Holiday Train Swings Through Brookings

As we head into the holiday season, many of us are fixing up meals and goodies to place on the table, but for some the fear of having enough food  to eat is something they live with everyday.  But thanks to a nationwide effort, awareness is being rasied to help those less fortunate.  

“This U.S. train started in Roses Point, New York on November 25th, we’ve been through Pennsylvania, New York State, Illinois, and we’ve been making our way from Illinois through Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and we’re going to be ending up back in Carpio, North Dakota on December 16th, that’s the final stop.”

“ There are two trains going across Canada and the U.S. raising as much money, food and awareness for local food shelves as possible.”

“This is the thirteenth yaer for the CP Holiday Train and we’re very proud of it, it’s an important program for our company and for our employees because it’s trying to do an important job we feel and that’s supporting our local food shelves.”

“Everything that we can raise in Brookings stays in Brookings to help those less fortunate.”

“Hunger is an issue that is serious, it is an issue that effects everybody in some way and it doesn’t recognize borders or neighborhoods or communities, and our employees live and work in many of these communities, about 1100 in both Canada and the U.S. and this is an important issue in all our neighborhoods.”

“This is also a festive family show to thank those coming out to support the lcoal food shelves as well as putting the important message out there that our food shelves are important and that this is a serious issue.”

Find out more about where all the proceeds that are made from each community go.  You will be surprised to learn that most, if not all of the money stays right in the community where the train stops.

Here more about the history of the train, and why Canadian Pacific continues to continue this legacy every year.

New Parking Technique In Center Of SDSU Campus

For Students, finding a parking spot on the South Dakota State University campus is expensive, and can be a challenge, and now some drivers will have to pay even more for their spot.  

The gates are currently open for drivers parking in the Student Union’s east side parking lot, but starting Monday, students like Hillary Haddorff will have to pay to park here.

“We’re already paying $120 to $150 already, why do we have to pay two dollars more, plus whatever for however long I’m going to spend in the parking lot,” Haddorff said.

“In the past it’s been an all class lot, probably six months ago discussion was started on converting it to a revenue control lot, or a pay by hour lot,” Director of auxiliary business operations, Derek Peterson said.

When drivers enter the lot, they’ll just have to simply insert their credit card, or student ID card to use hobo dough, they’ll then be given a ticket to put on the dash of their vehicle, and when they leave the lot, they’ll have to swipe their card again, because they’ll be charged for every hour they’re parked in the lot.

Students and visitors alike, will have to pay two dollars for the first hour they park in the lot, and a dollar for every additional hour. Peterson says with the new eating places being established in the union, the university is trying to bring in more visitors and revenue to the campus.

But, Students like Haddorff don’t like the idea, because as a student, she’s already paid to park on campus.

“Parking on campus is really hard to get already, and enforcing a two dollar fee for this lot just seems rediculous to me," Haddorff said.

So for any student or visitor wanting to get close access to the student union next week, they’ll have to pull out the plastic.

Watch the following video and listen to Derek Peterson describe the particular components to the lot, so that when you use it, it will be convenient for you.

Listen to Derek Peterson explain how the discussion got started to make the lot a pay by the hour lot, and how it became possible to bring this kind of lot to the South Dakota State University campus.

Affording The Price Of College

With the cost of college tuition increasing every year, it’s not uncommon for students to borrow more money to pay for their education.  But if students use smart budgeting strategies, and avoid those big-ticket items, they may not have to borrow as much as they think.

  

Professor of economics at South Dakota State University, Joseph Santos says students need to set a boundary for how much money they borrow in loans, and try to *only use that money for tuition.

“You don’t want to accumulate that for essentially what we would call consumable non durables,” South Dakota State University Professor of Economics Joseph Santos said. 

Senior Andrew Phelan has been avoiding that debt throughout his four years at SDSU.

“On the weekends I do have a moving job, I try and help out my parents and make as much money as I can, and also when I go to the grocery store, I try not to spend as much money as I can,” student Andrew Phelan said.

And working is exactly what Santos recommends students do, he says there’s no need to overwhelm yourself, but 10 to 20 hours a week will not only help students pay for their education, but will also teach them responsibility.

“It’s a very interesting way of disciplining ones behavior, because if you have to work, which isn’t a very fun activity you recognize early that you’re going to have to do this to pay off the debt at some point,” Santos said.

Santos says that when students decide to buy those big-ticket items, in most cases the debt far outlives the life of the product.

“What you may think of as assets, that is you buy the large screen television and now you have it, but what you have really is an asset that depreciates at such a horrifically fast rate,” Santos said.

Santos says that the more debt you have, the more it will restrict your mobility and limit your options.

“I can’t take that job, which probably has tremendous growth opportunity, but it’s in an expensive city, and because of the debt payments I need to make, I can’t afford the apartment…. You know well there’s an opportunity lost,” Santos said.

So that’s why it’s smart to make good financial moves now, and Phelan is glad he did.

“The budget that I had, I kept it pretty low for the most part, I mean obviously there is still going to be a little debt with the loans that I do have, but I am going to be overall pretty happy with where I am at,” Phelan said.

With that smart budgeting, Phelan can look forward to more opportunities, without his student debt standing in the way. 


So how much money is reasonable to take out for secondary education?  Joe Santos explains the steps to afford the price of college, without hurting yourself financially in the long haul.

Santos also gives a lot of insight about whether or not it's worth buying that "big ticket" item while in college.  Sure, a lot of people may have the latest and greatest gadgets in technology or fashion, but is it worth putting yourself deeper into debt to enjoy those luxuries?

Architecture Program At SDSU

South Dakota State University continues to grow each year, and along with the student growth, there’s also more programs opening up for students.  

Department head, Brian Rex, started working at South Dakota State University last year.  That’s when the architect program on the campus opened up to students, after nearly ten years of planning.

“South Dakota being one of the last five states that doesn’t have an architect program decided, they need to get an architect program,” Department Head Brian Rex said.

Rex, who’s taught architecture for 15 years across the country, including universities such as Texas Tech, and the University of Nebraska Lincoln says that it’s a great experience to bring a new program to campus. 

“I’ve never been in a university without a school of architecture, and I had no idea what it would be like,” Rex said.

 Rex says that by the time the students currently enrolled in the program graduate and get their license to be architects, 75% of the current employed architects in the state, will be at retirement age.

With it continuing to grow each year as more incoming freshman enter the program, soon the department will be operating with a full class of students.

“When we’re running at full speed in less than five years from now, we’ll have about 225 students, we expect, 8 full-time faculty and then lots of instructors,” Rex said.

One of those instructors being Geoff Graff, who just joined the department this school year.

“This opportunity arose and the opportunity to be involved with a new school a new program, it’s a very rare and unique opportunity and I’ve been fortunate to get involved with that,” Instructor Geoff Graff said.

With those new instructors comes the need for more space.

“We’re going up for a new building which will be built in two to three years and that will be the back side of Solberg Hall,” Rex said.

Which will give this only architect department in the state of South Dakota, more room to grow.

Brian Rex has a lot of experience teaching Architecture in schools across the nation.  Hear more about his past experiences and what drove him to South Dakota State University.

Finally, Geoff Graff just moved here this year to be part of the growing program on campus.  Hear more about his background and what experience he has in Architecture.  

If you're interested in the architecture department, contact Brian Rex:  brian.rex@sdstate.edu  

You can also visit the architecture department:

 located in room 108 of the Intramural Building 
on the South Dakota State University campus.