Every year Digi-Key Electronics company, one of the world’s largest retailers of electronic components based in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, hosts a programming competition between area schools that offer computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering.

Minot State’s team of Ben Yang, Keegan Summers, and Ross Hardy competed in this year’s competition and brought home second place. All three students are majoring in computer science, while Keegan and Ross are also double majoring in cybersecurity.

“The programming competition itself consists of three sections that are completed over the course of an eight-hour day. Short programming problems, word problems, and long programming problems are the three sections. Points of all three sections are added up to determine the overall winners,” said Darren Seifert, assistant professor in math and computer science.

The team named themselves the Garbage Collectors as it comes from a familiar concept in computer science.

“Garbage collection is where programs in some programming languages will automatically clean up unused memory, aka the ‘garbage,’ similar to how things in our short-term memory go away soon after we’re done thinking about them,” Hardy said.

The competition itself challenged them but overall was a great learning experience.

“The Digi-Key Collegiate Computing Competition was my first experience with a programming competition,” Yang said. “Personally, the experience started the moment I committed to participating in the competition, which includes the weekends spent practicing with my teammates, as well as the excitement and anticipation leading up to the day of the competition.”

“The competition was a lot of fun. We had a bad practice the weekend before on a hard question set, so we weren’t expecting to do well. Once we got into the first set of questions, though, we all got into a rhythm and did better than we ever did in our practice,” Hardy added.

Not only did they get to learn a lot and compete against other schools using their skills learned here at MSU, but they also obtained an experience that got their foot in the door for their future career goals.

Minot State student-athlete Philip Green has proven he's a leader beyond the playing field, and now is being honored for that fact.

Green, a redshirt-sophomore who has played in 10 games in his short career on the gridiron for the Beavers football team, has been even busier doing community service since arriving in Minot, efforts that earned him distinction as one of just 22 football players nation-wide named to the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized and named to the Allstate ACFA Good Works Team," Green said. "I know that there are many deserving athletes across the country who are doing outstanding things outside in the community and off the field."

The 22 honorees come from all levels of college football with 11 players selected from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 from all other levels and include student-athletes who are scholars, leaders, and community champions. These nominees have volunteered to build homes, mentor underprivileged kids, aid in COVID-19 relief efforts, as well as advocate against domestic violence and racial injustice.

"Philip has been one of the cornerstone members of our team since he arrived on campus," Minot State football coach Mike Aldrich said. "He is a servant leader that is always ready to lend a hand, get involved in community service and mentor his teammates. He is involved in SAAC, he is a member of our team's Leadership Council, and he is very active on campus with the university's communications program. We got to know his character during the recruiting process and knew we needed him in our program, and he has exceeded all our expectations. I absolutely love him and what he means to our program!"

Green's major impact has been in creating the "Mental Game" podcast with teammate Troy Kowal. The podcast brings awareness to mental health among student-athletes. A frequently overlooked issue, Green and Kowal admit that mental health in sports culture it is put even further on the backburner. The goal of the podcast is to create conversations among student-athletes as a platform and resource to change the narrative about mental health in sports.

Minot State University’s Spring 2022 semester registration is open for all currently enrolled MSU students.

Current Minot State degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students who enroll by Nov. 5 can stop at the MSU Life office for a free, limited edition Beaver Spring 2022 registration sticker while supplies last.

“Spring semester will again be a mix of face-to-face, HyFlex, and online course offerings,” said Laurie Geller, MSU vice president for academic affairs. “Students should meet with their advisors and register for spring classes as soon as possible to ensure they get the classes they need in the formats they want.”

Students can register for classes after the Oct. 29 date and classes are subject to availability. MSU students should also consult their academic advisor by appointment and check with the MSU registrar’s office — first floor, Administration Building — or contact by EMAIL, for any holds on their account as part of their planning for their Spring 2022 schedule.

New and transfer students must complete virtual new student orientation before enrolling and should check their email for information on how to sign up. Contact the Minot State admissions office ONLINE for any questions.

Classes are scheduled to begin on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022 after 4 p.m.

Save the Date for Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.; don't cancel it. The Minot State Campus Community Dialogues will open its fourth season with “Cancel Culture: J.K. Rowling, Jon Gruden, Sleeping Beauty…Who's Next?” in the Northwest Arts Center at 7 p.m.

The Campus and Community Dialogues series takes as its premise the societal need to civilly discuss topics about which provoke passionate opinions. Beginning in 2018, other topics the series has covered include legalizing marijuana, gun control, and surveillance.

Each installment of the series features a moderator and two or more faculty or community members who organize some basic and differing ideas about the topic. Community member Jonah Lantto, owner of the Good Talk Network, and associate professor of sociology Jynette Larshus are this session’s panelists.

Lantto performs in much of the content he produces with Good Talk, including “Midwest Murders” and “the Good Talk” podcasts.

“I generally approach topics from an objective perspective,” said Lantto. “Being recorded on camera and podcasts as often as I am, putting my voice, thoughts, opinions out to the world can be a risk. I've probably never been more mindful of the words I type or say than I am now. That's not necessarily good or bad, it just how it is.”

Larshus, on the other hand, performs in a more intimate setting — the classroom — but still ponders the impact cancel culture has on the subjects she teaches.

“I will be bringing a sociological view to contextualizing and discussing the impact of cancel culture today as well as its history,” she said. “As a cultural sociologist that emphasizes cultural transformation, cancel culture is an important topic to understand not only its influence today, but in the past also.”

Guests both in person and watching the LIVESTREAM will be encouraged to ask questions and voice their thoughts on cancel culture. Refreshments will be served, and masks are encouraged but not mandated. For more information, contact ROBERT KIBLER or call 701-720-2716. 

Challenge your team as you work together to complete the Minefield Challenge at the Wellness Center. Teams of two to three members work best for the challenge. Due to space limits, each session is only accepting 10 teams of two to three individuals. Please complete this FORM PER TEAM to sign up. All staff and faculty are encouraged to attend. Please see the POSTER for more information.

The deadline to submit hours for the Fall Engagement Honor Roll is Nov. 15. More information, including the submission form, is available HERE. The Engagement Honor Roll is an opportunity for students to receive recognition for the engagement activities in which they participate while they are students at Minot State University, through inclusion of this distinction on their transcripts. The list of qualifying activities includes: Community Service (volunteerism), Civic Engagement, Service Learning, Community-Based Problem-Solving, and Leadership Development. This includes hours for activities such as research, internships, club leadership hours, volunteer hours for athletics teams and FYE classes, etc. Students must complete a minimum total of 50 hours, verified by supervisors, in any combination of engagement activities in order to be recognized during any given term. Students may only submit hours that have already been completed, not hours expected to be complete by the end of the term. Hours may be accumulated over several semesters; however, recognition for engagement activities will only be awarded for the semester in which the reported activities total 50 hours. Please encourage students you have contact with to submit their hours of activity as soon as possible.

The fourth COVID-19 vaccination clinic for the 2021-22 school year will be held on Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Conference Center, located on the third floor of the Student Center. The clinic is open to students, faculty, staff, and family members; please bring identification to the event. Future clinics will be scheduled as needed. In addition to providing initial COVID-19 vaccinations, the event will also offer booster shots. An event poster with registration QR code is available HERE.

The NDDoH is able to offer booster doses of Pfizer to those who meet the current CDC guidelines. Currently, the CDC recommends the Pfizer boosters for people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings at least six-months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, and people aged 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series. People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, as well as people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional setting at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks. We can also administer a third dose to individuals who are immunocompromised. ​

Staff Senate invites you to join us in giving back by making donations to the Minot State Food Pantry. You can donate food as well as winter gear. The attached FLYER has a list of suggested and most requested items. Collection boxes will be in the Atrium on the first floor of the Student Center, the first floor of Old Main, and the first floor of Memorial. You can find more details about the Minot State Food pantry HERE. Prefer to leave the shopping to others? You can make a check payable to Lutheran Campus Ministry with the memo Food Pantry and send it to LCM through campus mail.

Northwest Arts Center
The gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The arts center is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 1-5 p.m., and by special arrangement. It is closed holidays.

