“It is the most prestigious jazz festival in all of Europe,” said Nathan Jorgensen, assistant professor of woodwinds and jazz at SDSU. “There are about half a dozen jazz festivals that people would recognize. Montreux is at the top of the list. It’s right along Lake Geneva. It’s a gorgeous part of the world, numerous stages, a multitude of internationally recognized performers.”

In July, those performers will include 16 SDSU students from Jazz Ensemble I.

This is the first time for a group from SDSU to perform at Montreux, which is the second largest annual music festival in the world and draws more than 200,000 people during its two weeks.

A new set will be arranged for the trip to Montreux.

Local jazz fans will be able to hear songs when the ensemble performs at the SDSU jazz festival in mid-April and at the Spring Festival of Music in late April. Admission will be charged to those events to help defray trip costs.

Those costs are considerable — $2,850 per person before institutional grants and department funds were obtained.

That knocked the cost down to $2,500, but still a hefty price for a college student. “In fact, a couple ensemble members won’t be able to go to Montreux because of the cost,” Jorgensen said. “The concerts will help lower the $2,500 trip costs.”

Another fundraiser is a Valentine’s Day dinner dance at the Old Sanctuary at which Jorgensen and several community members will perform.

In Switzerland, the ensemble will perform July 5 and 6 at an outdoor pavilion — Parc Vernex. The 16 students – two drummers, a pianist, a bassist, five saxophonists, four trombonists and three trumpeters – will be joined by two other trumpeters.

Jim Speirs, a 1999 SDSU graduate and a Sioux Falls JazzFest performer, and Cade Calder, both of Sioux Falls, will play with the ensemble.

Jorgensen said the jazz ensemble was selected for Montreux after he submitted a recording of the group from the Spring Festival of Music. Only a couple students graduated from that group, he said. Montreux notified Jorgensen of the selection in mid-September.

His students were aware that their recordings had been submitted.

“Because of the financial commitment from the students involved, I had to ask them if they wanted me to apply,” Jorgensen said. “They all screamed at me ‘yes.’ … We’re really, really excited about this opportunity.”

This is the third SDSU music group making a major trip this school year — the Pride of the Dakotas marching band is headed to Orlando, Fla., for the Dec. 31 Citrus Parade and a women’s choral group will perform in Russia in early June. A couple members of the jazz ensemble are also going to Russia, Jorgensen said.

The jazz ensemble trip dates are June 29 to July 7, 2012. The tour begins with a concert in Munich, Germany. The group then travels south through the Black Forest region to a town called Oberndorf am Neckar for its second concert. Then it’s off to Montreux.

For more information, contact Jorgensen at 605-688-4092 or nathan.jorgensen@sdstate.edu.

South Dakota State University will host the 53rd annual Jackrabbit Stampede Rodeo April 13-15 at the Swiftel Center, east of the Interstate exit off Highway 14.

The rodeo features over 250 college contestants in every event from goat tying to barrel racing to bronc riding. Contestants come from across the Great Plains Region, which is made up of six different states including North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and part of Nebraska.

The Jackrabbit Stampede is one of the largest rodeos in the Great Plains and is also one of the largest college rodeos in the nation, in terms of attendance. Along with having one of the premier college rodeos, SDSU is also home to some of the nation’s top rodeo athletes.

The SDSU men’s rodeo team is ranked 22nd in the nation with the women’s team ranked 24th. Jacque Murray, Isabel, is ranked 10th in the all-around standings and Joe Gunderson, Onida, is ranked fourth in the bareback riding.

Tait Kvistad, Sturgis, is also ranked in the nation, holding the 10th spot, while Murray is also ranked 14th in the breakaway.

For the third year, the SDSU rodeo team will hold an annual horse sale in conjunction with the rodeo to raise money for the rodeo team. Last year’s sale netted $4,000 for the club.

This year’s sale features five horses donated by South Dakota horsemen and women and will be held April 14 with a preview of the sale beginning at 9 a.m. The sale will begin at approximately noon.

The sale features rodeo performance-focused horses from around South Dakota and surrounding states. Their descriptions can be viewed on the web at www.sdsurodeo.org.

For more information on the Jackrabbit Stampede or the horse sale call Terry McCutcheon at 688-5574 or e-mail him at terry.mccutcheon@sdstate.edu.

Admirers wishing to send unique Valentine’s Day wishes can have a high-tech way to woo their sweethearts.

The film society and the TV club at South Dakota State University are sponsoring a Happy Valentine’s Day home video fundraiser.

Anyone on campus or within the Brookings community can participate, said Zeke Hanson, Film Society Vice President.

