April 29, 2026

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29

4 p.m. — The Variety (90.7 FM)

6 p.m. — Dakota DeBruin (90.7 FM)

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

3 p.m. — Sierra Singer (90.7 FM)

FRIDAY, MAY 1 Collegian Report Ep. 12 (YouTube)

MONDAY, MAY 4 Finals Week Begins

FRIDAY, MAY 8 Finals Week Ends

7 p.m. — Residence Halls Close

SATURDAY, MAY 9

10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. — Commencement Ceremonies

MORE AT SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM

MAY DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL

The May Day Music Festival, organized by the University Program Council (UPC), will return to campus May 1 with live music, prizes and activities for students.

The free event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom, with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. The first 200 students will receive meal vouchers. Attendees can enjoy live performances, food trucks and prize giveaways.

This year’s festival will feature carnival-themed games, a DIY flower bar, SDSU ice cream and a temporary tattoo station. Prizes include speakers, Beats headphones, TVs, drones and Ninja Creami machines.

Student performers from South Dakota State University will take the stage, beginning with Mira Bry, followed by The Monarchs band...

ONLINE THIS WEEK

POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME LOG

The daily crime log is a document prepared by the SDSU Police Department that provides details on calls they have taken over the past week. The crime log is sent to Collegian Media for publication every Monday.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

• 2:35 a.m. — Intentional damage and vandalism were reported at Binnewies Hall. The report also cited intentional damage to property valued at $400 or less and underage purchase or possession of alcoholic beverages. The case is solved.

MONDAY, APRIL 20

No incident documented.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21 No incident documented.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 No incident documented.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

• 5:11 p.m. — Harassment was reported at the University Police Department. The case is closed and resolved.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

• 12:04 a.m. — Harassment was reported at the University Police Department. The incident was documented.

• 4:57 p.m. — A theft was reported at Binnewies Hall. The incident was documented.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

• 12:33 a.m. — A suspicious person or vehicle was reported at the Performing Arts Center. The incident was documented.

• 2:19 a.m. — A nuisance or noise complaint was reported at Ben Reifel Hall. The case is closed and resolved.

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

New club constitutions, 8th street connection MOU approved at final meeting

RYANN DAVIS

News Director

At the final Students’ Association (SA) meeting of the school year, senators voted to approve five club constitutions, heard words of encouragement from President Barry Dunn and passed two memorandums of understanding (MOU).

Project manager and horticulturist Tanner Aiken and McCrory Gardens Director of Operations, Lisa Marotz, presented the plans for a project that will connect Eighth Street to a new trail system in McCrory Gardens’ arboretum at last week’s SA meeting. This presentation allowed room for discussion and suggestions from senators, and at this week’s meeting, the senators passed the revised 8th Street Connection MOU between SA, McCrory Gardens and SDSU Facilities and Services.

According to SA President Sophie Spier, the 8th street construction will

begin this summer, and the arboretum’s construction will follow its own project schedule. The project plans outline a paved trail that will go through two and a half kilometers of the arboretum, as well as a gravel trail. Both trails will be ADA accessible. The arboretum’s portion of construction is set to finish in spring 2027.

An MOU passed between SA and the Hobo Day Committee. The memorandum requested that the Hobo Day Committee is “continuously fully funded by the Student Promotion Fund Committee due to their consistent high application scores and meaningful impact on South Dakota State University and the community.”

In other news

President Barry Dunn addressed the senators during open forum, expressing gratitude to SA and congratulations to the newly elected senators.

“You’re going to wonder sometimes, how busy you are, ‘can I pull all of this

together?’” Dunn said. “But it (senate leadership) is extremely valuable to you, and I’m sure you’ll help the entire university with leadership and the shared governance model.” The senate entered executive session during new business.

CLUB CONSTITUTIONS PASSED

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science (ASHP) Graduate Students’ Association

• ASHP was the only graduate program at SDSU that did not already have a students’ association. The association leaders plan to organize leadership and social events within the program.

The Giving Project Club

• This club aims to make a difference in the community by serving healthcare workers, patients and vulnerable populations through care packages, hands-on projects and letters.

SDSU Cheer and Dance Team Club Constitutions

• Representatives from both the cheer and dance teams had their constitutions approved to become student organizations on campus. Both teams are under the same adviser, Maggan Schultz, who said cheer and dance have lived under a “gray area for quite some time.” Schultz explained that while SDSU athletics advocates for the teams and works with them, they are not an NCAA sanctioned sport. “They do not technically live under athletics, so this is giving them some ownership over their own organizations,” Schultz said.

The Wellness Society Chapter Constitution

• The Wellness Society is a national organization that promotes strong communities and holistic wellness. The SDSU chapter plans to host events revolving around mental and physical health.

From the editor: What being a journalist has taught me about life

EMILY DECOCK

Editor-in-chief

Late in the 2025 spring semester, a small group of Collegian Media staff and I visited an SDSU basic media writing class to talk about opportunities to get involved in student media.

It was a typical class visit. I told students how The Collegian has given me real-world experience and prepared me for a future career in journalism. I shared how I was in their seats just a semester earlier. Even though it had only been six months, I felt like a completely different person than who I was before starting as a news editor at The Collegian. I told the class that I knew it sounded weird, but I had learned so much about myself in the months that followed – and that I’d recommend getting involved to anyone.

That was a little over a year ago. The things I’ve learned since have increased tenfold. I meant what I said. The most valuable thing The Collegian has brought me wasn’t any line I could add on a resume (though it certainly is helpful). The things I’ve learned through three years at SDSU, working at Collegian Media and being a journalism major have been invaluable, yes. However, it’s been the things I’ve learned about myself through these experiences that I’ll carry with me through life.

