Campus Currents

Dr. R. D. Theisz, professor and chair of the Department of Humanities at Black Hills State University, recently signed a contract with Dog Soldier Press, a private publisher in Ranchos de Taos, N.M., to publish his book manuscript, Sharing the Gift. Learning Lakota Song. The book should be released by summer 2003.

The University of Nebraska Press has also accepted Theisz’s chapter entitled “Putting Things in Order. The Discourse of Tradition” for inclusion in its forthcoming book on oral performance and the powwow.

Theisz received his doctorate in literature from New York University in 1972. He has been teaching at BHSU since 1977.

A recently redesigned Yellow Jacket to represent Black Hills State athletic teams was unveiled at the BHSU vs. Tech basketball game last night.

The new look for the Yellow Jacket graphic was designed by Brian Busch, a 1984 BHSU alumnus, now president/CEO of So Square Advertising in Rapid City.

Bud Synhorst, BHSU athletic director, was excited to unveil the new look for the Yellow Jacket. “The new Yellow Jacket logo incorporates the traditions synonymous with BHSU athletics and symbolizes the outstanding qualities of our students, athletes and the university,” he said.

BHSU changed the mascot after notification by Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Ga., that the Yellow Jacket graphic formerly used by BHSU too closely resembled the copyrighted mascot used at Georgia Tech.

The use of a Yellow Jacket as a mascot has a long tradition at Black Hills State, dating back to the late 1920s. An article in the centennial edition of the BHSU Eochia gives one explanation of the adoption of this name for the BH athletic teams. According to the story the name was first used during an October 1927 football game when one of the fans jumped to her feet and yelled, ‘Go you yellow jackets, go!’ in reference to the yellow-colored jackets the team wore. The crowd began to repeat the cheer throughout the game and the Yellow Jacket name continued to be used.

Another account in the centennial yearbook relates “the football team had been known as the Yellow Jackets, a name that appears to have derived from the horizontally striped socks worn by team members which gave them the appearance of wasp-like yellow jackets.”

Over the years, the school has used a variety of graphic representations of the Yellow Jacket. The new design builds on that tradition and looks forward to the next century by strengthening the university’s visual identity with a design that captures the essence of Yellow Jacket athletics.

The new Yellow Jacket mascot is available for on-line use here. For a print quality mascot contact University Communications. The University Bookstore has apparel with the new mascot.

Brian Busch, a 1984 alumnus (left) designed the new BHSU Yellow Jacket mascot that was unveiled at the Tech game last night. Presenting the new look for the mascot are Bud Synhorst, BHSU athletic director, and Myles Kennedy, president of the Yellow Jacket Foundation (right). John Sheaff (center) is holding the Yellow Jacket for the presentation.

National Guard Unit 842, which is headquartered in the new armory attached to the Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center at Black Hills State University, has been placed on alert for active duty overseas.

Guard Adj. Gen. Phil Killey announced that the Spearfish unit was placed on alert Wednesday at
a press conference at the armory. Although the specific date for mobilization is uncertain, Killey
said he expects it to be soon.

The 842^nd, one of South Dakota’s largest National Guard units,

includes 50 BHSU students and
a few BHSU employees.

April Meeker, director of records
at BHSU, said that according to a South Dakota Board of Regents policy the students get a full refund

Capt. Wyatt Hansen (left), commander of the 842^nd Unit and a 1994 BHSU graduate, and Guard Adj. Gen. Phil Killey, announce that National Guard headquartered in Spearfish has been put on alert for possible active duty overseas.

if activated. Students should contact the records office to make arrangements. Students who are deployed have several options concerning classes in progress. If the student is activated prior to four weeks from the end of the semester, the student will receive a full refund. Students activated less than four weeks from the end of the term have a choice of receiving the current grade for the class or receiving a full refund. However, if students have a D or F at that time, they do not have a grading option and will receive a refund for the class.

Meeker said the records office is doing all they can to help students who are being activated.

The 842^nd unit, which is a horizontal construction company, was awarded the Itschner Award last year, designating it as the nation's best engineer company in the National Guard. It also won the state's Connely Award for the best mess section in the South Dakota National Guard.

This is the first time in the unit's 35-year history that it has been placed on alert for federal active duty. The company's mission is to provide heavy equipment support on the battlefield, including tasks such as building roads and constructing airfields. The unit is equipped with bulldozers, 20-ton dump trucks, loaders, scrapers, cranes, and road graders. This year the 842^nd trained in Nicaragua and Italy. The unit’s training also involved constructing a crosswind runway at the Sturgis Airport, completing groundwork for the Belle Fourche athletic complex and building new bridges at Orman Dam.

Killey recognized the anxiety associated with the alert and praised the soldiers for their readiness. “These are anxious times for everyone worldwide,” Killey said. “I am very proud of these soldiers and airmen and I assure you we are ready. We will do our mission wherever we are requested to go.”

South Dakota now has five Guard units activated and one on alert, involving some 700 people.

Multimedia computers for students, faculty and staff are available in the Library-Learning Center. The computers, located in front of Graphics and Media Services, have scanners, zip drives and CD burners for multimedia projects. Office Suite, Photoshop and Internet service are also provided. Assistance is available from 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Graphics and Media Services. For more information contact Gerry Pabst.

Dr. Charles Lamb, BHSU associate professor of science, visits with a group of students about their science fair project. Black Hills State hosted the annual science fair for Spearfish sixth and seventh graders last week. The projects which covered a wide range of subjects were judged in the morning and then opened to public viewing in the afternoon.

The CSA Council met in the Pangburn Dining Room Dec. 12. President Nancy Shuck called the meeting to order.

Members present were Linda Allbee, Deatta Chapel, Becky Haak, Cheri Leahy, Krista Schroeder, Shuck, Dennis Walkins and Joanne Wilkening.

Allbee moved to accept the minutes as corrected from the Nov. 14 meeting. Chapel seconded. Motion carried.

The next CSA Council meeting will be held in the Pangburn Dining Room Jan. 16 at
9:30 a.m.

The University Assessment Committee met Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m. in Jonas 103.

Present were H. Johnson (Haislett), Robinson (J. Miller), Dejong, Calhoon, Pearce, Earley, Norby, and Lembcke.

The committee set the schedule for the rest of semester. All meetings will be held at
3:30 p.m. in Jonas 103. Meeting dates and their agendas are listed below: