April 19, 2023

Newly elected SA President Nick Grote arrested over the weekend.

Students’ Association President arrested, charged

GRETA GOEDE and JACOB BOYKO Asst. News Editor, News Editor

Newly elected Students’ Association President Nicholas Grote said Tuesday he will not step down from his position after his arrest last weekend.

Grote was arrested at 1:38 a.m. early Sunday morning on charges of possession of a fictitious license and underage purchase or possession of alcoholic beverages, according to an email from Brookings Police Department Detective Adam Smith sent to The Collegian. The arrest took place on the 300 block of 3rd Street at the 24-hour parking lot.

Detective Smith told The Collegian Grote smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.

Grote was taken to the Brookings County Jail, where he was booked and charged. He was released after signing a promise to appear in court, Detective Smith said.

Possession of a fi ctious license is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which could result in one year in county jail, $2,000 in fines, or both.

The Brookings County State’s Attorney posted a list of arrests from the weekend, including Grote’s, on Facebook Monday. The news was also spreading between students on the social media app Yik Yak, where users talked about his charges and speculated about what happened.

Grote said many of the people he’s talked to since his arrest have been understanding.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people and a lot of people … have expressed sympathy just because they’ve been in that situation before,” Grote said.

Grote was stopped by Brookings police after he ran across the street to the 24-hour parking lot across from The Wild Hare in downtown Brookings. Grote said he does not think law enforcement had a good reason to stop him, and said that there is not enough evidence for his charges.

“There’s no breathalyzer,” Grote said. “All there was, was just suspicion from smelling it on me.”

Grote refused a breathalyzer test from the officer, and told The Collegian his blood was not tested.

Grote had no comment on the fictious identification charge.

“I’m just like everybody, just like every other college student,” Grote said. “I really am just in this position to do the best I can for the students while still being a relatable student myself.”

Grote served as a senator for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and ran last month for SA President for the 2023-2024 academic year. He and his vice president, Trinity Peterson, secured a 1212-783 vote victory over Hunter Eide and Carter Howell.

According to the SA code of ethics, members of the Students’ Association must “perform duties in accordance with institutional, local, state and federal rules and law,” while Article V Section 1 subsection 7D of the SA bylaws states “violations of the Code of Ethics shall be grounds for removal from any elected or appointed positions within The Senate...”

At the time of writing, it’s unclear whether Grote’s arrest and charges violate the Students’ Association code of conduct, or could be considered grounds for removal.

The Collegian reached out to one of SA’s advisers, Vice President of Student Affairs Michaela Willis, for clarification. Willis did not have a comment.

During the campaign for SA president, Grote focused heavily on Eide’s ethics violation complaint regarding conduct on the SA Finance Committee. The complaint accused Eide of seven violations (codes 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 12, 13) which include willfully contradicting “the needs or desires of students to serve self-interest,” and criticizing “a colleague before students.”

Grote said during the debate last month: “We (The Students Association)

have an entire list of things you do not violate when you are a senator. I’m sure, Hunter, you know, you violated five … seven of those codes of ethics when talking about [vice presidential candidate Trinity Peterson or myself]. That is something that we will not tolerate in any way, shape or form. That is grounds for removal and that can be really, really bad.”

Grote is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. May 15 . The Collegian plans to continue following this story.

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STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION BRIEF

Club controversy, Senators sworn in

JACOB BOYKO News Editor (He/Him)

A proposed student organization’s constitution was postponed indefinitely at the Students’ Association Senate meeting Monday night, with the club members told to try again next year.

As is standard for the constitutional approval process, the club’s president Princess Baygboe and vice president Elizabeth Galera explained the mission of their club, SELF, or Success Encouragement Love Future, to the Senate.

“The purpose of our club, SELF, is to build a community where people can be themselves and grow…” Baygboe said to the Senate.

The club has held meetings focusing on topics ranging from accountability and planning to relieving stress.

According to club leadership, SELF is made up of current and former Black Student Alliance members, some of whom expressed disapproval for the ways they were treated within BSA by members.

Adonai Ghebrekidan, former president of the BSA, encouraged senators to vote against the constitution at the April 3 SA meeting.

“Members in this organization have already caused a lot of conflict with our organization, especially in the [Multi-Cultural Center],” Ghebrekidan said. “It

would be a mistake to recognize [SELF] as an organization on this campus.”

According to Ghebrekidan, meetings for SELF take place at the same time and place as BSA meetings.

“When we tried to end the conflict by reporting it to our adviser that [SELF] was having meetings in a room that we also have rented out as an organization, our adviser went up to them … and informed them they were not a recognized student organization … He then received a ton of nasty … remarks saying ‘I pay my [general activity fee] funding, you can’t tell me what to do.”

SELF explained the unofficial club needed a place to meet, but couldn’t reserve any -

where yet, and that their members had the time slot open because so many were previously affiliated with BSA.

Ghebrekidan also told the Senate SELF was not allowing BSA members to join the club.

“We’re college students, not middle schoolers,” Diversity Chair Asledi Castillo said. “Drama and hatred toward others are [unacceptable] to me and anyone at [the executive team’s] table. This club would have my complete support and attendance if its constitution were properly written, if they could answer emails more frequently or attend meetings, and if there was no discrimination against other groups.”

Castillo told the SELF members to try again next year “with a more concrete ethical foundation.”

The Senate did not comment or ask questions specifically pertaining to the constitution.

Galera was unable to respond until Sen. Tyler Rasmussen yielded time for her.

Galera said the relationship between BSA and SELF was mischaracterized and the organizations coexisted initially. SELF also confirmed that some members of SELF are actively involved in BSA.

