February 15, 2023

February 15, 2023

Karnopp’s Collection

Orientation Director Adam Karnopp boasts a record and CD collection of over 13,000 albums.

STORY, PAGES 6-7

Legislature discusses bills on age limits in brewing classes and a $10 million indoor rodeo arena.

STORIES, PAGES 4-5

Brookings Health Systems completes almost 200 surgeries with robots.

STORY, PAGES 8-9

STORY, PAGE 16

Jacks clintch regular season conference title.

Photo by KELLY WENDELL

Officials are hopeful for Bold & Blue campaign after national success

MADELYN MURPHY Reporter

South Dakota State University Foundation’s Bold & Blue campaign has raised 90 percent of its half-billiondollar fundraising goal and officials are optimistic the giving will continue due to recent events that have put the university on a national stage.

2022 was the third-largest fundraising year in the university’s history.

The Bold & Blue initiative has raised just over $447 million since the campaign began in 2017 and was announced publicly in 2021, raising a large portion of the campaign’s $500 million goal.

“We are always amazed but never surprised of how people respond,” Foundation President and CEO Steve Erpenbach said.

He said that the Bold & Blue campaign could wrap up in early 2024, but that doesn’t mean fundraising is over. Recent events such as the Pride of the Dakotas marching at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the football team’s championship win will “energize people all over the country,” and could encourage more giving from donors, Erpenbach said.

These high-profile events allow donors to see their dollars at work, Erpenbach said.

“They see the difference, that them investing in South Dakota State, at some level, matters,” he said.

Justin Sell, director of athletics, said that events like winning the championship game creates opportunities to connect with potential donors who feel passionate about the university.

“[The football team] could have a tremendously large impact on the giving short term and long term,” Sell said.

The Bold & Blue campaign has four main categories where donors can choose which they want to contribute to: people, places, innovations and ideas.

Of the $447 million that has been donated so far in the campaign, 65 per-

cent of the donations have been donated to people, 18 percent have been donated to places, 12 percent have been donated to innovations, 2 percent for traditions and 3 percent of what has been donated falls into none of the categories, according to Erpenbach.

This “very people centered,” campaign is thriving because of its 27,000 donors, Erpenbach said.

About 93 percent of the donations have come from individuals, while 7 percent have come from organizations. The donations are also split in half between instate and out-of-state donors.

All generations have donated to this initiative from all across the country, and donors are able to see the difference their gifts are making. Many of the dollars that have been donated to the campaign are already at work and impacting South Dakota State, Erpenbach said. The building of the Raven Precision Agriculture Center and an addition on to the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center were possible because of donations given to the places portion of the Bold & Blue initiative.

Currently, Foundation money along with a commitment of $20 million from First Bank and Trust are being used for the construction of soon-to-be-renamed First Bank and Trust Arena, set to be completed in fall 2024. The donation from First Bank and Trust is one of the largest gifts that the SDSU Foundation has ever received, Erpenbach said.

While the new arena will be beneficial for university athletics, Sell said it will support the university as a whole.

“It’s almost immeasurable in terms of the value and the impact on what it does for this university,” Sell said.

Erpenbach also said that this campaign has had a large emphasis on increasing scholarship dollars and growing endowments.

“The Bold & Blue campaign has raised more than $447 million to include $145 million for student scholarships and a $214 million endowment value,”

President Barry Dunn said.

With this level of success, Erpenbach said that for the 2022-2023 school year, the highest value ever of student scholarships was given out, showing donors’ interest in investing in students and faculty.

“There is not a college or part of the university that isn’t touched every year by private gifts,” Erpenbach said.

After six years of fundraising for the Bold & Blue campaign, donations have nearly doubled in monetary amount compared to the last campaign ran by the Foundation from 2007-2013.

“The generosity of our donors from a national perspective is unbelievable,” Sell said. “For a school our size, to raise as much as we have, to do the projects that we have, in a private way, is not seen

very many places, if any at all.”

Erpenbach said that big ideas developed by the university are what encourages donors to keep contributing to the school.

“Whether it be raising funds for new or upgraded facilities, enhancing the number of endowed positions at SDSU or fundraising for student scholarships, the SDSU Foundation stretches across all areas of campus to help ensure our success,” Dunn said.

With the Bold & Blue campaign entering its later stages of fundraising and nearing its $500 million goal, Erpenbach emphasized that, “We want everyone to feel that regardless of the size of the gift, they are a part of something really big.”

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION BRIEF

Running mates turn rivals, crisis counseling online

JACOB BOYKO News Editor (He/Him)

A short-lived Students’ Association campaign for president and vice president fizzled late last week. Now, the former running mates are facing off on competing tickets.

Hunter Eide, junior human biology major, and Trinity Peterson, sophomore political science and agriculture education double major, were set to run together for president and vice president, respectively. SA Communications Chair Garrett Satterly announced their withdrawal Friday afternoon.

“We want to make it clear there are no hard feelings between the two of us, and we look forward to working together in the future, just not in this capacity,” the campaign said on social media.

Eide’s new running mate for his presidential campaign is Carter Howell, a sophomore agricultural business and business economics double major. Howell does not currently hold a seat in the Senate.

Peterson joined Nick Grote’s presidential campaign. Grote is a sophomore business economics and entrepreneurial studies major.

Avel eCare

Doug Wermedal, associate vice president for student affairs, and Gregory Wasberg, assistant director of counseling, overviewed SDSU’s new initiative to provide on-the-spot access to a 24/7 behavioral health crisis team.

Wermedal said the implementation of Avel eCare will help “find the intersection” between serving student health needs and providing relief to staff counselors.

“You’ve got a staff that’s at capacity combined with intensifying [student] needs,” Wermedal said.

The service, which is already in use by law enforcement in 42 South Dakota counties, is accessed via a smart tablet. For SDSU counselors, this means that they won’t have to travel to campus after hours when they’re “on call” to assess students’ risk of self harm or suicide.

