USF Vessel September 2022

Volume 10 issue 1

September 2022

university of sioux falls student media

writers

kelsey sutton

connor aldrich

xavier blackwell

apolonia davalos

sebastian pares

maddy redday

joseph sapp

levi smith

matthew sterud

erica sunde

evan wibben

benjamin wollmuth

editors

rianna banik

2-3 -

dawson davito

gunner gould

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usf welcomes new assistant athletic director

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intervarsity at the university of sioux falls

6-7 -

thomas scandin

neveah schreiber

writers & editors

fountain of joy

8-

welcome Alecia Juelfs, new usf theatre director

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college football is back

10-11-

12 -

usf theatre wins big at sioux falls stage awards the green dot program

contents makenna wallin

josh werre

13 -

new year, new cab

14 -

605 longboarding

15 -

cougar home opener

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student spotlight joseph sapp

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cougars victorious in home football game

18-19-

image courtesy of erica sunde - pg. 18 cover courtesy of xavier blackwell

the university of sioux falls takes on italy & croatia

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usf launches a new app

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dorm monopoly

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the university of sioux falls unveils a new logo

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what’s3it like to be a thrower?

usf welcomes new assistant athletic director

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his summer, the University of Sioux Falls brought on Madie Brink as its new Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Athletic Communications. A South Dakota native from Pierre, she brings some much-needed experience and youth to the department.

Brink is a recent graduate from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership.

She worked in sports management and statistics for multiple years before coming to Sioux Falls.

In addition to USF’s various social media accounts, the sports department also recently released a new phone app for Cougar fans. The app includes schedules, rosters, game programs, stats, news, ticket purchasing, merchandise, and more for each team here at USF. “We’re leaning more towards a virtual platform,” says Brink. She is excited about the large number of app users within the first few weeks and can’t wait for more features to be rolled-out over time.

Madie Brink Assistant Athletic Director

If you see her around campus, make sure to give her a warm Cougar welcome. Things are Brink is energized and excited to heating up quickly for sports at be working here and wishes to the University of Sioux Falls, so grow personal relationships with don’t miss out. Fans can keep USF’s student athletes, coaches, up with news and their favorite and staff. Her roles will include teams with the USF Cougars maintaining the teams’ records app or at www.usfcougars.com. and statistics, collecting media To get the new app search “USF content, and growing and man- Cougars” in your app store. aging the University’s online social media presence.

by: xavier blackwell

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INTERVARSITY AT

The University of Sioux Falls Students like Megan Sundvold have heard a need from over 50 University of Sioux Falls students who want to be involved in a study through InterVarsity. These studies involve a three-step process: 1) Observation

2) Interpretation 3) Application.

InterVarsity is an international student ministry and non-profit organization that engages in discipleship around scripture. This year they sent out contact cards to students interested in what InterVarsity had to offer. The cards had the open-ended question of what students were interested in, the options were: - joining a bible study

- attending fun events

- knowing more about InterVarsity - a leadership position

These contact cards reached over 50 students!

Sundvold said, “This semester our theme is ‘knowing who you are because of who God is.’ When we know who we are because of who God is, we are able to flourish together as a community.” This three-step process is considered inductive bible studies, after each step they take a five-minute break.

They begin their study with reading scripture together, then take a five minute break to re-read and see what words or phrases stand out. The group takes another five minutes and discusses what was meaningful. This part of the study is the observation. Interpretation begins with reading the same portion, with the goal of finding questions and things that students may be curious about. Sundvold said, “No question is a dumb question and that’s why I love InterVarsity so much.” After people share their questions and there is time to converse about them, they read the section again to prepare for the last phase. Lastly, students will talk with the group about how they can practice the word in everyday life. This section is Application.

This year (2022-23) InterVarsity will be offering four different studies on the USF campus. To get some more information about InterVarsity’s small groups and community events check out their Instagram @USF_intervarsity.

written by: makenna wallin

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B Y: A P O L O N I A DAVA L O S

fountain of joy

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appiness and joy are not the same thing. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is everlasting. Two Catholic nuns, Sr. Lynn and Sr. Eileen of the Pro Ecclesia Sancta ecclesial family, come to Sioux Falls, S.D., from Lima, Peru to bring you joy.

