If the odometer in your vehicle is reaching that next 3,000 miles, it’s time for an oil change. After checking into several of the auto service retailers in Brookings, the results are in.

Best Price

That special someone in your life who loves you enough to do it for free is the best price I’ve found! If that isn’t an option, the prices vary quite a bit. With each business offering different services included with the oil change, who offers the best deal really depends on what you want. If you only want an oil change, Exhaust Pros charges the lowest price at $18.95. Along with that, they will check over your car and let you know if you need anything else. G P Auto Service & Repair charges $22 which also includes checking over the car. With G P’s service, they add washer fluid or a little grease if needed with no extra charge. Ron’s Auto Repair charges between $20-$25 (usually closer to $25) depending on how much oil is needed. Big O Tires has a few different package options, but their most economic option is $25.95. In this package they rotate your tires (a value of about $12 saved) and top off all fluids for free. Pro Lube comes in on the more expensive end, charging $27.48 (including tax).

Best Location

Although a bit more expensive, Pro Lube wins for best location. Only a few blocks away from campus and right next to Godfather’s Pizza, Taco John’s and a couple gas stations, your options abound while you wait for your oil change.

Quickest

Pro Lube also wins for the quickest, taking only 15 minutes. Big O Tires and Exhaust Pros come in right behind them taking only 20 minutes with GP Auto next at about 30 minutes. Ron’s Auto Repair takes between 30 to 45 minutes, but because they do a lot of work other than oil changes, he prefers if people leave their vehicle for an hour or two.

Most Friendly

Without a doubt, the most friendly award goes to Ron’s Auto Repair. Ron is extremely friendly and goes out of his way to accommodate customers. If you have class or another commitment, he understands how it can be difficult to leave your vehicle at the shop. He’s willing to drop you off wherever you want and to pick you up later to get your vehicle with no additional charge.

Best Lobby

Although coffee and magazines in the lobby appears to be the common trend, Big O Tires wins this category offering extra entertainment via television and overall, just a nice area to wait in. G P Auto deserves an honorable mention for not having elevator music playing.

Best Special

Big O Tires has the best special right now. You can get a basic oil change (not including tire rotation and all the normal bonuses) for only $16.89 until April 1st. That’s this Thursday, so if reading this article has reminded you of that much needed oil change, don’t wait. No appointments are necessary.

Overall Best

Personally, that special person who will do it for free like Dad is my first choice. But as far as professional service retailers, Big O Tires comes out on top with a reasonable price considering all the bonuses, quick service, a nice lobby and the best special.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the Atkins diet. Advertisements for foods, low in carbohydrates, have popped up everywhere from restaurants to grocery stores, but over the past year the Atkins diet has yielded results and raised concerns at the same time.

Senior Holly Irwin followed the Atkins diet for two months this past fall.

“You have to count every carb you eat. You don’t want to eat bread, pasta, fruit . . . anything with a lot of carbs or sugar, you need to stay away from on that diet,” Irwin said.

The nature of the Atkins diet differs from many other weight loss methods.

“It’s changing your body’s chemistry. Your body naturally burns carbohydrates for energy but on the Atkins diet, your body is burning fat,” Irwin said.

Burning stored fat for energy is not the body’s default setting.

“Carbohydrate is your body’s preferred source of fuel. If you are skipping out on carbohydrates, your body has to burn fat for fuel. It’s not a preferred source of energy,” registered dietitian Jane Osowski said.

Irwin found success with the diet.

“I think the diet works well for a person who has time to make food. You have to have time and motivation,” Irwin said. “You lose weight as long as you stay on it, and you can eat as much as you want until you are satisfied.”

Overall, the Atkins diet has proven effective for weight loss.

“One of the benefits is weight loss. For some people this is the most successful way they have lost weight,” Osowski said.

Because of the popularity of the Atkins diet, some restaurants are offering low-carb foods.

Subway offers “Atkins-Friendly Wraps” containing only 16 grams of carbohydrates and have received positive feedback from customers.

“The Atkins wraps are one of the most popular sandwiches. We sell a ton of them,” Subway worker and senior Kendra Deutsch said. “Most of our customers came back a second time.”

Although the diet seems to be a sure bet for losing weight, there are some concerns about its effects on the body.

