Hotline // October 19, 2022

VCSU announces Education Days for Tomorrow's Teachers

VCSU is excited to announce the fall Education Days for Tomorrow’s Teachers. These campus visit days are for students and their families interested in pursuing teacher education. The events will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

High school students will be provided an opportunity to attend teacher education classes in session and chat with students who are currently in the program to learn about their innovative programs, organizations and clubs. They will also receive a full campus tour of the facilities, dorms and wellness center.

“Our Education Student Advisory Committee has been remarkable in developing a vision to share their story as an education major at VCSU. Interested high school students and their parents will get a first-hand experience by visiting classrooms, meeting faculty, touring campus and having direct conversations with our VCSU future educators. We want to thank professor Joan Klein, Enrollment Services and our Student Advisory Committee for their planning and efforts in creating this innovative visitation for potential future Vikings,” said Allen Burgad, dean for the School of Education.

Register for a Tomorrow’s Teacher day

VCSU Planetarium presents Norse Sky this Saturday

VCSU’s Planetarium presents Norse Sky on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. The planetarium is located in the Rhoades Science Center Room 309. The show is free and open to the public.

Valley City State University is home to the only planetarium in North Dakota. Our state-of-the-art Rhoades Science Center houses a Spitz 512 planetarium with a 24-foot domed ceiling and 50 reclining seats.

Each semester, VCSU students produce a new show to be used in the Planetarium. Our shows range from basic astronomy to exploring how Lewis and Clark used the night sky to aid in their exploration of North America.

Our planetarium is primarily used to educate area school and community groups but is also used for some classes at VCSU, like Astronomy and Earth Science. With no charge for shows, it’s easy to make the trip to our beautiful campus and have a one-of-a-kind celestial experience.

For more information about the VCSU Planetarium contact Wes Anderson, 701-845-0966.

Crist awarded ‘Staff Member of the Quarter’

Julie Crist, building services, was recently awarded the “Staff Member of the Quarter”.

Her nominations read, in part, “Julie goes above and beyond to keep the VLC looking stellar at all times. Everything she does, she does so that students, staff, and faculty have a work environment that is clean and welcoming. She stops to talk to us each day and is aware and supportive of our personal lives–in my case, she always asks about my son, which is incredibly thoughtful and meaningful to me. She is wonderful in so many ways.”

“Julie cleans 3rd floor McFarland and takes so much pride in her work. On the warmest mornings, she turns on my A/C before I get to work so that my office is a comfortable space to walk into. That is going above and beyond, and it’s appreciated. She does whatever she can to make our lives better and easier.

“Julie shows so much kindness and attention to detail. She cares about the people in her area, and tries hard to know us as people not just offices/spaces to check off on the to-do list. She considers what she can do even before people get into their offices for the day to make things a little more comfortable.”

“Julie is a remarkable person. Not only with her great work ethic but also as a person. She is quick to get something done that has been requested and always with a smile on her face. Julie offers advice when it is asked for and generally cares for staff, faculty, and students as a whole.”

Katuin attends and presents at business conferences

Tammy Katuin, MBA, assistant professor for the department of business, attended the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) 2022 Southern Regional Conference, a two-day conference themed “Building Bridges – Preparing Students for Successful Careers,” held Oct. 6 – 7 in Nashville, Tenn.

Katuin not only attended eight sessions all geared toward the conference theme, but she also gave her own presentation entitled “Power Up Student’s Resumes” that provided several examples of ways she helps students add to their resumes through hands on projects, state-of-the-art simulations, industry recognized certifications, internships, community projects and competitions. 

Katuin also attended her 4th annual ProfCon digital conference for educators held June 15 – 17 with over 60 sessions focused primarily on cutting edge marketing topics for educators.  

Halloween Hike on the North Country Trail in Valley City 

Join the Sheyenne River Valley (SRV) Chapter on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. as they hike 2 miles on the North Country National Scenic Trail in Valley City from Medicine Wheel Park to Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar treat from the SRV Chapter. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Medicine Wheel, hike through the Solar System, cross the VCSU campus and hike over the Sheyenne River on the VCSU Alumni Footbridge and walk up Central Ave (the historic business district). A car shuttle will be provided back to Medicine Wheel Park. Feel free to gather afterward at Brockopp Brewing for a beverage. 

The SRV Chapter is holding a challenge now through August 2023 – by participating in events and getting involved, you have the opportunity to become eligible for prizes. For more information on the SRV Chapter, the North Country Trail, or the SRV Challenge, we encourage you to check out the website or contact members present on VCSU’s campus: Becky Heise, Daryl Heise or Emily Fenster. 