Most of the Pro Ecclesia Sancta ecclesial family resides in Peru. They also serve in Spain, Rome, Ecuador, Uruguay, Minnesota, California, and now Sioux Falls, S.D. The sisters were invited with a special invitation from Bishop Donald E. DeGrood, ninth Bishop of the diocese of Sioux Falls. Jesuit priest, Father Pablo Menor, was sent from Spain on a life mission to serve the people of Lima, Peru. At age 82, in 1992, prior to his death, he founded Pro Ecclesia Sancta. Translated from Latin, Pro Ecclesia Sancta means ‘For the Holy Church.’ “Our charism is to live and promote the vocation to holiness,” says Sr. Eileen Sr. Lynn and Sr. Eileen want to be a part of our lives. They lead by example in teaching how life is not made

for mediocrity. On July 31, 2021, the Feast Day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, two sisters providentially arrived to dedicate themselves to you - to us - the youth. Last August, the sisters began serving and working with local high school and college campus ministers, chaplains, brothers, and sisters in an effort to foster and host retreats, luncheons, worship, fellowship, service projects, adoration, engagement at sporting and extracurricular events, and invitations to pray with Jesus in the Eucharist. Sr. Eileen

reflects, “We have felt very blessed to be a part of the school system and help wherever we are able to serve best.” The enemy, the devil, attacks the youth and our families with distraction.

“They can’t pray,” admits Sr. Eileen. “And you can’t pray because there are so many things going on.” The result is a superficial life. Sr. Lynn replies, “the devil wants to make people think that you have to be a certain way or reach a certain goal.” That is not true. Sr. Lynn continues, “People are not sure of their

identity in Christ.” Wrestling with self-worth is a constant struggle. Comparison is defeating.

The notion of “whatever you want” is not real happiness. “If you want to find real happiness, you need to go to the Fountain of that,” confesses Sr. Eileen. “It’s God.” Humans are a relational creation designed with a need to be with other people. “We all have the desire because we are all called to greatness and called to love,” says Sr. Eileen. “In college, people either stray away from the faith or grow closer to Christ,” shares Sr. Lynn. “I always knew God was real.” But “I didn’t learn how to pray or how to talk to the Lord until college.” Sr. Eileen adds, “Never stop searching. Even if you don’t believe. If you give up, you close the door” to real love.

Our God given gifts bring joy to our college, city, and country. For example, gifts of wisdom, service, and friendship. At university these graces may translate and transform into vocal, theatrical, literary, mathematical, scientific, or athletic talent. Our gifts give us grace in our discipline and discipline is freedom.

We are flawed human beings who need support on our journey to heaven. Sr. Lynn exudes how “faithful friends and relationships will lead you closer to the Lord” and emphasizes that “the Lord always wants to bring you joy.”

photos provided by Apolonia Davalos

welcome alecia juelfs by: benjamin wollmuth

The University of Sioux Falls’ theater department has welcomed a new member to its faculty. USF alumni Alecia Juelfs is taking on the dual role of assistant professor of theater and director of the theater program. Upon graduating from USF in 2017, Juelfs accepted a position in the admissions office, working as an admissions counselor.

From there, she transitioned into larger roles, first as a recruiter for the fine arts and second as an adjunct professor. It would not be until the 2022-2023 academic year that she would find herself face-to-face with a role that she says she could not turn down.

This role, however, was not just handed to her. “[The process] is very similar to applying to any faculty position anywhere,” Juelfs says. “It starts with quite a few written application pieces… and then from there were a few different interviews, and then an invitation to campus was kind of the final interview.” That final interview would mark Juelfs’ realization that this role was meant for her. “It was very intense because you’re interviewing all day long. Everything you’re doing is an interview, but I was having so much fun while it was happening. It was a good indicator to me that this was perhaps where I was supposed to be because it didn’t feel as overwhelming as it should have.”

As is the case when jumping into any new role previously held by someone else, there are big shoes to fill. Joe Obermueller, the director of the department prior to Juelfs’ obtaining the role, had nine years to shape the department into something of his own creation.

Stepping into this role now, Juelfs sees a chance for evolution while still keeping the theater department close to the way it was before.

“The ways that I have developed how I think and feel about theater and what’s important to those things are influenced by Joe’s influence, so I think there will be a lot of commonalities there,” Juelfs says. “Any department has to evolve and change according to the students and meeting the needs of not only the institution but the people who it’s serving, so in some ways, there will have to be some changes, and we are going to update and do things as we go.”

With a want to start off strong, Juelfs has one major goal for this year: to actually have shows performed. Living in a post-Covid world, the possibility of cancellations and the uncertainty of what could happen is, as Juelfs puts it, a “very real fear now.” If all goes according to plan, Juelfs wants to look back on this year and know that she has further developed and cultivated a heavily student-led department. “I want to be able to look back and see that students have taken some responsibility and initiative in things… For me, I want to give up a little bit more control in that and not have it feel like it’s something I need to hold tightly to because I believe in the students and am confident in their ability to do so.” While she has only just begun, it is clear that Juelfs has a focused vision for how she wants the rest of the year to go. Even with the lingering uncertainty caused

by COVID-19, there is no doubt that USF’s theater department will continue to grow and evolve under a new director.

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college football is back by: thomas scandin College football is back so you know what that means! USF Cougars football is back. The Cougar football team will play 10 games this year and 6 of the games will be in Sioux Falls.

Just one of them was at their rival college, Augustana, and the Cougars won that important game 31-24. The games have been well attended after several seasons of Covid uncertainty, and the stands have been filled with a sea of purple. The Cougars opened the season on the road, beating Minnesota State Moorhead 24-17.

September 10 was the home opener for the Cougars taking on Minot State. Tailgating filled the parking lot and it was a great sight seeing the stands fill with Cougar fans. USF put 17 points on the board and 175 offensive yards in the first quarter. The first quarter also saw some big plays including Dylan Rudningen rushing for a 30-yard touchdown, an 8-yard touchdown from Thuro Reisdorfer, a 40-yard field goal from Nick Hernandez, and Adam Mullen throwing 6 completed passes for 84 yards. The USF defense had a great game, only allowing 33 yards in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a little slower for the Cougars, scoring 3 points and 97 yards total offense.The defense played well with Cal Botsford getting a sack on MSU’s Dawson Maclery.

USF was winning at halftime 20-0.

In the second half it was more of the same. In the 3rd quarter, USF collected 111 yards in 17 plays. In the last quarter, USF scored 14 points, with a 9 yard touchdown run by Dylan Rudningen his second score of the day. Thuro Reisdorfer had a 1-yard touchdown run. The win was a shutout, 34 to nothing against Minot State. We hope to continue to see you out at the USF football games cheering on the Cougars!

photo courtesy of xavier blackwell

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The USF Theatre Department made its mark at the Sioux Falls Stage Awards this past July, beating out Augustana University for both of the awards that the colleges were nominated for.

Those unfamiliar with the Sioux Falls Stage Awards can think of them as something akin to the Tony Awards– but for Sioux Falls. Local theatre companies, performers, and technicians are nominated each June for their work from the past year. A month later, the community comes together to celebrate these nominees and see which individuals will take home the awards.

USF and Augie [Augustana] go headto-head every year in the Stage Awards’ collegiate categories which include Best Play or Musical and Best Performer in a Play or Musical. USF’s spring production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was awarded Best Play. Sam Martin, who portrayed the show’s lead character, received Best Performer.

usf theatre

wins big at the sioux falls stage awards written by: josh werre

Martin, now a senior Media Studies major and Theatre Studies minor, never thought he would win the award. “I just thought for sure it was going to be someone from Augie [Augustana University],” he says. “It was kind of an out-of-body experience… it’s definitely a highlight of my time here at USF.”

The university performed “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” spring semester of 2022.

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As an individual who was diagnosed with autism when he was 18-months-old, winning Best Performer was more than just a highlight for Martin. “Doctors told my parents I probably wouldn’t be able to talk or tell them that I love them, let alone do anything that got me to that moment when I was nominated,” he says.

Although not explicitly stated in “Curious”, the character that Martin played, Christopher Boone, appears to fall somewhere on the spectrum of high functioning autism. Having the opportunity to bring this character to life on stage made for an extra meaningful experience. “It [the award] means that just like Christopher in the play, I can do whatever I set my mind to,” Martin says. “And anyone else who is neurodivergent can do the same.” The next Sioux Falls Stage Awards are set to take place in July 2023. Whether or not USF can keep up their winning streak against Augie is something only time can tell. And perhaps audiences will get to see Martin make a return as one of the nominees.

