Sept. 23, 2020

SDSU BOOKSTORE NOW OPEN!

September 23, 2020

MONDAY-FRIDAY 8AM-4PM

THE PRIDE STANDS TALL

Persevering through the pandemic SEE BAND ON A6

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ONE DAY FOR STATE

University fundraiser raises all-time high in fourth annual One Day for STATE with donations from all 50 states and 19 countries.

SINGLE ISSUE FREE

MEADOWS NORTH

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Renovations in Meadows North aim to resolve cosmetic issues, but new building concerns arise for residents.

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NEWS

September 23, 2020

COVID-19 testing center updates allow for higher capacity GRACIE TERRALL News Editor (She/Her)

Collegian graphic by HOLLIE LEGGETT (She/Her)

President Barry Dunn addressed the Students’ Association Senate during their Sept. 21 meeting where he discussed how the city-wide ordinance 20-019, which mandated masks in public indoor spaces, has affected COV I D - 19 i n f e c t i o n rates in Brookings.

When campus closed March 23, cases per day were extremely low and, apart from a small spike in July, stayed this way for a majority of the summer. Cases started to continually rise from

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Aug. 16, when campus reopened, until Brookings peaked the beginning of September.

“Cases reached over 50 a day here in Brookings,” Dunn said.

When the mask mandate was enacted by the Brookings City Council, numbers started to drop down to 10 a day.

“Policy works, and behavior was changed,” Dunn said. “We can manage this, it is reasonable.”

Dunn did qualify by saying that there are some disparities with the data based on reporting patterns from the South Dakota Department of Health.

Vice President of Student Affairs, Michaela Willis, also discussed on campus testing for students.

Being the only campus in the state of South Dakota with a drive-thru testing center, South Dakota State University is able to get results back to students within 24 hours.

Willis also announced that the university is now able to test asymptomatic students and those in close contact with confirmed positive people.

With the this new addition to the testing requirements, SDSU can start testing a wider array of people.

“These tests are free,”

Willis said. “You don’t use insurance; you don’t pay a dime.”

Currently, the clinic is not at their full capacity for testing, but they plan to be soon. This will also allow for more tests to be administered.

“Once we’re up to our initial capacity, we will be able to run 200 tests a day,” Willis said. “If we ever needed to scale that up even more, we could probably get to 2000 tests a week.”

The drive-thru testing center runs Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

Mondays at 5pm

WANT TO WRITE FOR THE COLLEGIAN? Located in the Walder Room in the Union Zoom attendance is also welcome

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NEWS

September 23, 2020

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Collegian photo by FRANKIE HERRERA (He/Him)

More than $1.6 million raised in annual fundraising campaign COLETTE GANNON Reporter (She/Her) Students, faculty, staff and alumni came together in support of the fourth annual One Day for STATE celebration, a 24-hour campaign with the goal to raise money in support of academic colleges, student organizations and athletics teams.

According to the South Dakota State University Foundation, $1,617,648 was raised, surpassing the $1.3 million raised last year, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“One Day for STATE was a big success this year,” Matilyn Kerr, a One Day for STATE social ambassador, said. “It raised the most money ever, and the highest total donor amount over the four years of the event.”

Kerr is among one of the 537 social ambassadors for the event. According to the SD State Foundation, social ambassadors help to amplify the impact of the event by sharing related social media content. Ambassadors are even given the opportunity to see how much of a difference their social content is making via data collected by the SD State Foundation.

Donations flooded in from all around the world, receiving donations from all 50 states and 19 countries. South Dakota alone brought in nearly $1.1 million. In total, 5,656 gifts were donated, with 88 percent of those donations made online.

Throughout the event, online viewers were also given the opportunity to see the campaign’s progress in real-time via the One Day for STATE web-

site. Numerous challenges were set with goals to raise a certain amount of money for various areas of the university that website visitors could track.