“Its essential function is to prevent that on-call [counselor] from being necessary right away that night,” Wermedal said. “We need our staff to fully disengage from the work. And if they’re on duty electronically … we’ve done nothing for them in terms of stopping the work. The best thing you can do for a student’s counseling experience is to treat the counseling staff well. Exhausted counselors don’t counsel students well.”

Students can access the crisis line via 111 from a campus landline or 605-688-5117 from anywhere else.

“The officer comes and presents [the student] with an iPad … and hands it to the student and logs in to the Avel eCare system,” Wasberg said. “Then the officer will step away, giving that student privacy. They will meet with the healthcare representative and they will conduct a safety assessment and then also develop a safety plan. The Avel representative will then discuss the safety plan with the officer and make that information available to [the counseling center] the next morning.”

Wasburg said one benefit of the service is that over 90% of the people who used it were able to stay in their homes.

“When a person is in crisis, being able to feel that connection … even though it’s over an iPad, the immediacy of that is a real upgrade for students,” Wermedal said. “This is just designed to establish the safety plan and bridge them to that appointment the next day.”

Service for SDSU students began Feb. 14.

Clubs:

Students representing the newly-formed Ski and Snowboard Club presented their plan to the Senate. The club plans to host workouts related to skiing and snowboarding, watch related movies and take trips to local ski spots. Membership dues will be between $10 and $15 to help cover costs including lift tickets and transportation. The Senate unanimously approved the club’s constitution.

Isaac Berg, president of the Collegiate Cattleman’s Club, also presented to the Senate. The junior animal science major said his club will feature speakers, presentations, panels and tours of packing plants, cow-calf operations and feedlots.

The club’s mission is to “stimulate student interest in the beef industry,” the club constitution reads. The club expects 30 to 40 students will attend initial meetings. The Collegiate Cattleman’s Club will collect dues to fund travel to club events and conventions.

Other business:

The Senate passed four resolutions and one amendment.

Resolution 22-21-R expresses SA’s support of South Dakota Senate Bill 118. SB 118 will subsidize a portion of a teachers’ college education. Resolution 22-21-R passed unanimously.

Amendment 22-22-A adjusts the start days of the SA Senate term. Previously, the second Monday of April was the first meeting of the new Senate. The amendment adjusted the term timeline to begin two Mondays following the election.

Resolution 22-23-R recognizes SDSU football coach John Stiegelmeier’s accomplishments throughout his career. Accomplishments noted include Stiegelmeier being named North Central Conference Coach of the Year in 1999, his focus on “classroom excellence” and earning the Missouri Valley Conference Team Academic Award ten times since joining the league in 2008, and for leading the Jackrabbits to its first FCS championship.

Resolution 22-23-R passed unanimously.

Resolution 22-25-R expresses SA’s support for SB 108, which provides “an educational exception to consumption prohibitions for persons over eighteen years of age who are required to taste an alcoholic beverage as part of a course.” The resolution passed unanimously.

Resolution 23-26-R affirmed SA’s recognition of Black History Month. The resolution passed unanimously.

Collegian photo by JACOB BOYKO (He/Him) This handout was passed around to attendees of the meeting.

Bill about fermentation classes passes Senate

JORDAN RUSCHE Co-Editor-in-Chief (She/Her)

A bill that would allow 18 to 20 year olds to participate in college classes teaching about alcohol production and fermentation passed its second reading in the Senate Tuesday.

Senate Bill 108 alters existing legislation created last year, which states no one under 21 is allowed to enroll in these classes or taste any alcoholic beverages they produce.

Sen. Reynold Nesiba (D-Sioux Falls) brought the bill forward as prime sponsor. He said the main goal of the bill is to increase the number of South Dakota graduates with experience in fermentation and brewing.

“This is a workforce development bill,” he said. “I’ve got people from POET, people from Remedy (Brewing Company), other people reaching out to me saying, ‘we need people who understand fermentation.’ This isn’t just about brewing, it’s also about understanding making ethanol, it’s about making energy.”

Nesiba also said by allowing an education exception for tasting alcohol, more students will be able to start taking these classes earlier in their college careers and have more opportunities to learn about brewing.

Several other proponents spoke in favor of passing the bill during its initial hearing in the Senate Education committee Thursday, Feb. 8. They included educators, local brewers and more.

Nicholas Wipf, a senior chemical engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, also spoke in favor of the bill during the hearing, representing all student association senates for South Dakota Board of Regents universities. He said the bill would allow more students to get “tongues-on” experience in labs for these classes where students must create properly brewed alcoholic beverages.

“Acidity and alcohol can be measured with instruments, but the flavor, the only instrument for

that is the human tongue, and obviously, if you’re not 21, you’re not going to be able to participate in that,” he said.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is one of three regental universities teaching classes related to fermentation and alcohol production. Northern State University and South Dakota State University also offer these programs.

SDSU also offers a certificate program for production and service of wine, beer and spirits. The program has four required classes, two of which teach ways to properly taste, produce and pair alcoholic beverages. Currently, students have to be 21 or older to enroll in these two classes.

The only opponent during the bill’s first hearing was Katie Hruska, general counsel for Gov. Kristi Noem. Hruska said that universities had agreed to very limited exceptions for allowing alcohol on campuses with previous legislation, and adding more exceptions could affect those earlier safeguards.

“If this is about workforce, then let’s talk about registered apprenticeships, … and we can talk about other on-the-job training,” Hruska said. “I think there’s a lot of other ways to go about this.”

The Senate Education committee passed the bill 4-2.

During the hearing on the Senate floor, opponents argued that though Nesiba said the bill could bolster the bioproducts field, classes involving tasting alcohol have nothing to do with biofuel and ethanol production. It could also open the door for underage students to drink without supervision both in class and outside of it.