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BY: NEVEAH SCHREIBER

the green dot

program

Devin Wolthuizen

Allan Idjao

After years of putting everything on a seemingly endless halt, the University of Sioux Falls is beginning to bring more opportunities to campus. The Green Dot Program is a new program that focuses on intervention, advocacy, and awareness with a mission, according to the Alteristic website, to find “...common threads across social issues, including self-directed harm, interpersonal violence, substance abuse, bullying, and harassment.”

(For more information on this program, go to the Alteristic dot org website and select Services from the navigation bar.)

The Green Dot Program puts an emphasis on “bystander intervention strategies focusing on sexual assault, stalking, domestic violence, and similar instances. The purpose is to equip people to be active bystanders,” says Devin Wolthuizen, the Resident Director of Kroske, Burgess, and Mary Collier Baker Hall, Coordinator of Resident Activities, and Certified Green Dot Instructor. Allan Idjao, Associate Director of Student Life and Multicultural Student Programs, says these instances are otherwise known as “red dots.” Idjao says, “this program is for training and educating students on how to assess these red dots, and take action towards turning them green.”

From the years 2010-2013, there was a study put in place across three campuses, one of which was implementing the Green Dot College Prevention Program, and the other two practicing no bystander intervention.

According to the study summary on the Alteristic website, the researchers found that the campus practicing bystander intervention, had lower violence rates, specifically sexual victimization, sexual harassment, stalking, and psychological dating violence, than the other two campuses. Green Dot is able to achieve these goals, according to Alteristic,”…by inspiring hope for change, providing realistic tools to act, and helping overcome personal, relational, and cultural barriers.”

The University of Sioux Falls’ goal is to achieve this same impact by “starting with students. We are holding training opportunities to educate students on how to be active bystanders,” says Idjao. Wolthuizen also says, “We are hoping to expand on these groups of students and bring awareness to hopefully form an organization type community to continue outreach. USF bringing Green Dot to campus is one of many steps towards bringing attention to these circumstances, acknowledging their happenings and trying to get ahead of the problem,” says Wolthuizen. Idjao says, “If you see something, say something. I know it sounds cliche, but you could be saving someone’s life.”

If you want to become more educated on this program and want to know how to help, reach out to Devin Wolthuizen or Allan Idjao via email or a stop into the Student Life Offices in the McDonald’s Center.

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by: evan wibben

NEW YEAR

new cab

T

he University of Sioux Falls Cougar Activities Board, or CAB as it’s better known, has had a great start to the new school year. CAB focuses on making sure they are benefiting the students by putting on events that are either socially, physically, mentally, or spiritually beneficial. The CAB team puts emphasis on quality over quantity to ensure the events that they put on are well planned and are ready to get the USF community involved.

The CAB student staff changed, with only one student returning from the previous year. USF’s Allan Idjao, the Associate Director of Student Life and Multicultural Student Programs said he can describe this year’s CAB in 5 words.

“The first words that come to mind are unique, creative, entertaining, fun, and loud.” Allan is excited about the group and says the events they have planned are going to get the community at USF back to the way things used to be before COVID.

2022-23 CAB Members

President- Jordyn Reider Events Coordinator- Amber Tebbe Events Coordinator- Anisa Ibrahim Events Coordinator- Cooper Dixon Events Coordinator- Icyes Smith Events Coordinator & Marketing Coordinator- Kat Steffan Intramurals Coordinator- Grace Pease Prevention & Awareness CoordinatorElizabeth Smith Photographer- Tessa Haag

When Idjao was asked about what events students can look forward to this year, he gave a few sneak peeks into what CAB has planned. Idjao said, ”Students can expect to see new events and traditions this year. One thing we want to do more of is collaborate with Augustana University and build better connections with them.

Another event that we are really excited about is Fall Fest. Fall Fest is a bunch of carnival games, inflatables, a dunk tank, and an opportunity to pie fellow peers and maybe even faculty. Those are a few sneak peaks of what is to come.” For more information about CAB, stop by the student life office in the McDonald Center.

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605 longboarding

B Y : M AT T H E W S T E R U D School is back in session and fall activities are returning.

605 Longboarding is excited to welcome back students to campus and to start their 2nd year as a club on campus. 605 Longboarding is headed by co-presidents Riley Robinson and Matthew Sterud (that’s me!). Last year, 605 Longboarding won the New Student Organization award, but Robinson and Sterud are hopeful that it was only the first step of a successful club.

