September 2019
volume 7 issue 1 the
vessel
university of sioux falls student media
Letter from the Editors
Welcome back, Hi there! We’re Hannah and Sammi and we are your new editors of the Vessel magazine for the year. We are BEYOND excited to be a part of the Vessel team and even more stoked to bring the students on campus some new, fresh, feel good stories to read. This year we really want to focus on showcasing some super cool people on campus that don’t receive the recognition they deserve as well as some never before seen (or read) content. We wouldn’t consider ourselves introverts but if there’s one thing you’ll take away from the Vessel, this magazine isn’t either. As we create these issues, our team is of the same mind: making an issue that isn’t afraid to go outside the box and try something new. Plus, bring awareness to some important hidden gems on (and off) campus and lastly... fun! We want you to smile, we want you to laugh, we want you to be able to use us as a healthy distraction from the crazy world we live in. So grab a good friend, a yummy snack from Coop’s and put down that 5 page essay for a little while. We’re always on the lookout for new, creative story ideas so if you have one in mind, send it our way! Our job is to not only entertain and educate the USF community but also listen to our readers and make sure we’re producing content you enjoy reading! Your opinion matters! You can give us a follow on any social media page (located on the back cover) or stop by our office sometime for a cozy hangout and good chat! (We usually have snacks). Our office is located at the bottom of the stairs and to the right of Student Development. Can’t wait to hear from you and cheers to a new year! Go Coo!
all our love,
h a n n a H & i m m a S
TABLE OF CONTENTS T h e Ve s s e l / F a l l 2 0 1 9 / S e p t e m b e r
Photo Courtesy of Mataya Lines Hannah Wold (left) Sammi Peterson (right)
Cover Photo Courtesy of Jett Thune
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letter from the president welcome week recap student / staff spotlight augustana twilight meet senior thoughts
Letter from the President
Photo Courtesy of University of Sioux Falls Marketing
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“The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” - Mark Twain Dear USF Community: The start of the 2019-2020 academic year marks the University’s second consecutive year of record enrollment in its 136 years of existence. Throughout a busy and productive summer, the faculty and staff looked forward in anxious anticipation of our students arriving on campus to launch the academic year. For our returning students it represents the continuation of the college experience, and for our new students it represents a time of excitement, and perhaps some anxiety, as they embark upon this new venture in life. The college experience represents some of the very best memories life has to offer and marks a special time of personal and professional growth. I encourage you to take full advantage of all this experience has to offer. Whether a returning student or a new student, be bold and willing to stretch beyond your normal comfort zone. Here in this faith and academic community, you have the tremendous opportunity to engage in activities and experiences that challenge your thinking and garner insight into career and personal opportunities not previously considered. And, all of this will occur within the safe confines of a caring University community with faculty and staff fully committed to your well-being and success. Mark Twain once stated that, “the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” It is our hope and prayer that your interaction with our faith and academic community will provide many answers to the latter portion of Twain’s quote. The University continues striving to remain at the front edge of utilizing current best practices in higher education, considering new and innovative programming, and remaining committed to a cycle of continuous improvement relative to its existing programs. This mindset, combined with a myriad of experiential learning opportunities that our presence in Sioux Falls provides, ensures learning experiences unparalleled in higher education. Besides the forming of lifelong relationships while at USF, you will be prepared for cutting-edge careers while becoming well-rounded and growing in your leadership capacity. This represents the value statement of actively participating in the Christian liberal arts education offered at USF. On behalf of a grateful University, I extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to our new and continuing students. Likewise, I welcome our new staff and their families to our faith and academic community. Thank you for choosing to become part of the USF family! Sincerely, Brett Bradfield
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Photos Courtesy of University of Sioux Falls Marketing
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e m o c l e
--totoUSF! USF --