“My concern with it is if people are skipping food groups, what nutrients are they missing?” Osowski said. “You don’t find those vitamins and minerals (from fruits) so much in the meat products.”

There is an ongoing debate over the possibility of the diet resulting in health risks in the long run.

“If you have a high protein diet, you are more likely to have a higher saturated fat intake which could lead to heart disease. I think there is concern about its long-term effects on the body,” Osowski said.

Irwin stresses that people on the diet need to take daily supplements to help their body get the essential nutrients it needs. Three of the challenges Irwin faced while on the diet this past fall was a limited availability of low-carb foods, a lack of time to prepare foods that fit the diet, and the high cost.

“It can get spendy, especially because of the cost of meat,” Irwin said.

For other reasons, Osowski prefers different methods over the Atkins diet.

“(I recommend) more exercise and watching what you eat all around. I don’t really recommend the Atkins diet. The problem is a lot of times if they don’t follow the diet, they will gain more weight than before,” Osowski said. “People don’t want to hear this recommendation. They want the quick fix.”

It’s clear all the research isn’t in for the Atkins diet, but Irwin is contemplating going back on it after she completes her schooling. Being careful to exercise, eat on a schedule, and drink lots of water, Irwin said she has not gained back the weight that she lost while on the diet.

For those following the Atkins diet, Irwin has some fun suggestions for snacks that are not cheating on the diet.

“A treat is a scoop of peanut butter or microwave a slice of cheese on a plate – when it hardens it makes a cheese cracker.”

Serving others through organized service projects ranks as a priority among some Christian groups.

Among others, the Nurses Christian Fellowship and the University Lutheran Center both strive to volunteer their service for the community.

This fall the NCF served at the Harvest Table, which offers a free meal provided for those in need, and went caroling at a couple of assisted living places.

“It (caroling) was really good and the people were really appreciative of us stopping by for just a little bit,” junior Jill Anderson said, adding, “It showed how much just a small act could affect so many people and bring a little joy into their lives.”

The NCF voluntarily serves several times throughout the year.

“We serve probably once a month or once every two months. It just depends on what is going on in the community and what the group wants to do,” junior Jill Anderson said.

The ULC is involved in service with a different project each month.

“In September we did the Harvest Table. We put on a chili feed for over a hundred people for free. In October we went to St. Dysmas and worshiped with the prisoners,” Peer Minister for Service sophomore Alicia Williams said.

Other service projects put on by the ULC have included Habitat for Humanity, the Angel Tree and doing lock-ins for middle schoolers.

Service work makes a positive impact on the volunteers.

“We do service projects to help people and to open our eyes to other things that are out there. It is an opportunity to feel good about ourselves and get out in the community,” Williams said.

In addition to personal satisfaction, others benefit.

“It only takes a little bit of your time to help another person. Instead of watching TV for a couple of hours you could go and help someone else,” Anderson said.

For both of the groups, the number of students involved in service is relatively few. According to Williams, the ULC usually has around 10 people at service projects, but sometimes as many as 20. As for the NCF, a small group of students, usually around five or six but sometimes as many as 12, serve.

Despite the relatively low numbers of people who make service work a priority and take the time to be involved, the groups have impacted many people for the better.

“We’ve gotten thank-you letters back from everything. When we leave there is a sense of accomplishment. We’re reaching out to people who don’t have what we have,” Williams said.

I spent Valentine’s weekend working in a floral shop and observed some interesting behaviors as I was selling roses and arrangements to various consumers.

First I noticed that some guys acted as if they were either too cool or embarrassed to be buying flowers. I would ask them if I could help them and their response would be a quiet, “um … yeah … I … ahhh … (looking down at the floor) … need to buy some flowers for my girlfriend.” Maybe these guys were just embarrassed because they didn’t know very much about floral arrangements, but that’s nothing to be embarrassed about; that’s why the floral shops are fully staffed.

Second there were a variety of attitudes about paying for the flowers. While some guys didn’t hesitate when they heard the price of a dozen roses, others looked like the purchase was going to break them. Some consumers asked why prices were so high, and while the easy economic answer to everything “supply and demand” seemed to satisfy some, the facial expressions from others showed they didn’t agree.

