This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles:

• President’s Column: Education students benefit from cultural diversity practicum
• Support the annual giving campaign!
• CHI Mercy Health to host Domestic Violence Awareness Forum tonight
• Veterans band to present concert in Vangstad Thursday evening
• ‘What in World’ group sponsors lecture on ‘Our Divided Society’
• Kappa Delta Pi education honor society inducts 16
• Redfearn directs children’s choir in Bismarck
• Viking sports update
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

The VCSU Hotline! online newsletter is published every Monday. Deadline to submit articles (photos encouraged) is 3 p.m. the Friday before publication.

Education students benefit from cultural diversity practicum

One of the challenges for VCSU’s education program is that we are located in an area of North Dakota that is not very diverse. About 86 percent of our students are Caucasian; other ethnicities include Hispanic (4.9 percent), Black (3.9 percent), and 2 or more races (3.6 percent). Racial diversity is very important for all our students to experience, since their future colleagues and students will likely be from diverse cultures.

To help students with little or no experience in diverse school settings, we require all our education students to participate in a cultural diversity practicum, typically during their junior year. These practicums are designed to better prepare pre-service teachers to meet all students’ needs and develop a greater understanding of how to work with students from various backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. For example, one group of students last year spent three days working with students in the Minnewaukan Public Schools.

This fall 97 VCSU education students and faculty members visited multiple schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area from Oct 1-3. In addition to the school visits, some students were also able to attend an Apple Teacher Training Session, where Apple teacher trainers instructed them on coding.

VCSU students visited the Minnesota Connections Academy, a K-12 online-only school. Not all students thrive in a traditional school system, and this educational system addresses that challenge. The school faculty discussed the pros and cons of a completely online school, and VCSU students observed student-teacher interactions within the virtual classrooms.

The group also visited the Avalon Charter School, a project-based, student-centered program serving grades 6-12. Teachers and pupils identify themselves as a “community,” where students design their own activities while focusing on the Minnesota State Standards. As school systems move to individualized and project-based learning systems that allows students to work at their own pace using approaches that fit their individual learning styles, pre-service teachers will need to learn how to lead these classrooms effectively. Students attending Avalon score higher on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments than traditional St. Paul public schools, even though 50 percent of Avalon students are on an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan, which provides specialized instruction) or a 504 plan (which provides accommodations). A student-led panel at the end of this visit made a strong impression on our students.

In addition to exploring these schools that present diverse experiential and cognitive approaches to education, the students also visited Washington Magnet High School, a public school in St. Paul, and two elementary schools in the Osseo Area School District. These schools demonstrate demographic diversity, with more than 85 percent of their students coming from diverse family backgrounds. As Ryan Moss observed regarding his experience at the Washington Magnet High School, “Another thing that caught my attention was how students treated each other. From what I saw in classes, in the hallway, and at lunch is that the color of their skin or their country of origin didn’t matter.”

VCSU student Alexa Spotts reflected later that “This was one of the most eye-opening experiences for me.” Leslie Horgan noted that the various school settings “gave me a good look at issues that education is trying to address not only in relation to diversity related to race, ethnicity, religion, etc., but the issues of diversity related to the learning styles of students.”

We can see that this experiential learning activity made a difference in our pre-service teachers; they will carry the memories of what they saw during these three days into their classrooms and be better prepared to make changes in their teaching to meet the demands of tomorrow’s students. As Leslie put it, “I am very glad to have participated in the practicum and believe that it is an important factor in forming teachers so that they can form students.”

Support the annual giving campaign!

The annual faculty and staff giving campaign is underway. Over half of faculty and staff have contributed one way or another so far! Interim President Dahlberg stated, “As a VCSU employee, please join your colleagues in supporting the areas of the university that you care about most. Giving back shows our support for VCSU.” Please contact the VCSU Foundation office to find the right support for your donation.

Erica Buchholz, controller in the Business Office, was a V-500 scholarship recipient while attending VCSU. Here is her “why I give” story: “I give because I know and see firsthand how every dollar counts when it comes to paying for tuition. I was a VCSU scholarship recipient, and I am still grateful that VCSU invested in me. Every semester I work with students to make plans to pay off their balances; scholarships can be the difference between being able to stay in school or not. With the help from donors, students can focus on succeeding in the class rather than worrying about making that next tuition payment.”

CHI Mercy Health to host Domestic Violence Awareness Forum tonight

CHI Mercy Health will host a Domestic Violence Awareness Forum tonight, Monday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in Vangstad Auditorium on the VCSU campus.

The forum will include a survivor of domestic violence telling her story and representatives of community groups talking about their efforts to prevent domestic violence, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., and there will be informational booths set up to visit prior to the event.

October is designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Veterans band to present concert in Vangstad Thursday evening

The Red River Valley Veterans Concert Band will present “Celebrating America’s Patriotism” in concert at Vangstad Auditorium on the VCSU campus Thursday, Oct. 25, at 8:10 p.m.

Promoting patriotism through music, the Red River Valley Veterans Concert Band has been performing for more than 50 years. The band will also perform at the Sheyenne Care Center at 6:30 p.m. that same evening.

The concerts are open to the public free of charge.

