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: 5 (3 students; 2 faculty/staff). Total students quarantined or isolated: 15 (4 on campus; 11 off campus). (Numbers as of April 15, 2021; 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.

Unity Walk

The Athletics Council on Community, Culture and Social Justice, in partnership with the Campus Activities Board, invites all members of the Northern and Aberdeen communities to a Unity Walk on Monday, April 19. The walk will begin on the campus green (outside the Student Center) at 7 p.m. that evening, with pre-event T-shirt sales, sticker handouts, and music beginning at 6 p.m. Join us as we uNite for equality on our campus! Read more HERE. Have you purchased one of our End Racism t-shirts? If not, no worries: We will be selling shirts beginning at 6 p.m. prior to the walk, and also in the Barnett Center offices. Shirts are $20 for short sleeve and $30 for long sleeve.

Zumba Night

A business leadership group is hosting a Zumba Night to help raise funds for the YMCA. The event will be Monday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Barnett Center. It is $5 per person, with a chance to win some cool prizes!

Flags to Fly at Half-staff

Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff, effectively immediately, until sundown on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in remembrance of the victims of the tragedy in Indianapolis. This is in response to a proclamation by President Joseph R. Biden.

NSU Testing Center New Hours

The NSU Testing Center new hours are as follows:

• Monday-Wednesday-Friday: 1-4 p.m.
• Tuesday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-noon

Due to COVID protocols, there is a limit to the number of students allowed to test at one time, so please schedule your appointment(s) early.

Student Webinar

Through the Healthy Homes Partnership, students are invited to participate in a free, one-hour webinar that focuses on actions students can take in their residence to maintain or improve indoor air quality for optimum respiratory health. The webinar will be offered on the following dates and times (Central Time): April 20 at noon; and April 22 at 6 p.m. Students are asked to register for the webinar at this link. 

Research, Scholarship and Creativity Forum

The 2021 NSU Research, Scholarship and Creativity Forum will take place April 21 in the Jewett Regional Science Education Center. This annual forum is a venue in which Northern undergraduates can present their research or scholarly activities. Oral presentations will be 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m., with the poster session 1-2 p.m. The keynote address, set for 12:20-1 p.m., will be delivered by Craig Whippo, associate professor of biology at Dickinson State University. Whippo’s speech is titled “Undergraduate Research Across the Scale of Life: Creating Opportunities for Students at a Small, Primarily Undergrad Institution.” Students interested in participating in the forum should visit NSU Undergraduate Research online, or contact Dr. Andrew Russell at andrew.russell@northern.edu.

Upcoming Instructional Technology Sessions

Instructional Technology is offering the following training in MJ203 and via Zoom. The intended audience for this training is staff.

• Tuesday, April 20, at 10 a.m. - 25Live Requesters

For more information on upcoming trainings, please see our training schedule. To register, please see our registration form.

Instructional Technology Services (ITS) will also be hosting sessions on how to practically start using Ally, including information from faculty that have already been using it. Please join us in MJ 203 or via Zoom, on the following days:

• Wednesday, April 21, at 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m.

Honors Banquet

All NSU Honors students: Honors is holding its first annual Honors Banquet on April 22, 2021, at 7 p.m. in the Centennial Rooms. No matter your level of involvement in the program, we would love to see you there! We will be recognizing several students and presenting awards. Attire is semi-formal, but this is your opportunity to really dress up for an event, so go all out if you'd like! Join us for a fun night of celebrating the NSU Honors Program! (Watch for an RSVP email from Dr. Bockorny).

Choral Spring Concert

The NSU Music Department will present a Choral Spring Concert featuring the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers at 3 p.m. April 25 in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Jewett Theater. The featured work for the Chamber Singers will be Johannes Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Walzer,” with Kenneth Boulton and JoAnne Barry playing piano, four-hands. The Concert Choir will perform “The City” and “Identity” from Ola Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass” with the assistance of violinists Christopher Stanichar, Leandro Moutin, violist Josh Opp, cellist Grant Duvall, bassist Lucas Fredrick, and on keyboard—Tierra Decker. The concert will feature special recognition to the seniors. NSU Concert Choir and Chamber Singers are directed by Timothy Woods. Tierra Cassens is accompanist.