“There’s no reason why a student can’t wait until they’re 21 to take these classes,” Sen. Tim Reed (R-Brookings) said in opposition of the bill. “They can’t go into the workforce until they’re 21. So, I don’t believe that this is a good bill, and I think it’s just one way of being able to serve some alcohol on campus.”

The bill passed in the Senate with an 18-17 vote. It now goes to the House of Representatives for another round of voting.

Reynold Nesiba: District 15 Senator

$10M SDSU indoor rodeo arena bill passes first committee

ANNIE REINKE Reporter

A state Senate bill that would allow South Dakota State University to build a $10 million indoor rodeo practice facility passed through the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee late last week with a unanimous vote.

Senate Bill 63 was introduced in the Senate and moved to the committee Jan. 15.

Since it has passed the Senate committee, it will move to the Joint Appropriations Committee, where its funding will be discussed later this month.

The facility would include indoor and outdoor arenas, offices and classrooms, boarding stables and a storage shed for feed and equipment, according to the bill’s language. It would be built on the 28-acre lot near the Meadows Apartments on the northwest side of SDSU’s campus.

The Board of Regents is asking for an allocation of $6 million from the state government and to allow for construction of the arena. The facility would be worth $10 million, with $4 million of the

total cost coming from private sources.

Last year, a similar bill was introduced in the legislature that asked for $10 million from the state. That legislation failed in the House Education Committee by one vote.

But hopes are higher for the bill this time around. Blake Pulse, SDSU Students’ Association president, has advocated in Pierre for this bill, and he said its chances are better this year. He called its unanimous vote in the committee “a big win.”

There has been a standing sentiment in Pierre that funding for sports facilities should not be supported by the state legislature, Pulse said. But, in the committee hearing, it was argued that when the DakotaDome needed repairs, state funding was used.

The fact that $4 million is expected to be raised privately is a positive development for those who want the bill to pass.

“I think with the less money ask, and changing the precedent, it has a pretty good shot,” Pulse said.

Currently, the rodeo team rents the Swiftel Center for 60 days a year to practice during the winter months. The

team budgets about $10,000 to $12,000 a year for that rent, and members are obligated to remove the dirt and equipment from the Swiftel whenever an event, such as a concert, is scheduled at the facility while the team is renting the space.

Rodeo coach Ronald Skovly didn’t want to comment on the bill itself, but he likes the idea of having the proposed facility.

“A rodeo facility, with everything in one location, would save our team hours each day without having to transport practice stock or private team horses to practice, as well as setting up or tearing down temporary practice arenas when needing to practice inside for any period of time,” he said.

There have also been reports of rodeo athletes who decided against attending South Dakota State because the school lacks an updated facility, something other college rodeo programs offer.

“Needless to say, facilities like these would be very beneficial to current team members if we had them now, and (they) would also be very helpful in recruiting future team members,” Skovly said.

Collegian photo by SAM SCHOENBAUER (She/Her)

A new bill in the 2023 Legislative session would allow SDSU to build a $10 million indoor rodeo arena. Currently, the team practices and competes at the Swiftel Center.

LIFESTYLES

Orientation director by day, album collector by night

SERENA DAVIS Asst. Lifestyles Editor & SYDNEY HOIER Reporter

Adam Karnopp is known at SDSU for his job as the university orientation director, but he has another title at home. He is the proud owner of about 13,000 albums.

Karnopp has been listening to all kinds of music since he was young, from his dad’s rock’n’roll to his sister’s “Grease” soundtrack. In third grade, he bought his first cassette single: “Ice Ice Baby,” by Vanilla Ice.

In high school and college, he became more serious about his collection.

“I inherited a record player that also had a cassette player on it and a little bit of a collection and started to collect my own a little bit,” Karnopp said. “I’ve always been a ‘rummage saler,’ and so I would pick up anything that looked interesting and stuff like that.”

When CDs took over in the late 1980s, Karnopp slowly got rid of his cassette collection, but is regretting it now. He’s trying to rebuild it, but it’s only about 10% of his entire collection. When streaming took over from CDs, Karnopp took the opportunity and built up his CD collection, which now makes up about 55% of his albums.

He’s open to everything when it comes to music but focuses on the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Karnopp said. Most music lovers get stuck listening to music from their formative years and most of his favorite albums come from then, but his favorite artists come from a variety of decades.

He even remembers exactly where he found his favorite album.

“I was digging through the bins at the Watertown record store and saw it. The album was Featuring Birds by Quasi and it has a piano playing White Stripes vibe,” Karnopp said.

Karnopp has albums everywhere in his house, including his bathroom. His favorite album cover art is a style called “Cheesecake Art,” and his favorite album art with it is “Every Inch a Sailor” by Oscar Bryan.

There were record stores in Brookings and Watertown that Karnopp used to frequent, but the stores have since closed.

“Anything called an antique shop or flea market I would go to,” Karnopp said. “Thrift stores and new or used record stores. Even places like Walmart and Target are starting to carry vinyls and stuff too, but those are usually my last resorts.”

As far as hidden gems go, Knarnopp said his most interesting finds come from the most unlikely of places. His best rummage sale find was last summer when someone was selling their own vinyl collection.

“They had Bowie, Queen and Pink Floyd, and I couldn’t pass up so many classics for $200,” he said.

Karnopp said he recently began buying new albums. Before it was all rummage, but with

Photo by KELLY WENDELL

Favorite Artists

Favorite

Albums

streaming, he can listen to a new artist and if he likes their stuff, then he buys it new. Karnopp tries to buy it directly from the artist, but if not then he’ll find another way.

“Anytime an artist can be heard by anyone is good exposure, but record stores are the way to go if you can’t buy directly from the artist,” Karnopp said.

With so many albums, Karnopp has to have an organization system. He says he has two sections: the ones he’ll never get rid of, and the ones he hasn’t “fully committed to.”

They are all sorted alphabetically. CDs and vinyls make up most of his album collection, and Karnopp thinks he might have to get a storage unit soon.

