Nov Dec Vessel 2024

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 3

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2024

University of Sioux Falls Student Media

Writers

CONT EMMA EDWARDS

GRACE FLAHERTY

WORLD KINDNESS DAY 04 HOPE DUNKLE 05 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 08 MADRIGAL DINNER 10 JON HART 11 CULTURE FOR SERVICE 12 BUILDING COMMUNITY KEVIN GREBIN

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CREIGHTON MORISCH 20 STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS Cover photo by Lydia Kline

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TENTS MYLIN LEMKE

MARA NELSON

LYDIA KLINE

LEXI HENGEVELD

Editors

REGAN LARDY

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WORLD KINDESS DAY By: Emma Edwards

World Kindness Day is a special day that happens every year on November 13. The day was created in 1989 by the World Kindness Movement to highlight the importance of compassion, empathy, and generosity. When the formation of the World Kindness Movement was created, it was the group's hope and goal to create a day that would help raise awareness of the importance of kindness. They wanted a day that showed kindness as a unifying power between people everywhere around the world. Therefore, November 13 was declared National World Kindness Day, where one day a year all your asked is to go out of your way and do one nice thing to make someone else’s day a little better.

Here, at the University of Sioux Falls, the campus community embraces and celebrates World Kindness Day. A club at USF known as the Cougar Activities Board recognized this special day and hosted an all-day World Kindness Day event. USF celebrated this year in Cooper’s Cafe by setting up a table from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. filled with kindness clothespins. Written on these clothespins were kind inspirational words that you take and pin on someone else to make their day better. They also had blank clothespins and blank pieces of paper if you wanted to write your own unique kindness note and pin it on a friend, peer, or even a stranger to make their day just a little bit better.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:

HOPE DUNKLE By: Grace Flaherty

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Seniors at USF can be easily overwhelmed by what is to come after college. Some may not even have a solid idea of what they want to do; others know exactly what they want to do. Hope Dunkle, a theater studies and English senior at USF, has a good understanding of what she wants to do with her degree. Hope got into the theater world during her freshman year of high school. She was homeschooled until eighth grade and went on to attend a private Christian school here in Sioux Falls. Hope loved volleyball at the time, so her mom convinced her to go by saying she could play volleyball. At said school, they had a drama club, and she was intrigued by what it entailed. In that spring, her school was doing a one-act comedy called The Desperate Housewives of Shakespeare. Hope got cast as one of the leads which was her first time acting. In her sophomore year, she got cast in the one-act for a competition.

She had a very long monologue and was so afraid to mess it up. During this, it clicked in her brain that she had a passion for theater.

She found USF by googling colleges around her hometown of Harrisburg, South Dakota.

She toured and loved the small environment as it is similar to her high school. Her USF theater experience started when she was cast as Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family. After acting in her first USF theater show, a senior asked her if she wanted to stage manage her senior show, to which she said yes. Hope says “From those experiences, I was introduced to a wide array of what collegiate theater is.” Her favorite thing that her name is attached to involving college theater was light designing a senior show, The Mad Ones in the spring of 2024.

She also really liked light designing for another senior show The Other Side during the fall of 2023. In her sophomore year, she was cast as the jester in the spring production of Once Upon a Mattress. This role helped her build leadership skills as she would start to boost cast morale and lead warm-up games.

During the same year in the fall, Dunkle stage managed another senior show The Last Five Years.

The first thing in the Sioux Falls community that Dunkle was a part of was being a camp counselor at the Premiere Playhouse’s Penguin Project which is an all disability inclusive theater camp for kids 8-12 years old. The show they put on during the summer between Dunkle’s freshman and sophomore year was Mary Poppins Jr. She was quickly able to develop leadership skills that helped her to talk to kids in a capacity that they would understand. Her first adult theater experience in the community was with the Mighty Corson Art’s Players’ (or MCAP)

production of They Promised Her The Moon in the fall semester of Dunkle’s junior year of college. Her name was put in with the director of MCAP, Brian Schipper, who then reached out and asked her to help stage manage their show. Dunkle says it was slightly uncomfortable at first as she was the youngest in the room by about ten years, but everyone quickly warmed up.

