Minot State University offers two free food pantries on campus for MSU students, faculty, and staff and is hosting multiple food drives to help fill both locations during the first week of November.

The Minot State University Wellness Center and Lutheran Campus Ministry at Minot State have partnered with both Minot State Athletics and the Minot Area Community Foundation (MACF) for events. The first food drive will be during Minot State home women’s and men’s hockey, football, and women’s soccer, while the second will utilize the MACF’s Donation Station outside the MSU Dome south lobby.

Donations of nonperishable foods will be accepted on Friday, Nov. 1, at the women’s and men’s hockey doubleheader at Maysa Arena. The women’s team plays Lindenwood University at 3:45 p.m., with the men battling Grand Canyon University at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 2, MSU football will host Minnesota State Moorhead at 1 p.m. at Herb Parker Stadium. The women’s soccer program will play Wayne State College on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 12 p.m. at Herb Parker Stadium.

The MACF Donation Station will be parked in front of the MSU Dome’s south lobby from Nov. 4 to 8. Donations can be made at the station or at the Wellness Center front desk. All donations during the games will count towards MSU’s goal of collecting 1,000 pounds of food at the MACF Donation Station.

The Wellness Center location offers non-perishable food and personal items during its regular hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and frozen foods on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m. Minot State offers non-perishable food, personal items, and MSU spirit gear at the POWER Center location.

Items for both food pantries can be dropped off at the Wellness Center’s front desk any time throughout the year. For more information on the November drives, see the attached FLYER or visit the MSU Food Pantry site ONLINE.

Minot State University Department of Fine and Performing Arts will host over 600 regional high school music students during the 46th annual Northwest Festival of Music.

The Northwest Festival of Music utilizes multiple rooms and stages on the MSU campus, including performances at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, on Nov. 1-2. This year, Elliott Smith from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities leads an all-star cast of conductors that includes Minot State’s David Rolandson and Emerson Eads, along with guest conductors James McMahon and Darcy Brandenburg.

The audition-only event features high school students performing in both band and choir rehearsals throughout the day on Friday, Nov. 1, and the morning of Saturday, Nov. 2. The featured events are Saturday afternoon with the NW Festival Bands Concert scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and the NW Festival Choirs Concert at 3:30 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall. Admission is $5 per person for each concert and $8 per person if attending both. Music teachers receive free admission with their school’s name badge.

There will be an MSU Showcase Concert at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on Friday at 3:30 p.m. featuring current Minot State University students. This event is free and open to the public, although space will be limited.

Smith is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he earned degrees in piano and conducting. He earned a doctorate at the University of Notre Dame. He will serve as the concert choir’s conductor.

Rolandson will serve as the concert band conductor, while Brandenburg, band director at Davies High School in Fargo, will conduct the symphonic band.

Eads is leading the cantabile choir with McMahon, a 20-year educator who teaches 6th–8th grade choir and the extra-curricular Simle Singers and Swing Choir at Simle Middle School in Bismarck, conducting the nova choir.

All participants in the festival auditioned earlier in the semester and were handpicked to participate in the prestigious event. Along with rehearsals and live performances, participants have the opportunity to audition for Minot State University scholarships for students majoring and minoring in music.

For more information and a full schedule of events, see Minot State’s Northwest Festival of Music WEBSITE. For more information about scholarship opportunities and to schedule an audition, students should visit the MSU music scholarship WEBSITE.

Minot State University Native American Cultural Center and MSU Student Affairs have partnered with Sodexo of Minot to host an Indigenous Dinner on Nov. 18 from 5-7 p.m. at the Student Center Conference Center. The event is the third annual Indigenous Dinner with the meal prepared by Sodexo chef Amanda O'Dell and staff.

The event will also feature music by duet soul band, Blood Quantum, featuring Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians citizens, Amari LaRocque and Clay LaRocque. Blood Quantum will play original music and covers during the dinner. For more information on Blood Quantum, see the band's Facebook PAGE.

The dinner is free and open to the campus and community. The Native American Cultural Center requests anyone interested in attending sign up prior to the event for ordering purposes by online FORM or by scanning the QR in the attached POSTER.

Do you have an eye for photography? Have you traveled abroad? This photo contest is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees. Only one photo can be submitted per person and it must have been taken by you, outside the United States. SHOW US THE WORLD! The submission deadline is Thursday, Nov. 7. EMAIL your submission. For more information, visit our competition website HERE. 

Join us for the Second Annual Veterans Day Poem Contest! Robert Kibler, Minot State University English professor, and Andy Heitkamp, Military Resource Center director have once again joined forces for the second annual Veterans Day Poem Contest, inviting all Minot State University students, staff, faculty, and Minot community members to honor our military heritage through the art of poetry. Share your voice and perspective on “What I Have to Say About the U.S. Military.” Submissions are open for poems of 50 words or less. The deadline is noon on Friday, Nov. 8. Categories include student, faculty, staff, and community. Category winners will receive a $20 gift certificate, and a $50 grand prize will be awarded to the overall winner. For questions, contact Robert Kibler by EMAIL or Andy Heitkamp by EMAIL.

