The food delivery robots that proved so popular last year are back on campus after Sodexo struck a deal with Starship, the company that provides them.
The food delivery robots made their first appearance last fall and brought a new element to campus. Besides hauling food to hungry students, they added a form of entertainment as students watched them make their way around.
“The robots were first brought to campus to manage traffic and reduce waiting (at the various dining locations around campus),” said Doug Wermedal, vice president of Student Affairs. “We’re always looking to manage traffic.”
The food delivery robots returned Monday, but the options available are limited to start. They will begin with only Erbert & Gerbert’s, and officials hope to add additional food options as the year goes on. The plan is to guarantee that each option is solid and works well before adding a new restaurant in an effort to lower potential difficulties, Wermedal said.
Eli Salisbury, a sophomore engineering student from Marshall, Minnesota, said he’s happy
to hear that the robots are back.
“I will gladly use the robots over waiting in line,” he said.
Brody Brink, a sophomore architecture student from Sturgis, said he’s excited he doesn’t have to worry about cold walks for food as the calendar turns toward winter.
“If those robots can save me from freezing, they’re worth it,” Brink said.
The Starship app allows the use of flex dollars from the meal plans, but it does require a credit card for the delivery fee. The average delivery fee was $2 to $3 last year, Wermedal said. Delivery times last year were as quick as seven minutes but averaged 15 to 20 minutes.
Wermedal said he thinks the delivery time will be faster this year because the delivery range was reduced to include just the internal main campus. The machines will no longer deliver more than a block off campus.
The fleet is maintained at a central location by Starship but is serviced by a group of 12 students. They are involved with repairs of the robots as well as uploading new data and updates, Wermedal said.
The delivery robots can operate all day on a single charge and are brought in to charge only at night by the students, Wermedal
said.
It was common for students and staff to find the robots stuck in almost comedic situations last year. But according to Wermedal, that isn’t going to be an issue.
“People like them, they like helping them,” he said. “I’ve seen many people pull them back on track. We have never had one fully stuck.”
All you need to use these high-tech robots is the Starship app. Once you open the app it asks for a “delivery point” and as soon as you find yours, you’re ready to order.
A t the Oct. 3 Students’ Association meeting, senators were addressed by University Police Officer Scott Roberts, received an update on Starship robots on campus and approved three resolutions.
Officer Roberts:
UPD officer Roberts gave an overview presentation about South Dakota State University crime statistics from last year.
He began his address by listing major felony statistics. Last year on campus there were no murder cases, robbery, aggravated assault or hate crimes reported. However, there were three burglaries, three cases of domestic violence, nine cases total of both in-person and cyber stalking and 186 liquor license violations, 116 of those occurring in residence halls.
In regards to the sexual assault cases, there were two reported rapes on campus last year. Officer Roberts encourages people to speak up, even though it can feel uncom fortable to talk about.
“I want to emphasize on reporting sexual assault,” Roberts said. “I know that this probably happened more, but we want people to feel comfortable and come to talk to us.”
Regardless of these statistics, SDSU is ranked in the top 25 safest universities in the nation. According to the College Media Network, SDSU is currently ranked 22.
Roberts also took the time to discuss the dangers of owning a fictitious (fake) ID.
Roberts said there are different statutes for whether you possess a driver’s license to operate a vehicle on the road or if you have a non-driver ID. Possessing a fake ID is a class one misdemeanor which in South Dakota would be one year in jail for the maximum penalty.
This situation becomes a lot more serious when in possession of a “Real ID.” A “Real ID” is a driver’s license that has a star symbol in the upper right-hand corner.
“Possessing a ‘Real ID’ is a big no-no for the federal government because it’s tam
pering with their security to get in and out of our borders,” Roberts said. “If you have the card with the star, more than likely if the Feds pick it up, you’re looking at 15 years in prison.”
Roberts reported that since the begin ning of the fall semester, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has intercepted 150 fake IDs coming to Brookings.
“We have had an increased amount of identity theft because when you go to buy a fake ID, whatever website you do use … people are giving their information out to people they don’t know,” Roberts said.
During her adviser report, Michaela Willis, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, updated the Senate on the Starship robots starting up on campus again.
“Dining services was first focused on getting the transact mobile ordering up and expanded to more locations, then they were working on getting the starship robots up,” Willis said.
The robots will no longer be delivering Starbucks because of the traffic and how long it took them to cross the street. However, the SDSU Foundation, Enrollment Services and Meadows Apartments will all still be able to get delivery.
“If you’re starting to see them (robots) roaming a little bit, that’s a good sign that we might be getting the Starship up and run ning,” Willis said.
The Senate approved three resolutions Monday.
