Welcome to the NSU News Update - providing information on events happening on campus or involving NSU students, staff and faculty.
To submit a news item, send it via email to NSUNews@northern.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday of the week before the announcement should run.
COVID-19 News
Through the S.D. Department of Health, Northern has secured BinaxNOW/Quidel over the counter COVID tests. These test kits are free to NSU faculty, staff and students. Students can pick up their kits at Student Affairs (Avera Student Center 222). Faculty and staff should check with their direct supervisors. Complimentary COVID testing for all South Dakotans are still available through Vault Health’s website as well. These are available for both symptomatic/asymptomatic and vaccinated/unvaccinated individuals. For additional COVID-19 information, visit northern.edu/coronavirus, covid.sd.gov or cdc.gov.
Military Veterans Affairs News
NSU Hosting American Legion Cording Ceremony: On May 4, 2022, from 6 to 7 p.m., Northern Military Veteran Affairs will host the American Legion Cording Ceremony for graduating Service Members and Veterans. The Aberdeen American Legion Post presents a red, white and blue cord to graduates honoring and celebrating dedicated service to the U.S. and Aberdeen citizens. Students wear the cords at commencement. The program is open to family, friends, and the Aberdeen community. Location is to be determined.
Enrollment Certifications: Each semester, the NSU Military Veteran Affairs staff certify enrollments for students receiving Military Tuition Assistance, South Dakota State Tuition Assistance or Veteran Education Benefits. The staff submits certifications after the census date for each term:
- 202250 Summer 1 (5 weeks) May 31-July 1 – Census Date: July 10
- 202250 Summer 2 (5 weeks) July 5-Aug. 5 – Census Date: July 15
- 202250 Summer 3 (10 weeks) May 31-Aug. 5 – Census Date: July 10
Easter Sale at the NSU Wolf Shoppe
The NSU Wolf Shoppe’s Easter Sale will continue today through Thursday, April 14. Open an egg to reveal your discount of 15-30 percent off clothing and giftware, including clearance clothing!
Registration Open House
Not registered for classes yet? Stop into the Registration Open House to get registered for classes and connect with staff! The Registration Open House will take place Tuesday, April 12, in the Student Success Center (TC 148) where students can drop in anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Staff will be ready to assist with registering for classes; identifying registration time ticket; making Navigate appointments to get connected with their advisor; removing holds; and receiving information on the FASFA, academic support and career services. Don’t forget: Students who complete their course registration and FASFA by April 20 will be eligible to win prizes that include textbook scholarship, tuition scholarship, parking pass and NSU swag!
CPHCE Discussion
The NSU Center for Public History and Civic Engagement will host a discussion, “Russian Revanchism in Ukraine: Nuclear Weapons, NATO and Neutrality,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. The event, which will take place in Centennial C and D of the NSU Avera Student Center, will feature speaker Brian Bengs, former assistant professor of criminal justice at NSU. Bengs will discuss revanchism, a political movement within a country to reverse prior loss of territory. With a focus on the situation in Ukraine, Bengs will explore the architecture and rules of the international system regarding the use of armed force, including the link between the United Nations and NATO for determining an appropriate response to aggression. Bengs’ presentation is free and open to the public.
Noon Forums
This week’s NSU Noon Forum, “Do Comics Rot Your Brain? Using Sequential Art in the Classroom,” with Dr. Kane Anderson, will take place at noon Wednesday, April 13, in the Williams Library Rotunda. Forums, which are free and open to the public, continue throughout the semester as follows:
- April 20: “Five Essential Songs and Mantras,” Dr. Pam Monaghan-Geernaert and others
- April 27: “The Last Lecture I’d Ever Give,” Dr. Andrew Russell
For more information, contact Dr. Art Marmorstein.
Attention Spring Graduates:
Graduation Apparel orders must be placed by April 17 to ensure delivery in time for the ceremony on May 7!
Science Fair Thank You
The Science Fair was held March 31. We’d like to thank all the following for helping to make this event a success:
- Linda Richards for her hard work year-round related to fair logistics
- Kristi Bockorny and her students for tabulating scores
- Tech Center for providing computers
- NSU bookstore for donating prizes
- Aramark for snacks and meals
- Barnett Center faculty and staff who gave up the space for the day
- Faculty, staff and community members who judged
- Students who judged and helped with table setup and checking in projects.
The overall winners of the fair are eligible to attend the national fair either virtually or in person in May.
Volunteers Needed for CultureFest
CultureFest Committee is looking for staff, faculty and student volunteers to plan and execute the next CultureFest Fall 2022. For more information and if you would like to be a part of this Multicultural event, please contact Dominika.Blum@northern.edu.
American Indian Circle Program
NSU is dedicated to the recognition of tribal traditions and ceremonies that complement the holistic well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The American Indian Circle Program would like to invite the NSU campus community to participate in our monthly Smudge the first Tuesday of every month from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. This is a time where we come together and have cultural education time to talk about what smudging is, the importance it symbolizes in Indigenous culture and a time of reflection. For the spring 2022 semester, we will smudge in the courtyard outside MJ 112, which is the new Circle Program student space under the Student Success Center. Everyone is welcome!
