Full Articles & Published Stories
Concerns and Health Risks Raised on Vaping
October 10, 2019
The news has been filled with stories of teens and young adults being hospitalized due to what doctors believe is an issue to do with vaping, juuls, and e-cigarettes. People have come to many different conclusions as to how this can be stopped, such as putting bans on flavors and banning certain products that may look appealing to the younger generation.
Alexis Newton, who works at Infinity Vape Shop in Bismarck, N.D. says “There is always a risk with everything in life, take caffeine for example, it is really harmful as well with an extensive use and it is also addicting.”
The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gives statistics that nicotine is highly addictive and can potentially harm young brain development, mostly because development of the brain continues into a persons early to mid-20s.
So why do we have these products and what is the purpose of them? E-cigarettes and Juuls were made to help wean people off from constant use of regular cigarettes and nicotine.
Newton states, “With e-cigarettes the customer is able to choose their own levels of nicotine and eventually even get it down to zero nicotine at all.”
She also added, “most of the time smoking or vaping is a habit and gives the person something to do with their hands. It also helps with the calming a person because while smoking or vaping a person is able to focus on ones breathing.”
But the products have gotten into the hands of the younger generation and have become an on-going trend.
When talking with some students at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, N.D., and asking how or why they started using these products almost all of them said that it was because of their friends showing them or influencing them. So why are these teens and young adults being hospitalized with different lung diseases and breathing problems?
Newton says that she believes, “These kids are overusing these products way too much or way more than they are supposed to.”
With lots of talk on putting bands on these products, are we sure that is the right choice to be making? Some of these products can be helpful for people trying to stop their addiction but they can also help these young people with starting an addiction.
Going to college is known for many different things, being on your own and getting out into the world, and oftentimes gaining the Freshman 15. We all fear it, but it somehow finds us eventually.
Metabolisms start to slow down as people start to age. Children are able to eat anything they want without having to worry as much, but as they age into young adults that is no longer the case. As time passes, people find it more difficult to eat those foods they want all the time and have to learn to restrict more and work harder to shake off those extra pounds.
“People should be aware as you get older your body will normally adjust your metabolism down and that results in weight creep over time.” said Jean Rolandelli,Bismarck State College Associate Biology Professor.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, a metabolism is what your body uses to convert food and drinks into energy for the body. This is much faster when people are younger because they are often times more active and also have less fat mass compared to when they age. The older people get, the more it slows resulting in a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in the amount of fat stored.
“Gaining weight is just the basic calories in and not enough calories being burned” Rolandelli said, “High school students are usually involved in many different physical activities or sports and are often times away from home and away from the refrigerator. Students get to college and no longer do the same kinds of physical activities on a regular basis and the exercise level goes way down, but the amount of intake does not.”
To keep away from gaining these extra pounds WebMD’s website says people should aim for an accomplishment of 10,000 steps a day. Another way is also doing more strength training and aiming for doing it two or three times a week.
“Walking more! Especially in the winter,”Rolandeli said, “Walking is good for burning fat and you tend to burn more of the fat stored with the low intensity exercises.”
Food also plays a big role in managing weight. According to the website known as Eating Well, the foods that are best for us include proteins that can be found in eggs or oats, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
“Our food service is wonderful, but they are typically going to make foods that are fairly starchy and fairly fatty foods. And tasty,” Rolandelli said. “In the end it’s all just a matter of the amount of calories in and calories out.”
Student Health
Keeping Away the Freshman 15
November 2, 2019
Winter Weather Preperations
What is expected to come and how to prepare
December 5, 2019
As the fall semester continues further into the year, there is the cold winter that comes along with it, and usually overstays its welcome for most of the spring semester as well. Students must prepare and embrace for winter that will soon be here.
According to the USA today website, four of North Dakota’s cities are included in the top 10 coldest cities in the United States, having Grand Forks in second place and Bismarck number eight.
US News website and the Farmers’ Almanac predict that winter 2019-2020 may be the most harsh winter yet. It is predicted to be at its coldest temperatures in the final weeks of January 2020. The thermometer will continually rise and fall, referring to this as the Polar Coaster.
Meteorologist Daniel Brothers said, “The "Polar Coaster" is a term that Farmers Almanac made up this year. I've never heard the term in previous years. (I'd imagine because it makes for catchy headlines.) They are forecasting a lot of back and forth between warm periods and cold periods, which frankly happens to an extent just about every year.”
Along with this will be some of the most frigid temperatures taking over the Midwest regions.
“Average snowfall for the Winter in Bismarck is just over 51 inches of snow, total. Since last February was the 2nd coldest on Record for Bismarck, we should still be warmer than last Winter this year.” says Brothers.
North Dakota seems to be the coldest place in the country at times, and it often makes people wonder why.
“North Dakota has highly variable weather from season to season because for two reasons. Number one, we live in a northern latitude. This means our hours of daylight fluctuate a lot! In the summer, we get close to 16 hours of sun each day. In the winter, only closer to 8 hours!” Meteorologist Hutch Johnson said, “Number two reason for cold weather is the fact that we are located in the center of the North American continent. That means we are as far away from the ocean as you can get! This means that we are pretty dry here, and that leads to more temperature extremes in both summer and winter.”
