Technical difficulties during the Students’ Association elections may have affected the outcome for one college’s representation.

Nicole Schwebach, an SA senate candidate from the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences filed a grievance March 3. According to Schwebach and SA President Brett Monson, Schwebach’s name sometimes did not appear on the ballot, and her picture never appeared.

Monson said the reason for the error was technical difficulties.

Monson said they are looking at options to remedy the error, not ruling out redoing elections for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences.

Schwebach said she understood that technical problems happen to everyone, but said, “I was a little disappointed.”

Schwebach said she hoped elections for her college would be held again after spring break.

Friends mourn the “kind-hearted’ Thomas Bjerke as law enforcement continues to investigate the details of his untimely death.

SDSU senior Thomas Bjerke, 22, was found dead near railroad tracks a half-mile east of De Smet Feb. 26.

According to Kingsbury County Sheriff Kevin Scotting, Bjerke got on the train in Brookings and froze to death after jumping or falling from the train headed toward De Smet. The train did not hit Bjerke.

Scotting said no foul play is suspected.

According to Lt. Derrick Powers of the Brookings Police Department, Bjerke attended the Blake Shelton concert at the Swiftel Center on Feb. 25 and was last seen downtown after the concert.

Powers said Brookings police are trying to determine what led to him ending up near De Smet.

“Our involvement is basically trying to figure out what happened on that night [in Brookings],” Powers said.

Bjerke was from Bradley, S.D., and was a wildlife and fisheries major.

Thomas Artz, a freshman at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, knew Bjerke from playing summer softball together.

“I thought he was a great guy. I’m glad I got to know him that summer,” Artz said. “He was always fun to be around. He livened the moment.”

Klysta Barrie, graduate of Lake Area Technical Institute, met Bjerke through her fiancé. She said that Bjerke was a “kind-hearted guy” who was “very outgoing.”

“He could make me laugh about anything,” Barrie said. “Have you ever heard the song “Jump on it’? He tried to dance to it, and it was the funniest thing ever.”

Several of Bjerke’s friends mourned by posting messages on his Facebook wall.

There will be a funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. March 5 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Clark, S.D.

Executive Assistant to the President Bob Otterson encouraged students who are struggling with this loss to see SDSU’s counseling service, located in the Wellness Center. Student Counseling Services can be reached at 605-688-6146.

Anyone with information about Bjerke after midnight Feb. 26 should contact the Brookings Police Department at 605-692-2113.

#1.2042896:1028846494.png:BjerkeRGB.png:SDSU senior Thomas Bjerke:Photo Submitted by Furness Funeral Home

SDSU senior Thomas Bjerke, 22, was found dead near railroad tracks half a mile east of De Smet Feb. 26.

According to Kingsbury County Sheriff Kevin Scotting, Bjerke got on the train in Brookings and froze to death after jumping or falling from the train headed toward De Smet. The train did not hit Bjerke.

Scotting said no foul play is suspected.

According to Lt. Derrick Powers of the Brookings Police Department, Bjerke attended the Blake Shelton concert at the Swiftel Center on Feb. 25 and was last seen downtown after the concert.

Powers said Brookings police are determining what led to him ending up near De Smet.

“Our involvement is basically trying to figure out what happened on that night [in Brookings],” Powers said.

Anyone with information about Bjerke after midnight Feb. 26 should contact the Brookings Police Department at 605-692-2113.

Bjerke was from Bradley, S.D., and was a wildlife and fisheries major.

Thomas Artz, a freshman at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, knew Bjerke from playing summer softball together.

“I thought he was a great guy. I’m glad I got to know him that summer,” Artz said. “He was always fun to be around. He livened the moment.”

Several of Bjerke’s friends mourned by posting messages on his Facebook wall.

Executive Assistant to the President Bob Otterson encouraged students who are struggling with this loss to see SDSU’s counseling services, located in the Wellness Center. Student Counseling Services can be reached at 605-688-6146.

South Dakota may soon see a new law that originated from a push within student government.

The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony and vote Feb. 17 on whether to bring S.B. 141 to the Senate floor. S.B. 141 is what’s commonly referred to as a Good Samaritan alcohol law. The bill grants immunities and forgiveness for certain alcohol related offenses if someone under 21 years old contacts authorities to save the life of another person or themselves.

SA passed a resolution on Sept. 7 supporting the pursuance of passing a Good Samaritan alcohol law. Afterward, members of SA and Student Federation, a student government body made up of representatives from schools that fall under the Board of Regents, lobbied legislators and tried to find sponsors to introduce the bill.

