Submit items to Campus Currents - Top

The Campus Currents is distributed every Friday. To submit an item send it to Campus Currents, Unit 9512 or by e-mail to Campus Currents. Deadline is Thursday at 8 a.m.

State veterinarian corps prepares to fight potential bioterrorism attack - Top

Dr. Daniel Farrington, Spearfish, organized and conducted a recent two-day health emergency training course for 30 South Dakota veterinarians dealing with animal diseases and the threat of bioterrorism.

The effort was related to Gov. Janklow’s Anti-terrorism Action Plan for South Dakota designed to provide adequate state personnel to prepare and respond to emergency events.

The presentation was approved by the South Dakota Animal Industry Board and the state veterinarian’s office in Pierre headed by Dr. Sam Holland, state veterinarian. Practitioners studied foreign animal diseases, threats of bioterrorism and emergencies involving animal health and food safety. They also reviewed state and federal animal health emergency and foot-and-mouth disease contingency plans.

One of the key presenters was Dr. Richard French from the University of Connecticut who spoke on cattle, equine, sheep and poultry diseases as well as the West Nile Virus.

The veterinarians will form a South Dakota Reserve Veterinary Officer Corps and will be subject to immediate call-up by the South Dakota Animal Industry Board in the event of an animal-health crisis.  

Dr. Holland said, “This training was an

important first and successful step in preparing the state to combat any threat to South  Dakota’s livestock industry or food safety or animal health crisis.”

The initial training session will be followed by a series of training courses related to animal health emergencies plans. Practicing veterinarians are a key component in dealing with any animal health emergency issues that may threaten South Dakota’s animal industry.

Funding for the project was provided by an emergency preparedness grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Holland said, “South Dakota is the first state to establish such a reserve corps. It seems like a logical way to greatly expand our response capabilities without creating added state costs and bureaucracy.”

Fee payment and registration set at Black Hills State - Top

Black Hills State University is getting ready for the spring 2002 semester. Students who have not yet registered for classes will have an opportunity to do so Jan. 9 from 8 a.m. to noon in the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union Market Place.  Classes begin Jan. 10 at BHSU.

Students who have already registered for classes will not need to re-register; however, students must either check in during the fee payment and financial aid disbursement time or return with payment the enrollment verification card mailed to them. This form affirms that students will be attending classes this semester. Students who have not paid and returned the enrollment verification card should check-in according to the schedule available on the BHSU web page.

Students may register for evening classes and make changes in class registration through the drop/add process in the Student Union Market Place Jan. 9-11 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. After Jan. 11, registration and drop/add will move to Woodburn Hall room 104 from 7 a.m.- 4 p.m. The last day to drop a non-block course with a refund is Jan. 18.

Students must pay or make financial arrangements before 5 p.m. Jan. 11 or a late payment fee of $25 will be assessed. Classes will be released for students who have not returned the enrollment verification card or checked in by Friday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m.

Beginning Jan. 8, students may purchase books

from the University Bookstore. Students are encouraged to bring their class schedule with course section numbers to determine which books are needed.     

All students who have pre-registered for classes are automatically assigned an email/Internet account. To activate the account, students must sign a form accepting responsibility for the account. Forms are available at the Student Union Jacket Legacy Room.

Students can move in to the residence halls Monday, Jan. 7 at noon. Students with an ID card from last semester will be activated with enrollment. Students can replace lost ID cards at the debit card office in Woodburn Hall room 214. Replacement IDs cost $10.

First-time borrowers and transfer students must complete loan counseling before receiving their student-loan check. Loan counseling is available on the BHSU homepage at <http://www.bhsu.edu>. Click on prospective students then enrollment/financial aid then entrance counseling for Stafford Loan and/or Perkins Loan. Instructions will guide students through the counseling session. At the end of the session, print the signature page, complete it and take the form to financial aid in the enrollment center, Woodburn Hall room 104.

For more information contact the BHSU enrollment center at 642-6343.

Instructional improvement grants available - Top

The Instructional Improvement Committee (IIC) encourages, through monetary grants, the application of existing knowledge to specific teaching situations to improve the quality of instruction at BHSU.

Any full-time faculty member, full-time adjunct faculty, or other full-time staff member engaged in student instruction may apply for grant funds administered by the committee. Grant funding will normally be available up to a maximum of $1,000 per project. Priority will be given to projects that will have a broad-based, visible, continuing impact of instruction across faculty members and/or disciplines. Funds are available for development of materials and methods to improve teaching and learning, equipment to enhance teaching and learning, travel to conferences or workshops which enhance teaching and learning, and bringing consulting lecturers and teaching specialists to campus to offer presentations to and/or with faculty and teaching-support staff at BHSU. 

Faculty members who apply for grants to support travel to a conference or workshop are limited to receiving no more than one grant every three years.  In the other categories, priority will be given to those who have not received an IIC grant in the last academic year.  

Faculty research funds available - Top  

It is anticipated that successful applicants will request support for faculty release time, research equipment, travel to research sites or research support for the production of creative work. Preference is given to new applicants, particularly in the areas of education,

The applicants are encouraged to contact the committee members for advice prior to completing their proposals. The members are John Alsup, Steve Anderson, Lyle Cook, Tom Cox, Abdollah Farrokhi, chair; Jim Hess, Kathleen Parrow, Shane Sarver, and Rob Schurrer. 

Grant opportunities announced - Top  

Below are the program materials received Dec. 20-Jan. 2 in the grants office, Woodburn 218. For copies of the information, contact our office at 642-6627 or e-mail requests to us at grants@bhsu.edu.  Fellowship information will also be posted on the Student Union bulletin board near the information desk.

• National Endowment for the Arts.  Challenge America Fast Track Grants to foster arts education and community-wide public outreach initiatives in rural or underserved areas and to engage artists, arts organizations, and American communities in partnership to make the arts central to community life.  Positive Alternatives for Youth applications are due Feb. 1; Community Arts Development applications are due May 1.

• The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.  Offering the Humanities Program and the Research Library Program.  There are no application deadlines for these programs; inquiries are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

• The Association for Institutional Research.  Improving Institutional Research in Postsecondary Educational institutions funding support for research in the area of postsecondary education promising an innovative contribution on a national level.  Due Jan. 15.

• National Science Foundation.  Research on Learning and Education.  Preliminary proposals due March 1 and Sept. 1; formal proposals due June 1 and Dec. 1.

• The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation.  Grants for graphic communications projects.  Due May 30.

This week at Black Hills State University

Campus Calendar

This calendar is also available on the BHSU homepage quick links.