When I came to SDSU one year ago, I came with a mission. I began my education in South Dakota by taking courses at University Center in Sioux Falls. When I came to Brookings to finish my degree, I realized that taking classes in Sioux Falls had hindered my having a true college experience. So with this realization in hand, I approached The Collegian and proposed a column in which I would write about my attempt to squeeze four years of SDSU experiences in two semesters.

Some of my favorite experiences of the past year include Hobo Day activities, eating at Nick’s Hamburgers, enjoying SDSU ice cream in the newly renovated dairy bar, and taking in my first ever basketball game (I don’t mean my first SDSU or collegiate basketball game. It truly was my first basketball game ever).

Hobo Day is one of SDSU’s biggest events. The past Hobo Day found me dressed as an actual hobo and shaking my bean can for extra money. I made $9 that night. I like to think that I was the inspiration for John Stossel’s recent Freeloaders special on Fox News. There is no way to know for sure, but I did see a conspicuously mustached man following me around all night.

Dining on campus can be an experience and I will leave it at that. Campus does have some gems though. If it’s ice cream you crave then the SDSU dairy bar is your place. The SDSU dairy bar is where cookies and cream ice cream was invented. It’s pretty much the Taj Mahal of ice cream joints.

If dining on campus doesn’t suit you then venture into downtown Brookings. There you will find a plethora of pizza places. Among the pizza places, there is a great little burger joint called Nick’s Hamburgers. Although I generally defer judgment to the Food Network when it comes to naming the best hamburgers in America, I really think they missed the mark on this one. Has anyone even heard of Hemmer Brothers?

Some of the activities that every SDSU student should partake in during their time at SDSU include.

• Climb the campanile
• Tailgate at a football game
• Partake in Hobo Day activities
• Go someplace for spring break
• Join a student activity
• Enjoy some fine SDSU ice cream
• Make a new friend
• Tell your D2L discussion board that you’re not here to make friends
• Visit a professor in his or her office
• Graduate

SDSU has many activities to keep students entertained and occupied. Take advantage of them. Most of all enjoy your time here in Brookings, it goes by fast.

Tony Reiss is an alumnus of South Dakota State University. He received his degree in economics in 2011.

Campus tours are an extremely important part of the college experience. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in an unofficial campus tour. My wife’s cousin asked if we wouldn’t mind showing him and his girlfriend around campus on a recent Sunday afternoon. Us being the kind, gentle-hearted, generous people we are, said yes.

We met Z and M, along with Z’s parents, at The Union. That is where the tour would begin. Our first stop was The Collegian offices in The Union basement. This was a great stop because it allowed Z and M to witness part of the newspaper’s pre-production meeting. It allowed them to be introduced to the editor-in-chief, the managing editor, and the sports editor (at least I think it was the sports editor, his face was buried in a Mac so I couldn’t be too sure).

After the introductions were complete we took the group upstairs and showed them Einstein Bros., Weary Wil’s, and the Hobo Day Gallery. Unfortunately, the Hobo Day Gallery was closed for an event, but we got to show them what I wanted to show them: the Bum-mobile and the photo of President Eisenhower driving the Bum-mobile.

With the important stops in The Union taken care of, we made our way toward the Wellness Center. The folks at the front desk were kind enough to let us walk through without having to scan our IDs. We showed Z and M all of the various workout machines, including the treadmill I use when I workout during Glenn Beck.

Our next stop was Briggs Library where we made the obligatory stop at the model of SDSU and did our best to point out the buildings we had been to (like I said, I have witnessed a lot of campus tours). At the library, we took a little break and answered some questions that Z and M had. It was a good stop for them because people were actually in the library and that it is not a building that needs to be feared.