“I have no hatred for BSA,” she said. “They pushed for me to leave … Apart from that, after I left, they asked me for my help with regards to

than kill the motion, we postpone it for a week and have the [executive board and SELF] meet with a secondary person, whether it be one of our personal advisers, somebody within the administration, Vice President (of Student Affairs Michaela) Willis—whoever we feel would be unbiased— meet and figure out where the issue is.”

Senator Rasmussen was the only senator who voted against killing the constitution.

The Collegian is investigating the matter and will provide updates as they’re available.

The Senate unanimously approved constitutions for the Christian Veterinary Fellowship and Men’s Soccer Club the same night.

an event … Members of SELF also participated in helping the event go down after they left.”

Baygboe and Galera told The Collegian the Senate did not approach them about BSA’s claims before the Senate meeting.

“I don’t feel like [the club] was fairly treated because I feel like instead of actually coming to us with these assumptions, they just went off of what everyone else said,” Galera said.

Vice President Trinity Peterson encouraged the Senate to indefinitely postpone the club’s constitution.

“There’s a lot of things clearly going on,” Sen. Rasmussen said of the motion. “I think rather

The Senate also passed two new amendments. 23-1-A updates SA Finance Committee’s confidentiality rules. The amendment states violations of the confidentiality will be grounds for removal.

Amendment 23-2-A allows senators to wear buttons, but not excessively, within 50 feet of and requires campaign polling stations expenditures to be made available to the Election Steering Committee chair within five days of the election and made available to the public within six days.

President Grote also swore in the 2023-2024 Senators at Large.

Collegian photo by Brina Strum (She/Her)

Sentors at Large getting sworn in at Monday nights Students’ Association meeting. Pictured from left to right is Lindsay Condon, Esther Illunga, Carter Howell, Claire Koenecke, Asledi Castillo, Kate Pfeifle, Hallie Kueter, Olivia Schazenbach and Grady O’Neill.

SDSU granted research in sustainable agriculture

Honors students from across the country will be taught by professors from participating institutions about issues surrounding sustainability in agriculture, especially when it comes to climate. While the directors would like to see many different kinds of students enrolled, Cassady hopes that students who have little knowledge about agriculture apply.

KATELYN WINBERG Reporter

South Dakota State University researchers and students will study ways agriculture can change to meet the challenges of global warming thanks to a threequarter million grant.

The United State Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced SDSU as one of the recipients of the $749,977 Higher Education Challenge grant. According to the press release, the purpose of the grant is to, “develop the future workforce in food, agriculture, natural and human sciences fields by leveraging honors education.”

Rebecca Bott-Knutson, dean of the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College, and Joseph Cassady, South Dakota Corn endowed dean of the college of agriculture, food and environmental sciences (CAFES), are the co-project directors. They are working with a team of other land-grant and minority-serving institutions in food, agriculture, natural and human sciences programs, including Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M University and Virginia Tech.

These four institutions will lead the nationwide initiative that was created from the grant: the Justice Challenge.

Cassady said he thinks SDSU was chosen because, “We identified important issues facing our society, put together a national team, and therefore (were) chosen.”

Bott-Knutson said she thinks the program will be a good learning opportunity for students at SDSU.

“[The Justice Challenge] will focus on systems thinking, collaborating with students from other places, and ultimately prepare graduates who are going to take on those challenges in the world,” she said.

“Our growing days in South Dakota agriculture have increased, and it changes what we can grow,” Cassady said. “This project is not trying to prove what is causing climate change. What we’re proposing is how does our food system need to adapt in response to climate change.”

The three-year program began in September 2022 and is scheduled to end in August 2025. To apply, students must complete a simple application, answer a few questions and submit a letter of recommendation. The application can be found on SDSU’s website.

The program will act like a class, and students will participate in an opening colloquium, chosen signature experiences, a field course and an online conference. Students will also get the opportunity to travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma.

These activities won’t cost students, thanks to the grant. The only cost students will have to pay is if they choose to enroll for credits, an option for those who want to fill needed credit hours.

If honors students choose to enroll for credits, they can also apply these toward their honors credits requirements.

“Students could possibly fill half their honors credits,” Bott-Knutson said. “I’m confident they would be able to pick something for their capstone in one of these areas, as well.”

While honors students will get something out of this project, CAFES students will also notice an impact. This initiative is a part of a growing movement of sustainability in the college.

The college recently received an $80 million Climate Smart Ag Grant. Cassady said $30 million of it will go

toward research identifying best practices, and the rest will go toward building a marketing system that would be sustainable beyond the life of the grant.

“A producer may say, ‘I’ve been using best practices, but I don’t get financially rewarded for doing the right thing.’ What we’re looking at is how do we develop financial incentives to reward folks,” Cassady said. “If it’s not profitable, it’s not sustainable.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Rebecca Bott-Knutson and Joseph Cassady are co-project directors for the Justice Challenge.. Students will have the oppertunity to travel and research sustanibility through the program.

SDSU grad student leads judging team to victory as coach

ANNIE REINKE Reporter

Tommy Norman didn’t have a lot of experience before he became the SDSU Livestock Judging team’s coach, but the former assistant coach thinks he’s the right man for the job.

When Brady Jensen announced that he would be leaving SDSU, Norman, a former SDSU undergraduate and current SDSU graduate, found the moment bittersweet and was then shocked that he was being considered for the interim coach position.

“Brady had been grooming me for the past two-plus years to take this opportunity, and I was too invested in the moment to even catch the bigger picture,” Norman said. “In summation, every emotion was felt and dealt with that day. But exhilarating would be the word I’d pick looking back.”

When Jensen was asked what qualities Norman had that would make him a good coach, Jensen pointed to his drive for success.

“I guess big picture, Tommy is driven, a hard worker, and has a high degree of character. He’s very professional,” Jensen said.