Staying warm during the winter here in the North is key. The best way to do this is wearing layers when going out into the cold and adding extra clothing such as hats, gloves, and scarves. This can also add up in price but in the long run, but it is very much worth it.
Another important factor of winter and the cold weather coming is preparing for the worst case scenarios. Buying flashlights, stocking up on batteries, and having shelves full of non-perishable food items are just some ways that people are able to prepare. This can be incase of power outages or in the event of being trapped.
Hesser Toyota’s website also gives steps and ideas on how to survive while being trapped in a car during a winter storm. This includes having cat litter or sand to use as emergency traction for the tires. Also includes keeping extra blankets and clothes packed in the vehicle to keep warm. Along with giving facts such as don’t abandon the vehicle and to stay where you are, this is because the car is considered a good shelter during these sorts of events.
As winter makes its way toward North Dakota, take into consideration all of these tips and ways to stay safe. Because whether we like it or not, the cold weather is coming and is going to be here for quite a while.
A barbecue fountain, chocolate fountain, Christmas-themed pancake breakfasts, and crafts are just some of the creative activities that Student and Residence Life has put on throughout this school year. Usually set up in the Student Union during lunch hours, Student Life staff can be found with a table of all sorts of foods and crafts for students.
“The Office of Student and Residence Life organizes events and activities on campus,” says Leah Dielh, Student and Residence Life Coordinator. “We receive feedback from previous years’ events, track attendance and take recommendations. The office receives input from Student Government and other organizations for activities to schedule. Employees do research and receive information from college specialty agencies regarding popular activities around the country.”
Starting the new academic year back in August 2019, Student and Residence Life hosted an outdoor movie and a club fair. Doing this on the first days helped new students get out and meet new people. Many students say that they were thankful for these activities because they were able to meet some of their best friends during those first few days of living on campus.
“Student activities, student organizations, and other events are planned with a purpose to involve students in campus life outside of the classroom environment.” Diehl said, “Activities and events are opportunities for a variety of things, including, to develop leadership, socialize, learn about topics in an environment outside of the classroom, cover social responsibility, apply civic lessons, invest time in college, and a variety of other things.”
Another familiar face at the Student Union who works with Student and Residence Life is Student Life Assistant Cassandra Vega.
“For the instance of the Jewelry Making activity today, I got supplies,” Vega said, “ and for food events, I go through the Mystic Marketplace for a catering request.”
Vega works alongside the Student Life team to come up with these different activities and plan them out.
“We do have a budget though and we are given a certain amount throughout the year to use on these activities,” Vega said.
Vega also released information that students can expect a Mardi Gras event in February, a Carnival in April, more food events and a party at the end of the year.
Students Enjoy Activities on Campus
February 6, 2020
Fun Facts About Vaccines
It's Not to Late for the Community to Get Vaccinated
March 5, 2020
Influenza is no fun with body aches and fevers. But there can also be serious complications that arise from the virus if not treated, including organ failure and brain inflammation.
Every year we are told to go get our annual flu shots. There is much more to putting these vaccinations together than we know. The main purpose of vaccines is to protect people from getting sick. Vaccines are able to do this because they are made up with different amounts of strains of the illness to fight against the different types of flu.
“Vaccines actually contain very tiny little amounts of what we call, antigens,” said Melanie Schock, Assistant Professor of Nursing here at Bismarck State College. “And antigens are what trigger our immune systems to respond to particular illnesses and conditions moving forward. So you give someone a vaccine, the little amounts of antigens in that vaccine, trigger our immune system to respond and create what we call antibodies, or an attack mode, of these specific antigens.”
Vaccines have been made for fighting off many different diseases. Vaccinations for the flu are being recommended right now with this being the prime time of the year to get sick.
“If somewhere down the line some other time, we actually do get whatever that illness is, it could be influenza, it could be measles, mumps, hep. B, it could be anything we have a vaccine for.” Schock said, “Then our body's immune system says ‘hey i recognize this, i'm going to fight it off.’ And then the immune system responds and takes care of it, so hopefully you do not get the illness or disease that you were vaccinated against.”
The influenza virus can attack anyone and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says that anyone is at risk for contracting the viruses. The flu can happen at any age, but those more likely to contract the flu are infants, pregnant women and people 65 and older.
“The older population and real little ones are the ones that can get into real trouble with the virus and may need to go to the hospital to be supported while they are sick, with fluids or oxygen,” Schock said, “but most healthy people can just ride it out at home.”
There are quite a few factors and symptoms to look out for the virus.
“Usually with the flu, known as influenza, the symptoms are usually relatively high fever, coughing, just feeling pretty much miserable, lots of body aches,” Schock said, “and it is a viral process, so there really isn't anything a physician can do or treat it with.”
Since it is a viral process, doctors can not prescribe antibiotics to treat it because it is not a bacteria.
Schock recommends, as long as people are healthy, they can stay home and stay hydrated to take care of themselves. She also suggests staying away from other people because they are contagious.
CDC.gov says influenza can last up to a few days to a few weeks. As of this February, 5,868 cases total have been reported in North Dakota, including 2,230 children under the age of 10, along with 184 people being hospitalized because of it. This includes all six strains of influenza. Currently, the World Health Organization says that there are 26 vaccinations and more are being developed.
“The vaccine for influenza specifically is different for every year,” Schock said. “And a lot of the time, they are really good and spot on, but then some years they do not get it quite right, so even if you get the vaccine, you can still end up getting one of the other strains of influenza that were not covered by the vaccine.”