• Book of Days: Reflections On Time and Water: On view from Oct. 7 until Dec. 16, artist and painter Susana Amundaraín's solo exhibition presents mixed media and acrylic paintings that have been revisited - brought back from the past and transformed through more work into the present.
• An Exhibit of Norwegian Arts: Featuring rosemaling panels from the collection of the Norsk Hostfest and photographs from the Minot State University permanent collection, this exhibit is on view from Oct. 12-Nov. 2.

Hartnett Hall Gallery
The gallery provides exhibition space for students, faculty, and community artists, and is located on the second floor on the west side of Hartnett Hall in Room 233. The Hartnett Hall Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Flat Tail Press
Flat Tail Press is an educational printmaking studio at Minot State University. The gallery is located in the landing space on second and third floor of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-12 a.m.

• Living the Dream: Lithographs by Michael Barnes: Specializing in stone lithography, Michael Barnes is internationally recognized as a skilled and prolific printmaker. "My work addresses, in part, mortality, philosophical questions of existence, and the destructive nature and absurdities that so readily prevail for humankind," he said. "The images are concerned with the environment, social decay, and cynicism about the historical evolution of so-called 'civilization' and its effects upon our world." His works will be available to view through Feb. 28, 2022.  

Emerson Eads, professor and director or choral activities, has been named honorable mention for the American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music, Professional Division, composers.

Robert Kibler, foreign languages, humanities, and literature chair, was the guest on the podcast "EDHeads" to discuss Paideia (origins of public education) and the future of public education in North Dakota and America more broadly. "EDHeads" is produced by The Good Talk Network and hosted by Chelsie Terez Hultz, teacher education, and Dan Conn, teacher education.

Katy Allers, administrative assistant, art and professional Communication / world languages and cultural studies, and her dancing partner Dan Andersen won the Mirror Ball Trophy at Dancing for the Special Stars. Dancing for Special Stars is a dance contest patterned after the hit television program Dancing with the Stars and is a fundraiser for Special Olympics North Dakota. It features celebrities paired with local dance instructors.

Jeremy Feller, a development office in the advancement office, was elected president of the Kiwanis Club of Minot at a ceremony during the club’s Tuesday luncheon. Feller previously served as vice president for 2020-2021, is a past member of the club’s Board of Directors and has been a member of Kiwanis since 2018.

Shan Haarsager, administrative assistant for math and computer science / addiction studies, psychology, and social work, was named Minot State University's Staff Senate's September High Five Award winner.

Michael Linnell, university communications director, was elected to the Kiwanis Club of Minot’s Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term. Linnell has been a member of Kiwanis since 2019.

Doug Tiedman, an instructional design and media specialist for the Office of Instructional Technology, recently completed a 40-hour course and examination for excellence in digital teaching and learning through Blackboard Academy. The three courses in the digital teaching and learning series focused on the fundamentals, design, delivery and development, course evaluation, and continuous improvement of online courses. By completing this program, Tiedman is designated by Blackboard as a Blackboard Certified Specialist in Digital Teaching and Learning.

Ana Gonzales Baumueller was selected as the ASC Student of the Month for September. She has contributed to the Academic Support Center’s programs as a peer mentor and new student programs leader.

Minot State Phi Beta Lambda attended the Regional Fall Leadership Conference in Omaha, Nebraska at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. In attendance from Minot State were Tanner Thompson, state president; Melaine MacPherson, vice president of finance; and chapter members James Acevedo, Kelsey McCloud, Jorge Talamantes Baez, and Haley Wood. A group photo can be found HERE.

Congratulations to the following MSU music students for their performances at the North Dakota Music Teachers Association State Competitions. Each student presented a program of music representing at least two contrasting style periods. Competition winners will submit videos to compete at the regional level. Winners at regionals will compete at the MTNA Conference in Minneapolis in March.

• Young Artist Strings: Julia Beck, winner; Anthony Schreier, alternate; Jon Rumney, teacher
• Young Artist Woodwinds: Rachel Dockter, winner; Danica Rumney, alternate; Mikayla Frazier, Arnikka Thompson, and Katelyn Pigeon, participants; Charles Young, teacher
• Young Artist Woodwinds: Senior Piano: Kevin Vandal, alternate; Dianna Anderson, teacher
• Young Artist Piano: Julia Beck, alternate; Dianna Anderson, teacher.