From: Danette Long, Instructional Designer

Hello, wonderful people! Please Save the Date – Tuesday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for Distinctive Dialogues (DD), and plan on attending this half-day conference for NSU Faculty. The program is coming along, with a keynote on hosting difficult conversations in the classroom and some technology highlights to include using Nearpod (it’s like a free and more powerful version of MentiMeter) and VR technologies in the classroom. Now, I am looking for faculty who would like to host a round table discussion on a topic of their choice.

The topic can be related to research or pedagogy, your choice. Did you try something new this year that you think others might enjoy? Have you read/conducted some interesting research that you would like to share with your colleagues? Do you just enjoy having stimulating conversations with your colleagues, but never seem to have the time? Well, then attending DD is for you! I just need two things from you. 1) Save the date, and 2) Consider hosting a round table discussion. Contact Danette.long@northern.edu to participate.

International Student Gala

The International Student Gala is coming up on Wednesday, April 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Centennial Rooms. This event will be a celebration of our international students and the graduating seniors, complete with food and music! If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Stephen Deduck at stephen.deduck@northern.edu as soon as possible. Due to limited room capacity, once slots fill up, no further guests may attend. The event is open to all!

NSU Greenhouse Plant Sale

The NSU Greenhouse Plant Sale will be Thursday, April 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and Friday, April 30, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. We’re clearing out the greenhouses for the summer! Geraniums, small succulents and other miscellaneous plants are available. Cash or check only.

Annual Enrollment Reminder

Just a reminder for all benefits eligible staff: Annual enrollment for your insurance is right around the corner – May 3-17. You should be receiving regular emails and mailings at home from the South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources regarding the changes to the plans this year. All staff will be required to log into the annual enrollment site in May to enroll in your benefits as your current elections will not roll over due to the significant changes to the plans. Please log into the benefits website here for further information and updates. 

Distinguished Alumni Luncheon

Northern State University’s Distinguished Alumni will be honored at a luncheon at noon Friday, May 7, at the Dakota Event Center. This event is rescheduled from last spring and will honor the 2020 NSU Distinguished Alumni: William Deng, James Hess, James Klein, John Lopez and Joe Senger. To purchase tickets and RSVP for the luncheon, please call the NSU Foundation at 605-626-2550.

Spring Commencement

NSU will hold an in-person spring commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, in the Barnett Center. Guests will be welcome, with each participating graduate receiving four tickets to use for family and friends. Masks will be required per S.D. Board of Regents policy, and attendees will be appropriately spaced throughout the Barnett Center. To accommodate graduates with more than four guests, alternate viewing sites will be made available on campus in the Johnson Fine Arts Center, and commencement will be live-streamed. For loved ones unable to attend, the ceremony will be live streamed through the Northern State University Facebook page, the NSU Graduation and Commencement page, and locally through cable channel 12.

‘Native Soul Art’ Exhibit

Jerry Fogg’s “Native Soul Art: 11 Degrees of Tatanka” will be on display until May 14 in the JFAC Gallery. Jerry Fogg, an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe (Ihanktowan Nakota Sioux Oyate), uses various materials to create unique works of art that tell a story. “Foggma” is the name Fogg has given his distinct mixed media style and approach. Every piece is one-of-a-kind, and never reproduced.

American Indian Circle Program Cultural Education Time

NSU 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 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 spring 2021 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 campus community to come and participate in our monthly Smudge. Everyone is welcome!

Online Tutoring Sessions

The NSU Tutoring Center offers free online sessions to any Northern student for all general education courses and most upper-level courses. The sessions are conducted via 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

Salvation Army College Day

College Day is every Wednesday afternoon at the Salvation Army Community Corps Center (not the Thrift Store), 1003 Sixth Ave S.W. Free food is available from 1 to 5 p.m. Students can bring their own bags, or grocery sacks are available on the donation table. Enter the east side of the building and the receptionist will direct students to the donation table

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.

Name Tag Orders

NSU Communications and Marketing orders name tags for employees once a month. To request a name tag for the next campus-wide order, fill out this online form.

Wolves Athletics

Stay up to date with NSU Wolves news on the athletics webpage.