For more information on the influenza virus, Schock suggests checking out nd.flu.com to find out about the flu season in North Dakota.
They are always the first ones to come and help you. The first people you call in times of need or trouble. Paramedics and EMTs work hard to save lives everyday. These students go through strenuous training to become the best they can be in their field.
Alecia Turner is a current student in the Paramedic Program at Bismarck State College. In fact, she is the only paramedic student that lives here on campus, along with being an RA in Swenson Hall. But doing the Paramedic Program was not her first career choice.
After high school, Turner moved to Arizona to go to school to become a Massage Therapist. After finishing the courses she needed there, she moved back to North Dakota and started her own business. During this time, Turner found her new interest.
“I had just moved back from Arizona and I had thought about how being an EMT would be super cool, but I could never do that, because it's just too scary and I couldn't push myself to do that,” Turner said. “I had told my parents I was interested in the position and becoming an EMT, and they had heard about an EMT class starting up the next day.”
Emergency Medical Technicians and paramedics are trained and certified to help with basic emergency services to any victims of trauma or acute illnesses. They are the ones that help before and during transportation to a hospital. The difference being that it takes much longer to become a paramedic, and they are trained to complete more complex procedures than EMT’s. These procedures can include starting IVs, performing tracheostomies, and administering different medications to help save lives.
Bismarck State College provides EMT, AEMT(Advanced Emergency Medical Technician) and Paramedic classes on campus. The campus provides these certifications at different times throughout the year.
“So I just decided to go to it, and I decided to take the leap.” Turner said.
Meanwhile, Turner was still running her Massage Therapy business, making it impossible to commit herself fully to the EMT program like she wanted to.
“I volunteered when I could,” Turner said, “and I eventually fell in love with it and decided that I wanted to get into paramedicine and make that a full time gig.”
The Paramedic Program is a full time task and is definitely not an easy one.
“I go to class for about 12 hours a week, sometimes 20, then when we are not in class we are at a clinic sight,” Turner said. “We have a number of requirements and patient contacts we have to fulfill, along with hours. For the fall semester we needed 156 hours of clinic time. For the spring semester we need 280 hours. And for our Capstone (where we can actually take the lead as a paramedic role) 120 hours.”
Along with that the students also go to places such as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Obstetric ward (OB), psych ward and ambulance ride alongs. To add on to that, they also have classes on campus.
“Learning in the class is just a little bit of everything,” Turner said. “We learn cardiology—two classes in that, which was pretty extensive. We had pharmacology, which is just knowing and learning the different medications and how they affect the cells and the body.”
Turner shared that they also learn about different strokes and situations that can happen to people and how to treat them.
The students go through lectures and then go to labs to do hands-on training. At the end of the year, students get tested on everything they know using a variety of stations.
“The overall test can be with different things such as cardiology and identify different rhythms and how to treat them,” Turner said. “Another station is a scenario of when you would first come on a scene and load them into the ambulance, take them to the hospital, call it and report into the ER.”
Passing this test does not mean that the students are finished. Once they pass the program, they have to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, or NREMT. The national test where students will gain their license and can then apply for a job as a paramedic.
According to the Paramedic Training Spot website, they say that on average, about 33 percent of paramedics fail on their first try. The test is designed to determine the people who are ready to take on the role of a paramedic and those who are not.
The test consists of two parts, one written test and one is showing skills the students know how to perform.
The paramedic program at BSC started in August and was scheduled to have the students graduating in July. But with unfortunate circumstances and campus classes being moved to online, the program can not be fulfilled.
“With the whole COVID-19, we were supposed to graduate in July but now it is unknown,” Turner said. “They canceled all labs for the rest of the year. It’s unfortunate because that’s where we practice our skills on assessment before performing them on patients.”
Turner also shared how it is a struggle attending their clinic sites, due to hospitals not wanting to bring in any COVID-19 carriers to the patients.
Until then many of these students in the program are in a time of unknown.
Transitions for the Health Science Labs in the Wake of Covid-19
April 22. 2020
Keep Dancing in Quarantine
May 15, 2020
Being home bound for the past month has put us all on a new level of boredom. But during these special times, some people have taken matters into their own hands to make the most of it.
One special person doing this is a man known as DJ D-nice (Derrick Jones), who has taken his talents to host online live parties known as ‘Club Quarantine’. Starting it in his own kitchen, he has gone live on different social media networks, such as Instagram, and simply does his job of being a DJ. All while millions of viewers can tune in and be a part of it.
D-nice started his career in the 1980s with the hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, and he later on discovered Kid Rock in 1988, landing him a deal with a record label. Over the years, D-nice has released different albums and starred in some movies.
In March, DJ D-Nice had a new co-host, Michelle Obama, to hold the party, along with raising awareness for people to register to vote. Many other famous figures ‘attended’ the event including Oprah, Joe Biden, Will Smith, P Diddy, and many more. This last April, DJ D-Nice worked with Keke Palmer to co-host a one hour special. This special was to support the Save the Music Foundations.
In a recent interview, MSNBC reported that D-Nice talked about how people can party with a purpose. We can do something fun, along with doing something good.
In a world where it seems like technology is separating us more, we are now able to use it to bring us together in new ways.
