January 24, 2024

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News

sdsucollegian.com

January 24, 2024

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Student organizations report, two new senators sworn in BRAYDEN BYERS Managing Editor Senators heard reports from student organizations and three new senators were sworn in at the Jan. 22 Students’ Association meeting.

Public Forum Mayor of Brookings Oepke Niemeyer and City Manager Paul Briseno addressed the senate on the plan of the 18-acre land located East of the interstate and North of Sixth St. Niemeyer informed the senate that ALDI would plan to acquire 10.8 acres while the remaining land would consist of a convenience store type gas station. Briseno encouraged people to vote Tuesday, Jan. 30 to approve or deny the amendment put in place.

Joseph Cassady, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences addressed the senate about the decision made recently to enclose the SDSU Dairy Farm. Cassady announced that the dairy manufacturing plant and Davis Dairy Bar would still remain functional.

GAF Strategic Plan Blake Pulse, head of the GAF Strategic planning committee presented a “rough draft” of the GAF strategic plan that will set the rates for the General Activity Fee and where the money will be given until 2030.

Pulse explained that he wanted to open the floor to people in the room who have to vote on the plan in a couple of weeks to hear what their priorities are before it reaches the Senate floor for a vote.

“This is very important because it sets the tone and really impacts not just us, but students until 2030 and beyond.”

Pulse said. “I would like to not have to amend it a bunch on the floor if we can address the concerns now.”

Items that were looking at an increase per credit hour are student organizations, which will increase by $1.15, student health, which will increase by $0.51 and the Wellness Center, which will increase by $1 to allow for expansion and

Collegian photo by Greta Goede From left to right, Moises Dereconfort, Blake Gibney, and Masume Krol get swron in as new senators by president Trinity Peterson during the Jan. 22 Students’ Assocation meeting.

increasing operation costs.

Items that were looking to decrease are fees to the Student Union, going down by $2.58, and transportation, which includes Rabbit Ride, going down by $0.12.

Pulse underlined the fact that all of this is subject to change and that the steering committee wants to hear feedback from the senators moving forward.

Pulse also pointed out that they recently discovered that the Union budget is looking tighter than what they originally thought.

“We’re gonna be trying, we’re gonna find some money in here for extra Union operation budgets,” Pulse said.

He also said that an additional discussion was had about pulling the School of Performing Arts out of the Unit III section of the budget which is the same pool that funds student organizations.

“We want to pull them out of that budget to be able to preserve student organization funding,” Pulse said. “We want to be able to pull them out to preserve the smaller organizations that are on that budget.”

Pulse also mentioned that they have

discussed moving Jack’s Club Hub out of the Union budget and that there may be more interest in putting dollars towards transportation than previously thought.

Student Organization Reports Assistant Director of Miller Wellness Center for Programs and Development Mariah Weber discussed the rabbit ride program during the Students’ Association meeting. Weber explained the initiation of the rabbit ride program and how it gets funded.

The rabbit ride program operates in collaboration with BETA Bus Friday and Saturday evenings between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. According to Weber, 9500 riders have used the program so far this year.

Weber wishes to expand the program and advertise more frequently.

Gender and Sexuality Alliance plans to team up with the Trevor Project for a clothing drive again later this semester. “(Last year) we were able to fit an entire suburban full of clothing boxes full of clothes,” B said. “Let me tell you that was a lot, they really appreciate it.”

The clothing drive will take place from March 18 through March 22. GSA will also be hosting a trivia night at the end of January, a movie night at the Mar-

ket in March and a “paint and sip” event later in the semester.

Representatives of the SDSU Rodeo Club also addressed the senate.

President Alix VanderVoort detailed the numerous events that the team took part in over the past year in the Great Plains Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

VanderVoort also shared that the team has 10 board member scholarships and 10 booster scholarships that are given to students that are involved in SDSU rodeo.

She also talked about the attendance at last year’s ‘Jackrabbit Stampede’, the only home rodeo the team has, saying that 200 students were in attendance last year.

“For the ‘Jackrabbit Stampede’ weekend, we had 273 (students) attend, even with the ice storm and ‘Little I’ being in town the same weekend,” VanderVoort said.

Other Finance Chair Katie Neuhaus announced that the Finance Committee met last week and held open office hours to answer questions that student organizations may have when filling out the last two forms for the general budget.

Government Affairs Chair Michael Garofalo announced that the Government Affairs Committee met last week Friday and took two neutral stances on Senate bills that they have not gotten the final figures on yet and took a negative stance on a House bill that will be going on a resolution for the next meeting.

GSA announced that former GSA President Alyssa Gonzalez could not return to SDSU and that Vice President Lindsay Tull will assume the presidency as per the GSA constitution also announced that GSA will be having an emergency election soon to elect new members into the empty positions on the executive board.

sdsucollegian.com

NEWS

Downtown business owners take action against vandalism

HALLIE ROOTKIE Reporter

Downtown Brookings businesses have seen an uptick in vandalism to their storefronts in recent years and are looking for ways to combat the issue.

Business owners have been bombarded with vandalism to their storefronts—anything from vomit and urine in doorways on any night to shattered and broken doors and windows.

Collaboration between multiple organizations hopes to bring change to this ongoing issue.

The owner of “Threads of Memories”, Emily Braun has experienced multiple instances of vandalism. Braun says she has dealt with a broken window in October 2021 and a shattered door in September 2022 since taking ownership of the business in January 2021.

“Between that, there have been countless pizza crusts, pizza plates, beer bottles, beer cups, straws, cigarette butts, vomit, and urine all in that doorway,” said Braun.

When asked, when the benefit of being located downtown is outweighed by the damages Braun said, “I’m kind of living that right now, all of the stuff I’ve had to clean up after is really disappointing.”

The owner of Party Depot, Cheryl Meyer, said that she has also experienced damage to her storefront with nearly every window in her store being broken at some point within the last couple of years. Meyer said that she has seen increased vandalism within the last three years.

Small business owners were one of the first groups to approach Chief Michael Drake when he took over as Chief of Police in August 2022, to talk about issues with vandalism downtown.

Chief Drake says that there has been an increase in vandalism downtown in the past few years with a dip during COVID in 2020-2021 and then a steady increase after 2021.

“I would say there is some truth into the uptick in those types of crimes,” Said Chief Drake, “The one thing I can say is I think we’ve leveled it out a little bit.”

Chief Drake with the recent growth of population in the university and the city, crime tends to grow as well, and a lot of those crimes are misdemeanors like vandalism and petty theft.

When it comes to fighting this problem, there are various people and organizations involved. Someone at the forefront of the issue is Kristen Gjesdal, the executive director of downtown Brookings. “Just this week we had 3 different windows that had been broken out,” said Gjesdal.

One way the city is assisting this issue, is putting together a downtown master plan that will provide an analysis of the existing condition of downtown and create goals and objectives of what downtown could look like in the future.

“Ultimately the downtown master plan will guide redevelopment, and infrastructure and encourage public and private investment,” said Samantha Beckman, the assistant to the City Manager.

High-resolution cameras have been purchased to go downtown and will be connected with the police department dispatch center to access them and see activity downtown.

“We are piloting a camera program that can watch the front, back, and sides of busy areas in real-time,” Gjesdal said.

Lt. Terry Coon of the Brookings Police Department said that their officers conduct foot patrols at night downtown to increase police presence as well as foot

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Submitted photos A Brookings police officer cleans up broken glass in front of a downtown store that was a victim of vandalism. A number of entities are working to help stem the tide of vandalism committed by partiers.

It’s not unusual for business owners to be greeted by scenes like this--vomit in their doorways--after a night of people partying downtown. High-resolution cameras are tools that business owners and authorities will be using in hopes

patrols on weekend mornings to document damages and litter that occur in the downtown sector.