“We actually ended up getting all of our sponsors on one of the first days of session,” SA Sen. Mark York said. “We went out to Pierre and just talked to them all in the halls, wherever we could find them.”

Sen. Larry Tidemann, R-Brookings, is a sponsor of the bill.

“He was really excited about it,” York said. “We’re happy to have him.”

Tidemann could not be reached for comment.

Sen. Craig Tieszen, R-Rapid City, a retired Rapid City law enforcement officer of 32 years, is a co-sponsor of the bill and chair of the Judiciary Committee. He said he is a supporter of the idea, but has some reservations due to problems of clarity.

“I support the concept,” he said, “I’m concerned that the bill as it’s currently written may be flawed in that the current bill doesn’t make it clear that only minor consumption tickets can be forgiven.”

The bill currently states that immunity is given from “certain alcohol consumption related offenses.”

Tieszen said he is unsure if the bill will pass.

“We have lots of different thoughts here in the capitol. There are people that want to make sure that everyone who can go to jail does go to jail,” Tieszen said. “I know that the legislators I’ve talked to seem to understand the concept and think the greater good will result if we forgive an offense to save somebody’s life.”

York stressed that the idea behind the law is not to get people out of trouble.

“I just think a law that encourages people to leave their seriously ill friends alone in the hall or drive drunk is something that should be look at and changed,” he said.

Five people were possibly denied the right to vote on Election Day after someone from a student-run registration drive failed to turn in voter registration forms on time.

The Brookings County Finance Office received an envelope on Oct. 20 with a return address of simply “SDSU.” The envelope contained nine voter registration forms that were past the registration deadline, according to Brookings County Deputy Finance Officer Stacy Steffensen.

South Dakota State Law states registration forms must be turned in within 10 days of when they are filled out. The forms received by the county were dated Sept. 23 8212; several weeks past the deadline, which is a Class 2 Misdemeanor.

Four of the nine people whose forms were sent past deadline went to vote early on Sept. 29 and 30. The error was noticed, and they were re-registered. Five, however, were never registered. Three of the five non-registrants could not be reached. It’s unclear if they attempted to vote.

Tiffany Krause was one of those five that was not registered. On Nov. 2, she did not get to vote.

According to Krause, she registered with a group supporting Initiated Measure 13, the South Dakota Medical Marijuana Act.

Official Union reservation forms obtained by The Collegian revealed Students for a Sensible Drug Policy and Campus Women’s Coalition were the only groups registering voters on The Union Main Street on Sept. 23.

Lindsay Uhrich was also one of the five students who was not registered. Although she couldn’t remember which group she registered with, she said it was on The Union Main Street by the SDSU Bookstore.

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy’s table was labeled Area 8, which 8212; between the two groups 8212; is closest to the SDSU Bookstore, located directly between the bookstore and eSDSU Laptop Center. The Campus Women’s Coalition was at Area 9, which is located right next to Area 8, closer to the Information Exchange.

Officer Darin Haider, investigator for the Brookings County Sheriff’s Department, said he is working to find the person directly responsible for the crime.

“I haven’t narrowed it down to exactly which group,” Haider said. “I’m not looking to charge a specific group of people or a person in charge of a group of people. I’m looking for the person that mailed these applications in.”

Melissa Beadle, president of Students for A Sensible Drug Policy, said she and the other groups in The Union shared duties in taking in registration forms to the Brookings County Courthouse.

“I didn’t take responsibility for getting the voter registration forms to the courthouse,” Beadle said. “I should’ve taken I bigger role. I always trust someone else (from either Students for a Sensible Drug Policy or other organizations registering voters) to get the registration forms to the courthouse.”

Molly Miles, president of the Campus Women’s Coalition, said they handed their forms off to another group. Though, like Beadle, she was unsure of exactly what group.

Other groups on campus registered voters as well, but not on the day in question. Eric Haiar, SA state and local chair, said SA was responsible for their voter information forms when they registered voters.

Hassan Ali, vice president of College Democrats, said they also were responsible for their own forms as well.

The problem, according to both Haider and Beadle, was organization.

“One central person needs to be responsible for [registration forms],” Steffensen said. “That should be stressed going into the registration drive.”

Although the crime is the equivalent to a speeding ticket, “It’s serious to the person that can’t vote,” Haider said. “It’s unfortunate …”

Krause said she isn’t upset anymore, although she was frustrated on Election Day.

“I thought voting wouldn’t be a problem,” she said. “I wish that one person would have been more responsible.”

Steffensen stressed the importance of taking responsibility for an issue as important as voting.