NSU Math Contest
Northern will host the 67th Annual Mathematics Contest on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at the NSU Barnett Center. High school students from around the area are invited to participate in one of four divisions: elementary algebra, geometry, advanced algebra and senior math. Approximately 600 contestants from 30 area schools will participate in the event. The contest awards ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 20 in the Barnett Center. While the contest is closed to the public, members of the community are invited to attend the awards ceremony.
NSU WAVE Elections
NSU WAVE (Wolves for Advocacy, Volunteerism and Engagement) is holding its officer elections on Wednesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Maroon Room in the Student Center! WAVE is one of the newest student organizations on campus and we are centered around community service, engagement, social issues, and student voices and opinions on important issues. If any of these are of interest to you, consider running for one of the following positions:
- President - plans events, oversees the overall operations and serves as a representative of the organization
- Campus Coordinator - works with other campus organizations and departments to plan events and partnerships
- Community Coordinator - seeks out volunteer opportunities in and around the Aberdeen community
- Secretary - keeps track of meeting agendas and notes as well as attendance and rosters
- Treasurer - manages the finances of the organization and gets supplies for various events
- Public Relations - manages the WAVE social media accounts and creates posters/marketing materials to distribute around campus
If you are interested in any of these positions, you can fill out this Google Form. We hope to see you at the meeting! If you have any questions, email President Kayla.Jensen@wolves.northern.edu.
Research, Scholarship and Creativity Forum
Northern will hold the 2022 Research, Scholarship and Creativity Forum on Wednesday, April 20, in Beulah Williams Library. The schedule is as follows:
- 9 a.m.: Oral presentations by student researchers.
- 11:15 a.m.: Demonstration and Performance of the Cimbalom by Matej Cip.
- 11:45 a.m.: Clarinet Trio Performance by Megan Dockter, Therese Haberman and Brooke Thielbar.
- Noon: Keynote Address by Dr. Ashley Podhradshy, vice president of research and economic development and professor of digital forensics at DSU.
- 1-2 p.m.: Poster session of student research projects.
For more information, visit NSU Undergraduate Research or email Dr. Andrew Russell.
April 20: Snackchat – How Not to be Boring with PP: Fostering Curiosity in our Students with David Grettler and Erin Fouberg
Join CETL hosts, Erin Fouberg and Dave Gretter, for a collegial conversation about engaging students with interesting instructional strategies. Please attend Wednesday, April 20, at 3 p.m. in MJ 201 or via this zoom link. Add this event to your calendar.
AUCS concert set for April 23 at NSU
The Aberdeen University/Civic Symphony will hold its final concert of the season, entitled “Starburst,” showcasing the talents of more than a hundred people on stage. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. April 23 in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Jewett Theater, with a Pre-Concert Conversation 6:45-7:15 p.m. in Berggren Recital Hall. The concert will feature NSU Concerto-Aria winners, Dylan Rausch and Lucas Frederick, as well as NSU student Matěj Číp on cimbalom. All tickets are general admission and will be available at the door. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and NSU faculty/staff. Students will be admitted for free. Payment will be cash or check only; debit or credit cards will not be accepted. There will be no advance or online ticket sales. For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at 605-626-2497.
Employee Recognition Lunch
Make sure to RSVP to susan.bostian@northern.edu if you will be attending the Employee Recognition lunch on April 25 starting at noon in the Centennial Rooms. Also, be sure to nominate your co-workers for the Employee Performance Awards my logging into the MyNSU site, clicking on Employee Resources, clicking on Human Resources, then clicking on Employee Performance Award Nomination form under HR Links!
April 26: Introduction to the Library's Electronic Resources
Librarians Lynn Klundt, Maren Williams and Nicole Christiansen will discuss how the library’s electronic resources can support faculty and students at NSU. Topics will include:
- LibGuides – research guides created to assist faculty and students in research and information literacy.
- The Library Catalog (Primo)
- Library databases
Come enjoy some FREE snacks and interesting conversation Tuesday, April 26, at 2 p.m. in Lib 117 or via this zoom link. Add this event to your calendar.
Jazz Swing Party
The annual NSU Jazz Swing Party will be held 7-11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29. The public is invited to the event, which will take place at Aberdeen’s City Lights Event Center, 316 S. Second St. Performing will be the NSU Two O’clock Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Grant Manhart; NSU One O’clock Jazz Ensemble, directed by James McKinney; and the Citrisity Band. Doors open at 4 p.m., with dinner service available starting at 5 p.m. Prior to the dance, Brandon Heim will be teaching swing dance lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. Music and dancing begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 for all patrons, and tickets will be available at the door. For more information, view the Facebook event or call 605-626-2497.
May 11: Distinctive Dialogues with Stephen Kosslyn and HyFlex Faculty Cohort Panel
Mark your calendars! CETL will be hosting a Distinctive Dialogues event May 11 from 9 a.m. to noon with keynote speaker Stephen Kosslyn and the HyFlex Faculty Cohort panel. Kosslyn is the founder of the Active Learning Series, aiming to spread the word on highly effective pedagogy. This event will focus on Kosslyn's principles for engaging students in active learning, as well as introduce some of the HyFlex panel's original research on this topic.
‘Be Northern’ Nominations
Do you know someone in the NSU campus community who should be featured on Northern social media? Nominate a student, faculty, staff or alum to be featured as a Be Northern on NSU Instagram and Facebook! Nominated are accepted through this online form.