Welcome to the NSU News Update - providing information on events happening on campus or involving NSU students, staff and faculty.
To submit a news item, send it via email to NSUNews@northern.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday of the week before the announcement should run.
COVID-19 News
- Current Self-Reported Case Count: Total active cases: 16 (11 students; 5 faculty/staff). Total quarantined or isolated: 53 (11 on campus; 42 off campus). (Numbers as of Nov. 20, 2020; please note: those in quarantine/isolation aren’t necessarily confirmed or symptomatic cases)
- Mask Level: NSU is at Level 3, which requires face coverings in all public indoor spaces on campus. Learn more about the SDBOR Face Covering Protocol here.
- Webpage Updates: Northern has updated its COVID-19 Webpage, now including various FAQs for students, faculty and staff.
- Requesting Supplies: To request COVID-19 supplies from NSU Facilities, please work with your supervisor to determine the proposed needs for your entire department and submit an order using this online form.
Upcoming CETL Events:
- Please join your friendly CETL folks Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 9:15 a.m. for the last SnackChat: We hope to guide a great discussion on team teaching strategies and ideas. We will be in LIB 117 with snacks, smiles and great conversation. If you can’t join us in LIB 117, jump into our Zoom room [Password: K6rBW0]. If you have any questions please contact CETL via email (CETL@northern.edu).
- Join CETL on the morning of Nov. 30 for a whole slate of HyFlex activities intended to increase student engagement:
- HyFlex Forum Panel (9-10 a.m.) – Brief presentation by our panel members: Wanous, Fouberg, Harley, Henslee, Griebel and Long, followed by an open Q&A session.
- Speaker, Maha Bali (10-11 a.m.) — Dr. Maha Bali مها بالي, Dr. Bali is an Associate Professor of Practice at the Center of Learning and Teaching at the American University in Cairo. She is also the co-founder of virtuallyconnecting.org, a co-facilitator of Equity Unbound, and an editor for Hybrid Pedagogy.
- Starting a Working Group (11-11:30 a.m.) — A discussion about HyFlex reading groups centered around critical pedagogies and engagement. Whether or not you join a reading group, this session will be great for finding resources.
- Free Lunch (11:30-noon) — A soup and sandwich lunch provided by CETL. Please RSVP if interested and let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
*All HyFlex Forum events (No. 1-3) will take place in NJSC 133 or via Zoom (Passcode: y!RU#4); lunch (#4) will be served in the JSC Foyer.
International Education Week Recap
International Education Week was held Nov. 16-20 at NSU. For those unable to attend the numerous fun and educational events held on campus, the Office of International Programs has provided a recap, found here.
Finals Week Library Assistance
While the library is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., there will also be extended online reference assistance hours for students during finals.
A librarian will be available via chat, reference email, and text:
- Sunday-Thursday, Nov. 29-Dec. 3: 5-11 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 4: 5-8 p.m.
- Sunday-Monday, Dec. 6-7: 5-11 p.m.
Chat through the library’s website. Email: reference@northern.edu. Text: 605-277-4NSU (605-277-4678).
Plan Ahead to Return Rental Books on Time
Students: If you rented books from the NSU Wolf Shoppe this fall, please note that they must returned to the bookstore by Dec. 16, 2020. With the altered semester schedule, on-campus instruction is ending at Thanksgiving break, so we ask that you please make a plan now to ensure your rentals are returned on time. To return rentals, you may:
- Drop them off at the Wolf Shoppe 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
- Mail them to: NSU Wolf Shoppe, 1200 S. Jay St, Aberdeen, SD 57401. Be sure to choose a shipping method that will get them in the store by Dec. 16.
Any rentals not received by the Dec. 16 date will be billed to you.
NSU Online Bookstore Reminder
Dear students: As a reminder, ordering textbooks and course materials is now done completely online at the NSU Online Bookstore. Spring 2021 courses and the course materials assigned to them will be visible to students on Dec. 1. Once open, visit Northern.TextbookX.com and log in with your NSU organizational account to see your own personalized page with the courses that you registered for and the course materials that your professors have assigned for each. We encourage you to bookmark the website and log in when you are ready so that you can review your required and optional textbooks.
Volunteer Opportunity: Thanksgiving Meal Delivery
Bring holiday cheer in 2020 by delivering a Thanksgiving meal with The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has teamed up with Ramkota as a drive-through meal pick-up at their location or as prearranged meal delivery. Routes are planned and drivers will have only two to three locations each time. Volunteers must be able to provide their own be vehicle and proof of insurance. To learn more, click here or call 605-225-7410.
‘Thrift Style’ exhibition at NSU Williams Library
A nationally touring exhibition is now open in NSU Williams Library. “Thrift Style” explores the reuse of feed sacks to make clothing and other household objects and illuminates how the “upcycling” of these bags mutually benefitted 20th-century consumers and businesses. With 41 works from patterns to garments, it serves as an example of past ingenuity that can inform today’s efforts towards sustainability. This exhibit is hosted by the South Dakota Germans from Russia Cultural Center, which is also located in Williams Library. The exhibition is organized by the Historic Costume and Textile Museum and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, both at Kansas State University, and ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. The exhibit, which will be on display at Williams Library through Nov. 30, is free and open for public viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. To accommodate appropriate social distancing, groups of 10 or fewer are able to view the exhibit at one time. Please note that masks are required. For more information, call 605-626-7770.