‘What in World’ group sponsors lecture on ‘Our Divided Society’

Jacqueline Bussie, Ph.D., will present “Our Divided Society: One Author’s Experience of Censorship” on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in VCSU’s Rhoades Science Center 102. The presentation is based on Bussie’s new book, “Love Without Limits,” which received rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune and Publisher’s Weekly.

“Love Without Limits” is a memoir and a how-to-guide for love across division and difference in these times when it seems that political polarization is growing, and daily we hear of examples of how divided we have become: political polarization, violence, racism, sexism/gender inequality, LGBT discrimination, and religious intolerance.

Bussie serves as professor of religion and director of the Forum on Faith and Life at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.

The event, sponsored by Valley City’s “What in the World Is Going On?” group, is open to the public free of charge. A book signing will follow the presentation, and books will be for sale on site.

Kappa Delta Pi education honor society inducts 16

The Valley City State University chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, inducted 16 members at an initiation ceremony held Oct. 14 on campus.

The society inducts only those individuals who have exhibited the ideals of scholarship, integrity in service, and commitment to excellence in teaching and its allied professions. Selection as a member of Kappa Delta Pi is based on high academic achievement, a commitment to education as a career, and a professional attitude that assures steady growth in the profession.

Pictured are council members, current members and new initiates.

Redfearn directs children’s choir in Bismarck

Christopher Redfearn, D.A., associate professor and chair of the VCSU Department of Music, participated in leading the annual “Surround the State in Song” event on Saturday, Oct. 13.

“Surround the State in Song” (SSIS) is a state-wide children’s choir event sponsored by the North Dakota chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (NDACDA). Fifth and sixth grade children from around the state meet in five locations for a single day of rehearsals and a concert.

Redfearn has presented on children’s choir pedagogy at the NDACDA conference in the past, and he was asked to lead the Bismarck choir for this year’s SSIS event. He had previously conducted the SSIS Jamestown site choir in 2013.

Viking sports update

Football
Saturday: Dickinson State 31, VCSU 26
VCSU’s football team dropped a hard-fought game at Dickinson State on Saturday as the Blue Hawks scored the game-winning touchdown with 3 minutes remaining. VCSU is now 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the NSAA.

Volleyball
Monday: VCSU 3, Dickinson State 2
Friday: VCSU 3, Waldorf University 0
Saturday: Viterbo University 3, VCSU 2
The Valley City State volleyball team went 2-1 last week. The lone loss was in five sets to the No. 7-ranked team in the country. VCSU now has a 13-11 overall record and a 6-4 record in conference play.

Men’s Basketball
Friday: Brandon University 69, VCSU 68
Sunday: VCSU 122, Providence College 49
Valley City State’s men’s basketball team started the season with a 1-1 record this past weekend. The Vikings host Minot State on Thursday.

Women’s Basketball
Sunday: VCSU 81, Providence College 21
The Viking women’s basketball team opened the year with a 60-point win Sunday. They now host Minot State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Cross Country
Valley City State’s cross country teams had strong showings at the large Seminole Valley Stampede in Iowa on Saturday. The Viking women placed 13th out of 27 teams, while the VCSU men took 15th out of 23 teams. Each race featured around 280 runners. VCSU had three runners finish in the Top 50 and seven total runners finish in the Top 100. View complete results at: http://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/3158

Upcoming Events
Oct. 25: WBB/MBB vs. Minot State, 5:30/7:30 p.m.
Oct. 26: Volleyball @ Dakota State, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27: Football @ Mayville State, 1 p.m.
Oct. 27: Volleyball @ Bellevue University, 2 p.m.
Oct. 27: Men’s Basketball vs. Bemidji State, 3 p.m.

What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City ...

Monday, October 22

Tuesday, October 23
noon Internships: When, Where, Why, and How?, Student Center Norway Room
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW

Wednesday, October 24
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, October 25
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room
5:30 p.m. Viking women’s basketball vs. Minot State University, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse
7:30 p.m. Viking men’s basketball vs. Minot State University, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse
8:30–10:30 p.m. Vikings for Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, October 26
7 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Dakota State University, Madison, S.D.

Saturday, October 27
1 p.m. Viking football @ Mayville State University, Mayville, N.D.
2 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Bellevue University, Bellevue, Neb.
3 p.m. Viking men's basketball vs. Bemidji State University, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse

Sunday, October 28

Monday, October 29

Tuesday, October 30
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW
5 p.m. Viking JV volleyball vs. Mayville State University, Graichen Gymnasium
6 p.m. Viking women’s basketball @Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell, S.D.
7 p.m. Viking volleyball vs. Mayville State University, Graichen Gymnasium

Wednesday, October 31
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, November 1
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room
8:30–10:30 p.m. Vikings for Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, November 2
Viking women’s and men’s basketball @ Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa

Saturday, November 3
Viking women’s and men’s basketball @ Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa
NDAA Cross Country Championships, LaCrosse, Wis.
1 p.m. Viking JV volleyball vs. Presentation College, Graichen Gymnasium
3 p.m. Viking volleyball vs., Presentation, Graichen Gymnasium
7 p.m. Viking football @ Presentation, Aberdeen, S.D.

Sunday, November 4

Go to https://www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.