April 28, 2021

April 28, 2021

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A DAY IN THE LIFE AT SDSU Photography students capture snapshots of campus life from dawn ‘til dusk April 13 SEE DAY IN THE LIFE ON A6

A Day in the Life at SDSU photo by KEANU PHUMIPRAPHAT April. 13, 4 p.m. — Conor Speirs, 21, lands a two-handed “dyno,” or dynamic movement, on a 5.10b rated route at the Miller Wellness Center.

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SINGLE ISSUE FREE

ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION Legislation targeting transgender youth takes a toll on mental health and brings “unwelcoming” atmosphere to SD.

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CHEERLEADING AT NATIONALS The cheerleading squad won first place in Nationals by sending in virtual submissions of their routines.

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April 28, 2021

NEWS

MeetState working to host in-person events next fall J. MICHAEL BERTSCH Managing Editor (He/Him) This summer’s New Student Orientation will be held online for the incoming class; but, the university is planning for a return of in-person events for MeetState weekend.

The 2020 New Student Orientation was the first of its kind, adapting to COVID-19 restrictions and doing an entirely online orientation process.

Even with South Dakota State University and South Dakota Board of Regents announcing plans for a “more normal” 2021-22 academic year, NSO will remain online this summer.

“We learned a few things from going virtual for the first time last year. The biggest difference is offering more live, synchronous content for attendees to consume,” Adam Karnopp, orientation director,

said. “We’re adding an Orientation Leader-led session that will focus on building community and answering any final questions students might have.

We’ll also be adding more variety to our offering of live info presentations.”

According to Karnopp, the virtual NSO will have synchronous components via Zoom and asynchronous components.

Attendees will watch presentations, participate in Q&A sessions and speak

with advisers, faculty, staff and Orientation Leaders.

Students will also have a Zoom advising and registration appointment during, or shortly after, NSO. But the 2021-22 move-in weekend, also known as MeetState, will look like a “more normal” return to campus.

“While it’s a bit early to have specifics, there are some key programs that new students can count on this year,” Karnopp said.

Check out past Collegian issues on our ISSUU account and be on the lookout for the New Student Orientation Issue this summer!

“One long-standing tradition is the Convocation program … which can be thought of as a bookend to the graduation ceremony. Another traditional program is ThumpStart…

We pair groups of new students with a student leader who takes them through various activities, including a campus tour... There will also be a Student Engagement Expo that showcases the ways students can get involved on campus.”

For more information about NSO and Meetstate, check www.sdstate.edu/ new-student-orientation and sdstate.mystate.edu.

If students have any feedback regarding NSO or MeetState, they can call 605-688-6283 or email sdsu.orientation@sdstate. edu.

Incoming students can also keep an eye out for The Collegian’s Orientation Issue, being distributed digitally this summer.

https://issuu.com/sdsucollegian

YOU.sdstate.edu is a personalized web portal connecting you to online tools and campus resources to support your goals to succeed, thrive and matter. Create a confidential profile on YOU@SDState to make the most out of your college experience.

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NEWS

April 28, 2021

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Alcohol Diversion program to open for first-time marijuana offenders TIM MORGAN Reporter (He/Him) T h e o f f i ce o f t h e Brookings County State’s Attorney plans to allow first-time marijuana offenders to complete a substance-abuse diversion program instead of having the conviction on their criminal record.

The program was initially designed for underage drinking offenders, but with coming changes in South Dakota’s marijuana laws, Brookings State’s Attorney Dan Nelson plans to open the program up for marijuana offenders.

Nelson said the diversion program holds people accountable to the law in a way that’s outside the court system.

“I’m not interested in convicting people for marijuana, but I am interested in holding those people accountable because they ultimately broke the law,” Nelson said. He sees it as a win-win for the offenders and the community.

The Brookings County substance abuse diversion program includes 10 hours of community ser-

vice, a three-hour alcohol awareness class taught

by Prime Life and a $100 fee. The training must be completed within 30 days.

Currently in the program for underage alcohol consumption, if the training is completed, the diversion program dismisses underage consumption charges without establishing a criminal record.

If an offender remains crime-free for 13 months after completing the program, their arrest record may be expunged, as well.

“We can use that same framework for marijuana,” Nelson said.