Over the years, Karnopp has collected so many albums that he decided to clear some out this year at the record fair in Fargo, but he only cleared out about 90 albums. According to the Fargo Record Fair’s official website, this annual event has been going on for over a decade.

“I’ve been going to [the fair] for a while, but I’d never been a seller,” Karnopp said. “A friend of mine and I decided we’d try to sell since we had a lot to get rid of. It was pretty fun, actually, I really enjoyed it. I imagine I would do it again at some point.”

In the last five years, Karnopp has taken

an interest in 45s. He says they are an easy, cheap way to experience music.

“I’ve discovered some bands that were formed in Brookings, and so it’s been fun to learn and pass on the knowledge to anyone who might listen,” Karnopp said.

Recently he found a 45 and picked it up because it has a regional label on it. When he looked into the band a little more, he realized it was a band from Huron.

Karnopp said he didn’t always love vinyl. He would sometimes replace it with CDs, throwing his vinyl out. But he has returned to vinyl as its popularity grows.

“Vinyl is a blessing and a curse. It has a warmer tone and overall sound, but it’s so easily damaged and you have to really take care of them,” he said.

Vinyl record sales have grown rapidly over the past decade. 2021 was the biggest sales year since 1986 with over $1 billion vinyl record sales, according to Texas Public Radio.

“I’ve now found that I’m kind of sticking more to vinyl and kind of focusing on that, although people right now are embracing vinyl in a way that they haven’t for a long time,” Karnopp said. “CDs are pretty easy and cheap to come by nowadays too, so I still pick up a lot of those too.”

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Brookings Hospital is smallest in state with surgery robots

SERENA DAVIS Asst. Lifestyles Editor (She/Her)

Brookings Health Systems is staying up to date on the newest medical technology available.

In 2013, Brookings got two surgical robots to help nurses and doctors during operations. The hospital uses the Mako robotic-arm for orthopedic surgeries, and the da Vinci Xi, which got a recent update in 2021, for general surgeries, operating nurse Ally Leona said.

Only four hospitals in South Dakota have this technology, including locations in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen and Brookings, with Brookings being the smallest hospital to have the surgical robots.

Leona said the da Vinci Xi robot has three parts that all work together: the surgeon council, patient cart and the vision cart.

The surgeon council is a separate station in the operating room where the surgeon sits and uses hand controls to control the robot’s movements. They also have an eyepiece, so they can see what part of the body they are working on.

The patient cart is where the instruments get installed and where the surgeon controls the robot during a surgery. This is also where the bed sits, which is integrated with the robot and allows the surgeons to move it where they need to.

The vision cart, where all the instrumentation gets plugged in, uses electricity for surgery.

Cassy Schnider, another operating nurse, said the da Vinci has a touchscreen that they can zoom in on and write on in case the surgeon needs it. The device is also able to capture pictures and videos during surgery.

Since upgrading in October 2021, Brookings Health Systems has completed 179 surgeries with the newer robot.

“The robot offered the option to get a fourth arm while the old one only had three,” Leona said. “With the extra arm we are able to complete more procedures.”

Schnider said that with the upgrade, they are also able to take advantage of “Firefly” technology. Firefly is when a patient gets an IV medication before surgery and that glows in the inflicted areas so surgeons can be more precise when making incisions and removing anatomy.

Mako is used only for orthopedic surgery and mostly joint replacements. Patients must undergo a CT scan that is sent to the medical technology company, Stryker, Leona said.

“Stryker makes a plan specific to the patient where they find which part of the bone is diseased and what part of the bone is good,” she said. “With this we can get the most precise fit and size of implant that we are going to put in during the procedure.”

Surgeons perform a gynecological procedure on a patient with the da Vinci Xi robot. Dr. Kirstin Sholes (right) aligns the patient cart arms with the operating ports so she can perform the procedure. The Brookings Health System

Because Stryker makes the Mako robot and the plan for the patient, the robot can safeguard how much bone is being taken off, Schnider said. Once the patient is in surgery, the machine can link the plan and the patient together and once it reaches an anatomical point where no more bone needs to be taken off, the machine will stop and turn off.

The biggest appeal for patients is the shorter recovery time and less pain when they wake up, Leona and Schnider said. The robot can make smaller incisions which offers less risk of infection and less blood loss during the surgery.

Leona and Schnider said that this is what most of the surgeons in medical school are training on right now, so by keeping up with the technology, they can attract surgeons and technicians to Brookings.

When Brookings Health Systems got the da Vinci Xi ,the staff underwent training where a representative from the da Vinci team came for a week to make sure everyone was trained on the new system. The staff had to complete

training modules to show their understanding of the technology.

Any new staff members coming in also have to complete the training models before they’re allowed in the operating room with the robot, Schnider said. If the robot updates or if the hospital upgrades instrumentation, everyone will complete new training modules.

Julia Yoder, the marketing and public relations director for the Brookings Health Systems, also said that this technology is beneficial for nursing students coming out of their programs.

“For those looking for a job somewhere, the fact that we can say that we have this capability provides that unique experience,” Yoder said.

Yoder said that providing better recovery options and high standards of care is what keeps patients coming back.

da Vinci Surgeries

• Gall bladder removal

• Hernia repair

• Colon surgery

• Gastrointestinal

• Hysterectomy

• Myomectomy

Mako Surgeries

• Full knee replacement

• Partial knee replacement

• Hip replacement

System has completed 179 surgeries since upgrading the da Vinci robot in 2021.

Photos SUBMITTED

(Top) A surgeon sits at the surgeon council to control the robot arms of the da Vinci robot during a surgery. (Bottom) The robotic arm, Mako, performs a knee replacement surgery on a patient.

Senior business major starts cleaning company

ANDREA HUETE Copy Editor (She/Her)

Last June, Eli Kirlin, a senior business economics major, decided to put his business degree and family experience with carpet cleaning to use and founded Kirlin’s Kleaners, a carpet cleaning company based in Brookings and Sioux Falls.

