USF
College Monthly A print production of USF student media.
March 2017 Volume 4 Issue 6 | usfcollegeweek.com
Magazine Contents 4 5 10 11
Introducing Dr. Brett Bradfield: USF’s 23rd President
Interim Travels Bring Students New Perspectives
Recipe: The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Your Best Semester Awaits
Cover Photo: [From front to back] Johanna Nyenhuis, Shelby Vissia, Michaela Ishmael, Jenn Kruger, and Hailey Schmidt during the Interim trip to Italy and Italy and Greece. Photo courtesy of Yuharelly Comparon.
In the Political Arena: The Right to Conceal and Carry
Story by Whitney Fryer
Carrying a concealed handgun has been allowed in all 50 states since 2013. Most states require gun owners to obtain a permit to conceal and carry, only 12 states do not.
age, no prior felony conviction(s), and no recent commitments to a mental institution. (4) “Unrestricted carry” means no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.
State regulations regarding concealed handguns fall into four categories: (1) “No-issue” permits do not allow citizens to carry a concealed handgun. (2) “Mayissue” permits are given at the discretion of local authorities. (3) “Shall-issue” are disturbed by local police offices, pending the applicant meets specific requirements, including : minimum
Residents of South Dakota do not need a permit to purchase a firearm, however, they need to obtain a state permit to carry a concealed handgun. The S.D. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that could change this; House Bill 1072 would allow for “unrestricted carry.”
At a press conference, Governor Dennis Daugaard noted that a state permit is inexpensive and by requiring individuals to have them helps keep criminals from legally carrying a concealed weapon. Last year, 120 people were denied concealed carry permits based on their criminal records. Before the bill reaches Daugaard, the Senate must approve the bill first. If Daugaard vetoes the bill, the House and Senate would have to vote to override the veto to make HB 1072 a law.
Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun without a permit? 1. Having a firearm is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. In 2014 the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Second Amendment requires states to “permit some form of concealed carry for self-defense outside the home,” in Peruta vs. San Diego.
2. Concealed weapons create a sense of safety. Violent criminals have access to guns and carrying a concealed handgun can give an individual a sense of safety. A study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, found that when a person draws their gun in self-defense, the criminal will retreat 55.5% of the time.
3. People who cannot always rely on the police can protect themselves. People living in rural areas, can be miles away from a police station. Therefore, it they have a concealed handgun, they can protect themselves at all times.
1. Second Amendment rights have limits. Although the Second Amendment states an individual’s rights “to keep and bear Arms,” it does not specifically mention concealed handguns.
2. Criminals are more likely to carry a gun if they suspect a victim is also armed.
Similar to the other gun carriers, criminals also carry firearms to protect themselves. A survey conducted by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, found that 75% of of criminals carried a gun because of the possibility that a victim was also armed.
3. Confrontation can turn lethal. When the general public carries weapons, they risk escalating everyday disagreements into public shootouts. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health (2009) found that an individual carrying a weapon for self-defense was 4.5 times more likely to be shot during an assault than someone without a gun.
4. Concealed weapons deter crime.
4. Concealed weapons increase crime.
5. Concealed handguns could prevent a public shooting.
5. Concealed weapons can make the non-carrying public feel unsafe.
Criminals will be less likely to commit a crime if they know the average person is carrying a handgun. Political commentator John R. Lott calculated that 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults, and 12,000 robberies could have been prevented between 1977 and 1992 if concealed carry had been legal in every U.S. state during that time period.
In July of 2012, 12 people were killed and many others were injured in a mass shooting insides a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Lives could have been spared if someone had been there to shoot the gunman. In his research, Lott also found that “when states passed concealed carry laws during the 19 years we studied (1977 to 1995), the number of multiple-victim public shootings declined by 84%.” Intormation and photo courtesy of ProCon.Org.
A concealed carry can lead to crimes, as much as it can deter them. Between 1977 - 2010, states allowing concealed carry had at least a 2% increase in the murder rate, and at least a 9% increase in the numbers of rape, aggravated assault, robbery, auto theft, burglary, and larceny, according to a report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Non-carrying individuals will feel unsafe if they know that people around them have a concealed weapon. First, there is no guarantee that someone with a concealed weapon knows how to properly use the firearm. Second, if a fight breaks out between several people with guns, they are left vulnerable. A 2010 poll of registered voters across the U.S. found that 57% of people feel less safe after learning that concealed guns could lawfully be carried in public.
