Wednesday, September 2, 2015
sdsucollegian.com
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1885
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Animal Science cow/calf, swine units renovated DREW CARROLL Managing Editor It seems like every department is being updated on campus with all of the construction equipment around. The Department of Animal Science is also in that mindset as it renovates both its cow/calf and swine research units.
Cow/Calf Unit
According to Department Head Joseph Cassady, the most recent renovations to the cow/calf unit took place in 1955. Many of the old facilities were outdated. A fire in 2011 that burned down the main barn on the site was a tipping point to get the ball rolling on the new project. The Board of Regents and the South Dakota legislature have approved the project ideas.
Funding
Although there was an original budget set when work began, the updates have exceeded it. When the project is complete, it is expected to cost roughly $6 million. According to Professor Cody Wright, who is in charge of the cow/calf unit, some of the money came from an insurance check from the fire in the old barn, but many individual family farms and ranches gave gifts of five-digit figures. The project also accepted donations from companies such as Zoetis and Dakotaland Feeds. The Higher Education Reinvestment Fund has also provided funds. The state also sold bonds to fund the construction of the new facilities. Both Cassady and Wright said the fundraising effort was a grassroots effort. “It has been a real grassroots effort, where we are trying to get people that have an interest in the beef industry across the state, they have all contributed to the project,” Wright said.
BRADY ROSS• Submitted Photos Rock climbers compete at SDSU’s annual Spring Cling last semester (top left photo: Chad Hatanpa of USD; right photo: Carson Eisenbeisz of SDSU).
Reaching the top Rock climbing takes members to new heights IAN LACK Reporter Numerous students try to get to the Wellness Center on a regular basis to work out, lift weights, run and manage healthier lifestyles. But what many might be turning a blind eye to is the center’s rock climbing wall, and maybe even a certain club that deserves a second look. The rock climbing team, a sports club with more than twenty members, started just a couple of years after the Wellness Center was completed. The team meets Sundays at 8 p.m. in the Wellness Center where members host practices and competitions. President of the rock climbing team Audie Schmid said participants do not need past experience in the sport. “A lot of people ask this, but no previous experience is required,” Schmid said. “I was a freshman when I started and didn’t know anything about climbing. I just stuck with it and here I am.” The club charges a $5 admission
fee and asks its members to help fundraise at events to support the team for competitions. The rock climbing team is part of the Collegiate Climbing Series, a national spring competition in which club members compete with schools across the Midwest. SDSU’s rock climbing team placed first in three spring competitions. When it comes to these competitions, it’s important to remember that rock climbing is a sport of endurance and strategy, rather than sheer agility. Participants are largely graded on the way they get to the top of the wall and how many times they are forced off of it, rather than the time it takes to arrive there. “Whenever you reach that top, you feel great and then you think, ‘Alright, onto the next one. How much more can I push myself?’ You’re always looking for your next best,” said veteran climber Soren Wahlstrom. Finding that “next best” comes with a great full-body workout according to Schmid. “There’s a lot of upper body, but you’ve really got to use your legs
and it’s a lot of fun. You’re not just moving weights from one place to another,” said Schmid. Wellness Center staff members also do their best to ensure that everyone coming in for climbing leaves satisfied. “The staff is always standing by during climbing hours and will check to be sure that the harnesses are fitted right,” Assistant Director of the Wellness Center Shari Landmark said. “Our staff is really passionate about what they do and safety is number one.” With over 1,200 climbers per month, Wellness Center employees have to know their rock climbing. But if students don’t, they can always check the Wellness Center webpage, the rock wall Facebook page or come to the center for event and activity times. For students considering joining the rock climbing team, Wahlstrom has this to say. “Don’t be afraid to come out and try the rock wall,” Wahlstrom said. “Even if you don’t join, you could find something you really like.”
Features
SDSU students prepare for LifeLight festival Students reflect on energy, memories at annual outdoor Christian music festival MAKENZIE HUBER News Editor Angela Yee’s most memorable LifeLight experience was huddling under a tent with friends and strangers avoiding last year’s downpour. Even though the forecast hints at a chance of storms again this year to make it a second annual “mud fest,” Yee still plans to attend. Yee, a senior majoring in human development and family studies, said there was something special about the festival that makes her want to return. “When you’re in a huge crowd of like-minded people, the energy is just contagious,” Yee said. “I think peo-
ple have more energy and are more free.” A number of students plan to attend the 2015 LifeLight event in addition to Yee. Natalie McConnell, a freshman pre-pharmacy major, is one of the SDSU students attending the festival, making this year her seventh year at LifeLight. “It has good bands and it’s a good time to get together with friends,” McConnell said about why she keeps returning. The outdoor Christian music festival is putting on its 17th year of performances. The festival started out as a gathering of 2,000 on a Sioux Falls church lawn, but has since grown to more than 300,000 people in attendance
on a farm near Worthing, S.D. The three-day event falls over Labor Day weekend, featuring performances Friday through Sunday on five stages. This year’s highlighted bands include Tenth Avenue North, Switchfoot, Remedy Drive and others. Festival attendees can camp out during the festival with a camping registration, while other attendees can park. The festival is free to attendees, but tickets must be obtained through the organization’s website. LifeLight provided a “what to pack” list on its website. The list included objects such as a Bible, chairs, sunscreen, bug repellant, flashlight and cell phone charger.
“Be prepared for it to be crowded, and definitely be prepared for standing a lot,” Yee said. Based on this weekend’s forecast, it may be recommended you bring a rain poncho as well, just in case.
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When you’re in a huge crowd of likeminded people, the energy is just contagious. Angela Yee Senior
Cassady mentioned that the old cow/ calf unit served the department well for a long time, but later stated that a large number of students have better facilities at home than the ones on campus. The renovation will give students an opportunity to learn in modern facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. The new buildings will allow the animal science department to expand its research capacity as well as do more extension and outreach type work. The project is on track to be completed in December and, according to Wright, research will begin in the new facilities after the first of the year. Classrooms and lab areas will be one feature of the new cow/calf unit. The classrooms will be used not only for undergraduate classes but can also host producer meetings and other extension and outreach events. According to Wright, the classrooms are designed to accommodate 80 people in a theatre-style setting and 60 people with tables. The labs have been designed to be used for things such as sample preparation, before the samples are sent back to campus to the research labs. Buildings with classrooms and labs will provide heated working and calving areas. These will allow students to learn in an area where they are less susceptible to the harshness of the climate in the winter months. Another element of the new cow/calf unit is a monoslope barn which will feature 48 electronic feeding bunks that have the capability to track feed and water intake from each individual animal. There will also be 12 paddocks of 10 acres each, which will all have different types of grasses. Wright and Cassady said the new facility would allow the department to better accomplish the land-grant missions. “The buildings will have a research, teaching and extension and outreach mission, which are of course the three parts of our land-grant mission, and let us do a much better of job of meeting the needs of both our students and our stakeholders,” Cassady said. The new unit has a holding capacity of around 500 animals, but according to Wright it will probably not have to accommodate such a large number. The monoslope building has a 250-head
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