Martha Moenning and Grace Olinger, members of the 2022 livestock

judging team, both said they were excited for their mentor to have an opportunity to make an impact on the next livestock judging team.

Olinger recounts confiding in Norman for new and creative ways to speak about livestock.

“For me, he served as a source of creativity and helped me craft statements that demonstrated a lot of complex thought that I could then inject into my reasons,” Olinger said.

When Moenning and Olinger were asked what qualities Norman had that would make him a good coach, both had good things to say.

“He is organized, detail-oriented and thorough, which makes team trips and practices seamless,” Moenning said. “Yet his outgoing personality, witty humor and ability to relate to his students makes him an enjoyable person to be around.”

“Tommy is very understanding when mistakes are made. He makes an effort to understand your perspective and make necessary adjustments when needed,” Olinger said.

The current team has seen early success under Norman’s direction, with top-five finishes at the Northwestern Stock Show and Sioux Empire Livestock Show, and a top-three finish at the

Iowa Beef Expo. The team also won the overall champion team at the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic.

Norman grew up in Luverne, Minnesota, and despite living in town, he started showing livestock in third grade. He credits his start in showing cattle to his great-uncle Lowell Jauert, who owned a show cattle seedstock operation.

“His children grew up showing very competitively and I always remember being mesmerized going to the county fair to watch them,” Norman said. “After Lowell’s kids aged out, he took me under his wing and pushed me to learn about dedication, responsibility and grinding even when you lose sight of motivation.”

With no coaches or mentors, Norman’s early experience in livestock judging is limited. While attending high school he competed in only two or three contests hosted by SDSU.

In fall 2017, Norman began his undergraduate studies in animal science at SDSU. In his junior year, he began his livestock judging career on the SDSU collegiate livestock judging team coached by Jensen.

Most of Norman’s fellow teammates had transferred to SDSU from junior college livestock judging teams and already had two-years of experience.

As an in-house member with little experience, Norman found some of his transfer student teammates intimidating and understood he had to work even harder to earn a spot.

After Norman’s team ended its year of judging with a third-place finish at the North American International Livestock Exposition livestock judging contest in Louisville, Kentucky, he knew he wanted to continue to learn from Jensen and became the assistant coach.

During Norman’s two years as an assistant coach, he began his graduate studies in ruminant nutrition with a focus in growth physiology.

When asked what he had in mind to continue the success and growth of the program, Norman said, “Recruiting well-rounded students that prioritize academic excellence has been my goal when selecting students to be a part of the program.”

Although Norman has a busy schedule as a graduate student and coach, he is focused on finding success at SDSU and making the livestock judging team a program incoming students will find success in as well.

Tommy Norman, a current graduate student studying ruminant nutrition, became the new livestock judging head coach in December.

International student enrollment, application numbers on the rise

KENNETH REBELLO Reporter

South Dakota State University has seen a rise in international student enrollments and applications for both undergraduate and graduate programs since the last academic year.

“Overall, post COVID, since the Fall 2021 semester we have seen an increase in student interests, applications and enrollments for both undergraduate and graduate international students,” Eric Leise, director for international admissions, said. “From the last academic year to this academic year, we have 8.5% more international student enrollments.”

SDSU has witnessed a large increase in international student applications post COVID as travel options during the pandemic made it difficult for students to study abroad.

“With the pandemic, the entire South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) went test optional, which meant that we did not require the SAT or the ACT,” Leise said. “So that being a reason, along with the demand of getting admissions and universities looking to catch up with enrollments following the pandemic is why we saw an increase in number of applications.”

The current academic year witnessed a 52% increase of international undergraduate student applications as compared to last academic year. Fall 2022 and spring 2023 semester received 1279 and 1141 international undergraduate student applications respectively, with a total of 2,420 while the previous academic year only received 1589 applications.

“The Brookings community and SDSU is very safe overall,” Kirsten Linke, international student adviser for the Office of International Affairs (OIA), said. “We have a low crime rate, different amount of resources available for students and additionally we have a really great price point as you pay far less as compared to other universities.”

Many undergraduate international students have connections with SDSU such as a family member or a friend present at SDSU or someone who has referred them have also led to increase in enrollments and applications.

Graduate international students have increased due to making connections with either a faculty adviser at a conference or a professional organization or even meeting face-to-face virtually with an International Admission staff member.

“International students may have acknowledged about how many great programs we have to offer, the accreditation level and the low faculty to staff ratio so

they know they are not typically going into a classroom that has hundreds of people,” Linke said. “You are taking most classes in a classroom with 40 people or less, and I think that is very attractive too.”

The Office of International Affairs along with International Admissions work together with University Marketing and Communications on-campus to bring in more international students through various marketing strategies.

“There’s marketing and then there is recruiting, which sometimes they mean the same thing and sometimes they’re not, “ Leise said. “We work with the University Marketing and Communications office on doing digital marketing such as social media, advertising and search optimizations.”

The recruitment process involves the office of International Admissions traveling around various countries and attending recruitment fairs, visiting high school students, their parents and counselors. They also meet with in-country partners or study abroad agencies to build relationships and help students familiarize themselves with SDSU.

“A lot of that is what we think of as creating awareness about South Dakota State University and creating

familiarity,” Leise said. “Being there in person allows me to make SDSU a more familiar name to those students and partners in that country.”

The office of International Admissions has around more than a dozen in-country partners who help international students apply to SDSU. They currently work with around half a dozen of those study abroad consultants who are active.

These relations have been developed through their own network and other people who work with these agencies. SDSU is also a member of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) that certifies agents as ethical and legitimate in the market.

“We work with professional organizations and certified agencies that oversee these agents to make sure they adhere to ethical standards and practices and are working in the students’ best interest,” Leise said.