Introducing Dr. Brett Bradfield: The University of Sioux Falls’ 23rd President Story by Jill Langland
Following a nationwide seven-month search, the University of Sioux Falls has selected its #23 – the 23rd president of the University, Dr. Brett Bradfield who will replace the retiring current USF president, Mark Benedetto. Before becoming our new USF President, Dr. Brett Bradfield was seen all over campus as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, a role he has held since 2007. Dr. Bradfield was first hired in June 2000 as the Director of Graduate Programs, and has then since elevated to cabinet-level status as Vice President for Professional Studies. Dr. Bradfield graduated from Dakota State College and has a master’s degree in educational psychology and counseling and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of South Dakota. Prior to his role in higher education, he was a teacher and administrator in public and private K-12 education. During that time, Dr. Bradfield also was an adjunct instructor for the graduate educational administration program at USD, teaching in the areas of school law, professional and educational leadership, and curriculum and instruction. In addition to his current role focused on all academic programs and related services, he also oversees library services, the office of the registrar, admissions and enrollment management, financial aid, marketing and information technology. Additionally, Dr. Bradfield has been a leader or a contributor to several major USF initiatives. One of these was the implementation of a $2 million Title III grant used as seed funding for the University’s new nursing program, begun in 2007. He has also been a voice for the safety of female students at USF, serving as a top contributor in implementing a Violence Against Women grant which led to funding centered on promoting safe and orderly environments for students. In his role as USF Provost, Dr. Bradfield
Dr. Bradfield is pictured on the right. Photo Courtesy of USF Marketing
has worked to raise $13 million in cash, or in-kind, donations that support the university’s academic and co-curricular programming. Another important role Dr. Bradfield has undertaken in support of USF has been his executive leadership in regard to meeting the growing complexity and demands of compliance and university re accreditation. This has included his primary leadership in strategic planning, program assessment at all levels and resource allocation in response to the challenging and evolving times for higher education across the nation. Dr. Bradfield additionally became a leading voice in USF’s move to NCAA Division II as a conduit to better position the University in the competitive higher education marketplace of the region. In this capacity, he provided leadership and administrative advocacy to re-design scholarship distribution models and create a new, more robust admissions model. His list of higher education memberships includes the Council of Independent Colleges and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He has in the past, or currently serves, on a number of boards and committees for the community and region including the
Sioux Falls School District Curriculum Council, Chairman of the Board for Kilian Community College, Chairman of the Board for the Tri-State Graduate Center (Sioux City, Iowa), member of the Indoor Aquatic Center at Spellerberg Park Advisory Team, former Chair of the University of Sioux Falls/Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center Consortium for Emergency Medical Technicians, a USUCCEED Committee member for promoting access to higher education in the community, and board member for the Huether Family Match Pointe indoor tennis facility. The future USF president additionally serves as a volunteer teacher for the Junior Achievement ethics class taught at local high schools, and has served in the past as a North Central Association Evaluator for high schools in South Dakota. Dr. Bradfield is married, and his wife, Jane, is a teacher of Business and related courses at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls. They are the parents of four adult-age children, Brittany, Brooke, Blake, and Braden. Their family has recently grown, and they have welcomed sons-in-law, Josh Childress (Brittany) and Lane Mellegaard (Brooke) as well as seven grandchildren, Creighton, Kate, Isaiah, Meile, Berklie, Kase and Clara.
Interim Travels Bring Bring Students Students New Perspectives Story by Adria Botella
As a Christian Liberal Art University, the University of Sioux Falls preaches that intercultural experiences are fundamental in the development of wellrounded individuals. On that note, in order to graduate from USF, students are required to complete at least one credit for Intercultural Awareness. One way to fulfill the credit is by diving into a more immersive experience, rather than sitting in a classroom. Over every interim break, USF offers multiple trips for students. This past January, students had the chance to see Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Colombia.
MARCH 2017 | 5
The trip to Scotland and Ireland was intended for students with History or English majors. The main purpose of the trip was to experience and see from a first hand point of view the historical context of both nations. Lydia Magaard (’17), History and English double major with a minor in Criminal Justice, says her classes prepared her to get the most out of her trip to Europe. “Before the trip, we spent a week learning about the history of Ireland and Scotland,” Magaard says. “We learned about the recent politics in the countries; the Scottish bid for Independence, the Easter Rising in Ireland, and how Brexit will affect the nations that are not independent from the English crown.” Students spent six days in Scotland and two days in Ireland. They spent most of their days sightseeing and walking around the cities. “We drove around the city seeing local points of interest and occasionally stopping to get out,” Magaard says. Students had a lot of leisure time available during the trip, allowing them to freely explore the streets of Edinburgh and Dublin. The opportunities experienced allowed the students to submerge themselves in the cultural context of both countries. Magaard says her favorite part of the trip was to get to experience all the iconic sights in such a vivid way. “Loch Ness was definitely what I got most excited about, but the Scottish National War Museum was extremely interesting and exploring Dublin was an adventure.” On a negative note, students struggled with the time change due to the shortness of their stay. “It felt like by the time I got adjusted to the six hour time difference, we were boarding on the plane to come back to the United States,” Magaard says.