Prior to the SDSU Film Festival in April, the Film Society wanted to develop a fundraiser that would get students involved as well as raise money for future projects, said Hanson. Valentine’s Day seemed like a good opportunity to do that.

Through Thursday, Feb. 8, people interested in purchasing a video valentine can visit The Union on campus. There, the two groups will have a display for people to place orders.

Those who wish to make a video valentine will have one minute on camera to deliver their message. Group members will film the valentines and then send them to recipients via e-mail or DVD. The e-mail versions cost $10, and the DVD version costs $15 plus shipping.

The fundraiser marks the first of its kind for the film society, Hanson said.

For more information, contact Hanson at (605) 421-9880 or via e-mail at zekehanson@hotmail.com

The South Dakota State wrestlers captured the American College Division title Saturday night, defeating Duquesne (Pa.) 29-12 in the final round of the Virginia Duals.

The Jackrabbits, who improved to 6-2 in duals this season, went 3-0 in competition at the tournament.

Marcus Waters put the Jackrabbits on the board scoring a 18-9 win in the 125-pound weight class.

Sophomore Chris Werth scored a 2-1 victory at 133 pounds for SDSU, while Chad Herrboldt, recorded a pin in 1 minute, 43 seconds.

Sophomore Andy Everson scored a 13-2 victory at 157 pounds, while Nate Althoff recorded a 6-2 decision at 165 pounds.

After Travis Gottschalk recorded a 6-3 victory at 174 pounds, Cody Nehl recorded a pin in 1:18 at 197 pounds for his third pin of the tournament as the Jackrabbits recorded nine pins in the three duals.

SDSU forfeited at heavyweight.

South Dakota State will continue action at home Jan. 22, when it takes on Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. in Frost Arena.

South Dakota State improved to 7-4 against Division I competition with a 58-36 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday night.

Five of SDSU’s first six field goals were three-pointers and the Jacks opened an early 19-6 lead. UWM cut it to 25-20 but Megan Vogel hit a three-pointer to make it 28-20 at halftime. Then SDSU scored the first six points of the second half on a basket by Christina Gilbert and two free throws each by Heather Sieler and Brook Dickmeyer.

Milwaukee closed within 41-29 and it was 47-31 before the Jacks closed the game with an 11-5 run.

Vogel led SDSU with 13 points while Shannon Schlagel scored 10. SDSU was 21-of-51 from the field, 41.2 percent, including 8-for-23 on three-point attempts. UWM shot just 20.8 percent, second worst in school history, hitting 11-of-53 field goal attempts, and was 2-for-19 on three-point shots. UWM’s leading scorer on the season, Nichole Drummond, was 1-for-13 from the field.

UWM had a 39-37 rebounding advantage, but had 22 turnovers, three more than SDSU.

The Jacks, now 13-4 overall, will play at Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.

Members of the SDSU Food Science, Dietetics and Hospitality Club are preparing and serving the meal for the Empty Bowls Dinner and Auction.

The event will be held at the Brookings United Church of Christ on Thursday, Nov. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Money from the event will go to Heifer International, a nonprofit organization working to end world hunger by supplying food sources to impoverished families around the world.

The SDSU club first heard about the benefit from Dr. Lee Frantz, a professor in hotel and food service management.

“The club tries to establish and promote social and professional awareness,” said Jennifer Sneve, club treasurer.

“We often seek out community service opportunities for our members to be involved with. The Empty Bowls project is a great way for us to provide service to those in need. It gives us a chance to put our food service and communication skills learned through classes into use.”

Sneve says although there is no class credit given for involvement in the project, members will be given points for their efforts, which will help them with the annual trip they take in the spring.

“Our goal with this project,” said Janet Mullen, co-chair of the event, “is to get the word out about hunger and hopefully provide an understanding of what the less fortunate face on a day-to-day basis.”

Following in the tradition of Empty Bowls events around the world, participants will receive a locally hand-made pottery soup bowl.

The limited edition ceramic bowls were designed and made by master potter Dave Huebner. He and his wife, Julie, operate Dakota Stoneware in Bushnell located just outside of Brookings.

At the events, participants can fill their bowls with a choice of soups and also enjoy bread, dessert, beverages and fellowship. The bowls are to be kept as a reminder of those who go hungry in the world.

Let your imagination come to life at The Ritz Gallery this fall.

“The Meeting Point” is featured as the first show for the Ritz Gallery’s 2004-05 academic year at SDSU.

The show, which runs through Oct. 8, features 17 of assistant professor Fatih Benzer’s works.

