Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Welcome freshman class of 2010! Campus is buzzing (no pun intended) with activity. Yesterday was move-in day for the freshman and my arms are definitely feeling the work after hauling numerous personal items up the stairs of Heidepriem Hall. We are excited to have everyone on campus and look forward to another great year at BHSU.

Now high school class of 2011, imagine where you will be a year from today… can you believe that in that time span you will have completed your last year of high school, decided on a place to continue your education, and be moved in to your new home in a residence hall? Crazy! Why do I mention such things, well it is definitely time to begin to explore your college options. Schedule a campus visit or attend a Preview Day at BHSU – www.BHSU.edu/Visit. Begin looking at applications for admission and scholarships – www.BHSU.edu/Apply and www.BHSU.edu/Scholarships. Your year will be so full of activities that getting a head start on some of these college related tasks now will be well worth it.

And class of 2012, this is also a perfect time to start to narrow down the hundreds of higher education options that are out there. Check out all that BHSU has to offer at: www.BHSU.edu!
As a college admissions counselor, we will begin traveling to areas near you. College Fairs will begin next week and then straight into High School Visits throughout the rest of the fall. College fairs are a great time to get a chance to talk with a representative from some of the colleges and universities that you may be interested. Gather new information and begin to make a connection with that campus. We will be traveling in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Check out our BHSU on the Road Calendar to find out when we will be visiting your area.

We are excited to begin working more and more with our next upcoming freshman class. I hope that we get to chat with you at a fair! Also, if you want a representative to come to your high school, let us know, as we love to travel to places that want to see us!!

Go Yellow Jackets!!

Laura Weber
Assistant Director of Admissions
Black Hills State University

Sunday Funday!

I can't believe that move-in day is almost here. Sunday is the big day for all new students to move into their residence halls. Move-in will be from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm on Sunday, followed by the start of Green & Gold Days. For a complete schedule of Green & Gold Days, go http://www.bhsu.edu/Admissions/AdmittedStudents/GreenGoldDays/tabid/7627/Default.aspx. We have all kinds of fun activities planned for you during Green & Gold Days, some of which include a welcome dance, community fair and outdoor BBQ, Festival on the Green, speakers, and the first BHSU Football home game. We can't wait to welcome you onto campus!

Just a few "house cleaning" items for you. If you haven't already done so, make sure and submit your Immunization Form or a copy of your Immunization Records to Student Health Services. Either of these items can be faxed to (605) 642-6194. Without your immunization records, you will not be able to start classes this fall. Therefore, this is extremely important! Also, if you are a new first time freshman straight out of high school and you haven't already done so, please call your school and request that your final official high school transcript to sent to us ASAP.

We can't wait to welcome you to campus! Please let us know if you have any last minute questions by either calling us at 605-642-6343 or sending us an email at admissions@bhsu.edu.

See you soon! Go Jackets!

Maria Hartung
BHSU Admissions Counselor
Maria.Hartung@bhsu.edu

Less than a week until classes start!

Welcome to Blog number 3, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you new to this blog, my name is Kyle and I’m a senior here at Black Hills State University, majoring in Speech Communication with a minor in Military Science. I’m writing this blog to provide you with a current student’s perspective on life at our campus.

With less than a week before classes start I can’t help but sit back and ask myself, “Where did the summer go?” Even though I have done this for a few years I find myself slightly unprepared every fall. I need to get my books, my supplies, print my schedule, and figure out my new work schedule. It seems like quite a bit until I stop and tell myself that I honestly do have a week to get that all knocked out. A little bit here, a little bit there, and before I know it, I’m ready to rock and roll.

Around campus it’s kind of exciting right now. The Residence Halls are gearing up for all of the new and returning students to move in. Decorations are going up. Things are getting painted. The Resident Assistants are running all over campus training and preparing. We have football players and volleyball players moved in and practicing, so The Hive (our dining facility) is open and serving food.

Sunday morning the new freshman students are moving in. You guys will be rolling in from 8:00AM to 12:00PM and the Residence Life office has lined up a whole group of helpful individuals (including myself) to help move your stuff in to your new place. If you’re looking for a few recommendations on making move in easier, here are a few from a guy that has done it once or twice. Those cheep plastic tubs you can buy at department stores are handy as all get out. How handy is all get out? They can ride in the back of a truck without stuff flying out. They can stack easily when packing. They make carrying your things in easier. You can use them as storage in your room, and just as important- they’re nice to have around when it’s time to move out or go home for a longer break. Other than that, there are just a few little things to remember. You can’t use extension cords, but you can use power-strips. You can’t have toasters or any other appliance with an open heating coil but you can have microwaves. Candles are not allowed but wick-less candles on warmers are.

