South Dakota State University
EN-3: Student Life

SDSU has a variety of sustainability focused and sustainability-related clubs. Most directly related is the the Sustainability Club. The Sustainability Club envisions and supports a prosperous, equitable, sustainable, and ecologically healthy campus community at South Dakota State University. The Sustainability Club collects, evaluates, and disseminates information and tools to increase the understanding of sustainability and its relevance to the South Dakota State University campus and surrounding community.

There are many other clubs at SDSU that are related to sustainability including but not limited to the ecology club and geography club.

The South Dakota State University Local Foods Education Center is a novel approach to addressing food insecurity in South Dakota. The 1.2 acre outdoor classroom is located on Medary Avenue on the northern edge of the SDSU campus, and an additional 2.5 acre satellite farm located 1/2 mile directly east of the LFEC was added in spring of 2020. It is fully dedicated to student and public teaching and learning, emphasizing hands-on field experience with small-scale food production and distribution practices.

The Local Foods Education Center is based on a foundation of student learning, ecosystem sustainability, and consumer access to a safe and stable food supply. There is increased public awareness of the source of the food we eat and the reliability of its safety. These are highly emotional issues for today’s consumers and are drivers of change. That is why local foods production has become a core of our horticulture curriculum.

Consumer demand for food that is locally produced, marketed, and consumed is generating increased interest throughout the United States. As interest grows, so do questions about modern production techniques and best management practices. Consumers who prefer locally grown food also care that it is grown in an environmentally acceptable manner. Students who use the Local Foods Education Center will learn organic production techniques, low-volume irrigation, and it will include habitat to support bees and butterflies.

FY20
The Natural Resource Management department, by nature, looks at the maintenance and repair of ecosystems and natural resources. So all speakers they have is linked to the overarching concept of sustainability. Some speakers are internal and some are open to the public.

The Geography Department hosts a conference every spring. Usually one or two of the speakers relate to sustainability. https://www.sdstate.edu/geography-and-geospatial-sciences/geography-convention

FY21
The Sustainability Specialist hosted a virtual lecture connecting the dots between COVID, climate change, and social equity. The session was directed towards faculty, but was open to students and staff as well.

The Department of Natural Resource Management will have various guest speakers in multiple classes. Some speakers are sustainability related.

FY22
Sustainability Specialist: HMGT455 (Advanced Events and Facilities Administration class) collaborated with the Sustainability Specialist to host an Earth Day Event. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of sustainability among SDSU students, faculty and staff, and educate them about the university sustainability efforts and resources. The goal was to get them involved in sustainability practices in their daily lives. The event consisted of 12 interactive sustainability-themed booths and 2 presentations.

Booths
1. Registration table – participants handed scavenger hunt card
2. Sign SDSU sustainability pledge
3. Bike blended smoothies
4. Sustainability trivia with Kahoot
5. Prize drawing for attendees who donates (prize from local vendors)
6. Recycling challenge – toss trash/recycling items into right bin.
7. Bring your own mug to get free coffee from Koolbean
8. Plant station. Make, design a pot and grow plant. (gardening at home)
9. Carbon Footprint calculator - https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
10. Donating clothing and book swap
11. Organic food tasting (Done by uptown sauce)
12. Native plant initiative

Presentations: zero-waste lifestyle panel discussion and agricultural/food workshop

The Campus/Community Common Read was "What the Eyes Don't See" by Mona Hanna-Attisha, which is about the Flint, MI water crisis. There was a series of speakers through the semester including panels with the water protectors and the science of governance of drinking water and speakers talking about healthcare access and environmental decisions.

FY20

The Office of Multicultural Affairs also hosts several events a year centered around cultural and diversity.
o The Tunnel of Oppression is a live exhibit that showcases different groups encountering oppression. Visiting the showcase gives attendees a firsthand experience of what it is like to experience oppression.
o Step Show - militarized dance showing school spirit & historical connection. SDSU has both a ladies and men's step team
o Black History Month - events during February to recognize & highlight about the history of black people in the US. There are various events throughout the month including comedy shows, step show, workshops about the culture, speakers, and more.
o Hispanic Heritage Month - events recognize & highlight the history of Hispanic people in the US. There are various events throughout the month including cultural movies, performances on historical dances, educational panels, speakers, and discussion on immigration.
o In the fall of 2019, the office hosted a discussion around employment and promotion for people with disabilities in the workplace.