Challenges encouraged visitors to donate, unlocking contributions from benefactors, like the “Deb Nelson Overall EHS Challenge,” which stated that “Deb Nelson will generously give $50,000 when we meet all of our challenges or when the College of Education and Human Sciences reaches 250 donors.”

According to the SDSU Foundation, One Day for STATE enhances the opportunities available at SDSU. “One Day for STATE gives us an opportunity to raise money that supports excellence in our programs,” Jill Thorngren, dean of education and human sciences who

played a role in promoting the college’s priorities surrounding the event, said. “Each college or program focuses on different things, but One Day for STATE helps us raise money for things that we might not ordinarily be able to do.”

Thorngren also stated that COVID-19 had virtually no impact on the success of the event.

“Because One Day for STATE is primarily focused on social media outreach, COVID-19 didn’t slow it down too much – in fact, we had more donors and raised more dollars than last year,” she said.

Kerr added that some changes were made for the event to comply with COVID-19 guidelines.

“The ethos of the event didn’t change. However, some of the in-person components did,” she

said. Adaptations to this year’s situation included converting the Yellow and Blue Block party to a virtual version via Facebook Live and streaming the SDSU Pride performance.

Kerr spoke to the importance of the event as an SDSU tradition and what it means for students, staff and the

community.

“Truly One Day for STATE is so much more than a day of giving event,” Kerr said. “It’s a celebration of showing admiration and respect for what SDSU can provide … what it can do for you and your life.”

TOP 10 MOST RAISED

$269, 008.46 1. Jackrabbit Athletics 2. SDSU Scholarships & Student $230, 028.00 Support 3. College of Agriculture, Food & $113, 920.00 Environment 4. College of Pharmacy & Allied $112, 632.00 Health Professions $108, 749.00 5. College of Education and Human Sciences $104, 844.00 6. Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering 7. College of Arts Humanities & $100, 020.00 Social Sciences $92,416.00 8. College of Natural Sciences $85, 865.00 9. College of Nursing 10. Van. D & Barbara B. Fishback $82, 353.68 Honors College Data from sdstatefoundation.org

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NEWS

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September 23, 2020

Meadows North renovations cause conflict Student complaints ongoing after six weeks GRACIE TERRALL News Editor (She/Her) Missing furniture, broken lights and high humidity levels: these are just some of the problems Meadows North residents faced when moving into their apartments in the midst of a multi-million dollar construction project.

In 1994, the apartment-style residence halls Meadows North and Meadows South were built. Now, 25 years later, they are ready for a remodel, with Meadows North being renovated first.

According to Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Douglas Wermedal, the project on Meadows North will cost around $3.7 million and was intended to address some of the outdated issues.

“It’s a very extensive project, which includes a complete exterior removal and replacement, a new HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system to include air conditioning and ventilation improvements into each apartment, new toilets, new flooring throughout, new ceiling tiles and a new boiler system,” Wermedal said.

The university is taking a phased approach to renovating both buildings in an attempt to keep the cost low, so students

don’t have to pay more for housing per semester.

Because of this, construction will take longer and run into the start of the semester.

Wermedal confirmed that the updates to the interior were supposed to be completed prior to students’ arrival. However, when residents arrived back on campus, the renovations brought on additional issues.

“The hall light didn’t work … we have no vents in the bathroom … we’re pretty sure there is mold up in the ceiling there ... we didn’t have a couch for awhile … and they didn’t give us a shower curtain rod either,” first floor resident Katelyn Busch said.

These are just a few of the concerns students had after moving in.

Matt Gaub, a resident of Meadows North, has dealt with heating and ventilation issues since the beginning of the semester.

“We set our room to 68, and it has been sitting at 75 since we got here,” Gaub said. “In the bathroom area, when that door is closed, there is zero air movement... Our apartment has been really humid too.”

Emma Erdmann, a second floor resident, also noticed the influx in heat and humidity.

