Chelsea Cain, a New York Times bestselling author, started a series in 2007 about a female serial killer, the man who hunted her for 10 years, a pink haired reporter and the newest serial killer in Portland, Ore.

The series’ first book, Heartsick (2007), focuses on the introduction of each character’s personality and has a description of their lives, past and present.

Detective Archie Sheridan, head of the Beauty Killer Task Force for 10 years, was kidnapped by the Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell and tortured for several days before she let him go and turned herself in. Sheridan is now addicted to several different kinds of medication and barely functional.

No one knows why Gretchen Lowel tortured Sheridan or why she turned herself in and let him live. She still has a compelling hold over Sheridan, even from behind bars.

Sheridan selected Susan Ward, a journalist with pink hair, to provide media coverage of the hunt for the newest serial killer in town. Ward is unpredictable and adds an annoying but needed outside view to the story.

In the beginning of the book, Sheridan heads the newest task force. Someone is kidnapping high school girls, sexually assaulting them and dumping their bodies. Lowell is in prison, and Sheridan is back at work for the first time since his meeting with Lowell. Ward is on the story.

Ward must deal with painful high school memories when it is discovered two of the young victims attended her high school. Sheridan must deal with the quiet looks from people he hasn’t seen since he was in the hospital.

I felt like the high school killings in Heartsick were a secondary story. All I really wanted to know about was Sheridan and Lowell. However, it all comes into perspective when everything is tied together in the end.

I found the relationship between Sheridan and Lowell to be the most interesting and captivating part of this twisted book. Lowell tortured Sheridan for several days, and Sheridan still can’t stop thinking about her. He lost his family, his friends and his way of life, but the only person he cares about is Lowell.

In Sweetheart (2008), the series’ second book, all the main players are back.

Sheridan is still working for the police department, but has made some changes in his life. When a case comes up that resembles his first Beauty Killer case, Sheridan becomes obsessed.

Lowell is still in prison. But not for long. When Lowell escapes, Ward goes under police protection, but Sheridan has other plans. Readers finally get to learn more about the hero and the villain from the books.

Once again, I felt like the case Sheridan was working on fell short in comparison to the relationship between Sheridan and Lowell. I could not wait to finish the chapters that had nothing to do with their past.

Although I thought some of her writing was inconsistent, she always used realistic imagery to convey a clear picture of what was going on.

The third installment, Evil at Heart (2009) features Lowell and the trail of blood she leaves in her wake. Still on the loose, Sheridan and Ward are on the lookout for the beautiful serial killer.

Cain is releasing another book in the series, The Night Season, available March 1. It’s definitely an easy read and relatively inexpensive. The paperback goes for $10, and the digital

e-book copy is even less.

If you’re looking for an adult thriller, this series will not disappoint.

#1.2005567:140784520.jpeg:Chelsea Cain::Photo from www.chelseacain.com

On New Year’s Eve, Binnewies Residence Hall Director Dijon DeLaPorte and his wife left their apartment to spend the evening with two other RHDs. They returned to their apartment to find that it had been broken into.

“I saw the patio door open partially, but didn’t think much of it,” DeLaPorte said.

They left the apartment at 8 p.m. and returned at 2:50 a.m.

The couple’s wrought iron table was sitting legs up, and one of the legs was missing. It was lying on the ground by the glass patio door.

“I saw the broken glass and it clicked in my head “holy crap my apartment has been broken into,’” he said.

DeLaPorte said he called the police and yelled for his dog. Normington, a 14-pound dachshund, was nowhere to be found.

“We saw people and dog tracks leading to the street,” he said.

DeLaPorte said that he and the police deduced that someone broke a leg off of the patio furniture, broke the glass door and woke Normington, who chased the perpetrator(s) to the street before they entered the apartment.

“We spend the next 24-36 hours looking for Normington,” he said.

DeLaPorte said they put up flyers and called everyone from animal control to local businesses.

“People were really helpful, including business owners,” he said.

DeLaPorte was contacted a week later by animal control. Normington’s body had been found in front of the Ford dealership by the Brookings Mall.

“He had wandered across town and didn’t make it,” DeLaPorte said.

DeLaPorte said he and his wife rescued Normington from an unfortunate situation 2-and-a-half years ago and were working with him to overcome his “fear aggression” problem.

“Its ironic that Normington’s problem is what saved our apartment from being emptied and saved the perpetrator(s) from getting into [Binnewies],” he said.

DeLaPorte said he does not think the break-in was specifically targeted at him.

“I questioned at first if it was a personal attack, but I think it was a random incident, a crime of opportunity,” he said.