The American Indian Student Center (AISC) hosts many events with cultural significance:
o Wacipi (Powwow) - An annual cultural event co-hosted each spring by the American Indian Student Center and American Indian Student Association that provides an opportunity for SDState faculty, staff and students and the Brookings community to come together to celebrate Native culture, song and dance. The annual Wacipi hosts drum groups and dancers.
o Beading Circle
o Drumming Circle
o Teaching traditional crafts
o American Indian Heritage Month.
o Oyate Yuwitaya Tipi (OYT) Living Learning Community Traditional Hand Games - An evening of fun as students, staff and faculty learn how to play traditional hand games in the OYT residence hall. Hand games can be described as a guessing game and is relatively simple to understand. The goal of the game is to win all of the sticks from your opponent by distracting the opposing team while they are guessing.
o Movie Screenings - AISC collaborates with the New Student Orientation office to host an annual movie screening during Native American Heritage Month. AISC also screens documentaries in conjunction with guest speakers or conferences we host on campus throughout the year.
o Wahanpi Wednesday - "Wahanpi" is the D/N/Lakota word for soup. Students enjoy a free homemade bowl of soup while checking in with the AISC staff and spending time with other Native students.
o Artist in Residence - The newest AISC program (spring 2019) will feature a Native artist and is open to artists practicing various forms of art. Artists will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and advance the understanding of art from an Indigenous perspective. Artists will give classroom presentations (limited due to schedule) and one campus presentation during the 2-3 day program.

The Veterans Affairs Office hosts disabilities panel of military students who have disabilities and are still attending classes and how they have navigated school with disabilities. Veteran Affairs hosted the Disabled American Veterans for a informational program for military students with disabilities. Veteran Affairs also hosts Hall of Heroes to showcase military fallen from South Dakota. A few had brothers and sisters here on campus.

In the summer/fall of 2019 the South Dakota Art Museum exhibited a collection of works by Lakota children's book author/illustrator S.D. Nelson alongside a retrospective exhibition the museum organized entitled "A Life’s Work: Paul Goble Illustrations of American Indian Stories," with accompanying talks by S.D. Nelson and Paul Goble's biographer Dr. Gregory Bryan. S.D. Nelson donated all of his works in the exhibition to the museum to be preserved for future generations. In the summer/fall the SD Art Museum also hosted an exhibition of works by Laura Heit that addressed natural disasters and the role of humanity in ecological/environmental sustainability.

In the fall/winter of 2019/2020 the museum hosted a large series of exhibitions and events/programming specifically speaking to social justice issues. Links below provide additional information on all of these exhibitions/events/programming. The museum hosted a talk by Cole Redhorse Jacobsen as a part of the Northern Plains Indian Art Market and continue to work with the Center for American Indian Research and Natives Studies on K-12 curriculum development connected to Oceti Sakowin history and culture as it pertains to the annual art exhibitions, through a $25,000 NEA grant. The SD Art Museum also acquired artworks by important Dakota and Lakota artists (Oscar Howe, Keith Braveheart), worked with a Lakota museum specialist to complete a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) review of a new collection of traditional beadworks and quillwork.

https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2019/09/sd-nelson-and-gregory-bryan-speak-south-dakota-art-museum
https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-art-museum/exhibit/laura-heit-two-ways-down
https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2019/11/south-dakota-art-museum-exhibits-encourage-empathy
https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2019/09/cole-redhorse-jacobson-speak-thursday-south-dakota-art-museum

FY21
The start of National program Team Red White Blue and created the SDState Chapter, first collegiate chapter is targeted toward students for physical health and wellness. Warrior Wellness Week targeted students for overall mental and physical health that is targeted toward overall health and wellness of students.