At present, SDSU has around 610 international students currently enrolled, which is the largest population of international students as compared to other colleges under the Board of Regents. The top five countries that international students arrive at SDSU are Ethiopia, South Korea, Nepal, India and Kenya.

Photo submitted by KENNETH REBELLO

(Left to right) Tricia Serrao, Sudarshan Choudhari, Kushagra Singh, Abhinay Das, Allen Solomon, Dev Patel and Komal Daund attend last year’s international sash ceremony before graduation.

National Student Exchange enchriches college experience

TORI SCHULZ Reporter

The National Student Exchange is a program that allows students to study at another school in participating schools in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.

NSE Home Coordinator at South Dakota State, Marj Thompson, describes the experience as an opportunity for students to study abroad domestically and enhance their education.

Students will first meet with Thompson and discuss the requirements and the schools that will help them reach their goals. Once that’s done, they will fill out the preliminary application and if approved, it will be sent off to NSE for placement.

The likelihood of getting into the program is dependent on the school and payment type. There is “home pay” and “host pay.” Home pay means students will be able to pay their SDSU tuition, and host pay is the tuition of the school they are exchanging to. The probability of getting into each school on home pay versus host pay is on the NSE website.

Once placed, an acceptance form will need to be signed and students will complete host campus requirements like applying for admissions, sending transcripts and signing up for classes.

Students can do an exchange for a school year or one semester. This can be during the fall, spring or summer.

Isabelle Hesse, a psychology major at SDSU, is doing her exchange at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

“This experience allowed me to learn that there is so much more to life and being able to be outside in a beautiful place makes you so much happier,” Hesse said. “I think this experience was definitely an adventure, but it made my mental health so much better, and I grew so much as an individual. I highly recommend doing this.”

Hesse says the program does come with some challenges though and says it has been a struggle to not have a car.

Kennedy Jaerger, a marketing and apparel merchandising and design

YEARS YEARS

major, is on an exchange from Iowa State also at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

She says it was challenging to ensure the classes she was taking would transfer over to her major at her home school.

Both Hesse and Jaerger want to make the most out of their experience while still balancing their studies. They set aside time each week to study in coffee shops and work on homework. They balance this by saving time to explore the new environment and learn about the culture.

Jaerger said the experience allowed her to learn outside of the classroom about different experiences, cultures and even herself. She has also met new people who she plans to stay friends with after the exchange.

“I also got to experience so many cool things that I’ve always wanted to do like swim with sharks, skydive, go on lots of hikes and just explore the islands,” Jaerger said about her exchange.

Hesse and Jaerger recommend this experience to other students looking to grow as a person or get out and explore. The advice that Hesse would give to someone hoping to do an exchange is to not be afraid to reach out and meet new

people. She says she has met many kind people who are always willing to go do something new.

Jaerger recommends starting to plan an exchange early and thinking about what places will be the best for you. She also says to be open to new friendships

and experiences.

The NSE program is still growing at SDSU, and Thompson hopes that in the future there will be an NSE ambassador program and a bigger presence on social media.

Photo SUBMITTED

Kennedy Jaerger and Isabelle Hesse (middle two) visit Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Hawaii with friends they met in the exchange program.

STUDYING ABROAD: INFO TO KNOW

SUBMITTED

Aurora Venteicher (right) with a friend (left) on a Hamburg boat tour in Germany. Venteicher studied abroad in Germany in fall 2022, studying German, Global Studies and Political Science.

LUCIA PLAGGE Reporter

Eighteen events were held recently in honor of International Education Month at SDSU. These events provide students the opportunity to learn more about education abroad and the international community at SDSU.

For students who were unable to attend, here’s a look at international education at SDSU:

NUMBERS

5 partner universities around the world that have a close relationship with SDSU and exchange students for study abroad.

6 providers that offer students a variety of programs across the world.

24 faculty-led programs this year, led by SDSU faculty, these short-term programs are coupled with a semester-long class.

109 students studied abroad in the last year.

5 Jacks Start Abroad programs planned for Fall 2023, 2 more than last year. These programs provide incoming freshmen an opportunity to participate in a faculty-led program before their college journey begins.

Year Ed Abroad Numbers Other

FA 2018/SP 2019/SU 2019 501

FA 2019/SP 2020/SU 2020 90

FA2020/SP2021/SU2021 0

FA 2021/SP 2022/SU 2022 109

*Covid Pandemic–no students abroad, only virtual programs

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

But I don’t speak the language. According to Cassandra Stangeland, assistant director of Education Abroad, English is the language used for the programs, so students don’t need to be concerned about it.

“A lot of people think that you have to speak the language, but that’s not true,” said Ellen White, a junior majoring in exercise science and Spanish who spent her Spring 2022 semester in Granada, Spain.

Isn’t studying abroad expensive?

There are options to fit a variety of budgets. In some cases, a semester abroad can be cheaper than a semester at SDSU, according to Sally Gillman, director of Education Abroad.

My major has a strict class order.

Gillman strongly emphasized that if a student hopes to study abroad, she will do her utmost to make it happen.

“We will talk to anyone to make sure we get whatever that person wants. We try to tick as many boxes as possible,” Gillman said.

For seniors who would still like to try and make it abroad, she recommends a winter in Paris option, which takes place between the two semesters so as not to disrupt crucial classes.

I’m not sure if I want to spend a whole semester in a different country. There are a wide variety of options available to fit any situation. Below is a brief overview of some of the options SDSU offers.

TYPES OF PROGRAMS:

Faculty Led: Led by university professors, these programs are short-term, usually lasting from 10-14 days. They are accompanied by a semester-long class to help prepare the student for their time abroad. Stangeland recommends these programs because they allow students to become familiar with the material before heading abroad and putting what they

learned to use.

