May 1, 2019

STORIES OF THE YELLOW AND BLUE ALUMNI ISSUE MMXIX

Jackrabbit ‘85 photo by PAUL HORSTED

THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

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SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

WHAT’S INSIDE Letter from the Editor............................................................................................................. 4 Generational Jackrabbits....................................................................................................... 6 Family of the Year..................................................................................................................... 8 Steve and Michelle Erpenbach............................................................................................ 10 What it means to be a Jackrabbit......................................................................................... 14 Doug Olsen................................................................................................................................ 16 Jackrabbit Alumni quiz.......................................................................................................... 18 Alumni Issue Contributors

SUSAN SMITH

BRIANNA SCHREURS

LAUREN FRANKEN Managing Editor

Design Coordinator

TRENTON ABREGO

HALEY HALVORSON

KAITLYN FRANK

MIRANDA SAMPSON

Adviser

Sports Reporter

Editor-in-Chief

Lifestyles Editor

News Editor

EMILY SEATON

Photo Chief

BAILEY POSSAIL

Advertising Manager

MIRANDA NAGEL

Advertising Representative

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

W

hile working at an outdoor camp in Colorado last summer, I had to introduce myself. I told the crowd of people, per usual, where I went to school: South Dakota State University. After saying that, something different happened. Someone in the back screamed “Go Jacks!”

Even in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, Jackrabbit pride exists.

SDSU is unique in this sense.

No one graduates from here without a fondness for the campus. And our alumni take any opportunity to show their support. When talking to alumni, they have a myriad of stories about their friends and classes and the growth they experienced during their time at SDSU. Though I am a third-generation Jackrabbit now, I didn’t want to come to SDSU initially. It seemed too big and scary at the time, however, through listening to stories from my dad, a 1984 alumnus, about his college experiences—living in Pierson, retaking a math class and being a part of a food fight in Grove Hall—going to SDSU began to grow on me.

My dad and I have a special bond over this place. My brother and mom went to other universities and almost get left out when I am talking to my dad about campus events or new building projects. Just the other day I asked my dad if he cared about Cookies n’ Cream ice cream when it was invented. (He said he didn’t, for the record.)

Even with my grandpa, a 1955 alumnus, we talk about the Collegian all the time. And how his friends used to work there.

The history of my family has elevated my college experience and

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made it more meaningful. This is why alumni are essential to our university.

They go out into the real world and carry what they learned here with them. If they come back, sharing what they have with current students lifts them up.

This year the Collegian worked and spoke with a lot of alumni as we set out to raise money for the newsroom. Through the journey, we spoke with alumni about how they used to develop photos in the darkroom, stayed up until 7 a.m. creating the paper and how that experience helped them to find jobs and careers and established lifelong friendships.

As a student, all of those stories lifted me up and made me reflect on the legacy of the university. Everywhere I go on campus, I can’t help but be proud of our past, thankful for our present and excited for the future of the Jackrabbits.

Through Hobo Day traditions from working to build the Wellness Center, you know great people went to school here. To great athletes, teachers, business leaders, creatives, parents and overall people, I am extremely proud to know those people are a part of the SDSU family.

Alumni, thanks for loving this place so well wherever you are.

Go Jacks,

Brianna Schreurs Editor-in-Chief 2018-19

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

GENERATIONAL JACKRABBITS GIVE COLLEGE DEEPER MEANING TO STUDENTS BRIANNA SCHREURS Editor-in-Chief

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rianna Renaas’s father always told her one thing growing up: “You can go anywhere for college as long as it’s in Brookings.”

This is what Renaas, a third-generation Jackrabbit, remembers being told jokingly while growing up on her family farm in Nunda, South Dakota.

For Renaas, a human development and family studies major, South Dakota State has been a family ordeal. Her older brother, cousin, parents and grandparents are all SDSU alumni — and her great-grandfather, Hilton M. Briggs, served as the university’s 13th president. It’s safe to say her link to the university runs deep.

“I have always grown up on campus and loved SDSU. It’s always felt like home and I didn’t tour anywhere else,” Renaas said. “It wasn’t necessarily that I wanted to keep the tradition going but it just felt right.”

Renaas is only one of many second or third generational Jackrabbits.

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Seth Friesen, a junior mechanical engineering major, said his parents’ recollection of their college days played a role in his decision to go to SDSU. “When I was younger, my family and I would be driving through Brookings and stop at the campus to drive up and down the roads while my parents reminisced about the time they spent and would point out where there used to be roads running or other changes to the campus,” he said.