The Art Museum hosts a variety of visual art exhibitions, lectures, artist talks, family events, and other activities throughout the year related to sustainability. During the summer 2021, we participated in outreach at Downtown at Sundown, encouraging visitors to create art with some recycled materials - students here for the summer participated as visitors and as staff and an SDSU summer intern helped develop activities. During the fall of 2021, the South Dakota Art Museum instituted the #jacksculturecrawl. Partnering with other cultural institutions on campus (McCrory Gardens, Ag Museum, and the American Indian Cultural Center), the Art Museum hosted a variety of activities as part of this inaugural event that encouraged walking to each of these participating institutions in one evening. Also notable is the exhibition "11 Degrees of Tatanka" by Dakota artist Jerry Fogg which opened in November 2021 and shares how the American bison, or buffalo, who, through the sacrifice of his body, has sustained the body and spirit of generations of Oceti Sakowin people. Giving not just food, shelter, and clothing, the body of tatanka is used to create the artworks that keep oral traditions alive and provide a bridge from the past to the present to the future. Jerry provided two corresponding artist talks offered both in-person and virtually in November. Jerry also took time to visit with specific classes and the Museum sent out invitations to several classes to encourage student participation for his gallery talks.

'The Office of Multicultural Affairs also hosts several events a year centered around culture and diversity.
o The Tunnel of Oppression is a live exhibit that showcases different groups encountering oppression. Visiting the showcase gives attendees a firsthand experience of what it is like to experience oppression.
o Step Show - militarized dance showing school spirit & historical connection.
o Black History Month - events during February to recognize & highlight about the history of black people in the US. There are various events throughout the month including comedy shows, step show, workshops about the culture, speakers, and more.
o Hispanic Heritage Month - events recognize & highlight the history of Hispanic people in the US. There are various events throughout the month including cultural movies, performances on historical dances, educational panels, speakers, and discussion on immigration.
o Disability Justice session - session explored the past and present nexus between racism, classism, ableism, and structural inequity. -- Build Your Own Brand series - multiple events were incorporated into this series focused on professionalism based on personal representation.
o The Latin American Student Association brought "VANG: A Drama about Recent Immigrant Farmers" to SDSU. Vang documents the journeys of four recent immigrant couples as they make farming a part of their daily lives. Based on true stories woven together by Iowa Poet Laureate, Mary Swander, Vang is a story about survival and the deep desire to return to the land.

FY22
The Art Museum hosts a variety of visual art exhibitions, lecturers, artist talks, family events, and other activities throughout the year related to sustainability. During July and August 2021, we participated in outreach at Downtown at Downtown at Sundown, encouraging visitors to create art with some recycled materials-students here for the summer participated as visitors and as staff and an SDSU summer intern helped design activities. During the fall of 2021, South Dakota Art Museum instituted the #jacksculturecrawl. Partnering with other cultural institutions on campus(McCrory Gardens, Ag Museum, and the American Indian Cultural Center), the Art Museum hosted a variety of activities as part of its inaugural event that encouraged walking to each of these participants in one evening. Also notable is the exhibition '11 degrees of Tatanka' by Dakota Artist Jerry Fog which opened in November 2021 and shares how the American bison or buffalo who through the sacrifice of his body has sustained the body and spirit of generations of Oceti Sakowin people. Giving not just food, shelter, and clothing, the body of Tatanka is used to create the art works that keep oral traditions alive and provide a bridge from the past to the present into the future. Jerry provided two corresponding artist talks offered both in-person and virtually in November. Jerry also took time to visit with specific classes to encourage student participation for his gallery talks. Finally, in June 2022, the museum instituted the Anderson plaza summer performance series, free concerts held outdoors on the Anderson Plaza and Campus Green, building community and the campus to spend time outdoors.