Resolution 22-3-R expresses the Students’ Association disappointment with corporate Sodexo during the food provider transition and the fall semester so far.
“We are very grateful to the people here on campus. They have been putting in many, many hours … making sure places are open, and it’s just been a struggle with staffing issues, supply chain, a lot of things, so I think this is really important to really express that disappointment with corporate,” Trinity Peterson, College of Agriculture, Food and
Environmental Sciences senator, said.
Resolution 22-3-R passed unanimously.
Resolution 22-4-R is a cautionary res olution to students to warn them about the danger of possessing a fake ID.
“I have seen a lot of students arrested for fake IDs, which is something that is quite disappointing. We don’t want to see students getting in trouble for something that could have easily been avoided. A lot of them don’t know what they’re getting into,” Communications Chair Garrett Satterly said.
Resolution 22-4-R passed unanimously.
Resolution 22-5-R is Students’ Association recognition in October as LGBTQ+ History Month.
“The resolution is pretty straightfor ward. Just commemorates important things throughout history and mentions that diver sity inclusion is part of the national research
plan. And it just reaffirms our commitment to our mission,” Michael Garofalo, College of Arts, Humanities and Social sciences sen ator, said.
Resolution 22-5-R passed with a vote of 25-2.
To read all resolutions in full, follow @ collegian_live on twitter.
Other:
The senate approved the general bud geting philosophy for the fiscal year of 2023.
There is currently a discussion going on about the possibility of getting another scoreboard in Dana J Dykhouse Stadium, on the North side of the stadium across from the student section. Senators will construe to communicate with SDSU athletics about this suggestion
SHELBY LANG Reporter
A federal program that can give college students up to $23,395 a year in financial aid has opened its application period.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid –or FAFSA – program began taking applications Oct. 1. The application period will remain open through the 2023-2024 academic year, but students who file by South Dakota State University’s March 1, 2023, priority date may have better opportunities, according to Beth Vollan, the director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
“I think a lot of our students wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for federal aid,” Vollan said.
The aid from this application can bring in substantial amounts of money for those in need. Janice Minder, system vice president for academic policy and planning for the South Dakota Board of Regents, said that for 2022-23, students who are claimed as dependents can receive $5,500 to $17,395 in financial aid assistance. Students who are not listed as dependents on their parents’ income tax return can potentially receive $9,500 to $23,395.
FAFSA is a program that asks for information about a family’s financial status for all students who apply. This information is then analyzed to dole out an appropriate amount of aid.
Here’s how the application works: Information gathered by the FAFSA includes dependency status, along with parental income if one is a dependent, and student income, along with some other factors. Income and asset information is requested to help determine a family’s ability to pay. Parental income numbers are
required by federal law, and students with more difficult financial situations often get more money.
The Federal Aid Handbook states: “The family is the first source of the student’s support.” Some people criticize the fact that the government uses parental income, and a student may file as independent only if they meet the criteria listed on FAFSA.
“The data collected on the FAFSA is plugged into a formula that calculates an estimated family contribution number for each student which is used to determine financial aid eligibility,” Vollan said.
The index number is determined by all of the information listed on the FAFSA and provides an idea of how much money a student is eligible for.
“For example, if your family contribution is zero, you would receive the highest Pell grant,” Vollan said.
This aid can come in grants, scholarships or loans. For students who were offered loans, the question of when to pay them back is often asked.
“When you take out federal student loans, they stay in what is called an in-school status,” Vollan said. “As long as you remain at least half-time, with no gaps longer than six months, the loans will not need to be repaid until after graduation.”
About 89% of SDSU students receive some sort of financial aid, Vollan said. Statistics provided from 2020 show that 64% of students received grants or scholarships, 49% took out loans and 18% received Pell grants. Most grants and scholarships do not need to be paid back, but loans do.
Tracey Buisker, assistant director of Financial Aid at SDSU, said federal loan amounts have stayed the same since the 1990s.
According to Board of Regents numbers, it costs $9,298.50 in tuition and mandatory fees to attend SDSU this year for an undergraduate paying in-state tuition and taking 30 credits.
“Our office is here to provide information and help students navigate financial aid options as they look for ways to pay for college,” Vollan said.
This program is available for each year a student attends school. Interested students can find the application at https://studentaid.gov. For any additional questions, the Service Enrollment Center on campus can be reached at (800)-952-3541.
Over the summer, South Dakota State University offi cially opened the School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, formerly known as the department of English and interdisciplinary studies.
This is the last depart ment in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to be converted into a school, following the School of Design in 2015, the School of Performing Arts in 2017, the School of Communication and Journalism in 2018, the Ness School of Management and Economics and the School of American and Global Studies in 2019 and the School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Sciences in 2021.