He said if it was intentional, that it was sloppy.

“I scratched my head for how well it was thought out, if at all,” DeLaPorte said.

Grant Galibraith, a sophomore construction management major, said he thought the perpetrator was someone who thought they could get away with it.”

“No one was in the dorms, it was an opportune time to break in to take something or destroy campus property,” he said.

He said his first two thoughts were concern for his belongings and relief that no one was injured during the incident.

DeLaPorte said Binnewies double-checked doors, windows, and even looked in the basement of the building to make sure nothing else had been broken or taken.

“I still don’t get it,” he said.

DeLaPorte said the SDSU Police Department is still investigating the matter, and so is he.

“I told CAs and student staff in the building to keep an ear open for any more information,” he said.

#1.1918792:4168556641.png:BreakIn5-MORROW.png:Binnewies RHD Dijon DeLaPorte lost his dog because of a break-in.:Collegian Photos by Corey Morrow

A current Students’ Association senator will depart for Afghanistan on Feb. 14, 2011 and return in January of 2012.

Tyler Holmquist, a sophomore agricultural-business major, has been in the Navy since he was 17 years old. He is in the Navy Reserve now.

Holmquist said he joined the Navy because his dad is a member of the National Guard and he wanted to travel the world.

“I thought about joining the Air Force, but I knew I wouldn’t be stationed in Minot, North Dakota if I joined the Navy,” Holmquist said.

Holmquist was deployed before, but was underwater. He said this time around would be different.

“I was active duty for four years, but I was in a submarine,” Holmquist said. “This time, I will be in a country opposed to being on a ship.”

He said he was not surprised about his deployment and expected it sooner than later.

“You have to know joining the military that you will go overseas,” Holmquist said.

Holmquist said he was contacted about his deployment by the leadership of the reserve unit in Sioux Falls. Holmquist said he is nervous about going overseas. He predicts there will be times he will be lonely and other times the experience will be exciting.

“It is nothing like anything I have ever done before,” Holmquist said.

He said he thinks one of the aspects he will miss is knowing what is going on in America.

“It’s like putting your life on hold,” he said. “You lose track of what is going on.”

He said the thing he will miss most about SDSU is merely the everyday life that goes along with being in college.

“It’s not easy to leave everything and go fight a war,” said Hassan Ali, SA senator for the College of General Studies.

Ali said he is proud of Holmquist and proud of his courage.

“He is brave for doing it, and I honor him for it,” Ali said.

Ali and Ty Littau, a sophomore agricultural-business major, said Holmquist is the type of person who stands up for what he believes in.

“Tyler voices his opinion whenever he needs to and represents the students,” Ali said.

Littau said Holmquist represents the university very well and always has a positive attitude.

“His positive attitude is what you see first, and it is the last thing he leaves you with,” Littau said.

Holmquist is involved with SA, the Economics Club and choir. He plans to return to SDSU upon his arrival back in the states.

“I hope Tyler has a good experience while he is over there, and stays safe so he can come back and do what he does best,” Littau said.

#1.1825367:3508635447.png:Tyler.png:Tyler Holmquist, SA Senator, will deploy for Afghanistan soon.:Submitted Photo

If you see a monkey suit anywhere, let Aramark know. Their’s is missing.

Aramark’s Jam program lost its mascot during an early orientation session this past summer, and it has not been seen since.

Jam Rewards is a program implemented on college campuses to rewards students for eating on campus. As students use their meal plans they can be entered into sweepstakes and drawings for cash prizes as well as other things like gift cards and music downloads.

Sarah Bunde, marketing manager of Aramark, said after an orientation session, Amy Warren, director of operations, took off the suit and put it in a durable blue-gray bag in Java City located in The Union. That was the last time JaMonkey was seen.

“That blue-gray bag was huge,” said Andrew LaFrance, former Java City employee. “It looked like a body bag.”

An unlocked door may have been a part of JaMonkey’s disappearance.

“The [Java City] door was not always securely locked this summer,” Bunde said.

LaFrance said after Java City closed someone could have snooped around, seen the unlocked door and taken the suit.

“After Aramark told us about the missing suit, I checked and didn’t notice anything else missing,” he said. “I even counted the tea bags.”

Aramark did not suspect foul play regarding JaMonkey, at first.

Bunde said because of the flooding and construction this summer, they were not sure if the suit had been lost in the shuffle or if theft was involved. After checking all of the possible locations JaMonkey could have been, Aramark came to the conclusion that it was a stolen.

