FACULTY & STAFF E-UPDATE
BHSU will be hosting the Spearfish Middle School Science Fair on Wednesday, February 11 in the Young Center Field House. We need volunteers to help judge the students' projects. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to judge. No science expertise is needed to be a judge. Please complete the form in this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/LFjJnewpVhCwBKmp7
Each judging session is 1 hour long. Please plan to arrive at the field house 10-15 minutes before your first judging session to receive assignments and instructions. You may sign up for multiple sessions. The session schedule is as follows:
8:30-9:30 AM 6th Grade
9:30-10:30 AM 6th Grade
10:30-11:30 AM 8th Grade
11:30 AM-12:30 PM 8th Grade
12:30-1:30 PM 7th Grade
1:30-2:30 PM 7th Grade
Thank you for helping make the Science Fair a successful event!
Please join us on Mondays at 4:00 p.m. in Jonas 110.
(We're also looking for Geek Speakers for fall 2026, too, so please send a note my way if you're interested.
February 23: Dr. Lesleigh Owen: “Race: A Very Serious Fiction”
Spoiler: It’s All Made Up (and Why That Still Matters)
How many racial categories do we recognize in the U.S.? Isn’t “ethnicity” just the PC way to say “race”? What the heck does “Caucasian” mean, anyway? Join Dr. Lesleigh Owen as she hops feet first into the messiness, ridiculousness, and consequences of pretending we can divide human beings into distinct “racial” subcategories.
March 2: Dr. Katelyn Kelly: “The Girl at the Edge of the World: What Miyazaki Can Offer Us on Hope”
In a world increasingly unreal and precarious, many to turn to realism or pessimism to stay grounded. However, these frames rarely help us imagine alternatives. In this talk we’ll explore what it might mean to ground ourselves in hope instead. We will look to the animator Hayao Miyazaki and his use of an active demanding hope. His movies hold beauty and violence–ruin and small acts of care–and the young as a model of hope within a damaged world.
March 9: Rosalie Aslesen and Katherine Kemp: “Transitioning the Meier House and Property into the Spearfish Museum”
This Geek Speak presents the dream for a community-run Spearfish Museum and will introduce you to the people fundraising for the project. Hear about their vision for how this museum can contribute to the city of Spearfish and why it matters now.
The Spearfish Museum is an emerging project that will transform the historic Meier House and its property into a museum celebrating the stories, people, and ingenuity that shaped the Spearfish area. Its mission is to acquire, preserve, and share the historic, cultural, and innovative spirit of Spearfish. The goal is to create a museum that feels engaging, memorable, and meaningful for residents, students, and visitors.
The Museum Board’s fundraising mission is to build on the $1.5M+ bequest from Johanna Meier Della Vecchia by rallying community support and raising the matching funds needed to open the museum within the next 4–6 years.
Ultimately, the vision is simple: a museum built by the community, for the community—one that tells Spearfish’s story and strengthens its future.
March 23: Dr. Tina Van Kley:“Hitler's British Fangirl: Unity Mitford and the Appeals of Fascism”
Unity Mitford was an English debutante in the 1930s, the youngest daughter of a minor British aristocrat. Her name is not one that most Americans are likely to know, unless you’ve seen the recent UK tv series Outrageous (2025). Her story is wild, however, and she is infamous for her commitment to fascism and, most notably, her obsession with Adolf Hitler. At one point, she was rumored to be his fiancée and is thought to have met with him more often than any other British person. Her diaries from 1935-1939 were published in January 2025 in The Daily Mail, and offer new insights into her pursuit of “the dear Fuhrer,” as she referred to Hitler. More broadly, her diaries and letters shed light on the appeal of fascism to young women at the time, and can help us better understand the resilience of this ideology, even after WWII.
March 30: Greg Strobel: “Slow Tourism and Human Powered Travel”
This Geek Speak will discuss the concept of 'Slow Tourism' and emphasize human powered travel as the method for the concept. It will provide insight into understanding the mindset, introduce different methods of travel, and highlight some fun examples from personal experience.
April 13: Dr. Courtney Huse Wika (Please note the change in date): “A Poet’s Guide to Foraging: Creating Found Poetry”
In honor of National Poetry Month, this hands-on workshop will introduce the art of Found Poetry. Together, we’ll practice two distinct approaches, foraging from texts that already exist: the overheard, the discarded, the official and the everyday, and the overlooked. We will test how meaning shifts when language is lifted, reordered, and reframed. No prior experience is required. Bring yourself (and maybe a friend!)—and a desire to create.
Questions? Contact Courtney.HuseWika@BHSU.edu
When and where: Friday, Feb 13, 3pm-4pm (RSVP; Zoom Link: Join the Feb 13 Panopto Training)
Learn more about Panopto at BHSU here: Panopto learning tool is coming to BHSU
Many students have recently shared feeling anxious, overwhelmed or unsettled by the current political climate. For some, national events may bring up fears about the future, concerns about safety and belonging, anger, grief and a sense of uncertainty. These reactions are understandable. Please know you are not alone in experiencing these.
BHSU Student Health and Counseling Center wants to acknowledge that political stress can affect emotional well-being, concentration, sleep, motivation and relationships. These responses can be common during periods of uncertainty.
We encourage students to take care of themselves during this time by considering the following:
If you find that anxiety, fear or distress is interfering with your overall functioning, support is available! BHSU Student Health and Counseling Center offers confidential services, including individual counseling, crisis support and group opportunities focused on coping with stress and uncertainty.
Our role is not to promote any political viewpoint, but to support your mental health and overall well-being. We are committed to providing a respectful and inclusive space where all students can seek help. If you would like to speak with a counselor or learn more about available resources, please contact BHSU Counseling Center at 605-642-6520 or visit our website at https://bhsu.edu/student-life/student-counseling.html
Wishing you well,
BHSU Student Health and Counseling
The BHSU Alumni Association is sponsoring the 35th annual Spirit of BH Award and is requesting nominations for this year's recipient. This award will be presented during the Student Volunter Awards Celebration on Monday, April 20th.
On behalf of the Alumni Association, I am requesting your help to identify a student who has demonstrated an enthusiasm for learning while making significant contributions that reflect favorably on the university and larger community. The selection committee is made up of faculty, staff, and board members.
Please use this nomination form. Deadline to submit an entry for the Spirit of BH Award is Tuesday, March 10th.
Check out these BHSU job openings! Please share with anyone you know that might be interested!
Staff and Faculty job listings can be found here: https://www.bhsu.edu/About-BHSU/Employment-Opportunities.
Please join us in welcoming Arika Beals to BHSU! Arika just began her role as Assistant Director, West River Health Science Center on February 5th. We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to the positive impact she will bring to our students and campus community!
Need help finding resources for a speech or paper? Not sure if your article is considered scholarly or peer reviewed? Interested in submitting an Interlibrary Loan request, but have questions?
The E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center offers consistent, dedicated time for reference and research assistance. This service is offered Monday through Thursday from 2-4PM. Students and faculty can drop-in Library Office 156 or schedule an appointment.
Can’t make those hours work with your schedule? No problem! You can schedule an in-person appointment outside of those hours or meet via Teams or Zoom at your convenience.
Email Sara.Freng@bhsu.edu with any questions or schedule an appointment.
No policy updates at this time.