Submit items to Campus Currents - Top

The Campus Currents is distributed every Friday. If you would like to include an item in the newsletter send it to Campus Currents, Unit 9512 or by e-mail to Campus Currents. Deadline is Thursday at 8 a.m.

Relay for Life will be held at Lyle Hare Stadium - Top

Relay for Life will be held Friday Sept. 14 through Saturday Sept. 15 at Lyle Hare Stadium on the campus of Black Hills State University.

An important fundraiser for cancer, Relay For Life is a unique, challenging, and fun way to raise money for the American Cancer Society and to raise awareness of cancer and the work of the American Cancer Society. This is the fourth year Relay For Life is being held at Black Hills State University. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate in this unique community event that allows individuals from all walks of life to join in the fight against cancer. The event is a celebration of life for survivors, a memorial for loved ones lost, and a rally for the community to fight cancer.

Jack Caudill, news anchor for KEVN, will serve as master of ceremonies  throughout the event. Music will start at 

5:30 p.m. The official opening ceremony will be at 6 p.m. with a welcome by BHSU President Thomas O. Flickema and the mayor of Spearfish, Jerry Krambeck. Joyce Hazeltine, South Dakota Secretary of State, will also be a featured speaker.

The survivor’s lap will be introduced by Judy Neighbours, Relay for Life chairperson. The survivors  will then be joined by relay teams of walkers and runners who will continue circling the track through the night. Evening activities will be on-going including tethered hot-air balloon rides, cancer smart shop, Kids Games, a silent auction and Quilt for a Cure Raffle. Following is a schedule of events for the all-night event.  

Come out and walk or just sit back & enjoy the entertainment. For additional information contact Cherie at 642-6145 or 722-2952.

Relay for Life schedule
5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. - Music by Straight No Chaser
7 p.m. - Carol Armbrust
7:30 p.m - Spaghetti dinner served in the cafeteria (free for team participants. Others welcome at $4 for adults; $2 for children)
7:30 p.m. - Music by Pam & Leon from Camp Crook
8 p.m. - Music by Lyle, Doug and Paul
9:30 p.m. - Luminaria Ceremony, Music by “Women with Melody”
10 p.m.-3 a.m. - Bonfire and campfire songs
10:30 p.m. - Ben Latham, formerly of Camp Crook & BHSU
11:30 p.m. -  Music by Brock Finn from BHSU
12:30 a.m.-7 a.m. - Scavenger hunt, bingo, open mic, disc golf, prizes, pajama party.
7 a.m.- Northern Hills Blue Grass Band
7:30 a.m. - Community pancake breakfast (Relay donations will be accepted.)
9 a.m. - Pianist/Composer Max Meyer
9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. - Closing Ceremonies with Mayor Jerry Krambeck

President’s Cup golf tournament results - Top

Black Hills State faculty and staff took a break from university in-service work Friday afternoon to head for the links to join community members in the BH President’s Cup Best Shot Tournament.

Twelve teams, drove, chipped and putted their way through the 18-hole Spearfish Canyon Golf Course. The winning three-man team with a score of 65 included Jack Lynass, Bill Hughes, and Harlan Schmidt. The mixed competition winners ended in a tie with the foursome of Jim and Mickee Rarick and Vic and Ethelyn Uttke besting the threesome of 

Cliff and Jeanne Papik and Alan Finke in a 65-scorecard playoff. The winning teams won BHSU sweatshirts.

Winning individual hole prizes were John Alsup, shortest drive in fairway; Randy Harms tee shot closest to the pin (twice); Lyle Cook, longest putt; Nick Wallerstein, tee shot closest to the pin; Ken Engelhardt, longest drive (men); Bill Jordan, tee shot closest to the pin; Julian Wolff, tee shot closest to the pin; Randy Harms, longest putt; and Jane Dunbar, longest drive (women).

Submit names of all volunteers to the president’s office - Top

Please submit to the president's office the names and addresses of any volunteers who will be working in your area.

The names will be forwarded to the South Dakota Board of Regents.

In case a volunteer would be injured in 

the performance of volunteer work, they will be covered by Workmen's Compensation similar to any employee of the university. In addition, the university can justify expenditures which are made in connection with their contributions if they are identified with volunteer status.

Writing to win workshop scheduled at BHSU - Top

The Nonprofit Management Institute at Dakota State University will sponsor a “Writing to Win” grant writing workshop Oct. 8 and 9 in Jonas 205 on the campus of Black Hills State University.