Kirlin’s Kleaners offers tile grout cleaning, upholstery steaming, machine carpet cleaning, door-to-door and exterior window cleaning, as well as pet stain removal, tenant move-out cleaning, janitorial and event cleaning. After purchasing a Chevy Express 3500 box truck online, Kirlin got to work making a website, fliers, business cards and connections around the Eastern South Dakota area.

“Business has been great the last couple of weeks,” Kirlin said. “I’m trying out some different marketing for my commercial janitorial section of my business and it’s been working well.”

Kirlin said he will be looking to hire employees in the Sioux Falls area soon.

Kirlin’s father, Brian Kirlin, commended his son for his current business venture as well as his use of a commercial truck to operate the business from.

“His business can go wherever he goes,” Brian Kerlin said. “The Sioux Falls and Brookings areas are the places where he has planted seeds and set roots in up to this point, but he would be able to quickly adapt and seize on other expansion as the opportunities might arise.”

George Vandel, the owner of SLS Financial Services in Sioux Falls, has been a family friend of the Kirlin’s for years. Vandel said it’s been fun to see how Kirlin expanded his business from a simple commercial cleaning job to professional carpet cleaning and window washing services.

“With Eli, the sky is truly the limit,” Vandel said. “People get more and more used to paying people for things they could easily do themselves – and Eli’s done a great job focusing on those things. I’d say the same thing to anyone

who wants to start a business – find something you like to do … that you’re passionate about, and just know if you work hard and treat your customers with respect, you can do anything you’d like to.”

Before Kirlin started his company and switched his major to business, he was majoring at South Dakota State University in nursing. But after a chemistry test went wrong, Kirlin decided to pivot to more entrepreneurial pursuits.

In high school, Kirlin always tried to get the jobs that paid the highest and thought it would be cool to start his own business one day. That idea came to fruition when he switched his major and started planning for his own business.

“What better way is there then to major in Business Economics,” Kirlin said.

Kirlin’s parents said they are proud of him for what he’s been able to do with his business and have offered support along the way.

“With experience as an entrepreneur and business owner through my history, I have tried to be there to support him by sharing knowledge and experience from my history and sharing opinions and advice with different ideas that he had for his business,” Brian Kirlin

Kirlin’s Kleaners Contact

Phone: 605-839-9631

Website: www.kkleaners.com

Email: Eli@kkleaners.com

Cleaning services: tile, carpet, event spaces, upholstery, windows, etc.

said. “While we have offered financial backing and support as well, he has been determined to do as much as possible on his own and has largely succeeded with that goal.”

Kirlin said he is thankful for his professors at SDSU for being good resources as he navigates the entrepreneurial world. He noted Craig Silvernagel, an associate professor of entrepreneurship & innovation management, Barb Heller, who’s a lecturer and entrepreneurship coordinator and Ryan McKnight, a lecturer in the Ness School of Management and Economics as some of his influences.

“My entrepreneur career has

probably given me a lot more insight into my own life,” Kerlin said. “It’s probably what I’ll do forever. I enjoy learning more about it every day and just learning more about business.”

Photo by JILL MEIER/Brandon Valley Journal

Eli Kirlin, a senior business economics major at SDSU, started his own cleaning company, Kirlin’s Kleaners. He is based in Brookings and Sioux Falls.

Photo SUBMITTED Kirlin cleans a customer’s carpet with his counter rotating brush machine.

Concert review: Parker McCollum brings Texas country music to Brookings

CHRISTIAN LARSON Reporter

Texas-based country singer-songwriter Parker McCollum made his return to South Dakota Feb. 10 as he headlined The Swiftel Center in Brookings for the first time. Nearly 4,000 people attended the concert.

It was one of 15 stops on McCollum’s “Spring Tour,” which started this month and runs through April. Rising country singers Catie Offerman and Corey Kent opened the show. Offerman is a Texas-born artist who released her debut

single “Happyland Trailer Park” last year. Oklahoma-born Kent rose to fame with his platinum-certified breakout single “Wild as Her,” which is nearing the top ten on country radio.

McCollum, who is best known for his 2020 breakthrough single “Pretty Heart” and early career fan-favorite “Hell of A Year,” kicked off his show with his number-one gold-certified single “To Be Loved by You.”

Throughout his hour-and-30-minute performance, McCollum performed a set consisting of all original songs. He announced that his new album will be

coming out later this year, so he debuted multiple songs from the project while also playing the hits and fan favorites.

McCollum was at his strongest when performing more high-energy songs like his current single “Handle on You.” McCollum doesn’t have the most versatile voice, so the few high-energy songs in the setlist helped bring some much-needed energy to the room. Aside from the lack of high-energy songs, the setlist would have benefited from some cover songs to help keep the crowd engaged.

Crowd favorites from the show were McCollum’s early breakthrough singles

“Hell of A Year” and “Like A Cowboy,” along with his more recent hit singles “Pretty Heart,” “To Be Loved by You” and “Handle on You.” McCollum closed his set with his soon to be released song “Hurricane.”

McCollum is a solid songwriter and has put out some great material. However, when it comes to his live performances, he could benefit from some more up-tempo songs and covers. McCollum comes from the Texas country music scene where music is more ‘raw’ sounding, so outside of his more recent, commercial sounding songs, most of his set consisted of mid-tempo songs.

The stage design was simple but had everything an artist would need for a small arena show. The stage itself was tiered into two levels, and behind it was a big screen for visuals. Some of the stage pieces like the catwalk that went out into the pit could’ve been used more by McCollum, as it would’ve helped create a stronger live experience for fans. Maximizing the stage and its pieces would really help McCollum connect to his audience better like other top country acts.