This academic year, I was blessed enough to be named editor-in-chief of Collegian Media. And I’ve learned some things I’d like to share. Disclaimer: I am not a philosopher. I don’t claim to have come up with these ideas. I simply feel that it’s my duty to share.

SOME THINGS I’VE LEARNED

Curiosity is a top trait to have

This one is definitely emphasized in

journalism courses, but is true of life, too. When you’re no longer curious about people you have relationships with – whether that be friends, a significant other or family members – intimacy dies. Until I learned the art of asking questions, I thought that relationships are things that happen by chance. In other words, I thought that “fate,” or lack of it, determines when and with whom you’ll develop a relationship. The truth (or, at least my truth) is that cultivating relationships is easy, if you can be curious. Simply asking a question – being interested in a person’s career, family, life goals or just asking about their day – can be the start of a great friendship.

You gotta jump in to swim

No, it’s not only included in this list because it’s a Mac Miller lyric. Being timid will not get you far when reporting a story. The same can go for any venture in life. The “right time” to start a project, a new business or a move to a new city will never come. The right time is when we just do it. Another favorite, related phrase of mine is “You don’t learn to swim by reading about water.” Being in a new environment, being the youngest in the room or not feeling completely confident in what you’re doing can be scary. But if you’re not willing to be uncomfortable, you may spend a lifetime waiting – and ultimately regretting – every action you did not take.

Be a light

My final (and most personal) piece of advice is to be a light. It’s my personal motto, adopted in 2017, the year my brother Jeffrey passed away unexpectedly at 22 years old. After he passed, my family found a list in one of his notebooks titled “Some things I’d like to do moving forward.” Out of the 11

bullet points in that list, only one was written in all caps. “BE A LIGHT.” I’ve brought the words into my work. As a journalist, it’s always been my personal goal to be a light by telling the stories of our community. Being a light means having empathy. Good ethics are important for any major, but especially for someone going into a career in media today. If our stories cause harm, what’s the point?

I approach being a light through journalism, I recognize that 99% of you graduating today have different paths. Thankfully, you can be a light in your next chapter, no matter what you choose to do after leaving SDSU. Because the gifts and talents you’ve been given are yours for a reason, and you can be a light by using them every day.

I couldn’t be prouder of the things we’ve accomplished this year. We started releasing a weekly newscast, The Collegian Report, as part of student media. Not many people know how much work goes into a single show. Through the newscast, we’ve gained experience in multiple mediums, preparing us for wherever we may go. When challenges arise, my team adapts and takes them in stride.

This year, we brought all aspects of student media together under the Collegian Media umbrella, making it easier to share resources and creating a clear alliance between mediums. Collegian Media now officially includes The Collegian (newspaper), The Collegian Report (newscast), Collegian Radio on KSDJ (90.7), and sdsucollegian.com.

Our work has been evidenced by recent wins at the Midwest Journalism Conference, hosted annually in St. Paul, Minnesota. The awards confirmed something I already knew - SDSU is a great place to earn a journalism degree, and I am blessed to get to work with talented, dedicated people.

To those that have been lights to me this year

To Ryann Davis, who will be heading Collegian Media next year. You’ve grown to be one of my very best friends. I know you will be an amazing leader and I can’t wait to watch what you accomplish.

To Brayden Byers, who has a wealth of knowledge of the inner workings of student media at SDSU – thank you for coaching me and a whole crew at Collegian Media on more things than I can list.

I owe tremendous thanks to my editorial staff: Emily Attrill, Jacob Brende, Brayden Byers, Andrew Lewno, Jordan Roemeling, Taylor Tennant and Cordell Vitense.

None of this would be possible without our advertising staff: Ben Anderson, Tessa Henderson, Maddie Murphy and Coryn Wolff.

To the KSDJ staff: Ben Anderson, Brindy Bolander, Brayden Byers, Jordan Roemeling, Ean Wetzel, Matt Wieberdink, thank you for playing music, voicing newscasts, streaming live events and even letting me sit in for play-by-play at a Jackrabbit football game.

To our advisers who dedicate ridiculous amounts of time mentoring us: We appreciate you a million times over. Many thanks to Rocky Dailey, Jim Helland, Heather Solberg and Brian Stemwedel.

To Collegian Media freelancers, photographers, all COJO faculty, staff, director Josh Westwick and everyone else that’s had a hand in our story this year: Thank you for everything.

To my friends outside of Collegian Media who keep me grounded. Thank you for being patient with my late nights, missed plans and the overall lameness. Your friendships mean the world to me.

And finally, to anyone that has read a story of mine or engaged with student media in any way – thank you.

All of you have been such incredible lights in my life. It’s been an honor to be in this position and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Trees planted on campus for Arbor day

ISABELLE PERSONS

Reporter

SDSU celebrated Arbor Day on April 23 by planting about a dozen American Elm trees near Ben Reifel and Brown Halls.

Arbor Day is an annual holiday that recognizes planting and nurturing trees, as well as celebrating their importance to the Earth. Arbor Day is usually celebrated on the last Friday of April.

Claire Galvin is a senior horticulture major and former president of the SDSU horticulture club. “It’s a holiday celebrating trees. It’s to celebrate giving back and everything living,” she said. The horticulture club and the Residential Housing Association hosted the Arbor Day celebration, with help from the facilities and services’ grounds department.

Tanner Aiken, SDSU horticulturist, said that celebrating Arbor Day helps to spread awareness. Aiken gave a speech at the event.

“This year we talked about the American Elm, and kind of its history and some of the challenges with it,” Aiken said.

