RUNNING nearly NAKED!

On Wednesday, February 1st at 8:30 pm, students of SMSU will have the chance to lace up their running shoes and participate in the annual Nearly Naked Mile. This event is just what it sounds like-running a mile nearly naked. That means that students will wear shorts, t-shirts, etc. around campus, outside, in the dark. Luckily the weather has been in the upper forty’s all week, so hopefully the runners will not get frostbitten while running.

All students are encouraged to take part in this event. Students can participate for free, and all runners get a free t-shirt as well. This event is a race, and the first runner across the finish line will receive the grand prize. Prizes will be given out all night at the event. The main reason for this even is to raise money and clothing for families in need. Students participating in the event are encouraged to bring gently used clothing to donate. The more clothes you donate, the more prizes you will receive.

I have been training for this event all month long in hopes to win the race. It will be a lot of fun for students during Hawaiian Night week. Take a break from your studies on Wednesday and come out and support SMSU and have fun running a mile with your friends! Go Mustangs!

Tyler Glynn
Sophomore-Jordan, MN

Winter Warm-Up!

Hawaiian week is finally here! This is my favorite time of year, when the students of SMSU prepare for the Basketball game on Saturday night AKA Hawaiian Night. At the game everyone will be decked out in Hawaiian gear, for example people will have shorts, tank tops, sandals and some brave souls in just their bathing suits. So this week will be spent preparing by looking through your summer clothes, making a leis in the student center and lots of other fun activities going on on-campus like the spa day and the comedian. It’s always really cold out when you are in just your Hawaiian apparel but once you get in the RA gym you will see the bright colors of summer, a packed gym with fans there to cheer the mustangs on to victory. Hawaiian night is something the students at SMSU look forward to each year, and I am sure this year will be no different.

GO MUSTANGS!!

Andrea Hanson
Senior - Monticello, MN

In the Kitchen with Katie!

Back to school means back to a routine. My routine changed a lot from last semester; more classes and less free time! I am majoring in Culinology, food science mixed with culinary arts, and have started my first culinary class on Monday nights. The seven hour class is only held once a week. For our first assignment, I had to create a savory recipe using chocolate. It could not be a dessert dish. At first, I had no idea of what I wanted to make, but after a lot of thinking and researching I came up with a chocolate curry sirloin spring salad tossed with raspberry vinaigrette. Sound pretty fancy, huh? Since I have class all day Monday, I decided to prep for my dish on Sunday. I cut the sirloin into small strips and saute them until slightly brown. As they were browning, I added curry spice, molasses, and unsweetened chocolate. When the meat was browned, I added orange juice and diced tomatoes to the mixture and set it simmer for a hour. The end result was delicious! I put the chocolate curry sirloin strips on a spring salad and drizzled it with raspberry vinaigrette. The raspberry paired perfectly with the chocolate in the meat. In class on Monday, we had to taste test every one’s chocolate savory dishes and use our scents to describe the flavors, smells, textures, and taste. It was a fun experience and I can’t wait for next Monday to see what we will be doing in class!

Katie Langel
Freshman - Remsen, Iowa

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

We are now three weeks into the second semester of the year. Winter break was too short for some and to long for others. However, most students were ready to come back and see their friends from college. My first class of the new semester started at 8:30 on Monday morning, it was a change to get up early after being on break. But now a few weeks in, it is starting to become routine. With a new semester of classes and a different schedule, I now have to figure out when I can eat with my friends and what days we can hang out after classes and just relax. It has been an enjoyable few weeks back to school. When we first got back from break, there was no snow and the weather was beautiful. It felt like a cool spring day, but not long after we got back it snowed and was more like Minnesota weather in the winter. We probably have around 3 inches of snow right now and that does make it cooler in the mornings on the short walk outside, from my room to the academic buildings. But the white snow is a nice change; it covers up the brown grass. Personally though I would have liked to have some snow on Christmas morning and during break, so I could have went sledding. Good luck to everyone in their second semester of the year. I hope everything goes good for you!

Go Mustangs!

Shawnalisa Reed

Freshman - Bruce, SD

Activities On and Off Campus

Coming back to campus with 50 degree weather was a pretty good way to start out a new semester! Now, a few weeks in, it has finally started to feel more like winter which is necessary because Winter Meltdown week is just around the corner. This week consists of all sorts of activities that are aimed at getting us students out of the cold weather blues. Ultimately the last, final hoorah of Winter Meltdown week is Hawaiian Night. Of course I am excited for this, as with most SMSU students it is safe to presume. With this unpredictable weather lately, maybe wearing a swimsuit and a Leigh outside won’t be too bad (unlike the -10 degrees it was last year).

An organization I am personally involved with on-campus is Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). I became a member this past fall and was willingly thrown right into projects and activities. One of the projects is called Faith’s Pen. Faith’s Pen is a small town located in the mountains of Jamaica. Our SIFE team volunteered to help revive the town and make their location a destination spot in Jamaica. The first group of members went to Jamaica in October and scouted out what exactly we could do for this town. Then, in December another group went down for ten days to make a difference painting, training, and educating on entrepreneurial skills. I was a part of the December trip and had one of the best experiences of my life! I love helping to make a difference in other people’s lives, and through our SMSU SIFE team I know I can.

Laura Johnson
Junior - Maple Lake, MN