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

• Current Self-Reported Case Count: Total active cases: 8 (6 students; 2 faculty/staff). Total quarantined or isolated: 50 (12 on campus; 38 off campus). (Numbers as of Sept. 27, 2020; please note: those in quarantine/isolation aren’t necessarily confirmed or symptomatic cases)
• Mask Level: NSU is at Level 3, which requires face coverings in all public indoor spaces on campus. Learn more about the SDBOR Face Covering Protocol here.
• Webpage Updates: Northern has updated its COVID-19 Webpage, now including various FAQs for students, faculty and staff.
• Requesting Supplies: To request COVID-19 supplies from NSU Facilities, please work with your supervisor to determine the proposed needs for your entire department and submit an order using this online form.
• Mass Testing: Through the S.D. Department of Health and Avera Health, Northern is able to offer a one-day, mass testing event on campus, on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Avera Health has the capacity to conduct up to 500 tests during this one-day event. This is a voluntary event; individuals are not required to get tested. Thanks to the DOH, faculty, staff and students are able to be tested at no charge. Testing will be conducted 9 a.m.-5 p.m. No appointments needed; walk-up testing will be outside, between the Avera Student Center and Beulah Williams Library. Learn more here.

Wolf Talks

Wolf Talks is a speaker series held in conjunction with the Common Read selection of the year, “Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America.” The next talk in the series is Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the JFAC Jewett Theater. Pastor Leland Armbright will discuss the importance of humility, a prominent theme in the book, and the impact it has on growth in personal development and leadership. If you can’t make it in person, the live Zoom link can be found here. The event is free and open to the public. Please note that masks are required, as mandated by the S.D. Board of Regents. Wolf Talks are sponsored by TRIO Student Support Services, the Honors Program and Student Involvement and Leadership.

Virtual Employment Expo and Job Fair

Are you looking for an internship or post-graduation employment, or wanting to network with employers from different companies and industries? NSU Career Services is hosting the [VIRTUAL] Aberdeen Area and NSU Employment Expo and Job Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from noon to 5 p.m. This event is open to all students and alumni to network with various employers from around the region! The fair will be accessible through students' Wolf Work account (see 'Career Events', 'Campus Career Fairs').

Career Services Workshop Series

Career Services has also created a workshop series that will be available via Zoom to help prepare for this exciting event! These workshops include:

• Elevator Pitch and Networking Preparation
• Interview and Job Fair Preparation
• How to Use the Virtual Job Fair System

The dates, times, and Zoom links for these workshops can be found on the Career Services' Facebook page or on Wolf Work, (see 'Career Events', 'Career Workshops’). To learn more, or for assistance preparing for this event, please contact Career Services at 605-626-3007 or careerservices@northern.edu! 

CETL Hosts Counseling Faculty Self-Care Event

Join CETL on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 10 a.m., as we host the NSU counseling faculty for a self-care event. Co-hosts, Drs. Shalini Mathew and Shuhui Fan, will discuss different strategies faculty can use to support themselves and their students.  If you are interested in better understanding and navigating the stresses that we and our students face this semester, we highly encourage you to attend. Please email CETL (CETL@northern.edu) if you have any questions. (Password: ZwSY6g)

Boulton, Barry Recital

Dr. Kenneth Boulton and JoAnne Barry will present a recital of music for piano four-hands at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater. Featured on the program will be music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leó Weiner and Johannes Brahms. Due to COVID-19, admission is free to all 2020-21 NSU School of Fine Arts events. Limited seating is available; passes will be distributed at the door on a first come, first served basis. Masks are required for all patrons, as mandated by the S.D. Board of Regents. The recital will also be live-streamed over the NSU Music Department Facebook page.

Flu Shot Clinic

A flu shot clinic for all benefits-eligible staff and covered dependents is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Avera Student Center Centennial rooms. More information can be found in the Benefits Newsletter from the state in the coming weeks. Please bring your state Dakota Care ID to your appointment.

Common Read Virtual Event        

The Larry and Julie Poeppel Family Common Read Lecture will now be a virtual event. Author Chris Arnade’s presentation will be livestreamed on the NSU Facebook page at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14. Arnade, author of “Dignity: Seeking Respect in Backrow America,” will not be on the NSU campus, but will present from his own location. “Dignity” includes photos and stories by Arnade, who shares tales of individuals across the U.S. struggling with issues like poverty and addiction. The book is available for purchase via the NSU Wolf Shoppe. To learn more, contact NSU Honors Program Director Dr. Kristi Bockorny: Kristi.Bockorny@northern.edu.

Northern Edge Award

The Northern Edge Award is a new funding opportunity that started in spring 2020. This award was designed to augment existing funding sources for undergraduate scholarship at NSU. It is especially intended to aid student projects in under-represented disciplines and/or projects that may not be eligible/competitive for other funding opportunities on campus (i.e., student travel grants, or the Competitive Research Grant). Faculty-mentored projects may receive up to $1,000, which can be used for traditional research expenses or discipline-specific costs such as travel for performances/exhibits. The application process is more streamlined, but still requires a budget detail and narrative. The application deadline this semester is 5 p.m. Nov. 9. For more information on how students can apply for this award, please visit northern.edu/undergraduate-research. For questions, contact NSU’s Undergraduate Research Coordinator at andrew.russell@northern.edu.

NSU Intramural Waiver Forms

NSU’s Intramural department is dedicated to providing the best and safest experience possible for all staff, faculty and registered students at Northern State University. In an effort to limit person-to-person contact, all Intramural and Fitness Center waiver forms will be processed electronically this year.

The online waiver serves two functions:

1)    To grant swipe access to the fitness center in Barnett Center, and

2)    To grant swipe access to the Dacotah Hall gym and the Athletic and Recreation Fields.