The first day agenda, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes topics on program and project planning, proposal format and actual time writing proposals. The second day participants will complete their proposals, discuss funding decisions and review proposals.

This session ends at 3 p.m.  

The workshop is designed for beginning and advanced grant writers and provides an opportunity for participants to work on a three- to five-page proposal that is currently  in process. Bringing a proposal is not a requirement. Groups will also adopt proposals to work on together.

Registration deadline is Sept. 17. Workshop fee is $139. Call 605-367-5382 for more information.

BHSU Alumni Association recognizes supporters for service and achievement at swarm day gathering - Top

The Black Hills State University Alumni Association will recognize five individuals for their service and achievements during an awards breakfast Swarm Day, Sept. 22, at 8:30 a.m., in the Student Union Jacket Legacy Room.

Individuals being recognized are Langford Palmer, Kellogg, Idaho, Distinguished Alumnus Award; Thomas Finn, Spearfish, Special Achievement Award; Wayne Snoozy, Klamath Falls, Ore., Excellence in Education Award; and Wanda and Stewart Bellman, Spearfish, Special Service Award.

Langford Palmer, distinguished alumnus and a 1973 graduate with a degree in English, became a certified registered nurse anesthetist in 1973. He was administrator of the Shoshone Medical Center in Kellogg, Idaho, in 1982. It was during that time Palmer offered to serve as acting administrator of the 52-bed acute-care hospital for a $1 annual salary because the Bunker Hill Mine closed, and 2,200 people lost their jobs and ultimately their medical benefits. He was later justly compensated, and in 1987 he implemented and administered a 15-bed skilled nursing facility within the medical center. After making the nursing facility a viable operation, Palmer relinquished his leadership role in 1992 but continued to serve as a full-time CRNA. He continues to support SMC by providing quality CRNA services on a regular basis. It was his dedication and loyalty that kept the hospital organization viable. He and his wife, Gloria, have raised a family of three boys, and are now enjoying grandchildren.

Special achievement award winner Thomas Finn is a 1966 graduate of BHSU with a degree in physical education. He earned a master’s degree in education from BHSU in 1970. He began his education career in South Dakota as a teacher in Geddes, moved to Las Vegas, Nev., to teach, returned to Lead as public relations manager for Homestake (1969), and then did counseling work for Lead/Deadwood Public Schools (1970-1976). From 1976 to 1979 he served as dean of student affairs at Archbishop Shaw High School, Marrero, La. For the next 20 years (1979-1999) Finn worked for McDermott International, Inc., a multi-national offshore oil construction company, in the areas of employee relations and human resources. His responsibilities dealt with company domestic and international relations in numerous countries from South America to the Far East. He lived, traveled and worked in Europe, Emirate countries, Africa, Indonesia, China, and Australia, to name a few. This provided him with the opportunity to study different languages and experience many different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. His job with McDermott provided him with unusual and exciting opportunities; it also provided stressful situations involving evacuating company employees when revolutions broke out, such as in Indonesia in 1998. He received recognition from the American Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, and a special citation of excellence from McDermott International for his efforts in that evacuation. He also had the difficult task of notifying families of fatalities resulting from transportation accidents (helicopter and boat transportation) or work related injuries.

“Professional management opportunities have provided me with a wealth of life experience. The most important value of these experiences has been the ability to live, work, and absorb the culture of not only the United States, but also numerous other foreign countries and cultures,“ said Finn.

Wayne Snoozy, a 1963 BHSU science major, is recipient of the excellence in education award for his work as a teacher, coach, administrator, and volunteer. Born in Rapid City and after  attending high school in Belle Fourche, he left South Dakota to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps but returned to the Black Hills to complete his college education. After marrying his college sweetheart, he moved west to begin his teaching career at Klamath County, Ore., where he taught and coached at Bly High School. Thus began a 33-year career in education, all in Klamath County. He taught and coached at Chiloquin High School; he was a teacher at Altamont Junior High School and a principal of Fairhaven and Altamont elementary schools. In 1990 he was named outstanding elementary school principal in Oregon and later was named as a national distinguished principal. He was recognized for his educational reform and raising thousands of dollars for special education and the trainable mentally handicapped and his work with the American Cancer Society. He received honors as Southern Oregon principal of the year and as Klamath County volunteer of the year (1990). He was winner of the Klamath County Western Heritage Award (1986) and was named Jaycette boss of the year (1978). He has served on numerous civic and educational boards over the years. The four achievements of which he is most proud are:  1) organization and development of trainable mentally handicapped children’s program, 2) early childhood preventive curriculum programs, 3) Sagebrush Rendezvous Art Show and Sale, and 4) implementation of an enrichment program in band and orchestra for a low income school. Snoozy and his wife, Shari, are the parents of five grown children.