Semester/Year Abroad: Done through a partner university or a provider, this is most likely what the phrase “study abroad” brings to mind. Students take off for another country, and after an orientation, begin their semester or year taking college courses at a university.

Internship: Often done over the summer, this experience allows students the opportunity to hone skills in their desired career field. Gillman says this program is especially valuable in that it helps students have both real job experience and an experience abroad simultaneously, while providing the possibility of a very strong letter of recommendation.

Summer: Usually done through program providers, these last from 6-8 weeks long. For students who are worried about disrupting their major’s class schedule, these are a great option.

And more! There are opportunities to complete research or participate in ser-

vice work abroad. Winter programs are another option and take place in between the two semesters. For those who prefer to stay at home, but would like a global experience, virtual internships are also a possibility.

FUN FACTS UNIQUE TO SDSU

· Unlike most colleges where study abroad programs stem from the business department, SDSU’s education abroad program began in the department of animal science. Gillman said, “It was the agriculture and animal science faculty who decided they wanted to teach a class and then take the students to an international location.” Since then, she added, they have remained heavily involved in getting students abroad.

· Unique to SDSU, Jacks Start Abroad is a faculty-led program that allows freshmen to spend a short time abroad before they begin their college journey. Gillman added that this program gives incoming freshmen a step ahead and allows them to hit the ground running.

STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVES

“I would say it taught me a lot of skills about how to problem solve on the fly,” White said. “It was a lot of learning how to do things by myself, so there was a lot of personal growth in that sense.”

“I think in general it really helped my self-confidence when it comes to being independent,” Aurora Venteicher, a German, Global Studies and Political Science major, who studied abroad in Fall 2022 in Germany, said. “I think in general it’s a really good idea to study abroad. I think it can broaden your horizons and give you insights on new perspectives.”

“Try and befriend a small friend group on campus…but also don’t be afraid to befriend the people that are from the country you’re studying in,” Venteicher said.

“To me, it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s that you go,” Gillman said. “I’ve never had a course abroad that I can’t find a way to get the student credit for. We want to help as many students fulfill their dream of going abroad and either doing an internship or studying there. That adds something they couldn’t get here at SDSU, but adds value for what their career will look like.”

SUBMITTED

Ellen White, a junior majoring in exercise science and Spanish, was in Granada, Spain during spring 2022.

Netflix show, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” raises awareness for autism in Asia

ADNREA HUETE Copy Editor (She/Her)

The Netflix series called “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” aired in 2022. Its creators Yoo In-sik and Moon Jo-won drove the drama, and helped spread awareness through the lens of race, gender and class.

The drama revolves mainly around an attorney named Woo Young-woo. She tackles different challenges in the courtroom. Not only is she a newbie at the top law firm in Seoul, she is a woman on the autism spectrum.

The autism spectrum is like an umbrella that characterizes people by their social cue recognition, hyper or hypo sensitivity to sensory imports and repetitive behaviors and thoughts.

According to Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, assistant director for disability services, April is National Autism Awareness Month, and April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day.

Hartenhoff-Crooks works with all SDSU students who self-identify as having a disability.

“It’s estimated nationally that approximately 1 - 2% of college students have autism and that it would be fair to assume that SDSU’s enrollment is consistent with that number,” HartenhoffCrooks said.“[In regards to majors], we have had students with this diagnosis pursue a wide range of majors across our colleges.”

There are different people who surround Woo Young-woo, and they all have different personalities and characteristics that come to light for the audience. Just like Attorney Woo, we have people who surround us, and they may have either good or bad intentions towards us.

The character that plays Kwon Min-woo is someone who doesn’t do anything when he sees her struggling. Even though Woo Young-Woo has autism, he believes that she is given the upper hand, and this may be due to her ability for recalling information, connecting resources and thinking outside of the box.

Similar to Kwon Min-woo, Choi Su-yeon tries to avoid Woo Young-woo whenever she struggles, and this may be due to the fact that they studied together and Woo Young-woo always came out on top. It’s hard for Kwon Min-woo to avoid Woo Young-woo and not help her out, but because of her conscience, she eventually turns around and tries her best to help her out. Kwon Min-Woo even stands up to the injustice that Woo Young-woo faces by supporting and diverting Woo

Young-woo’s attention.

Lee Jun-ho surprisingly falls in love with Woo Young-woo. It’s nice to know that there is a character that doesn’t mind her talking about whales. He provides acceptance of it when they are both together. While others don’t want her to talk about whales in a professional setting due to her obsessing over it, he doesn’t seem to judge her actions even when she struggles, he doesn’t pity her and grows quite fond of her.

Similar to Lee Jun-ho, we have Dong Geu Rami who is Woo Young-woo’s best friend. I love how they presented their friendship. By creating meaningful relationships, children can grow and develop confidence, socially and emotionally.

When Woo Young-woo was in school, she was bullied and criticized by teachers because of her bluntness and ease of being fooled. Woo Young-woo stuck to Dong Geu Rami because of her aura. She mentioned that she provided her a safety net from others. I suppose Dong Geu Rami enjoyed being looked up to even though she was a huge trouble maker. They became friends and were able to socialize and grow emotionally.

According to Alila Medical Media, people with autism are often stigmatized, bullied and have troubles developing relationships and landing a job.

When Woo Young-woo was just a child, she was capable of reading a full law textbook and memorizing and recalling criminal law. Her father, Woo Gwang-ho, notices this because she was always silent and only spoke when it related to law.

It’s interesting to see how her father tries to build a relationship with her, he even pointed out in the series that raising an autistic child is kind of lonely. I’m sure it was because it might have been a one sided relationship, in terms of expressing emotions.