Gjesdal said that on top of the broken windows and doors, streetlights are commonly broken off from the base when people hang on them. Young trees planted along the sidewalk are ripped out and never replaced. Among those damages, a serious safety hazard is people

trespassing on the roofs of buildings.

A common act of vandalism, breaking streetlights, is a crime that could lead to hefty fines and jail time. “I would say they are $5,000-$10,000, anything over $1,000 becomes a felony,” said Lt. Coon.

“You’re talking about a serious property crime.”

sdsucollegian.com

NEWS

SDSU Police Department investigate anonymous phone call threat

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Collegian graphic by MEGAN IVES Timely wanring issued by SDSU Tuesday, Jan. 23 regarding a phone call recieved by the university threatening to carry out an “an attack” on campus

KENNETH REBELLO News Editor South Dakota State University Police Department sent out an email Tuesday morning to inform students of an anonymous phone call threatening to attack the campus.

The SDSU Campus Alert System sent out the email as an issuance of a timely warning. No information was provided about the specific location, although additional phone calls were made about nonspecific threats around the same time.

The University Police Department asked students to be aware of their surroundings and to take personal precautions. They were asked to contact university police if they found any suspicious activity.

Not long after the email had been sent out, social media platforms such as Yik Yak were flooded with comments about the threat and students sent out emails to professors requesting for excused absences.

COLLEGIAN SOCIALS https://sdsucollegian.com/

University Chief of Police Tim Heaton provided a statement about the safety and security of the campus being foremost and that everyone throughout the university and University Police Department take it seriously.

“Dealing with situations like today are unfortunate, but it is certainly important to keep our students, faculty and staff aware of any potential threat,” Heaton said.

“I would like to thank my officers and staff at UPD for their work today and the increased presence they provided on campus while we investigated the matter. They responded quickly to the threat and helped ensure our campus remained safe throughout.”

Later Tuesday afternoon, the University Police Department sent out an email to update students about the timely warning. The email stated that further investigation and with assistance of additional state law enforcement resources, the evidence of the threat originated outside the state of South Dakota.

“After a thorough investigation by the University Police

Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and other law enforcement agencies, it was determined that the threat was not substantiated,” Heaton said. “The call was generated from outside the state of South Dakota and directed to published phone numbers at SDSU.” The email states that a large number of false threats have been made recently against various schools and public institutions in the United States. The University Police Department assured students of their increased presence on campus and will continue to monitor any and all active threats against the university community.

“We no longer consider this a threat to the university,” Heaton concluded.

University operations continued normal throughout the day and no classes were canceled.

The Collegian @sdsucollegian @sdsucollegian @CollegianSports @collegian_live

sdsucollegian.com

NEWS

January 24, 2024

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South Dakota State University’s concert choir sings internationally Concert choir members traveled to Norway and Sweden for the first time in four years NATALIE DEAN Copy Editor SDSU took 68 concert choir members and traveled to Norway and Sweden over Christmas break to spread the art of choral music, experience different cultures, and for a number of members, travel overseas for the first time.

The trip was originally going to cost each member five thousand dollars, but due to assistance from the South Dakota State University Foundation, each choir member only had to pay two thousand dollars each. A gift that choral director Laura Diddle is grateful for.

“They did a major fundraising campaign,” Diddle said. “Many of the people in the community, and alums, that love the concert choir gave to this capital campaign and that is a huge gift to these students.”

The concert choir takes a trip every four years. After returning from Italy in 2019, Diddle started planning a trip to Norway and Sweden. Places she had never been to but knew would be interesting to experience. Diddle had reached out to fellow colleagues and learned that “it’s a really friendly choral environment and the communities really love choral music.”

30 family members joined them on the trip and brought new relationships for some students.

“Since my family came, they made some connections with family today that live in Norway,” sophomore Jacob Aspaas said. “I was able to meet some new family that I had never gotten to see before.”

The choir arrived first in Stockholm, Sweden, where they toured the city and visited the Vasa, a 1628 restored warship. They also traveled to Uppsala, Sweden, which is known to be the fourth biggest city in the country.

They toured the city and, despite having one of their tour buses break down, made it on time for their first performance tour at the biggest church in Scandinavia, known as Uppsala Dmkyrka.

Upon having another performance at Sofia Kyrka or Sofia Church in Stockholm, the choir then boarded a flight to Oslo, Norway for the second part of their Scandinavian tour. With a seven-hour time difference and less sunlight, the choir members got to see how the communities lit up their streets as Diddle said, “a canopy of lights.” During their time in Oslo, they also got to celebrate New Year’s Eve. “That was really a lot of fun for the kids,” Diddle said. “Some of them went to the opera, some of them went to a musical. They went downtown to the harbor

Photo submitted by Laura Diddle Concert choir stops and smiles for a picture in Fjords, Norway.

because there were beautiful fireworks. The bitter cold had not found us yet, but it was just starting to snow and there were a lot of people downtown. It was a beautiful experience.”

Spending a few more days in Oslo, the choir got to experience taking a dinner cruise, seeing the fjords, visit the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, as well as having the opportunity of visiting a variety of different history and art museums.

“One of my favorite memories of the tour occurred during one such moment in Oslo,” said sophomore McKenzie Hofer. “The choir stood on the steps of the University of Oslo’s law school, just across the street from Norway’s royal palace, and sang my favorite piece: ‘How can I Keep from Singing’.”

After Oslo, the choir continued on their tour to Lillehammer, which was the site of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. In Lillehammer they were able to perform with a men’s community choir, Klang, and performed at Lillehammer Kirke.

“It was so nice and so wholesome,” Aspaas said. “The crowd there really loved our set. It was an awesome feeling and I’ll remember that for a while.”

After Lillehammer, the choir made stops in Flam, Gudvangen, Voss, and then their final destination in Bergen. Many of the choir members filled their free time with sightseeing, ice skating, taking a plunge in the

ocean, as well as going night skiing.

“Each stop on our tour was so unique, and I think that’s why I never really stopped falling in love with each new place we visited,” said Hofer.

After a thirteen-day trip, the choir originally planned on flying from Bergen to Amsterdam to Minneapolis.

But when they reached Amsterdam, their flight was canceled due to their planes having technical issues.

The choir was split up into three groups, some flying to Los Angeles, some to Detroit, and some having a layover in Atlanta, before meeting back up in Minneapolis.

“It made it really difficult because all the students were put on different flights, and we tried to meet in Minneapolis to get on a bus and come home,” Diddle said. “We came through it and I’m grateful to the administration for communicating with the academic community that we had experienced travel difficulties and would be back two days after the first day of class.”

Diddle hopes that the students were able to learn more about the importance and opportunities through international travel. She also hopes the students were able to appreciate Scandinavian culture and music.

“Even with the language barrier and the difference in culture, the music was a common bridge,” Diddle said.

“We were really able to speak to each other and appreciate each other because of our art.”

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NEWS

January 24, 2024

City election may bring Aldi, furniture retailer, and more, to Brookings TATE PETERSON Reporter A Brookings city election Jan. 30 will help determine whether a plot of land just off Interstate 29 will be developed into a future retail space.

The development that is envisioned as the Brookings Marketplace by city leaders and the company that wants to buy the land, would include an Aldi grocery store, a national furniture retailer, a fuel station, restaurants, and other retailers as well.

Paul Briseno, the Brookings City Manager is advocating for people to get out and vote on the development of this site.

“It’s important the citizens of this community and the students that go to SDSU will have alternatives for groceries, and additional retail for people to go to,” Briseno said.

Before the development can take place city voters must approve the sale of the land to Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies. The election was triggered when a group opposing the sale gathered enough signatures in December to force a public vote. A yes vote on Tuesday will allow the sale of land to Ryan Companies, a no vote will prevent it.

A story in the Brookings Register noted the group against selling the land argues the city isn’t getting enough money from the sale. It also noted that the petition began circulating after a 7-0 vote by the City Council in its Nov. 14 meeting to allow Ryan Companies to reduce the price of the Brookings Marketplace land it wanted to buy for development purposes from 18.53 acres to 10 acres for $1.40 per square foot. The amended sale totaled $609,840 whereas the original was in the ballpark of $1,130,000.