“What we ended up doing was sitting down with other people across the college, including the dean’s office, and tried to decide what programs out there, whether they be academic programs, minors, majors, etc., what programs out there are sort of floating around,” Jason McEntee, director of SEIDS, said.
The school now offers majors in English, with spe cializations in English edu cation and writing, and in interdisciplinary studies. Interdisciplinary studies allows students to combine classes from two or three different majors into one program.
McEntee said officially placing the interdisciplinary studies program in a school increased interest in it as a major.
“In the case of interdisci plinary studies, it took a legiti mate degree, a totally legitimate degree, but for whatever reason the optics of [the school] made it … seem more legitimate in the eyes of our students,” he said.
The new school has also taken some free-floating minors under its umbrella, as well.
“We’re very excited not only about bringing together English and interdisciplinary studies majors and minors, but also because we’ve got some very exciting minors housed in our school now – the women, gender and sexuality studies minor and the film studies minor,” Sharon Smith, an asso ciate English professor, said.
Because many of these programs don’t have affiliated faculty, as well, moving them into SEIDS was less compli cated than it would have been for other programs, according to McEntee.
Another benefit of con
verting the department to the school was increasing student awareness of these programs. McEntee said the number of students enrolled in some pro grams has already doubled or more in a few cases.
“Film studies went from like eight or nine minors, and now we’re at 17,” McEntee said. “And women’s and gender
studies went from three to I believe 18.”
Forming the school also resulted in re-establishing some student organizations like English Club. Myja Miller, president of the club and English major, said the club has received a lot of support and excitement so far.
“The response I’ve seen so
far is nothing but sheer excite ment and enthusiasm,” she said. “All the faculty that I’ve [spoken] with have been 100% supportive of me and the club’s endeavors. All of my friends and peers in the English pro gram have expressed excite ment for any and all activities that we’re hosting.”
Smith said the school is also planning a film series event, starting with “The Lighthouse” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
“This month we’ll be kicking off our film series From Page to Screen that focuses on film adaptations of literary texts by writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson and James Baldwin,” she said.
Each film will be followed by a brief panel-led discussion.
SEIDS will host a kickoff event from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 13 on Sylvan Green by the South Dakota Art Museum. Refreshments will be served and some faculty from the school will be performing poetry readings.
Yik Yak is an anonymous social media platform that initially launched in 2013 and relaunched in 2021. The app, which is available for iOS and Android, allows people to create and view discussion threads within a 5-mile radius. Here are The Collegian staff favorites from around the SDSU community.
In last week’s paper, Tina Birgen’s hometown was incorrectly written as Beresford, South Dakota. Her correct hometown is Brentford, South Dakota.
Story by Jacob Boyko, News Editor
Are you drowsy throughout the day? Are you feeling drained and overwhelmed thinking about your next exam? Is your skin tone several swatches lighter than the last time you wandered into the paint aisle at Home Depot? Are you having trouble recognizing the sad, ghostly appa rition staring back at you when you look in the mirror?
Through all of the stress of the mid term season, many students (and faculty for that matter) shift their focus away from their personal well-being toward the rigorous, unforgiving academic calendar. It’s important to remember to take steps to promote a healthy you—inside and out.
The Brookings area is home to sev eral great outdoor spaces where the stressed-out college student can get out, breathe fresh air, lessen anxiety and just feel better. After all, it’s science!
If you’re short on time, the Dakota Nature Park just south of town is the per fect place to break the monotony. The 135-acre park offers equipment rentals for guests: mountain bikes, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, snow shoes and fishing poles can all be rented for $7 per hour.
Note that a credit card and photo ID are required. The park features trails that wander through the woods and trace the shores of the ponds. You’ll want to have a phone or DSLR camera ready, because you’re almost guaranteed to find something picture-worthy with the picturesque scenery and abundance of wild animals, plants and flowers you’ll encounter.
To find Dakota Nature Park from campus, follow 22nd Avenue south past Hy-Vee and turn right on 32nd Street.
While the name may be funny, the amenities this park offers are nothing to laugh at! If you’re looking for a park within walking distance from your dorm where you can unwind, Sexauer may be the place to go.
The park features a sand volleyball court and a large open green area on one side of the creek, and a walk over the bridge will take you to a quiet campground with towering cot tonwood trees. The park also features picnic tables, fire pits, restrooms and spots for RVs and tents with electrical hookups.
The campground is friendly to drop-in campers, but reser vations are recommended. Call the parks and recreation office at (605)-692-2708 to reserve a space.
Tents are $10 per night and RV pads are $25 per night.