Once again Sodexo will be offering “Holidays to go” for those who want to take a break from holiday cooking. Sodexo will be donating one meal for every 5 ordered to students on campus. One meal feeds 5 people. The donated meals will be individually packaged and available for students to pick up on Nov. 27 from 1-4 p.m. at the Beaver Creek Café. Last year, it was a great success, and the students very much appreciated the generosity of all who participated in ordering meals for them. Please have your orders in by Nov. 20. You can EMAIL your orders to Jami, see attached order FORM.

Minot State's Gordon B. Olson Library has available the full text of the five ballot measures that North Dakota voters will be voting on this November. The library has printed out the ballot language and the analysis of each measure as well. This information is available in folders on one of the tables in the Reference/Information area of the library (main floor). This information can also be found on the ND Secretary of State’s WEBSITE.

• Nov. 8: HEARTSAVER CPR/AED
• Nov. 22: HEARTSAVER CPR/AED

• Nov. 25: AHA BASIC LIFE SUPPORT CERTIFICATION

Pickleball tournament
A student organized pickleball tournament will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 6:30 p.m. on the Wellness Center courts. The event, led by Carson Merck and classmates, will offer two $50 Scheels gift cards to the winning team. Free drinks will be provided. All students are encouraged to join or attend. To sign up, see the event LINK, for more information, see attached FLYER, and for questions, contact Merck by EMAIL. 

Score for the hungry: Food drive night at MSU hockey
Join Tristan Pekas and his classmates for a food drive at Maysa Arena on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Bring two cans of food to their table at the hockey game to be put into a raffle for MSU hockey team memorabilia. The event is helping stock the MSU food pantry for students in need. For more information, see attached FLYER. For questions, contact Pekas by EMAIL.

International Food Fight
Join DeJarius Jones and his classmates for their International Food Fight event on Nov. 8 in the Beaver Dam from 12 to 5 p.m. Taste dishes from students' home countries and vote for your favorite. Celebrate global flavors and community. To submit your dish, fill out this FORM. For more information, see attached FLYER. For any questions,  contact Jones by EMAIL.

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 on holidays.

• INT'L All Media 2024: The Northwest Arts Center is excited to host the "INT'L All Media 2024" annual juried exhibition for its 29th year. The exhibition is on view from Oct. 3 through Nov. 23 in the Walter Piehl Gallery. We welcome Catherine Graffam as our juror for this year's INT'L All Media annual exhibition. Graffam is an artist and educator based in Portland, Maine. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Please see the reception event or the NAC website for more details.
• The Space in Between: The Northwest Arts Center presents "The Space in Between," an exhibition by Nebraska artist and All Media 2023 Best of Show recipient Donald Robson, on view in the Northwest Arts Center’s Walter Piehl Gallery from Oct. 10 until Nov. 23. "The Space In Between," also known as the ‘Ma’ in Japanese, refers to the gap or emptiness that exists between objects, situations, or relationships. Exploring themes of depression, loss, longing, and acceptance, Robson’s work allows him to find peace with the plight and condition of people he knows and doesn’t know.

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 during normal Student Center hours.

• The Truth of Intuition: Christopher Reno studied painting, drawing, and printmaking at Knox College, The New York Studio School, Robert Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, Flatbed Press in Austin, Texas, and the MFA program of The University of Iowa. He is currently the Gallery Director and assistant professor of art at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. The exhibition will be on display from Oct. 4-Jan. 30.

Taube Museum of Art

• Undone: The "Undone" exhibition by Ryan Stander, Minot State University art professor, is on view from Oct. 16 to Nov. 22 at the Taube Museum of Art. "Undone" is an ongoing series of wet-plate collodion self-portraits wrestling with his recent health trauma. The work explores the wide-ranging experiences associated with traumas’ undoing of a life and body. Stander will hold an artist lecture at the Taube on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to noon. The exhibition is on view from Oct. 16 to Nov. 22. For more information, see FLYER.

Evan Borisinkoff, associate professor in the Department of Education and Inclusive Services, recently earned the Special Education Director credential issued by the State of North Dakota Department of Public Instruction as established by the State of North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board. Borisinkoff completed coursework at the University of New Mexico and the University of Mary in the areas of special education law and policy, administration of the public school, school finance, and teacher personnel administration.

Stephanie Little, assistant professor of social work at Minot State University, and Elizabeth Muralt, a senior BSW student at Minot State University, will present at the Illinois-Nevada-North Dakota National Association of Social Workers Annual Conference this fall. The 2024 NASW Chapters Virtual Conference: Empowering Social Workers takes place on Nov. 7-8. Little and Muralt will present on Nov. 8 on their session, "Unlocking Potential: The Transformative Power of Mentorship in Social Work. For more information, visit the NASW conference WEBSITE.