The program has had 200 successful completions with an 85% success rate since it was introduced two years ago.

The change in accepted participants co m e s a f te r vo te rs approved medical and recreational marijuana on the ballot last November, and the legislature considered additional marijuana reforms this spring.

While medical marijuana will become legal starting July 1, allowing residents with a license to possess up to three

ounces or grow up to 12 plants, recreational marijuana has been held by the courts.

The South Dakota Supreme Court will hear arguments on recreational marijuana this week, and likely come to a decision sometime this summer.

The South Dakota State Legislature also passed a law making it illegal to consume marijuana in a motor vehicle, but could not agree to decriminalize marijuana p o s s e s s i o n t h ro u g h consumption.

South Dakota is the only state in the country where it is illegal to have THC in your bloodstream.

Rep. John Mills (R-Volga) said the legislature seems to have come to an agreement that marijuana has been over-criminalized in the past, and that marijuana issues were sure to come up during the next legislative session in January.

Since marijuana is federally illegal, it cannot cross state lines. All marijuana used by South Dakotans for medical purposes will have to be grown in the state.

With the legalization

Collegian graphic by OMAR IRAN (He/Him)

of medical marijuana, there are still some legal questions that will have to be cleared up.

Nelson said he is not sure how law enforcement will deal with medical marijuana license holders who seem to be transporting marijuana across state lines.

“The state is going to have to give us a framework on how to deal with that issue, because as the law is written currently, the answer is unclear,” Nelson said.

Nelson would like Donate to The Collegian’s Rabbit Raisers and help us reach our goal of $2,500, scan below!

to remind citizens that, unless the Supreme Court upholds recreational

marijuana this summer, it remains illegal in South Dakota.

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NEWS

sdsucollegian.com April 28, 2021

How anti-transgender legislation impacts transgender students WREN MURPHY Reporter (They/Them) Felix Busk has lived in South Dakota his whole life, and anti-transgender legislation is pushing him out.

Busk, a sophomore wildlife and fisheries major from Dell Rapids, South Dakota, has been publicly out as transgender since his junior year of high school.

Despite his life-long residency in the state, he still doesn’t feel entirely safe.

He isn’t alone. Other current and former South Dakota State University students have said the anti-trans rhetoric that circulates through the legislature each year harms their mental health and pushes them out of the state.

“It makes you feel like your own state hates you,” Busk said. “You’re very slow to let that part of you come out because with things like that going through [the legislature] constantly, it makes you feel unwelcome.”

Several bills, considered anti-transgender by advocacy groups, have appeared in the South

Dakota Legislature since 2016. Most bills die before reaching the governor’s desk, and none have become law.

Gov. Kristi Noem refused to sign the most recent one, House Bill 1217 Monday, March 29. The bill would have stopped transgender women and girls from joining sports teams that align with their gender identity. It would have also required each student-athlete to provide a written statement verifying the student’s sex every year.

Noem did write two executive orders, even though she didn’t sign the bill.

The first forbids transgender girls from playing on women’s teams in primary or secondary school.

The other recommends the South Dakota Board of Regents do the same at the university level.

Rep. Rhonda Milstead, who represents District 09 in Minnehaha County, was one of the bill’s prime sponsors.

She called Noem’s veto “disappointing.”

“There’s no teeth in [the executive orders],” Milstead said. “No consequences.”

Milstead disagrees with transgender advocates who say this bill targets transgender people.

“I didn’t talk to a trans person, no, because this wasn’t about trans people,” Milstead said about gathering feedback about the bill. “This was about males competing in female sports. The fact is that they have a place to compete. That they can compete in the male bodies category means that nobody is discriminated against.”

A federal judge and a feminist advocacy group disagree.

Judge David Nye stopped a similar bill from taking effect in Idaho in 2020 and argued future court cases would likely show the law was unconstitutional. In his 87-page ruling, Nye said the law targeted transgender women.

“The state has not identified a legitimate interest served by the Act that the preexisting rules in Idaho did not already address, other than an invalid interest of excluding transgender women and girls from women’s sports entirely, regardless of

Collegian photo by GRACIE TERRALL (She/Her) Brookings community members gathered Feb. 27 to protest anti-transgender legislation in South Dakota.

their physiological characteristics,” Nye wrote.