How to keep positive mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, there seems to be a plethora of negative stories in the news, and many events have been canceled. With the quarantine, people have been home bound for weeks, not knowing when things will return to normal. Mental health is important during all times of the year.
This year, as North Dakota was coming out of winter, which can cause seasonal depression, the COVID-19 pandemic appeared, forcing the state to close down—including schools, which sent students home to face a virtual learning environment and a disconnection from peers. As anxious students, faculty and staff left the campuses, online classes presented new challenges.
“I believe stress management is the key to staying in a positive state,” United Tribes Psychology Instructor and BSC Adjunct Psychology Instructor Brett Williamson said. “When we go through difficult times, letting things pile up only amplifies an already difficult situation. It is always best to keep on top of assignments and stay in contact with instructors. Waiting to the last minute to complete an online assignment rarely works out well.”
Leaving friends behind made social media connections more important than ever.
“It is important to keep in contact with friends and family,” Williamson said. “While being isolated, it’s easy to forget that there are people out there that care for you. Don’t be afraid to give a friend a call or even use Zoom to have some social interaction. We are all going through this together.”
With social media comes news. While staying informed is important, becoming overwhelmed by one’s news feed can lead to stress.
“I read the daily articles from reliable sources, but I try my best to not become obsessed with every article and new station,” Williamson said. “If all you hear is doom and gloom, your world may become doom and gloom.”
Staying mentally and physically healthy during this time can be a challenge.
“When our emotional and mental well-being is impacted, so is our physical well-being,” BSC Director of Counseling and Advising Services Kate Milner said. “Stress and other unaddressed mental health concerns can lead to excessive fatigue, trouble sleeping, digestive discomfort, loss of appetite and the temptation to cope excessively with alcohol or other substances.”
“It can be very helpful to maintain a daily routine,” Milner continued. “Try to get enough sleep - wake up and go to bed around the same time each day. Keep regular mealtimes and get adequate nutrition. Get dressed and fix your hair. Do the things that are normally good self-care for you such as spending time in nature, exercising, listening to music.”
Students can try things they haven’t before or perhaps do something they haven’t done in a long time.
“I have explored some new hobbies during the pandemic,” Williamson said. “I picked up my guitar again, got better at those Metallica licks and learned that I enjoy building model robots. With an uncertain future it is difficult to remember that change can bring opportunities."
“With limited social interaction comes the opportunity to step away from the persona to some degree,” Williamson said. “If you pay attention and look and listen, you may learn something about the self.”
Milner agreed saying students can focus on the goals and the accomplishments that can be achieved.
“If you are working toward completing your degree,” she said. “sign up for your fall 2020 classes.”
Both Milner and Williamson emphasized the importance of reaching out if a student is struggling. All of the support services that are normally available to BSC students are still available. Counseling services are available by phone or through meeting virtually online. Students can call the Mystic Advising and Counseling Center at 701-224-5752 or email bsc. counseling@bismarckstate.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Mental Health During COVID-19
May 15, 2020
Get Caffeinated
October 1, 2020
Most people have caffeine in their morning schedule. On the way to early classes students make sure to take a pit stop at the famous on campus coffee shop located in the Student Union: Mystic Java.
Now, the coffee shop is branching out into two new locations. Powerbean and Wellbean are the names of the newest additions that will be at new locations on campus.
A familiar and friendly face of the coffee shop is Ronnie Martin, who has been with Mystic Java for three years, and now considers herself the ‘Coffee Mom’ of the campus.
“I came from being a stay at home mom, to now making coffee,” Martin said, “It’s kind of like I have 300 or so 20 year olds around here.”
Martin works many hours and keeps up a bright smile for all the customers.
“I make sure that everyone is heavily caffeinated, happy, and ready to go,” Martin said.
With two new coffee locations, the Mystic Java franchise will be able to reach even more students, staff and guests to the BSC campus.
“We wanted people to have convenience with the locations of the coffee shops.” Martin said ,“With the Health Sciences building and the National Energy Center of Excellence building that are just flowing with staff and students, along with outside people who are coming in for meetings and other get-togethers- really it was the perfect spot for them- on two different ends of campus.”
The new shops are going to be known as Powerbean is located in the NECE building on the first floor, and Wellbean is located in the back corner of the Health Science building. Martin said that they are hoping to have Mystic Java open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week, while Wellbean will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Powerbean open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The hours are subject to change, as they are willing to adjust hours based on the demands from the customers.
“We have about 200 to 250 customers that we see anywhere from two to five times a week.” Martin said, “Some people need a bit more caffeine than others but some people just want to come by and say hi.”
Mystic Java can be a great way for staff and students to get away from their work for a refreshing break or to stop by and grab food. The coffee shops include a variety of snacks and treats from customers as well.
For a nice drink at the coffee shop, Martin suggests that the prettiest drink in her opinion: Iced Caramel Macchiato. Her go-to coffee: hot Almond Joy Coffee.
The next time there is a craving for caffeine, make sure to check out Mystic Java, Wellbean or Powerbean.
Every year there are more record breaking heat temperatures. As of September 2020, Los Angeles County California reached the hottest temperature ever recorded for that month, reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Assisting in these hot temperatures were raging wildfires from lack of rainfall and dry heat temperatures—both causes that have come from climate change.