MSU was well-represented with attendees and presenters at the 2024 North Dakota Higher Education User Group (ND HEUG) conference held in Bismarck on Oct 15-16.  The presenters included:

• Ashley Blake: Academic Advisement Tips & Tricks. Her co-presenters included Marla Hagemeister (NDUS) and Charles Gitter (BSC)
• Heather Halverson: TargetX-AABCS (ARM, Application Builder, Checklists), TargetX-Reporting and Emails
• Laurie Weber: Utilizing FA Reports and Queries in Campus Connection. Her co-presenter was Marcia Pritchert (VCSU).
• Rebecca Ringham: Data Forensics – Following the Clues for Census Enrollment Reporting. Her co-presenter was Sandy Fried (BSC).
• Nathan Anderson: What Does Data Governance Mean discussion panel. His co-presenters included Marla Hagemeister (NDUS), Cordell Wagendorf (NDUS), and Matthew Berosik (UND). 

Ashley Blake, degree audit and NCAA eligibility specialist at Minot State University, presented "Academic Advisement Tips & Tricks" with Marla Hagemeister and Charles Gitter at the North Dakota Higher Education User Group conference. This presentation covered a behind the scenes look at what Campus Connection setup affects the academic advisement report for the student. Tips and tricks were provided by BSC and Minot State University regarding how to troubleshoot AAR reports not populating correctly.

Melissa Cantone, associate registrar at MSU, co-presented a session with Nancy Kasper called "Waitlist Processing" covering an overview of waitlist processing from the administrative setup to the student enrollment experience and communication at the North Dakota Higher Education User Group conference.

Kacey Donamaria, record specialist at MSU, received the Exemplary New Member Award from the Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (UMACRAO). This award is given to a UMACRAO member who, up to their fifth year of membership, has made an exceptional or unique contribution to the organization and demonstrates promise as a future UMACRAO leader. Donamaria sits on the UMACRAO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, supported the creation of the strategic plan, and wrote an article for the UMACRAO newsletter last fall.

Michael Linnell, director of University Communications, has been named Lieutenant Governor-Elect for Kiwanis International Minnesota-Dakotas Division 1. His one-year term as Lt. Governor began on Oct. 1, and he will become Lieutenant Governor of Division 1 in 2025. Minnesota-Dakotas Division 1 consists of cities in western North Dakota, including Minot, Bismarck, Mandan, Dickinson, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Carrington, Harvey, Rolla, and the Turtle Mountain-Bottineau area. The Minnesota-Dakotas District of Kiwanis International has over 2,600 members within the international organization that boasts over 300,000 members in more than 70 nations. Linnell is currently the past president and on the board of directors of Kiwanis of Minot.

Rebecca Ringham, registrar at MSU, co-presented with Sandy Fried, with documentation support from Ramona Breuer, "Data Forensics - Following the Clues for Census Enrollment Reporting" also at the North Dakota Higher Education User Group conference. This session demonstrated the steps to find and fix data errors and some criteria used on each enrollment report with additional documentation available as part of the conference materials.

Minot State's Paulette Dominguez continued to add highlights to her fantastic senior season on Saturday. Already having re-written the NCAA Division II-era school record in the women's 6-kilometer distance for cross country, Dominguez broke her own record at that distance and earned All-NSIC honors with a 15th-place finish at the 2024 NSIC Cross Country Championships hosted by Minot State at the Souris Valley Golf Course on Saturday. Dominguez clocked a new record time of 21 minutes, 40 seconds to earn 2nd Team All-NSIC honors with her 15th-place finish. She led a strong performance by the Beaver women who finished 7th with 201 points as a team on the day.

Morgen Fried, senior defender on the Minot States women's soccer team, was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for helping lead the way in Minot State’s two shutouts. Friday, with Fried playing all 90 minutes, Minot State (6-2-4 overall, 4-2-3 NSIC) allowed just two shots on goal on the road at second-place Bemidji State as the visitors scored a 1-0 win. The honor is the first this season for the Fried and the second for Minot State’s soccer team.

Congratulations to Emma Miltenberger for being selected as the ASC Student of the Month for September. She has contributed to the Academic Support Center’s programs as an office assistant. The ASC Student of the Month recognizes the outstanding contributions of the many student leaders working with ASC's programs. Each month, one ASC student leader is selected as the ASC Student of the Month and featured on the ASC website.

A stellar start to a new season has earned both football player Nalu Cordeiro and women’s soccer goalkeeper Siriana Gudino honors. Named National Player of the Week last month after returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns for the Minot State football team, Cordeiro has been named the Minot State Pinnacle Employee Benefits Male Athlete of the Month for September. Nearly unbeatable on the pitch recording four shutouts already this fall, Beaver keeper Gudino has been named the Minot State Pinnacle Employee Benefits Female Athlete of the Month for September. The award recognizes the outstanding athletic achievements each month of one male and one female Beaver student-athlete.