American Elms were the “theme” of this year and were the species of tree that was planted.

American Elms have an important history in urban forests and in the history of America.

“We spent the better part of the 20th century filling our urban forests, especially our street trees, our boulevards with American Elm because it is an extremely tough tree and it’s gorgeous,” Aiken said.

These trees also are important in our country’s history. The famous “Liberty Tree” is an American Elm, which was a focal point in the resistance against the British.

Aiken said Arbor Day provides an opportunity to step back and appreciate where that history begins - with a sapling.

Galvin said SDSU celebrates Arbor Day “to help other people connect with the campus but also connect with the Earth in some way.”

This year, the group planted about a dozen American Elm trees, despite the windy conditions.

There were holes already dug up for the crowd to plant the trees. Groups were given a tree and used their hands and shovels, provided by RHA, to plant them.

In years past, some of the focus of Arbor Day has been on species diversity, which Aiken said is vital.

“Species diversity is super important,” Aiken said. “So, while we did plant a dozen of the same species of trees, I’m keeping in mind how many elms I have on campus.”

Keeping track of the different species on campus is helpful if a disease, such as the fungus Dutch Elm disease, were to infect a family of trees.

Because of this, the school makes sure that they have a low percentage of different families of trees, such as elms or maples.

“We just want to make sure we keep in mind species diversity,” Aiken said. “Just because a tree is tough or pretty doesn’t mean we need to see it everywhere. And we shouldn’t. It’s a liability.”

There are now newly planted elm trees around Brown Hall and Ben Riefel Hall.

There were also refreshments, food and a name drawing at the event. People whose names were selected were able to pick a prize, which ranged from plants to a planting kit.

ARBOR DAY AT SDSU

Celebrated on: April 23

Tree type planted: American Elm

Students Share Their Best Finals Week Strategies

COOPER MCCOY Reporter

With finals week quickly approaching at SDSU, students across campus are refining the study strategies that will carry them through the end of the semester.

From freshmen experiencing one of their first rounds of college finals to seniors preparing for graduation, students say their approaches have evolved significantly over time –and many have tips to share.

One of the most common lessons students said to learn is the importance of starting early.

Some upperclassmen say they used to wait until the last few days to begin studying, only to be overwhelmed.

“Freshman year I thought cramming would work,” senior Sawyer Styles said. “Now I break the material into smaller parts and review it over a couple weeks. It’s way less stressful.”

Students also say that their study methods have matured as they’ve progressed through college. What may have worked in high school doesn’t necessarily hold up at the university level.

“Active recall and practice questions have made the biggest difference for a lot of students,” said Lisa Roker, an academic adviser. “If you can teach a concept to someone else or explain it out loud, you know that you understand it.”

Campus resources, which some students overlook in their early semesters, are often cited as game-changers. Study rooms, tutoring centers, supplemental instruction (SI) sessions and office hours all play a role in helping students succeed.

“Once I actually started going to office hours, everything clicked,” Styles said. “Professors want to help, but you have to show up.”

Students also said that finding the right study environment is essential. Some prefer quiet corners of the library, while others thrive in small groups. Others say that rotating study spaces helps keep their mind fresh.

“I like studying with friends because it keeps me accountable,” freshman Jon Roehl said. “But when I need to focus on hard material, I study alone.”

For many upperclassmen, their confidence has grown with experi-

ence.

“Once you’ve gone through a few rounds of finals, you stop panicking,” Styles said. “You learn what works for you.”

However, some warn that overconfidence can lead to procrastination if students aren’t careful.

When asked what advice they would give to future freshmen, the message is consistent: organization and consistency are key.

“The biggest mistake students make is waiting too long to start,” Roehl said. “If you spread your studying out and plan your week, finals won’t feel like a crisis.”

Move-out Information Graduation celebrated May 9

What students need to know

As the school year comes to an end, many students are already packing up and preparing to leave campus. If you live in the residential halls, there are a few pieces of important information you should know.

On-campus residential halls will officially close on Friday, May 8 at 7 pm. Residents should schedule a time to check out of their room through the university housing portal at least 36 hours in advance before their departure. They must move out of their rooms no later than 24 hours after their last final.

Residents must clean and reset their room to how it looked when they arrived at the beginning of the school year. Once a resident has completed the checkout process, their tap access to the hall will be disabled shortly afterwards.

A new process known as ‘express

INFO

Halls Close: May 8 at 7 p.m.

Move out: Within 24 hours after your last final Schedule a time: At least 36 hours in advance

Late stay deadline: Tuesday, April 28

Questions: Contact RHD or visit the Housing and Residential Life office in Caldwell Hall

checkout’ has been offered in an effort to help residents who may need to leave campus outside normal business hours. Residents will need to visit the MyState portal to confirm they are choosing this process and receive a form from the front desk of their hall to fill out. Once their room is cleaned out, they will drop off the key in an envelope in the hall’s designated area. Residents who use express checkout should be confident there is no damage to their room, because they cannot appeal those damages through this process. More information can be found at the Residential Hall front desks.

If any residents need to stay longer than the May 8 deadline, or plan to stay on campus over the summer, they can utilize the late stay and summer housing applications through the university housing portal. These applications are due on Tuesday, April 28.

Residents should remember to change their permanent address through MyState if they are living somewhere else for the summer. Mail and packaging through USPS can be forwarded to their permanent address, however companies such as FedEx, UPS, and Amazon do not forward mail or packages.

When loading a vehicle, residents should park in the designated parking spaces. Anyone that parks where it causes traffic or blocks emergency vehicles could be at risk of having their vehicle towed.

