ABERDEEN, S.D. – Mason Winship has always loved to hunt, and continuing that pastime as a college student has been made easier thanks to the brand new game-cleaning room at Northern State University.
“It’s really nice to have that for students that are not from around here,” said Winship, a freshman baseball player from Reno, Nevada.
The game-cleaning room is located on the first floor of the new Great Plains West residence hall, where Winship lives. A freshman baseball player from Reno, Nevada, Winship has used the room three or four times already to clean geese and ducks.
Any Northern student is eligible to use the room, Winship said, though they first must sign a form agreeing to clean the room after each use. Then they simply swipe their student ID card to gain access to the room.
With pheasant season now underway, “I’m sure it’ll get used a lot more,” said NSU freshman Collin Stoebner, a hunter who said he plans to use the game-cleaning room as well.
NSU Residence Life Area Coordinator Katie Cochran said 20 waivers have been given to students interested in using the game-cleaning room, with most of those waivers being submitted in the last two weeks.
“I definitely think that pheasant season coming up was a big incentive for signing up to utilize the room—and I think we will continue to see students utilize it with hunting season continuing,” Cochran said.
Winship said when he toured Northern, the new residence hall wasn’t built yet, but he heard there would be a game-cleaning room. While it wasn’t the reason he came to Northern, “It’s just one of those nice things that’s a plus.”
Both Winship and Stoebner, who is from Aberdeen, said this type of room is a unique feature not found in many other universities.
“When I heard about it, I thought it was pretty cool,” Stoebner said.
It’s the sort of offering that sets the university apart, said NSU Director of Residence Life Marty Sabolo. Other unique features new to Northern include a Papa John’s Pizza and Provisions on Demand convenience store, both located in Northern’s other new residence hall, Great Plains East.
To learn more about living on campus at Northern State University, visit NSU Residence Life.
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a regional university that offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. Northern State recently announced its Educational Impact Campaign, with a goal of raising $45 million for a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, new athletic and recreation fields, and an on-campus regional sports complex. Once the campaign is complete, NSU will be the recipient of more than $100 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.