“It was so humid in here that I would wake up in puddles of sweat in my bed,” she said. “I

went and spent $80 on a dehumidifier.”

Erdmann was not aware at the time that the university was providing students with dehumidifiers upon request; however, receiving the machine may have taken a few weeks. For Gaub, he put in his work order for a dehumidifier Aug. 25, and it took over two weeks for him to receive it.

Wermedal did add that, while many students might be experiencing extreme heat and ventilation issues, that does not necessarily mean it is a problem with the entire building.

“There are different comfort levels for some.

There are some who think 75 would be a dream and some who think that is too warm,” he said. “It’s a subjective thing from student-to-student.”

Wermedal confirmed that Meadows North currently has 14 dehumidifiers checked out amongst the 41 apartments– this is over a third of the units in the building.

Even with the dehumidifiers, in Gaub’s apartment, the humidity was still extreme, and the temperature reached 76 to 78 degrees.

Students reported that furniture was missing from their rooms when they moved in.

According to the Meadows housing information page on the SDSU website, each unit has

“twin-sized bed, desk, chair and chest of drawers in each bedroom, limited living room furniture and refrigerator, range [stove] and dishwasher.”

Within the list of issues that Busch stated, a missing couch was among them. As for Alex Louwagie, another first floor resident, the lack of furniture is affecting his online learning.

“Three of us don’t have desks in our rooms,” Louwagie said. “We put in a work order the first week ... we have to do our homework on our beds or the couch.”

As of Sept. 18, Louwagie and his two roommates had not yet received desks in their rooms.

According to Wermedal, students may request to have furniture

Collegian photo by GRACIE TERRALL

removed from their apartments if they wish to bring their own in.

“There might have been a disconnect over an apartment that said they don’t want furniture and another that said we do want furniture,” Wermedal said.

The interior work was scheduled to be fully completed before any students arrived Aug. 10, and the external renovations are scheduled for completion by mid-October. Although internal improvements have been made, last minute finishes to the HVAC system will occur after the external renovations. Wermedal expects these changes to hopefully solve some of the issues students are facing.

Wermedal urges students to contact him

directly at his email ( d o u g l a s .we r m e d a l @ sdstate.edu) or office phone (605-688-4496) with any issues.

“If any student in a residential facility has a concern, file the work order, but if there is a problem past 48 hours, let me know,” Wermedal said. “We want to give students the best experience we can with the staffing and resources that we have.”

Dr. Wermedal’s contact info: douglas.wermedal@ sdstate.edu 605-688-4496 Contact him with any issues regarding Meadows North renovations.

sdsucollegian.com September 23, 2020 A5

LIFESTYLES

Hispanic Heritage Month creates community on campus JORDAN RUSCHE Lifestyles Editor (She/Her) Students attending “Noche de Comedia,” a comedy event sponsored by the Latin American Student Association Friday, Sept. 18, were given an energetic introduction to the upcoming events centered around Hispanic Heritage Month.

Ian Lara, an AfroLatino comedian from New York, used his act to discuss some of his experiences surrounding his background, including growing up with two immigrant parents and not looking like a stereotypical Latino. The event was meant to offer some entertaining options to balance out the more educational workshops.

“Knowing that our students are so focused on their studies, just giving them time to wind down, and what better way to wind down than with some comedy to get you to relax and laugh a little,” Dr. Florencio Aranda III, the multicultural Latino retention advisor and LASA advisor, said.

Along with other entertaining events— like an upcoming LASA canvas painting Oct. 6 and movie night Oct. 1— Hispanic Heritage Month also features a wide variety of presentations meant to teach students about the importance of celebrating different cultures and address some of the current issues in our country.

“All of the topics and

events that take place are really from conversations and from topics that are student-focused and student-led,” Aranda said.

“With that in mind, our students this year wanted to focus their attention on bringing awareness of the undocumented immigrant-lived experience.”