I realize not everyone is made of money, and as far as college students – almost no one. But for the guys who bought what they could easily afford, be it a single rose or a dozen, they walked away looking excited to give their sweethearts flowers. And as for the guys that decided how many roses to buy in anguish of the prices, a thick sense of obligation filled the air. As one would leave, I only hoped that he would be able to smile when he gave the roses to his date instead of re-checking the dent the purchase made in his wallet.

With tank top weather only a few more months away, here is a quick exercise you can do in your dorm room to tone your triceps.

1. Find a chair that is stable and won’t roll away.

2. Place your arms shoulder width apart with your hands beneath you on the edge of the chair.

3. Slide out to the edge of the chair so only your arms are supporting your body. For beginners, keep your legs bent at a 90 degree angle.

4. Keep your body right next to the chair and go down so that your arms are bent at roughly a 90 degree angle. Then move back up. Perform this movement in sets of 15, three times a day.

5. Show off your nicely toned triceps!

If you are looking for more of a challenge, try these modified bench dips with your legs straight. And if you are a real pro, set another chair across from you and do this exercise with your feet on it.

(Information from Headstrength & Conditioning Coach for Varsity Athletics)

Students filed into limousines this past Friday night on their way to the annual Winter Formal held at the Old Sanctuary.

Once there, they conversed with each other, ate a three course meal, and then had hours to dance the night away.

Candle-lit tables and gossamer streaming down along the ceiling set the tone for the evening.

“When I came in, I was thinking how different it was in comparison to how I had seen it before. They dressed it up very nicely,” sophomore Jessie Gleckler said.

The Winter Formal was sponsored by the University Program Council and the Residence Hall Association.

The $13 tickets included the option of a limo ride to the formal.

“The limo ride was fun. I especially enjoyed the chauffeur and how chivalrous he was by helping us in and out of the limo,” Gleckler said.

In addition, tickets offered three different options for the dinner. The choices ranged from manicotti to chicken stuffed with spinach and mushrooms to pork loins.

“They (the servers) were good at getting everyone served all at about the same time. It was a nice salad, dinner and dessert,” senior Justin Olson said.

Guests appreciated the food and the service.

“The food was good, the pie especially. The service was pretty awesome too,” sophomore Andrew Tischler said.

The dance lasted about four hours and included a video screen, lighting affects, bubbles, a dry ice machine, and a variety of music: pop, rock, country, rap and a touch of almost everything else.

“The music was good for dancing,” Tischler said.

Prior to the formal, Olson had wondered if the Old Sanctuary would provide enough space for the event.

“The dance floor was crowded, but it worked well. It wasn’t so crowded that it was unenjoyable. The bubble maker and the fog machine all helped to enhance the dance atmosphere,” Olson said.

Olson’s fiancee junior Andrea Kleinsasser agreed.

“After it (the crowd) started clearing out a little, it was really fun, even though we had to turn down the music for the neighbors. The video screen helped make the dance complete,” Kleinsasser said.

Some students went as part of a group of friends.

“I went with a big group of friends. We all went out to dance and that was a lot of fun. My friend Megan and I ripped up the dance floor,” Tischler said.

Olson encourages anyone who wants to go, not to miss out.

“You don’t have to have a date to go and have a good time,” Olson said.

For those who took a limo to the formal, van rides provided a way back to campus.

“The van service wasn’t the same as riding in a limo, but our driver was friendly and even helped us out of the van,” Gleckler said.

Like Tischler, many people already had a suit or dress they wanted to wear, but others headed to the stores to find something new.

“Some of my friends really got into it and went looking all over,” Tischler said.

Kleinsasser and a friend of hers spent time shopping for dresses.

“We went to Deb’s in Sioux Falls. We were shopping for sales and they had dresses from fifteen dollars and up,” Kleinsasser said.

The approximate 270 attendees created a social environment for the night.

“It was a good place to meet new people,” Tischler said.

The Food Science, Dietetics, and Hospitality Club served the dinner. According to Senior Jackie Larson, who served food and washed dishes, the club was earning money for a Spring trip in April to Minneapolis.

“The formal looked like fun. I wish I could have gone,” Larson said.

Snow, ice, below zero temperatures and bitter wind chills make up the colder parts of South Dakota winters. Although most native South Dakotans don’t appreciate scraping their car windows or putting on an extra layer of clothing, they expect it.