Three weeks into the rehearsal process, the director Brian Schipper, tragically passed away in a car accident which halted the rehearsal process for a week. Two board members, one being USF alumnus Ryan Howe, stepped up to direct the rest of the show. Dunkle says, “Despite the tragedy of the situation I was able to form a really close connection with the people over at MCAP.” Some of Dunkle’s favorite shows she’s been a part of are The Premiere Playhouse’s kids camps, and MCAP’s production Small Mouth Sounds as an alltech intern. The upcoming production of her theater studies major senior show is

titled Finding Godot. It’s a tragedy in one act she wrote for her honor’s thesis last year, which turned into her senior show for this year. The play revolves around a young man named Lucas. It is set in a world where evil doesn’t exist because an entity named Godot is able to read people’s minds and converse with them telepathically and stop them from committing evil acts. Through Godot’s guidance, evil has been removed from the human population. Lucas is born into this world, and he wants to try and find Godot as a physical form as he thinks that she exists as a human. Finding Godot is set to premiere on February 6-8 at 7 p.m. and Feb 9 at 2 p.m. After college, Dunkle plans to keep her involvement at the Premiere Playhouse and MCAP as well as getting involved in other theater companies in the area. She would love to keep playwriting at least as a hobby, if not trying to license her works.

Her ideal job would be to have a writing job during the day and a theater job at night.

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By: Mylin Lemke

‘Tis the season and the University of Sioux Falls women’s basketball team is off and running with a winning record of 5-3. Some notable wins have been the home opener against Waldorf University, defeating them 87-58, as well as taking out the rival Augustana University with a 75-59 victory.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday the team traveled to Puerto Rico where they posted convincing wins in both games against the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras and the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Their trip wasn’t all business and work, as the team did manage to enjoy their time in the Caribbean.

Photo courtesy of Clint Neumann

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Puerto Rico

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sophomore Kami Wadsworth said, “The trip was a lot of fun! We beat Augie at home on a Thursday night and left at 1am from the stew the next morning and drove to Omaha to fly out to NC, and then NC to Puerto Rico ... On Sunday we had a game that was in a pretty cool gym! On Monday we had another game. On Tuesday we went to a teammate’s grandparents’ house and had a team supper, and on Wednesday we booked a boat to go snorkeling and on a tour! ...It was fun to get 2 wins in a place where we could get some sun too! The coaches made us run 2 miles on the beach one morning when we had an off day. We chilled at the beach and the pool for most of the days there!”

Kami Wadsworth The Cougars may look young on paper but are nonetheless tough, building off of last year’s difficult season. Sophomore Ayla Brown says, “The team is looking good so far this year. We are 5-3 and starting to learn to play well together. I would say we have a lot of talent and a lot of people willing to work hard, we just are figuring out how to all play together.” Brown says goals remain high within the team. “I would say our goal as a team for the season would be to be a top seed in the conference and compete in the tournament at the end of the year.”

With all the young talent on the team, expectations are running high, and much is expected of them. The chemistry of a team determines how well players work with each other which correlates to the team’s overall success. Brown says, “Something that’s different is probably just more team chemistry amongst our team, which helps us play a lot better together. We just have a genuine love for all of our teammates!”

Chemistry makes or breaks a team, it doesn’t matter how good the players are if they have no connection with one another. Players say every team is unique within themselves, and there is always something different about each team that makes them special. Brown says, “Faith is something that’s really important for a lot of us. We have a team bible study together where we meet weekly and go through a book! This is a really sweet time for all of us to connect even more because we play for something bigger than just ourselves.”

Faith has brought these girls together and they are only getting stronger from it. This is more than a game and there are just a few times left where the team can step out onto the court with one another. Playing for each other, something greater than just themselves is what this team is about.

Ayla Brown

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Madrigal Dinner Madrigal Singers, student musicians, dancers and a court jester performed at the University of Sioux Falls Madrigal Dinner on December 5, 6, and 7 in the Salsbury Dining Hall.

The Renaissancethemed Christmas dinner theatre debuted in 1963 and was created by Lois Harchanko, Music Professor Emeritus.

The performances combine vocal and instrumental music, dancing, drama, elegant Renaissance garb and fine dining.

Photos by Regan Lardy

How Jon Hart is Shaping the Future of Cougar Athletics By: Mara Nelson

A Year in Review:

Despite only being one year into his role as the University of Sioux Falls Athletic Director, Jon Hart has made impactful strides towards program improvement. Paving the way towards stronger relationships between administration, faculty, student-athletes, and the Sioux Falls community has been a huge emphasis on Hart’s inaugural year.

“This job is so relationship based, which is the part I enjoy most. It comes down to being visible and present at a wide variety of campus functions; it boosts the type of culture we have and want to build,” Hart states.