Should residents have any questions or concerns about the checkout process or housing, they can contact their Residence Hall Directors (RHDs) or visit the Housing and Residential Life office in Caldwell Hall.

Graduation Ceremonies

10 a.m.

College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences

Jerome. H Lohr College of Engineering

2 p.m.

College of Education and Human Sciences

College of Nursing

College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions

6 p.m.

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

College of Natural Sciences

COLLEGIAN MEDIA NEWS

Over 1,800 students will attend commencement on Saturday, May 9 in First Bank & Trust Arena. There will be three ceremonies held. Each graduating student gets six tickets. SDSU also livestreams the ceremony. To watch, visit sdstate.edu/graduation.

Haley Mouser, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Hannah Moret, an elementary education major, will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Two people will speak at the 6 p.m. ceremony. Hayden Bentz is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human biology. Tricia Serrao, a master’s student, is also a part of the human biology major and will be speaking.

Changes in international enrollment trends

ANDREW LEWNO Multimedia Journalist

SDSU’s U.S/nonresident (international) student population has decreased by 16.3% in the last decade, dropping from 945 students in 2016 to 791 in fall 2025.

International students make up the second largest student population on campus, accounting for 6.5% of the total student population, according to the South Dakota Board of Regents 2026 factbook.

But while there’s been an overall 16.3% decline in international student enrollment from 2016 until now, looking just at the 5-year span from 2021 to 2026 tells a different story. In those five years, SDSU saw a 34.3% rise in international student enrollment.

The overall decline of this number can be attributed to many different reasons: financial issues, travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration’s policies on immigration and global issues as a whole, according to university officials.

Director of International Student and Scholar Engagement Kirsten Linke explained that when international students and their parents are looking at SDSU, the two most common questions are about safety and finances.

Linke said that after a video surfaced of SDSU students saying racist comments in downtown Brookings, she has had students reach out with safety concerns.

However, Linke said that she feels the university is doing the best it can given the legalities of the investigation.

“The investigation is happening in a way to proceed through the channels that the law allows us to,” Linke said.

LEWNO / COLLEGIAN MEDIA

A graphic showing the change in enrollment trends of international students since 2016.

thoughts on programming that was implemented as a result of the incident.

Linke also urged the Students’ Association to work with senior administration to make changes to the student code of conduct, highlighting a recently passed SA ordinance, which outlined that SA denounces hate speech.

The SDSU community may still be left with questions and concerns over the investigation, but Linke mentioned some ways to remedy that. She said the senior administration is planning on holding follow up sessions with students to gauge their feelings and

International student enrollment declines aren’t just plaguing the local academic landscape, though. Shawn Helmbolt, the assistant vice president for enrollment management, explained that declining international student enrollment has been a national trend.

He said the overall number of international students applying for colleges and universities in the U.S. has dropped. This has been primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and now the Trump administration’s changes to immigration.

Helmbolt said the federal government now does more thorough re-

search into visa applicants and placing restrictions on students coming from certain countries.

“There are restrictions for students from certain countries that weren’t there six months ago or a year ago,” Helmbolt said. “And a little bit more, you know, attention and scrutiny placed on that visa process for students coming from any country.”

These restrictions and more in-depth research into international students have caused some students to miss their targeted semester of college because the visa process takes too long.

and flow over the years. The exact same factors that can prevent students from studying in different countries one decade, such as the geopolitical landscape of the world and financial stability, can also be the reason a student is able to study internationally another decade.

Geographic Information Sciences graduate student and former President of the Nepalese Students’ Association Image Bhattarai said trust is one of the most crucial factors of the international community’s relationship with SDSU.

Bhattarai explained that the school trusts international professors to lead their classes, who then make good relations with their colleagues and students. International students and these professors find mutual trust in one another through time spent in class and work ethic. Lots of these professors will then offer teaching assistant and research lab jobs to these students, where the school builds their trust in them, too.

From plentiful on-campus job opportunities to helping in classrooms, international students and SDSU trust one another both in an academic setting and in the community.

Trust doesn’t make the difficulties of being an international student in the United States in 2026 disappear, though. Financial issues, increased scrutiny over visas and problems traveling back home are among some of the lingering challenges Bhattarai said international students face.

Helmbolt ensured that SDSU’s enrollment programs are designed to help international students through these exact situations in order to make their desires of attending SDSU a reality.

Although these statistics may look bleak right now, Linke did reassure that it is natural for international student enrollment numbers to ebb

One thing he and his international colleagues have not run into issues with, however, has been finding community here in Brookings. Bhattarai said Brookings and SDSU have only ever been welcoming and kind to him.

“As far as I’m concerned, the community out here in Brookings, as well as the people, are really good,” Bhattarai said. “They are really welcoming and they treat everyone good and equally.”

Renovating Briggs: An early preview

NATHAN THOMPSON Reporter

University officials are in the planning stages of a multi-million renovation to Briggs Library that would transform the facility into an “academic hub” for the entire school.

The total project cost is estimated to be approximately $33.5 million funded with private donations, university funds, bonds, and higher education facility funds.

The South Dakota Board of Regents approved a preliminary facility statement at the April 1 and 2 BOR meeting, which granted the university the ability to start planning for the renovations. Since its completion in 1974, many students have come to know the layout of Hilton M. Briggs Library like the back of their hand. But if those students returned a few years from now, they might be a little lost.

No start date has been set for the project yet. A major part of Briggs’ new look will be the consolidation of the Wintrode Student Success and Opportunity Center, McFadden math center, the Testing Center, TRIO programs, the IT help desk and Wagner tutoring and first-year advising. All of these programs will come together in what Dennis Hedge, provost & vice principal for Academic Affairs calls, “one comprehensive umbrella in a space that’s purely designed around academic student support and excellence.”

Part of the space for these additions will come from weeding out the shelves for redundant materials, as well as minimizing the amount of space the book shelves occupy. The remodel includes more than just moving a bunch of programs into one building. Current parts of the layout are going to be upgraded.

“The students on the library committee have asked for some of those kinds of pods that are soundproof,” said Kristi Tornquist, dean of the library. “The blue couches are pretty popular. We don’t have a lot of that kind of seating, and I think it would

be nice if we had some of that more comfortable seating.”

The proposed updates to the library also include the addition of study spaces and rooms, and a café. The ultimate goal of these renovations is to advance the library towards a more interactive space, officials said.

“It’s creating those types of environments where individuals want to come together,” Hedge said. “Those types of environments where individuals want to come together and they can learn together and engage together and kind of explore innovation and really challenge each other on creative thought.”

Renovations to the building actually began nearly five years ago, according to Jonathan Meendering, director of campus planning. He also said the entire project hopefully will be completed in the next five to eight years.

University officials also hope that the renovated library will help lead to the university achieving Research 1 (R1) status. R1 is the highest level of designation a university can achieve from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“Part of that equation beyond the research itself is also to support student research operations in terms of graduate students,” Hedge said.

SDSU would need to award 70 doctorates per year (there were 66 in 2021), and spend $50 million in total research expenditures (SDSU already exceeds this threshold). By upgrading the library, it is hoped that more doctoral candidates will attend SDSU to achieve the necessary doctoral graduates.

“[PhD] students are doing all kinds of research, right?” Hedge said. “So a library becomes a hub where it’s really involved in that research, but also doing creative and innovative thinking, working together as members of a team.”

Tornquist said: “We need spaces where researchers can collaborate.”

Even without all of this, Briggs Library is just in need of an upgrade, officials said.

Jacks Junction at Weary Wil’s wraps up first year

SARA SCHOENFELDER Reporter

As the school year is coming to an end, Jacks Junction at Weary Wil’s is finishing its first school year serving students.

Jacks Junction opened in fall 2025 to replace Shorty’s Hot Box, which operated inside the Student Union since 2020, according to Jennifer Novotny, assistant vice president for student life. Novotny said the restaurant was created with the needs of students in mind. She also met with a student focus group last year to come up with ideas for what they wanted the space to look like.

“They kind of just evolved it over the course of time, but also working with students and staff in that area and they just, they were really prominent in helping to develop that in the direction that you see today,” Novotny said.

She added that Jacks Junction at Weary Wil’s is the name the student focus group decided on because it connects to the Hobo Day Gallery and plaza space next to the restaurant.

“Jacks Junction is a Sodexo operated brand, with a menu that’s “made fresh every day,” Novotny said.

The idea for Jacks Junction’s menu partially came from removing the “grill concept” and the “pasta concept” in the Market inside the Student Union, according to Emily O’Connor, Sodexo general manager.

option inside the Student Union.

The other contributor to the menu at Jacks Junction is student feedback.

“We got some feedback and students thought grilled cheese was missing,” Novotny said, adding that this was one of the changes they implemented to the menu this year.

A lot of the feedback Sodexo got said that students wanted casual food,

O’Connor said.

O’Connor said Sodexo did not want to “eliminate that type of food,” so they moved burgers, chicken tenders, french fries and pasta to a new location, still giving students that dining

With the environment feeling like a restaurant, that allows more special events to be hosted in that space. O’Connor said that Sodexo hosted a Valentine’s Day steak dinner.

“We were sold out. We had such good feedback and people really enjoyed it.” O’Connor said. For this “Palentine’s dinner,” students made reservations in advance, and the dinner included a steak, baked potato, asparagus and dessert.”

ADAPT (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment) has hosted several events in Weary Wil’s this year. Events included bingo and trivia with free mocktails and prizes.

“We adjusted it just because we realized that isn’t what the students wanted,” O’Connor said.

Novotny said that she did not anticipate items such as grilled cheese, and other “comfort food” items to be as highly desired as they were.

Novotny said doing these events in the Market would be more difficult because of the high traffic in that area of the Student Union.

Along with special events, Jacks Junction has had several limited time menu offerings.

These limited time menu offers allow more opportunities to get feedback from students, O’Connor said. After seeing whether a limited time menu item was successful, she said they will consider those when they redevelop the menu in the future.

In summer 2025, before the restaurant opened, they tested out a “higher end” menu that had options such as penne pasta with vodka sauce and fresh ravioli.

Novotny said they realized these higher end menu items were not being ordered.

“I think that was hard because I think they invested a lot of time, energy and staff training and resources on that menu that they rolled out, and the menu needed to evolve,” Novotny said.

Once Sodexo gets feedback, they adjust it based on the student’s needs, according to O’Connor.

“Smashburgers are definitely the most popular item,” O’Connor said. Jack’s Junction is the only place on campus where students can get a smashburger.

The cowboy smashburger is Ryan Klitzke’s go to order.

“I just think the cowboy smashburger is a step above the other ones,” Klitzke said.

Klitzke is a freshman electrical engineering student. He said he likes Jacks Junction because “it doesn’t feel as much like fast food.”

Other dining options in the Student Union are “big companies that come in” which feels lower quality and less healthy, Klitzke said.

Weary Wil’s is a great spot to socialize with friends, he added. Klitzke appreciates having a sit-down area in the Student Union.

Novotny described the environment of Weary Wil’s as “upbeat” and “noisy.”