The Register reported that no one at the January 16 City Council meeting came out against the amended land sale plan.

Collegian photo by Greta Goede Brookings Mayor Ope Niemeyer addresses the SDSU Students’ Association along with City Manager Paul Bresino at their regular meeting Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.

Patrick Daly, the Vice President of Real Estate Development at Ryan Companies spoke at the Jan. 16 City Council meeting about the development plan.

Ryan Companies hopes to develop the site in two phases.

“We believe once we frame up the first 10 acres of the project, that we will have a level of synergy and momentum there to carry onto the second phase,” Daly said.

One of the four sites will be an Aldi grocery store which 84% of residents who filled out a 2019 consumer survey said they wanted,” Briseno said.

Briseno thinks that if Ryan Companies can be successful in this plot of land, they may help with other developments in the city. “[Ryan Companies] works with large businesses,” Briseno said. “In Sioux Falls

they helped bring in Amazon. That’s the extent of their reach.”

City officials hope to bring in more national retailers to Brookings with the help of Ryan Companies. They are looking to develop areas for Brooking’s residents, SDSU students, and people who visit the community, Briseno said.

Brookings Mayor Opeke “Ope” Niemeyer spoke at Monday’s Students’ Association meeting about the benefits of the land sale.

Retail development like the proposed Brookings Marketplace helps the city generate more sales tax, Niemeyer said.

The sales tax money helps the city pay for things like public works, public safety, parks, recreation, and forestry which is around 70% of the city’s budget.

Niemeyer said another benefit of the

Brookings Marketplace is it would keep Brooking’s residents shopping in the city rather than traveling to places like Sioux Falls and Watertown, otherwise known as retail leakage. Having more options available will keep sales tax revenue in Brookings.

“We have a sales tax leakage,” Niemeyer said. “There’s $15,000,000 in retail leakage, take that there’s a 2% city sales tax, that’s quite a bit of revenue we don’t get, and services were not able to enhance.”

Early voting started on January 12.

Any registered voter in Brookings can vote early or on election day Jan 30. Vote centers are at the Brookings Activity Center, Bethel Baptist Church, and the Holy Life Tabernacle Church.

sdsucollegian.com

COMMENTARY A7

Why you should pay attention to Legislative Session MICHAEL GAROFALO Forty days of session. Seven and a half billion dollars in the budget. Those are two of the most important numbers to know when it comes to the South Dakota State Legislature. This year’s session is already underway, and there has been a lot to unpack so far.

When it comes to the State Legislature, though, why should you care? Well, as a student at SDSU, the State Legislature plays a huge role in overseeing how your university operates. New buildings, curriculum, and more are shaped, in large part, thanks to the legislature. In conjunction with the South Dakota Board of Regents, they have set in motion projects across our campus and our state. One of their most significant collaborations has been the “tuition freeze.” For the last three years, save for an odd adjustment here or there of no more than a couple hundred dollars, tuition at the state-run schools in South Dakota has not gone up.

Work like that does not come without a significant buy-in, though, and our legislature is keen on making sure that the Board of Regents works hard to make higher education the best it can be in South Dakota, while also making it efficient from their point of view. In 2020, Senate Bill 55 was enacted by the Legislature, tasking the Board of Regents with finding areas in which they could operate more efficiently. Consequently, a few offices on university campuses were eliminated, and several new goals on each campus were envisioned. However, there was no shortage of controversy around that bill and the subsequent task force created to see its’ goals through. In fact, that same task force met here at SDSU during its’ fact-finding mission, and I was lucky enough to be at that meeting

and ask campus, for questions of the purpose Board memof housing bers and the Rodeo Legislators Team, who about why are deserving these changof a facility es were that matchbeing enes their acted. Their prowess. answers, Those efforts though have been sometimes unsuccessful, difficult to but lobbying understand, on them were helpful did make a in underdifference. standing The first year why those that bill was changbrought to es were the Legislacoming. In ture, it failed turn, they in its’ first were able to committee.

MICHAEL GAROFALO understand The second from those of us stuyear, after more research, dents gathered at that meeting why we more planning, and continued advocawere curious about their plans. cy from students involved in Students’ Since then, I have worked with memAssociation, Rodeo, and more, it made it bers of the Board and Legislators who through the first committee, before going were there at that meeting, and, believe it down in the committee on Appropriaor not, they remembered me. And, they tions. Now, by that math, you would have remembered that my questions (though to try for several years in order to clear long and rambling at points) were imeach committee and clear every other portant because each student’s input is hurdle in order for a bill to become law. probably a little bit different on issues af- But, sometimes you have to be in it for fecting us as college students. That value the long haul, and that will help you earn on our input carries over when we talk support for your causes over time. about Legislative Session, too. For the Of course, I’m not saying dive headfirst past two years, I have been able to travel into policymaking and join a group or to our state capital, Pierre, and lobby find a position that specifically deals with Legislators on issues that concern higher that, that’s not for everyone. Not everyone education in South Dakota. For example, wants to get into a minivan at three in the last two sessions have included prothe morning and drive to Pierre for five posals in both the House and Senate to minutes of testimony, and rightfully so; construct an indoor rodeo facility on our most people enjoy sleeping in! But a little

input is always helpful. Bills earn support or opposition from the Students’ Association during session, but we are careful to base our feedback on what the student body wants. By telling us what you think, we can more effectively respond to policies that can positively or negatively affect your experience at SDSU. Whether it’s another year of tuition staying flat, a building renovation, protecting our First Amendment rights to Free Speech and Free Expression, or a commemoration celebrating the back-to-back championship football team that calls our university home, there is always a desire for student input on legislative happenings, through the Student Government or on an individual’s behalf.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you make your opinions known during Legislative session, especially as bills continue to get filed the next few weeks. If you live in South Dakota, you can look up your representatives and all the bills filed so far on the legislature’s website, which is sdlegislature.gov, and you can even find contact information for your legislators on that website! I promise you; they want to hear from you about what they can do to make your higher education the best it can be in South Dakota. All it takes is a phone call or an email to articulate your stance on a bill or issue that the legislature is examining.

I hope that you will find something you are passionate about as legislative session goes on, and I encourage you to share your thoughts with our Legislature.

-Michael Garofalo SDSU Students’ Association Government Affairs Chair SDSU.SAGovernment@sdstate.edu

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OPINION

January 24, 2024

Green Day’s ‘Saviors’ is a return to form, for better or worse

JACK MCCARTY Entertainment Editor

Since the release of “Warning” in 2000, Green day has released an album around election season, and just like each passing election, I am filled with more and more dread.

They hit their peak this millennia with their groundbreaking 2004 record “American Idiot”, but since then it’s been a slow decline in quality. “21st Century Breakdown” was solid, but not nearly as impactful or consistent as its predecessor.

“Uno” “Dos” and “Tre” was an experimental triple LP release that was sort of a mixed bag. “Revolution Radio” was an embarrassing mess. They reached rock bottom with 2020’s“Father of all...” which should barely be classified as music.

Now we’re here in 2024. Green Day has just released a new album hot off the controversy of their performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve special, and because God is either cruel or doesn’t exist, I now have to talk about it. To some people’s surprise, the band whose name is a marijuana reference and is led by a man who is openly bisexual, somehow doesn’t support the party that started the war on drugs and ignored the AIDs epidemic.

Easy mistake to make, I guess.

I am bringing this up just so everyone is on the same page. Green Day has always been at least slightly political, and their political views have rarely, if ever, changed. You don’t have to like their politics, but you can’t say that the band who wrote a diss track about the Bush administration were ever republicans. This is all relevant because “Saviors” is very openly political. Now that’s out of the way I can finally get into the music.