Having served at Dakota Wesleyan University, a private Methodist institution in Mitchell, South Dakota, Hart is no stranger to knowing what it takes to achieve financial growth and fundraising success. During his seven years at DWU, Hart generated more than $900,000 in annual funding and played a crucial role in securing a $40 million campaign for DWU Athletics in just four years.

Fundraising and strengthening community connections have been key focus areas for improvement within USF administration over the past year. “The biggest thing we have achieved thus far is branching out and expanding our booster club,” Hart adds.

Photo courtesy of USF Marketing The department has seen 70% growth within the booster club, both from a membership and income standpoint.

Growing membership brings several benefits, such as an enriched athlete experience, improved facilities, and greater opportunities for program expansion.

Although many of the milestones achieved seem small in retrospect, Hart addresses that these accomplishments will lay the foundation for the department’s long-term success. As Hart moves into his second year, the steps he has taken for Cougar Athletics is poised to bring lasting success. With continued focus on relationship-building, financial growth, and community engagement, the future of USF Athletics is on track for a new era of achievement and expansion.

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Unpacking the Meaning Behind the Mission

Culture for Service

By: Bryn Huber

As the sun rose over the University of Sioux Falls’ campus, students gathered in the courtyard, ready to transform their local community. “About 60 students and staff were there,” said sophomore Abigail Ritzer. After being led in prayer, the groups dispersed. Groups of volunteers played with little kids at recess, wrote letters to residents in the nursing homes, packed lunches for those who needed them, and picked up trash around the local community. This is just one of the many ways the university embodies its mission: Culture for Service.

The University of Sioux Falls has existed for 142 years and has maintained its traditional motto and mission. The university seeks to foster academic excellence and the development of mature Christian people to serve God and humankind in the world. Culture for Service is a call to prepare the graduates to be servant-leaders. “The brand of leadership is not limited to just occupational endeavors, but also our graduate’s future roles as parents, citizens, and leaders in business, churches, civic organizations, governments, and more,” said USF’s President, Dr. Brett Bradfield.

Culture for Service Day is one way the university gives back to the local community. Students dedicate the school day to helping and volunteering in the Sioux Falls community. “The day is one of the biggest experiences at USF. It is a way to introduce service opportunities to students and connect them with the community,” said sophomore Abigail Ritzer. This year, a group of students volunteered to ensure wheelchairs were working and tested the brakes. Other students went to assisted living centers and played games with the residents.

Another group volunteered at a homeless shelter.

Photo courtesy of Bryn Huber

According to President Bradfield, the University of Sioux Falls is a Founding Member of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and a contributing member to the local economy, workforce development, service projects, and more. Bradfield said the university believes in active engagement with the Sioux Falls community and regions that support its existence. An example of how the university gave back to the local community is when they allowed first responders to stay in the residence halls on campus free of charge during the peak of the pandemic due to fears of spreading the disease in their own homes and the greater community.

President Bradfield encourages the students of USF to use their time to “stretch” themselves into doing things that may not be within their comfort zone. He believes that students need to have the confidence to know that such assertive action can sometimes be enlightening and that they should consider possibilities they had never pondered. This can all be done within the confines of a Christian campus community that will not only support the students but assist them in facilitating such engagement. President Bradfield has heard testimonials from students who expanded their personal risk tolerance and tried something they had never considered.

Even though it may have created some sense of anxiety for them, they found it was one of the most meaningful experiences they had ever encountered in their life. “Part of obtaining the full benefit of the college experience requires active participation by students rather than just being passive spectators,” said President Bradfield.

“Culture for Service is a call to be a community of students, faculty, and staff that is committed to serving each other and our outside communities as Jesus did,” said President of Campus Ministries, Charm Swatlowski. She consistently is intentional with the ways she interacts with those on campus.

She gave examples of the small acts of kindness that one can do, like holding the door, or smiling at someone, even if one is unaware of who they are.

Swatlowski believes that most people express the USF mission statement, Culture for Service, and that the mission statement influences parts of the campus. The environment that USF provides students is an unbelievable experience. USF is filled with overwhelming kindness and humility. Over the past three years at USF, Swatlowski has engaged with the mission by taking on various leadership roles. She has been the Campus Ministry Advocate in Kroske Hall and has now taken a step up to be President of Campus Ministries. Along with the campus ministries roles, Swatlowski has also served on the Grand Island Residence Hall Council and the “COOmunity” Volunteers Club.