To find the park, follow 6th Street west from campus and turn right on Western Avenue. Oakwood State Park
If you’re heading out to Oakwood, plan on being gone for at least a few hours. That’s not just because of the 20-mile-drive; once you arrive at the series of glacial lakes, Native American mounds, lush forests and miles of trails, you’ll want to spend the rest of your day taking in the sights and sounds.
Since you’ll be remote, remember to pack a lunch and bring plenty of water. One of the most scenic hikes is the trail to Scout Island. Decades ago, it was detached from the mainland, but it has since been connected via a narrow trail. On your hike to Scout Island, you’ll spot pelicans, ducks and deer as well as a series of inter esting plants, trees, fungus and bugs.
You can also rent canoes, kayaks and paddleboards
for your day at the park. If you want to turn it into a weekend adventure, Oakwood has several cabins available to rent as well as a campground for RV and tent campers.
Visit gfp.sd.gov and click on Oakwood State Park to find out about availability. Entry to the park is $8 per vehicle, or free if you hold an annual pass for South Dakota state parks. Campsites with electrical services are $26 per night. Use a GPS service as you drive to the park.
SDSU’s metaverse classrooms are online this semester as professors explore a new frontier of educa tion: virtual reality.
At the cutting edge of classroom innovation is Sara Madsen, a senior lecturer in the department of chem istry and biochemistry. This semester, she’s trying something few instructors have had the opportunity to do: teach organic chemistry in the virtual-reality metaverse.
“My first big challenge was to get enough training in VR to be anywhere near creative enough to build the curriculum,” Madsen said. “I spent probably from March of this year [until now] trying to just get in the headset and learn what’s available to me.”
In the metaverse class, students find themselves in a multitude of settings. They may be in a classroom, lab space, the campus green or even on another planet.
In the first session, Madsen brought her students to a “creator room,” or essentially an infinite space where students aren’t constrained by the size of the classroom or lab.
“Space is an issue because students are taking mol ecules and objects that seem really small at first, but students can make them as big as they want,” Madsen said. “They can make them 100 times their body size, so we go out to these other spaces that give us the space to do that.”
The technology hasn’t been used widely in educa tional spaces yet, something Greg Heiberger, associate
dean for student success in the department of biology and microbiology, hopes SDSU will change.
“It’s going to depend on whether we’re involved,” Heiberger said. “I mean we, as educators. If we’re not involved, it will likely become a consumer product. It’s going to be about clicks, putting things in a basket, checking out and making money, and that’s not the angle we’re taking. It’s how we can add value to your learning, to you understanding concepts, to you having hands-on experiences.”
This semester, SDSU has allocated an anatomy course and organic chemistry course 50 headsets (head sets for 24 students and one instructor for each course) and had them shipped to students. Another six headsets went to the Washington Pavillion, 16 at the American Indian Student Center and 10 in a mobile lab that can be taken to recruitment events.
The university plans to build a “computer lab” space that will house another 24 headsets, Heiberger said.
Earlier this year, SDSU was announced as one of the initial campuses to be built in the metaverse and offer courses in VR. The metaverse campuses are built by VictoryXR, an Iowa-based company founded in 2016 with the mission of finding more interesting ways to educate students.
But convincing people the value of having a virtual reality in education isn’t an easy task.
“Just people comprehending and understanding the concept of what a metaversity is is something that’s lit erally never been done in human history, so people first have to get their head around that,” said Steve Grubbs, VictoryXR’s CEO.
Southern Oregon Community College, another
school partnered with VictoryXR, is exploring academia in the metaverse. There, Vice President of Instruction Ali Mageehon is using the metaverse to supplement in-person classes. This semester, she’s instructing a speech class.
“This is all new territory for us,” Mageehon said. “This week, we’re going to do impromptu speeches within that environment. Then we might do some other formal speeches with students as their avatars, speaking in our lecture hall here on campus, which is not some thing they would normally do here on campus.”
As with any new technology, there are challenges with implementation. Students may forget to charge their VR headsets, may have unreliable internet or suffer from fatigue after prolonged sessions. Madsen is taking note of the challenges and adapting the course as they go.
“My whole objective here by the end of the year is to show that the immersive environment of VR is going to help students have better retention of the material that they’re learning,” Madsen said.
Heiberger sees the VR classrooms and labs as an imperative step for SDSU’s commitment to providing a high-quality education and staying competitive with leading schools across the nation.
“It signals a core component of who we are,” Heiberger said. “It signals the value of South Dakota State University is that we care about innovation, we care about the cutting edge and we care about education.”
For Grubbs, the path forward for education is clear: “Every college and university in the world will have, at one level or another, a metaversity lab or campus.”