The Sustainability Specialist participated in the Office of Multicultural Affairs' Tunnel of Oppression event. The goal of the booth was to show that climate change affects everyone but has the biggest impacts on people of color or low-income individuals/families and that having environmentally and socially just policies and practices can benefit everyone. This was done through an activity where participants randomly selected a scenario card that gave them their housing, occupation, health status, and access to various resources. A natural disaster was then randomly selected and participants were asked how they would handle the situation given their scenario. Afterwards, participants were given a set of actions to help mitigate climate change impact disparities. Participants placed the actions into one of three piles – actions they already do, actions they are willing to do now or in their future career, and actions they are not willing/able to take.

The American Indian Student Association hosted the Wacipi in spring 2022.

The Outdoor Program at the Miller Wellness Center is a comprehensive outdoor recreation program dedicated to providing the students and community affiliates of South Dakota State University an outlet to get involved with the numerous, incredible outdoor opportunities at the SDState Wellness Center and within South Dakota and its neighboring states.

The Outdoor Program oversees the climbing wall at the Miller Wellness Center as well as the outdoor clinics and gear rentals. Each of these programs are designed to help students and community members to get outdoors in a safe and impactful manner that focuses on the development of outdoor-related skills and a love for experiencing the outdoors in an exciting and sustainable manner.

Programs hosted included: Bike Brookings; S'mores clinic; Headlamp night climb; Octboulderfest climbing competition; Fishing clinic, Ice fishing clinic; Cross country ski clinic, Snowshoe clinic; Archery clinic; Belay class, Lead climbing class

FY21
The Campus/Community Common Read was "There There" by Tommy Orange, which is about 12 Native Americans in California who's lives overlap. Events and programming occurred in fall 2020.

FY22
The Campus/Community Common Read was "What the Eyes Don't See" by Mona Hanna-Attisha, which is about the Flint, MI water crisis. Many of the events that occurred around this book specifically spoke about environmental and social sustainability, such as, discussing how organizations make environmental decisions and how the public can be involved; management and distribution of safe drinking water; a public health forum; a poverty simulation; and professional development. Events and programming occurred in fall 2020.

FY20
Every Wednesday for four weeks, the Sustainability Specialist held a new sustainability-themed booth outside of the student union. Each booth looked at a different topic of sustainability and worked to spark interest in sustainability topics. Booth topics included energy consumption, the relationship between health & sustainability, waste & recycling, and plastic pollution. The energy booth had a display on the enegy usages of materials from when they are turned off and plugged in vs. unplugged. Passerbys could also play a "spin and win" game for a chance to win a prize. The health and sustainability booth had a bike powered smoothie maker to talk about the benefits of riding your bike instead of driving. There was also a balloon display for how much CO2 is emitted by a car vs. a bike. The number of balloons represented the amount of CO2 each transportation mode emitted. There was also a display on the distances to get places by walking, biking, and driving. The waste & recycling booth allowed passerbys to compete to see who sorted a pile of recycling the fastest and most correctly. Campus recycling guides were also handed out. The plastic pollution booth had giants statues made out of the average number of plastic bottles, straws, and bags Americans use in one year. There was also a water tasting booth, where participants could do a blind take test to see if they could tell the difference between tap, filtered, and bottled water.

McCrory Gardens offered Third Thursday workshop. These were open to the public and covered a variety of topics from permaculture and insects to microgreens. List of FY20 workshops: How Permaculture & Forest Gardening can Help Save the World … or at least your part of it! (this class was focused on sustainable gardening practices and how that would impact yourself and the environment positively); New Plant Variety Review; Insect Festival; Bulbs to Know; BIOL 101 – An Introduction to bats (attendees learn about bats and bat conservation); Garden Glow Tour: How It’s Made (using recycled/upcycled materials to build Christmas displays); Propagating Succulents; Botanical Research at SDState; Microgreens: growing your own food at home even in a windowsill; Pollinator Spotlight-Bees: How sustainable regenerative garden and agriculture practices can help save the bees and by extension our food and selves; Big Veggies in a Little Garden: Using organic, sustainable gardening practices to grow healthy produce in small spaces; New Plant Variety Review; Fabulous Fermentation; Preparing for Spring Blooms.

FY22
The Sustainability Specialist hosted a booth at the beginning of the fall semester. Students had the chance to sort trash and recycling and learn about what can and cannot be recycled on campus. Students who completed the sort received a reusable cutlery set.

FY20
The Architecture Department hired two GA research students through the grant in the past year. They are researching and completing documents including case studies as well as a high performance best practices, "field guide" publication that is meant to be open source for cold climates.

FY22
Facilities & Services hired a student to assist the Sustainability Specialist. The position started in Nov. 2021

The pledge is open to all students, faculty, and staff. The goal is to encourage and motivate participants to think about and act on sustainability throughout their daily lives and careers. The pledge asks participants to pledge to one action in each pillar of sustainability. https://www.sdstate.edu/sustainability/sustainability-pledge

FY20
Facilities and Services - Sustainability partook in the technology fair that was in connection to the 2019 Common Read.

Each year since 2009 as part of SDSU’s Tree Campus USA certification, the SDSU Horticulturist hosts a tree planting at the University Arbor Day Park. Since a gathering was not possible due to COVID, a video was created by the SDSU Horticulturist explaining how to plant a tree.

McCrory Gardens and the Sustainability Specialist co-hosted a virtual Earth Day event. Throughout the day DIY videos and information were shared on YouTube and social media. Topics covered - DIY reusable bag, plant your own garden, and DIY bee houses. The event culminated in a water conservation and rain barrel workshop.

The SDSU homecoming committee hosted a homecoming outfit preparation night during
which participants could shop for thrifted/used clothing. Following the homecoming parade, several student organizations teamed up to clean up the parade route.

University Program Council held a virtual event around Earth Day trivia.

FY21
Spruce Up SDSU Day sent a call out to all students and staff to come out at 5pm on a specific day to clean up campus after sour snowbanks have receded. Participants scattered across campus to pick up all trash laying across campus.

The Wellness Center, Extension, and Veterans Affairs hosted a week long event titled Warrior Wellness Week. The Sustainability Specialist hosted a session on the day focused on environmental wellness. The session dove into the different aspects of sustainability and how taking care of the environment is also good for community health.

The parking and traffic committee coordinated with various departments and student groups on campus to pick up trash in the largest parking lot on campus prior to commencement. Various other student groups had hosted trash clean ups across campus, too.

Briggs Library initiated a new committee called the "Green Team" at the end of FY21 as a way to introduce more sustainability practices in the library.

SDSU CAFES Prexy Council annually hosts an ag day on campus in the hopes of raising literacy towards agriculture. This year, sustainability was the theme.

The SDSU homecoming committee hosted a homecoming outfit preparation night during
which participants could shop for thrifted/used clothing. Following the homecoming parade, several student organizations teamed up to clean up the parade route. Additionally, all scraps and discarding from the cardboard building event was sorted appropriately and whatever was able to be recycled was recycled (primarily cardboard).

Each year since 2009 as part of SDSU’s Tree Campus USA certification, the SDSU Horticulturist hosts a tree planting on campus proper. Recently these plantings focus on species diversity, proper planting, and working with campus students to plant trees along streets and sidewalks on campus to help shade pavement areas.

FY22
The Sustainability Club and Facilities and Services hosted Spruce Up SDSU Day where all students and staff were encouraged to come pick up trash across campus after snowbanks had receded.

The Sustainability Club hosted a pop-up shop for students at the student Union with 2 local second hand clothing stores.

The SDSU homecoming committee hosted a homecoming outfit preparation night during which participants could shop for thrifted/used clothing. Following the homecoming parade, several student organizations teamed up to clean up the parade route. Additionally, all scraps and discarding from the cardboard building event was sorted appropriately and whatever was able to be recycled was recycled (primarily cardboard).


Every year since 2009 as part of SDSU`s Tree Campus USA certification, the SDSU Horticulturist hosts a tree planting on campus proper. Recently these plantings focus on species diversity, proper planting, and working with campus students to plant trees along streets and sidewalks on campus to help shade pavement areas.