The album starts out on a surprisingly high note. “The American Dream is Killing Me” is easily the best song on the album. It’s got the best hook, it’s catchy, and it has a clear direction for what it wants to be. That said, there are a few things that I find questionable. First is

the sort of breakdown/bridge. I’m not really a musician and can’t transpose it, but I’m pretty sure they rip the melody from “The First Noel” for parts of the song. It’s not bad, just weird.

The second thing I noticed was that the lyrics are kind of all over the place.

The song is explicitly about the “American Dream”, but all Billie Joe does is refer to vague notions about homelessness and unemployment. Like, what does “Tik Tok and taxes’’ have to do with “The American Dream”? There are a couple broad notions to the housing crisis and gentrification, and owning property is kind of a part of what people think the American dream is about, but that’s still kind of a stretch. Even though I still like the song, I wanted to focus on those two elements because strange musical decisions and vague political gestures are a recurring problem throughout the album.

For a prime example of this look no further than the next song on the album “Look Ma, No Brains!”. It’s a song that refers to stupidity of the masses, like “American Idiot’s” title track, except witless and dull. It’s a two-minute song that has nothing to say that the band hasn’t already said better a thousand times. . From here until about halfway through the record, things get goofy.

For example, Green Day seems to think that screaming “DO YOU WANT TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND?” and singing “Bada bing, bada bing, bada boom” count as hooks. Unless you are asking someone out at a loud nightclub or are trying out your Tony Soprano impression, these are not hooks. They aren’t anything. They are just noise. This part of the album is also padded with a chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” that sound like leftover soundbites from their last album which I hate.

“Goodnight Adeline” is when things start to get good again, and that really surprised me. It’s the first song on the album where they reel it back and have a slow moment, and I typically don’t really like those kinds of songs. I typically love

fast paced, burn the house down, kind of songs, but this was the first song on the album that connected to me past a superficial level.

The next song “Coma City” is pretty take-it-or-leave-it, but “Corvette Summer” is laid back, catchy, and as a Blue Öyster Cult fan, I can really appreciate the cow bell. “Suzie Chapstick” is a dark and mysterious sounding love song that once again reminds me of Blue Öyster Cult’s later work. “Strange Days are here Again” and “Living in the ‘20s” are solid pop punk anthems. “Father to a son” is a touching song that I could definitely see someone connecting with. The title track feels reminiscent of some of the deep cuts from “21st Century Breakdown”, and “Fancy Sauce” is a relatively powerful album closer.

After listening to this album in full, I think it really exposed the band’s major strengths and weaknesses.

While I can name a handful of bangers that Green Day has released over the decades, just off the top of my head, I think they are at their best when they are slow and heartfelt. While songs like “Basket Case” and “Hitchin a Ride” do slap, there is a reason that “Boulevard of Broken Dreams’’ and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” have persisted for all these years. When he wants to, Billie Joe can deliver an extremely touching performance and can appeal to a variety of different emotions.

It also exposed their biggest that the band has always had, and that is their political writing. It is beyond shallow and always has been, but I didn’t realize that until listening to this record because the quality of the music was able to mask it.

For all the flack I gave people thought that Green Day’s politics changed or that they weren’t political in the first place, I do at least get how they could subconsciously look past all that, because the tunes were just that good.

Green Day’s observations of America’s issue never go beyond surface level. It’s

one thing to say that you “don’t want to be a part of a MAGA agenda”, but it’s another thing to say that you hate the system that the “MAGA agenda” stands for. And I say this as someone who leans far to the left politically. Even the song “American Idiot” is lazy in its criticism of mainstream media and the feeble-minded masses. Yeah, there’s a problem with our current system of media. What is it?

Elaborate on that. Quit stating the obvious and make an attempt to be insightful.

In a lot of ways “Saviors” is a return to form, for better or for worse. Even though they have released some real disappointments over the years, I am still begrudgingly glad that they are still around. If you’re into pop punk, you would probably like at least half of this album.Honestly, if you were to cut songs “Look Ma, No Brains” through “1981” and “Coma City”, you would have a solid 7.5 record here. Maybe even an 8. Sadly I have to take everything into account, and the first half really is that bad, so I’m going to give it a 5.9/10.

Photo from Reprise Records “Saviors” was released Jan. 19 2024. Pitchfork gave the record a 5.1.

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NEWS

January 24, 2024

PHEASANT FOR DINNER

Class provides tasty tips for preparing wild bird

Pheasant Squash Alfredo Pasta Ingredients • 12 oz. cavatappi pasta • 3 slices bacon, diced • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tablespoons flour • 1 and ½ cups whole milk • 1 and ½ cups butternut squash puree • 1 and ½ tablespoons fine chopped sage • 1 and ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard • ¾ cup grated parmesan

Collegian photo by Reagan Monson

Mikayla Neubauer (right) prepares a pheasant dish last week during a cooking class at the Brookings Public Library.

REAGAN MONSON Reporter 14 people gathered at the Brookings Public Library last Thursday to learn how to prepare and cook wild pheasant.

Every year after the shotguns are put away and freezers are full, hunters ask the same question: “What am I going to do with all this meat?”

Mikayla Neubauer, a librarian, hoped to answer this question by showing them how to cook it.

Class participants watched the meals being prepared and then tasted the dishes. The cooking class consisted of three dishes–a pheasant salad, a pheasant butternut squash pasta, and a pheasant enchilada.

Neubauer is an avid outdoors woman and enjoys cooking, so putting this event together was a no-brainer for her. While cooking, Neubauer gave helpful tips on how to cook the bird.

Pheasant is a very lean meat and needs a type of fat to keep it moist.

For simplicity, Neubauer prepared the pheasants the night before by boiling them. She said because it was being added to other recipes, boiling wouldn’t ruin the meat. This was the first time she ever cooked pheasant.

This helped show everyone just how simple it was to cook with the bird.

Attendees seemed to enjoy themselves. Neubauer kept their attention by commenting on each step she was taking while putting each meal together. This was also the first time Neubauer had done a cooking-style show in front of an audience.

The event was put together in collaboration with SDSU’s Pheasants Forever chapter. Tyler Geltmacher, the graduate adviser for Pheasants Forever, said this event was brought to his attention by Neubauer.

“I was pretty excited about it,” Geltmacher said. “We’re just trying to find other ways to get our name out there.” Geltmacher said the organization’s No. 1 goal was to increase student engagement and get people excited about the outdoors.

Geltmacher also played a part in this event by collecting all of the wild pheasants through hunting. This ensured that what the participants were tasting was true to what was in their freezer.

In the 2022-2023 season, according to South Dakota Game Fish and Parks, hunters harvested an estimated 1,158,000 birds. With the average male weighing roughly three pounds, South Dakotans harvested a whopping 3,476,148 pounds of pheasant.

“Pheasant is such a South Dakotan staple,” Neubauer mentioned. “We have a whole tourist economy around pheasant hunting. People go out and have a great time hunting pheasants, but don’t know what to do with it now that they have it. Instead of wasting the bird or letting it sit in your freezer forever because you don’t know what to do with it, you can make it into something delightful.”

Neubauer hopes to have this event again in the fall and thinks it could become a yearly event where she comes up with new dishes every year.

• ¼ cup heavy cream • Salt and pepper • 2 cups cooked, diced pheasant Directions 1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; drain excess fat. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

3. Melt butter in the skillet. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, whisk in milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated.

4. Stir in butternut squash, sage, and Dijon.

Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in parmesan and heavy cream until incorporated, season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir in pasta and pheasant and toss to combine.

NEWS

January 24, 2024

DAIRY RESEARCH FACILITY CLOSES AFTER FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

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RUTHANNE HOLMES Reporter

SDSU Dairy Research and Training Facility is due to close at the end of June 2024 after several financial challenges.