Photos SUBMITTED
(Far left) Berg Agricultural Hall found on SDSU’s metaver sity for virtual learning. (Left) The American Indian Student Center will also have virtual counter part. (Below) Students of the online campus will be able to take classses like anatomy and organic chemistry in labspaces like this in the metaversity.
The Pope Pius XII Newman Center hosted a country street dance last Friday to give SDSU students a place to meet each other and introduce them to what the center has to offer.
The event was outside by the Newman Center parking lot and sported lights, big speakers and a playlist made in advance to kick out country songs.
Swing dancing and line
dancing were popular and done in a way to allow students to have a good time and meet new people.
“It is always a good time,” Natalie Kruger, a sophomore sports and recreation manage ment major, said. “I’m glad we have events like this, especially at the Newman, because it gives us an opportunity to hang out outside of a religious setting and just have fun with each oth er.”
According to Luke Carr, a Newman Center ambassador, the event was made possible by the Newman Center, which budgeted enough money to rent the parking lot, while having the UPD there.
“The dance is like a promo tional piece for the Newman Center,” Carr said.
The center hopes to promote its profile on campus by hosting such events.
“We hope that students will
gain friends, have fun and pro mote the Newman Center,” Meg Sheehan, student life coor dinator, said.
According to Sheehan, the Newman Center tries to put on at least one to two events a month so students can get to know each other and grow in fellowship together.
“My favorite part of this event is that the community all gets together to have a good time,” said Jasmine Schilling,
a sophomore human develop ment and family studies major.
“Even if you don’t have much experience with swing dancing, people are open to teach you.”
The Newman Center put on the same country street dance last fall and planned to do an other street dance in the past spring but it was rained out.
Event planners have hopes to host another country street dance in the spring and again in the fall of 2023.
Pedersen taught more than 13,000 students, helped improve SDSU program
ANDREA HUETE Copy Editor (She/Her)Scott Pedersen o cially retired from his duties May 11, concluding a career spanning 46 semesters of teaching and well over 13,000 students in his anatomy courses.
Pedersen completed his undergraduate and master’s degree in biology at UC-Boulder. He then his doctorate degree at UN-Lincoln.
He said that what led him to be an anatomy instructor was his interest in the integration of musculoskeletal dynamics and the generation of musculoskeletal dynamics during fetal development.
Pedersen started working at South Dakota State University in 1999, focusing on anatomy and evolution courses. Over time, he’s taught Anatomy 221, Anatomy 221 Honors, Anatomy 721, Evolution, Developmental Biology, several sections of 494 Internship, 494 Independent Research and Graduate seminar 790.
In terms of developing and strengthening the anatomy course, he integrated cadavers, developing a three-tiered internship program and a newly remodeled anatomy laboratory.
Andrew Ellis, lecturer for the Department of Biology and Microbiology in the College of Natural Sciences, took on Pedersen’s position as a lecturer starting in the spring 2022 semester. However, he was already within the program from 2005 as a lab coordinator. He has been doing it for 17 years, and now he’s in charge of teaching the entire anatomy program.
Before Pedersen was here, SDSU had comparative anatomy, meaning that the class compared the human body parts to that of a rat. en students went into lecture and discussed the human body with detail, Ellis said.
With the arrival of Pedersen came the cadaveric program. Since 1999, there was a need for a coordinator for the lab aspect for anatomy and physiology. Ellis was then added, and he and Pedersen together collaborated on how they can make the program better.
Pedersen said that by integrating cadavers into the classroom, students get opportunities to see them as patients as they are learning. It isn’t something that
people can do with textbooks, plastic models or virtual reality.
“With the establishment of the new lab, we expanded the program from two cadavers to four, with the option to increase that to six if we had to,” Pedersen said. “ is allowed us to expand the Biol721 graduate anatomy course and will provide nursing students with a wider range of anatomical dissections for their review.”
At the end of every semester, they send the two cadavers back down to the medical school where the body donation program is housed. ey then receive two new cadavers so that dissections can start from scratch, Ellis said.
“ at’s what sets our program here at SDSU apart from other universities,” Ellis said.
Radhey Kaushik, head of the biology and microbiology department, said in an annual review that the success of fundraising e orts and the anatomy lab expansion project was largely due to Pedersen’s e orts.
“Dr. Pedersen substantially contributed for student recruitment, training and excellent learning experience in the anatomy program,” Kaushik said.
Ryan Peldo, a junior in human biology, took the anatomy honors section with Pedersen. Every Sunday night during their group meetings, he enjoyed the small group discussions. He mentions that he plans on going onto medical school a er completing his undergraduate. His ultimate goal is to become a surgeon, so understanding anatomy and getting into the dissection team is going to be crucial when he continues his education.