While Katie Lucas’, a junior biology secondary education and chemistry education double-major, parents didn’t push SDSU in the same way, she said her attending SDSU has brought her alumni parents closer to her.

“Me coming to SDSU has brought them back,” Lucas said.

“They’ve always been proud to be Jackrabbits, but now they are even more proud.”

Her parents get excited to be on campus. A “classic quote” from her parents when they visit has always been “this wasn’t there when I was here.”

“It’s gotten better throughout the years because it’s like year three. It’s less comparing their times and more of them understanding we’re a Jackrabbit family,” she said.

Lucas’ parents have begun attending more sporting events to see their daughter. Her mom even bought an iPhone just so she could FaceTime Lucas.

“It’s brought us closer together,” Lucas said. “I’ve noticed as the years go by, I call them more and reach out to them more.

It’s me getting older and me wanting to share my college experience with them because they know, they’ve experienced it in the same place.

Like Lucas, Renaas also finds it special to experience college in the same place her family did.

Her bond is especially close as she is in Phi Upsilon Omicron, an academic honor society in Family and Consumer Sciences, and her mother was an adviser for the same chapter at SDSU from 2006 to 2010.

“It’s really cool,” she said.” You love this campus and you love your family and it’s meshed together.”

SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

Top Seth Friesen, a junior mechanical engineering major, stands in front of Abbott Hall with his family. Friesen’s father, Lee Friesen, graduated from SDSU in 1993 and his mother, Michelle Friesen, graduated in 1995. Katie Lucas’ family shows their Jackrabbit pride on Sept. 1 while in Ames, Iowa for the SDSU vs. Iowa State game. Lucas, a junior biology secondary education and chemistry education double-major, said her family goes to more sporting events after she decided to go to SDSU.

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

SDSU FAMILY OF THE YEAR 8

SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

SOMSENS KEEP TIES THROUGH GENERATIONS TO UNIVERSITY STEPHANIE NELSON Reporter

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e l l ow a n d b l u e , Coughlin Campanile, Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream…just to name a few of South Dakota State’s iconic features. For many people, these features are mostly what they take away from their college experience.

For others, however, SDSU is much more. For some, it’s a place where they met their best friend, found their true passion in life or found a new home. For one family, in particular, SDSU has been a family legacy providing an abundance of quality education and memories.

This year, the SDSU Family of the Year was awarded to the Harold and Phyllis Somsen family originally of Castlewood, South Dakota. With six of seven first-generation siblings and 19 total family members attending SDSU over 44 years, the Somsen family has clearly made being a Jackrabbit an important part of their lives. From pursuing degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering to nursing and pharmacy, the family has explored a wide variety of academic programs.

The Somsens also created a life at SDSU outside of academics. With athletes involved in baseball, football and track, the family has also experienced the athletic side of college. The family also had members in The Pride of the Dakotas Marching

Band, the ROTC program, and Little International. These experiences brought some of the best memories and lifetime friends to the family.

Along with their involvement on campus, the Somsens have generously supported several aspects of SDSU including athletics, the alumni association, the Alumni Green project, the Pride of the Dakotas and several colleges on campus.

They are also season ticket holders for both Jackrabbit basketball and football games.

Their contributions to SDSU have well-surpassed their few years here as a student. ”The award is based on a number of criteria including dedication, loyalty, support, members of the family that have attended SDSU, and involvement both as students and alumni,” SDSU Alumni Association. Facility and Student Engagement Manager for the SDSU Alumni Association, Kayla Schinkel said.

Renae Vinzant, touched on choosing a family for the award.

“We see who makes a big impact on SDSU as a family,” Vinzant said.

The collegiate opportunities are practically endless for anyone. Whether SDSU is just a place to go to school and get a degree or a home away from home with everlasting memories and friends, the opportunity is there.

• Lowell, of Pierre, has been part owner of FischerRounds Associates insurance agency since 1986 and is in the process of selling his stock and phasing into retirement.

• Dan, of Yankton and a 1976 pharmacy graduate.

• Laura Bass, of Barre, Vermont, spent a year at State. She married Brad, a Land ’O Lakes executive. Bass did not graduate from SDSU. • Larry, a twin to Laura, took over the family farm and dairy operation after the untimely death of their father in 1975.

• Leon, of Yankton and a 1982 ag economics/business graduate.

• Jerry, of Webster and 1990 mathematics graduate and 1994 master’s degree in mathematics.

• Russell, of Pierre and a 1991 park management graduate.