It should be no surprise that McCollum is on track to becoming one of the new faces of country music, as he already has two number-one singles, multiple award wins and nominations and a lot of industry backing. With a dedicated and growing fanbase along with being one of the few mainstream artists keeping a Texas-country sound, it’s clear McCollum isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Five tips to build your credit as a college student

KELLICIA CARR SDSU Extension volunteer

There are many advantages to having good credit. Businesses might review your credit report to determine approval for a car loan, home loan, personal loan, renting an apartment or even getting a job. Additionally, if a business chooses to give you a loan, your credit score may help determine the loan terms. Usually, the higher your credit score is, the better your loan terms may be.

Here are five tips to build your credit.

1. Find out what is on your credit report. To start developing a plan to build your credit, it may be beneficial to understand what is on your credit report.

You can visit AnnualCreditReport.com each year to obtain a free copy of your credit report from the three nationwide credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

2. Dispute Credit Errors. It is important to correct any errors on your credit report, which may adversely affect your credit score. If you notice an error in your payment history like a bill incorrectly marked as late, it is advised to resolve the discrepancy on time to benefit from a potential improvement in your credit score.

3. Pay your bills on time. To ensure you are reaching your goals of making on-time payments, set reminders before the due date, or if you are short on

money (life happens), communicate with your creditor to arrange payments. Remember that late or missed payments can remain on your credit report for up to seven years.

4. Open a secured or unsecured credit card. Learn about secure and unsecured credit cards and choose the best options for your financial situation. If you don’t have any credit, using a credit card responsibly to build credit could be an option because that activity will be reported to the credit bureaus. Keep your credit limit in mind and make sure your balance is well below that limit.

5. Make payments towards student loans. If you have a job and can afford to pay down your loan, it may be ben-

eficial to start repaying your student loans while you are still in college. Even though you may still need to take out more loans, paying down your student loans early will reduce the amount you will have to repay when you graduate which can create more opportunities to get financing for something else. Starting to repay your loans early could also be great practice to get you in a routine of paying down your debts consistently which is a great credit-building practice.

If you are a student who has not started building your credit, you may want to consider beginning the process.

Photo SUBMITTED

Track teams take first, set new school records

SKYLER JACKSON Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

South Dakota State track and field competed in the SDSU Indoor Classic last weekend at the SanfordJackrabbit Athletic Complex with both the men’s and women’s teams taking first place at the event.

Along with both teams finishing first, there were individual event wins and many school and personal records set during the two-day meet.

“What we did in Brookings I think was very productive,” coach Rod DeHaven said. “When you look at not only the people that won and set school records, but across the board a lot of personal bests.”

Here are some highlights of how each team did last weekend.

Men

The Jackrabbit men’s team finished the event with 107.5 points in 19 scored events. Iowa Central finished second with 80 points while South Dakota took third with 64 points.

In the 400-meter dash, Reid Pierzinski took runner-up with a time of 47.42 seconds. Thailan Hallman placed fourth in the event with a personal best of 47.77. Reggie Slaba also achieved a personal record with a time of 49.20 and finished 14th in the event.

Slaba, Hallman, Pierzinski and Kudra Nzibariza broke the school record in the 4x100-meter relay, finishing with a time of 3:13.18 to win the event and place them atop the all-time SDSU list.

“Largely that’s a different lineup than what we did earlier in January,” DeHaven said. “So, it was good to see that depth within that event group.”

Jared Wipf took fifth place in the 60-meter dash finals in 6.85 seconds and Evan Henderson finished seventh in 6.88. Wipf also achieved a personal best in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.86, good for eighth in the event.

In the men’s mile, Carter Knaus was the runner-up, clocking in at 4:10.17 while Will Lohr finished in 11th with a personal best time of 4:12.15.

Matthew Katz was the runner-up in the pole vault with a mark of 16-07.00, which is now second all-time in school history. Jaden Peters finished fourth with 16-01.00, now fifth all-time.

Dominick Etherington won the shot put with a throw of 58-04.00 while Wyatt Seagren took third with a throw of 52-10.00.

Women

The Jackrabbit women’s team also finished first with 149.5 points. Northern Iowa took second place with 111.6 points and North Dakota State was third with 68.5 points.

The main headliner of the meet was Cerington Jones, who broke a school record in the 400-meter dash. She clocked in with a time of 54.63 seconds for second place in the event, which is also the second-fastest mark in the Summit League this season.

Lauren Van Dyke finished fourth in the same event with a personal-best time of 55.85, good for third on the SDSU all-time list.

GoJacks.com

“It was kind of a breakout day for (Jones) breaking the school record in the 400, and really smashing it pretty distinctly,” DeHaven said. “And (Van Dyke) obviously ran well in that event as well.”

Jones, Van Dyke, Hannah Whitbread and Erika Kuntz teamed up in the 4x100-meter relay, and won the event with a time of 3:45.48, now the second-fastest in school history.

SDSU also took the top two places in the 800-meter run as Claire Beckman won the race with a time of 2:12.58 and Tori Glazer took second in 2:14.15. Harley Fischer rounded out the top five with a time of 2:15.01, a personal record.

In the women’s mile, Grace Waage earned a runner-up finish with her personal best time of 4:52.16, the sixth-best in school history.

Brielle Dixon won the 60-meter hurdle finals in 8.55 seconds, while Savannah Risseeuw finished fifth in 8.82. Rich-Ann Archer won the 60-meter dash in 7.53 seconds. Taylor Jochum won the women’s high jump with a personal best mark of 5-05.00, while Layne Kirkendoll tied for second with a 5-03.00.

Faith Leiseth finished in third of the shot put finals with a throw of 50-09.50 and Paige Haakenson earned a personal record in the event with a mark of 41-06.50.

Up Next

SDSU will host the Last Chance meet Saturday at the SJAC with a start time set for 1:15 p.m. After that, the Jackrabbits will get ready for the Summit League Indoor Championships Feb. 24 and 25 in Vermillion.