“Climate change is just what it sounds like: It is a change in the climate” Ronald Jyring, Associate Professor of Biology at BSC, said. “It refers to the drastic changes that have been happening over the last 50-100 years. Global warming refers to the same thing. However, there was concern that the term doesn’t embrace its full impact. So while many parts of the world will become hotter (some to the point where humans won’t be able to survive), others will likely become cooler due to shifting weather patterns.”
The Earth is warming at extremely fast rates and that is not a good thing. Although the planet has been warming naturally since the Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, the warming is happening faster than natural. The human race has assisted in this significantly with the overuse of fossil fuels and wasting of materials that are littering our Earth.
Humans have been littering millions of single use products and wastes for many years. The build up of these wastes such as plastics, are piling up in our oceans and on our lands causing the wildlife in these areas to suffer dramatically. Along with this, many species are becoming endangered and dying off at extremely fast rates. All because of the human race.
“Despite some claims to the contrary, the main drivers of current climate change are the burning of fossil fuels, certain agricultural practices and deforestation,” Jyring said, “It is important to note that these are all the result of human activity. There are some other contributing factors, but these are human-caused factors that are by far the main ones.”
Jyring also mentioned that some of the “natural” contributors, like forest fires, are made worse because of human activity.
According to NASA’s website, climate change is not just weather, but a change in Earth’s usual climate. This means that the climate in certain places may have unusual changes, such as snow fall in places that don’t get snow or extreme temperatures that certain places aren’t used to.
“Currently we are having record forest fires in the west,” Jyring said, “We have had so many hurricanes this season that they are no longer naming them.”
Scientists who study the Earth have found that the normal temperature of the Earth has gone up one degree Fahrenheit in the past 100 years, which might not seem like much but actually is. These small changes in the Earth’s temperature can have huge effects that come along with it. The changes can come from pollution from millions of people driving cars or the use of products that take energy such as heating or cooling a house by burning coal or oil. By burning and using this energy, we are putting gases into the air which also heats up, causing the Earth's temperature to rise.
“We can help by wasting fewer resources,” Jean Rollandeli, Associate Professor of Biology at BSC, said, “including food, packaging, building materials, electricity and fossil fuels. Scientists believe we could reduce our need for resources by 50 percent if we did not waste them. Reduce, reuse and recycle.”
Rollandeli also talked about how we should buy items made from materials that are easily recycled or handing down items to someone else who can use them.
The Earth and many of its species are beginning to suffer from these effects. This includes the melting of the ice caps and glaciers, which will eventually result in major flooding of coastal cities and endanger many species that live in those ice climates. There will also be more erratic weather patterns with higher rates of precipitation or stronger storms.
“We can’t stop it. It is already here.” Jyring said, “and climate change will get worse, no matter what we do. However, the question is how bad will we allow things to get. Burning less fossil fuel is a prime place to start.”
The topic of climate change and global warming have been up for debate quite often, even being one of the topics in the 2020 Presidential debates. Questioning whether it is real or not, and where our leaders stand on the topic.
“This is something we should be worried about.” Rollandelli said. “The next generation will be facing a much harsher world if we don’t slow this down as soon as possible. It took our Earth 30 plus years to recover from the ozone hole we caused, but it did. Great progress has been made since all the countries of the world got together to find a solution. We can do this, but pretending it is not happening is just a really bad plan.”
Climate Change is not Just Weather
November 5, 2020
Plasma Donation Centers Seek Donors
December 3, 2020
With student debts adding up each year, students are constantly searching for easy ways to make more money. Even with part time jobs, sometimes that just isn’t enough for students. One way for anyone to easily make some money is through plasma donations.
Plasma is a component of human blood that can be used for many things in the medical field. There are a multitude of hospitals and research centers that are looking for plasma donations from patients.
“Plasma is the liquid part of your blood,” said Annie Paulson, Associate Professor of Nursing/Program Director at Bismarck State College. “When you do a plasma donation, you donate the blood, then they run it through a machine, and they separate it out and give you your red blood cells back. Your body can build up more plasma pretty easily. That's why people can go to different places and donate plasma a couple times a week and they bounce right back from that.”
There is a strong desire for plasma donations because it substitutes as treatments for a number of conditions and diseases.
“Many people have different immune disorders,” said Paulson, “They may need plasma treatment for different types of anemia and some other rare blood disorders, or people with different kinds of cancers can benefit from the plasma donations as well.”
Recently, plasma donation centers have been seeking people who have recently tested positive and recovered from COVID-19. There is a strong need for this because it has been used by medical centers for research and helping other patients with COVID-19.
“When you develop a disease, your body, the immune system, has antibodies that basically have a memory,” Paulson said. “The antibodies live in your plasma, and they've been finding that doing plasma donations and plasma infusions can help people with decreasing their symptoms with COVID-19. I don’t know if it's FDA approved yet, but I know that they are using it heavily. And they are finding some positive results from it.”
Also known as convalescent plasma therapy, according to the Mayo Clinic website, the FDA is allowing the treatments since there are no approved treatments made for COVID-19 yet. This treatment is known to lessen the severe symptoms some patients have been experiencing, and helping lessen the mortality rate.
Almost anyone is able to donate their plasma to donation centers such as Biolife in Bismarck. When going to donation centers, donors can expect a full physical and some questionnaires to make sure donors are healthy enough.