Events related to this include CommUNITY Tuesday, Sept. 29, a meeting led by Yosimar Reyes, a Latino poet, LGBTQ activist and an undocumented immigrant, to discuss his experiences. UndocuALLY, another event Monday, Sept. 28 with Dr. Germán Cadenas, discusses how be an ally toward people who are undocumented.

Miguel Mena, treasurer for LASA, explained he is most excited about these events taking place during that week of Sept.

28- Oct. 2.

“Many have negative opinions of these individuals, and I hope this week can change the attitude of some of these individuals,” Mena said.

During the week of Sept. 21-25, the Multicultural Center and American Indian Student Center will team up to provide workshops for marginalized students about professional development, and will help them improve skills like resume building, interviewing and financial skills. There will also be an opportunity fair where students can network and ask questions of a panel composed of professors of color.

The Hispanic Heritage Month program ends with a presentation

by Dr. Mayra OlivaresUrueta, an educational administrator, Latina scholar and advocate at Tarrant County College’s Northeast Campus in Texas, Oct. 15, in which she will explain how she balances a professional and personal life.

A ra n d a b e l i e ve s that hosting multicultural events on campus is important because it allows students to be exposed to backgrounds and cultures different from their own, an experience that can come in handy in the “real” world.

He also said it provides a great opportunity for students to learn.

“Being that we’re in the Midwest, we do have, and you do see, the Latino community, but it is not as present because of its limited numbers,” he said.

“So by highlighting and showcasing and putting on programs like this, it exposes everyone to the unique culture, the language and the traditions.”

Mena also supports the celebrations of cultural events like Hispanic History Month at South Dakota State University.

“Being able to spread our culture and educate students is the biggest step towards erasing the division between cultures and easing any feeling of worry or fear for those people who are the minority,” he said.

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

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BAND

The Pride plays on: Band adapts to new challenges GRACIE TERRALL News Editor (She/Her) Fear not, although football is lacking this year, the Pride of the Dakotas band still marches on.

While they may not be accompanying the football plays in the Dana J. Dykehouse stadium, the Pride still has events this year. However, things look a little different.

In order for the Pride to remain operational and still perform, they had to implement a few different measures to keep students safe.

“We have changed how we store instruments so there aren’t a bunch

of students packed in to retrieve their instruments at once,” Athletic Bands Director Kevin Kessler said. “Our drill is specially written so that they are constantly six feet apart.”

Piccolos and all brass instruments—trumpet, trombone, mellophone, tuba and baritone—adorn nylon bell covers to help block the air released from them.

According to William Reynolds, senior music education student and trumpet section leader, the covers can affect how the musicians play. “ I t ’s b e e n h a rd adjusting musically for what goes on when you put the bell cover on

an instrument and how to correctly tune it,” Reynolds said.

According to Kessler though, the sound quality from an audience perspective has not changed.

Although preventative measures have been taken, for three-time drum major and senior music education major Liz Pauli, the Pride doesn’t look too different in terms of rehearsal.

“We rehearse outside and are always at least six feet apart anyways; our drill may not look as cool, but it hasn’t changed too much,” she said.

Wi t h o ut f o o t b a l l halftime performances to show off their musical

talents, The Pride of the Dakotas has organized other events this semester.

They will be playing their show “Women of Rock” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 in the Dana J. Dykehouse stadium.

While tickets are limited to close family members to reduce the number of people in the stadium, the show will be live-streamed so people can tune in at home.

“Our entire livelihood is based around performing for other people and being in close proximity when performing, ” Reynolds said. “We can’t really do that anymore.”

For those that wish to see the band in action,

on the first four Fridays in October, there will be live performances at the Sylvan Theatre and near the Weary Wil and Dirty Lil statues at the north end of the Union.

For these performances, the band has split up into four sections of 55 performers. With two performance locations, people can successfully social distance while watching a section of the band play.

“They’re free, they’re open to the public, so if people want to come and see, we would love to have as many people there as we can safely distanced,” Kessler said.