“I don’t want to discourage people from holding registration drives,” Steffensen said, “but you have to realize that those people are putting their voter registration 8212; their voting ability 8212; in your hands thinking you’re going to those forms where they need to be.”

Beadle said she felt badly about the entire situation.

“My deepest apologies to [Krause] and anyone else,” Beadle said. “It’s horrible. We don’t want students to lose faith in registering to vote on campus. We want it to be credible.”

Beadle encouraged students to continue to register early and on campus for 2012 election.

“We’re going to be more organized next time,” she said.

Krause has her doubts.

“In the future, I am very hesitant to register with a student group on campus,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d do that again.

Jael Thorpe is out to prove that the Midwest can be fashionable and stylish.

“I think that there’s a mentality that in the Midwest we don’t have culture and style,” Thorpe said. “That’s been one of my life goals 8212; to try and really bring that here more and make that more accessible.”

Thorpe, 26, is no stranger to the Brookings community. After graduating in 2006, the SDSU alumnus opened up Jael Photography in Brookings. She also is on the Brookings City Council.

J.Ella Couture is her latest endeavor. Thorpe’s photography studio now doubles as a boutique, housing a variety of stylish accessories and clothing like earrings, bracelets, hats, gloves, scarves, purses, magnets and more 8212; even men’s hats and ties.

Many of the items are one-of-a-kind because they are designed by Thorpe and created here in Brookings with the help of student employees.

“The stuff that I design, I could easily have produced in China, but I like to be able to contribute some jobs to Brookings.”

Thorpe graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. It wasn’t until her junior year, however, that she realized she wanted to own her own business doing something with art or design.

In the tiny, rural town of Gary, Thorpe began her first business venture, taking photos of her friends and her younger sisters’ friends. After graduating, she acquired the photography studio she still uses today behind Cover to Cover downtown at 312 Main Ave.

Thorpe works as a wedding photographer, senior portrait photographer, and commercial photo-journalistic photographer. She describes her style as “photojournalism with a fashion twist.”

“I really try to make people look good but natural,” she said. “I think with a lot of photography, people just look sort of plastic or too retouched. I want it to look like you, but I want you to look really good.”

Thorpe is also active politically. She has served on Brookings City Council since 2009 when she was appointed by Mayor Tim Reed to carry out his council term that he left after becoming mayor. She was elected to the council for a three-year term in April.

“I’ve always been really interested in [politics]. I feel that the place where you can sometimes have the most impact is at a local level. A lot of the things I deal with affect people’s daily lives.”

J.Ella Couture accessories and clothing range in price, and Thorpe pointed out that she offers many gift items in the $5 to $10 price range.

Regular business hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.jael.com.

#1.1825217:3914160087.png:Jael-Ryan-Robinson-2.png:Jael Thorpe, a 2006 SDSU alumnus, has become one of Brooking?s professional photographers. She recently began selling J.Ella Corture ? fashion clothes and accessories, many of which she designs herself. Thorpe says one of her goals is to bring culture and style to the Midwest.:Collegian Photo by Ryan Robinson

It’s official. His name is Jack the Jackrabbit.

The mascot’s name was officially revealed Nov. 12 at the Jackrabbit Birthday Bash. To celebrate Jack’s 105th birthday, cake was served and there were photo opportunities with the birthday mascot himself.

Nearly 4,000 votes were cast in the Nameless No More contest, and Jack received 35.2 percent of the vote, winning the plurality and beating the names Dakota, Jack, JR, Jax, Stater and Briggs.

“I’m glad it’s now officially Jack,” said Matt Fuks, president of the SDSU Alumni Association, the organization that sponsored the contest. “We weren’t surprised. We expected it to be that way.”

Students weren’t surprised either. Many thought the name of the mascot was already Jack.

“I was surprised when I heard there was a contest. I couldn’t think of any other name it would be,” said Joel Ostraat, a senior computer science major. “I thought, “people are going to see [news of the naming announcement] online and laugh.’”

“I would have been disappointed if it had been anything but Jack,” said Cortney Wohkman, a sophomore nursing student.

“I don’t think [the contest] was necessary,” said 1996 alumnus Scott Waltman, who thought the mascot had a name.

Jacob Kaufman, a freshman math education major said he thought the purpose of a mascot is to support SDSU sports teams, regardless of what the name is.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what the name was [to me],” Kaufman said.

Becca Baustian said she “chuckled a little bit” when she first heard about the naming contest. She said her parents, both 1978 SDSU alumni, thought the mascot’s name was Jack.