For students from different climates the cold weather causes a new change of pace. Graduate student Terry Chai, from Hong Kong, makes adjustments.

“[In Hong Kong] the coldest day would be 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It rains a lot compared to here,” Chai said.

The cold weather affects his level of energy.

“In the winter it is so cold. I just feel lazy and want to stay at home where it is warm. In Hong Kong we could play anything like tennis or basketball if it wasn’t raining,” Chai said.

Chai, along with many other students, spends time dealing with the weather.

“In the morning I have to waste like five minutes to warm up the car and scrape off the windows. [I'm] just wasting time doing stuff you don’t have to do in the South,” Chai said.

Although Chai dislikes the cold, he appreciates some aspects of winter in South Dakota.

“The first snow looks beautiful. When I was a kid I dreamed of a white Christmas. That’s how it is supposed to be like in all the movies,” Chai said.

After days of more and more snowfall, Chai is changing his tune.

“I really wanted to see the snow. Now I’ve seen it and it’s enough. One week is good for the whole winter. It can’t keep snowing all the time and not melt,” Chai said.

Freshman Josie Shephard, from Arizona, is not used to the climate.

“I’m not used to bundling up. I just freeze walking to class,” Shephard said.

Road conditions

Offering seven doctoral degrees and 19 masters degrees, SDSU has a variety of options for students who are considering graduate school. The demand for education past a bachelors degree has been growing over the past years.

“Potential employers often times expect a bachelor’s degree. That is the minimum, so a graduate degree can give a job applicant an extra edge,” graduate school recruiter Ruth Manson said.

There are many reasons for students to attend graduate school.

“With the economic concerns, people have and people are going back to school,” Manson said.

Another reason for SDSU’s large graduate enrollment, approximately 1,200 students, is its attractiveness to international students.

“SDSU has one of the lowest application fees-$35. We are a great deal. Brookings is a safe, good place to live with friendly people,” Manson said.

The Economics department offers an accelerated program where students, who have a 3.5 or above grade point average, can get their bachelor’s and master’s degrees within five years.

The Accelerated Masters program allows undergraduates to take 500 level graduate courses while they are still an undergraduate. 400-level courses are taken as an undergraduate.

“If you look at wage premiums, they are about 50 to 60 percent higher for a master’s degree over and above a bachelor’s degree,” Adamson said.

The current economy has made graduate school more of an opportunity.

“We’re coming out of a recession right now. There is a countercyclical trend in graduate attendance. Part of this is that if you can’t find a higher paying job, the opportunity cost of going to graduate school comes down,” Adamson said.

A shortage of higher paying jobs has led students to graduate schools.

“I was looking for jobs around the Brookings area, and I couldn’t find anything. I was able to get a job as a teaching assistant at SDSU if I went back to school,” graduate student Becky Hunter said.

Hunter choose to attend SDSU’s graduate school for several reasons.

“I earned my undergrad degree there so I knew the faculty and staff and the teaching opportunity was there. Since I live in Brookings with my husband, it was ideal to go to SDSU,” Hunter said.

Senior Elliot Ennis also choose graduate school due to lack of job opportunities.

“I applied for five jobs and all of them turned up negative due to lack of education and experience. Grad school will definitely help employment prospects. A great deal of jobs I looked at required more education than I had,” Ennis said.

The current economy played a role in Ennis’ decision to attend graduate school.

“The professors I talked to said that now is a good time to go to graduate school because there are not as many jobs out there,” Ennis said.

Ask around and you will soon find that several students do not know a great deal about our government’s policies, but even less students are aware of policies in other countries.

Each spring, Model United Nations gears up participants to learn more about the policies of other countries.

The Arrowhead Model United Nations Conference will take place at Minnesota State University-Moorhead from April 18 through April 21. Each student is assigned to a country and a committee.

“The student will represent his or her assigned country in that committee arguing on their behalf for or against the various resolutions that have been introduced in the committee,” Del Lonowski, associate professor of political science said. “The committee work is only part of the conference.”

“Generally, each student prepares their own individual resolutions for their country into their committee. That is the basis of the debate that takes place in the committee. Once the committee feels it has finished its work, it goes to the general assembly, which is all of the delegates in the whole conference, where the work of the committees is approved or rejected,” Lonowski said. Each delegate spends time preparing for the conference by doing research.