Rich-Ann Archer, right, runs sprints during the SDSU Indoor Classic event last weekend alongside teammate Ashtyn Bertram. The women’s and men’s track teams both finished first during the meet with some athletes breaking school records in 4x100 relay and 400-meter dash.

JACKS FACE BISON IN FINAL DUAL

Wrestling team has one last test before conference championships

The South Dakota State wrestling team will compete in its last dual of the season Sunday against rival North Dakota State in Fargo.

The 17th-ranked Jackrabbits are coming off close dual losses in Frost Arena against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. They look to rebound against the No. 15 Bison before the Big 12 Wrestling Championships in Tulsa.

“Nobody likes to lose, but let it be a learning lesson for our guys,” coach Damion Hahn said. “And now we have our final dual of the year, and then we get into the postseason. The best time of the year is around the corner, so I’m obviously disappointed about the overall result of the weekend, but I can’t dwell on that.”

SDSU is 11-4 overall in duals this season and 5-2 in the Big 12. They were on a 10-dual win streak before No. 7 Oklahoma State snapped it Friday. The Jacks were then narrowly defeated by Oklahoma two days later.

Against Oklahoma State, the Jackrabbits won four of the 10 total matchups, but the Cowboys controlled the first half of the dual, winning five of the first six matchups to defeat SDSU 19-12. Against Oklahoma Sunday, the dual was even until the Sooners won four-straight matchups that propelled them to an 18-13 win.

According to the InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings, the Jacks have eight nationally ranked wrestlers. Their highest-ranked wrestler is 197-pounder Tanner Sloan, ranked ninth in his weight class and undefeated in duals this season. His latest victory came by major decision against Oklahoma’s Carson Berryhill.

“I just want to put a show on for

the fans,” Sloan said. “I made it a goal of mine when I was redshirting that I didn’t want to lose in front of my home crowd. I’m not trying to make too much pressure out of it but they’re behind me, my coach is behind me, my teammates are behind me, so success will come.”

Two other wrestlers for SDSU are ranked in the top 15 in their weight class. 141-pounder Clay Carlson is ranked No. 11 in the nation with a 16-7 record, and AJ Nevills is ranked No. 14 at heavyweight with a 17-4 record. The graduate student picked up two more wins in the final two home duals of his collegiate career.

“(Nevills) is going to be missed, there’s no doubt,” Hahn said. “He comes through, two solid heavyweights that he knocked off (last) weekend. He toughed it out and got it done, so I’m super happy for AJ.”

Other ranked Jackrabbits are No. 29 Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds, No. 19 Cael Swensen at 157 pounds, No. 24 Tanner Cook at 165 pounds, No. 23 Cade DeVoss at 174 pounds and No. 20 Cade King at 184 pounds.

For the Bison, they have an 11-2 dual record this season, including a 6-1 conference record. They opened their season with a top-10 win against No. 8 Nebraska. They have since won their last seven duals in a row, including their most recent win Friday against Oklahoma.

Their best wrestler this season has been Jared Franek. At 157 pounds, he has an 18-1 overall record and is ranked third in the nation. NDSU has another top-10 wrestler in 165-pounder Mikey Caliendo. He’s ranked 10th with a 19-2 record.

Other ranked wrestlers for the Bison are McGwire Midkiff, ranked No. 33 at 133 pounds, Dylan Droegemueller, No. 30 at 141 pounds, Kellyn March, No. 16 at 149 pounds, DJ Parker, No. 28 at 184 pounds and Owen Pentz, No. 11 at 197 pounds.

The dual between the Jackrabbits and Bison will start at 2 p.m. It will mark the 71st meeting between the two schools, with NDSU leading the all-time series 45-24-1, including a 15-6-1 advantage in the Division I era (since 2004-05).

Hahn said that he expects a close rivalry matchup Sunday as the two

teams prepare for the postseason.

“It’ll be another good one, it always is. And for me, it’s fun, it truly is,” Hahn said. “Our guys are excited for it. This is probably the dual meet that they get most excited about because of the history of it.”

SKYLER JACKSON Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

Photo by MIRANDA SAMPSON

South Dakota State’s AJ Nevills waves to the crowd in a Big 12 dual Feb. 12 against Oklahoma at Frost Arena. This would be the final home wrestling meet of the graduate student’s college career.

Story by EVAN PATZWALD CO-SPORTS EDITOR

A step-back 3-pointer from Zeke Mayo with 15 seconds left in the game would end up propelling the Jacks to a fivepoint win over South Dakota Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Frost Arena.

The SDSU men’s basketball team (1511, 10-4 Summit League) beat the Coyotes (11-15, 6-8) 72-67 Saturday and currently sit in second place in the conference standings with four games remaining in the regular season before the Summit League Tournament.

There were 4,421 fans in attendance to watch the Jacks pick up their sixthstraight win over USD and 20th out of the last 26 matchups.

“The atmosphere in Frost Arena was as special as I’ve been in and the support we get is incredible,” coach Eric Henderson said. “To be able to come away with a victory when our offense wasn’t at the top of its game was enjoyable.”

SDSU struggled from 3-point range in the game, going 7-of-26, at 26.9%, compared to the Coyotes shooting 10-of-22.

Mayo finished with 19 points on a poor shooting night, going 8-for-21 and 3-for-12 on 3-pointers in 38 minutes. He had the go-ahead layup to take the lead a 68-67 lead and his 3-pointer to seal the victory.

“They threw multiple things at him and did a good job,” Henderson said of the Coyotes’ defense. “Them switching kept Zeke in front of them and made him shoot the majority of those shots as jump shots and challenged him.”

The Jacks finished the game on an 8-0 run after trailing 67-64 with three minutes remaining. Mayo led the team with four assists.

“I was just trying to find open teammates, making simple plays, not trying to really force anything,” Mayo said. “I forced a couple plays today but guys like Will (Kyle III) and Matt (Dentlinger) finished strong at the rim today.”