Benzer, who teaches all painting and drawing classes, along with art education and art appreciation at SDSU, describes his works as the application of two different approaches.

“I use my artwork to study both figure and nature to create a fine balance between abstraction and representational,” he said. “I also use what’s called contemporary iconography, which is symbols that are a combination of both western and eastern cultures.”

Benzer grew up in Izmir, Turkey, but has spent most of the last 10 years in the United States, studying at different universities. He received his doctorate in art education from Arizona State University and his master’s degree in painting from California State University.

Norman Gambill, director of the Ritz Gallery and head of the Department of Visual Arts, said Benzer’s talent and diversity is a big asset to SDSU.

“His wide range of American and Turkish artistic experiences brings in-depth diversity to our students at SDSU,” Gambill said.

One of the paintings that will be displayed for discussion is entitled “Catch.”

The two main forms in “Catch” are a fish and an outreached hand. Benzer says to him, the fish represents a feeling of isolation and the hand represents reaching out to hope.

Benzer says that, of the 17 pieces featured in the exhibition, seven or eight are iconographic, like “Catch;” the rest are figure and nature-oriented.

One example of figure and nature is a painting of a street with houses close together, with a huge tree as a backdrop.

“This is South Dakota to me,” Benzer says. “I call it “Appearances #2.’”

Another example is a piece with three figures called “On The Corner..” This one is full of color.

“I like to use different variations of colorful and not very colorful,” Benzer said. “That way I don’t limit myself.”

Benzer will be available for questions regarding his works at the Ritz Gallery during the closing public reception Friday, Oct. 8 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Ritz Gallery is located in Grove Hall, south of the SDSU Student Union parking lot between Mathews Hall and Brown Hall.

The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The South Dakota State University women’s soccer team won its home opener at Fishback Soccer Park Saturday 3-1 over Wayne State (Neb.). The Jackrabbits outshot the Wildcats 41-11 on the day, including a 26-2 advantage in the second half.

Kelsey Worcester, a freshman from Anamosa, Iowa, scored the Jacks’ first goal of the contest, when she scored from five yards out in the first half. Wayne State’s Melissa Benson would tie the game in the second half, scoring off a cross from teammate Mary Anne Liebentrit.

Senior Michelle Rahe then added a goal in the 69th minute to give the Jacks a 2-1 advantage early in the second half. Freshman Lisa Robinson added an insurance goal late in the contest off an assist by freshman Vanessa Paswaters.

South Dakota State goalkeeper Brittan Frazier had nine saves on the day, with all nine coming in the first half.

South Dakota State recorded its second win on teh season, bringing its record to 2-4 on te year. With the win, SDSU ran its home unbeaten streak to 10 dating back to the final game of the 2002 regular season.

In volleyball action, South Dakota State won the first game, but Loyola (Ill.) came back to win the next three in the teams’ opening match Friday at the Jesuit Joust hosted by marquette University.

After the Jackrabbits scored a 30-26 victory in Game 1, the Ramblers fought back to win by scores of 35-33, 33-31 and 30-21. The marathon second game featured18 ties and 10 lead changes. SDSU failed to convert on two game points in Game 2 and thre game points in Game 3 in falling to 4-6 on the season. Chicago-based Loyola improved to 6-3.

Minette Ridenour again led the jackrabbit attack as she posted her sixth double-double of the season with a 24-kill, 22-dig performance. Freshman Krisina Martin, playing near her hometown of Hubertus, Wis., also contributed a double-double with 13 kills and 18 digs.

Seri Aamild tallied a career-high 12 kills and added four blocks in a reserve role as SDSU held a 10-7 blocking advantage.

Another Milwaukee-area native, sophomore stephanie Behm, from Jackson, Wis., ran the Jackrabbit offense with 49 set assists.

SDSU libero Sarah Simet lead all players with 26 digs.

Marquette University swept the Jacks, the next day, 30-25, 30-22, 30-15.

South Dakota State charged back from a two-games-to-one deficit to defeat Boston College in the teams’ finale at the Jesuit Joust hosted by Marquette University.

Game scores were 15-30, 30-26, 22-30, 30-27 and 15-12 in favor of the Jackrabbits, who improved to 5-7 overall. SDSU trailed 11-8 in Game 5 before rallying for the victory.

Kim Bostrom was one of three Jackrabbit players to share team-high honors with 13 kills as she moved to within 25 of 1,000 for her career. Seri Aamlid set a new single-match career high with 13 kills and all-tournament selection Sarah Biggerstaff added 13 kills.

Kristie Klusaw handled the bulk of the setting duties with 40 assists. Sara Doschadis established a single-match career high with 26 digs.