Despite all of the adjustments and unconventional performances, the musicians in the Pride are eager to get back to playing for an audience.

“Everyone is so happy to be making music together again,” Pauli said.

PRIDE PEP BAND PERFORMANCES Starting at 4:30 October 2 p.m. on Sylvan October 9 Green and North October 16 of the Union.

October 23

September 23, 2020

LIFESTYLES

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Collegian photos by FRANKIE HERRERA (He/Him) The Pride of the Dakotas practices their march for their upcoming show, “Women of Rock” Sept. 26 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. During Friday practices, members dress up with specific themes each week. This particular week, the theme was celebrating different decades.

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LIFESTYLES

September 23, 2020

Basu Research Group reinvents mask technology

Collegian photo by FRANKIE HERRERA (He/Him) Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Saikat Basu, teams up with Cornell University and University of Illinois to design a mask inspired by pig nostrils that is capable of battling the coronavirus.

MEGAN BERTSCH Copy Editor (She/her) The Basu Research G ro u p, h o u s e d i n Crothers Engineering Hall, has teamed up with researchers across the nation to develop a reusable mask that traps and kills the coronavirus.

“The mask is being designed to have a novel bio-inspired filter that can screen droplets bearing the COVID-19 virus better, and yet be more breathable than currently

available masks,” said Dr. Saikat Basu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Though the technology itself is an important aid in the current COVID-19 pandemic, what is especially interesting is its inspiration.

Basu explained that the model for this newly reinvented mask technology is the nasal cavities of certain animals.

“The first thing that we realized was there were animals out there that are better at smelling than us.

They have a much more

complicated nasal airway that can trap droplets as they breathe in air,” Basu said. “All the different air transmission passages are inspired from a pig’s nose, but there is also some additional engineering.”

The respirator used in this mask mimics the unique geometry of a pig’s nasal cavity. The design contributes to the trapping of the novel coronavirus, while the material also acts to kill the virus on contact. After studying the effects of the virus on different surfaces, Basu found copper to be the

most effective in inactivating the virus. “ We h ave d o n e research on the virus sitting on different surfaces, like plastic or copper, and on copper the virus is deactivated much quicker than other surfaces,” said Basu. “With the presumption that more droplets would be trapped in the corners, if we can wrap those corners with copper rings, hopefully that will create a targeted killing of the virus.”

Along with the Basu Research Group, there are other partners involved

in this project. Funded by the National Science Foundation, they are also working with Dr. Sunny Jung with Cornell University and Dr. Leonardo Chamorro with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

“What I am doing is simulations on the computer, but the design is being prepared by Cornell and they are going to run some initial experiments,” said Basu. “Then UIUC, they are going to run experiments where they can track the droplets

and figure out if they can be trapped in this type of transmission.”

The collaborators are currently in the experimenting phase, making sure they have the best possible design.

Beginning as a virtual computer design and transitioning to a 3D-printed design, they can then test if it is effective in killing actual COVID-19 samples.

The group is hoping to have a product ready as soon as the beginning of 2021.

sdsucollegian.com September 23, 2020

OPINION

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EDITORIAL Issue: Consistency is key, let the people choose By now, we all know that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.

During this already hectic time in politics, this is a major loss, not just for the Democratic Party, but for the country.

Ginsburg played an integral part in the fight for the rights of women and the LGBTQ community. She also appeared before the Supreme Court numerous times before becoming a justice herself.

But what more about her life in politics and role as an iconic leader will she be remembered for?

Ginsburg was nominated as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by former President Bill Clinton in 1993.

Ginsburg’s passing, though, seems to bring controversy when it comes to the matters of replacing her.

There is a want for a level of consistency when the conversation arises.

The replacement of a new justice during an election year is not a unique situation. When Justice Scalia died in 2016, members of the legislature argued it was not within the powers of the president to fill the role until an election took place, seven months later.

“The American people,” McConnell said then, “should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice.”