“They (nurses) check your blood pressure, hemoglobin level, and a full physical before you go and donate plasma,” said Paulson, “and then if you pass all of their standards, you complete a questionnaire that says if you've ever traveled to certain countries or had certain diseases, any recent tattoos or piercings, been in jail or things like that. They then clear you from having any concerns, have you come in and donate.”
If potential donors have had coronavirus, they need to bring proof that they tested positive to the donation center. Donation centers often pay more for that plasma for up to two donations. By donating plasma, donors are giving a lifeline to someone in need.
For more information go to: https://www.biolifeplasma.com/us/
Bismarck State College is constantly working to become more innovative, especially with new technologies to make life easier. This semester, BSC’s Food Services introduced a new type of vending machine, one that customers can make and customize their own salads.
“It was at the time when the COVID-19 shut down began, and our salad bars went away,” said Deb Sandness, “I thought this was a great opportunity to have that fresh salad back on campus.”
The vending machine is called ‘Sally the Salad Robot’ and has a plethora of options for customers. Salads can be customized completely from spinach or lettuce to a variety of proteins and dressings.
“I think it’s cool to be able to customize everything on there and put exactly what you want on your salad,” BSC student Madalynn Redig said. “You can pick how much or how little you want of each and I find that a great feature on there.”
The vending machine also has more than just the basic toppings, including grape tomatoes, eggs, almonds, and chicken. These ingredients are monitored daily, 24 hours a day to ensure its freshness. Food Service employees are able to receive messages from the robot to track and let them know if something is needed.
“It comes through to our computers to let us know what products are being used and how much,” Sandness said, “and it’ll let us know when an ingredient is empty so we can come and fill it right away.”
Sally the Salad Robot is programmed to take both dining dollars and Mystic dollars, along with credit cards as payments.
“There’s a lot of things that we can do with it,” Sandness said. “We can do a yogurt bar, and that’ll be one of the other options coming up, along with the powerbowls that everyone loves.”
So far the salad machine seems to be a hit for BSC students and employees. Since it’s first salad on Jan. 6, there have been over 400 salads made so far.
“I love it,” BSC student Hailey Chase said, “I use it twice a day, everyday, all week.”
With every purchase, customers are asked to leave a thumbs up or thumbs down review of their experience using it. According to Sandness, there have been 94 percent of thumbs up reviews.
“We’re really happy with it,” Sandness said. “You’d be surprised with how many different food robots are coming out.”
Sandness said that her next project is working on getting a pizza vending machine to BSC as well.
New Salad Robot on Campus
February 4, 2021
New Rapid COVID-19 Testing Available on BSC Campus
February 4, 2021
It’s been a year since COVID-19 has made its mark in the United States. Since then the country has gone through lockdowns, quarantines and various mandates to keep people safe from the virus. Society has long awaited a way for us to get life back to normal, now there might be hope as there are new vaccines and more rapid testing available.
Since the beginning of the Fall 2020 Semester, Bismarck State College has provided free COVID-19 testing to anyone in the community every Monday at the Armory. Results for people who were tested were available within a day or two. But BSC is now offering a new COVID-19 test weekly that can give students and faculty testing results in as little as 15 minutes.
“BinaxNOW is a rapid test for COVID-19 administered by swabbing the nasal cavity of the testing individual,” said Kaylyn Bondy, BSC VP of Student Affairs. “Results typically take 15 minutes to receive.”
With the new testing, students or employees will be asked to fill out the NDDOH pre-registration at https://testreg.nd.gov/, where they can then mark how they would like to receive their results.
“BSC has not yet been informed of the testing timeline,” said Bondy, “but work closely with the NDDOH to inform the campus community of any changes/updates.”
The rapid test will be offered to students and employees of BSC, but the college plans to still provide PCR testing every Monday to the community.
As of Jan. 17, schedules for the testing will be as follows: Mondays, Binax testing at the Medical Lab Sciences building from 8:30 AM to 10 AM for BSC athletes. Also on Monday, PCR testing will take place at the BSC Armory from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, open to BSC students, employees and community members. On Thursdays, Binax testing will be available to BSC athletes from 8:30 AM to 10 AM at the Medical Lab Sciences building and for BSC students and employees in the Student Union Alumni Room from 11AM- 1PM.
Last year’s Bismarck State College graduates were left questioning whether or not they were going to have a graduation commencement ceremony. Ultimately, BSC was given no choice but to host it virtually with graduates celebrating separately with their families.
This year poses the same question for the BSC graduates of 2021. Whether or not they will be able to celebrate graduation in person or have to do it from home.
As of right now there are still regulations enforced on the campus. Fans are not allowed into the sports games, no outside visitors are allowed into the dorm halls, and there is still a mask mandate.
On Jan. 18, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum removed the mask mandate and capacity restrictions for businesses. The risk level of the state was also moved from yellow to green; however, BSC decided against moving risk levels on campus for the moment.
In an email sent out to students at BSC, President Doug Jensen said that the college ‘is working to determine the safest path forward when it comes to audience participation.’ In his most recent email to students he spoke about the newest decisions made about the plan for graduations.
As of right now, the BSC commencement ceremony will be held virtually on May 14, 2021. The ceremony will be live streamed at bismarckstate.edu/livestream. There will be more information on what the official plan will be to the graduates in the coming weeks.
