Club's rat race raises money

The Black Hills State University Psychology Club raised more than $150 during its annual rat race competition held recently in the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union.

Six rats participated in the race, all of which were named after BHSU psychology faculty members. Members of the Psychology Club spent a month training the rats to run through a large maze as quickly as possible.

Students, faculty and staff could choose a rat and bet on how fast each rat could run through the maze. Prizes were then awarded to the winners, ranging from restaurant gift certificates to items from the University Bookstore.

All the money raised is used to help with other events the Psychology Club hosts every year, such as Take Back the Night and the Northern Hills Training Center Dance.

Stockgrowers offers internships

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association is accepting applications for a 10-week paid summer internship for high-school graduates pursuing a university or technical degree.

Interns will perform office tasks, create events and membership programs, and learn about policy making by participating in the work of the association.

Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and references to silvia.sdsga@midconetwork.com no later than March 30.

For more information, go to www.southdakotastockgrowers.org or call Silvia Christen at 342-0429.

Scholarships made available

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and the South Dakota Cattlewomen are accepting applications for a $1,000 scholarship in memory of Guy E. Ham.

The scholarship is available to any South Dakota student having completed at least one year of post-secondary education and pursuing a career in an agricultural or agri-business field.

Applications are available at www.southdakotastockgrowers.org or by calling 342-0429. The deadline to apply is Aug. 1.

Schools compete in recycling

South Dakota School of Mines Technology students partnered with three local middle schools — Southwest, North and East — in a friendly competition from March 4-15, challenging students to use less and recycle more.

The school that recycled the most per capita won a trophy. The competition is part of a larger effort called RecycleMania, a nationwide campaign that pits more than 600 universities against each other to promote waste reduction activities. Mines has participated for six years running.

Professor writing in France

Black Hills State University associate professor of humanities Kent Meyers is spending five weeks as a writer-in-residence in two French cities, Clermont-Ferrand and Grenoble.

“French people are really interested in literature. They value books and literature and have money for this type of thing,” Meyers said. As a writer-in-residence, Meyers gets living space to write. While the majority of his time will be spent working on his next novel, he will also meet with French school, civic and community groups a few times a week to discuss his work as well as American literature in general. He will also participate in spring book festivals in each of the cities.

Meyers’ connection with France’s literary world came after his novel “Twisted Tree” was translated into French and published by a French publisher.

Meyers has published three novels, a collection of essays and a collection of short stories. Meyers is on sabbatical from BHSU.

Instructor piece on display

The artwork of Black Hills State University art instructor Karri Dieken is featured in an exhibit in Lawrence, Mass., titled “Down to Sleep.”

The show runs through April 12 at the Chester F. Sidell Gallery in Lawrence’s Essex Art Center. The exhibit focuses on the bed, with its soft sheets and pillows, as a location for many of life’s emotions.

For more information on the exhibit, go to http://essexartcenter.com/gallery/sidell

Mines launches new website

The South Dakota School of Mines Technology launched a new website on Feb. 28.

According to a news release, the website provides a clean, modern look and new entry point to Mines information and resources. The launch is a first step, not a finale, it says. Future phases will include training department publishers, bringing in adjunct SDSMT sites into the new framework, and development of an internal portal for use by students, faculty and staff.