Waivers from prior semesters have been deactivated to ensure electronic submissions are gathered for every individual. All faculty, staff and students must complete the online waiver before access is granted or reinstated for previous users. Paper forms will NOT be accepted.

NSU ID cards are required for swipe access. If you do not have a card, please contact Jessica Beilke in the Finance Office to schedule an appointment to get one. The first ID issued to students is free; replacement IDs are $15 each. You must schedule an appointment - walk-ins will not be accepted. Contact Jessica at jessica.beilke@northern.edu or 605-626-2516.

Please understand that access will not be immediate. It may take 2-3 business days for your card to be activated, so be sure to submit early! Access the waiver here.

All indoor use will require face coverings, and maximum capacities will be enforced for each space in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. At this time, face coverings will be required in all spaces.

Intramural leagues are starting soon! Keep an eye out for flyers across campus or sign up on IMLeagues.com. For more information or to access and fill out the digital waiver or hours, please visit the NSU Intramural website.

Dacotah Hall Open Hours:

• Monday-Friday: 6 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6-10 pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

‘This Is Us’ Art Exhibition

“This Is Us,” by Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby, will be on display in the in the JFAC Gallery through Oct. 27. Admission to the exhibition is free, and the gallery is open to the public 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday. Due to COVID-19, there will not be an opening reception. “This Is Us” embodies the prolific careers of Leuning and Treeby. On display is the mastery of high realism that defines their sculpture practice. Featuring bronze sculptures, paintings, relief sculptures, maquettes and various artwork images, Leuning and Treeby’s work captures the stories and legacies of the American spirit. The Northern Galleries mission is to enhance the beauty, educational opportunities and cultural climate of NSU and northeast South Dakota through the presentation of professional art exhibitions. For more information about upcoming exhibitions and virtual events, visit the NSU Art Galleries webpage or NSU Art Department Facebook page.

Wolves Team Store on Facebook

The Wolves Nike Team Store has a new Facebook Page! Search NSU Wolves Team Store or click this link to like the page and keep updated on store specials (in-store and online), new inventory, pop-up shops, and everyone's favorite the #WOOTD (Wolves Outfit of the Day)! And don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter by searching @NSUWolves_Store. Go Wolves!

Exponent Moving Online

The Exponent is doing their part to eliminate surface spread of COVID-19 by moving issues solely online for fall and spring semester. New issues are released Thursdays bi-weekly at exponentnsu.wordpress.com.

American Indian Circle Program Cultural Education Time

Northern State University is dedicated to the recognition of tribal traditions and ceremonies that complement the holistic well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The first Tuesday of every month from 12:15-12:30 p.m., we come together in Spafford 106 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 fall 2020 semester we ask that you mask up and meet on the campus green in front of Spafford so that there can be social distancing. The American Indian Circle Program would like to invite the NSU campus community to come and participate in our monthly Smudge. Everyone is welcome!

Come on in to the library! We’re OPEN!

The library hours are:

Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. (Swipe card access after 5 p.m. for all valid NSU IDs - faculty, staff and students.)

Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, CLOSED

Sunday, 1-11 p.m. (Swipe card access all day for all valid NSU IDs - faculty, staff and students.)

If you have a Valid NSU ID, you are already programmed to have access by swiping your card after 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and all day Sunday.

The library is a public building and masks are required. Please practice social distancing.

Questions? Email reference@northern.edu.

Student Events Calendar and Virtual Events List

Looking for a way to stay connected during this strange social distancing time? Need a way to stay active? Just need a break from studying and Zooming? In quarantine and looking for things to do? Check out the Student Events Calendar or the Virtual Events list! The calendar has everything from student club meetings, Supplemental Instruction, Intramural Open Gyms, CAB events, service projects, and more! Or, check out the Virtual Events list to tour a world-renowned museum, visit a national park, or host a Hulu watch party with friends. As Brené Brown says, “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” So, stay connected, Wolves. We’re in this together.

• Download the NSU Mobile App to have the list of Student Events at your fingertips:
• Student Events Calendar
• Virtual Events

Job Openings at NSU

Just a reminder that NSU posts all current job openings at the SDBOR website. Remember to check out the site for opportunities around campus!

Community Spotlight: St. Mary’s Catholic Church

St. Mary’s Catholic Church has a food pantry and would like to make sure that any students who are food-insufficient know about it. It is a no-questions-asked program. Students call the church office and request food help. The phone number is 605-229-4422. There will be a box of food assembled with their name on it and placed in the common area of the church, and the student drops by to get it. St. Mary’s is one of many churches and organizations in the Aberdeen community committed to helping our students.

Community Spotlight: Salvation Army Student Day

Students: Friday is Student Day at The Salvation Army! Please feel free to stop by The Salvation Army, 1003 Sixth Ave. S.W., every Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. for free produce and bread donated from local gardeners, farmers and grocers in Aberdeen. Just bring your student ID and fill a plastic bag with your favorite healthy snacks. (First come, first served basis.)

Free Online Tutoring Sessions

The NSU Tutoring Center offers free online sessions to any Northern student for all general education classes and most upper-level classes. The sessions are conducted through Zoom, which allows real-time interaction between students and tutors. For more information or to set up an online tutoring session, students can email nsututoringcenter@northern.edu

Employee Assistance Plan

Benefits eligible staff: Please keep in mind that your benefits plans include free use of our Employee Assistance Plan. Every eligible staff member has five free visits available with a counselor. If you need assistance, please utilize this wonderful benefit, found at this link; the password is southdakota.

Wolves Athletics

Stay up to date with NSU Wolves news on the athletics webpage.