Broadcaster Press 03 December 11, 2012 www.broadcasteronline.com COMMUNITY CALENDAR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 • Parade of Lights, Downtown Vermillion at 6:30 p.m. • Brown Bag Lunch program, “Holiday Brass,” at 12:05 p.m. at the National Music Museum located on USD campus, corner of Clark and Yale streets. Free and open to the public. • Hospital Auxiliary Meeting at 1:30 p.m. at Sanford Vermillion Board Room, 20 S. Plum (administrative entrance). • Holiday Open House at LumoStudios & Gallery, 2 East Main Street, from 12:30-9 p.m. Check us out at www.lumostudios.com. • Music Recital: USD’s Truran piano scholars present a fall recital at 7:30 p.m. in Colton Recital Hall, Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Open to the public at no charge. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 • Overeaters Anonymous at 9 a.m. Location: Sanford Vermillion Medical Center, 20 S. Plum St., administration entrance just south of the hospital entrance in the board room. Overeaters Anonymous is a 12-step program for people with eating disorders and struggles. • 35th annual Celebration of the St. Lucia Tradition at Dalesburg Lutheran Church, at 3 p.m. Located north of Vermillion at 30595 University Rd. • Clay County Historical Society is sponsoring “Sweets ‘n Treats Cookie Walk” at the AustinWhittemore House, 15 Austin St., from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Choose your holiday treats from a multitude of selections. House will be decorated for your pleasure. • Holiday Open House at LumoStudios & Gallery, 2 East Main Street, from 12:30-5:30 p.m. Check us out at www.lumostudios.com. • ACT Test, at Vermillion High School. • Debate: Central Forensics Conference at Sioux Falls Roosevelt. • Music Recital: Russ Garry presents his senior tuba recital, at 2 p.m. at Colton Recital Hall, Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Open to the public at no charge. • Music Recital: Kiley Coyne, Senior Clarinet and Nicole Chlipala, Junior Flute, presents a public recital, at 4 p.m. at Colton Recital Hall, Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Open to the public at no charge. • Music Recital: USD senior Devin Patrick, mezzo soprano and junior Jared Mogen, baritone, present their voice recital, at 7 p.m. at Colton Recital Hall, Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Open to the public at no charge. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 • Holiday Concert: USD’s Department of Music presents their annual Holiday Concert, at 3 p.m. at Slagle Hall Aalfs Auditorium. The $5 price for adults support USD Music Scholarships Funds. Free to children under 12 and any student with an ID from their school. New Student Veterans Resource Center Opens on USD Campus BY TRAVIS GULBRANDSON travis.gulbrandson@plaintalk.ne It has only been a few weeks, but since the new Student Veterans Resource Center opened on the USD campus, it has rarely been empty. “It’s rare that I’m the only one here studying,” said Eric Gage, former president of the USD Veterans Club. “This room is probably one of the biggest deals for veterans on campus that I can think of.” Located at the Temporary Student Center, the room had its official ribbon-cutting Nov. 13 and offers student veterans a venue to study, interact or just take a break between classes. “Veterans can come and do their homework, print off a study guide, have a cup of coffee, get benefit information and just feel safe and belong,” Gage said. “It’s quiet here, and everybody here is in this room for a reason. It’s not that we’re trying to segregate ourselves from everybody else, but in a common space it can be very loud. It’s very uncomfortable, and veterans don’t like to be in crowds. “We each have our own unique needs and things we have to deal with, and in this room, it’s safe,” he said. If a student veteran has gone there once, they most likely will be there again – and often – Gage said. “Everybody is welcome,” he said. “Even if it’s somebody you’ve never met before, you strike up a conversation because you know you have things in common with that person.” USD’s veterans coordinator Jason Dean said the acquisition of the room is the culmination of Spotlight On 10 years of work in assisting the university in the implementation of other veteran-related programs. The first of these was the reestablishment of the USD Veterans Club in 2004, which helped veterans to increase their on-campus visibility. Further advances were made when Dean was installed in his current position less than two years ago. “In my office, students come in, and if they’re eligible for benefits I help them along to file applications, to fill out the necessary paperwork, to get the information that they need in order to get their GI Bill benefits rolling,” he said. Justin Smith, project director for the Fides Grant, said Dean’s role is a big one. “Before, there would be just somebody in the registrar’s office would handle veterans’ benefits, and every year or two, whoever did it would change. So there was very little consistency,” Smith said. “When we got (Dean) into that job … that was a huge success on campus. “We didn’t even realize what a big deal it was at the time. But once that happened, the campus as a whole now had somebody to go to with veterans’ things,” he said. “Before, sometimes a veteran’s issue ONLINE ONLY UNRESERVED AUCTION www.bigiron.com Wednesday, December 19, 2012 First Lots Scheduled to Close at 10:00 AM Central Time NO BUYERS PREMIUM FEE & NO RESERVES!! 