Major renovations to Woodbine Cottage, home to every president of South Dakota State University since 1903, began Sept. 7 and should be complete by this Thanksgiving.

At a projected cost of $450,000, Clark Drew Construction Company of Brookings earned the bid for a complete external renovation of the Queen Anne-style home that was built in 1887.

Dollars to support the project will come from student tuition and fees, said SDSU Executive Vice President Mike Reger.

“Those are the only sources of funds that we have,” he said. “The total cost includes the construction contract as well as all the architectural fees and other fees to the state.”

Renovations to the house will include replacing the cedar siding and installing insulation. The entire front porch will be replaced and extended about three feet for Americans with Disabilities Act specifications.

The existing stained-glass sidelights on the door will be refurbished and preserved. The four columns on the porch will also be replaced and all the windows will be repaired, restored, or replaced on an individual basis.

In addition, the entire front yard will be landscaped with new sod, plants, flowers and bushes. An underground irrigation system and a new walkway will also be added.

The house will not be usable for university functions for the next three months. President Peggy Gordon Miller and her husband, Robert Miller, have relocated to a rental duplex in Brookings.

“Bob and I are so grateful that the building will be saved,” said President Miller. “We have been dedicated to try to preserve Woodbine for future generations. We will work to find other locations for the important business of the university.”

The renovation finally begins after nearly two years of extensive discussions with the State Historical Society and the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission.

Since Woodbine Cottage is on the National Register of Historic Places, renovation meant preserving its historic nature while maintaining it as a living residence -often a delicate balancing act encountered when dealing with historic structures.

“SDSU, in collaboration with the State Historical Society, is doing everything it can to preserve the character of the house, while also trying to bring the facility up to current and maintainable standards,” Reger said. “We are pleased that we finally are getting this project started and we will move as fast as we can to have a functional house.”

Sophomore Minette Ridenour recorded career highs with 26 kills and 22 digs to rally South Dakota State past Saint Martin’s (Wash.) in five games to open the Jackrabbits’ 2004 volleyball season at the Seasider Classic, Friday, in Laie, Hawaii.

The Jackrabbits won by scores of 28-30, 30-22, 20-30, 30-18 and 17-15 in the two-hour, 15-minute match.

Middle hitters Kim Bostrom and Carley Boll contributed 18 and 11 kills, respectively, while freshman Kristina Martin added 12 kills and a .429 hitting percentage (12 kills, 0 errors in 28 attempts) in her collegiate debut.

Kristie Klusaw tallied 48 set assists to go along with nine digs, with Stephanie Behm contributing 18 assists in a reserve roll. Sarah Simet notched 20 digs and three service aces, with freshman Samantha Pearson adding 12 digs.

Later Friday night, SDSU faced Brigham Young-Hawaii, ranked 18th in NCAA Division II. The Seasiders rallied from a two-game-to-one deficit to defeat the SDSU volleyball team in five games. They won by scores of 18-30, 30-26, 25-30, 30-22 and 15-10.

Senior middle hitter Kim Bostrom paced the Jackrabbit attack with 15 kills and five block assists. Minette Ridenour posted her second consecutive double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs.

Sophomore middle hitter Carley Boll contributed a career-high 12 kills and freshman Kristina Martin played another solid match with 10 kills and eight digs. Kristie Klusaw tallied 49 set assists.

Defensively, Sarah Simet led the Jackrabbits with 21 digs, while Samantha Pearson added 13.

University of Nebraska-Kearney, the third-ranked team in NCAA Division II, swept SDSU Saturday in the finale of the Seasider Classic.

Minette Ridenour led SDSU in kills with 11. Kim Bostrom and Kristina Martin also reached double figures with 10. Stephanie Behm recorded 34 set assists.

Defensively, Sarah Simet and Ridenour shared team-high honors in digs with eight.

Hawaii Pacific used a balanced attack to defeat South Dakota State 3-1 in collegiate volleyball action Sunday night.

With the 30-17, 28-30, 30-17, 30-26 victory, the Sea Warriors improved to 6-1 on the season. SDSU dropped to 1-3.

Sunday’s match marked the end of a season opening four-match road swing in Hawaii for the Jackrabbits.

The Jackrabbit offense was paced by Kim Bostrom, who recorded 14 kills. Freshman Amy Anderson came off the bench to record 10 kills.

Sophomore Stephanie Behm notched 41 set assists and Sarah Simet led SDSU defensively with 13 digs.

HPU held a .310 to .103 advantage in hitting percentage and 12-6 blocking edge. The Sea Warriors are ranked 12th in NCAA Division II.