CAFES Dean Joe Cassidy sent out an email on January 16 informing students that the facility would be closing after several “fundraising opportunities and attempts.” What has led to this decision is a mixture of financial challenges and an outdated facility according to Cassidy.

These financial challenges stem from COVID-19 when the SDSU dairy stakeholders pushed to renovate the current dairy facility with the COVID-19 money coming into the state. A request was put into motion for the legislature and the budget that was requested for a new dairy was $18 million but upon Cassidy’s arrival, he was told to ask for $15 million.

The dairy project was appropriated $7.5 million with the deal that SDSU was to raise matching funds.

Cassidy at the Jan. 22 Students’ Association meeting said, “You have to find 2 to 4 major donors who are willing to contribute 80% of the funds after the 80% is raised the other 20% can be from several donors.”

The final total raised was approximately between $1 million to $1.5 million.

That donation status did not match the legislature’s circumstances for funding the dairy facility. Since the money wasn’t raised, the $7.5 million was not granted for the building of the DRTF. The past 4 years have been rough on the DRTF with Covid, a fire in one of the barns and a derecho tearing off a portion of the roof

Photos submitted.

SDSU’S Dairy and Research is set to close at the end of June after facing financial challenges.

and failure of USDA inspections added to the degradation of the facility and swaying the decision of closure.

Students are concerned about the quality of education the dairy majors will have in the future and Cassidy has recognized it.

“I’m confident that we can continue to offer quality education in dairy production,” Cassidy said. “We need to sit back carefully and ask what are the skills that

our students need when they enter the dairy world. And what types of jobs are likely to be doing? And then what mechanisms are available to us to provide them with that education? And I think if we take that approach, we will continue to have a quality program.”

With the shutting down of the DRTF Cassidy is “concerned” about enrollment because without it people won’t allow the university to demonstrate that we

can continue to offer a quality program, according to Cassidy. He encourages students to not give up on SDSU on this front.

The dairy and food sciences are comprised of Dairy manufacturing, Dairy Production and Biological Sciences.

Dairy Production will be biological sciences. Dairy production will be cheese, and butter for the foreseeable future.

With the DRTF closing the single

sdsucollegian.com producer of milk towards the Davis Dairy Plant will need to look for other sellers of milk. Beckman said “the change of milk supplier to the Davis Dairy Plant upon the closure of the DRTF is not expected to impact the cost of production, or the amount of ice cream, cheese, or butter our students manufacture.

Any production cost changes are due to market factors, which the Dairy Plant has always been subject to, regardless of our milk supplier.”

Currently, there is no concern about cheese or ice cream production stopping because of the DRTF closure.

The DRTF is located 1 ½ miles north of the SDSU campus and the lactation barn and milking parlor was built in 1988. The facility houses 130 Holstein and Brown Swiss dairy cows and approximately 140 head of replacement heifers.

The barns haven’t been updated since 1994 making the unit 30 years old.

Student reactions Currently, 40 undergraduate students and 29 graduate students are in the Department of Dairy and Food Science.

Some of these students shared their reactions with the Collegian. Here is what they said: Jacob Schaefer, a senior dairy production major worked at the facility in the past. He said although the conditions weren’t great the facility was usable.

Schaefer also said this will be a hit to the dairy program and the research graduate students do.

Allision Wright said her initial reaction was “Where does this put the dairy department in the future?” She thinks the closing of the facility might prevent students from coming to SDSU in the future.

“I think that is how we draw students, but without a unit, it will be difficult to say,” she said.

Wright also said the dairy facility was usable, although she added the managers have not done a great job at maintaining the facility.

Isaac Berg, senior animal science major said he was disappointed to learn about the closing of the facility but said but is more understanding than some other students.

“An important thing to keep in mind is that they didn’t want to close it down and

NEWS

if there were any other options to keep it open, they would’ve gone through those options, but it won’t work this time,” Berg said.

With this decision alumni and students “were in shock” and “a lot of hurt” according to Margaret Molitor a dairy production and ag communications student. Students and alumni have been upfront about the shock of the closure and how the notification of the closure occurred.

Margaret Socha, who graduated from SDSU in 2021 with a dairy production degree, said she was shocked to hear about the closing of the unit.

“We knew the facilities weren’t in great condition and knew they were getting funds to build a new unit,” she said.

Socha doesn’t believe there wasn’t support for a new facility.

“I know the university says they intend to keep the department and the majors, but I doubt the program will keep going in the years to come,” Socha said. “I see this as the first step to it all being shut down and merged with other programs and departments.”

The Collegian also sat down with some dairy farmers from the area. Jenn Bauman, owner, and dairy herd manager of Bauman Dairy Farms. Bauman

said this is a huge loss to the dairy community.

“Being a dairy farmer and seeing your local state university put millions of dollars into sports, but they can’t make any changes or find any money for dairy, I don’t think words can explain how bad it is going to hurt the dairy industry,” Bauman said.

Dean Cassady said he “has not ruled out SDSU ever having a dairy farm. “ and “If somebody walked in tomorrow and

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wrote me a extremely large check I will be more than happy to reengage the process of planning a new dairy.” Cassady wants to support SDSU dairy students and hopes to continue building the dairy science program.

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NEWS

BATTLE BURGERS of the

January 24, 2024

Here’s a list of all the resteraunts competed in the fourth annual Burger Clash: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The French Onyum from the Rub-N-Tug, which won the competition last year.

• • •

IN BROOKINGS Backyard BBQ Boss’ Pizzeria and Sports Bar Brookings Country Club Cottonwodd Bistro Craft Chophouse & Lounge Patriots Grub and Sweets Pheasant Restaurant & Lounge Pints & Quarts Rub N’ Tug BBQ Shorty’s Hot Box Strikerz Bar & Grill at The Lanes The Depot Wahlburgers Whiskey Creek Wilbert’s Alehouse SURROUNDING AREA CC Bar & Grill Cardinal Tap Gatby’s Speakeasy and Supperclub Lemke’s Bar & Grill Lucky Dog Bar & Grill Mortlands Burgers & More Tables Steakhouse Valley Restaurant & Catering PAST WINNERS 2023: Rub N’ Tug BBQ 2022: Pints & Quarts 2021: Pheasant Restaurant & Loungue

sdsucollegian.com

NEWS

January 24, 2024

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TATE PETERSON Reporter The fourth annual Brookings Burger Clash is underway, featuring 23 restaurants in the area, competing for the title of the best burger in Brookings.

The Burger Clash started Jan. 1 and the competition runs until Feb. 29.

The event, organized by realtor Shane Andersen and the Brookings Home Team powered by Century 21, says he started the annual event as a way for businesses to gain extra traffic early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When COVID hit, that really shut everyone down and we decided, let’s just do a Burger Clash and help these restaurants get some traffic,” said Andersen.

Andersen worked in the restaurant business for about 15 years and said he has a special place in his heart for the industry. He knows that historically this time of the year has been tough on restaurants because holidays and cold weather tend to keep customers away.

“Every year brings new challenges. In the beginning, it was figuring out the logistics and how it would all come together,” Andersen said. “For this year, it was how long it was going to take to start.”

This year, Andersen reached out to competitors in October, and it took a couple weeks to build the website so that it was finished in time for the competition.

“The challenging part is getting all the information in time, because some of these guys don’t know if they are going to have ingredients for their burgers the entire two months,” Andersen said.

Also, this year’s Burger Clash has streamlined its voting process. Each restaurant now has its own designated table tents, supplied by Visit Brookings. It includes a QR code that leads to the voting website, Andersen said.

“Visit Brookings helped supply the table tents and have given us a lot of exposure on their website,” Andersen said. “It’s big for these restaurants to get that much more traffic and eyeballs on them.”

SDSU student, Cade Kirchner, a senior data science major from Sioux Falls, was happy to learn Brookings had its own Burger Clash similar to the Sioux Falls Burger Battle.