On Monday, the 30th of this month, we will be allowing students who have not registered for classes one more opportunity to do so. General Registration will consist of two sessions, one at 8:30AM and a second at 10:30AM. If you would like to register for classes at either of those two times you need to call (605)642-6343.
Well, that’s about all I have today. I wish you all happy moving and registering and I hope you all enjoy this last week of summer!

Kyle

Last NSR Tomorrow!

Hello All! I personally can't believe that it is almost time for the fall semester to begin. It seems like just yesterday our spring 2010 grads were walking across the stage, receiving their diplomas. Time sure flies by when you are having fun I guess! And fun we have had this summer, preparing and registering students for the fall 2010 semester. It has been wonderful to have these students and their guests on campus, watching them make it "official." Tomorrow is our last New Student Registration session for new freshman students and transfer students. If you aren't going to be attending NSR tomorrow, your final opportunity to register for fall 2010 classes will be at General Registration on August 30 at either 8:30 am or 10:30 am. Make sure and reserve your registration spot by calling the Office of Admissions at 605.642.6343 or by filling out the online form.

New freshman students will be moving into the residence halls on Sunday, August 29 from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. There will be an abundance of faculty, staff, and current students on hand to help you move all of your "stuff" into your room! Word on the street is that the BHSU football players will even be there to help you with those heavy couches, refrigerators, or anything else! We often get a lot of questions concerning what students should bring with them to their residence halls, and what should be left at home. For a complete breakdown of allowed and restricted items alike, please view the New Student Handbook.

After move-in, and for the next few days, we have a long list of fun orientation activities planned for you in the form of Green and Gold Days. Residence hall welcome meetings, a community fair and outdoor BBQ, a welcome dance, a keynote speaker, opportunities to meet your professors, outdoor activities, and the Festival on the Green are just some of the items that are on the agenda. All new students, whether you are a freshman, transfer, non-traditional, or adult learner, are welcome and encouraged to attend Green and Gold Days activities.

After the hustle-and-bustle of move-in day and orientation activities, classes will being on Monday, August 30 for those beginning at 4:00 pm and after; and on Tuesday, August 31 for all other classes. Still haven't ordered your textbooks? If so, you can do so at www.bhsubookstore.com.

We are very excited to welcome you to Black Hills State University in just a few short days! If you have any last minute questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 605.642.6343 or admissions@bhsu.edu, or leave us a message on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BHSUstudents. We are here to help you, and make sure you are comfortable during your first few days at BHSU and thereafter. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Maria Hartung
BHSU Admissions Counselor
Maria.Hartung@bhsu.edu

2 Weeks Untill Go Time!

Hello, again! My name is Kyle, and I would like to welcome you to blog number 2. Life continues to move forward here in Spearfish, which I generally agree with. The sun shines, most days, so my morning runs are getting better, which I am sure my ROTC instructors will appreciate. Most of the motorcycles seem to have gone back to their garages to hibernate until the next Sturgis Rally comes along. I am going to miss the concerts, but I am thankful for the reduction in traffic.

As far as school is concerned… is anybody else thinking that the fall sort of snuck up on us like Chuck Norris? School starts in 2 weeks! We have a bunch of you folks registering for your classes on Friday at our New Student Registration Day. That should be pretty fun. You get to sit down with an advisor and sign up for all your classes for the semester. You get your Buzz Card(student ID), and we have an Information Fair so you can talk to faculty, staff, coaches and organizations on campus that you might be interested in being involved with. It is the last major thing to do before you show up for classes in a few weeks. New Freshmen are starting at 8AM while the transfer students get to sleep in a bit and start at 1PM. If you are an accepted student to BHSU and have not registered, you can sign-up for NSR at www.BHSU.edu/NSR. It should be pretty fun, and you get to meet me, free of charge.

Like I said, after you register on Friday, the last major activity will be to show up on the 29th and move into your Residence Hall room. That is a pretty fun experience. You move in from 8-12PM and we have a ton of friendly staff hanging around to help you get your stuff from the back of your car to your room. (Now you don’t have to con your brothers into helping by offering them your room at home.) Some good things to bring would be a refrigerator for drinks and snacks. I would recommend a microwave for those days you didn’t have a chance to get to the Hive, our dining area. All the residence halls have a really nice big screen LCD TV in their main lobby, but bring a TV if you want. Your room has cable, so if someone is using the lobby TV you won’t have to miss your shows. Beyond those couple items, I would just tell you to bring stuff that will make your room feel like home.