“It’s very cut off from all the other spaces like the market or the southeast dining,” Novotny said. “So, it feels like it’s its own little spot.”

These limited time specials include different types of burgers and pasta. Novotny noted that the different mac and cheeses have been popular.

Klitzke said he enjoys when Jacks Junction has specials because he likes to try something new.

O’Connor said that this has been a successful year for Jack’s Junction at Weary Wil’s.

“It’s definitely been a learning curve, but it has been successful and we’re excited to rework the menu a little bit for next semester,” O’Connor said.

She said Sodexo will remove menu items that are less popular and add items that are highly requested.

“We’ll tweak the menu based on the feedback that we’ve gotten so that we can just continue to bring a better experience every year,” O’Connor said.

NFL Draft recap

CORDELL VITENSE

Sports Editor

The NFL draft just took place, with the first round taking place Thursday, April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on the following day and finally the draft concluded on Saturday with rounds four through seven.

In the seventh round with pick 253, the Baltimore Ravens drafted former Jackrabbit Evan Beerntsen. Beerntsen spent six seasons with the Jackrabbits before he transferred to Northwestern. During his tenure with the Jacks, he played in 43 games, starting 38 of them. While no other Jacks were drafted, there were multiple who were signed or invited to mini camps.

Sam Hagen was signed by the Houston Texans. Hagen spent two seasons playing guard in Brookings after transferring from UND.

Wide receiver Alex Bullock got signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bullock spent the 2025 season with the Jacks after transferring in from Nebraska. Bullock recorded 71 receptions, 1,177 yards and six touchdowns in his lone season with the Jacks.

Quarterback Mark Gronowski was signed by the Miami Dolphins, where he will compete for positioning on the depth chart with former NDSU quarterback Cam Miller, Quinn Ewers and Malik Willis. Gronowski spent four seasons as a Jackrabbit, where he led the team to their first two NCAA championships before he transferred to Iowa in his final year in college.

Defensive Back Tucker Large was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Large spent three years with the Jackrabbits, where he appeared in 26 games before transferring and playing his final year with the Washington State Cougars.

Running back Julius Loughridge

SPORTS BRIEFS

OWEN BOYD / COLLEGIAN MEDIA

Julius Loughridge runs through Drake on Sep. 13, 2026 at Dana J. Dykhouse stadium. In his lone season as a Jackrabbit, Loughridge recorded seven touchdowns and 1020 rushing yards on 217 carries. He has been invited to the Los Angeles Chargers minicamp.

has been invited to the Los Angeles Chargers mini camp. Loughridge spent three years with the Fordham Rams before coming to Brookings to play his senior year. With the Jacks, Loughridge had 217 carries for 1020 yards and seven touchdowns.

Another running back has also been invited to a mini camp, with Angel Johnson going to the Tennessee Titans camp. Johnson spent four years with the Jacks where he tallied 1430 all purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns, not including his 80-yard kick return touchdown against Youngstown State in 2024. Johnson spent last year with Washington State where he had 305 total yards and one touchdown.

EAN WETZEL / COLLEGIAN MEDIA

Damon Wilkinson puts the ball up during a basketball game against Mayville State. Wilkinson averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.

EAN WETZEL / COLLEGIAN MEDIA

Kalen Garry shoots a layup during a basketball game against Mayvillen State. Garry averaged 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game.

Men’s basketball roster faces big changes

CORDELL VITENSE Sports Editor

The Jackrabbit men’s basketball team had some roster shake-up recently when junior guard Kalen Gary and sophomore center Damon Wilkinson entered the transfer portal. Gary started all 32 games for the Jacks last season, averaging over 10 points, five rebounds and three assists. In his Jackrabbit career, Gary played 99 games and started 79 of them, averaging just under 10 points per game in his career.

Wilkinson also appeared in every game for the Jacks last season, starting 19 of the 32. Wilkinson averaged 13.9 points while grabbing 6.4 rebounds.

He had a huge jump in minutes from his freshman year, playing over 13 more minutes per game and scoring nine points more.

The Jacks now have three of their top four scorers from last season in the portal, with Jaden Jackson announcing he would enter the transfer portal over a month ago.

It isn’t all bad news for the Jacks, though, as they get a commitment from sophomore forward Jesse Van Kalsbeek, who transfers in from Northwestern College in Iowa.

Van Kalsbeek averaged 27.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season, which all led his team. These numbers were good enough to earn him the NAIA Player of the Year.

A LOOK BACK AT THE PAST

SUMMARIES OF SDSU’S FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL SEASONS

JACOB BRENDE Sports Editor

FOOTBALL

SDSU’s football team looked a lot different then it did the previous year. Quarterback Mark Grownowski, safety Tucker Large and head coach Jimmy Rogers among those that were no longer with the team. SDSU football has a certain pedigree to it though, and expectations remained the same, being among the best in the FCS. New starting QB Chase Mason and first year head coach Dan Jackson took on big roles on a team that fought hard to match that expectation. SDSU faced some ups and downs with injuries, but forced their way into a playoff spot with a 34-31 overtime win against UND in the last game of the season. In the first round the team faced New Hampshire and won convincingly. Their title aspirations were put to a halt though in the next round. Montana would defeat the Jacks 29-50 to put their season to an end.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Like teams do every year, SDSU’s women’s basketball team had to figure out life without some of their best players. Paige Meyer and Mesa Byom, who combined for nearly 50 minutes per game, graduated, leaving a void that the team filled to put out a top-notch Summit League team. Among players that stepped up were Emilee Fox, who shot a blistering 49.1% from three while earning more than 200 more minutes on the court compared to her last season. The Jacks would end the regular season with a 27-7 record, going 14-2 in the conference. In the Summit League, SDSU beat Kansas City, USD and NDSU to win their fourth straight Summit League Title. SDSU’s season would end earlier than wanted though, the Jacks losing in the first round of the NCAA playoffs to the six seed Washington. Throughout the season SDSU

faced three ranked opponents, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 2 Texas and No. 25 Washington.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