The co-presidents (titled “Big Kahunas”) are hoping the second year of the club goes a bit more smoothly this time around. “Now14 that- we found our footing, we’ll be able to have a more structured plan for how the year goes.” says Robinson. “We were ambitious that first year. Maybe a bit too much for what we could handle.” added Sterud.

This year, 605 Longboarding has implemented a plan to meet every other week. Robinson said, “We found out that Wednesday nights work really well for people but didn’t want to meet so often. We’re a laid-back club, so we figured that every other week was a good fit.”

Along with organized rides, 605 Longboarding is planning on other activities throughout the semester. “Obviously the weather isn’t always going to be favorable. So, we have some ideas for when we can’t be outside.” Said Sterud. “But we don’t want to reveal too much just yet. You’ll have to check back and see what we have planned.”

The co-presidents wanted to emphasize their Loaner Board system this year as well. “We want people to know they have access to longboards outside of when the club meets.” Explained Robinson. “All you need to do is contact either Matthew [Sterud] or I and we can rent out a board to you for personal use. All we ask is that you return it in time for club meetings.”

605 Longboarding meets every other Wednesday at 7PM in the Cleveland Center Parking Lot. Follow 605 Longboarding on Instagram @605longboarding for updates.

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Cougar

home opener

According to Giovanni Purpura

The University of Sioux Falls Cougars football team hosted the 2022 season home opener at Bob Young Field against Minot State University of North Dakota.“ It was a huge honor to be a team captain for my final season Opener as a Cougar,” said Senior free safety and team captain Giovanni Purpura.

Giovanni has been at USF for a while and has many memories, but one memory has a special place in his heart. “One of my favorite memories of playing at Bob Young Field was the kickoff return against Concordia St. Paul. Clint Sigg returned it for a touchdown to put us up in the game. This memory sticks with me because it was my first year playing for the Coo and that year I played all special teams and I remember the feeling; the crowd was electric and I got goosebumps from the crowd roar,” said Purpura. Playing at Bob Young Field is a special place with the tradition of winning. “Playing at The Bob is special for me because I get to see all the alumni and my old teammates come to watch the game. It is such a family atmosphere and all the older alumni coming through and knowing the players’ names shows how much they care about the Coo,” said Purpura.

The Cougars had an outstanding performance for the first home game, winning 34-0. The Cougars held the Dragons to under 100 yards of total offense and scored 4 touchdowns on the offensive side.

by: joseph sapp photos courtesy of xavier blackwell

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photo courtesy of usf athletics

connor aldrich

student spotlight: joseph sapp Joseph Sapp, is a senior at the University of Sioux Falls, majoring in Media Studies and playing for the football team at the corner position. Sapp is a west coast native and came this far east to attend USF for a well rounded education and also to play football on scholarship.

Sapp weighs in on his transition from California to South Dakota. “The transition was kind of rough at first, the weather is the biggest thing. I came on a day where it was -18 degrees and super windy.” Sapp has since become accustomed to much cooler circumstances. He has been enjoying his time in Sioux Falls but not without the help of a culture shock that opened his eyes in a positive way. “When I say culture, probably the biggest thing for me is probably the people … it’s just entirely different from what I’m used to in a good way. People greet me and smile as I walk by them and that is something I haven’t gotten used to yet but will soon.”

Sapp went on to mention that he has not been going out like he used to back home and is looking to expand his horizons when it comes to finding a friendly spot to enjoy time with his friends.

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Cougars Victorious in Football Kickoff Game The University of Sioux Falls football team played their opening game of the year on the road at Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead against Minnesota State University Moorhead. With a 27-14 victory over the Dragons, the Cougars improved to 1-0 on the year. The Cougars got the game going quickly, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, setting the tone for the game’s rest of play.

With 24 of 40 passes completed and 309 passing yards, sophomore quarterback Adam Mullen had a strong opening game of the 2022 season. He also connected with sophomore tight end Hunter Schneider for his first season score. Given that the Cougar offense is often heavily reliant on run concepts, that performance marked the first time in seven years that they had thrown for over 300 yards.

By applying pressure to the Dragons quarterback Tommy Falk and sacking him six times, the defense accomplished what they do best: shut down opponents. Brady Crawford, Zach Durfee, and Conor Rice were in charge of maintaining pressure throughout the whole game. A tenacious Dragons attack was held to only 209 total yards of offense, which was sufficient to limit them to 14 points.