It started to rain while we were in the library, so we decided it was best to continue the tour by way of motorcar. We all piled into Z’s parents’ SUV for a drive around campus. We drove up to the administration building and Avera Hall. We drove past Crothers, Harding, Lincoln, and Pugsley halls. We drove past the best building on campus: Scobey Hall. We showed them the Ag Heritage Building, Animal Science and the meat sales counter, Dairy Micro and the dairy bar. I think Z and M got a lot out our little tour. I know that Z is coming to SDSU next year and when M graduates high school, I hope she does too.

Tony is a non-traditional student majoring in economics. Reach him at anthony.reiss@jacks.sdstate.edu

One of the places that I did not mention in my abridged list is the birth place of cookies and cream ice cream. I recently visited the SDSU Dairy Bar as part of my odyssey to eat at every dining venue SDSU has to offer.

From my understanding, dining at SDSU is not something that is viewed as a very positive experience. First off, the food is not worth the price you pay. The quality is government grade. Basically, it’s the same food that you were fed in all your years in public school. It’s pretty bland. While campus dining does have different dining options, not all students have access to all dining plans. First and second semester students are barred from purchasing the least expensive meal plans. In fact it is less expensive to eat at McDonald’s three times a day then it is to purchase the meal plans offered to first and second semester students (averaging $5 a meal and removing weekends and holidays).

Some places on campus are worth what you pay for. Generally, these places are not considered dining venues. I speak of course of the meat lab and the dairy lab. The SDSU meat lab has some of the best meat I have ever had the pleasure of eating. The steaks are nice and tender, the bacon is divine, and the Jackrabbit bratwurst is an innovation worthy of a Nobel Prize.

If you’re a Vermontophile you may want to brace yourself for what I am about to tell you next. SDSU’s dairy bar is home to the best ice cream in the country. That’s were cookies and cream ice cream was invented. Cookies and cream ice cream should be considered the pinnacle of man’s achievement. No other innovation comes close to the greatness that is cookies and cream.

A lot of student enjoy the over priced, over flavored gourmet coffee found at the numerous Java City locations on campus, as well as Einstein Bros. and the library snack shack. They all lack in comparison the coffee brewed at the SDSU Dairy Bar. At only 50 cents (the price of a cup last time I was there) a cup, the dairy bar is home to the best cup of coffee on campus.

Dining on campus has allowed me to discover some diamonds in the rough. Medary Commons has a great pita place. I recommend the one with mandarin oranges. The staff is pretty friendly too. At the Market in the union I recommend Pastabilities, mostly because of the clever name. Einstein Bros. has the best (and only?) bagels on campus. The breakfast bagels are fantastic. They also have a pretty good cup of coffee.

There are many options for dining at SDSU. I recommend carefully weighing your options before deciding on where to dine. Unless of course it comes your choice in bratwurst and ice cream; then the choice is clear. Happy eating and happy spring.

Tony is a non-traditional student majoring in economics. Reach him at anthony.reiss@jacks.sdstate.edu

I am not sure what is going on this picture. Or what led me to make this face. If anyone has any information about this night please contact me.

A night of rigorous studying can really take a toll on a person. By the end of the night I was pretty tuckered out.

I normally don’t wear hats indoors but it was a special occasion so I figured it would be okay to relax my rule a little bit. The hat seemed a little small though.

Problems? Yes! I can’t seem to get an Internet connection on this computer, and I need to submit something to the D2L dropbox by 11:59 p.m.

Hey, aren’t you in one of my classes? What did you think of that assignment? I tried to submit it to the dropbox at one of the open computers in Sully’s Computer Lab, but I couldn’t get an Internet connection.

By Tony Reiss

Springtime in Brookings is known for two things: graduation and pub crawl. With graduation about a month away I decided I would spend the night studying. I tried to find a nice quiet place downtown to study. My intentions were good, but my productivity that night is questionable. I have tried to piece together that night from the pictures of me that were taken. Some of it’s pretty fuzzy (a night of heavy reading will do that to a person). I think I am pretty accurate in my description of what is going on in each photo. If you have more information please email me.