The National Women’s Law Center, a non-profit advocating for women’s rights, also opposes bills banning transgender women from women’s sports.

The organization published an article in February stating these bills target transgender people, don’t fix the problems within school athletics and only add to transgender students’ current problems, including

physical and sexual violence, mental health crises and familial rejection.

“I am honestly quite offended that somebody would take something like this and turn it around and make it about something that it is not,” Milstead said. “It is strictly about fairness.”

Even if the bills don’t pass, Felix Busk believes they create an unwelco m i n g a t m o s p h e re that discourages young transgender people from staying in or coming to

the state.

“I know every trans kid that was in my high school said, ‘The second we’re out of college, we’re leaving the state,’” Busk said.

Chris Hartzler, a transgender advocate who graduated from SDSU in 2019, is one student who left after completing his degree.

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

sdsucollegian.com

NEWS

April 28, 2021

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Gifford wins election for 99th Little I Assistant Manager ADRIENNE LIPINSKI Reporter (She/Her) For nearly 100 years, Little International, South Dakota State University’s two-day livestock event, has been led by a team of two students: the general and assistant managers.

Each year an election is held to determine the next assistant manager, who will later become the general manager.

The search ended April 20 as Cody Gifford was announced as the 99th Little I assistant manager.

Gifford, a freshman precision agriculture major from Arco, Minnesota, has been participating in Little I since he was a seventh-grader competing in the FFA c a re e r d eve l o p m e nt events.

He knew that he wanted to be involved on staff and was selected to serve on the General L ive s t o c k Pl a n n i n g Committee. His older sister, Kira Gifford, is also active in Little I and pushed him to get involved.

“I don’t really do a lot on campus, but when I do, I prefer to go higher up and work harder, so I figured I’d give it a shot and apply,” Gifford said.

Gifford, along with four other candidates, applied for the assistant position. Applicants had

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SUBMITTED Cody Gifford (left) is the newly elected 99th Little I assistant manager, pictured with Grady Gullickson (right), last year’s general manager.

to go through an application and interview process, with interviews being held April 7. The applicants were interviewed by the 98th assistant and general managers, as well as the executive team.

“We had five very highly qualified applicants for the position that each had experiences and strengths in different areas related to Little I, the ag industry and the college of ag,” Jacob Rausch, 98th Little I general manager, said, “but we had to make the decision of the two finalists.”

After the interviews were completed, the managers and executive staff chose two final-

The Collegian

ists that campaigned until voting took place.

Gifford was selected as a finalist and was immediately launched into the campaign period of this process, which included hanging up posters and advertisements around campus, with the help of his sister. Gifford also spoke at club meetings and worked on building personal relationships with students he talked to.

“I like to have face-toface conversations with people and just talk,” Gifford said. “I think that’s the best way to communicate with people and get people to build a connection with you.”

Gifford said he had

@sdsucollegian @CollegianSports @collegian_live

the support of his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho, who helped him hang up posters and advocated for him around campus during his campaign period. He also had support from his friends and family who also talked to people on campus.

Voting was held April 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with results later announced at the Little I staff banquet.

As the assistant manager, Gifford will be watching 99th general manager Grady Gullickson as he prepares to take over as the 100th general manager the following year.

“Cody is pretty knowl-

sdsucollegian

edgeable about Little I,” Gullickson said. “Even though he’s only been on staff for one year, he’s definitely learned all that he could from it. When you talk to him he’s calm, cool and collected, which is something that is really helpful when we get in those stressful situations and things start to heat up.”

The assistant manager is in charge of a variety of tasks that consist of overseeing some committees, being the voice for Little I, selecting apparel and staff gifts, assisting the general manager and helping out in many other tasks when needed.

Although this past

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year looked a little different because of COVID-19 regulations, Gifford is looking forward to next year and hoping things will get back to some sense of normal.

As assistant manager, Gifford hopes to implement activities that educate exhibitors and promote Little I. He is also looking forward to bringing back more staff and alumni activities and showing the legacy of Little I at the coming centennial celebration.

Education is a big aspect of Little I because it allows people who have never shown an animal before an opportunity to learn about a species, or those who have shown before to learn something new or hone their skills.

