when the first floor of Wecota is completely remodeled.

“The university has been fortunate enough to secure federal and university funds in order to build a Geographic Information Science Center,” said Wermedal.

Wermedal says the center will have links with the Aerospace Data Center, allowing for top flight research positions to be filled at SDSU.

Wermedal explained that the federal money received for this project came with some requirements that made the construction necessary.

“We needed offices [in Wecota] as soon as possible to take advantage of the federal funds,” said Wermedal.

He says the momentum already made in the remodeling of the first floor has encouraged a speedier completion of the project.

The SDSU Physical Plant, which is in charge of the construction, could not be reached for comment on when the project would be completed.

#1.885332:3937964584.jpg:VWecotaAa.jpg:A physical plant electrician works in Wecota Hall. Remodeling began in January to allow for a new Geographic Information Science Center.:

Mitch Albom conveys an imaginative perspective on life after death and inspires provocative thought in his sophomore novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Old and lonely, Eddie trudges through mundane days as the head of maintenance at Ruby Pier Amusement Park. The only joy he experiences is in making pipe cleaner animals for the children at the park. When a ride experiences a glitch on his 83rd birthday, Eddie must leap to save a small girl in the path of a plummeting cart. In his attempt to save the girl’s life, Eddie is killed as the cart crushes him.

Eddie enters heaven, where five different people from his life meet him, each in their own version of heaven. The first, a blue-tinted man from the Pier Freak Show of Eddie’s youth, explains that every person one encounters in his or her life is there for a reason. He explains Eddie’s role in his life, and tells Eddie that he will meet four more people in heaven who will help him understand what his purpose on Earth was.

Eddie meets his army commander next. Then he meets Ruby, of whom the Pier is named. Both help him understand the reason for various tribulations in his life and help him to reconcile with his estranged father.

Eddie’s wife, Marguerite, is the fourth person he meets. She takes him through her version of heaven, but he eventually leaves her for his final appointment.

The final person Eddie meets reassures him that his monotonous work at the amusement park was not in vain. She gives him comfort in knowing that he saved the girl he died for, along with many other people through his work as a ride repairman.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven was written beautifully and also very clearly, so as to never give uncertainties as to where the plot was going or what was happening in the book. At only 194 pages, I finished the book in two days, devouring every word. This book made me laugh, cry, but mostly it forced me to reflect on my own life and the people a part of it throughout the years.

I recommend reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven if you’re interested in reading a heartwarming novel that may help you reassess your perspective on life, or if you’re just looking for a good read.

Motivated and talented students have an opportunity to challenge themselves and receive recognition for their hard work through the Honors College at SDSU.

Though the honors program has existed for at least 25 years, it underwent a major transformation in 1998, according to Bob Burns, dean of the Honors College.

“President Miller wanted to transform the program into a larger, better-funded honors college that could reach and serve more students,” he said.

Incoming freshmen must have at least a 27 on their ACT or have graduated in the top 10% of their class in order to be admitted to the Honors College. Transfer students may also join the program if they were involved in a similar program elsewhere.

Honors classes are offered in all areas of study at SDSU. There are approximately 25 general education courses offered with honors sections. Each student may choose 15 credits from that list to meet the requirements to graduate with honors. These 15 credits count both toward honors requirements and regular general requirements.

Besides completing 15 general education credit hours, honors students must take an honors colloquium course. They must also contract regular courses within their major into honors courses with their professors so that they receive six additional honors credits. Students must complete an independent study course as a senior, as well. To graduate with Honors, students must achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.

So, just what makes honors courses different from the rest?

“[The Honors College] has a set of guidelines for honors professors. What we emphasize is engaged learning, particularly learning where students have a responsibility for high participation in class,” Burns said. “We don’t promote honors courses as harder, but as different.”

The curriculum varies in each honors course. “It kind of depends on the class,” said senior Jessica Mason, Student Association senator from the college of arts and sciences and participant in the Honors program. “In some you just do extra writing. There’s more discussion, smaller classes and more individual attention.”

As of fall semester 2004, 175 first-semester students were enrolled in one or more honors courses. At any given time, there are approximately 250 students active in the program. According to Burns, students are encouraged to apply for continued enrollment and full admission to the Honors College after their freshman year.

“The honors program may speak a lot of success with first year students, even if they don’t graduate with honors,” said Burns. “Their participation contributes to overall university retention. Students who do follow through express very positive feedback for the honors program.”

As a student, Mason is pleased with the program. “The classes are smaller. They have more discussion and more one-on-one time. There’s a little more of a challenge there as far as getting the grades and keeping the grades. You really have to concentrate,” she said.

The honors program is an important part of SDSU, Burns said. “It’s almost imperative for a university like SDSU to have [an honors program]. Motivated and talented students, in their search for a university, soon discover this is an offer most universities have,” he said. “Honors programs take many forms. We have taken an approach that reflects SDSU’s policy. Our approach is more flexible and accommodating.”