“I didn’t see what the point of the contest was,” Baustian said.

Fuks said the name of the mascot may not be as obvious as some think.

“Although it might be clear to one group, it might not be clear to another,” Fuks said. “Over the years, there have been lots of assumptions about what his name has been.”

Fuks said that not long ago, some thought the mascot’s name was Jack State, while, in the 80s, Fuks said many just called him “the rabbit.”

“Who’s to say that 5-10 years from now they would have thought his name was something else?” Fuks said, adding that giving him an official name decided by voters was a historic opportunity.

“Really, at the end of the day, it was only right to let everyone have a say in it,” Fuks said. “Letting the stakeholders decide it only leads to greater legitimacy.”

The announcement was preceded by nearly a month long voting contest. Students, alumni and other SDSU stakeholders submitted 883 name suggestions between Oct. 4 and 17. From there, a committee comprised of students, alumni, faculty, university officials and members of the Brookings community selected the six final names that anyone could vote for online. Voting took place between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31.

#1.1782235:1684810819.png:Jack-the-Jackrabbit-Brigitte-Norby.png:Kate Wegehaupt, SA administrative assistant, celebrated Nov. 12 with Jack the Jackrabbit during his 105th birthday party. It was the culminating event to the Nameless No More campaign.:Collegian Photo by Brigitte Norby

Even with a hotly contested U.S. House race that was on the national radar, the smoking ban was seemingly the main concern for SDSU student voters on Nov. 2.

The Referred Law 12 broadens the ban on smoking to include establishments like bars, restaurants and liquor stores. It passed with over 64 percent of the vote statewide and nearly 71.99 percent approval in Brookings County, the second highest of all S.D. counties, behind Lincoln County with an even 72 percent.

Students and residents living on or near campus voted at Tompkins Alumni Center, where Barbara Telkamp, superintendent of the Precinct 1 election board, said turnout was more than expected.

“We’ve been very busy,” Telkamp said.

Of the more than 390 voters at the precinct, Telkamp estimated half or more of those were students.

Senior SDSU agriculture major Deidra McCarthy supported the widening of the smoking ban.

“The smoking ban was the main issue for me,” she said.

Becky Garton, a senior graphic design major, showed up to vote for three issues: the smoking ban, medical marijuana and the U.S. House race.

Garton voted on those three issues but abstained from voting on anything else.

“I never vote for something I don’t know enough about,” she said, “but I think it’s important to vote even if I’m not voting on absolutely everything.”

Republicans swept all statewide elections, something SDSU College Republican Chairman Tyler Holmquist was very happy with.

“I think South Dakota has said loud and clear that’s the way we want to go,” Holmquist said.

Vice President of SDSU College Democrats Hassan Ali, was disappointed, and said the mood of the country played a large role, especially in South Dakota’s U.S. House and governor races. In both those races, the Democratic candidates campaigned as moderates yet still lost to their Republican opponents.

As news editor, you’ll manage reporters, helping them craft their stories and locate sources when needed. Reporters will send their stories to you for editing. You’ll make the necessary changes or ensure the report makes changes then send the story to the newsroom. You’ll also act as reporters when needed.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, you’ll experience the hustle and bustle of the newsroom, editing stories after the news pages are designed. Strong writing skills required.

Visual Editors

Visual editors, you will place page elements using Adobe InDesign. But don’t worry, you won’t only be pushing text boxes around. As a college newspaper, we have more freedom to experiment, and as visual editor, experiment you shall8212;illustrations, graphics, typeface art. You name it, we’re open to it. You are only limited by your skill set.

We’re looking for a range of skills, from those simply comfortable with InDesign to those who can work magic in Illustrator. You’ll be in the newsroom on Mondays and Tuesdays, designing and putting out a visually pleasing product.

Web Editor

Manage, maintain and ensure the excellence of sdsucollegian.com. You’ll prep content on Tuesdays and place all content on the site by Wednesday. Applicants should be tech savvy and know the ways of the Interenetz.

Assistant Web Editor

You’ll help the web editor prepare and place content online. This position would preferably go to a junior or lower who could return the for the Fall 2011 semester.

Sports Editor

As sports editor, you are in charge of the entire sports section. You’ll manage reporters, come up with content, and assign, edit and write stories. Knowledge of sports and strong writing skills are required.

You’ll be down in the newsroom every Monday and Tuesday for production.