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

Collegian photo by SYMMONE GAUER

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SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

LOVE FROM THE LOWER LEVEL Management duo Steve and Michelle Erpenbach find love and friendship in the Collegian newsroom BY LAUREN FRANKEN Managing Editor

ELIJAH HIRST Reporter

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

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teve and Michelle Erpenbach met in the basement of the Student Union, where they spent every Tuesday night putting together a paper in The Collegian office.

“He was the sports editor and I was just this typesetter and I didn’t like how he edited so I went out and said ‘you know you need to fix this’,” Michelle said.

Their last year of college, Steve took over as Editor-inChief of The Collegian, and Michelle became his managing editor.

The pair started dating while they were in management together.

“It wasn’t easy,” Steve said in reference to balancing the relationship with managing a staff and putting out a weekly newspaper.

“But we didn’t let people know for a really long time,” Michelle said. “And by the time we graduated it was for real.”

Steve and Michelle got married one year after leaving

SDSU, but neither can forget their time together at The Collegian with their coworkers and friends.

“WE “WE DIDN’T DIDN’T LET LET PEOPLE PEOPLE KNOW KNOW FOR FOR A A REALLY REALLY LONG LONG TIME.” TIME.” Steve Erpenbach SDSU Foundation CEO and President

“That group of folks are still some of our best friends to this day,” Michelle said. “It’s those long-term relationships that come out of a place that so transforming.”

Though campus was half the size it is now, the computer in The Collegian office was double the size of a normal desktop, and twice as slow.

“He was the first Editor to bring computers into the Collegian,” Michelle said. “A lot of times when we had to stay late it was because that thing wasn’t working.”

Collegian photo by SYMMONE GAUER

Top: Michelle and Steve stand outside of the South Dakota State University Alumni Association. The couple met in The Collegian office when they both worked on staff.

Jackrabbit ‘85 photo by PAUL HORSTED

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Left: Steve, the 1984 Editor, corrects headlines as then Managing Editor types a story on the computer. Steve said “it wasn’t easy” balancing a relationship and managing the newspaper while dating Michelle. The couple didn’t let others know about their relationship for “a really long time.”

SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

Steve said production nights sometimes turned into allnighters, but the pair agreed that there was nothing quite like rallying a staff around a mutual cause every Tuesday night.

“That experience in leadership and putting out a publication like this, you can’t replicate that kind of experience anywhere,” Michelle said.

The Erpenbachs went into journalism because they loved the idea of putting out a weekly

print product, but both have noticed the changing atmosphere of journalism.

“It’s kind of sad, frankly,” Steve said.

Neither of them stayed in print journalism long. Steve moved from a newspaper to working on political campaigns and now he is the President and CEO of the SDSU Foundation.

“To come here every day and have that view and look at the Campanile, it’s really unbelievable,” Steve said.

Michelle worked at a small paper in Minnesota, where she hired a few people she had previously met through Collegian.

Now she is the web and social media manager for the Good Samaritan Society.

Both Steve and Michelle said that it has been fun to watch SDSU grow and change.

“You guys are lucky to get to be here when it’s like it is, but it was awesome when we were here too,” Michelle said. “It was different, but it was awesome.”

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

WHAT DOES IT MEAN BARRY DUNN, President of SDSU Jackrabbit since 1971 • Majored in Biology and Animal Science It’s something to be very proud of—to be a Jackrabbit.

I met my wife Jane here in Pierson Hall, so I fell in love here. I came back as a faculty member and now as a President and it’s really just in my DNA now.

ANDI FOUBERG, President of SDSU Alumni Association Jackrabbit since 1995 • Majored in Mathematics Education Being a Jackrabbit is special. Our alumni have a reputation for being strong members of the teams they join and committed members of their communities. Being a Jackrabbit means you’re ready to lead.

JIM WOSTER, SDSU Foundation for CAFES Jackrabbit since 1958 • Majored in Animal Science Everything I’ve been lucky enough to do has started with an education. I was the first of both sides of my family to go to college. I met my wife—she was an English major—here and it’s just what we do, it’s our second family.

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TO BE A JACKRABBIT? JASON MCENTEE, Professor and head of English Department Jackrabbit since 1990 • Majored in English Education

As both an alum and an employee, I am proud to see all of the changes that have happened yet the university still maintains its student-centered focus.

I had two other job offers from other universities at the time I was offered the job here in 2005, and when I look back, I absolutely made the right decision to stay at SDSU.