According to the Asperger/Autism network website, Aria Sky mentions that life for a parent is exhausting, as children have different demands. In terms of autistic people, they have moments where they lack consistent feelings.

Sky said that parents aren’t able to really plan and go to places because their child may have a meltdown. It’s important to break down a cycle and look for different parenting styles to prevent harm to the child. It’s also important to find a community to help provide support in both parent and child disconnection.

We see Woo Young-woo’s father study law to help make connections between them and bring out Woo Young-woo’s character as she becomes more interactive.

According to Alila Medical Media, an autistic brain seems to have more connections than usual and observes all information or most information. In some cases, they fixate on a different object or subject.

Alila Medical Media also said that autistic people may notice details that others do not, but have difficulty following a topic of a conversation or seeing other people’s point of view.

In terms of law, Woo young-woo loves whales, and she seems to have an ah-ha moment when she is experiencing a problem. I like how she is able to bring whales into her daily life. She makes connections and is able to draw out information that others can’t due to her sharp memory.

In the end, the Netflix series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” is a splendid drama to watch. It not only informs you of autistic people’s lives, it helps bring awareness to professionals and women on the spectrum.

April 19, 2023

SPORTS BRIEF

Selland signs free agent contract with Minnesota Lynx

COMPILED FROM GOJACKS.COM

Former South Dakota State forward Myah Selland has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

Selland signed the free agent contract after not being selected in the WNBA Draft April 10. She will report to the Lynx ahead of the first day of training camp April 30. Preseason games across the league begin May 5, and the team’s first game against the Chicago Sky is May 19.

The Letcher native played six seasons for the Jackrabbits, where she ranks second in career scoring (2,167), fourth in rebounding (887) and fifth in assists (452). Selland is the only player in Jackrabbit history to rank in the top 10 in all three categories.

Selland won two Summit League Player of the Year awards and helped lead the Jackrabbits to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2019. She also led the Jacks to three Summit League Tournament championships.

Last season, Selland averaged 16.1

points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. She won her second conference player of the year award and was named to the All-Summit Tournament Team as she helped guide SDSU to the conference title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Selland was also a three-time AllSummit First Team honoree, a two-time Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year finalist in 2021 and 2023 and the WNIT Tournament MVP in 2022.

Selland will be heading to a Lynx team that won four WNBA titles between 2011 and 2017, but they are coming off a season where they struggled. They went 14-22 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

The Lynx had the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and selected Maryland guard Diamond Miller. Their other four picks in the draft were Maia Hirsch from France, UConn’s Dorka Juhasz, South Carolina’s Brea Beal, and Virginia Tech’s Taylor Soule, who faced Selland in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Track sets multiple school, personal records last weekend

South Dakota State’s track teams capped off an active weekend that saw multiple school and personal records broken.

Various athletes competed in three different events, the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and Beach Invitational in Long Beach and the Jim Duncan Invite in Des Moines, Iowa.

Here are some of the highlights of what happened over the weekend.

Bryan Clay Invitational

At the Bryan Clay Invitational, competition started Thursday and ended Saturday.

Thursday, Joseph Minor-Williams started off a series of 10k races by breaking the school record with a new personal best time of 28:43.31, good for 13th place in heat one of the Invite 10k.

Grace Waage led the way in Friday’s 800-meter run, finishing in 20th place with a personal best time of 2:12.29, while Tori Glazier finished 42nd in 2:14.00 and Claire Beckman finished 45th with a 2:14.08. Harley Fischer (2:16.06) and Emma Ecker (2:16.88) each also earned new personal bests.

On the men’s side, Tom Breuckman won his heat in the 800-meter run and finished 64th overall. He ran a personal-best time of 1:50.62, which is now eighth all-time at SDSU.

Saturday, two school records were set. One of them was by Cerington Jones, who shattered the previous record in the women’s 400-meter dash in a personal best time of 53.91 seconds. She took seventh place in the event.

The second school record set was by Reid Pierzinski, who broke his own 400-

meter hurdle record in 50.81 seconds to take second place.

Pierre Lear took second place overall in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.78. In the women’s shot put, Faith Leiseth threw a 44-06.00 to finish in ninth place.

Other high-place finishers were Caitlin Bright, who took 34th with a personal best time of 4:41.10 in the Open B section of the 15,000-meter run and Mya Kizer, who finished 37th with a 4:42.01 for a personal record out of 156 athletes.

In the Open A section of the 15,000meter run, three Jackrabbit men clocked new personal bests. Breuckman finished 23rd in 3:47.98, Carter Knaus came 27th with a time of 3:45.26 and Eli Salisbury ran a 3:52.55 for 123rd.

Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and Beach Invitational

At the Beach Invitational, Matthew Katz won the men’s pole vault Friday with a mark of 16-05.50 while Jaden Peters took third place with a mark of 15-11.75.

Connor Powers won the men’s high jump at 6-05.00, while on the women’s side, Layne Kirkendoll took eighth place in the same event with a clearance of 5-03.25.

Jim Duncan Invitational

The Jim Duncan Invitational was the third event Jackrabbit athletes competed in over the weekend. At the event, many Jackrabbits earned personal bests and top 10 finishes.

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

South Dakota State’s Myah Selland dribbles the ball in a Summit League quarterfinal game against St. Thomas March 4 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. The 6-foot-1 forward takes her talents to Minnesota after a six-year career at SDSU.

Collegian photo by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her)

Former football players donate new helmets

thing finalized in the spring of ’18 to get the non-profit status rolling,” McKnight said.

“It was our way of saying thank you for being awesome at football,” McKnight said.

It was a big deal when the Jackrabbit Former Players Association (JFPA) purchased and donated the white helmets to the football team last season, and Ryan McKnight, president of the JFPA, says to stay tuned for this season.