“I didn’t know Brookings had a burger competition,” Kircher said. “I’ll have to look into it more, but from what I’ve seen, I think Craft’s (burger) looks the best.”

Last year’s winner, Rub ‘N Tug BBQ opened their restaurant in November 2021. Co-owner Kristina Patterson hopes to win again this year with their new burger, “The EncheesyLotta Burger.”

“We usually sell large enchiladas on Thursdays,” Patterson said. “I couldn’t come up with an idea that hadn’t been done yet, so I decided to cut those (enchiladas) into thirds and put them on top.”

Patterson said she is grateful for the Burger Clash and has seen her business grow as a result of winning last

SUBMITTED PHOTO Burger Clash organizer Shane Andersen poses with last year’s winner and co-owner of Rub ‘N Tug Kristina Patterson.

year’s competition.

“The competition helped give us some notoriety and it was honestly free advertising,” Patterson said. “Getting to know different customers and getting a new client base has been great. We brought in 30% new customers with the Burger Clash. Being more popular with a good rating around here helps bring in new people as well.”

Patterson also plans to bring back last year’s winning burger once this year’s Burger Clash finishes, because it has become a customer favorite. “The French OnYum” is a beef brisket burger topped with crispy onions and melted Swiss cheese. It also features a homemade BBQ sauce and is smothered in sour cream-French onion soup mixture.

Patterson also thinks it’s important to make their burgers stand out from the rest of the competition instead of falling into a theme.

“A lot of restaurants are doing different variations of bacon cheeseburgers,” Patterson said. “When I started looking through the list, ‘I said Oh man, did I miss the

mark? Was it supposed to be bacon-themed?’ But I saw a couple of burgers that were different.”

Event organizer Andersen also has noticed a yearly theme that gets created by participants.

“Unintentionally, a theme transpires each year,” Andersen said. “Last year was a spicy theme. A lot of the burgers had jalapeños and cayenne pepper. The year before, it was eggs.”

This year, the bun seems to be the theme. Some restaurants are using waffles for a bun, and there’s a restaurant using a glazed donut for the bun.

“Maybe we need to start doing a theme of the year and see how that goes,” Anderson said. “It’s always interesting to see what restaurants come up with because they always outdo themselves.”

For the future of the Burger Clash, Andersen said he is open to any suggestions to grow the event and hopes to see more restaurants participate.

“Anyone that wants to sell a burger, I’d love to see the competition grow even more,” said Andersen.

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sdsucollegian.com January 24, 2024

SDSU Dance Team sees success at first United Dance Association National Competition Jackrabbit team dances their way to fifth place in pom routine

ALLEX MURRAY & LAYNA TUCHTENHAGEN Reporters The SDSU dance team made history after placing fifth in the nation for their pom routine in Orlando, Florida Jan. 12.

For the first time ever the dance team competed at the United Dance Association National competition. The team placed fifth for their pom routine, nearly made it to finals for their jazz routine and game day almost made it to semifinals.

“This year’s team has a drive that is unmatched,” head coach Christie Pekoske said. “They inspired each other to jump higher, turn faster, and dance stronger.

They were motivated to show up at the UDA and leave a positive first impression.”

The success from the team stemmed from hard work starting in June to prepare for the season. The team learned national choreography in November and spent the entire Christmas break practicing eight hours each day.

“I think what made our team so successful at nationals this year was our attitudes and determination to get our name heard,” freshman dancer Riley Katz said.

“We had nothing to lose going into this competition, as this was our first time competing at UDA, but all us girls wanted to do well and make SDSU a force to be reckoned with.”

The trip was momentous for the team since they have been fundraising for the competition since going to the UDA camp in August of 2023. The dance team is affiliated with the SDSU athletic department but it’s not funded the way other sports are. The girls must finance their own uni-

Submitted The SDSU Dance Team poses for a group photo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. The team runs concessions at various sporting events and cleans up after concerts or basketball games to make as much as possible for nationals.

forms, practice gear, and travel expenses due to not having any money coming into the teams account.

Sophomore Hannah Salas said it’s hard paying when she’s a full-time student.

“It’s very difficult to pay out of pocket for everything,” she said. “It’s expense after expense after expense and it’s very hard to keep up.”

The team runs concessions at various sporting events and cleans up after concerts or basketball games to make as much money as possible for nationals.

“I would love additional funding from SDSU, but I do understand that it is a challenge right now,” Pekoske said.

Pekoske hopes placing fifth at nationals will bring more girls to try out for the team, and will bring more money into the program.

The team dances at football games, alongside the cheer team and at basketball over the winter and into the spring season.

Justin Sell, the director of athletics, praises the dance team for their hard work

and says the department is “very proud of them and the great work they do on behalf of our university.”

The dance team is already making new goals and planning for what’s next.

“The team is on a high coming back from nationals. Ideas are being thrown around about different styles of routines and costuming,” Pekoske said. “We will spend the rest of this year conditioning and working on technique so next year we can be even stronger.”

“I think what made our team so successful at nationals this year was our attitudes and determination to get our name heard” Riley Katz Freshmen Dancer

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SPORTS

January 24, 2024

SDSU men finish first, women take second at Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet Saturday (5’05”). Hadley Carlson and Taylor Jochum tied for third with jumps of 1.60 meters (5’03”). Madison Kizer also jumped a height of 1.60 meters but dropped to seventh because of previous missed jumps.

Another influential event for the women was the 200meter dash, with two athletes making the SDSU Top-10.

Jaiden Boomsma and Maggie Madsen placed third and fourth in the dash with times of 24.74 and 25.07 seconds, respectively. Boomsma earned the fifth-all-time spot, and Madsen snagged the eighth-all-time finish on the SDSU Top 10.

Looking forward for Jacks Track, DeHaven emphasized that the team still has work to do.

“Competition is relative … it’s going to take two or three meets before we really know where we’re at,” he affirmed.

As the season progresses, SDSU’s competition will start to heat up. Early-season performances suggest that NDSU and USD will be the teams to beat this season for the Jackrabbit track squad.

This week, the SDSU track team will be gearing up for their next home track meet, the D2/NAIA Meet, Saturday, Jan. 27, at 9:30 am.

BEN ANDERSON Sports Reporter The SDSU Men’s Track team placed first out of 11 on Saturday’s Jim Emmerich Alumni meet, with a combined team score of 153.5 points over NDSU’s 139.5.

South Dakota State hosted the meet at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex and included over 700 student-athletes competing.

The men’s team shined early in the meet, placing high in multiple sprinting events, including the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles.

Jared Wipf led the 60-meter dash for SDSU while earning himself a second-place finish and a new school record. Wipf ’s time of 6.73 seconds came in the final round of the dash after he initially claimed a personal best of 6.77 seconds in the preliminary round.

Although Wipf crossed the line first for SDSU, he made it known that track is as much of a team sport as an individual one.

“You aren’t going to win the conference meet by yourself, so we need every man on deck,” Wipf said.

Behind Wipf, Evan Henderson, Jake Werner and Drew Olson finished fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.

Pierre Lear had a nail-biting finish in the 60-meter hurdle event, taking second place by one-hundredth of a second to Augustana’s Andrew Martens. Lear finished with a time of 7.95 compared to Martens’ brisk 7.94.

Head coach Rod DeHaven hinted that the second-place finish might benefit the veteran hurdler.

“It might add a little fuel to his fire,” DeHaven said.

Senior runners weren’t the only ones to find success on Saturday. Freshmen Will Lohr, Carson Noecker, Brandon Kampsen and James Pierce also earned praise.

Lohr and Noecker placed first and second in the 3000meter run. It was a photo finish when the pair crossed the line with times of 8:22.73 and 8:22.91 to secure the win.

Kampsen broke a freshman school record by running 800 meters in 1:52.78, beating the previous record set in 2015 by 0.04 seconds. With that time, Kampsen crossed

Collegian photo by MEGAN IVES South Dakota State’s Jaiden Boomsma and Maggie Madsen compete in the 200-meter dash during the Jim Emmerich Alumni meet, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.

for third place.