Dentlinger led the team in scoring with 20 points and three rebounds. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor and 8-for-10 at the free throw line. Alex Arians had 13 points and Matt Mims contributed nine points.

A.J. Plitzuweit had 18 points to pace South Dakota, with Kruz Perrott-Hunt having 15 and Tasos Kamateros putting up 13 points.

Now, the Jacks turn their attention to their final two road games of the season at Denver Thursday at 8 p.m. and at Omaha Saturday at 7 p.m. SDSU has its

final home games Feb. 23 against Kansas City and Feb. 25 for Senior Night against league-leading Oral Roberts.

Denver and Omaha are currently ninth and tenth respectively in the Summit League standings. The Pioneers have lost their last three games, losing to St. Thomas at home and then UND and NDSU on the road. For the Mavericks, they’ve lost

nine straight games after starting conference play 3-3.

The Summit League Tournament takes place March 3-7 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. All 10 teams qualify for the tournament for the first time this season with the top six teams getting a first-round bye.

“We know when we get down to Sioux Falls, that’s when teams are going to have the most success,” Henderson said. “We’ve got great coaches and players in our league; teams are well prepared and to be able to get your team to play free and confident is really important.”

REMAINING SCHEDULE

• Feb. 16 at Denver:

13-15, 4-11, 9th in Summit

• Feb. 18 at Omaha

7-20, 3-12, 10th in Summit

• Feb. 23 vs. Kansas City

11-16, 7-7, 6th in Summit

• Feb. 25 vs. Oral Roberts

23-4, 14-0, 1st in Summit

• March 3-7: Summit League Tournament

(Above) William Kyle III dunks over USD defenders in the Jacks’ five-point victory over the Coyotes Saturday night at Frost Arena. Kyle III had four points and eight rebounds in the win.

(Left) Matt Mims attempts a 3-pointer in the Jacks’ 72-67 win over the Coyotes Saturday at Frost Arena. Mims had nine points in the game..

SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPS

Jacks clinch regular-season conference title with win at USD

BRAYDEN BYERS Sports Reporter

The South Dakota State women’s basketball team cruised to a Summit League regular season championship last weekend by defeating its in-state rival, USD, 78-48.

The Jacks, in gaining the regular season title, have also clinched the top seed in this year’s Summit League Tournament.

This is the ninth time that the Jackrabbit women’s team has won the regular season crown since joining the Summit League in the 2007-2008 season. They are unbeaten in league play with two more weeks left on the schedule.

SDSU had four players score in double-digits against the Coyotes with 14 coming from Paige Meyer. Both Haleigh Timmer and Brooklyn Meyer had 12, while Paiton Burkhard followed up with 10.

The Jacks shot at a 50% clip, pushing SDSU to its first win in Vermillion in nine years.

Defense was a huge part of the game for the yellow and blue as they allowed only nine points in the first 20 minutes. This forced the Coyotes to attempt to claw back from a 35-9 halftime deficit.

“I still think we were really good defensively,” coach Aaron Johnston said. “It wasn’t just a case where someone didn’t shoot it well. We forced a lot of tough shots, made it hard to get to the basket.”

SDSU has four more games left in the regular season with the two this weekend being the final in Frost Arena. Although it is a great accomplishment, Johnston says the team has their eyes set on bigger goals such as a conference tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

“I always believe that all of those things are impacted by every game you play,” Johnston said. “Every game we play, we’ve got a chance to go out there and earn the right to be that kind of

team.”

SDSU moves into two very important games against Denver and Omaha, who both come into their matchups this Thursday with a 7-8 record in the Summit League.

The Pioneers are coming off a hot offensive performance in which they scored over 80 points in an 83-71 win over North Dakota State. They shot 50% from beyond the arc, which is the best ratio since 2020.

“They have a lot of depth and have a lot of balance in what they do,” Johnston said of Denver. “They’re playing really well right now if you look at their last couple of games. They have a lot of people scoring for them.”

Freshmen Emma Smith and Angelina Robles are two of the offensive weapons the Pioneers have. Both had career days against NDSU, posting 27 and 20 points respectively. This was Smith’s fourth game with 20 or more points, while this was Robles third game in double-figures.

Mikayla Brandon totaled 11 points and finished with a career-high six assists on Saturday. Makayla Minett had her third five-block game of the season.

“This is just a different Denver team than we would have seen maybe two, three years ago,” Johnston said.

Thursday’s game will be the first of three on the road for Denver as it travels through South Dakota and finishes in

NOTES

• SDSU improves to 63-35 overall against USD. The Jacks are 18-14 over the Coyotes when both teams are in the Summit League (2011-12 season).

• This is SDSU’s first win in Vermillion since the 2013-14 season.

UP NEXT

SDSU returns to Brookings to host Denver Thursday and Omaha Saturday. The Jacks will celebrate Paiton Burckhard, Dru Gylten, Regan Nesheim and Myah Selland Saturday afternoon in their final game at Frost Arena.

Omaha Feb. 25.

The Mavericks are coming fresh off a 79-61 loss to North Dakota. This game saw the Mavericks win streak of three games come to an end.

Elena Pilakouta scored 10 points for a team-high while shooting 3-for-4 from the field. She also led the Mavericks with three steals and four assists.

Sam Mitchell trailed behind with nine points, followed by Morgann Gardner and Ana Nikulochkina with eight and seven points.

Omaha shot 39%, going 28% from three. They did have the edge in free throw shooting, finishing with 76%.

The Mavericks will be in Vermillion Thursday to take on the Coyotes before heading to Brookings Saturday. They will round out their season at home against Denver.

Thursday’s game will tip at 7 p.m. while Saturday’s will start at 2 p.m.

Photo by MEGAN GLOVER

South Dakota State’s Kallie Theisen looks to pass the ball on USD’s Carley Duffney in a Summit League basketball game Feb. 11 against the Coyotes. The Jacks beat USD by 31 points in that game to clinch sole possession of the regular-season conference title.