Student Activities

	Student Organizations
	Theatre
	Music and Art
	Intramural Sports

Dakota State University offers a variety of campus-related activities and organizations. Each provides opportunities for personal, spiritual, physical, and intellectual growth. All students are encouraged to participate in campus organizations. The skill building which results from meaningful involvement combines with formal academic work to produce a competent and confident person. Information on the student activities sponsored or promoted by the institution is available in the Student Activities Office in the Trojan Center.

Student Organizations

Student government is vested in the DSU Student Association Senate, which exists to help promote the general welfare of the University and to serve as an organized medium for expression of student opinion. The eighteen-member Student Senate is a member of the South Dakota Federation of Student Governing Bodies, which provides an avenue for student communication with the Board of Regents and the public. Students also serve on the majority of the committees involved in institutional governance.

The Student Activities Board, Project SHAPE, Multi-Cultural Leadership Collective, and Interhall Council plan and conduct social, educational and recreational events for the University community. These groups, through their committees, provides the foundation for activities programming on the campus and offers a variety of opportunities for student involvement.

Dakota State University students publish the campus newspaper, the Trojan Times, and the yearbook, the TROJAN. These publications operate under the guidelines set forth by the Student Media Board, which is composed of administration, faculty, and student representatives and is designed to provide guidance and support to these publications.

Each of the academic disciplines has a student organization associated with it. Examples include the: Business Club, Computer Club, Health Information Management Club, Math and Science Club, and SEA (Student Education Association). In addition to providing opportunity for students in a given major to get better acquainted and enjoy working together, these organizations enable their members to supplement their in-class learning by inviting speakers to campus, sponsoring competitive events (both for the campus and for high school students), taking group trips, etc. These organizations also take pride in conducting service projects for the campus and the community.

A number of student organizations exist because their members share a common interest or goal in areas that is other than academic. Examples include the: Student Ambassadors, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Club, All Indian Nations Association and the DSU Dance Team. As in the case of the academically related clubs, each of these organizations contributes to the growth of its participants and to the overall learning environment of the campus.

A major responsibility of the Director of Student Activities is to work closely with officers and advisors of student organizations to identify the particular needs of their groups and to design ways and means of meeting these needs. Assistance can take the form of individual meetings between the director and organizational officers, workshops for either officers from all interested organizations or the entire membership of a particular organization, or trips to another institution to visit with counterparts.

Theatre

Students are encouraged to participate in theatre productions. These activities are available for the student interested in performing or working with the technical aspects of theatre productions. Productions are staged in the Arena Theatre and the Dakota Prairie Playhouse and range from a principle production each semester to student-directed, one-act plays.

Music and Art

Vocal and instrumental activities are also available on campus. The DSU Concert Band, DSU Jazz Band, DSU Choir and DSU Singers are open to all students wishing to participate and are available either for academic credit or on a non-credit basis. These groups perform at various occasions during the academic year.

Students are also provided opportunities for greater understanding, appreciation, and self-expression in the area of visual arts. Exhibits of faculty and student work appear on several occasions during the academic year in the Mundt Library Gallery. The DSU collection, consisting of art purchased with General Activity Fee funds, is located in offices and display areas across the campus.

Intramural Sports

The Intramural Sports Department sponsors a wide variety of individual, league, and tournament activities designed to encourage student participation and foster student fitness. Each year, students, faculty, and staff join in the fun of over 30 different intramural recreational sports and activities.

For students interested in traditional sports, the Intramural Sports Department offers men, women and co-ed leagues in flag football, basketball, volleyball, and softball.

The Intramural Sports Department recognizes that a number of DSU students will have outside activities, night classes, or jobs that will not allow them to commit to a month-long league. For these people various tournaments, including volleyball, basketball and special events are sponsored by the Intramural Sports Department. Any intramural calendar is made available to all students in the fall. Intramural sports activities are also listed on the web at www.clubs.dsu.edu/intramural.

For the fitness enthusiast, intramurals also sponsors a variety of activities which take place in the DSU Community Center.