Pierce placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.69. He entered the SDSU Top 10 with an eighth-alltime finish.

Another Jackrabbit who found success was triple jumper Tristen Hanna. Hanna hopped, skipped, and jumped his way into first with a leap of 14.32 meters (46’11.75”).

Unfortunately, near the end of the meet, SDSU’s star pole vaulter, Jaden Peters, suffered a multi-season-ending compound fracture in his leg while competing in his event. Peters still tied for first in the pole vault at a height of 4.75 meters (15’07”) before being cut short during his first attempt at 4.90 meters (16’0.25”).

On the Women’s side of the meet, the SDSU Women’s Track Team took second to NDSU. The women gained 97 combined team points compared to NDSU’s 222.

The high jump event is responsible for 22 of the team’s points, with four Jacks placing within the top eight jumpers.

Layne Kirkendoll took first with a jump of 1.65 meters

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.

Volume 138• Issue 14

COMING UP SDSU D2/NAIA Open Where: Brookings When: Jan. 26-27 @Bison Open Where: Fargo, ND When: Feb. 2-3 @Iowa State Classic Where: Ames Iowa When: Feb. 3

Greta Goede

Brayden Byers

Evan Patzwald

Jocelyn Haven

Kenneth Rebello

Anna Lockrem

Jack McCarty

Jordan Roemeling

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

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Assist. News Editor

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

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

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SPORTS

January 24, 2024

Jacks win two duals at home, prepare for match with Air Force

MARSHALL MINIHAN Sports Editor Friday and Sunday, the Jacks saw two home matchups at Frost Arena where they took down Big 12 conference opponents Northern Colorado and California Baptist.

“Anytime we can wrestle in front of our home crowd, it’s important,” said head coach Damion Hahn. “This is our home base and putting on a show for our fans and people is always important.”

South Dakota State sits at the 10th spot in the nation in wrestling and moved to 8-2 due to the weekend wins.

Northern Colorado Northern Colorado started hot with two wins out of the gate in the 125-pound and the 133-pound weight classes. Tanner Jordan fell to UNC’s Stevo Poulin 7-2 while Derrick Cardinal lost to Dominick Serrano 6-2 “I thought we came out a little flat,” said Hahn. “I still feel that way but I thought our middles kind of picked it up and we ended up getting five tech falls.”

SDSU’s first win of the night came by major decision as Clay Carlson, a senior in the 141-pound weight class against Armando Garcia. Carlson’s nine points scored in the first period proved lethal as Garcia couldn’t catch the Minnesota native, the match ended with an 11-point differential (14-3).

Tanner Cook had the sole pin of the night against UNC’s Derek Mathews. Tanner Cook was bested early on

by Mathews from an unsuccessful takedown but quickly put the Bear on his back and earned a pin, inching the Jackrabbits back on the board.

Cade DeVos and Tanner Sloan, who are both ranked nationally in the top-5 finished their matches with tech falls. Joining Tanner Sloan and DeVos were Alek Martin, Cael Swenson and Bennett Berge all earning tech falls of their own.

Tanner Sloan, DeVos and Martin refused to allow their opponents to a single point while Swenson and Berge both finished with 18 points, the duel highs for the night.

South Dakota State now moves to 27 wins over the Bears’ 12 while winning their last eight meetings.

Carlson’s match marks 107th wins and puts him in 11th place in career wins at South Dakota State.

California Baptist The Jacks nearly pulled off a sweep against the Lancers and pushed Tanner Cook to the third period before Drayden Morton pulled in California Baptist’s only win

Photo by MIRANDA SAMPSON/SAMPSON SNAPSHOTS Cade DeVos of South Dakota State works to earn points in his victory against Northern Colorado’s Travis Mastrogiovanni during the dual between the two teams in Frost Arena, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

of the night, finishing the duel at 39-3 in favor of SDSU. Flipping finishes from Friday’s meet was Tanner Jordan who beat 28th-ranked Elijah Griffin in a 7-3 decision.

DeVos scored the match point high for the Jacks as he dropped 23 points to California Baptist’s Justin Phillips’ four to win by technical fall. 5th ranked Tanner Sloan also ended his match with a tech fall over Eli Sheeren 17-1.

Chaz Hallmark was no match for Swenson as he finished 15-2 over his opponent. Also securing a major decision finish was Logan Graf who beat Mitchell Neiner 10-1.

Carlson won 8-2, Martin finished with a score of 5-1, Luke Rasmussen won by fall and Bennett Berge pinned Nathan Hass in 46 seconds.

Up Next The 10th-ranked Jackrabbits have one more home meet against Air Force before hitting the road for four meets with two of them against ranked opponents ( 5th Oklahoma State and 18th-ranked Oklahoma).

Their matchup against Air Force is set for 7 p.m. at Frost Arena this Friday.

JACKS WEEKEND RECORDS 125: Tanner Jordan (1-1) 133: Derrick Cardinal (0-1) Logan Graf (1-0) 141: Clay Carlson (2-0) 149: Alek Martin (2-0) 157: Cael Swensen (2-0) 165: Tanner Cook (0-2) 174: Cade DeVos (2-0) 184: Bennett Berge (2-0) 197: Tanner Sloan (2-0) 285: Luke Rasmussen (1-1)

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SPORTS

January 24, 2024

JACKS BOUNCE YOTES

SDSU hosts Roos next, then head to Oral Roberts JORDAN RADDATZ Sports Reporter

NEXT THREE HOME GAMES

South Dakota State heads back to Brookings after beating the University of South Dakota. The Jacks are set to take on Kansas City next before traveling down to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

The Jackrabbits currently lead the Summit League with a conference record of 4-1. Following close behind them is St. Thomas and Denver who are both 3-2.

Jan. 25 vs Kansas City 6 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs NDSU 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 vs USD 4 p.m. ting up 13.8 points a game this season.

The Roos are 42.2% on all their shots this season.

Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. The game will be available to watch on CBS Sports Network.

at South Dakota

The Jackrabbits men’s basketball team defeated the South Dakota Coyotes on the road in a crushing 73-55 victory Saturday, Jan. 20.

The Jacks started the game with a 9-2 scoring run before the Coyotes responded with a 6-3 run to keep the game tight. The Jacks would begin to pull away, increasing the lead to 11 after the first 20 minutes.

The Coyotes brought the game close again in the second half, cutting their deficit to just three points twice, first by big three-pointers from Mayuom Buom and Kaleb Stewart, after which Zeke Mayo responded with a three-pointer of his own, and another three-pointer from Max Burchill. It wasn’t long before the Jacks began to pull away with the lead again, surpassing the 15 point mark with just four minutes remaining.

Mayo led the Jacks in scoring with 20 points off four three-pointers, three field goals, and two free throws. Three other Jacks hit double digit points in the game: Charlie Easley with 19, Luke Appel with 12, and William Kyle III with 11. The Jacks were 47.8% on their shots and converted 28.6% of their three-pointers.

For the Coyotes, only one player achieved double-digit points, redshirt freshman forward Jevon Hill with 15. USD

at Oral Roberts

Photo by Evan Patzwald Zeke Mayo defends Omaha shooter as he pulls up from three. This season, the junior guard is averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47.7% on field goals and 39% from the arc.

relied heavily on their three-pointer game, attempting 32 of them and only making 11 in the process. Hill made five of the team’s three-pointers. The Coyotes went 11-for32, or 34.4% on their threes, but only made 34.5% of their total shots.

The win bumps up the Jacks to an 11-9 record and they are now 4-1 in Summit League play.

vs. Kansas City

The Jacks return to Frost Arena to host the Kansas City Roos. The Roos enter this

contest 8-12, 2-3 in Summit League play and are coming off a close 74-72 win over the Omaha Mavericks.