Some other things to take into consideration would be some things you can’t bring. We do not allow anything with an open flame or an open heating coil in the residence hall rooms. So candles, toasters, George Forman grills, and the like are not allowed. Another item that isn’t allowed are extension cords. They are considered fire hazards. Now that being said, you can have power strips with longer cords, so I wouldn’t worry too much. If you have specific questions on exactly what you can and cannot bring, you can take a look at the New Student Handbook.

Well, that’s all for now. For those of you who are registering on Friday, I’ll be seeing you there. For those of you who are attending classes this fall and have not yet registered, the race is on! Two weeks till Go-time! So call the Office of Admissions today at 605-642-6343 to register for NSR or General Registration.

Kyle Wade
Senior
BHSU Student Blogger

Introducing Student Blogger, Kyle!

Hi, my name is Kyle. I am a senior at Black Hills State University majoring in Speech Communication with a minor in Military Science. Since I became a student here, I have slowly but surely found myself involved more and more with my campus and its organizations and I decided that since I like this place so much, you might too. Basically, that is the purpose of this blog. I am going to tell you all about the fun and interesting things I am doing here and hopefully you might think they sound fun and interesting too.
So, to introduce myself a little more thoroughly, I am a senior and a Speech Communication Major with a minor in Military Science. I am a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard and I am also a Cadet in the ROTC program here. My plan after I graduate is to (insert Forest Gump voice) “Do whatever the Army tells me too, Drill Sergeant.” On graduation day in May, I get a diploma and a Second Lieutenant’s rank all in the same day. It is pretty exciting. I am also involved in Student Organizations here on campus. I am a Yellow Jacket Delegate. The Delegates assist the Office of Admissions with recruiting students for our school. So if you stop by for a tour, you will mostly be guided by one of us, and there is a pretty solid chance that could even be me.
Campus lately has been pretty interesting, as far as the summer goes. We have bikers from the Sturgis Rally staying on our campus, which definitely adds a new sound to the background noise we get to hear as we walk to our cars. It is fun though, and I am a firm believer that different is good. Besides, I will gladly surrender my Black Hills to these motorcyclists for a couple weeks to get so many good concerts just twenty minutes away!
As crazy as it is to hear, the first day of school is only two and a half weeks away. Wow, that seems just around the corner! If you are going to apply, I recommend giving us a call as soon as possible. I have mixed feelings about the first day of school coming up so rapidly. On one hand, I may shed on little (but still manly) tear at the death of the summer. On the other hand, I am tired of only seeing my school friends on Facebook. It would be nice to catch up and speak to someone face to face. I am also excited to make new friends. We are a small school, but I make new friends every semester, and I am pretty sure this one will be no different.
Well, that is about all for now. (Can you tell I am a Speech Major?) Again, with school only two and a half weeks away, jump on our website as soon as possible and fill out the application: www.BHSU.edu/Apply. If you do it online, it will help get the ball rolling faster. I hope to see you in the Fall!

Kyle

Attention 2011 Seniors!

Attention 2011 Seniors! Your final year of high school is almost here!

I hope that you have enjoyed your summer, but are now beginning to think about switching gears and getting back in the classroom. It might seem like graduation is still a long time away but this year will go by fast and it is time to really take college planning seriously. Believe it or not, students who are going into their senior year are able to be accepted for admission now! We encourage students to apply for admission now in order to start receiving information for accepted students. Remember, applying and being accepted for admission, accepting scholarships, receiving a residence hall assignment, and even registering for classes does not ever commit you to a school. So it is important to apply to the schools you are interested in early so that you can complete other important materials such as scholarship applications.

You can find the application for admission online at www.bhsu.edu/apply or we can also drop one in the mail for you. Just have your high school send us your high school transcript and we can process your application. It is as easy as that.

Do not worry if any of this sounds confusing or hard to believe, we know it can be a lot to think about. So make it easy on yourself and give us a call or shoot us an email. That way we can talk about your questions and concerns and make sure that you have all the information you need. You can also think about scheduling a campus visit as well. I hope to hear from you soon!

Emily Pier
Admissions Counselor
Black Hills State University
605-642-6343
Emily.Pier@bhsu.edu

Website

The complete Black Hills State University website is currently not available. We apologize for the inconvenience, and are working to re-establish the entire website. If you have specific questions or concerns please email: information@bhsu.edu.

Maria Hartung
BHSU Admissions Counselor
Maria.Hartung@bhsu.edu