“We have not been very aggressive with the search,” Bunde said. “We were hoping the honor system would pull through.”

Aramark sent flyers to all of the SDSU dining location managers, such as the C-Store, The Market, Larson Commons and Medary Commons.

“Fifteen minutes after a flyer was put up at the C-Store, [the flyer] was gone,” Bunde said.

While various theories of what happened to JaMonkey have surfaced, LaFrance has a few ideas of his own, and thinks the suit is long gone.

Lafrance said he thinks someone either took the suit as a joke to show friends, sold it on eBay or wanted to take something back from Aramark because of how much money students are forced to spend on food.

“I think it is in someone’s garage,” said Chase Bennett, a sophomore computer science major. “I think someone stole it to use as a prank.”

If anyone has any information about JaMonkey, please call 605-929-8112.

There is a $100 reward.

Last year the scholarship faced financial trouble, and this year the number of students receiving the scholarship is on the rise.

Paul Turman, the Board of Regents assistant vice president of academic affairs, said half of the scholarship’s proceeds come from a cement trust fund that is tied into the stock market, and only set up to stand if the market gains. When the stock market turned, the scholarship’s future was in jeopardy.

“This year, the state legislature had to pull $2 million from the general fund to keep the program going,” Turman said.

With funding available, the scholarship is able to support South Dakota students.

The scholarship is for South Dakota high school students or residents who are attending one of 16 accredited institutions, including private and technical institutions, Turman said.

“The students who receive the scholarship must have completed a rigorous high school curriculum and had a C or higher in all of the courses,” Turman said.

However, those are not the only two requirements.

“Students must also have received a 3.0 cumulative GPA and received a 24 overall on their ACT,” said Matt Aschenbrener, assistant vice president of student affairs.

Students who meet these requirements receive $1,000 their freshman, sophomore and junior years, and $2,000 their senior year, Aschenbrener said.

More students than ever are receiving the Opportunity Scholarship.

Turman said a total of 3,383 students received the scholarship this year compared to last year’s total of 3,274. He said the number of new students receiving the scholarship is at an all time high of 1,176.

“An average of 40 percent of the students in the program attend SDSU,” Aschenbrener said.

Jerry Jorgensen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor, said 1,345 students at SDSU received the scholarship so far this year. She said 1,318 students had the scholarship last year.

Once in college, students must still meet certain requirements to keep the scholarship.

Students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA after their first semester and take 30 credit hours each year, Aschenbrener said.

Some students who did not meet the requirements for the scholarship feel the financial loss when they reach college.

Tricia Hofeldt, a sophomore pre-veterinarian student, said she took all the required classes in high school, never had below a C, and maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

“I received a 22 on my ACT,” said Tricia Hofeldt. “I wish I would have taken it again and gotten a higher score.”

Hofeldt said she thinks receiving the scholarship would have helped her tremendously.

Students who did fulfill the requirements appreciate the benefits the scholarship has to offer.

“The scholarship is a nice reward for students who worked hard in high school to qualify, and don’t really get any other financial support from the government,” said Corena Johnson, a junior pharmacy student.

She said the scholarship has opened financial doors for her that otherwise may not have been opened.

“The Opportunity Scholarship helped alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with college,” Johnson said.

She said she feels she works just as hard in college as she did before.

“I study more and work harder in college to maintain the requirements for the scholarship,” Johnson said.

#1.1731059:488202236.png:opportunity-scholarship.png:Many students like Katie Person study hard in high school and through college to maintain their hard-earned South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship.:Collegian Photo by Mackenzie Clayton

Traditions abound once again as Weary WIl and Dirty Lil prepare for their debut this Hobo Day. These characters have been a staple tradition in the Hobo Day festivities for quite some time.

Weary Wil and Dirty Lil have been staples of Hobo Day for decades. With the two colorful characters comes an interesting history.

Weary Wil started as a drawing in 1940 and turned into a person in 1950 said Chuck Cecil, former assistant to the SDSU president. Dirty Lil first appeared in 1976.

“There are two ways to view Weary Wil and Dirty Lil: the costumed individuals chosen every year or the cartoons,” said Matt Fuks, President and CEO of the SDSU Alumni Association.

“Walt Conahan, a 1952 printing and rural journalism alum, was the first living and breathing Weary Willie,” Cecil said

Conahan said in 1950, Western Airlines was going to have its first passenger flight into Brookings and they wanted to incorporate Weary Wil into the flight.

“The homecoming committee thought it would be fun to tie homecoming into that and have Weary Willie come in on the inaugural flight,” Conahan said.