KATE STOCK, Assistant Director for Student Activities at Center for Student Engagement Jackrabbit since 2006 • Graduate Student in Department of Communications Studies and Journalism

For me, it means 4,578 days and counting of fulfilling work, relationships and experiences.

GREG ARCHER, Marketing Manager at University Bookstore Jackrabbit since 1986 • Majored in Journalism Once a Jackrabbit, always a Jackrabbit, right? I still get a thrill every time I hear ‘Ring The Bells.’ Being a Jackrabbit means I attended a great university, with top-rated academics and excellent sports programs.

It means I obtained the best education which fully prepared me for my career in journalism.

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

ALL MAPPED OUT Doug Oleson created an interactive way to document campus’s growth

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Collegian photo by BRIANNA SCHREURS

SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM ADEN HOMARD Reporter

S

ince 1881, South Dakota State University has seen growth of its land and changes in the number of buildings and their intended uses, but the campus map of today does not reflect what has existed on campus prior to this year.

Doug Oleson, a 1981 graduate, saw this problem and created the South Dakota State University campus evolution map. It’s an interactive digital campus map that compiles every campus map in South Dakota State University existence since 1881 and puts it into an interactive map with a timeline.

What sparked Oleson’s interest in the project was the former Hippodrome, above-ground unheated tunnel runners used in the winter on campus 1967 to 1971.

It was the product of Stan Marshall, athletic director and Jay Dirksen, head track coach.

The structure had one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, Oleson

said. He remembered the building existed, but not the location.

“It was dark,” he said. “There was lighting every 15-20 yards on this old wooden track.”

Oleson took his curiosity to the Briggs Library Archives to get help in March 2017. He looked through old course catalogs that had old maps in them.

“It made me wish that there was a single place I could look to see, where was that when was it there, when did it go away, what’s there now,” he said.

He found where the hippodrome previously stood is now where Weary Wil and Dirty Lil stand, right outside The Union.

Once he found what he was looking for he wanted to learn out where other buildings were and how long they stood for.

Oleson looked at old deeds from the Brookings County courthouse to find out how much land the university has bought over the years. Using the dates of these purchases he was able to construct a map of where buildings have been. Using Adobe Illustrator and knowledge of the buildings

on campus and their locations he was able to create graphics of the historic maps.

Oleson, who retired in 2013 as a software engineer with Boeing, an aircraft engineering company, is still continuously improving the map.

“Currently, when you click on a hyperlinked building icon, it will take you to a single picture or a site with some information about that building,” he said. “I hope to add more information about each of the buildings and possibly multiple links.”

His goal is to educate people who want to know where buildings have existed, and his goal was achieved in December of 2018 when his interactive map was hosted on the SDState website and hung next to the official campus map of SDSU. All the online resources Doug used are listed on the campus map and are free to access and use.

The campus map can be reached by going to sdstate.edu/ campus-evolution-map The campus map has been updated through 2019.

Upon visiting the web page, users can scroll through the maps of campus since 1881. Campus is now 363 acres and has 137 academic buildings.

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THE COLLEGIAN−ALUMNI ISSUE

QUIZ: ARE YOU A TRUE ALUMNUS?

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Test your past and present SDSU knowledge and see how you do.

Which building used to be the administration building? a. Crothers Engineering Hall b. Wagner Hall c. Morrill Hall

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Which year did not have a Hobo Day? a. 1977 b. 1942 c. 1938

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When was the first football game in the Dana J. Dkyhouse? a. Sept. 2016 b. Oct. 2018 c. Aug. 2013 When did the Jackrabbit logo change? a. 2010 b. 2008 c. 2000

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Which U.S. president rode in the Bummobile? a. Barack Obama b. Jimmy Carter c. Dwight D. Eisenhower When was The Collegian established? a. 1885 b. 1818 c. 1834

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Hilton M. Briggs Library was named after an SDSU president. a. True b. False

What was the site of several commencement exercises? a. Coolidge Sylvan Theatre b. Animal Science Arena c. Rotunda Green

Who is the Alumni Association President and CEO? a. Barry Dunn b. Susan Smith c. Andi Fouberg

What building was the Alumni Center recently added to? a. Wenona Hall b. Student Wellness Center c. Jerome J. Lohr Building

RESULTS

8-10 CORRECT Awesome job, alumnus!

5-7 CORRECT Close call, Jackrabbit

1-4 CORRECT Not even good enough to graduate

ANSWERS

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1. C

2. A

3. B

4. B

5. C

6. A

7. B

8. C

9. A

10. C