With just over a month until the 2020 election, McConnell is singing a different song this time around.

“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said in a statement Friday Sept. 18.

Trump tweeted Tuesday, Sept. 22 that he plans to announce his nominee pick Saturday, Sept. 26.

From an interview on “Fox and Friends” Friday, Sept. 18, Trump said that he already had conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit of Chicago in mind.

This is not the first time Barrett has been considered for this prestigious position. Back in 2018, she was a heavy hitter for the role until Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.

The people of this nation should echo McConnell’s 2016 sentiments and “let the people have a voice,” in who the next Supreme Court Justice should be.

Unfortunately, that is not how that works. According to Article I section IV of the constitution, both houses of Congress are allowed to create their own rules for proceedings that is inclusive of the judicial confirmation process. Under

Collegian graphic by HOLLIE LEGGETT (She/Her)

the Senate’s current rule, the nomination is sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, currently run by the Republican party.

We believe Americans have the right to vote for the next Supreme Court Justice. But what can be done?

Write to your representatives; express concern, they are supposed to listen to their constituents. What we do know though from all of this is that filling the shoes of the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be no easy task.

The Collegian Editorial Board meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial.

The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.

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sdsucollegian.com

September 23, 2020

Some reasons why: A response to 13 Reasons Why ANDRE GARY-MACK Opinion Editor (He/Him) This article contains spoilers for the show “13 Reasons Why”

Depression, anxiety, sexual assault, coming out and drugs have become all too real topics in television in the last decade. From the hallways of “Degrassi” in the early 2000s to the currently popular “13 Reasons Why.” Those realities have become much more accessible in your Netflix queue, but the latter show may have actually done more harm than good.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” starts out from the viewpoint of Hannah Baker, a teenage girl who moved from an upper class neighborhood to an average Californian suburb with her parents, who owned a pharmacy.

She went through the typical teenage angst, at least at first glance.

The show then goes into her leaving behind 13 tapes for people who affected her life, both negatively and positively, starting with Clay Jensen’s tape. Here is where this becomes problematic.

Let’s first unpack the fact that this character left tapes in the possession of someone she actually was not even really friends with. He then delivers these tapes to the people on each tape, so they can listen to them and pass them along to the next person. So she left a suicide note so to speak, unpacking all the bad things other people had done to her or that she witnessed, and kept a secret instead of being a good friend? That is a big issue.

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that there were 195 more suicides in kids between the ages of 10 and 17 years of age in the nine months after the first season’s release. The suicide rate in this particular age range rose 29 percent a month after the release, and more suicides had taken place in April 2017 than the previous nine Aprils.

While this finding did not confirm a direct correlation between the show and the spike, part of the study did confirm that a significant number of

these suicides were from 10-17 year olds that were similar to 17-year -old Hannah Baker.

Let’s walk down the road of the other issues that went undiscussed in this show. Sexual assault and the never ending coming out stories, not to mention drug abuse and violence. From Hannah, Jessica and Tyler being brutally assaulted, to Justin dying of AIDS at the end of the series, to drug usage and prostitution.

I get the show is trying to bring awareness to and start a conversation about a very intense topic, but when speaking to friends and fellow students about the show, it really increased trauma instead of addressing it in a healthy manner. I received counseling outside of what the school could provide after having revisited my own traumas.

Now, I understand I chose to become addicted to a show that increased trauma, but at what point does Netflix take ownership and acknowledge that it has a social responsibility to its audiences?

Disclaimers are not enough. It’s like how the D.A.R.E. program is

implemented in elementary schools, but students still end up smoking cigarettes: in one ear and out the other.

“Thirteen Reasons Why,” while it had great intentions and brilliant cinematic references, also executed them irresponsibly by not providing more resources in their ending credits, glorifying suicide, assault and drug abuse, and not really giving the characters meaningful solutions to navigate through their traumas.