Every year there is a Round Robin competition at the end of the event where the top two showmanship finalists in their respected category compete for the overall showmanship title. Gifford would like to bring back past Round Robin winners and have a Round Robin contest spanning the decades.

“I think we should really highlight the legacy and history of this event here at SDSU,” said Gifford. “It’s a huge part of a lot of people, especially in the ag college.”

For full versions of stories and more content, go to sdsucollegian.com.

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From A1

DAY IN THE LIFE

LIFESTYLES

A Day in the Life at SDSU photo by MICHAEL HOUSEMAN April 13, 10 a.m. Sydni Questad and Allyson Pollock input data from a scanner.

A Day in the Life at SDSU photo by KELLY MITCHELL April 13, 7 p.m. Lyric Gruenhagen, fourth-year Hospitality Management major, celebrates the approaching graduation in May by wearing her cap and gown while finishing a homework assignment at her apartment.

A Day in April 13, 10 p.m. Kari Kanable, left, reviews a section of the human heart on a model with her peer Jordan Thompson p cadaver lab.

April 28, 2021

n the Life at SDSU photo by ALISON SIMON prior to beginning a dissection in the Berg Hall

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A Day in the Life at SDSU photo by JOSIE NELSON April 13, 7 a.m. KSDJ Radio Station Manager Tori Berndt, left, talks with her co-host Megan Janssen about their show content. The station is located in the basement of the University Student Union.

A Day in the Life at SDSU photo by VERONICA FRITZ April 13, 4 p.m. Pearson Hall residents practice roping on the north side of Young Hall.

Check out the rest of the A Day in the Life at SDSU photos and multimedia content!

Scan this QR code for A Day in the Life at SDSU’s Facebook page.

Scan this QR code for A Day in the Life at SDSU’s webiste.

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LIFESTYLES

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April 28, 2021

May Day Music Festival to highlight student musicians GRACIE TERRALL News Editor (She/Her) The 7th annual May Day Musical Festival will take place this Friday, with performances by Sioux Fallsbased band, Tenenbaums, and a full lineup of student performers.

The festival will start at 4:30 p.m. on the Sylvan Green with student artists performing first. One headliner, Hayden Woods, is set to perform at 5:45 p.m., with Tenenbaums taking the stage at 7 p.m.

South Dakota State University’s student-run radio station, KSDJ, and the University Programs Council (UPC) sponsor the event every year and organize the artists, vendors and prizes.

Tenenbaums has been releasing music since 2015 and describes their sound as indie rock.

“We decided it would be best to try and stay local with our bands this year,” Tori Berndt, KSDJ station manager, said when asked why they chose Tenenbaums.

To accompany the performances throughout the evening, there will be local food trucks and yard games that people can win prizes for.

Attendees can also win prizes for just showing up

Volume 136 • Issue 22

and tapping their student ID or participating in social media events.

Students will have a chance to win a new Crosley record player if they follow @sdsupc on Instagram, “like” the post pertaining to the giveaway, share it on their story and tag a friend in the comment section.

Additional prizes include gift cards to Amazon, Target, Walmart and Starbucks and two $50 University Bookstore “We

try to have a wide variety of music to hit a bunch of different types of music so it attracts the most amount of people” VICTORIA BERNT KSDJ STATION MANAGER

gift cards.

Although KSDJ is an “alternative rock” station, the festival features many different types of music.

“We try to have a wide variety of music ... so it attracts the most amount of people,” Berndt said.

Sage Mowry, a junior animal science major who goes by the stage name

SD Mowzer, is a country rapper performing at 5 p.m.

“I like making music people like to listen to; I like seeing people’s faces when they hear something they like,” Mowry said.

Mowry released his newest single, “Turn Up,” last Friday, April 23. All of Mowry’s music can be found on Spotify.

Hayden Wo o d s , junior aviation major and the headliner for Tenenbaums, has been a DJ since 2010 and mixed music for singers like Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.

“My sound is like electronic dance music,” Woods said. “When I play in front of people who aren’t really used to alternative dance music, I like to make it fun and enjoyable to listen to. … I play a drum and bass set, but I do like record scratching.

That stuff is kind of interesting and people seem to like it when I do that stuff.”

The festival is free for all who attend. Social distancing and masks are encouraged.