Pedersen complemented the supplemental instruction leaders and the tutors of the Wintrode center.
“ ey are rock stars,” he said. “ ey’ve helped take the material from lecture and re-spun it in a way to help students better understand the course.”
A er the success of the department in which he worked, Pedersen acknowledged the support from various department heads and deans. However, to push the program along, Pedersen mentioned that it came down to working 65-70 hours per week, working on weekends and never taking sick days.
Even Kaushik mentioned, in an annual review, that Pedersen designed
and built an AD-HOC TV studio in SAG-321 from his own resources and old stu available to him. It served him and his students well through the spring 2021 semester. It was built so students could see him and the slides simultaneously without him blocking the image. He could portray facial expressions and gestures that he would normally do when delivering lectures.
“( e) department applauds Dr. Pedersen’s sincere e orts of e ectively delivering lectures and scienti c information to students in a safe environment and with great e ciency,” Kaushik said.
Pedersen is the reason why Ella Dellwo, a pharmacy rst year student, is on the internship team, as he made his lectures as interesting as they could be. Dellwo said that he held everyone’s attention in his class.
Pedersen’s anatomy course occasionally brought up bats within the lecture to make connections. He explained how he connects the lesson with bats.
“Bats are uniquely adapted to ight, and they utilize echolocation,” Pedersen said. “ ere are 1,400 di erent species of bat (only three of which are vampires), and they di er so considerably from each other, in terms of size, diet, behavior and ecology.”
Even though he’s been bitten by a vampire bat, he asks “what’s not to love about bats?”
He will continue to study the anatomy of bats in the immediate future and will be working with his wife, who had received a fund from the National Geographic Society to study bat migration.
He’s currently living in Portland, Oregon, just 90 minutes from both the ocean and the mountains.
“I can walk to dozens of fantastic food venues and microbreweries - such things of which Brookings can only dream of,” Pedersen said.
e anatomy program will continue to make progress in the hands of Ellis. No one is better suited to ll in for Pedersen’s shoes, Dellwo said.
ank you Pedersen for your endless patience, motivation and persistence in helping out the SDSU’s anatomy program.
SCOTT PEDERSEN RETIRED PROFESSOR
“It is evident that Pedersen’s passion and sincere efforts were largely responsible for the success of fundraising efforts, and the anatomy lab expansion project. Dr. Pedersen substantially contributed for student recruitment, training and excellent learning experience in the anatomy program.”
RADHEY KAUSHK DEPARTMENT HEAD
After a tough loss to their in-state rivals, the Jackrabbit volleyball team looks ahead to two more Summit League road games this weekend against Western Illinois and St. Thomas.
The Jacks will first travel to Macomb, Illinois, Thursday to take on Western Illinois before heading to St. Paul, Minnesota, Saturday for their matchup with St. Thomas. Despite both teams struggling this season, coach Dan Georgalas said that they will each present tough challenges to SDSU this weekend.
“Both teams competed with us very well with a five-set and a four-set match last year, so we know we have battles coming up,” Georgalas said.
The Jacks will play Western Illinois for the first time this season. The last time the two teams played was last season in Macomb, a game the Jacks won in five sets.
Western Illinois is led by coach Dale Starr, currently in his first season with the team. They are 0-5 in the con ference and 4-13 overall.
Sophomore Brittany Wulf leads the Leathernecks in kills with 176 this season. Elizabeth Ziegler is second in kills with 148, while Aubrey Putman is third with 137. As a team, the Leathernecks have been outscored this
season, winning 695 total points to their opponents’ 860.
Following their game with the Leathernecks, the Jackrabbits will then head to St. Thomas. The two teams last played Nov. 5 last season in St. Paul when the Jacks beat the Tommies in four sets.
St. Thomas is also 0-5 in the conference and 2-15 overall on the season. They are led by coach Thanh Pham in his 20th season with the team.
Their best offensive players are sophomore Lauren Galvin and freshmen Emma Goerger. They have 178 and 103 kills respectively and are the only players to have over 100 kills this season. As a team, they have also been outscored this season, having won 595 total points
against their opponents’ 846.
“We feel resilient, and we still feel confident,” Georgalas said. “We know we’ve played well, and we are not going to worry about results, and we will focus on the process and what we can control this week.”
The Jackrabbits fell to the USD Coyotes in the South Dakota Showdown last Saturday. SDSU played hard but eventually fell to the Coyotes in five sets (25-16, 23-25, 16-25, 25-22, 10-15). The vol leyball fanbase broke records with 1,524 spectators, the highest-ever volleyball attendance at Frost Arena.
“Not only is it a record attendance, but it’s a 500-fan increase from the last time we hosted USD at Frost Arena,” Georgalas said.