Had they done this, it in turn would have, in my own opinion, provided healthier ways of coping for anyone identifying with any of those characters. It would send a message that there is hope at the end of the storm. But was there for Hannah Baker?

As cliche as it sounds, speak with a counselor.

Seek professional help.

If you do not feel safe speaking with a teacher or established adult, speak with someone who can assist you in getting the professional help you need.

Collegian graphic by HOLLIE LEGGETT (She/Her)

Volume 136 • Issue 4

The Collegian is the independent student newspaper at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. The Collegian is published by and for South Dakota State University students under the First Amendment guarantees of free speech and a free press.

Opinions expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty, staff or administration.

The Collegian is published weekly on Wednesday during the academic year of SDSU.

Emily Seaton Editor-in-Chief

J. Michael Bertsch Managing Editor

Jordan Rusche

Gracie Terrall

Andre Gary-Mack

Frankie Herrera

Omar Imran

Hollie Leggett

Lillie Albers

Megan Bertsch

Josie Nelson

Elise Heesch

Lifestyles Editor

Graphic Designer Ad Sales Representative & Designer

News Editor

Graphic Designer Ad Manager

Opinion Editor

Public Relations Coordinator

Lesly Abarca

Ad Sales Representative

Photo Chief Copy Editor

Emily Urban

Ad Sales Representative

Letters to the Editor Send letters to letters@ sdsucollegian.com or to USU 069 Box 2815, Brookings, S.D. 57006.

You can also post comments online at www.sdsucollegian.com.

Please keep to less than 250 words.

Main line: 605.688.6164 Newsroom: 605.688.6166 Editor-in-Chief: 605.688.6178

sdsucollegian.com

SPORTS

September 23, 2020 A11

Mike Daum continues on professional journey SKYLER JACKSON Sports Reporter (He/Him) Mike Daum has had great success throughout his career and has seen a significant progression in his game. With his latest experience playing professionally in Spain, his NBA dreams are still very much alive.

Daum first thought of playing professionally during his senior year at South Dakota State University. He averaged 11.7 rebounds and 25.3 points per game to finish as the seventh all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history.

“I had no idea until about my senior year,” said the 6-foot-9 forward from Kimball, Nebraska.

“It’s definitely something

that’s new for me, but I’m glad to just go along with the process.”

Daum never imagined himself playing overseas, but he has enjoyed the experience.

“It’s been fantastic to come over here and just have something different.

But at the same time, it still feels very familiar,” Daum said.

The transition to professional basketball has been real for Daum, now entering his second season for Monbus Obradorio in Liga ACB, one of the world’s best professional leagues. He said the change of pace and the shot clock is a lot faster than it was in college, and the style of play is different than in the states.

But, the pace of the

game wasn’t the only transition Daum has gone through.

“I think the biggest thing for me was the language barrier,” Daum said. “At the end of the day, it was just me wanting to submerge myself into a different culture.”

Practicing during the pandemic has also been a transition for Daum.

“The gym is kind of like a bubble for us,” Daum said.

Players don’t have to wear masks in the gym, knowing everyone has tested negative for COVID-19. Coaches, however, are still wearing masks during practice and are social distancing from players.

“It’s good to know that everyone’s doing their part over here to make

FILE PHOTO

sure that they’re staying safe and keeping everyone else safe,” he said.

Since the coronavirus began impacting Spain, Daum has been continuing to work on his game to prepare for the Liga ACB season’s start Sept. 18. He’s mainly been working on his foot speed,

quickness and strength.

The season runs around eight months, ending in May. Since he left SDSU, Daum has become more confident in his game, and has improved over the past couple of years.

“Throughout those two years, I definitely

have found myself being more reassured in my confidence,” Daum said.

“Overall, right now, I would just say I’m such a more confident person with everything that I do.”

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

Stiegelmeier gives football update during Rabbit Roundup SYDNEY SMITH Sports Reporter (She/Her) Coach John Stiegelmeier joined a Rabbit Roundup Zoom webinar to give a much-anticipated update on the team and their future season following an unusual summer.