2020 Fall Faculty and Staff Trainings
Instructional Technology Services is holding faculty and staff training sessions in October and November that cover a variety of technology topics. Please check out the schedule, then register for any sessions that interest you!
Northern Lights is now taking submissions for the 2021 issue of Northern Lights. Students can submit their stories, poetry, art, creative nonfiction, photography, original essays, short films and songs to northernlights@northern.edu or message us on Facebook! Accepted submissions will be included in our Literary Magazine that is released in March 2021. Please submit all written works as a Word document (.docx) or a PDF (.pdf), and any artworks as a JPEG (.jpeg) or JPG (.jpg) file. Submissions are open until Dec. 31, 2020. If you have any questions, contact our president, Madi Filber, madi.filber@wolves.northern.edu, and she can answer any questions concerning how to submit or other questions.
Career Services Workshop Series
Career Services has also created a workshop series that will be available via Zoom to help prepare for this exciting event! These workshops include:
- Elevator Pitch and Networking Preparation
- Interview and Job Fair Preparation
- How to Use the Virtual Job Fair System
The dates, times, and Zoom links for these workshops can be found on the Career Services' Facebook page or on Wolf Work, (see 'Career Events', 'Career Workshops’). To learn more, or for assistance preparing for this event, please contact Career Services at 605-626-3007 or careerservices@northern.edu!
Community Boards
Students, faculty and staff: Do you serve on a community board or committee? We’re compiling a list of all members of the NSU campus community who serve on a board at the local, regional, statewide or national level. Please let us know by emailing communications@northern.edu.
American Indian Circle Program Cultural Education Time
Northern State University is dedicated to the recognition of tribal traditions and ceremonies that complement the holistic well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The first Tuesday of every month from 12:15-12:30 p.m., we come together in Spafford 106 and have cultural education time to talk about what smudging is, the importance it symbolizes in Indigenous culture and a time of reflection. For the fall 2020 semester we ask that you mask up and meet on the campus green in front of Spafford so that there can be social distancing. The American Indian Circle Program would like to invite the NSU campus community to come and participate in our monthly Smudge. Everyone is welcome!
NSU Intramural Waiver Forms
NSU’s Intramural department is dedicated to providing the best and safest experience possible for all staff, faculty and registered students at Northern State University. In an effort to limit person-to-person contact, all Intramural and Fitness Center waiver forms will be processed electronically this year.
The online waiver serves two functions:
1) To grant swipe access to the fitness center in Barnett Center, and
2) To grant swipe access to the Dacotah Hall gym and the Athletic and Recreation Fields.
Waivers from prior semesters have been deactivated to ensure electronic submissions are gathered for every individual. All faculty, staff and students must complete the online waiver before access is granted or reinstated for previous users. Paper forms will NOT be accepted.
NSU ID cards are required for swipe access. If you do not have a card, please contact Jessica Beilke in the Finance Office to schedule an appointment to get one. The first ID issued to students is free; replacement IDs are $15 each. You must schedule an appointment - walk-ins will not be accepted. Contact Jessica at jessica.beilke@northern.edu or 605-626-2516.
Please understand that access will not be immediate. It may take 2-3 business days for your card to be activated, so be sure to submit early! Access the waiver here.
All indoor use will require face coverings, and maximum capacities will be enforced for each space in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. At this time, face coverings will be required in all spaces.
Intramural leagues are starting soon! Keep an eye out for flyers across campus or sign up on IMLeagues.com. For more information or to access and fill out the digital waiver or hours, please visit the NSU Intramural website.
Dacotah Hall Open Hours:
- Monday-Friday: 6 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6-10 pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wolves Team Store on Facebook
The Wolves Nike Team Store has a new Facebook Page! Search NSU Wolves Team Store or click this link to like the page and keep updated on store specials (in-store and online), new inventory, pop-up shops, and everyone's favorite the #WOOTD (Wolves Outfit of the Day)! And don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter by searching @NSUWolves_Store. Go Wolves!
Exponent Online
The Exponent is doing their part to eliminate surface spread of COVID-19 by moving issues solely online for fall and spring semester. New issues are released Thursdays bi-weekly at exponentnsu.wordpress.com.
Job Openings at NSU
Just a reminder that NSU posts all current job openings at the SDBOR website. Remember to check out the site for opportunities around campus!
Free Online Tutoring Sessions
The NSU Tutoring Center offers free online sessions to any Northern student for all general education classes and most upper-level classes. The sessions are conducted through Zoom, which allows real-time interaction between students and tutors. For more information or to set up an online tutoring session, students can email nsututoringcenter@northern.edu
Employee Assistance Plan
Benefits eligible staff: Please keep in mind that your benefits plans include free use of our Employee Assistance Plan. Every eligible staff member has five free visits available with a counselor. If you need assistance, please utilize this wonderful benefit, found at this link; the password is southdakota.
Wolves Athletics
Stay up to date with NSU Wolves news on the athletics webpage.