451 LOTS SELLING 8 Combines, 22 Tractors, 3 Wheel Loaders, 4 Backhoes, 3 Motorgraders, 2 Skid Steers, 6 Semi Tractors, 12 Straight Trucks, 2 Digger Trucks, 6 Dump Trucks, 5 Planters, 2 Sprayers, Tillage Equipment, Trailers, and much more! The next BigIron.com auction is on December 26!! Do you have equipment to sell, call your local rep today, 1-800-937-3558 DEADLINES Classified Ads: Friday at Noon Display Ads: Friday at 11AM 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion, SD 57069 • 605-624-4429 Guest Commentary: Ready for winter By Rep. Kristi Noem would end up at the dean’s office, the registrar’s office or ROTC, or in the veterans club’s hands.” USD’s Soldiers, Veterans and Dependants Committee is another was the school has kept a tab on the student veterans’ needs. “All the movers and shakers on campus have a role in the committee,” Dean said. “When we talk about veterans issues, we want to know how it relates to your particular part of campus, so if we’re talking about rolling out a program for benefits, we want to see how that affects academic services, we want to see how it affects financial aid in the business office. “So, those people are all part of the committee to make sure that there’s not just one office trying to implement new programs without seeing every possible scenario,” he said. With the opening of the resource center, it should be even easier to coordinate the various programs and investigate potential issues. “It’s meant to be a onestop shop,” Dean said. “Our program serves as a bridge between cultural understanding about the military culture and campus culture,” Smith added. “They’re very different. The military culture is very hierarchical, people know where everything is and can find it very easily, and on campus it’s more diffuse.” “Sometimes troops just want to have that military structure on a campus, as well,” Dean said. For more information about the USD Student Veterans Resource Center, contact the Veterans Services Office at (605) 677-8833 or veterans@usd.edu or visit www.usd.edu/veterans. – An expanded version of this story will appear in the next edition of the Vermillion Plain Talk. BigIron.com is a division of Stock Auction Company As South Dakotans, we know all too well just how cold it can get here in the Great Plains during the winter months. Before the first major snowfall of the year, it’s important to take the time to make sure our families, homes and vehicles are prepared for the winter season. Organizations like the American Red Cross and the National Weather Service encourage South Dakotans to have winter weather supply kits in vehicles, as well as the home. This kit should include water, nonperishable food, a shovel, battery-powered radio, a flashlight, warm clothing and blankets, medication and emergency contact information, among other items. The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management has published a 2012 Winter Weather Preparedness Guide. To read it, visit www.oem.sd.gov. Our family has a NOAA Weather Radio, which alerts us of any potential weather threats. The weather radio warns of approaching strong winds, severe wind chills and blizzards. I would encourage people to take action to ensure they’re aware of potential weather threats, whether through the use of a radio like the one our family uses or through other means. In addition to compiling a winter weather supply kit, South Dakotans should ensure that all vehicles are winterized and that the gas tank is full to prevent the fuel line from freezing. The Red Cross also encourages homeowners to maintain heating equipment on an annual basis. So before Santa makes his way down the chimney, make sure to have the fireplace and furnace cleaned and inspected by a professional. Many communities across South Dakota are sponsoring coat drives, where individuals can donate old or extra winter coats for those who are in need. For example, Kidzn-Coats is a program that donates winter coats to children in the Sioux Falls area. Holiday Early Deadlines January 1st Edition Deadline is Thursday, Dec. 27th at 11 a.m. INDOOR STORAGE RENT/LEASE South Hwy. 81, Norfolk. Former Arkfeld Manufacturing building The Broadcaster/Plain Talk offices will be closing at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31st and closed all day Tuesday, Jan. 1st. Hurry Only 25,000! sq remaining . ft. Happy Holidays from all of us at the... Broadcaster Press Contact Brian 402-598-0642 88972