After missing out on spring ball, getting back to work for any sort of football season took a little bit of adjusting. “ E ve n t u a l l y o u r guys were able to lift,” Stiegelmeier said about their summer. “We set up 20 stations in the weight

room and we could only have 20 guys in there at a time. They had to use the same rack the whole time and had to have their own water bottle. They’d come in one door and get their temperatures [taken].”

The team evolved and got to bring more athletes back, despite concerns of things shutting down and not being able to work out. That all changed just before fall camp was supposed to start.

“Aug. 7, we called a team meeting and President Dunn, our AD [Athletic Director] Justin Sell and I were there,‘’ Stieglemeier said. “Justin

said tomorrow we’re gonna pull the plug on the season. Our freshmen were there for two days and they’re told the season’s over.”

Since then, it’s been something that the Jacks football coach called “a long journey.”

“We chose to not do as much as we could with our guys just to try to do everything we could to honor President Dunn’s vision,” he said. “But after three weeks, there was a new process set up by the NCAA that was a 12 hour per week process. Five of those could be individual instruction with helmets

on, and then the other seven would be meetings and lifting.”

Stiegelmeier said that after the conference season was moved to the spring, South Dakota State University tried reaching outside of the Mountain Valley Football Conference for potential games, which ended up not working out.

All eyes then turned to the upcoming spring season of conference games that were reworked to fit schedules.

“Our ‘fall camp’ will start Jan. 22 and our first game is scheduled for Feb. 20,” Stiegelmeier said.

“We’ll play an eight-game schedule during a nineweek schedule because of the system of putting everybody’s schedule together.”

The change is something that won’t only be completely new for both the team and fans, but will also be “cool” to see.

“It’s literally gonna be really cool, and cold, and frigid, to see a home game in March, but I can’t wait,” Stiegelmeier said.

The playoff scenario is also different, as only 16 teams will qualify instead of the usual 24, and the championship game on May 15 will be played at

the higher seeded team instead of the normal Frisco, Texas location.

Aside from the change of when college football will be played for the Jacks, the team will also look a little different.

“Of the 20 seniors, one guy entered the transfer portal, three guys opted out, one tore his Achilles, two said they’ll play in the spring and then are done and the final 13 said they’ll play in the spring and the fall,” Stiegelmeier said.

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

One day for 1 gift. Every 15 seconds. For 24 hours.

That’s the breakdown of what Jackrabbits in all 50 states and across 19 countries accomplished together on September 10 during One Day for STATE. In 24 hours, 4,888 donors came together as one, raising $1,617,648 from 5,656 gifts to transform lives at SDSU, bolstering scholarships, academic programming, research, athletics, and student support.

The total number of donors saw a jump of over 1,100 more than last year’s event. Of the 4,888 donors, 484 identified as current students and 439 as faculty/staff. The fourth annual celebration was a record-breaking year for connecting Jackrabbits; the event made history by inspiring donors from each of the 50 states to give, unlocking $50,000 in challenge funds for their efforts.

The celebration starts with one day, but the effects of Jackrabbit Nation’s generosity will be felt at the university year-round!

Thank you to the 484 students who donated a total of $9,350 during One Day for STATE. You helped unlock an additional $5,000 by completing the Daktronics Student Challenge.

24HOURS 4,888DONORS $1,617,648RAISED GIFTS MADE FROM:

5,656

GIFTS

4,804

WERE

$100 OR L ESS

88%

OF ALL GIFTS WERE MADE

ONL INE

484

STUDENTS DONATED

$9,350

ALL 50 STATES

FIRST GIFT

12:00:22 AM 24 hours

AND

19 COUNTRIES

11:59:18 PM LAST GIFT

537

SOCIAL AMBASSADORS HELPED SPREAD THE WORD AND GENERATED

$119,267