The Cougars win over MSUM was a wonderful start to the season and the beginning of a win streak that will hopefully continue throughout the season.

by: sebastian pares

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by: erica sunde

the university of sioux falls takes on italy & croatia

An Overseas Arts and Media trip two years in the making.

On June 1, 2022 about 40 students and faculty from the University of Sioux Falls were finally able to take flight to Italy and Croatia. The trip was originally scheduled during the university’s Interim break. The trip was off to a turbulent start with canceled flights and even a quick detour to Amsterdam for part of the group. “Our outgoing flight got canceled so we had a bit of a change in plans.

This change in plans actually turned out to be my favorite part of the trip because we got to spend two days in Amsterdam unexpectedly,” said Senior, Olivia Sook.

same spots as Roman gladiators at the Colosseum. Spent the day in the Vatican city, the smallest country in the world.

Walked through a massive archaeological site in Pompeii, the Sea Organ and went on a breathtaking hike through Plitvice National Park. Later in the day the group made their way to the Sea Organ in Zadar, Croatia. Senior, Brookly Charrlin said, “My favorite place we visited was Zadar, Croatia to listen to the Sea Organ! One of the most peaceful sounds I’ve ever heard.”

The trips are designed to be fast paced so students get a taste for each city they visit.

This is to create a desire for travel in the future and then to come back and spend more time in their favorite spots.

Sook said she would absolutely travel to Europe again.

Sook goes on to say, “I would spend more time in each place than we did on our trip. I would have loved to have at least three days in each location.”

Ceca Cooper, the Associate Professor of Art at USF has

Eventually the entire group came together in Venice and spent the day gliding through the canals in the most picturesque city in Italy.

The 12 days they were abroad was a complete whirlwind.

Most stops were just a single day. The group was able to visit 7 different countries, stroll through collections of ancient sculptures and paintings at the Uffizi Gallery and stood in the

photos courtesy of erica sunde

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been traveling with students at USF for 20 years. “Going abroad, being immersed in another culture is one of the most important parts of one’s education, ‘’ said Cooper. She goes on to say, “It opens up a broad spectrum of learning; from art and architecture to political systems, to food and language. Travel rounds out a good education.”

As a Christian Liberal Arts University, USF requires students to take an “intercultural awareness” class to graduate. One of the ways you can fulfill this four credit class is by traveling. Travel is one of the best ways you can immerse yourself into a new culture. In January 2023 the Arts and Media trip is headed to Japan! Be on the lookout for the 2024 announcement this fall.

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by: levi smith Like everything else in the world right now, the University of Sioux Falls has gone mobile. With the launch of the “USF” app, students have all of the resources they need at their fingertips. Initially launched in 2015 for Apple and Android, the app itself has seen many improvements and upgrades over the years. Most recently, the USF app was given significant upgrades ahead of the Fall 2022 semester.

With the campus map feature, USF has never been easier to navigate for new students, with directions to classes, departments, and other areas on campus. Fourth-year student at USF, Erica Sunde, says “I could see this app being very useful to an incoming freshman.” Students can see what is on the menu in the dining hall for the day, as well as the menu for Cooper’s Cafe. “Quick access to meet new people and find campus activities,” says Sunde.

Furthermore, the mobile app displays events happening around campus that students can get involved in. Another way students can interact with one another is

usf launches a new app through the “Campus Feed” feature.

Here, students will find posts about events, campus updates, club flyers, and more.

Whether you’re a student who wants to get involved on campus, or you’re having trouble finding your class, the “USF” app has it all.

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DORM MONOPOLY

by: gunner gould

From cooperative games such as Pandemic and Forbidden Island to competitive games such as Exploding Kittens and Life to classics like Mankala and Chess, now more than ever, online games are helping people make friends, whether they live across the street or the world. One game that doesn’t get brought up in this conversation a lot is Monopoly, as it has a reputation for having the opposite effect on friendships. One group of students, however, flipped this narrative, and especially bonded over the game.

Dylan Haugan, a sophomore here at the University of Sioux Falls, brought the board because of how much he enjoys playing it, figuring he would be able to find a group of people to be able to play it with. The group came together in a few different ways, as Dylan became friends with one of them over the first week of classes, which led to being introduced to two others, he met another person through one of his classes, and another who moved into his dorm. Eventually, they started meeting every week to play Monopoly.