The JFPA is a nonprofit composed of many former football players that donate to the football team. Ryan McKnight is their current president, and was a former player from 2006-2010.

McKnight said that it was the spring of 2018 when the JFPA officially launched.

“We had the idea in the fall of ’17, and we got every-

They originally started to get a certified tailgate area for game days. It then shifted to “bringing the brotherhood” back to games which followed with fundraising for the team.

“Last year we had 350 [former players] buy in,” McKnight said. “There are 1,600 living alum… If we can get 1,000 guys to buy in every year, the opportunities, what we could do, the power, the momentum, the impact; we can make a huge difference every year just by guys buying back in.”

The JFPA has purchased many essentials for the team ranging from food, practice cameras, gameday sweatshirts and even new gym equipment.

Former head coach John Stiegelmeier appreciates the JFPA’s gestures.

“They’ve helped out in other ways,” said Stiegelmeier, who retired this January after leading the team to its first FCS Championship title. “They had a huge tailgate down in Frisco, and I think there was over 250 former players on the field on our last practice Saturday … but they were there saying we support you.”

Perhaps the most notable contribution to the football team was purchasing the white helmets.

“We asked Stig if he had a wish list, what would be on it?” McKnight said. “He gave us his wish list, and the number one thing on it was new helmets.”

SAM SCHAUER Reporter

The new white football helmets were debuted last season. The Jackrabbit Former Players Association provided the new gear which cost around $60,000.

Collegian photo by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her)

They purchased the helmets in February, and kept them quiet as much as possible to not tip off the players, but Stiegelmeier was let in on the secret. In fact, the JFPA and Stiegelmeier had a little feud over the design of the helmets.

“I wanted the SD on the side,” Stiegelmeier said. “I’m a believer in that, and they battled me as they felt the highlighted rabbit would be better, and I gave in.”

The plan was to show them off after the Iowa game, and the players were introduced to the helmets using a cooler to disguise the gesture.

“It was really cool on how they presented it,” Stiegelmeier said. “He brought out a cooler like he was going to give them some Powerades at the end of practice, and pulled out the helmet.”

And with everything the football team has done and accomplished, they feel the JFPA is a way to continue the support for the team after leaving.

“Our young guys are saying ‘that’s going to be me in two to three years,” Stiegelmeier said.

McKnight also says the opportunity for former players to help and feel like they are a part of the team again is important.

“Whatever happened two to three decades ago, maybe you didn’t play, maybe you blew out your knee, maybe this happened, but you were here,” McKnight said. “You were a part of this, you helped build this brick by brick by brick. The foundation of what we are today … it was built decades before.”

With the success of what the JFPA has been able to do, other former players from different schools across the country have contacted them to ask how they’ve been able to do it.

“Northern Michigan University to Black Hills State to wherever saw what an alumni group can do, and they’ve been reaching out wanting to buy helmets for their guys asking ‘how’d you do it?” McKnight said.

One of those alumni groups that reached out to the JFPA were former players from the University of Sioux Falls.

“When I started talking about this concept for USF, a few friends with ties to Ryan McKnight helped me con-

tact him,” Jason Appel, former USF player from 20012004, said.

Appel said he liked what McKnight had built with former players coming back and supporting the team, and wanted to replicate it. He took over a group that had been formed before and changed it to more what the JFPA is.

Appel adds that they officially formed in March, and are off to a good start with many former USF players buying in.

For the next big project, the JFPA are raising money for locker room renovations, but he also says to stay tuned for this coming football season for another surprise.

“I think you guys will be in for a treat this fall with hopefully another little splash,” McKnight said.

By the Numbers

• The JFPA has raised more than $250,000 in its five-year history

• The new white helmets cost $60,000

• 350 members as of last year

• Membership levels

Standard: $100

Blue Helmet: $250

White Helment: $500

Ryan McKnight, president of the Jackrabbit Former Players Association, speaks to the team before a game.

Photos SUBMITTED

Jacks carry seven-game winning streak

EVAN PATZWALD Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

SDSU’s baseball team has won seven straight games and will look to carry that momentum into its matchup with Waldorf on Wednesday and its series with St. Thomas this weekend. The Jacks swept their series with Omaha last weekend and won 19-11 over Northwestern (Iowa) Tuesday.

The Jacks (14-17, 7-5) currently sit at third place in the Summit League standings behind Oral Roberts, who is undefeated in conference play and NDSU, who sits at 6-3 in the Summit League. St. Thomas is fifth in the league at 3-6 in league play and 5-20 overall.

Their series with the Tommies will be the Jacks’ sixth, seventh and eighth game in a row at home at Erv Huether field. After that, they will be on the road until May 12-14 for a conference series with Northern Colorado.

“Every conference series is big, but I think specifically the home series are really big,” coach Rob Bishop said. “You need to do your job when you’re playing at home.”

SDSU catcher Ryan McDonald was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week after performing well over the week with Dakota Wesleyan and Omaha. McDonald homered in all four of the Jacks’ games last week, batting .500 and compiling a 1.438 slugging percentage. McDonald is leading the conference in home runs with 16 and he is three away from tying the SDSU single-season record held by Jesse Sawyer twice in 2009 and 2010.

“Ryan has big power but the thing about him is he’s a really good hitter that happens to have a lot of power,” Bishop said of McDonald. “He doesn’t strike out a lot, he’s on base if teams pitch around him, he takes his walk and lets the rest of our offense do their job.”

The Jackrabbits had 15 home runs in their three-game series with Omaha

and have hit 58 total through 31 games. SDSU’s bullpen had 20 strikeouts over 12 innings combined in the Omaha series.