A new head coach took over for the men’s basketball team, Bryan Peterson taking the position following Eric Henderson’s acceptance of Drake’s head coaching position. Numerous players stepped into bigger roles following several players transferring, Damon Wilkinson and Jaden Jackson both transitioning into starters for the team. For the first team in many years, though, the Jackrabbits ended the season with a losing record. SDSU previously had a 15 season long stretch of winning seasons spanning from their 2009-2010 season. In the Summit League playoffs, the Jacks faced off against No. 2 St. Thomas in their third matchup of the season. SDSU had previously lost their past two matchups and despite putting up a good fight in

the first half, St. Thomas pulled away in the second and ended SDSU’s season with a 67-80 win. The Jacks ended the season with a 14-18 season, going 7-9 in the conference.

VOLLEYBALL

SDSU’s volleyball team displayed a level of dominance in the regular season that has become expected to some. They ended the season with a great 23-5 record, which was the best in the Summit League. In the conference they didn’t lose a single game, going 16-0 against Summit League foes while also defending the home court, going 12-2 at First Bank & Trust Arena. Despite the amazing regular season performance, the team wasn’t able to pull off a tournament win, losing to St. Thomas in the second round of the Summit League playoffs 1-3. After their Summit League run ended early, they were slated to play Arizona in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The Jackrabbits would go on to lose the game 1-3 to end the season.

HARRIS BESTS OWN RECORD IN MINNESOTA

NATHAN THOMPSON

Sports Reporter

The Jackrabbits were busy last weekend with athletes spread out over three meets, many SDSU school records were bested this week, as athletes run new personal bests still, as the season begins to wind to a close.

GARY WILSON INVITATIONAL

The Gary Wilson invitational featured not only fast Minnesota wind, but fast South Dakota runners.

The Jackrabbits brought one male runner, Ryan Benson, who ran 15.32 in the 110 meter hurdles, earning 17th place. In the field events, Jaden Peters placed third in the pole vault, soaring over to 23 feet. Kincade Lehman won the triple jump with a leap of 48 feet, 5 inches.

The women’s events are where the Jackrabbits stood out at this meet. Most notably, as Ellie Harris broke the school record in the 200 meter dash once again. Harris ran 23.39, 0.42 seconds faster than her last attempt. The NCAA doesn’t count any event with over 2.0 m/s tailwind as “wind legal” because of the unfair advantage, but SDSU will count the record, despite the 2.9 m/s boost. This time would be 76th in the NCAA D1.

Chloe Raw ran 11.21 in the 100 meter dash, which would be a new personal best, school record and 24th in NCAA D1 competition, but the 7.8 m/s tailwind was deemed too powerful for any of those things to apply. Ava Steffen also set a new best time in the 400 meter race, with a time of 58.55.

In the field events, the most notable performances were Taylor Jochum and Hadley Carlson getting third and fourth respectively, with distances of 5 feet, seven inches, and five feet, five inches. Both of those distances are

the best either of them have done all season.

DRAKE RELAYS

While the Jackrabbits showed up metaphorically in Minnesota, they often didn’t show up literally in Drake, with 17 of their 30 entries ending in a Did Not Start (DNS) or a Did Not Finish (DNF). However, there were still some notable performances in the remaining 13 entries. The men’s 4x200 relay team of Parker Peterson, Landen Matkins, Jake Werner, Carter Toews ran 1:24.18 to become Drake Relay champions, and best the school record in the event in the process. The female 4x100 relay of Silja Gunderson, Ellie

Harris, Grace Erick and Sian O’Sullivan ran 45.38, which is the second fastest time any female SDSU 4x100 team has ever run.

KIP JANVRIN INVITE

The Jack’s final meet of the week, they traveled to Indianola, Iowa where Carter Johnson won the 110 meter hurdles. Dale Johnson and Tyler O’Neil both ran personal best times in the 3000 meter steeplechase, running 9:08.74 and 9:24.72 for their respective third and seventh place. Jared Lutmer also ran 14:31.96 in the 5000 meter race. This was his personal best in the event. In the women’s events, Hannah Spoden ran a personal best of 4:29.67,

getting third in the 1500 meters. Her teammates Emma Ecker and Starlyn Edwards ran 4:34.47 and 4:40.39. These times earned seventh and 12th place. Reese Beemer ran 12.48 in the 100 meter dash, placing fifth.

UP NEXT

Despite the end of the school year rapidly approaching the Jackrabbit Track & Field athletes aren’t ready to hang up their spikes for the year quite yet. With meets continuing all the way into June for the athletes that may qualify for NCAA, and the Summit League Championships being on May 16. The team’s last regular season meet will be the NDSU Tune-Up on May 8.

HIT-BY-PITCH RECORD TIED

Jacks score four runs before recording hit in 7-6 win

ERIC HEGGESETH Sports Reporter

South Dakota State split a weather shortened Summit League series with the Bears of Northern Colorado last weekend at Erv Huether Field.

GAME ONE

Northern Colorado flirted with a No Hitter through 7 innings but it was not enough as SDSU came away with a one run extra inning victory on Saturday.