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“Even though leadership roles are very practical ways of taking on ‘Culture for Service,’ I think that the quality of your character is what says the most, no matter the roles you hold, when engaging in the mission of USF,” said Swatlowski. USF’s mission benefits students after college. Swatlowski believes that Culture for Service is a mission that encapsulates the results of a commitment to follow Jesus with intentionality. She tries to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and portray the character of Jesus, as a humble servant. “I’m grateful for the leadership roles and service opportunities I’ve been able to be a part of on campus because they have taught me what it looks like to bring my faith into the workplace,” stated Swatlowski. She said that when she graduates, the school’s mission will always be a part of her mission as an individual because it was part of the mission of Jesus.

Inside the campus of the University of Sioux Falls, the spirit of the community and compassion shines brightly in the hearts of its students. This commitment to service extends far beyond a single day; it is woven into the very fabric of the university’s mission.

Through the leadership and kindness demonstrated by individuals like Dr. Bradfield and Charm Swatlowski, USF not only nurtures academic excellence but also fosters a culture where serving others is important.

President Bradfield has witnessed the power of USF and what it has done to and for his adult-age children in terms of service to God and the world. “Their inspiration to push beyond their bachelor’s degree was inspired by their college experience,” said President Bradfield about his sons. As graduates carry the principles of Culture for Service into their future roles as leaders, parents, and engaged citizens, they embody a legacy of humility and active participation. This enduring mission not only strengthens the bond between the university and the Sioux Falls community but also serves as a ray of light that can reach far beyond the campus. In a world that often seems divided, the University of Sioux Falls stands as an example of hope, reminding us that community and faith-based service can bring people together and inspire everyone.

Story courtesy of Cara Hetland’s MED206 Media Writing course

Photo courtesy of Madeline Fremarek | USF Admissions

Building Community By: Amber Endorf

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Fellowship is built by bringing people together. The events the Cougar Activities Board “CAB” hosts are part of what sets USF apart. CAB makes it easy for students to get involved as it provides engaging activities for the community. As several events take place on campus each month, a wide base of interests are covered to forge inclusivity.

It all starts with an idea, then events bloom from there. Part of CAB’s regular meetings are the event brainstorming sessions. Team members propose ideas and work together to see what events are doable and have decent prospects for being successful. Other ideas are repeats of successful events from previous years. “We usually just pick up [ideas] from previous events from last year and see how we can make that work for this year,” Event Coordinator Maricela “Mari” Becerra explains.

The month and the season play a role in the planning and scheduling of events. This fall, CAB hosted “Fall Fest” and kept it during homecoming.

The event consisted of pumpkin painting, flower bouquet making, fall themed snacks, and board games.

“Spooky Board Game Night” took place around Halloween to get people into the spooky spirit. CABhosted events are worked between the gaps of other activities such as athletic events or club activities to ensure as many students as possible can attend. CAB tries to stick primarily to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday nights. Other days of the week tend to be less successful as students often go home or have other plans.

Mari Becerra and Cassie Stahl Photo courtesy of Rebekah Cerezo

Becerra said every CAB event undergoes CAB not only provides experiences for the an evaluation process to determine its students attending events but also for the success. During an event, a CAB member CAB team members. “I like when we are will count people to get a good idea for the able to go to events and see how it turns attendance number. They will also listen to out. That’s really rewarding,” Becerra said. commentary from attendees and friends to Being part of CAB means growing skills in get an idea for whether the event should planning, marketing, and coordinating be held in the future. Each team member through taking a position in a leadership contributes feedback for what went well or role. CAB allows its members to see events what could have gone better. CAB strives from a new perspective. “I get to see a to make their events appealing to students whole variety of new people that I could with different interests and to bring people potentially build new relationships with or together. make the relationships I have with certain According to CAB’s mission statement, people even better. I can have those they are “committed to enhancing and connections throughout my life, not through improving each student’s individual college, but throughout my entire life,” Event experience by hosting a wide range of free Coordinator Courtney Holsteen shares. student events” with the aim of providing Through the events CAB hosts, the USF campus is united. “a fun and safe inclusive environment to all students.” Currently, five team members make CAB go round, though they hope to add a couple more event coordinators to Story courtesy of Cara Hetland’s the team next semester.

MED206 Media Writing course

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Kevin Grebin Kevin Grebin is a light-hearted, competitive, and caring man.