Junior guard/forward Jamar Brown converted on a layup in the paint with just 12 seconds remaining to give the Roos the lead. They successfully defended their basket as time expired. Guard/forward Cameron Faas dropped a team-high 15 points in the victory as well. He is averaging 11.1 points a game, third-best on the team this season.

Brown leads the Roos in scoring, put-

It will be a quick turnaround for the Jacks as they head to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face Oral Roberts. They are 8-10, 2-3 in Summit League play, and will host Omaha Thursday, Jan. 25 before the Jacks visit Mabee Center. Their last game on Saturday ended in a loss to North Dakota State on the road, 72-67.

Graduate guard Kareem Thompson put up a career-high 23 points, while two other Golden Eagles achieved double-digit points. Thompson has converted 40.7% of his shots and 41.3% of his threepointer attempts this season and is averaging 13.7 points a game.

Senior guard Issac McBride currently leads the team in scoring, averaging more than 20 points a game. McBride has completed 44.1% of his shots and 39.2% of his three-pointers this season.

ORU has had tight games with their average scoring margin this season sitting at just 0.1 points. Six of their 19 games have been decided by five points or less, having the upper hand in three of them.

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January 24, 2024

Same old story: Jacks take control of Summit League

JON AKRE Sports Reporter

The South Dakota State women’s basketball team remains unbeaten in conference play and increases their winning streak to seven following home victories over the Omaha Mavericks and South Dakota Coyotes.

“We shot the ball well as a group, gained a lot of confidence down there, played very well defensively I thought and then we carried some of that momentum into the game out Saturday against South Dakota,” said head coach Aaron Johnston.

Omaha Against Omaha, the Jackrabbits played arguably their best game of the season, five players finishing in double figures.

South Dakota State dominated every quarter, jumping out to an early 52-24 halftime lead. The Jackrabbits followed it up with another great second half to take home the 92-55 runaway victory.

As a team, the Jackrabbits shot 48% from beyond the arc, connecting on a season-high 12 three-pointers.

Guard Paige Meyer led the team in scoring with 18 points, shooting 77% from the field. Other leading scorers for the Jacks include Madison Mathiowetz with 16, Madysen Vlastuin added 12, Brooklyn Meyer recorded 11, and Jenna Hopp scored another 11 off the bench.

South Dakota The Jacks played their in-state rivals, the South Dakota Coyotes, as part of the Interstate series inside Frost Arena.

It was the 99th meeting between the two women’s basketball teams, with the Jacks now increasing their lead in the series 64-35.

However, things did not start off so smoothly for the Jacks as the Coyotes hit five first quarter threes and went up by

seven points after the first 10 minutes.

SDSU came out of the quarter break going on a 15-0 scoring run and was able to go into halftime with a 36-28 lead.

After allowing 21 points in the first quarter, the Jackrabbit defense started to lock down the USD offense, allowing 20 total points in the ensuing two quarters.

The Jacks finished the game 73-55 over USD. Tori Nelson scored a season high 15 points, while Brooklyn Meyer added another 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 50% shooting.

Madysen Vlastuin, Ellie Colbeck, and Jenna Hopp had a great night shooting from three-point range, combining for eight three pointers on just twelve shots from beyond the arc.

“Ellie Colbeck off the bench made a lot of big threes for us,” said Johnston. “She is a very capable shooter so it’s fun to see her continue to grow and make some plays like that.”

The Jacks are now 5-0 to start conference play, increasing their Summit League regular season record to 54-1 over the last four seasons.

Kansas City South Dakota State will hit the road this Thursday, where they will be taking on Kansas City. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on the Summit League Network.

UMKC is currently 10-10 on the season, but a 1-4 start to Summit League play has them sitting in the bottom half of the conference standings.

UMKC is 8-2 this season at home, including their most recent victory against Omaha on Saturday.

The Roos offense is very spread out when it comes to scoring, as the top five players average between seven and ten points per contest. The leader in points per game on the season is guard Nariyah

Collegian photo by EVAN PATZWALD

SDSU’s Paige Meyer takes a shot over two South Dakota defenders in their 73-55 win at Frost Arena.

Summit League Success

Since entering the conference in 2007, SDSU has won the Summit league 10 times.

Here are those years:

2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19

Simmons. The Junior averages just over 10.1 points per game, while also grabbing 3.1 rebounds and 1.75 assists per game.

The Roos complemented their offense with very solid defense, giving up just 62.7 points per game, good for second lowest in the Summit League, behind SDSU. Oral Roberts The Jackrabbits will return home this weekend to face off against ORU Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. on the CBS Sports

Network in a battle of top seeded Summit League opponents.

ORU has played great basketball to start conference play. The Golden Eagles most recently took down a tough North Dakota State team 84-75 to give the Bison their first conference loss this season.

ORU is currently 14-5 on the year, including a 5-1 record in the Summit. The one caveat to their record has been their struggle to play well on their opponent’s home floor, as all five losses have come on the road.

As a team, ORU averages over 80 points this season, while giving up an average of 67.7 points per. That scoring margin is good for second best in the Summit League, right behind the Jackrabbits.

The scoring output for ORU is very starter-heavy, as all five starters average over 10 points per game. Leading the way is Taleyah Jones averaging 16.84 points, three rebounds, and two assists per contest.

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January 24, 2024

THE COLOR OF MONEY SDSU to host Oral Roberts in annual pink game Sunday

NATALIE NIELSEN Reporter The Jackrabbit women’s basketball team is set to host Oral Roberts in its annual pink game Jan. 28 at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits will wear special jerseys featuring elements of pink. Right after the contest, the game-worn jerseys will be auctioned live with all proceeds going to the Edith Sanford Breast Center. All fans are encouraged to wear pink as well in support of breast cancer awareness.

Though the origin of the pink game is unknown, it likely “stemmed from our strong partnership with Sanford,” said Maggan Froseth, assistant athletic director in marketing.

In the previous six years that the pink game has taken place, over $74,000 has been raised. In 2017, the earliest year with a recorded total, the auction totals were over $12,000. The record amount raised was in 2022 when over $14,000 was collected. Last year’s live auction raised nearly $10,000.

Since the number of jerseys that will be sold live is limited, fans can make a difference in other ways too.

“Donations can also be made directly to the Edith Sanford Breast Center website,” said Froseth.

The Edith Sanford Breast Center has over 40 locations in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. It is an integrated part of the Sanford Health organization.

The center’s nonprofit organization is changing the future of breast cancer care and research.

“Through the use of personalized medicine, we are on the path of revolutionizing prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship,” according to the organization’s website.

Jackrabbit women’s basketball players are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the pink game. Senior Tori Nelson has played in several pink games in the past, and this

Collegian photo by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her) South Dakota State will be hosting Oral Roberts for the annual Pink Game on Sunday at Frost Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

will be her fifth one as a member of the team.

“The pink game is always a special day where we are able to recognize all of those who are impacted by breast cancer,” Nelson said. “It is an honor to wear the pink jersey and play a small part in raising awareness for such an amazing organization.”

Senior Kallie Theisen is out this season with an injury, but she has a strong personal connection to the pink game.

“A handful of my friends have had mothers get diagnosed with breast cancer,” Theisen said. “It has been inspiring to see the way each of them has tackled their own treatment and recovery.”

Theisen has experienced the event

first-hand multiple times. She recently reflected on what it means to her.

“The pink game means a lot to me because it is an opportunity to honor all of the women who have battled breast cancer,” Theisen said. “It is important to let those women who have battled breast cancer, or are currently battling, know that we see them and we support them.”

Though the Jackrabbits will be focused on the game, the day will be a great reminder of the challenges that fighters and survivors of breast cancer face each day.

IF YOU GO What: Annual Pink Game Who: South Dakota State women’s basketball team hosts Oral Roberts When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 Where: Frost Arena Why it’s special: The Pink Game raises awareness and money for the fight against breast cancer.