“The focus is on research so the students can get to understand the points of view of the countries they are representing,” Lonowski said.

Because one of the official languages of the United Nations is English, the participants have not faced a language barrier in their research. However they have faced other challenges. “The big problem is finding the documents. The staff at Briggs Library has been a tremendous help,” Lonowski said. Finding current documents has also been an issue.

“The major challenge is while you are researching your country’s issues, your country’s government is continuously changing. Time is an issue. Information on the United States is at your fingertips, where as distance and culture limits the availability of information,” junior Kelly Bosma said.

Playing the role of an assigned country is a serious matter to the delegates.

“One of the highlights is the people that you meet and the different personalities you run into. There are some people that take their role very seriously not allowing you to see their true personality,” Bosma said. Thirty-three students make up SDSU’s delegation, creating the largest one the college has ever had.

“I think it [interest] is mostly growing as a result of word of mouth. The students find it exciting, intellectually stimulating, and generally fun,” Lonowski said.

Another possible reason students might be attracted is for credit. “It’s open to all students. They can obtain a Political Science credit. We have cooperated with the geography and psychology departments so students can gain credit in their departments as well,” Lonowski said.

“They get an opportunity to really hone their research skills because they need to find official government documents from foreign countries. They have the opportunity to develop public speaking skills in debates and discussions and negotiating skills.”

Tired of spending hours studying for required classes that you think you will never use? Although several classes may seem that way, there are certain classes that will benefit everyone no matter what career they enter.

Personal Finance, Business Administration 380, covers a multitude of lifelong skills in managing money.

“We cover investments, common stock, stock options, mutual funds, preferred stock and bonds. About 40 percent of the class is on investing money,”.attorney and professor of economics Pat Lyons said

“The second part of the course deals with insurance, health and disability, homeowner insurance and automobile insurance. In the third part of the course we talk about buying a home,” said.

The class, which is taught only in the spring and has no prerequisites, fills up right away each semester ,with most students being seniors.

“I get students from every conceivable major because they are interested in the topic covered: money,” Lyons said.

Students taking the course receive instruction on important decisions they will ultimately have to make someday.

“The bottom line is that you, the students, cannot depend on somebody else to make the financial decisions for you. You have to know what is going on. You can’t depend on your insurance sales person, stockbroker or your spouse. You have to be the brains. It is something everyone can learn.”

“It’s a great course because it’s relevant. It’s practical. It’s meaningful. And it’s about the stuff the students are interested in,” Lyons said.

Students who have taken the class appreciate the knowledge they have gained through it. “It covers real world issues that are going to affect every person’s life once they get out into the real world. It deals with issues that will affect everyone and that everyone is going to need to know about,” senior Jason Sutton said.

In contrast to learning valuable information about investments, Mil 101, Introduction to ROTC involved beneficial skills for all students.

The class, not only for people involved in ROTC programs, meets once a week, and the class is credit free.

Seniors Tasha Hofer and Becky Carlson chanced upon the class.

“We were over in the ROTC building and Sgt. Chavez convinced us to join,” Hofer said.

Hofer recommends the class because of its various activities.

“It’s a fun class. You get to go rappelling and go down the shooting range and learn how to shoot a rifle and M-16,” Hofer said.

The course offers training in several areas of daily living.

“We learned how to read a map, carrying techniques, emergency rescue techniques and about the chain of command. You learn a lot of practical skills that will be useful throughout life,” Hofer said.

Introduction to ROTC gives a positive outlook towards health.

“It encourages you to stay physically fit,” Carlson said.

The students also gain a broader perspective on what ROTC has to offer.

“Sgt. Chavez introduces you to all the opportunities and scholarships available through the ROTC program,” Hofer said.

Another class that involves physical training is Health 364, Emergency Medical Technician, EMT.

“You learn how to deal with emergency situations. When you are in a situation where most people would panic, you will be the person who is calm and knows what to do,” sophomore Karen Gutzman said.

Gutzman encourages anyone who wants to help others to take the course.

“The more trained people there are, the better the chance the patients has of surviving,” Gutzman said.

Trained people who do not go into the medical field have another advantage, it could possibly help land a job.

“You are trained to handle emergency situations, so your employer knows that you can stay calm in those situations,” Gutzman said.