His career has taken him from an athlete to a coach to director of campus security over the last fifty years, establishing a remarkable journey of growth, commitment, and transformation. He is a man who has worn many hats at the University of Sioux Falls starting as a student from 1975 to 1980.

Little did he know his graduation was only the beginning.

As a student, Grebin was a dual-sport athlete, recruited to play both football and tennis.

He remembers the thrill of being on the football team at its peak, despite facing the challenge of three different coaches in just four years. “It was difficult to build that connection with the coaches,” he recalls. When Grebin was on the USF football team, there were a total of 33 athletes, compared to 120 today. One of Grebin’s standout memories on the football team was a trip to Colorado College, where the team faced a powerhouse opponent. The coach told the team that if they were to make this big trip

happen, the whole team would have to find their own rides to any away game for the rest of the season. “I don’t know why it was so important to play Colorado. They were really big and really good. I think it was because they wanted an easy win for homecoming,” he laughs, recalling that they returned with three players left in Colorado, hospitalized due to injuries.

Unlike the football team, Grebin’s USF tennis experience was much more intimate and fulfilling.

“The team was a very tight-knit group of guys,” he said. Out of all the athletic programs at the school during Grebin’s time, he said that the tennis team during his senior year was the strongest overall.

He enjoyed tennis more than football because he said that it was more fun to be on a winning team.

He was proud of the team’s success, especially his selection to the All-District team during his senior year, which he considers one of his greatest achievements.

After graduating in 1980, Grebin became a state trooper in South Dakota. In 2000, he was offered a position at USF as a volunteer coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. He said he was beyond excited to take this position and experience it with his two daughters, who would soon join the program. The proud father stated what a blessing it was to be a part of both his daughters’ college journeys, coaching them in the same sport at the same college he attended.

His passion for being a state trooper also followed him to USF. He became an adjunct, teaching a few night classes on policing.

From Student Athlete to Employee: Kevin Grebin’s Legacy at the University of Sioux Falls By: Sydney Osburn

In 2005, Grebin was offered the position of head coach for the tennis team. He was excited about the opportunity but juggling that role with his 8th year as state trooper sergeant made it difficult for him to accept the job. The university countered with another offer– this time not only for head tennis coach, but also for Director of Campus Security. With both of these positions on the table, Grebin was able to leave his job as state trooper and dive into full-time work at the University of Sioux Falls.

Over the years, Grebin has seen USF transition from NAIA to Division II athletics, which brought its own set of challenges. The men’s tennis team was cut, but Grebin has remained dedicated to the women’s team since 2011.

He said he enjoyed having a men’s and women’s team because of how well they fed off each other’s energy. With this, Grebin and his assistant coach, Kevin Plank are not giving up on the idea of bringing back a men’s team.

Ralph Lott, a Security Officer at USF, has worked with Grebin for 9 years and describes him as a no-nonsense guy who values following all policies and procedures. “His confidence in me to move up the ladder has boosted my confidence to perform my job efficiently and effectively,” Lott said.

As Grebin approaches his 20th year as a fulltime employee at the University of Sioux Falls, he reflects on his journey with a mix of pride and nostalgia. “Each year has always brought something enjoyable for me.

Kevin Grebin - Head Coach Women’s Tennis University of Sioux Falls Athletics

It’s tough on me when I make connections with you guys, and you leave me,” he admits, highlighting the bittersweet nature of losing and gaining new players in coaching. Kevin Grebin’s legacy at the University of Sioux Falls is one of dedication and community. His impact at the university will only continue to grow as his journey does.

Story courtesy of Cara Hetland’s MED206 Media Writing course Photo courtesy of USF Athletic Office

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CREIGHTON MORISCH

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USF Cougar center Creighton Morisch’s path hasn’t always been easy, but he’s found a home in Sioux Falls By: Josh Baker

As the school year goes on, the spotlight will soon shift to the basketball court. All semester the Cougar basketball team has been in the gym and in the weightroom working to get back to their winning ways. Fall is when teams create chemistry between the players and hone in on the culture of the program to become the type of team they hope to be during the year.

The Cougars return several key players from last year’s squad. Creighton Morisch is one of them who is a 6’10 center from Spirit Lake, Iowa. This will be the first time he has played for the same college program in back-toback seasons. He found his home at USF after a long journey. “I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Morisch said.

Basketball was his passion even as a little kid. He started playing when he was in third grade and knew by the time he was in sixth grade his goal was to play in college. He chuckled thinking about his time as a kid.

