Hotline // October 28, 2026

President's Column: The Value of Student Voice

By Dr. Allen Burgad, Interim President

We held our first VCSU Student Advisory Council meeting this past week! The council includes a diverse group of ten student leaders representing campus organizations, clubs, academic programs, and extracurricular activities.

During our meeting, I shared with the students that over 100 decisions, some more significant than others, are made daily, weekly, and monthly across our campus, affecting daily operations and long-term outcomes for VCSU students, the campus, and our community. In our thinking, planning, and implementation, we must begin with the “why” and the “purpose.” Without that, it becomes difficult to build the collective will to move it forward. And without that shared will and sense of purpose, we cannot fully leverage the knowledge, skills, and expertise of our faculty, staff, and students to achieve meaningful outcomes.

We also discussed the importance and value of student voice in shaping VCSU’s culture, climate, and future. Our students bring valuable perspectives, ideas, and experiences that help us better understand what we do well and where we can continue to advance. Their voices are an important part of our decision-making and our continued efforts to enhance student experiences and success.

I am grateful to these student leaders for sharing their time and thoughts and helping guide our mission and vision at VCSU. I look forward to learning from their perspectives and working together to continue moving VCSU forward. I would like to thank and recognize our students for serving on the VCSU Student Advisory Council.

VCSU Student Advisory Council Members

Richard Sheppard, Robbie Kastengren, Vanessa Oase, Ahleeya Nicola, Matthew Cruz, Evan Gonzalez, Cooper Monilaws, Peyton Sauter, Savannah Thu, Hayden Wildanen

NDSTA Back at VCSU after 7 Year Hiatus

The North Dakota Science Teachers Association (NDSTA) welcomed nearly 70 science teachers from across the state to VCSU on Saturday, October 24. The theme for the day was “Reconnecting in Science”, as NDSTA is undergoing its revival.

• “Membrane Movers: A Gameboard Instructional Tool for Reinforcing Cell Membrane Transport Concepts” presented by Dr. Angelito Rivera, Mr. Ferdinand Osena, Munich Public School
• Chemistry Labs & Ideas You Might Not Have Tried Yet. Presented by Ryan Bleth, Legacy High School
• Think Like a Scientist Presented by Susan Duffy & Annette Kreft, West Fargo High School
• Lab Waste: What About After the Lab? Presented by Lindsey Kiecker & Dr. Hilde van Gijssel, VCSU
• Planetarium Show Presented by Dr. Teather Sundstrom, VCSU

• North Dakota Space Grant Consortium
• Gateway to Science
• ND Department of Water Quality
• Dakota Science Center
• ND Envirothon
• ND Slingshot
• ND Waterfowl Brigade
• Eco Ed
• ND STEM Ecosystem
• VCSU Graduate Studies
• Prairie Waters

The goal of this conference was to reconnect, and it is apparent that happened throughout the day. NDSTA is excited to continue its growth and support network for K-12 teachers that teach science. A special thank you goes to the planning committee:

• Emily Schaefer, Glenburn Public School
• Ryan Bleth, Legacy High School
• Lindsey Kiecker, VCSU
• Jason Waskiewicz, Bowman County High School
• Ellen Fehr, Director of Prairie Waters VCSU
• JoAnn Schapp, Nedrose High School
• Elizabeth Kelly, Minot North High School

VCSU Students Present at ND EPSCoR Conference, Lorenzo Luchi Places Third in the Undergraduate Poster Competition

Ezekiel Luchi and Lorenzo Luchi, VCSU students and brothers, presented posters at North Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR) Annual Conference in Minot on October 19. Both students are seniors in the Fish and Wildlife Program at VCSU and worked with Andre DeLorme, professor emeritus, in the VCSU Macroinvertebrate Lab on their respective projects. Last spring, both were awarded ND EPSCoR Undergraduate STEM Research Grants. Their projects are part of a three-year effort by the VCSU Macroinvertebrate Lab working with the North Dakota Game and Fish to document aquatic macroinvertebrate species of concern in North Dakota.   

Lorenzo’s poster was titled “Documenting Mussel Populations in North Dakota Rivers”.  His project was to collect and summarize the data on these species of freshwater mussels in North Dakota.  He has photographed exemplary specimens of these mussels from the various sites they have been found and is preparing data into a proper format to submit to online portals that track global species data. The data will be summarized and made available on iNaturalist, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and other online platforms.  

Ezekiel’s poster was titled “Documenting Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) Presence in North Dakota Waters”.  His project was to gather Mayfly distribution data to identify aquatic insect populations for addition to lists of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN). There are currently five species of Mayfly on the SGCN list and eight species on the SGIN list. This information gathered will help identify potential additional candidates for each list, in conjunction with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Collected data will be summarized and made available on online access platforms such as iNaturalist and GBIF. 

In the poster competition they were competing against undergraduate students from UND, NDSU, Minot State, Mayville State, and the Tribal colleges. Lorenzo’s third place finish was an impressive result. 

The ND EPSCoR State Office helps institutions of higher education across the state increase STEM research capacity and competitiveness; works to build a stronger STEM pathway that produces our next generation of workforce, educators, and researchers; and informs North Dakotans about developments in the state’s STEM ecosystem and economy. 

Spanish Day at VCSU

Valley City State University hosted its annual Spanish Day on Wednesday, Oct. 14, welcoming more than 90 high school students from Valley City High School, Central Cass High School and Lisbon High School.

Organized by VCSU’s Language and Literature Department, the event provided students the opportunity to explore the Spanish language and the diverse cultures of Spanish-speaking countries through interactive, hands-on activities.

Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of activities, including a dance workshop, a planetarium experience and a creative workshop where they designed their own masks inspired by Mexican lucha libre. These activities encouraged students to engage with different aspects of Hispanic cultures in an interactive and enjoyable way.

The annual event continues to strengthen connections between VCSU and area high schools while promoting language learning and cultural awareness.

Beebe Presents at Library Conference

Hannah Beebe, research and instruction librarian, attended the North Dakota Library Association conference on Oct. 7-9 in Minot. In collaboration with a librarian from the University of North Dakota, they presented a session titled “Small Changes, Big Impact,” about ways libraries can embrace universal design principles for physical and digital accessibility on a budget. In addition to presenting at the conference, Beebe attended sessions on important topics in librarianship and networked with librarians across the state.

Viking Sports Update

Volleyball
Valley City State dropped two Frontier Conference matches during its Montana road trip, falling in four sets at Carroll College on Oct. 23 before a three-set loss at Rocky Mountain College on Oct. 24. Against Carroll, the Vikings battled through four close sets before falling 27-29, 23-25, 25-21, 23-25. Madysen Geist led VCSU with 11 kills, a .409 hitting percentage and four blocks. Molly Bjorneby added nine kills and a team-high 17 digs, while Eden Carrier also finished with nine kills. Gracie Schumacher recorded 24 assists and 10 digs, and Madden Bogenreif added 18 assists and 12 digs. Six Vikings reached double figures in digs as VCSU totaled 78 digs and 10 service aces. The Vikings fell 15-25, 22-25, 15-25 at Rocky Mountain. Bogenreif paced the offense with nine kills and 16 assists, while Geist added eight kills and Kadie Kocka finished with six. Schumacher
contributed 15 assists, nine digs and two service aces, while Annika Pulju also collected nine digs. VCSU finished the weekend 8-17 overall and 6-12 in conference play.

Cross Country
Valley City State cross country prepared for the Frontier Conference Championships with a trip to the Marauders Tune-Up on Oct. 23 at McDowell Dam in Bismarck, N.D. The Viking women welcomed Frida Barrera back to the lineup after she missed the team’s previous meet in Jamestown. Head coach Greg Keeler also highlighted Billie Maye Pohlkamp and Jaedyn Lura following two strong weeks of practice. On the men’s side, Kole Albers entered the meet coming off Frontier Conference Runner of the Week honors following his performance at the Jimmie Invite. Keeler also pointed to Noah Hamilton-Dixon’s continued development at the collegiate 8,000-meter distance as the Vikings prepared for conference competition.

Football
Valley City State fell 24-3 to Dickinson State on Oct. 24 at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center in Dickinson, N.D. The Blue Hawks built a 14-0 halftime lead before Walker Brondos put the Vikings on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Laggarius Marshell rushed for 65 yards on 13 carries, including a 35-yard run. Simon-Peter Johnson caught two passes for 64 yards, while Tyson Ball finished with four receptions for 37 yards. Brayden Medeiros completed 10 of 25 passes for 129 yards.Gavin Gerhardt, Caleb Torke and Aiden Russell led the defense with eight tackles apiece. Solomon Harris added seven tackles, Lorenzo Luchi recorded six, and Khalil Toney broke up two passes. The Vikings have a bye this week before hosting Montana State-Northern on Nov. 7 at noon at Lokken Stadium.

Men’s Basketball
Valley City State opened its season with an 88-38 victory over Oak Hills Christian College on Oct. 27 at W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse. Four Vikings scored in double figures as VCSU shot 56.1 percent from the field, connected on 12 of 21 attempts from 3-point range and outrebounded the
Wolfpack 47-23. Jaelyn Johnson led the Vikings with 17 points, while Logan Deal added 14 points and nine rebounds. Aiden Hanson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, and Seydou Tamboura recorded a double-double off the bench with 11 points and 12 rebounds. A 17-0 first-half run helped VCSU take control before building a 51-19 halftime lead. Joel Nelson contributed nine points, and the Viking bench accounted for 40 points as VCSU began the season 1-0.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 29: V olleyball at Dickinson State, 7 p.m. (Dickinson, N.D.)
Oct. 30: V olleyball at Bismarck State, 6 p.m. (Bismarck, N.D.)
Oct. 30: Women’s Basketball vs. Concordia University (Neb.), 1 p.m. — Season opener (Corn
Palace, Mitchell, S.D.)
Oct. 30: Men’s Basketball vs. Hastings College, 3 p.m. (Corn Palace, Mitchell, S.D.)
Oct. 31: Women’s Basketball at Dakota Wesleyan, 5:30 p.m. (Mitchell, S.D.)
Oct. 31: Men’s Basketball at Dakota Wesleyan, 7:30 p.m. (Corn Palace, Mitchell, S.D.)
Nov. 3: Women’s Basketball vs. University of Minnesota Morris, 5 p.m. — Home opener (W.E.
Osmon Fieldhouse, Valley City, N.D.)
Nov. 3: Men’s Basketball vs. University of Minnesota Morris, 7 p.m. (W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse,
Valley City, N.D.)

Times are listed as in CT. Live video and statistics links are available at vcsuvikings.com.

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

October 26 – November 6
Mattilyn Nathan Senior Exhibit “Biophilia”, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery
Read more at https://www.vcsu.edu/mattilyn-nathans-senior-exhibit-biophilia-opens-oct-26/

Find out what’s happening at VCSU: https://www.vcsu.edu/news-events/

Find out what’s happening in the community: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/