Juice Editor

The Juice section is our arts and entertainment section. You’ll find interesting and unique content that fills with the Juice’s slogan of “Culture. Arts. Entertainment.” Knowledge of pop-culture, current trends and a creative mind is a must. You’ll be in charge of the reporters writing Juice stories, and you may have to write stories as well. You’ll be in the newsroom every Monday and Tuesday as well, coordinating with visual editors to create a more artsy-looking page.

Photo Chief

You’ll manage all the photographers and coordinate outstanding photos to accompany our stories. A strong passion for photography is required. You should also know how to edit photos in Photoshop and write cut lines. You’ll be in the office Monday and Tuesday nights.

Opinion Editor

As opinion editor, you’ll find entertaining and well-versed writers to fill our opinion pages. You’ll arrange a rotation of regular columnists and seek out guest columnists. Strong organization and communication skills are required. Adobe InDesign skills are a plus.

Marketing and Branding

This is a new position that would involve a creative, passionate person that could help define the role. You would help The Collegian brand and market itself better. This could be anything from arranging advertisements and posters on campus to thinking of fun events/contests The Collegian could do to better promote itself. You would also manage The Collegian’s social media.

Not what you’re looking for? Perhaps you’d like to consider these more flexible positions.

Reporter

You’ll write stories on a weekly or semi-weekly basis and come to weekly meetings.

Photographers

You’ll take photos on a weekly or semi-weekly basis and come to weekly meetings.

Ad Rep

You’ll sell advertisements and maintain client accounts on a weekly basis.

Ad Designer

You’ll design assigned advertisements on a weekly basis.

Well, election season is nearly over. wlkerwlsarcasm> I’m so sad to see it go wlkerwl/sarcasm> Thankfully, some candidates gave us some great laughs and audibly uncomfortable winces along the way. Here are some of those candidates.

Basil Marceaux Dot Com

He may be crazy or he may be a marketing genius.

“Hello, I’m Basil Marceaux Dot Com,” said the Republican Tennessee gubernatorial primary candidate in an appearance on a local NBC affiliate. Introducing your website as your name is certainly a novel concept. While his name is simply Basil Marceaux, visiting the actual basilmarceaux.com is like taking a trip to crazy person’s webpage circa 1997. It may seem at first like Marceaux is trolling us all, but with claims like “VOTE FOR ME AND IF I WIN I WILL IMMUNE YOU FROM ALL STATE CRIMES FOR THE REST OF YOU LIFE!” and something about the current American flag not being the correct American flag, it’s clearly too weird to be a parody.

Phil Davison stump speech

Republican Phil Davison wants to be treasurer of Stark County, Ohio. I don’t think you understand: he really wants to be treasurer of Stark County, Ohio. He’s angry8212;so angry that, during his stump speech, his voice cracks, he stumbles on his self-proclaimed favorite quotation and he looks like he’s about to either cry or stab somebody … while crying. His angry and aggressive Howard Beale approach to selling himself didn’t get him the nomination, but it gave us some painfully hilarious video.

Rent is Too Damn High

Simple, direct and to the point New York’s Rent Is Too Damn High Party has a simple platform: Rent is too damn high. The party’s founder and New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan made the party’s stance very clear at an Oct. 18 debate, despite audible laughter though his catch phrase (“rent is too damn high!”) was met with seemingly genuine applause.

The party’s stance on gay marriage is also very simple: “… if you want to marry a shoe, I’ll marry you,” says McMillan.

Fun Fact! McMillan also claims to be a karate expert.

She’s not a witch.

She’s not a witch. She’s YOU. Who would have predicted that in 2010 we’d have the issue of whether a candidate is a witch or not? Delaware Republic candidate Christine O’Donnell gained national attention after Bill Maher aired a clip from Politically Incorrect in which a younger O’Donnell admits to taking part in witchcraft as a teen. While she may have only dabbled in witchcraft as a teen (and let’s be honest, what normal, super-Christian, anti-masturbation adults didn’t do a little hocus pocus back in the day? Am I right?) her admission raised more than a few eyebrows. O’Donnell responded with a simple, 30-seccond TV ad that began with the now-parodied phrase “I’m not a witch.”

From now on, should all candidates have to specify they aren’t witches? Yes. Yes they should.

A Walking Parody

Do you like guns? Horses? Inspiring western-movie music? No-nonsense, populist straight talk? If the answers to all these were “darn tootin’” then this Alabama agriculture commission primary ad for Dale Peterson is for you. With an over the top feel and quick camera cuts reminiscent of a Christopher Nolan fight scene, this ad could easily pass as an Saturday Night Live Parody. Sadly, Peterson didn’t get the nomination, so we can only imagine what his general election ads would have looked like.