There are also plans to host small, outdoor, program-specific celebrations on campus on Commencement Day. More information will be shared at bismarckstate.edu/events.
BSC Associate Registrar of Academic Records, Kene Miller said that there are still discussions going on about what the plans for the 2021 Commencement are. She added that there will be more information when it becomes available.
More information about Commencement will be shared at bismarckstate.edu/events.
Bismarck State College's Plan for Graduations '21.
March 4, 2021
"The Bachelor": Who will get the rose?
March 4, 2021
Over 8 million people watch the American reality TV show “The Bachelor” every Monday night. The show is now on their twenty-fifth season along with their spin off show “The Bachelorette”.
This current season has been one to make history. Starting off with this season's Bachelor, Matt James, being the first person of color to be the Bachelor. James is also the first in many years to not have been a contestant in a previous season of the Bachelor or Bachelorette. There was also a record number of women contestants this season, having 37 women.
But the current season started off with only 32 women in week one and later adding in 5 more women during week 3. Adding on the 5 extra women definitely added more drama to the house and this season has been one of the most drama filled seasons yet.
When the new women arrived there was an immediate split between the original women and the new women. They even went as far as to call themselves the “Varsity Squad” for the originals and to keep themselves separate from the new women.
There was even a “Mean Girls” group, including some of the most drama filled women, Kit Keenan, MJ Synder, and Victoria Larson, who prefers being called “Queen Victoria”. The group began when Sarah Trott interrupted a group date that she was not invited to. Sarah took James away from the other women to talk with him about something that she thought was urgent. After having a conversation with him, the other women on the group date were furious and did not allow her to explain herself or apologize.
Sarah ended up self-eliminating herself due to the bullying from the mean girls group.
Then the week 3 addition of the 5 extra women sent the bullying group over the edge. Especially in the group date competitions and trying hard to beat one another for a date with James. Also going to interrupt each other during one-on-one moments the women were getting with James, competing to have more time than other women were getting.
As of Feb. 15 there are now only 4 women remaining, after James eliminated three women that he was not feeling as connected to and one self-eliminating herself. Next up is hometown dates coming in the Feb. 22 episode where James will get a chance to meet the women’s families. This also means that there are only a few more episodes to go.
It’s a real gamble on who James will end up picking and proposing to in the end of the season.
Between work and school, being in college can be a busy time for students. This is especially true for Bismarck State College’s two-sport athlete, Reile Payne. Payne somehow manages to do school and play on BSC’s women's basketball and volleyball teams.
It may seem like it wouldn’t be as difficult to manage any other typical year, except that because of COVID-19 restrictions, all of this year’s sport seasons were put on delay until the spring semester, so both basketball and volleyball seasons were scheduled concurrently.
“Managing two sports can be very difficult” Payne said, “especially because they are at the same exact time this year.”
The Mystics basketball and volleyball teams have been having at least one game every week since January, giving Payne an incredibly full schedule.
“Once games started, practice became very minimal for me because I am gone for games so many days of the week,” Payne said. “On home game days, I must be at the other sports practice, but I do not participate.”
Payne is a freshman at BSC, working to pursue a degree in special education and elementary education. This makes for an overwhelming schedule for her on most days.
“My days become very long with homework, sports, classes and just having a normal life,” Payne said. “I rarely am just sitting anywhere. I have classes every morning and am done by 12p.m. at the latest, then usually have practice from 3 p.m. to anywhere from 7:30-8p.m., it depends on the day. Sometimes I have a break between practices but other times I don’t.”
Although having a chaotic schedule, Payne enjoys her time playing and being a part of the teams, along with forming relationships with her teammates.
“My favorite part about this season is honestly just the opportunity to play,” Payne said. “Coming into this year I didn't even know if we were going to get the chance to play, so being able to play has been very exciting.”
Payne doesn’t know exactly what she will be doing after her time here at BSC, as she is just trying to focus on getting through this chaotic school year first.
You can watch and cheer on Payne and the rest of her teammates play live at bscmystics.com.
MYSTIC'S SPOTLIGHT:
Reile Payne, two sport athlete at BSC.
April 1, 2021
Paramedic student was workforce ready post graduation
April 1, 2021
Although many students were able to do their schooling completely online, after being sent home in March 2020, some programs were put on a delay. This was true for now Bismarck State College alum, Alecia Turner, who has graduated from BSC with a Certificate in Paramedic Technology and an Associates in Applied Science Paramedic Technology this past December.
The BSC paramedicine program includes hours of clinicals each semester, learning about pharmacology, cardiology, types of strokes and diseases. Overall learning how to respond to different situations and scenarios.
“To complete the Paramedic program, it consisted of fulfilling approximately 500 hours of a clinic internship on top of our classroom education,” Turner said. “Our classes were different from everyone else. We studied different emergencies such as medical, trauma and learned to perform assessments. Pharmacology, pathophysiology, and anatomy were huge parts in passing our program.”
Along with that, the Paramedic students needed to fulfill the Associates in Applied Science degree. This involves all the Paramedic classes and some general education classes such as English, human resources, and psychology.
But after being sent home in March 2020 because of the pandemic, there was some concern for Turner and her classmates on whether they would be able to graduate on time.
“Luckily, the pandemic didn’t affect our graduation timeline,” Turner said. “However, we were denied access to some clinic sites which eventually led to our patient contact number changing.”