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.

SCHEDULE       

Emily Seaton

4:30 to 5:00 DJ Josh Wane 5:00 to 5:15 Sage Mowry 5:15 to 5:30 Clayton Sorum 5:30 to 5:45 Isaiah Dietz 5:45 to 6:45 Hayden Woods 6:45 to 7:00 Molly Dowling 7:00 to 8:00 Tenenbaums

J. Michael Bertsch

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Jordan Rusche

Gracie Terrall

Omar Imran

Graphic Designer

Ad Sales Representative

Josie Nelson

Elise Heesch

Hemishka Lobin

Lifestyles Editor

Graphic Designer Ad Sales Representative & Designer

Frankie Herrera Photo Chief

News Editor

Lillie Albers

Public Relations Coordinator

Griffin Tonsager

Hollie Leggett

Lesly Abarca

Emily Urban

Ad Manager

Social Media Representative

Copy Editor

Ad Sales Representative

Lucia Frias

Social Media Representative

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

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

Please keep to less than 250 words.

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

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OPINION

April 28, 2021

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EDITORIAL Issue: Dear graduating class of 2021...

In less than a week, you will officially come to the end of your college career and most will have the opportunity to walk across the commencement stage, receive your degrees and go out into the world, something most 2020 graduates were not able to do.

This last year has been challenging for all of us, but working through your last few semesters of college in the middle of a pandemic is no small feat, and you should be proud of all your accomplishments.

Many of you are probably at least a

little disappointed in how your college experience has ended. Your graduation ceremonies will be much different than in previous years, and you may not have all your family in attendance like you might have hoped.

Still, you should try to enjoy the moment as much as you can, as the opportunity to walk for commencement is still better than none at all.

It’s also time to start thinking about your life after you walk across that stage.

Many of you will leave Brookings to start your next adventure, some of you

will stay for graduate school, but if one thing is certain, you all deserve a break.

Don’t stress too much about life after academia. Take some time off to reflect on your college days, appreciate the friendships you made and the people you all became. You don’t have to jump headfirst into adulting just yet.

But most importantly, don’t worry if your final GPA and academic standings aren’t quite what you hoped they would be. Remember, C’s get degrees, and future employers probably won’t be as concerned with what grade you got as

they will be with what you gained from your time here.

We at The Collegian hope your time at South Dakota State University was memorable, and we wish you luck in all your future endeavors.

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

The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.

The Collegian 4/28/21 Crossword

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

an 4/28/21 Sudoku

PuzzleJunction.com

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

6 2 3

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9 3 9 4 5 9 3 7 4 8 1 6 2 4 3 1 Copyright ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com

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4 7 5 8 1 9

Contact sdsuadvertising@gmail.com to sponsor this puzzle!

Across 1 Blackball 1 Occupations 5 Mongrel 9 Bird’s beak 12 All square 13 Run ___ of the law 15 Actress Sorvino 16 Baltic port 17 LikeVikings 18 Doing business 19 Chess piece 21 Toast 23 Craving 24 Historic time 26 Supersized 30 Strikes 32 Risks 33 And others (Abbr.)

35 Engage 37 Sister 38 Paul Hogan played him 42 Bud's bud 43 fragrance 44 Famed loch

45 Aimless 48 Jacket material 50 Pasta topper 51 Opposite SSW 52 Hiatus 55 Loathe 59 Farm 61 Watch face 64 Fine fiddle 66 Dinghy or dory 67 Small whirlpool 68 Georgia city 69 Madame Bovary 70 Silent assent 71 Russo of Outbreak 72 Blue-green Down 1 Dried beef strips 2 Sheeplike 3 Start 4 Glitch 5 Slogan 6 ET carrier 7 Rocky peaks 8 Ivory source 9 Bite 10 Anger 11 Prohibit

Across 1 Occupations

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1

2

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4

5 13

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5 Mongrel 17 18 14 Sign before virgo 16 9 Bird’s 15 back toothbeak 21 22 19 20 12 All square 20 salutation 24 25 26 27 28 29 13 Run ___ of the 23 22 barley lawbrew 30 31 32 25 garden pestSorvino 15 Actress 33 34 35 36 37 16 Baltic port 27 peels 17 Like Vikings 28 pastes 38 39 40 41 18 Doing business 29 feudal worker 43 44 42 19 Chess piece 30 anatomical 21 Toast 45 46 47 48 49 pouch 23 Craving 31 farm buildings 50 51 52 53 54 24 Historic time 26 Supersized 32 foot (prefix) 55 56 57 58 59 60 30 away Strikes 33 eat 64 65 66 61 62 63 32 Risks 34 some vacation 33 And others 68 69 67 trips (Abbr.)