Story by Mariah Bleeker Every fall, the University of Sioux Falls kicks off the new school year with Welcome Week. The activities of Welcome Week are geared toward bringing returning and new students together through a series of events hosted by IT, Student Development, Financial Aid, Admissions, Campus Ministries, Maintenance, Campus Safety, and more. Andrew Porteous, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Development said, “The ultimate goal is to welcome students and supporters onto campus and to connect students with important resources on campus during that first week, as well as create a sense of community for them.” Porteous said, “Welcome Week takes hours upon hours of preparation, in terms of logistics involved and training for our student staff.” Porteous also said preparations to welcome more than 1200 students to campus begins in the prior spring semester. Many might not know that student staff members move in at least 6 days before Move-In to receive training and prepare for the incoming students. The following events were just a few of the opportunities for students to connect during Welcome Week: Monday, August 26 Welcome Back Bash in the Quad Tuesday, August 27 Opening Chapel - Salsbury Science Center Plaza Wednesday, August 28 Women’s Soccer at the USF Sports Complex Thursday, 29 Convocation - Meredith Auditorium Friday, August 30 Free Float Friday - Cooper’s Cafe And Manic Drive at the Lifelight Festival Saturday, August 31 Movie Night at West Mall 7 Movie Theater With Welcome Week in hindsight Porteous reflected, “There are always changes to Welcome Week year after year. Sometimes it’s a matter of ‘tweaking’ a few things and sometimes it’s a complete overhaul.” Although Porteous only started at the University of Sioux Falls just a week before Welcome Week, he feels confident that this year’s events were successful and it is unlikely that any major changes will be made for next year’s Week of Welcome.
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Student / Staff Spo Isaac Schubert Story by Bryce Couch
One of the Student Spotlights for this month has a unique and interesting background. The son of two Christian Missionaries, senior Isaac Schubert spent the early parts of his life living in an impoverished community in Africa. Upon moving to America in 2005 at the age of nine, Schubert quickly developed a love for the game of football. That love would ultimately lead him to the University of Sioux Falls as a student-athlete, majoring in Exercise Science as well as being a member of the Coo football team. Schubert’s athletic career was ultimately cut short due to injuries, with the most recent being a knee injury resulting in a season-ending surgery. Although injuries may have halted his career as a player, they opened doors for him to contribute to the team in a whole new way. Schubert is using his talents to help promote and document USF’s 2019 football season and has quickly become the main videographer for the program.
Photo Courtesy of Isaac Schubert
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Isaac started making videos on trips that he would take, creating mini-documentaries to highlight the experiences that he had. He has grown in the skill of visual art exponentially since he started. Schubert is unsure of what the future will hold for him specifically, but he has strong beliefs and ideals that will guide him to success wherever life takes him. At the end of the day, Schubert would like to work somewhere where he can, “use his knowledge and expertise to help and benefit others.” Isaac would like to pass on these words of wisdom to his fellow Coo faithful, “If you persevere and stay true to your morals and beliefs, good things will happen. If it’s something that you want bad enough, it’s worth fighting for until the end.” Schubert is active on Instagram and Twitter under the name SUmba Productions, you can follow his project and support his art on both of those platforms as well.
potlight Apolonia Davalos Story by Evelyn Groeger
Apolonia Davalos has joined our USF cougar family as one of the new work study students for the Mears Library. She is from Fairbanks, Alaska and has grown up traveling every two years to a different part of the U.S. As she puts it, she grew up as a military brat, offspring of the U.S. Air Force. Q: What is your favorite food? A: Cake Q: What is your favorite color? A: Blue Q: Do you have any pets? A: No, due to my busy schedule and that wouldn’t be fair to them. Q: What is your favorite place to visit? A: Nashville, Tennessee. When I was there it was a place where collaboration, discovery, connection, and the nature of creativity was in the air. Everyone seemed to inhale this in their lungs and everyone was there for each other. Also, who you met was who you got, it was just that plain and simple. Q: Do you have any hidden talents? A:Doing dialects, tap dancing, and bringing people together. Dialects allow me to pursue characters from another place and discipline myself to learn their language. Q: What is some advice you want to share with others? A: “Don’t put yourself in a box” “Society can’t hold you back” “When God is your compass, he will not lead you astray”.
Photo Courtesy of University of Sioux Falls Marketing
Apolonia says she also enjoys writing reviews for someone else’s work, experiences, or festivals because she is given the sense of service, community, and culture. She hopes this tidbit of reflection she leaves for others is a small grain of joy, even if it’s just the size of a grain of sand. Apolonia looks forward to meeting everyone. She will be creating some drawings showcasing different books that can be found at the library this year too, so feel free to stop by and get to know her.
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Augustana Twilight
Meet Story by Augusta Thramer
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Photos Courtesy of Augusta Thramer
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his wasn’t just any ordinary cross country meet. 5,000 participants and spectators gathered, hundreds of flashing glow sticks lined the course, a DJ blasted music across 10 soccer fields and the moon beamed in the sky. This was the 9th annual Augustana Twilight Invitational.
Head Coach, Doug Peterson, talked about his defending championship squad and what this meet will show. “We’re ranked high in the nation and this is a great stepping stone to see where it takes us the rest of the year.”
The University of Sioux Falls Women and Men Cross Country teams started their seasons here in Sioux Falls at the Yankton Trail Park, hosted by Augustana. The women competed against 25 teams while the men competed against 26 teams at the Friday, September 6, 2019 Twilight Meet. After the high school races ran from 6-8 p.m., the college women started at 8:30 p.m. with men at 9 p.m.
The Women’s XC team welcomes back a veteran crew with junior Taryn Ceglowski and senior Montana Belford returning. The team finished last year with a program-best 4th in the conference. The Cougars have a lot of familiar faces coming back including Anabelle Schulz, a junior, with some goals of her own, “My goals for the year are just to stay strong and healthy, run with your team, and creating a bond that glorifies God all the time.”
Even though the meet is hosted by Augustana, the Coo make their presence known in their territory. You can hear the Cougar’s chants and see the USF flags proudly waved in the air at nearly every turn on the course. “In all honesty, it might be titled Augie Twilight meet, but we take it as our own home meet and somewhere we can really explode,” said Junior USF runner, Logan Hansen. The men’s team is currently ranked 7th in the nation in Division 2 with Mason Phillips, 2-time All American, being named NSIC Pre-Season Men’s Athlete of the Year. The expectations are high after winning the program’s first NSIC Championship just a year ago.
Both women and men came out strong and ready to give it their all at the Twilight Meet. Women got off with a good start with Montana Belford placing 31st with a time of 18:54.70 in the 5k. The team placed 9th with freshman Annika Aho and Karlee Simons finishing 51st and 55th. The men’s team placed 4th behind Nebraska, Augustana, and Cloud County Community College. Mason Phillips finished 2nd at a time of 18:55.89. While senior teammates Steven Brown and Billy Beseman finished 6th and 25th. Congrats to the runners on a great meet and good luck for the rest of the season! Go Coo!
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S enior Thoughts Story by Megan Christiansen
Senior year can bring out a range of emotions: eagerness, excitement, nervousness, or even fear. Being excited for all the “lasts” such as cheering for one of the USF teams, participating in campus activities, worshiping together every Tuesday, and something I know we’re all looking forward to, our last final exams! Some may be eager to finish college, walking across that stage and moving into a career that we have spent the last four years working towards. Entering the “real world” as they call it, can also be nerve racking and scary for many reasons. I asked some of my fellow senior classmates how they felt about their upcoming life after graduation. “I am excited for graduation because I can’t wait to enter into my career. However, I think I will be sad to graduate because I love USF and the community I have formed and loved while attending USF.” - Allison “I’m excited for the future but just trying to get through this year.” -Tiffany “Upon graduation, I’m so excited to move to California and live with my husband who is in the Marines! USF has been an AMAZING place that has helped me grow in knowledge and faith, but I’m so excited to start a new chapter post USF. Due to my husband being active duty, my (our) future is a little unknown, but I’m excited (and anxious) for the future and the plans He has for us!” - Whitney “I’m excited to use the knowledge I learned in class and about Christ and being able to apply it. It is important to me that my degree is in my career field and don’t take it for granted.” - Alex “I have no idea what my future looks like, so I’m just as interested to see what happens as you are.” - Lane “So. Much. Debt.” - Lexy
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