“I loved basketball so much that when I’d get in trouble my mom would bring me to the YMCA and wouldn’t let me touch a basketball.” Morisch lived in the gym, just like he still does today. It is why he has been so successful, but it hasn’t always been easy.

He played well in high school and got some looks to play college. But some of the higherlevel coaches were skeptical if he had grown into his body yet. He had the height, but the question was if he had the weight as he was scrawny back then. He was told he needed to get stronger and learn to play within his body.

Photo courtesy of Jurgens Photography

He started his collegiate career at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. “It was a learning curve for sure, the college game is different from high school and on top of that I had to practice against an All American every single day in practice… it was an adjustment,” said Morisch.

With that in mind and other older guys at his position in front of him, Creighton decided to transfer to a junior college. He chose Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa which is about 15 miles from his home in Spirit Lake. Iowa Lakes is in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference which is a division 2 JUCO (Junior College). It is a well-respected league with many talented players. “I really had no choice but to go JUCO and I had formed a relationship with the coach from my high school days while he recruited me,” Morisch explained. He only had one year of eligibility at Iowa Lakes since at JUCO schools, athletes only get two years of eligibility. He had to maximize his time there. He grew his game and excelled on the court. He was named first team allconference and first team in the playoffs and came up one vote shy of being an All American. He also led his team to the national tournament that year. In a year he had to play well with the pressures of earning a scholarship at the next level, he averaged 11.9 PPG while shooting 54% from the floor and 40% from the three. He also averaged 7.6 RPG and 1.9 APG. These stats brought interest from the D1 and D2 levels.

He had some decisions to make.

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Photo courtesy of Jurgens Photography The University of Sioux Falls was in search of a big man that year and they struck gold with Morisch as he decided to continue his career at USF. Assistant coach Drew Guebert loved what he saw from Morisch.

“He added something we didn’t have and something that not a lot of guys have at that size in terms of his feel for the game, one of his best attributes is being a facilitator.” It was not always easy for Morisch. “The jump from JUCO to a 4 year is difficult, there were growing pains in that first year adjusting to the physicality and speed of the game,” Guebert said. Morisch agrees with his coach.

“There was a learning curve again, lots of ups and downs that I had to grow through.”

Now looking forward to this year Morisch has stepped up his game. Coach Guebert noticed changes at the start of the school year. “We figured his second year would be his best year… he gained weight over the summer to handle the physicality of the league.

He also seems more comfortable in what we are doing as a team which will help him,” said Guebert. Morisch is excited for this upcoming year. He believes the team is in a good position to make a run with returning players from last year’s team. “We have the chemistry from last year and know how each other plays. We have trust built in with everyone from playing together last year,” Morisch said.

The road for Morisch has not always been easy but the one thing he has never done was give up. Since he was little, he dreamed of playing professionally, and does not want to let it go. He remembers that every day as he puts in the time to be the best he can be on the court. He knows that if he puts in the work he has a shot at doing something special. As the basketball season gets into full swing, Morisch feels confident that this team can do something special if they continue to put in the work and come ready to go every single day.

Story courtesy of Cara Hetland’s MED206 Media Writing course

Want to be an RA? By: Faithanne Rukavina and Amber Endorf

The University of Sioux Falls 2024/25 Resident Assistant position application process is opening in January. This leadership role requires building a welcoming atmosphere while enforcing rules to keep a safe environment. The Student Life Office is looking for someone who cares about the campus and is active with the activities USF has to offer. “If you want to be an RA, express that to Student Life or your RA’s and that helps us know who is interested,” said Devin Wolthuizen, Residential Director of Sullivan Hall. The responsibilities would include checking in with the residents, helping with roommate mediations, keeping the Residential Director updated on the building and residents, being on duty within the building while staying available for questions, weekly RA meetings with your team, and upholding the campus code of conduct. The RA scholarship will cover a 50-block meal plan and provide housing with the option for a single room. If you are interested in this position, be alert for an email sharing more details coming soon.

About Resident Assistant Position Our mission statement is to facilitate and foster a positive, safe, and comfortable environment within the residence hall that contributes to the student’s overall intellectual, social, physical, moral, and cultural development.

Additional student leadership positions available include: Campus Ministry Advocates, Cougar Activities Board, Intramural Sports Coordinators, and Orientation Leaders

Photo courtesy of Allan Idjao

Story courtesy of Cara Hetland’s MED206 Media Writing course

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