36 summer tv of71 72 70 35 Engage fering 37 Sister Copyright ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com 58 marathon 38 Paul Hogan 38 applaud 60 support 70 Silent assent 14 Sign before 38 Applaud played him 39 flyspeck 61 retreat 71 Russo of Virgo 39 Flyspeck 42 Bud’s bud 40 below Outbreak 15 Back tooth 40 Below 43 Fragrance 62 altar vow 41 maiden name 72 Blue-green 20 Salutation 41 Maiden name 44 Famed loch 63 append 46 vesuvius locale 22 Barley brew 46 Vesuvius locale 45 Aimless 65 freight weight 47 watch chain 25 Garden pest 47 Watch chain 48 Jacket material Down 27 Peels 49 Propulsion item 50 Pasta topper 49 propulsion item 1 Dried beef strips 28 Pastes 52 Fairy tale figure 51 Opposite SSW 52 fairy tale figure 2 Sheeplike 29 Feudal worker 53 Small lizard 52 Hiatus 53 small lizard 3 Start 30 Anatomical 54 Corolla part 55 Loathe 54 corolla pouch 4 Glitch 56 Prosciutto 59 Farmpart 56 prosciutto 5 Slogan 31 Farm buildings 57 Poet Khayyám 61 Watch face 57 poet khayyam 32 Foot (Prefix) 6 ET carrier 58 Marathon 64 Fine fiddle 66 67 68 69

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33 Eat away 34 Some vacation trips 36 Summer TV offering

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Support Retreat Altar vow Append Freight weight

A10 OPINION

sdsucollegian.com

April 28, 2021

Saving this summer to prepare for next semester expenses LORNA SABOEWOUNDED HEAD Family Resource Management Field Specialist, SDSU Extension (She/Her) You have made it through another semester of college. Summer break is just a few days away. What are your plans?

Whether you will be continuing to take classes, completing an internship or working, make a plan for the money you earn this summer to prepare for the next semester.

Funding How much money do

you need to fund the next two semesters of college?

Include tuition, books and supplies, housing and other living expenses like food and transportation in your plan. If you will continue to live on campus, use your expenses from this past year as a guide.

If you are going to move off-campus, your expenses will change, so calculate your housing expenses (including utilities, food and transportation.)

Determine the amount of money you know you have to pay for your expenses like financial aid and savings.

Calculate the difference.

Having this information will help you determine how much you need to earn this summer.

Remember, you have calculated expenses for both semesters, so if you have a large deficit, you will know if you need to plan on working during the semester.

Savings Knowing what your expenses will be for the semester will help you determine a savings goal for the summer. Calculate your expenses for the summer and include housing, transportation, food and entertainment.

Consider any trips you might be planning, then, estimate your earnings to determine how much you can reasonably save for college. If you have high expenses for the summer so your savings will be minimal, spend time seeking other sources of financial aid.

Many scholarship application due dates have passed, but there may be other opportunities.

Taking the time now to determine financial needs for the next semester can help you save money and reduce your overall costs for college.

SUBMITTED Lorna Saboe-Wounded, the family resource management field specialist.

University landscaping creates ecosystem throughout campus JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN Sustainability Specialist (She/Her) Roses are red, violets are blue, but did you know that campus landscaping is green, too?

While April is host to Earth Day and National Garden Month, South Dakota State University’s Facilities and Services looks at the sustainability of our landscaping year-round.

In fact, since 2009, SDSU has been recognized as a “Tree Campus USA.” This national organization recognizes universities that establish and maintain a healthy tree community. This is also SDSU’s third year to be recognized as a “Bee Campus USA,” which

recognizes universities that establish and maintain quality pollinator habitats.

Trees are critical to a healthy ecosystem. They provide habitat for animals, offer shade on hot summer days and pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Throughout the one square mile of SDSU’s campus, you will find around 3,000 trees.