Since her graduation from the program at BSC, Turner was ready to go to work right away.
“I have taken on a full-time position as a Paramedic with Standing Rock Ambulance and part-time with Jamestown Area Ambulance,” Turner said. “I have also begun teaching an EMT class with JEMSE at Jamestown.”
Turner’s plans for the future are to gain more experience in running the ambulance trucks and later become an Advanced Life Support/Basic Life Support Education Coordinator. Turner’s other goal is to later teach EMT and Paramedic programs and become more active in the community teaching CPR courses.
“I am inspired by the fact that I am able to be a part of something that is greater than I am,” Turner said. “It seems with every call, I am given lessons and experiences that mold me into a better provider and person.”
As many people know, working in the medical field is not the easiest job. Turner talked about how the toughest part for her while working in the field is walking away from a patient and not knowing if she did enough for that patient and not knowing that patient’s outcome.
“The best part for me is the relationships you endeavor with this career path,” Turner said. “I hope to achieve in becoming the best provider I can be and can constantly learn new things from the medical field and about the human body.”
In 1970, Bismarck State College introduced the Lineworker Electrical program, and 50 years later, it is still going strong. They are doing so well that, with a grant from North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, BSC is building a new training center and has waiting lists for students who are eager to be a part of the program.
During those past 50 years, BSC has also added several different energy programs, including Lineworkers, Mechanical Maintenance, Nuclear Power and Wastewater Technology. These four programs are managed by Process Plant Technology Lecturer Kyren Miller who is a department chair for the NECE and energy programs. He also teaches the one-year lineworker program courses.
“We call it the three-semester program,” Miller said. “In the first summer semester, they take two courses that are required. Intro to climbing, where we provide them the equipment to climb, and the teachers teach them how to wear their gear. They start with climbing to a 6 foot mark, then a 15 foot mark and then 32 feet while they also get comfortable wearing their gear.”
During the summer semester, the lineworker students are taught basic equipment operations, including how to run a skid steer, a digger derrick truck and backhoe. After completing those courses, the students are given a short break until August when the rest of BSC students return for the fall semester, they return to start the core lineworker courses.
“The fall semester is all about learning how to work with their equipment and putting up lines,” Miller said. “Then when we come back from the holiday break, they are going to do more advanced construction and underground line splice, running trenchers and things like that.”
While some students do stick around to finish five more general education courses to get a two-year associate's degree, more than half of the students who are enrolled in the program, go on to be lineworkers right after graduation. And graduation includes a rodeo.
“We’ve been doing it for a few years now, we do what they call a lineman rodeo,” Miller said. “It’s just a number of events where the students draft their teammates to do five different activities that they have to do, and the parents get to come and watch. They do these different skill sets, and we grade them on safety and procedure, time and quickness. Then we award them prizes that are donated by some of the vendors. What better way for the parents to see where their money is going towards.”
To help celebrate the 50 years of the program, the NDAREC awarded a grant to construct a new building for the BSC Lineworker Electrical program. This new building is a $6 million project and will be a brand new training center, with two classrooms, a truck simulator room and an indoor climbing arena. Construction will begin this summer, with the new training center being completed by July 2022.
“We’re also doing a ceremony ahead of the lineman rodeo on May 6th,” Miller said. “Hopefully a few Senators will be there and Kelly Armstrong, and either the governor will speak or the mayor of Mandan, to do a dedication for the new training center. Along with a few people who were a big part in making the grant happen, we will have them speak for a bit.”
Miller was also able to go through some old pictures and locate a gentleman from the first class in 1970, who will also be there to celebrate.
BSC is the only school in the state that offers a Lineworker program, and has put out a large number of graduates who have found careers.
“We’re pretty excited,” Miller said. “Not a lot of programs can say they’ve made it 50 years successfully. We’ve got some great faculty members that have taken the program up a notch.”
BSC Lineworker Program Celebrates 50-years
May 4, 2021
It's Your World, Do What You Want.
May 4, 2021
“It’s your world do what you want” are the words my boss at the community swimming pool I worked at in High School said to me. He said this when my co-workers and I were joking about not wanting to work that weekend. We joked how we might just leave and go on vacation because we were over yelling at kids to walk and not run at the pool. Instead of him saying no, he said he didn’t care what we did and that it was our world and we should do what we wanted.
Obviously, what my boss said to me when I was 17 years old, stuck with me. Whenever I think about things that don’t seem appealing or I dread doing, I think about what he said and remember that I really can do whatever I please, to an extent.
I look at some people in my life and how their job isn’t their favorite and maybe they dread going to work everyday. Or they are unhappy with what they are doing with their life. It happens all the time, people assume they have to continue doing things that don’t make them happy but really no one is forcing them to do those things. Maybe they do it because it's what everyone else does or maybe they just need to pay the bills, either way it isn’t worth being so dissatisfied.
Why are we wasting our time doing things that don’t make us enjoy waking up every morning. Working jobs that we feel forced to keep.
It’s the “social norm” to go to college, get a degree and work until we can retire. And finally, when we retire at an old age, we can go on all those vacations that we always wanted. Why wait though? We aren’t promised that we’ll live to retirement age, we aren’t promised anything. We should be running to do all the things we love like it’s our last day on Earth.
Because in the end, it is your world, so why don’t you do what you want to do?