After winning the first set, the Jackrabbits lost the next two sets, as USD started gaining momentum.
SDSU had chances to get the momentum back in the third set, as they quickly scored the first two points. But the Coyotes ended up rallying for six points in a row and eventually won the third set 25-16.
Despite being down two sets to one, the Jackrabbits kept fighting. In set four, the score stayed close even before SDSU began a rally and scored eight points in a row, putting the score at 20-14. This lead was enough for the Jacks to hold on, and the Jacks forced a fifth set.
The two teams battled back and forth early in the fifth set, but the Jacks defense could not stop the Coyotes from pulling ahead late into the set. After a few big kills, the Coyotes led 11-5 in the set, a deficit the Jacks could not fight back from, eventually losing the set and the match.
“You know that margin of victory can sometimes just be an inch, and it seems like they (USD) have been winning that inch these last couple matches and there
are a lot of positives to take away from it,” Georgalas said. “We are knocking on the door.”
Crystal Burk led the team with 18 kills, four aces and two blocks in the game. This was followed by freshman Masa Scheierman, who put up 14 kills, two aces and four blocks. Ella Thompson and Elyse Winter followed with nine kills each. As a team, the Jacks had 53 kills, 50 assists, 12 aces and 10 blocks. The Coyotes had 57 kills, 53 assists, 12 aces and 10 blocks.
The next time the Jackrabbits will return to Frost Arena is to host Kansas City Oct. 13 and Oral Roberts Oct. 15.
It’s rivalry week for the South Dakota State football team as they welcome the University of South Dakota Coyotes Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium at 2 p.m. for the South Dakota Showdown Series.
The Jacks lead the all-time series with a record of 29-23-1 since 1950. USD, however, has won the past two matchups including last year on a last-second Hail Mary pass in Vermillion. Before that, SDSU was on a nine-game winning streak.
SDSU is coming off of a 34-10 win Oct. 1 against Western Illinois. Running back Isaiah Davis led the Jacks in rushing with 199 yards on 27 attempts and two touchdowns. Quarterback Mark Gronowski threw for 188 yards and had one passing touchdown. The Jacks improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play.
“It was good to get a win against Western (Illinois),” coach John Stiegelmeier said. “I thought, for the most part, that all three phases played well enough to get a win.”
USD has an overall record of 1-3 and a conference record of 0-1. They had a bye week this past weekend and before that played host to NDSU, where they fell 34-17. The Coyotes held the lead against the Bison going into halftime but came up short in the second half.
Here’s what to know about each team heading into Saturday’s matchup.
About South Dakota State:
The Jacks have won four games in a row and have
Collegian photos by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her) SDSU cornerback DyShawn Gales tries to intercept a pass to Western Illinois receiver Jafar Armstrong in a Missouri Valley Football Confer ence football game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Oct. 1. The Jacks defeated the Leathernecks 34-10 as they prepare for USD this weekend.started Missouri Valley Conference play 2-0 with wins over Missouri State and Western Illinois.
SDSU is still ranked third in the FCS Coaches Poll behind North Dakota State and Montana.
Starting left guard Mason McCormick was honored this past week with the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week award as he helped SDSU gain 458 total yards of offense last week against Western Illinois. Davis was named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week, as well.
Gronowski leads the team in passing, completing 59% of his passes with 983 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
The rushing attack is led by Davis with 101 attempts for 534 yards and two touchdowns. Gronowski also has 121 yards rushing with four touchdowns on the season.
The Janke twins lead the team in receiving. Both have three receiving touchdowns, with Jaxon having 22 catches for 258 yards and Jadon having 17 catches for 242 yards. Tight end Zach Heins has chipped in 13 recep tions for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive side, the Jacks are led by line backer Adam Bock, who has 43 total tackles with 27 solo tackles. SDSU has six interceptions on the year, all by a different player. The defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times. Reece Winkelman and Max Baloun each have two apiece.
“We’re excited about the game, the rivalry, and we’re excited to get (USD) here in Brookings,” Stiegelmeier said. “We’ve been blessed with really great attendance, and I know it’s a big game for both of us.”
About South Dakota:
The Coyotes started the year at Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas, where they lost 34-0. Their next game was against Montana, where the Coyotes lost 24-7. The Coyote’s lone win on the season came against Cal Poly Sept. 17 with a final score of 38-21.
The USD offense is averaging 15.5 points per game. They are led by quarterback Carson Camp who is com pleting 58% of his passes. He has a touchdown/intercep tion ratio of four to three and 733 passing yards.
Running back Travis Theis leads the Coyotes in
rushing with 321 yards on 65 attempts. He also has three rushing touchdowns. Shomari Lawrence is second on the team with 35 attempts for 210 yards.