The Jacks were able to jump out to a 4-0 first inning lead without even recording a hit. Bears starter Reece Wagner hit the first three batters he faced to load the bases before striking out Nate Wachter. Wagner would hit three more Jackrabbits in the inning and record only one more out which came on a Nic Werk Sacrifice fly. He would be relieved by Ethan Louthan. SDSU would get one more run in the inning on a Wroblewski fielder’s choice.

UNC would get on the board in the top of the second on a Mason Griffin three run homerun.

After the Bears scored one more run in the fifth, the game entered a stalemate, the score staying at 4-4 until the 11th inning. UNC took the lead on a steal of home and scored another run on a balk to lead 6-4.

Dayton Franke would lead off the bottom half becoming the seventh Jackrabbit to be hit by pitch in the game. Grant Sorenson drove in Franke and Kegean Jirschele on a bunt single to tie the game. Nolan Grawe was walked intentionally before UNC pitchers hit their eight Jackrabbit of the day in Luke Luskey. South Dakota State would walk it off on a 4 pitch walk taken by Wachter.

The eight Jackrabbit hit batters tied the program record just days after Briar Cliff hit eight SDSU batters in a game SDSU won 15-6.

Tristan Augedahl (3-1) took the win on the mound for the Jacks and Brady

Hudson (4-4) suffered the loss for UNC.

GAME TWO

South Dakota State struggled on a cold rainy Saturday afternoon at Erv Huther field in Brookings dropping the finale 19-2. Sunday’s game 3 was canceled and will not be made up. Northern Colorado quickly took control of the game, jumping ahead 8-0 before SDSU batters even took a swing. A RBI ground out, A trio of run scoring singles and a double in the inning for UNC.

SDSU got on the board in the 3rd with a Nic Werk RBI Single. In the top of the fourth, UNC sent 15 batters to

the plate with five singles, three never leaving the infield and a walk to put up a ten spot and lead 18-1 after four Carter Taylor would get one back for the Jacks in the bottom half but that would be the last run SDSU would score. UNC would get one more in the fifth, making the score 19-2 and run ruling the Jacks in 7 innings.

Sam Novotny (2-5) suffers the loss for SDSU and Jake Storey (2-3) gets the victory.

With the split, South Dakota State now has an overall record of 14-25 and 7-10 in Conference. Northern Colorado now is 11-31 overall and 9-10 in Summit League Play.

“We’ve been pretty good offensively

throughout the conference season and we just were really struggling,” said head coach Rob Bishop. “I thought just fighting ourselves a little bit. At the end of the day, the big picture, I think we had eight hits on the weekend and we’re one and one.

The Jacks play two midweek non conference games this week. Buena Vista on Tuesday and Minnesota Morris on Wednesday. Both games are at Erv Huether Field at 3 P.M. SDSU resumes conference play this weekend traveling to Fargo for a 3 game series with NDSU. Friday evening first pitch is 6:30. Saturday is at 2 p.m and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Jacks look ahead to NDSU after sweep

CORDELL VITENSE

Sports Editor

The Jackrabbit softball team had a rough home finale as they lost to St. Thomas in both games they played over the weekend, while the third game was canceled due to rain. After the two losses, the Jacks now sit at 5-9 in conference play and are in fifth place in the Summit with three games left in the regular season.

GAME ONE

SDSU lost the first game of the series on Friday, April 24, with a final score of 11-5.

St. Thomas jumped out to an early lead, putting one run on the board in the first inning. The Jacks answered back, putting up one run of their own when Amanda Vacanti hit an RBI ground out.

After a scoreless second inning, St. Thomas pulled out to an advantage, scoring two runs in the third and fourth innings while holding SDSU scoreless to stretch the lead to 5-1.

The Tommies once again scored two runs in the top of the fifth, but this time the Jackrabbits answered back with RBIs from Akayla Barnard and Vacanti.

The Jacks couldn’t claw back into the game, though, as St. Thomas outscored SDSU 4-2 in the final two innings to take an 11-5 loss.

Ava Kleinfeldt earned the win for St. Thomas, going the distance and giving up 11 hits while striking out two.

Tayler Baker has the loss as she pitched 3.1 innings, giving up seven hits and earning two strikeouts.

GAME TWO

In the second game of the series and the second part of the double header, the Jacks only put up one run and lost 6-1.

The Tommies jumped out early, taking a 5-0 lead before the Jacks put

up a run. St. Thomas scored two in the first inning, one in the third and two in the fourth.

The only Jackrabbit score came in the fifth inning when Emma Vike hit an infield single and Bria Riebel scored off an error.

The Tommies finished off the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh and then closed the game out in the bottom of the seventh when Abby Gentry lined out to first base.

Ella Cook got the win on the mound for the Tommies, going all seven innings, giving up seven hits and striking out four batters.

Madi Mangulis takes the loss for the

Jacks, giving up 10 hits while striking out seven in seven innings.

NDSU

The Jacks will close out the regular season with a three-game series against North Dakota State in Fargo.

North Dakota State is currently 8-7 in the Summit League and sit third in the standings.

A player to watch for on the Bison is sophomore Amai Hanta, who leads the team with a .385 batting average. Hanta has 50 hits this season with 10 RBIs.

Senior Bella Dean is right behind Hanta, batting .367 on the year with 54 hits. Dean leads the team in RBIs,

home runs, slugging percentage and doubles. The senior has tallied 48 runs batted in, seven home runs, 15 doubles and has a slugging percentage of .612.

The Jacks haven’t fared well against the Bison historically in softball, with a record of 25-44, but the Jacks have had tremendous recent success, winning the last 17 matchups, with the last loss coming in 2019.

UP NEXT

Following the three-game series against the Bison, The Summit League Softball Championship will be played starting Wednesday, May 6 and going through Friday, May 9.