Jun 5th, 2017
This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles: • President's Column: Fisheries and wildlife students wade into deep learning
• Potts named North Star SID of the Year
• Russi, Spears staff dance production
• What in the World Are You Reading?
• Bluegrass jam at museum Saturday
• Songwriter showcase at the Vault Saturday
• Prairie Waters receives grant from Great River Energy
• Viking sports update
• What’s going on at VCSU and around Valley City…
The VCSU Hotline! online newsletter is published every other Monday from May 8 through August 14. Deadline to submit articles (photos encouraged) is 3 p.m. the Friday before publication. President's Column Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE
Valley City State University President
Fisheries and wildlife students wade into deep learning
One of the things I love about VCSU is our focus on experiential education. I love how innovative our faculty are: from business students working collaboratively with community businesses (such as developing marketing campaigns for the Barnes County Museum), to music students providing workshops to area schools, to student teachers wearing GoPro cameras to capture video so that they may learn how effective they are from their students’ point of view. The examples are endless!
I appreciate how our faculty really understand and put deep learning to work. I smile at New Student Orientation when our incoming fisheries and wildlife students are told that within a week of classes starting they will not be sitting in a lecture hall but rather will be standing in a stream with waders on! In a very real sense, the world is our classroom.
Case in point: I just finished reading fisheries and wildlife student blogs about their field trip to Texas with professors Casey Williams and Lauren Dennhardt. It was fun following them through their blog posts.
Most of the hands-on learning activities happened in two settings. First, the Big Thicket National Preserve, described by Jacob Rambow as a different world. “We had to drive back on a back road through the swamps of the Big Thicket. It was full of cypress trees. It honestly looked like the perfect snake habitat, which was a little eerie.” The second location, Port Aransas and the National Wildlife Refuge there, provided sites for saltwater seining and kayaking in the bays to barrier islands.
VCSU student Morgan Berquist captured the seining process in her blog entry: “To seine fish, one needs waders and two others for assistance. Two people will be on either side of the seine (a big net), holding the brail poles. …As the two individuals pull the seine downstream, fish will accumulate within the net. …Once the seine has been pulled downstream for about 10 yards, it will be pulled out of the water to view the catch. The third person will be trailing the seiners to collect the fish specimens.”
My favorite line was when Benjamin Holen wrote that “…after the first seine haul, I leaped with joy. In the bottom of the net was a pirate perch and warmouth. Two of the coolest fish that we talked about in class were in the bottom of our net!” Ben also noted that the diversity and ecology of streams in Texas differed greatly from those of North Dakota.
Students also used a backpack electrofisher for sampling fish populations. In one post a student wrote that a full day of sampling allowed them to record over 30 species of fish! They also hiked through the woods, identifying plants and using knowledge from their ornithology class to detect birds.
The colorful student blogs included dolphin sightings, stingrays, crabbing, friends and learning. At one point a student included a photo of a rather large bird, described in one entry as 15 feet tall and another 22 feet tall. (I suspect there were some “fish tales” included within the scientific exploration.)
I am sure that friendships were strengthened and that amidst the learning there was much laughter, with stories that will be told over and over—such as the snake sighting reported by Marissa Kirby: “While in the middle of scooping up some minnows, the rest of the group started yelling ‘SNAKE! Get out of the water!’ After hustling out, I saw everyone frantically scurrying away…. The loudest…screech I have ever heard came from Dalton’s mouth. The group gathered on the highest ground they could find. As our electrofishing group walked over, we learned the nature of the commotion. On one part of the creek was a water moccasin and on the other half was a diamondback snake. From then on, this Texas Ecology class will forever associate Texas not for being the Lone Star State but for being the Poisonous Snake State.”
The students, traveling with their professors, noted the significance of this trip. As Cooper Folmer said, “I enjoyed every single part of this trip, except the wrong turns and long car rides. Each day was very educational and eye-opening. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.”
To Casey, Lauren, and all the VCSU faculty: Thank you for your commitment to deep learning. Your innovation and passion for teaching always make it a great day to be a Viking! Potts named North Star SID of the Year VCSU’s Mark Potts was named the North Star Athletic Association Sports Information Director of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday, May 24, during the NSAA Summit meetings in Watertown, S.D.
Potts has served as sports information director since 2013. Under his guidance, Viking athletics has improved its presence online and on social media. This year he led the creation of a new VCSU athletics mobile app in conjunction with SIDhelp. The app launched in January and has been downloaded by about 650 users.
He took on a large role in the revamped Viking Awards Banquet this spring and the first North Star Baseball Honors Banquet, held in Valley City ahead of the NSAA Baseball Championships. He also served as tournament SID for the Baseball Championships.