“But it did create a fun scavenger hunt for the best coffee in town.” Students that participated on the trip gained more than just a few credit hours toward their degrees; they obtained valuable life experience. “I got to see foreigners’ perspective on the U.S., as well as experience a different nation,” Magaard says. “The whole experience was fun and I learned more than I ever expected to.” Scotland & Ireland Photos Courtesy of Lydia Magaard.
MARCH 2017 | 7
Italy & Greece Photos Courtesy of Yuharelly Comparan.
freedom and interact with the locals. The Italian experience was really pleasant for USF students, whoever it felt like time went by too fast, confessed Stout. “A usual day in Italy was pretty busy, there were a lot of sights to see in such a little time. It was great; I just wish we could have had more time to explore other places that perhaps were not considered the main sights of Italy.” After spending six days in Italy, students departed to Capri, Greece on an overnight ferry. Students visited Capri, Sorrento, drove to Pompeii and took a second overnight ferry to conclude their trip in Delphi. Once in Greece, the days seemed to be more relaxed than in Italy. There were less field trips planned throughout the day, which gave the students more liberty to explore on their own. Stout says the group was pleased with their time in Greece.
As well as Scotland and Ireland, a trip was offered to Italy and Greece during the course of interim. The trip was mainly targeted to students with Art and Media majors; however, any other students were welcomed to join. The goal of the trip was to expose the students to the rich cultural environment that characterizes Italy and Greece. Students got to experience relevant artwork in person, offering them a lifetime chance to explore items of artistic value that provided them an educational opportunity outside the class walls. It is fair to assume that this trip provided knowledge to students that could not be obtained in a regular setup. Tucker Stout (’19), says he saw the trip like a great opportunity to fulfill his childhood dreams.
“When I was little, I traveled to Mexico a couple times with my parents, but besides that occasion, I have never had the chance to travel outside the U.S.,” Stout says. “Since the moment I heard that Greece and Italy was offered during this past Interim, I was beyond excited to be part of it. My main purpose was to experience a different culture and the opportunity to see things that I would not be able to see in any other circumstances.”
“The most memorable thing in Greece for me was that you could see graffiti everywhere, and since I’m a fanatic of street art it really caught my eye. To go along with that, I would say that I was really impressed with the food; it was simply spectacular.”
Students who participated on this journey were able to see the views of Florence, Rome and Naples. A typical day in Italy included a lot of walking and a lot of sightseeing. Students walked an average of seven hours a day, discovering all the intricate secrets of the streets of the Mediterranean country. Throughout their day, students had spare time to walk around with total
USF offered a different trip during interim that goes along with the philosophy of the school of teaching culture for serving. Students of the nursing program had the opportunity to join a trip in partnership with Bridges of Hope to Colombia. The main goal of the trip was to learn Spanish as well as to provide cost-free healthcare to the citizens of Colombia. There
were around a hundred volunteers participating in this benevolent project consisting of doctors, nursing students, medical students and translators. Eleven nursing students from USF participated in this trip. These students took immersion classes for the first four days in Colombia and worked in medical clinics for the rest of their trip. Samantha Drake (’17), was part of this group that helped an incredible amount of people in such reduced time frame.
“In four days, our team triaged, treated, and prescribed over 2,600 people,” Drake says. The volunteers of this project started every day setting up the clinic, worked until mid-afternoon and then packed everything, and got on their way to a different location. They repeated that process for 4 days, trying to reach to the maximum amount of people in need. Students created great memories in Colombia working alongside great professionals who taught them fundamental principles of their future profession. However, the language barrier created frustration for the students that wanted to interact in a direct way with their patients. “I found myself wanting to interact more with the patients, yet it was hard when having the conversation going through a translator instead of being able to speak to them myself,” Drake says. This trip allowed students to learn Spanish while they served people that do not have the same commodities that we have in
the U.S. It was an eye-opening experience for students that made them reflect on the way they perceive their everyday life. Drake looked back on her trip and thought about her impulsive need to have control of all elements of her life.
their own lives. They have obtained valuable life-experience that cannot be acquired in a conventional class.
“I get caught up scheduling every detail of my life and wanting everything to go my way. Yet, when I saw these beautiful Colombian people who had so many circumstances out of their control, I realized how many blessings God has given me in my life. I can look at the small things and be thankful that I’m alive and live in a country with so many opportunities.”