STEM Day at the Bismarck Career Academy 

Clayton Mannie, assistant professor for technology education, and Jason Dockter, technology education chair and Great Plains STEM Education Center coordinator, presented two projects to an estimated 50 students from the Central Regional Area Career and Technical Center (CRACTC) at the Bismarck Career Academy on Thursday, Sept. 15.

All students are from Bismarck and surrounding rural high schools and are all enrolled in an online STEM course provided by the CRACTC. On Sept. 15, they came to Bismarck to pick up course kit materials for their online course and for a day of engineering design challenges directed by VCSU.

In the first challenge, students were tasked with calibrating a prototype prosthetic arm that could launch a ping pong ball. This follows the virtual prosthetic challenge students had already been working on using Whitebox Learning, a software used in VCSU’s F2F Technology 161 and online STEMED 431 courses. The second engineering activity was a Lego Set Rube Goldberg challenge. Students reviewed the engineering design process and how to write design briefs, before working in small teams to complete a 7 to 10 step Rube Goldberg Machine. These two VCSU sponsored workshops allowed online high school STEM students to experience project-based learning in a live face-to-face environment that promoted collaboration and teamwork. 

Flu shot clinic set for Oct. 20

VCSU and City County Health District (CCHD) invites students, employees and family members to get your flu shot and/or updated COVID-19 booster shot on Thursday, Oct. 20. The clinic will be held in the Student Center Skoal Room from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome and no appointment is needed.

Remember, if you have not been vaccinated, it is not too late to start your primary COVID-19 vaccine series! Make an appointment with CCHD to get started or contact Betty Tykwinski at betty.j.tykwinski@vcsu.edu or 701-845-7305 with any questions you may have.

VCSU Art Gallery presents Kiowa Six

The VCSU Art Gallery in collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion presents art prints created by the Kiowa Six, a portion of VCSU’s permanent collection. The show is on display now through Nov. 4.

These Indigenous artworks were a part of a project initiated in 1928 by Oscar Brousse Jacobson, director of the art school, University of Oklahoma. Each work created by the Kiowa Six represents costumes, symbols and legends from the Indigenous culture of the 30 prints displayed in the art gallery.

The VCSU Art Gallery is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Viking Sports Update

Football
Oct. 15: VCSU 32, Iowa Wesleyan 0
Viking Football dominated a 32-0 shutout victory on Saturday, defeating Iowa Wesleyan for their first conference win of the the season. The Vikings are now 2-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Volleyball
Oct. 12: University of Jamestown 3, VCSU 0
Viking Volleyball (8-13, 3-5 NSAA) resumes conference play this weekend with road matches at Bellevue University (Friday) and Dakota State (Saturday). 

Cross Country
Viking Cross Country travels to Bismarck on Friday for the Mystic-Marauder Invite hosted by the University of Mary and Bismarck State. Racing begins at 3 p.m.

Basketball
The Valley City State University basketball teams are rapidly approaching the 2022-23 season openers. The VCSU men host Northwestern College and Dordt University on Oct. 28-29, while the Viking women host Providence College on Oct. 29-30.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 21: Cross Country at Bismarck, 3 p.m.
Oct. 21: Volleyball at Bellevue University, 6 p.m.
Oct. 22: Football at Waldorf University, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22: Volleyball at Dakota State University, 2 p.m.

What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...

Find out what’s happening in the community on the Valley City Community Calendar: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/

This Week

October 20
4 – 6 p.m. VCSU Greenhouse presents Farmer’s Market Plant Sale, Farmer’s Market (250 West Main St)
Over 150 succulents, cacti and leafy plants available, grown right here in Valley City! Plants range from $4 – $10. For more information, contact Liberty Cleveland.
5 – 7 p.m. Here & Now Walk (ending domestic violence in our community), Chautauqua Park
7:15 p.m. Halloween Movie at the Rec (Scooby Doo)

October 22
1:00 p.m. October’s Free Public Planetarium Show (Norse Sky), Rhoades Science Center Room 309

Save the Date

October 26
6 p.m. Halloween Hike on the NCT, meet at Medicine Wheel

October 28
6 p.m. – midnight Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

October 29
6 p.m. – midnight Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

October 30
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

Community Club meetings

• Valley City Community Band – every Thursday, VCSU Center for the Arts Room 171 (Find out more about the community band: https://www.newsdakota.com/2022/09/08/area-music-teacher-rekindles-valley-city-community-band/)
• Kiwanis – Wednesdays at noon, Valley City Town & Country Club
• Optimist Club – Thursdays at 7:00 a.m., Vicky’s Viking Room
• Rotary Club – Tuesdays at noon, VCSU
• Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals – 2nd Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., Our Saviors Lutheran Church
• Barnes County Wildlife Federation – 2nd Wednesday of the month
• Grief Journeys for Adults Support Group – meet virtually, call Hospice at 701-845-1781 to take part

Go to https://www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.