Drs. Wanda and Stewart Bellman are well known professors of English at BHSU and throughout the Black Hills community. Their dedication and commitment to teaching and helping others garner them recognition as recipients of the BHSU special service award. Each was a gifted instructor and specialist in his/her own right; however, they were and are still referred to in tandem, as if they were the entire English department, as the Bellmans.

Active in the community as well as at the university for many years, the Bellmans retired from higher education in the mid nineties after inspiring and mentoring hundreds of students. Stewart was actively involved in writing programs and worked with the Bush Foundation during his teaching years. Wanda was enthusiastically involved in speech, drama and women’s issues as an educator. Both began their higher education careers at BHSU in 1966 and earned their doctorates of education from the University of South Dakota in 1974. Today, both are active as volunteer readers at West Elementary. Stewart is coordinator for the Matthews Opera House Brown Bag Lecture Series, editor for the Spearfish Center of the Arts and Humanities newsletter, and a member of the board of directors for the Spearfish Center for the Art and Humanities. Wanda is a discussion facilitator for the South Dakota Humanities Council Adult Reading Series and a reader for the Macular Degeneration group. Their interests include theater and musical performances, mountain bicycling on the Mickelson trail, traveling, and spending time with each other and their canine companions Duncan and Pogo.

Altmyer wins fourth disc golf championship - Top

Don Altmyer, Black Hills State University College of Business and Technology assistant professor, won his fourth consecutive South Dakota Amateur Disc Golf Championship shooting an eleven under par (97) for the 36-hole tournament held at the new Jackson Park Disc Golf Course in Rapid City.

Par for the 36-hole tournament was 108.  Rapid City native and course designer Scott Caesar was runner-up at nine under par. Kayne Lariner of Sioux Falls finished in third place at three under par (105). Caesar won the state amateur disc-golf championship in 1997 but has been runner-up to Altmyer the past four years. Twenty-eight disc golfers participated in the event. 

Black Hills State University is hosting back-to-back disc-golf tournaments this month.  The first tournament, Friday, Sept. 21, is the 5th Annual Swarm Days Disc golf tournament.  The tournament will begin with Black Hills State University students competing at 3:30 p.m. The community division follows at 5 p.m.  One round of golf will be played

The Spearfish Optimist Club's first annual Fall Fling tournament will be held Saturday, Sept. 22. All proceeds donated to the Spearfish Relay for Life charity.  Walk-up registration will be at

8 a.m. with the tournament starting at 9 a.m. Two rounds of golf will be played.  Round 1 will be played to the short basket positions (A) and round 2 will be played to the long basket positions (B). 

Disc golf is like traditional ball golf in that each player attempts to complete each hole or "basket" in the fewest number of strokes or "throws."  Each player throws a "drive" from a concrete tee pad, and an up shot and putt into the basket.  The basket is a five-foot metal pole with a hanging array of chain which serve to catch the disc and drop it into a circular bottom basket.  Completing the course takes about an hour and covers about one mile through the nooks and crannies of the campus. A meandering creek and tall pine trees make the course challenging.  The sport is low-impact cardiovascular exercise and is fun for people of all ages and skill levels. The BHSU campus course was the first official course in the state of South Dakota.  Nationwide, there are over 550 courses.

Golfing discs are available for check out at recreational sports and are for sale at the BHSU bookstore.

Dakota Chamber Orchestra to begin rehearsals - Top

The Dakota Chamber Orchestra, in residence on the campus of Black Hills State University, will start rehearsals for the 2001-2002 season Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.  Rehearsals will be held in the band room located on the second floor of Cook Hall on the BHSU campus.

The orchestra provides an outlet for area string players to come together, play music and improve their skills, and also entertain the 

Northern Black Hills with string orchestra music from many different musical style periods. The orchestra currently has two concerts scheduled for this, their third season, with the first being Nov. 4. 

Community band rehearsals begin Sept. 17 - Top

Rehearsals for the Black Hills State University community band will begin Sept. 17. Rehearsals are Monday nights from 7-9:30 p.m. in the BHSU band room (Cook 204).

All interested musicians are invited to join the BHSU community band. There is no audition or age limit and the group is open to anyone who 

plays a wind or percussion instrument.