Broadcaster Press 3 January 17, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com USD Students Tackle Social Issues On Volunteer Trips As a college student, spending a day playing with dogs at an animal shelter is a great stress reliever; knowing you are doing service work to benefit the community makes it even more valuable. It’s one of the many reasons Jenny Welu became involved with the University of South Dakota’s Alternative Week of Off-campus Learning (AWOL). "I thought it sounded like a great way to meet new people and experience new things," said Welu, who volunteered for a weekend at a local animal shelter. "I ended up loving it. AWOL gave me an experience I wouldn't happen upon in everyday life. I immersed myself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by people I didn't know, and I was glad I did." AWOL was founded at USD in 2004. The program focuses on service-learning, meaning students learn about social issues facing the country and the world while doing service work. Participants are provided with basic education about site-specific issues prior to the trip, learn about those issues through first-hand experiences on the trip and are challenged to synthesize their experiences afterward. Service trips are taken on weekends throughout the year and over winter, spring and summer breaks. Kim Albracht, AWOL advisor at the University of South Dakota, said the program broadens horizons. "Our student leaders make really great opportunities happen at USD that help expose their peers to service-learning. These are experiences that broaden participants' perspectives on social issues and how to drive change by making community involvement a priority in their life choices." This winter break, 85 USD students participated in the eight different trips, with each focusing on a different social issue, including: •Urban poverty in Kansas City, Missouri •Health and food insecurity in Charlotte, North Carolina •LGBTQ advocacy in Jacksonville, Florida •Housing in San Raymundo, Guatemala •Environment and animal protection in New Orleans, Louisiana •Homelessness in Detroit, Michigan •Education in Chicago, Illinois •Suicide prevention in Missoula, Montana USD senior Rachel Johannsen has participated in AWOL since her freshman year. She participated in two different service trips before leading her first trip last year. This winter break she was co-leader the trip to Jacksonville, Florida focusing on LGBTQ+ advocacy. "I'm excited to make a difference throughout the city and spread love," Johannsen said. "I'm excited to fight back against the hate that is spreading throughout the entire country. I care deeply about this social issue and I’m excited to be able to teach my participants about it and to further their understanding of why it matters even if they aren't necessarily a part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves. It gives students the opportunity to gain a new perspective by travelling to a new place, learning about social issues and then taking what they've learned to bring it back to South Dakota." Housed in the Center for Academic Engagement and Global Engagement, AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning) offers students the opportunity to combine community service with education during academic breaks. Prior to departure, students participate in six weeks of educational training. By utilizing experiences and education, AWOL enables students to become active citizens whose community becomes a priority in their everyday life and provides them with avenues for continued community involvement and learning. USD Addiction Studies Program Announces Perfect Licensure/Certification Pass Rate for Recent Grads The Department of Addiction Studies at the University of South Dakota says program graduates have achieved a 100 percent pass rate for licenses and certifications. “All 15 of our graduates from the past two years have passed the national exam administered by the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals,” said Frank Zavadil, chair of the department. For more than 40 years USD’s Department of Addiction Studies has been a national leader in preparing competent substance abuse professionals. The department is the only addiction studies program in South Dakota that is accredited through the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission. Carlson Places Second At West Central Regional MTNA Competition Dana Carlson, graduate student in vocal performance from Somerset, Wisconsin, placed second at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) West Central Regional competition Jan. 6-8 in Boulder, Colorado. Performing a 30-minute musical program in front of a three judge panel, Carlson competed against students from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Professor Susan Keith Gray served as pianist for the competition. “Dana is a very talented and extremely motivated young lady,” said Professor Tracelyn Gesteland, who mentors Carlson in voice studies. “She is a major asset to our program and is completely deserving of this recognition. I am incredibly proud of her and the work she’s done.” Carlson previously won the South Dakota MTNA competition qualifying her to the regional competition. Selected as an alternate, Carlson would perform in the national competition in Baltimore, Maryland, if the first place finisher is unable to attend. We’re all ears. Your opinion is something we always want to hear. Questions? Call, write us or contact Comments? us via e-mail and let us Story Ideas? know how we are doing. Buying, Selling or Renting connect with area landlords, renters, home buyers and home sellers with the Broadcaster classifieds! Amazon’s Big Step In The Right Direction By Gov. Dennis Daugaard: South Dakota is a state with a low tax burden. We are one of only seven states without a personal income tax. We also have no corporate income tax, no business inventory tax, no personal property tax and no inheritance tax. People who live here get to keep more of their earnings. We are a state that instead relies on a sales tax. Unfortunately, sales tax revenues have been below projections every month of the current fiscal year, which began in July. The farm economy is one reason for weakness in the sales tax. Another reason is the continued growth of online sales. Online spending in the United States has grown more than 12 percent each year for the past seven years. Under current federal law, an online retailer is not required to collect and remit sales tax unless they have a physical presence in South Dakota. If you buy a new iPad at your local retailer, you pay the sales tax. If you buy it online at BestBuy.com or WalMart.com, you pay the sales tax, because those businesses have retail operations in South Dakota. But if you buy your iPad from TigerDirect.com, you don’t pay sales tax – simply because Tiger Direct has no warehouse or other physical location in South Dakota. Thus the burden to pay the tax falls upon the individual purchaser, and in most cases, those sales do not get reported. We have been actively addressing this issue for years, but most recently in the Make Each Day Count By Nikki Prosch SDSU Extension Health & Physical Activity Field Specialist Too often, individuals don’t take time to invest in the importance of good nutrition and exercise for their bodies. Many take their health for granted. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a realization or diagnosis of bad health or a health condition for the behavior changes to start. Important information about dietary guidelines, physical activity guidelines and SMART goal setting have all been discussed in prior articles. However, even with this information in your health knowledge toolbox, living a healthy lifestyle comes down to everyday decisions. Will I ride my bike to work today or drive the eight blocks? Should I make some homemade lasagna or stop and grab something at the drive-thru for lunch? Should I walk for 15 minutes during my morning break or enjoy my regular cup of coffee? Should I purchase some strawberries or my favorite potato chips at the grocery store? The list of decisions made each day goes on and on. Overcoming Barriers One of the first steps in making healthy choices each day is realizing the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and truly making a behavior change. If you have a major barrier preventing you from living a healthy lifestyle, try one of the tips below for overcoming a few common barriers. Dakota Territory Gun Collectors GUN SHOW Sat., Jan. 28th 9am - 5pm Sun., Jan. 29th 9am - 3pm BUY • SELL• TRADE Admission BE SMART. Scan our QR code with your smart phone and discover the Broadcaster Online! 201 W Cherry Vermillion 624-4429 Time One of the biggest, most frequent barriers expressed. To overcome this barrier, it takes true honesty and assessment of your normal routine. Try tracking your everyday life and decisions, identify time slots where physical activity or other health enhancing activities could be incorporated (i.e. can you walk during work breaks, while you play with your children, 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after work?). As far as food preparation, assess whether time is the true barrier to preparing a healthy meal. Some simple, healthy meals take very little time to prepare. For easy recipes and tips, visit Quick & Healthy Recipes or stay up to date with Stirring Up Quick & Healthy. Try planning meals ahead of time; this can save families time and also expenses on food purchasing. Access Access to fitness centers, grocery stores, health facilities and other healthy living resources may be scarce or unavailable in your community. Although it might seem like this is a barrier you can’t overcome, try thinking creatively and advocating for change. Can you work out in your house, at a local school or church or can you create a walking club? Can you plant your own garden or start a community garden? Can you try purchasing more frozen and canned fruit and vegetables? Can you advocate for development, policies or ac- cess to exercise amenities? Can you start a community coalition to help improve access and education about these issues? Too tired “I’m too tired to prepare a full meal or do any type of activity.” If tiredness is a common barrier for your health decisions, think about assessing your sleep routine to improve your health. Sleep may be the component to solve your healthy living barriers. For tips to improve your sleep and the role it plays in your mental function, read Brain Health: Sleep and Mental Rest. Social Influences We eat for pleasure, entertainment, when we are bored, socially and for many other reasons. Additionally, individuals you surround yourself with may be influencing your activity levels, both good and bad. Assess how your social environment is influencing your health behaviors and target areas where easy changes could be made. For example, could you replace a regular dinner date with a walking date once or twice a month? Awhile back, I heard a saying that has stuck with me over the years, “It’s easy to lose weight, which is why most fad diets out there often work. The hard part is keeping the weight off and truly changing your normal behaviors for lifelong health. - See more at: http:// igrow.org/healthy-families/ health-and-wellness/makeeach-day-count/#sthash. e5r85av0.dpuf Turn Yo ur Clu tter i nto Cash! Easton Archery Center, E. Hwy. 50, Yankton $ 201 W. Cherry •Vermillion, SD 57069 605-624-4429 • classifieds@plaintalk.net 2016 Legislative Session, the Legislature passed and I signed Senate Bill 106. This legislation requires remote sellers with no physical location in South Dakota to collect and remit sales tax on online purchases. Our South Dakota legislation deliberately conflicts with federal law, to prompt litigation now working its way through the courts. This is not a new tax. It is an issue of tax uniformity. If South Dakota retailers must collect sales taxes, their online competitors should as well. The Department of Revenue has been reaching out to many online retailers to encourage them to remit sales tax. Thanks to the Department’s efforts, 101 online businesses without a physical presence in our state are voluntarily collecting sales tax from their customers and remitting those dollars. In my State of the State Address, I announced that the state has reached an agreement with Amazon to collect and remit state and local sales taxes in South Dakota. Amazon will begin collecting sales taxes on Feb. 1 and remitting those dollars beginning in late March. Amazon is a leading online merchant, growing every year by double digits. Amazon’s decision to collect sales tax doesn’t solve the sales tax issue for online purchases, but it’s a big step in the right direction – for our state and our local businesses. I hope other online companies will follow Amazon’s lead. 5.00 Advertise your Garage Sale to thousands of readers! 624-4429 WELL MADE TO BE orn Well W Concessions Available DALESBURG LUTHERAN CEMETERY, INC. Annual Meeting MON., JANUARY 23 @ 7:00 P.M. Dalesburg Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall (Snow Date: Mon., Jan. 30) boston shoes to boots footwear experts since 1915 312 W 3rd Street | Downtown Yankton | 605.665.9092 Tip Top Cleaners Residential, Commercial and New Construction If you need help getting your place in Tip Top shape, please set up an appointment for some very detailed cleaning. Call 605-251-1898 or 605-661-5026 References available