Daniel Newman, one of the first people to join the group, says he joined because he “thought it would be some dumb fun”. He continued coming because he started connecting with the group, the community was welcoming, and he always had the thought process of “today is the day I will win”. He said that playing Monopoly allowed him to meet and hang out with other people he might not usually hang out with because of cliques and other interests. He also said that it allowed him to grow as a person by helping him learn how to make friends easier.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS UNVEILS A

NEW LOGO NEW LOGO NEW LOGO

After extensive research and surveying, University of Sioux Falls president, Brett Bradfield, shared the institution’s updated visual rebrand with the public for the first time. The event took place on September 8th, 2022, in the Ward Lobby at USF on the institution’s 139th anniversary. The lobby was packed full of students, faculty, media, and trustees excited to see not only the rebrand but the future of USF. This monumental moment in the institution’s history was made possible by a 15-person task force and diverse stakeholder groups involved with the university. Among the stakeholders surveyed were staff, alumni, donors, students, prospective students, parents, and trustees. Bradfield said, “We wanted to hear the voices of our community; past, present, and future.” The team received more than one thousand completed surveys that contributed to the rebrand. The consistency and high volume of feedback allowed the team to move forward with fine-tuning the logo. They found the main consistency from the survey was the inclusion of the letters ‘USF’ as a “powerful identifier of our institution,” said Bradfield.

from the idea that there is “something different,” about USF. President Bradfield talked about how USF, “excels in developing a whole person, not just in small ways but in large meaningful ways.” The rebrand is set to roll out in a tiered approach over the coming weeks.

While the visual rebrand is evolving at USF, the foundation of the institution is firm. Bradfield stated, “We remain a Christian liberal arts University educating students of the humanities, sciences, and professions”. The rebrand takes a more modern approach to USF’s 139-year-old mission and traditional motto, culture for service.

Moreover, in The Difference is Here campaign, the positioning line used to roll out the rebrand comes

BY: MADDY REDDAY

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What’s it like

to be a Thrower?

Of the many collegiate sports that receive the spotlight during the spring, there is only one that contains such a broad diversity of both events and participants, and that sport is track and field. From the 100-meter dash to the pole vault, there’s always an event going on that’s sure to catch your eye. Of all the events involved within the sport, however, there’s one category that people will sometimes disregard as “boring and simple”, when in reality that couldn’t be farther from the truth, and that is Throwing.

Throwing, for those who don’t know, is the category that includes events such as the Shotput, Discus and Javelin. It can be regarded by many who watch it as a very simple, straightforward event. However, veteran throwers like fifth-year senior MacKenzie Bengston argue that the process of throwing is anything but as simple as picking the object up and throwing it far every time. “Throwing is eighty percent mental, twenty percent physical,” Bengston said. “You’re in the ring for a short amount of time and you only have so many throws to get things right. If you’re not in the right mindset, sound in who you are and your thoughts are in so many different places, you’ll start to build anxieties. Then your form starts to crumble, and it’s all downhill from there.”

Bengston (left) has been with the University of Sioux Falls track and field program for five years now, and was just recently named an All-Academic Athlete.

Form will often play a big role in throwing, primarily because poor form can often lead to injury, especially since most implements aren’t exactly light. While the discus is only two pounds for women and four pounds for men, implements like the shot put are eight pounds for women and sixteen pounds for men, the same weight as the hammer throw implements. The transition to these types of weights can also put a heavy mental strain on the athlete, not even mentioning the change of atmosphere a young freshman thrower has to transition to as well.

The process to getting to the collegiate level of throwing is also just as strenuous as most other sports due to how meticulous one needs to be with their form and dedication to the sport’s repetitive, tough nature. “I started throwing when I was in seventh grade, and I actually hated it at first. The first day of practice I went home crying because of how strange and hard it was to get used to all the motions in each different event,” Bengston said. At the end of the day, however, you don’t need to be the biggest or strongest person to become adept in throwing. “It’s a lot of patience and perseverance. You have to have a firm set of intentions that you’ll come to practice every day ready to iron out the smallest of details in your technique. Because it’s when everything finally clicks for you that the implement just flies out of your hand just the way you want it.”

By: Dawson Davito

MacKenzie Bengtson throws for the Cougars at a track meet.

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