Wesley Eliodor leads the team in receiving touch downs with two. He is also first in yards with 175. JJ Galbreath and Jack Martens also have over 100 yards receiving.
The defense has four players with 30 or more tackles. Stephen Hillis leads the team with 39 total while Brock Mogensen, Myles Harden and Dennis Shorter each have 30 or more tackles on the season. Harden leads the team with three interceptions. Linebacker Michael Scott leads the Coyotes with three sacks.
“You love rivalry games,” Stiegelmeier said. “We don’t want to get caught up in it and forget the prepara tion though.”
SDSU will head to Fargo next weekend as they take on North Dakota State in the Dakota Marker game at 2:30 p.m.
The Jackrabbit softball program has a new coach this year, but one thing the team hopes doesn’t change is its winning ways in recent years.
Former head coach Krista Wood took a job with Creighton this past June after eight seasons with the Jackrabbits. During her rebuild of the softball pro gram, Wood had a record of 238-164, along with leading the team to the last two Summit League tournament championships.
Taking her position as head coach is Kristina McSweeney, who took over the team shortly after Wood resigned.
McSweeney had plenty of success at her last job at Arkansas Tech University. During her 10 seasons at ATU, she helped the team to its first-ever Great American Conference tournament title in 2018. Joining her on the coaching staff is associate head coach Josh Bertke, who was with her at ATU for two seasons.
McSweeney felt like she had “kind of hit a ceiling,” winning four-straight con ference tournaments and making it to the regional in the NCAA Divison II soft ball tournament in 2019. While looking for the right place to call home, she took an interview at SDSU.
“I came into my interview and just put it in the Lord’s hands telling him ‘If this is where you want me to be, then this is where I need to be,’” McSweeney said.
When McSweeney got the job, she was very excited about the opportunity because of the atmosphere and environ ment of the university.
Pitcher Grace Glanzer said it was a surprise to everyone when Wood announced that she was leaving, but they did not let it affect them for too long.
“Our team would get Zoom calls going together and just figure out what page we were all on,” Glanzer said.
When assistant coach Brittany Gomez-Olson found out Wood was leaving, she did what she could for the team in the meantime. She said that while there was some worry within the team, they did a great job sticking together.
The Jackrabbits are returning all but one player from last season. The one player who is no longer with the team is infielder Cylie Halvorson, a former Summit League player of the year who
and very high paced,” Glanzer said.
With the changes to the coaching staff, Gomez-Olson’s role as assistant coach has also changed. Although her roles have changed, she is not bothered by it, saying she has a little free reign to help where needed.
“Last year I just worked with the defense, and this year I am working with the outfield and slappers (left-handed hitters),” Gomez-Olson said.
Both McSweeney and Lasley said that it was not a hard transition joining this team, as the team was “very wel coming and including.”
To make the transition easier for the team, McSweeney wanted to become close with the team as soon as she could. This summer, she and Bertke went on what they called the “road to get to know the Jacks.” On this trip, they traveled around South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska to meet the players’ fami lies and answer their questions.
Collegian photo by ZOEY SCHENTZEL (She/Her)transferred to Arkansas.
Despite losing Halvorson, the Jackrabbits also gained another transfer from Arkansas Tech, as junior pitcher Shannon Lasley looks to add to an already-loaded pitching staff.
“We complement each other very well, but I definitely have to work very hard, as no spot is guaranteed,” Lasley said.
SDSU has played a few games this fall against Northern State, Dakota Wesleyan, St. Cloud State and Augustana so far, and Glanzer has noticed some changes in the team’s practices.
“I would say during practices last year it was more breaking things down nice and slow, versus now it is very intense
The team’s recent success does not have McSweeney feeling pressured but rather “challenged.” Her big goal is to make it to the Division I Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, and she wants the team to have the same goal.
“My goal here is to try to take them to that next step,” McSweeney said. “It is a big dream, but I want them to stop thinking so small-minded and look at the bigger picture.”
Gomez-Olson said that last year, the Jacks did not find themselves with run ners on base that often off of hits and added that if the team is able to get more runners on the bases and score more runs, they will have a good shot at the Women’s College World Series.
Not only do the coaches want the team to make it to OKC, but the players do as well. For Lasley on a personal level, she would like to make it to the Division I regional because she has never been there before.
When asked about personal and team goals, Glanzer said that they go hand and hand with her. She mentioned the team’s next big goal is making the Women’s College World Series.
“I want to make it to regionals, but I think our next big goal that we have been talking about is the Women’s College World Series,” Glanzer said. “I mean it’s attainable if we really set our mind to it, and I think just taking it a step further.”