Some are only a few years old, while others are as old as the university!

Diversity of tree species is equally as important to the number of trees, as it minimizes the risk should a disease spread through the area.

With this in mind, SDSU Facilities and Services strategically plants a wide array of tree species and

currently has approximately 85 different species planted.

It’s not just trees that add to the campus landscaping ecosystem, though. Look across campus and you are bound to spot a native or pollinator plant. These plants are chosen for their longevity and positive benefit as wildlife habitat. Both maintain a functional ecosystem by offering food resources or habitat to insects, birds or mammals.

You’ll notice, too, that campus landscaping is covered with a thick layer of mulch, created from campus trees that had to be cut down. Not only does the mulch help reduce weeds and minimize water needs, but it

also adds nutrients back to the soil as it slowly decomposes.

Furthermore, campus landscaping includes four bioswales and bioretention areas. Some of these areas look like general landscaping on the outside, but underneath they provide a natural way to remove pollutants from rainwater prior to entering storm sewer systems. Other areas appear as sunken turf and allow rainwater to collect, slow down and infiltrate to a certain extent.

The benefits of these stormwater best-management practices include: trapping coarse litter from entering waterways, slowing water velocity, reducing overall flow volumes and rates to storm

SUBMITTED

Jennifer Mclaughlin, sustainability specialist at South Dakota State University.

sewer systems, creating unique ecosystems for plant and animal life and removing particulate pollution from the storm sewer system.

Wi t h multiple bioswales, seven acres of garden beds and around

3,000 trees on campus, SDSU finds sustainable landscaping a benefit not only to our campus, but the surrounding ecosystem. We hope as spring comes around and flowers are in bloom, you can enjoy it, too.

sdsucollegian.com

SPORTS

April 28, 2021

A11

Jackrabbits cruise past Holy Cross and advance in the playoffs SKYLER JACKSON Sports Reporter (He/Him) T h e S o ut h Da ko t a State Jackrabbits football team will move on in the 2021 FCS playoffs after defeating Holy Cross in the first round 31-3 Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

The top-seeded Jackrabbits (6-1) put together yet another impressive performance on both sides of the ball, putting up 439 yards of total offense and a defense that kept the Crusaders (3-1) out of the end zone.

“I’m excited to get a win and excited to have another opportunity to play another game,” coach John Stiegelmeier said. “I don’t think it was always pretty for us today, but some days you just go to work.”

O f f e n s ive l y, t h e Ja c k ra b b i t s we re a well-balanced attack.

They were most effective running the ball, rushing for 281 yards on the second-best rush defense in the nation. Isaiah Davis led the way with 156 yards on 10 carries and a 60-yard touchdown run. Pierre Strong Jr. added 76 yards.

Sophomore offen-

sive lineman Mason McCormick knew the offensive line had their match cut out for them upfront.

“I think the biggest thing for us was our effort,” McCormick said.

“We saw in film that they play hard and they’re a well-coached football team, so we knew that we had to play with good technique that matched our effort.”

While the Jacks had success running the ball, they were also efficient at throwing the ball. Quarterback Mark Gronowski threw for 153 yards on 12-21 and three

touchdowns, including a 45-yarder to Jadon Janke in the third quarter, that put the game away. “ We h a d g o o d momentum going into that drive,” Gronowski said. “We just thought we’d take advantage of our opportunity. We wanted to take a shot, and it worked out.”

For the second time this season, the Jackrabbit defense kept their opponent out of the end zone.

Every time the Crusaders seemed to gain some offensive momentum, the Jacks defense stiffened, producing four sacks.

Adam Bock led the team

with nine tackles, and Preston Tetzlaff added eight.

“We just got confidence in our defense,” Logan Backhaus, who finished with two sacks, said.

“We knew they were going to try and run the ball, but when we needed to, we stepped up and made plays.”

The SDSU special teams unit also played a pivotal role, blocking a field goal and recovering a muffed punt that set up scoring drives for the offense.

The Holy Cross offense was able to move the ball well but

could never capitalize.

The Crusaders had 198 yards of total offense, 112 of them coming on the ground. Peter Oliver was their leading rusher with 52 yards on nine attempts.