SDSU won Friday’s game 8-4 and won its double header Sunday 9-3 and 12-9. Reese Arbogast and Ryan Bourassa combined for 12 strikeouts in Friday’s game and SDSU jumped out to its lead in the sixth inning after scores from Luke Ira and Drew Beazley.

The double header was supposed to be played Saturday but was moved because of weather. When they did play both games Sunday, SDSU hit 11 home runs between both games and in game one of the doubleheader, Jake Goble struck out four hitters over five innings to give him his third win of the season.

“We’re kind of like the Minnesota Twins of college baseball,” Bishop said. “I mean if we get five or six (innings), we’re in a really good spot. Arbo[gast] gave us six and Goble gave us five and really just let our bullpen pitch in the roles that we would like to have them in and we’re pretty good when we’re playing

from ahead.”

SDSU had a high-scoring win over NAIA opponent Northwestern (Iowa) Tuesday. The Jacks won 19-11, with 11 of SDSU’s runs coming in the fourth inning. The seventh inning had 13 total points scored, six from the Jacks. McDonald hit a homerun in his fifth straight game, tying Sawyer for the second-longest home run streak in program history.

The Jacks are back in action Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Waldorf and play St. Thomas three days in a row with no double headers. They play the Tommies Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. in an effort to improve their spots in the Summit League standings with about a month left in the regular season.

The Summit League Baseball Championships take place May 24-27 in Fargo and the top four teams in the tournament will qualify with a spot in the NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

Collegian photos by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her) Reece Arbogast pitches in the Jacks’ 8-4 win over Omaha last Friday at Erv Huether field in Brookings, SD, picking up his first win of the season.

Softball extends Summit mark to 9-0

SKYLER JACKSON Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

After multiple schedule and location changes over the past few weeks, the South Dakota State softball team finally played its first series in Brookings last weekend.

The Jackrabbits faced their rivals North Dakota State at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium and completed the three-game sweep to improve their record to 27-15 overall and 9-0 in the conference.

“(It was) just such a surreal moment,” coach Kristina McSweeney said about finally playing games in Brookings. “Just to see our Jackrabbit fans out there supporting us in not the greatest conditions, but just having that hometown support, there’s nothing like it.”

Now the Jackrabbits are back on the road this weekend, as they are scheduled to head to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota for a doubleheader Saturday and a series finale Sunday.

While the series is currently scheduled to be played in Grand Forks, that could change. UND’s Wednesday doubleheader last week was canceled, and their series with St. Thomas last weekend was moved to Fargo due to unplayable conditions in Grand Forks.

Even though the series was moved, UND adjusted well and won two of the three games against the Tommies. The first was an 18-13 victory and the second was a 9-8 win.

The Fighting Hawks are 8-33 overall this season and 5-6 in the Summit League. Despite the poor record, UND has been playing well as of late. They’ve won four of their last six games and have won their last two weekend series.

Outfielder Madi Moore leads the Fighting Hawks in batting this season with a .320 average and runs scored with 21. Catcher Cassie Castaneda is second on the team in batting average (.308) and runs (18) and leads the team in hits (38). Madison Pederson is the team’s leader in home runs with five and RBIs with 32. She was named Summit League Peak Performer of the Week last week.

UND has struggled with their pitching this year. They are last in the Summit

League in team earned run average at 6.67 and have given up the most hits (374) and runs (296).

“You go into UND with the same type of mindset, play clean defense, pitch ahead and score and be situationally sound in those offensive situations,” McSweeney said. “Those are the big three things that we just keep going back to.”

For the Jackrabbits, they have remained dominant against Summit League competition. They are undefeated in the conference this season and haven’t lost a regular-season conference game in over a year. Their last loss was April 2 last year against South Dakota.

SDSU’s series with the Bison last weekend was scheduled to start Saturday, but it got pushed back a day due to weather.

The Jackrabbits shut out the Bison 4-0 in the first game of the series Sunday, thanks to an impressive pitching performance from Tori Kniesche. She allowed only three hits and struck out nine batters.

Shannon Lasey started the next game for SDSU, the first of a Monday doubleheader, and struck out six. The Jacks scored 10 runs in the fourth inning, propelling them to a 12-3 win in five innings.

Kniesche started the second game of Monday’s doubleheader and posted another shutout. She also allowed only two hits and had 12 strikeouts. NDSU pitcher Paige Vargas was nearly as impressive, allowing four hits and posting seven strikeouts.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning when Jocelyn Carrillo scored on an Emma Osmundson RBI single to give the Jacks a 1-0 lead.

From there the Jackrabbit defense, who has the fewest fielding errors in the conference, prevented the Bison from tying the game and held on to win.

“NDSU was a phenomenal opponent,” McSweeney said. “Super impressed with their 1 through 9 offense and Vargas on the mound was tough for us all weekend. But a huge weekend for us to carry on and continue Summit League play.”

SDSU’s one-two punch of Kniesche and Lasey has been dominant for the pitching staff. Kniesche has a 17-4 record

this season with a 1.72 ERA and 165 strikeouts this season and has pitched 54 and 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Lasey has a 10-6 record with 91 strikeouts and a 3.42 ERA in her first season at SDSU.

At the plate, sophomore infielder Mia Jarecki has a .323 batting average, 43 hits, 32 runs scored and seven home runs

this season, all of which lead the team.

Junior infielder Rozelyn Carrillo leads the team in RBIs (29) and is second in home runs (six).

After their upcoming series with UND, the Jackrabbits will head to Kansas City for a series with the Roos before coming back home to face USD.

Photos by MEGAN GLOVER /GOJACKS.COM

Jackrabbit pitcher Tori Kniesche winds up to throw the ball in a Summit League softball game against North Dakota State. Kniesche pitched two shutouts in the three-game series against the Bison.