On a day-to-day basis, Potts is responsible for all VCSU athletic publicity, including communication with local media, stats and record keeping, stories, photos and videos. He also oversees VCSU’s live video streaming of home events and various aspects of game management.
Potts will now be nominated for the NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year Award. Russi, Spears staff dance production Jenni Lou Russi, associate professor of theatre, designed lights and edited sound for “The Girl with the Yellow Umbrella,” a dance concert held in Vangstad Auditorium May 19–20. Katy Spears, a VCSU theatre minor, served as technical director for the production as part of her studies. What in the World Are You Reading? The campus-community group "What in the World Is Going On?" once again provides readers with the opportunity to report on books they have found worthwhile over the past year.
Join a discussion at the The Vault on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. The goal is to pass along suggestions for others to enjoy books they might not have been aware of otherwise. You can share what you have read or just listen. VCSU Professor Emeritus Dick Betting will once again moderate the discussion. Call 845-7321 for more information. Bluegrass jam at museum Saturday The June bluegrass jam in Valley City will be held on Saturday, June 10 from 1-5 p.m. at the Barnes County Museum. The acoustic-only jam is free and open to the public and beginning bluegrass musicians are welcome to attend.
The event is sponsored by the Bluegrass Association of North Dakota (B.A.N.D.) and the Barnes County Museum.
The July bluegrass jam has been cancelled so the next one after June will be August 12. For more information contact John Andrus at 701-762-4891. Songwriter showcase at The Vault Saturday The third in a series of songwriter showcases is scheduled for Saturday, June 10 at 7 p.m. at The Vault Arts Center and Coffee Shop in Valley City. The event is free and open to the public with a free-will offering opportunity.
This month's event features the compositions of bluegrass performer John Andrus. John's music is down-home and sometimes quirky and his banjo compositions are often based on non-standard banjo tunings. Attendees with music to share will be invited to do so. For more information contact John at 701-721-8296. Prairie Waters receives grant from Great River Energy Prairie Waters Education and Research Center has received a $250 grant from Great River Energy to help fund equipment purchases for environmental education and research.
A nonprofit electric cooperative, Great River Energy provides electric power to 685,000 Minnesotans through 28 member cooperatives. Great River Energy owns and operates Coal Creek Station, North Dakota’s largest power plant near Underwood, N.D., and Spiritwood Station, a plant in Spiritwood, N.D. Viking sports update Track & Field
Valley City State sophomore Seri Geisler won a national championship in the women’s javelin back on May 25 at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Geisler was one of three Vikings to compete at the national championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. She took first in javelin and 14th in shot put, recording new school records in both events. It was Geisler’s second straight national title in the women’s javelin. Megan Johnson placed 26th in the women’s long jump and Mackenzie Huber placed 22nd in the women’s shot put. View complete results at: http://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/2691.php
16 Vikings named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Valley City State University recently had 16 student-athletes named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes for the spring sports season. The Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award recognizes continued success of collegiate athletes in the classroom. In order to be nominated for the award, a student-athlete must be a junior or senior and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher during their college career.
Baseball: Nate Bagby, Andrew Hirsch, Jordon Roos, Jared Meiklejohn, Mitch Scheer, Tyler Ukestad
Softball: Cassie Pautz, Morgan Nalley, Kelsey Hamade, Kathleen Gallais, Ashley Metcalf
Track & Field: Niklas Ernst, Alex Askerooth
Golf: Haley Christofferson, Hannah Gress, Kyle Wiebe What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City… Monday, June 5
Tuesday, June 6
12 noon Rotary Club, VFW
4 p.m. Children’s Kickoff event, VC Public Library
Wednesday, June 7
12 noon Kiwanis, VC Town & Country Club
7:15 p.m. Music in City Park Bandshell kickoff
Thursday, June 8
12 noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room
Friday, June 9
Saturday, June 10
1 p.m. Bluegrass jam session, Barnes County museum
7 p.m. Songwriter’s Showcase, the Vault
Sunday, June 11
Monday, June 12
Tuesday, June 13
12 noon Rotary Club, VFW
Wednesday, June 14
Flag Day
12 noon Kiwanis, VC Town & Country Club
Thursday, June 15
12 noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room
Friday, June 16
12 noon Barnes County Relay for Life, Barnes County Courthouse
Saturday, June 17
Rally in the Valley
8 a.m. 36th Annual Bill Jansen Road Race/Walk
1 p.m. 25th Anniversary Celebration, Medicine Wheel Park
Sunday, June 18
Father’s Day
Dakota Riders Hill Climb
Monday, June 19
Tuesday, June 20
12 noon Rotary Club, VFW
Wednesday, June 21
First Day of Summer
12 noon Kiwanis, VC Town & Country Club
Thursday, June 22
12 noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room
Friday, June 23
Saturday, June 24
Sunday, June 25 |