This flight marked the first time anyone had seen Weary Wil in the flesh.

“The plane flew into Brookings before its first official flight and picked me up,” Conahan said. “Then we flew down to Huron, I changed into my Hobo Day garb, and we flew back to Brookings.”

Cecil said 500 students, SDSU’s president and the Bummobile greeted Weary Wil when he arrived.

“At some point, Weary Willie was changed to Weary Wil because Wil rhymed with Lil,” Cecil said.

“The artists definitely drew Wil and Lil as children of their decades,” Fuks said. “Wil is more of a traditional 50′s drawing while Lil is more of a hippie.”

“Each year the current Grand Pooba chooses a man and woman who are homecoming committee alums,” said Nick Wendell, assistant director of the Union.

The identities are kept secret until half time of the homecoming game.

“As former Hobo Day committee alumni, we know this is an important part of Hobo Day and feel honored to have been chosen for these characters,” said this year’s Weary Wil and Dirty Lil. “We hope we are up to the task as we go among the current student group to spark school spirit.”

Weary Wil and Dirty Lil said their identities are kept secret to keep the focus on Hobo Day instead of on themselves personally.

“We are both excited and a little nervous for this week, but we hope SDSU fans will get into the spirit,” Dirty Lil said.

Weary Wil and Dirty Lil said they predict SDSU will win homecoming on Saturday by six points.

“We have our lucky rituals like always eating beans on game day, for protein as you know,” they said in character.

Again speaking in character, Wil and Lil said they will not clean up for Hobo Day because they like to keep themselves always ready for the next adventure and will bring love and peace to shower on all they meet.

Conahan said he thinks Weary Wil and Dirty Lil are representatives of SDSU’s homecoming.

“Weary Wil and Dirty Lil are symbolic of the university’s heritage and perfectly characterize Hobo Day.” Conahan said.

Weary Wil and Dirty Lil can be seen at events during Hobo Week and leading the Hobo Day parade on Oct. 23.

“I think Weary Wil and Dirty Lil make SDSU more unique since we do not have an official homecoming king and queen, and the two characters reflect well on the university and the student body,” Conahan said.

#1.1717801:2152902874.png:Weary Wil:Weary Wil:File
#1.1717800:3354577418.png:Dirty Lil:Dirty Lil:File

The yearly event Miss Homelycoming brings a host of interesting looks and fashions to the stage with one catch: the men are dressed-up as women.

SDSU males have a chance to be a part of a unique beauty pageant this week with one condition: they must be dressed in drag.

“What is better than a bunch of dudes dressing up like chicks?” said Steven Grovenburg, a senior theater major.

This year marks the fifth annual Miss Homelycoming pageant, and it is free for everyone to attend.

The pageant will showcase 8 to 15 men competing for SDSU’s Miss Homelycoming title at 8 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the Performing Arts Center.

“It is one of the most popular pageants on campus,” said Ashton Wenz, the University Program Council coordinator in charge of Miss Homelycoming.

Wenz said around 700 people attended Miss Homelycoming last year.

This year’s pageant is based on the homecoming’s theme Peace, Love and Hobos, so students can expect to see “60s attire and music.

Contestants are judged on swimwear, eveningwear, talent, interview skills and their biography page submitted before the event. Contestants’ overall personality will also be taken into consideration, “except there has to be some interesting outfits along with the outstanding talents,” Wenz said.

Mark York, who holds the 2009 Miss Homelycoming title, said Miss Homelycoming is an easy opportunity to be funny.

“Usually a guy dressed as a girl instantly makes people laugh,” he said.

York said he is ready to pass the “honor” of Miss Homelycoming on, as the event is about more than the title.

“Even if I had lost, it was well worth it,” York said. “It was fun.”

The winner of Miss Homelycoming gets to ride in the Hobo Day parade wearing a sash and holding a sign announcing their title, Wenz said.

“Winners are treated like a real pageant winner,” she said. “They are asked to help with fundraisers and to make appearances in full garb.”

York offered advice to the contestants for this year’s pageant.

“Make sure to look good &- whatever that means for a boy dressing up as a girl,” he said.

#1.1717675:3775160716.png:beautiful.png:Mark York?s dancing skills help him steal the crown in last years competition.:
#1.1717674:3085983820.png:beautiful-4-bw.png:During the last Miss Homelycoming,Tim Goldammer shows off his talent for the judges.:
#1.1717671:1668640725.png:beautiful-2-bw-cutout.png:Mark York wows the crowd with his interview responses.:
#1.1717673:3174394197.png:beautiful-3-bw.png::