The Jackrabbits will host Southern Illinois at 8 p.m., May 2, after SIU’s dramatic 34-31 win over Weber State. SDSU beat the Salukis 44-3 in Carbondale, Illinois, during the regular season.

A12 SPORTS

sdsucollegian.com

April 28, 2021

Cheer team earns first place in division at Nationals JORDAN RUSCHE Lifestyles Editor (She/Her)

After making it through both semi-finals and finals of the 2021 Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals, the South Dakota State University All-Girl Cheer Team placed first in the Open All Girl Game DayCheer division.

This is the first time in SDSU history that the cheer team has attended Nationals.

The results of the first round of Nationals were announced April 19, with SDSU taking the highest score in their division. “ We f o u n d o u t Monday night that we made it to the finals, so we had practice Wednesday night,” junior Ally Zerfas said. “We watched a fiilm of our routine, went through the results from the judges and what they told us, watched a few other teams just as a learning thing and then we had practice and we started recording (Thursday) night.”

The team submitted their video for the final round April 23. Hanna Siemonsma, another junior on the team, said they focused on making their routine more engaging for the audience the second time around.

“A lot of it is just cleaning up our technique on things and adding more personality and entertainment to the whole routine,” she said.

The cheer season leading up to Nationals was not easy for the team, though.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the team was only able to practice a few times each week.

“Our main struggle in a way for competing has been that we don’t have as many practices a week, so we have less time … to make those changes and actually perform them,” Siemonsma said.

The team also has not performed at as many games or events as they do in a typical season.

“We still got to do One Day for State in the fall, obviously there wasn’t Hobo Day,” Zerfas said.

“We cheered a fair amount of basketball games; it just looks a little bit different when we are cheering at games because we’re up in the stands and not on the floor and we can’t do stunting.”

O n to p o f t h e decreased preparation time for the regular season, the team also had very little time to prepare their routine for Nationals.

“We didn’t find out that we were competing until like two months before, when usually teams start practicing so much earlier,” freshman cheerleader Lexi Runge said, “so it was definitely stressful knowing that we didn’t have a lot of time to learn and perfect our routine.”

With three juniors, five sophomores and 12 freshmen, the team saw quite a few new faces for the 2020-21 school year, adding another challenge to the team’s preparations.

“With the routine, we’re in the game day category, so a lot of the

entertainment pieces you bring to (Nationals) are things that you would typically see or do at games.

It’s difficult to teach that when our freshmen and our newbies haven’t actually experienced that,” Siemonsma said.

Despite the obstacles in its way, the team was able to band together to work through these challenges.

“Our team definitely faced these stressful times head-on and worked so hard,” Runge said. “It was so incredible to be surrounded by supportive girls who all had the same mindset.”

Siemonsma and Zerfas added the new cheerleaders were “fast learners” and adjusted to the changes quickly.

The team has also learned to be more flexible through the challenges of this year, especially with many events and practices coming at them last minute.

“Even competing, we didn’t really know we were doing that until we came back from Christmas break, so, like (Siemonsma) said, we put in some late nights to prepare for that,” Zerfas said.

“We put the most into this year that we could, and we made the best out of it.”

Making it to Nationals has not only made them stronger, but it has shone light on a team whose accomplishments are often pushed to the sidelines— literally.

“I think in the past it’s like we were there cheering on the other teams, but we weren’t competing for any wins

SUBMITTED The South Dakota State University All-Girl Cheer team placed first in the Open All Girl Game Day Cheer division at the finals of the 2021 Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals.

for ourselves,” Zerfas said.

“This kind of gives us that equal walkway of, ‘we’re competing for something just like other teams are.’

They’re competing for a win each game and now that’s what we’re doing in our competition.”

Assistant Coach Isabelle Masloski also shared the amount of work that goes into a regular season for the cheerleaders, something many fans may not be aware of.

“In a normal season,

our girls put in anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a week for cheerleading,” she said. “They lift in the weight room three times a week, have (two and a half ) hour practices minimum twice a week, plus football and basketball games and team appearances. This schedule was for a regular season and will be triple the time for the added competitive routine.”

Zerfas and Siemonsma added that

many other SDSU athletic teams have shared their support of the cheerleaders, along with community members and former students.

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

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