“Visiting Italy and Greece was shocking, but in a good way,” Stout says. “It forced me out of my comfort zone and help me realize how much I was missing out on life. Now that I’m back in the U.S., I’m trying to live life at its fullest.”
Traveling abroad has created an unforgettable amount of memories for the students who participated in previous interim trips. It has given students a different perspective on
Yet, most of the students describe their trips as a self-revealing experience.
The trips left many students with the desire of the traveling again, and has allowed them develop a full understanding of the importance of cross-cultural exchange.
Columbia Photos Courtesy of Samantha Drake & Jessica Houser.
The Ultimate
Grilled
Cheese Sandwich
Recipe and photo courtesy of Whitney Fryer.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
• 3 slices of bacon • ½ Tablespoon of butter, plus more to spread on bread • 1 large egg • Salt & pepper • 2 slices of bread • ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese • 2 slices of swiss cheese
1. Cook the bacon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 2. In a skillet on medium heat, add butter. Once the butter melts, add the egg and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, flip over, cook for about 1 minute, remove from pan and set aside. 3. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place a skillet on the stove and turn heat to medium. Place one slice of bread, buttered side down, in the skillet.
10 | COLLEGE MONTHLY
4. Sprinkle the shredded cheese onto the bread, until the bread is covered. Layer the bacon, the remaining shredded cheese, 1 slice of swiss cheese, the egg, the other slice of swiss, and the second slice of bread (buttered side up). 5. Cook for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to gently flatten the sandwich, then flip over and cook for about 4 minutes. 6. Slice the sandwich and enjoy!
Your
BEST SEMESTER Awaits
Story by Austin Clemen | Photos courtesy of FALL 2016 LAFSC ALUMNI
The college life can get dull at times. Every student looks for ways to turn their college life into something meaningful, while the campuses they attend look to give opportunities for them to add that meaning to their lives. The University of Sioux Falls is partnered with a program which looks to make your next semester your best semester. How fitting it is that this program is simply called BestSemester. The BestSemester program was born out of a group of secondary education schools coming together to form the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). This group wanted to form ways in which their students could access different ways of studying and learning about the world, outside of sitting in a classroom.
The overall mission of the BestSemester programs, is to provide culturally-immersive learning experiences that help the student grow both intellectually and spiritually while providing them with tools to faithfully follow Christ in every aspect of life and works as an extension of the CCCU. Nick Poppens, Media Center Director and the University of Sioux Falls coordinator between the BestSemester programs and USF says, “The BestSemester program includes various disciplines from a variety of locations around the world. They offer culturally immersive experiences that are Christ-centered, academically intensive, and vocationally reflective.” BestSemester currently has eight locations and nine sub programs which students may apply for and
attend. There are five programs that immerse students in a different culture while they study abroad; these are the Australia Studies Centre, the Costa Rica Latin American Studies Program, the Middle East Studies Program, the Uganda Studies Program, and the Washington, D.C. American Studies Program. The next two programs take the student to Oxford (Yes, in the United Kingdom). These two programs are that of the Oxford Scholars’ Semester, which focuses on giving students a robust learning experience alongside people serious about their learning. The Oxford Summer Programme is focused on growing intellectually by asking the questions pivotal to intellectual growth and healthy debates with both an attending student’s peers and professors.
The Nashville Contemporary Music Center is the program which is designed to give students a front row seat to the music industry and teach them about songwriting, producing, sound engineering, and arranging music. Last, but most certainly not least, there is the Los Angeles L.A. Film Studies Center (LAFSC). The LAFSC is for people who want to learn more about not only the film industry, but how to make films. The whole program is focused on teaching engaged students how to tell a story through film and shows students ways to walk out their faith while working in Hollywood. Throughout the semester, students will learn how to write, direct, edit, produce, and be treated to guest speakers who work in Hollywood.
