Athletes and Finals Week

   During the week of finals, students are busy studying and doing whatever they can to pass. Their focus is studying and wanting to be done. What most people or students don't think about is the athletes on campus. They have to do the same thing any other student plus getting ready to for a game. That includes practices, putting in extra time at the gym, and working with their personal trainer to better at their perspective sport. And they have to make time to study as well.
   With finals, comes games and meets. On Saturday, December 13th, the Coyotes Mens Basketball team took on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Students took study breaks to make the commute to the game. Over 2,000 tickets were sold for the game. The Pentagon by Sanford Health is a 160,000-square-foot facility that includes nine basketball courts (six high school regulation, two professional/college practice courts and the "heritage" court). 
    The game was held in the Heritage court and seated 3,200 guests for the event. The $19 million facility was built late last year. High school through college games and tournaments are held there. 
    The Coyote men ended up coming short at the end of the game, the final score was 75-61. The men held up until the last half. 
   Back to studying for the athletes of USD in hopes of getting the best GPA of the region. The Athletics Board of Control shows that USD athletics hold some of the highest GPA's in the region, beating out SDSU in more than 3 sports. Keep it up Coyote athletics! 

This I Believe

Education. The core of a lot of things. You need education to get the dream job you've always wanted, well to get the best job, employers want you to have an education. The thing is about education, there's always a price. You have to sacrifice different things, money, time, and energy; all for the best job out there. I believe that education is the best thing you could get in this short time we have here. It gives you an advantage in the world and could help you in the long run.

When it comes to education on the reservations back home, it's not stressed as much. I mean sure, kids go to school but they don't absorb anything. They don't have those resources that everyone else has and that's a parent or guardian who cares. Native children today aren't taking their homework or schoolwork seriously because their parents don't care. They don't care to help them finish a simple problem on their homework. Kids like that see their parents as an example and don't care to finish themselves.

During my childhood, I never had help on my homework or anything of the sort, simply because my mother or stepfather never finished high school. But luckily for me, I made friends who could help me with things like that and I made sure I asked questions while I was in school. That was just in grade school, when I reached high school I was completely on my own when it came to homework and projects. I studied my butt off for my next calc. test or I made sure I had the things I needed for my projects. One thing I found as a great resource was the local Boys and Girls club in town. They have programs and tudors to help you with whatever you needed. I made sure use of that program and  glad that I was able to graduate high school and go to college.

During high school, I started working at the Boys and Girls Club. I wanted to be that person to help those needy children with anything they needed and I mean anything. I treated them as my relatives, my brothers and sisters. If they were hungry, I got them food, whatever they needed. The value of education is so important and I was so happy to teach the kids just that.

Now when I look back at the kids I mentored or talked to during my time at the Boys and Girls Club, they are doing very well. A lot of them are in sports and succeeding in their studies. I love going home because they all remember me and love it when I'm there. It's such a warm feeling to know that I had an impact on someones life. I believe that a child can be successful if you just give them some of your time. They want to be loved and cared about, give them that and they'll rule the world.

Onward Red Tie Gala

Onward Red Tie Gala

On the Friday of the 100th Dakota Days week was the Red Tie Gala for the Onward campaign. The Onward campaign is a capital campaign for the University of South Dakota. It hasn't been the first fundraising campaign that USD has had. In the early 2000's a similar campaign was started called "Campaign South Dakota." USD's foundation raised $134 million and dramatically improved USD's infrastructure. The funds went toward scholarships, undergraduate and faculty research, and building projects. 

Nearly 13 years later, the USD Foundation and the university have started Onward. This time the goal is to raise $250 million. This will be the most comprehensive capital campaign in state institution history. The funds will go to scholarships, endowed faculty positions, faculty construction and revitalized projects. 

The most important part of the campaign is the scholarships. USD will relieve some of the financial burden of it's students. Great scholarships will attract great students. 

As well as scholarships, the university's structures are very important. In the making is a new sports arena and renovations to older buildings on campus. The new arena will give the University a division 1 feel and will give the basketball and volleyball teams a new place to play. 

The event on Friday was the kick off for the campaign for the public. The Muenster University Center was transformed to fit the gala. It was shut down at 4:00 p.m. that night to get ready for it. The MUC pit lounge went from having lounge chairs and couches to having cocktail tables and candles in it. In the new expansion where the TV monitors are was a stage set up. It was USD spirit throughout the student union. Over 650 alumni and students were in attendance. The lights glowed red as everyone caught up and relived old memories. As everyone roamed the student union they found stations with elegant food options. 

Later in the night everyone was called into the room with the stage. The USD band came out and played while everyone was taking their seats. The first person to welcome everyone was alumni, Governor Daugaard. He said a few inspirational words and then introduced another great alumni, Cody Strand. He sang and said a few words about his time at USD. The third person to talk was President Abbott. He went into more detail about the campaign and how it's going to help. The last to talk were the co-chairs of the Onward campaign, Tom and Nancy Gallagher. They talked in great detail about the work they have put into the campaign and how it's going to impact USD. After they spoke, Cody Strand came back to sing and perform. In between the speakers were video testimonials from donors, students, and board members. Afterward everyone was welcomed to stay for drinks and dessert. 

The campaign has raised over $135 million thus far and hope to get beyond their goal. 

Preside Obama's Address on ISIL

President Obama's Address on ISIL/ISIS

On September 10th, President Obama gave an address on the terrorist group ISIL or ISIS. The group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have made threats to America, beheaded two American journalists, a British aid worker, and even threaten their own people. The terrorist group claims religious authority over all Muslims across the world and wants to bring all of the Muslim inhabited religions of the world under it's political control. It's starting in the Levant region, which includes, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and part of Southern Turkey. Part of the middle and western east media, the United Nations, and other countries have deemed it a terrorist organization. 

The President has a comprehensive strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group. In his speech to the American people, President Obama said, "the highest priority is the security of the American people and that we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists that threaten the United States." 

So to take action on the group, the President stated four parts of a strategic plan that he is going to carry out. First, a systematic campaign of airstrikes against ISIL.

President Obama said, "Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense." 

Secondly, increased support to forces to forces fighting ISIL on the ground. Obama deployed several hundred service members to Iraq to assess how the United States can best support Iraqi security forces. In addition to the other service members 475 others service men and women will be sent to Iraq as well. They won't be at war or in combat, but they are they to support Iraq.

"Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition." the President said. 

Third on Obama's plan is, drawing on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East. 

Lastly, providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians displaced by ISIL. Innocent people include, Sunni, Shia Muslims, and tens of thousand Christians who are at risk.  

President Obama then went on to address and talk about how great America is and how we have a responsibility to lead. 

"It is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism." the President said, "but in the fight for opportunity, and tolerance, and a more hopeful future."

Now the United States have a long history feuding back and forth. but recently, the US has been working with the Iraqi government trying to decimate Al Qaeda. Starting in 1958 with the United States claiming territory in Iraq is when things started getting heated. Moving forward to 9/11 is when the United States was fully at war with Al-Qaeda. Starting tension there, the US was set on finding who was responsible for this horrible act of hatred. On May 2nd, 2011 is when America was a little at piece because US forces took down Osama Bin Laden, the brains behind 9/11. Thus, leading America to help Iraq build up a government and democracy.

Sources:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/08/28/president-obama-delivers-update-economy-iraq-and-ukraine
http://origins.osu.edu/article/century-us-relations-iraq/page/0/1
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/09/10/president-obama-we-will-degrade-and-ultimately-destroy-isil