“The Los Angeles Film Studies Center is a program designed for students with a strong interest in the film industry,” Poppens says, “Programs like the L.A. Film Studies Center and the Nashville Contemporary Music Center offer our students hands-on, career-based skills meant to open students’ eyes to careers in music, film, etc.” University of Sioux Falls students have been given this opportunity for years, but few have known about it. Junior Yuharelly Comparan and Senior Emily Stahl learned about the program during the Spring of
12 | COLLEGE MONTHLY
2016, applied for the LAFSC, were accepted, and attended it for their Fall 2016 semester. So, while most students were spending their days going through a normal college life, they were living in the dog eat dog world that is Los Angeles. Stahl says, “It’s a great opportunity because, first off, it’s a program on film taking place where the bulk of the film industry is; in LA. So your professors are working in the film industry, you get an internship in or related to the film industry, and you’re living in Los Angeles. It’s a great way to gain firsthand experience in the environment and talk to professionals in the field.” The first thing Comparan says about what the program did for her was that it gave her a taste of what L.A. is and what it’s like. One of the main ways the program gives attending students a taste of what L.A., and specifically Hollywood is like, aside from the fact that its location is in the middle of Los Angeles, is through the internship opportunities given to students attending the program. Three days a week, students are required to work in an internship at companies involved in every area one can imagine in film. This ranges from full on production companies, to casting agencies, to talent search, to companies who simply go out and buy movies (the rights for them) from people, and every other area in between. The idea is that by the end of a student’s semester with LAFSC,
they will have gained somewhere between 200-250 hours of handson work experience in Hollywood and have gotten to see how things actually work, rather than just hear about how they may work at times through classroom lectures. Comparan says that the internships and school itself are film oriented.
“They focus on all parts of film: before film (so the pre-production parts), during film (which is the actual recording parts), and then post film (so the post productions part). This also includes acquisition companies, which acquire films.” An acquisition company is exactly where Comparan had her internship. She said this was great because it showed a different perspective of the media. Through the internship, she got to see what she learned being practiced in the real world. Learning how things work in L.A. can be tough at times, if not busy. Days there are spent either at an internship, in the classrooms, editing, filming, casting, studying, and trying to better one’s skills in the film industry, whatever they may be. “Personally, I learned that I have an interest in production design, and I was able to gain experience creating short films as part of a crew,” Stahl
says, “I spent my time there creating three short films, pitching scripts, and doing other various work and projects at the production company I interned for. Through the process of that I got real world experience and something to show for my time.” Comparan says she was confused as a media studies major because she didn’t know exactly where she fit into media. She says didn’t know if she wanted to be in television or movies. After going through the program, however, and seeing all the work that goes into production, Comparan says she realized that as long as she was doing something in either one, she would be happy. “At the end of the day, I realized that I love the production aspect,” says Comparan. The time spent in production and working hard throughout the semester does not come without gaining new specified knowledge, especially with equipment. Students learn how to use a RED Dragon camera, which was the main camera used to film the movie, The Social Network. In one of the classes, students get split into production groups where each person has a job, such as sound editor. As the sound editor, a student learns editing software used by professionals in the industry.
MARCH 2017 | 13
Even if the student has no background knowledge on how something might work or how to do the job, by the end of their semester, they will feel more confident in their abilities. That’s how Comparan says she felt about being the sound editor in her production group. She says, “Originally I hated it because I got stuck with doing sound, which I had no background in. Then, showing up and learning how sound works and talking to a sound teacher, and then talking to her teacher (who worked on Captain America: Civil War), I was mindblown by how much work went into just sound, let alone every other
aspect of production.” Allison Lemons, a fellow student of Yuharelly and Emily’s at the LAFSC, now that their semester has ended, says, “I can do it. Seriously, there have been some tasks where I thought I couldn’t begin to accomplish. I have the confidence now to say I did it and sometimes really well. This includes my screenplay, answering important phone calls, parking in a busy street, figuring out what production design is, etc.”
The last major aspect of LAFSC is that it is a community.
Going there lets students network with other, like-minded students who are passionate about film. Lemons says she didn’t have many friends before going to L.A. for what is now her best semester. After it was over, she now has more friends than she knows what to say about each of them and that it was easy to make friends there. Both Comparan and Stahl say they would recommend the program to anyone interested in film. “It can get you out of your comfort zone, allow you to gain contacts with people in LA, and give students a place to start the transition into
the film industry if they are serious about moving out there to pursue a career,” Stahl says. “I would recommend it for the simple fact that everyone there is there to support you,” Comparan says.
For those who are serious about taking the opportunity any BestSemester program provides, great things can happen, even because of the networking. As an example, some of the alumni
of LAFSC have worked on major products. The most recent of these projects was Scott Derrickson, who directed Doctor Strange. Seth Donald, another LAFSC alumnus, worked on the visual effects team for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Students have even gotten the opportunity, just this past year, to hear from and meet people such as actors David Oyelowo, Tony Hale, and Doug Jones. Ellie Herman, a USF sophomore, is in the process of applying for the Nashville Contemporary Music Center. In the end, all that can be said
to students who even have the slightest inkling of studying abroad, learning about the music industry, or learning about the film industry is this:
YOUR BEST SEMESTER AWAITS!
Anyone wanting to learn more about any BestSemester program can look at their website, bestsemester.com or scan the QR code.
A print production of USF student media usfcollegeweek.com Find us on Instagram
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter