BROOKINGS, S.D. – (Jacob Boyko / South Dakota News Watch)  The Board of Regents will consider an expansion to its South Dakota Advantage program next week that would grant resident tuition rates to three other states.

If the regents approve the measure, students from Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri will be able to attend South Dakota’s six public universities at the same cost as South Dakota residents.

“It’s becoming an increasingly competitive market and we’re doing all we can to attract students to South Dakota,” said Nathan Lukkes, executive director and CEO of SDBOR. “With the higher education landscape changing drastically and some of the demographic challenges coming up in the next decade, borders are becoming less and less important. And everybody’s vying for the same students.”

Since fewer children were born during the 2007-2009 recession, there will be fewer college-aged kids over the next several years. In order to mitigate enrollment declines, universities’ outreach efforts will become more crucial than ever, said Tim Rave, regents president.

“It’s no secret we’re going to start pushing up against the enrollment cliff, as every university in the country is. And it’s imperative that we get out in front of that to encourage as many students to come to South Dakota (as we can) and stay once they graduate,” he said.

The South Dakota Advantage program, which began in fall 2019, granted in-state tuition rates for Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado residents. Illinois and Wisconsin were added to the list in 2023.

There is already a separate reciprocity agreement with Minnesota that allows residents to pay the higher amount between their home-state tuition and the South Dakota campus they attend, according to the Board of Regents. Bringing Minnesota into the program will save Minnesota residents attending a South Dakota public university upward of $600 per semester.

Jim Rankin, president of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, told News Watch South Dakota Advantage is making his university more competitive in farther-away markets.

“I think we’ve got over 350 Colorado students, probably about just under 15% of our students,” he said. “We didn’t have those kinds of numbers in the past.”

SDBOR enrollment data show out-of-state enrollment growth for first-time freshmen from each state in the initial South Dakota Advantage program. The exception is Iowa, which along with Nebraska were already granted in-state tuition.

According to SDBOR, here are the enrollment changes of first-time freshmen from surrounding states between fall 2018 and fall 2023:

Iowa: 483, 437

Nebraska: 266, 402

Colorado: 112, 149

North Dakota: 64, 96

Wyoming: 50, 82

Montana: 21, 33

The data also show total nonresident enrollment climbing in the SDBOR system from 12,700 in fall 2021 to 13,308 in fall 2023.

You can read the entire story at sdnewswatch.org

 

BRANDON, SD – (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)  South Dakota needs a new flag, says Brandon Valley High School student Ryan Schultz.

Schultz, who is passionate about flag design and vexillology (the study of flags), is leading the charge, pushing for legislation that would establish a redesign committee.

“I think having a good flag can unify us as a people,” Schultz said.

In his hometown of Brandon and around the Sioux Falls area it’s rare to see the South Dakota flag flown aside from governmental buildings.

U.S. flags and Sioux Falls flags are the most popular in the area. Even University of Nebraska flags are flown more commonly than the South Dakota flag.

That’s proof, he said: If South Dakotans don’t care enough to fly their state flag in their front yard, wear it on merchandise or learn its history and symbolism, then a revamp is needed.

Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls, was inspired by Schultz’s suggestion and is considering introducing legislation in January. The bill is still being drafted, but would likely create a commission made up of legislators, governor-appointed members, tribal leaders and South Dakotans with expertise in history, art and tourism to help pick the new flag.

“Our state flag serves as an important symbol of the state,” Nesiba said in an emailed statement. “A new design has the potential to raise awareness and in the process boost tourism, and to attract college and university students, entrepreneurs and workers.”

Ultimately, the new state flag would be approved or rejected by the state Legislature and South Dakota governor, Nesiba said.

State Historical Society Executive Director Ben Jones flies the state flag outside his Sioux Falls home. He sees more state flags in Pierre than the rest of the state.

“I don’t see it as much, certainly compared to Texas,” Jones said. “If it doesn’t mean much to people today, my own view is it should. It has a history that’s interesting.”

The state flag has been changed twice in its 114-year history.

South Dakota did not have a state flag for its first 20 years as a state. It wasn’t until Seth Bullock, the first sheriff of Deadwood and a U.S. marshal at the time, introduced the idea to his state senator in the early 1900s. Bullock was inspired by a Spanish-American War veterans’ group to create one, Jones said.

The senator, Earnest May of Deadwood, introduced a bill to establish a flag designed by Ida Anding of the State Historical Society. The flag featured a sun on an azure background with “South Dakota” and “The Sunshine State” in an arc above and below the sun.

On the back was printed the state seal featuring hills, the Missouri River, a farmer, a mine and cattle to represent the state’s agriculture, diverse industry and natural resources. The state seal also includes the state motto, “Under God the people rule,” which Jones said has seen some controversy.

“Sometimes the meaning of those things, some people take that in ways it’s not intended,” Jones said. “If it was understood in the manner of Thomas Jefferson and then the state founders meant it, as a secular reminder of where our rights come from, even the deist Jefferson thought they were created by ‘the creator.’ I think that’s important politically because if the government didn’t give you your rights, the creator did, then the government can’t take them away. I think that’s a key part that’s in our flag that isn’t in other state flags.”

The intricate seal was placed in the center of the azure background, all with a fringe of gold trimmed around the edge of the flag. The use of the state seal on the flag followed a Civil War-era trend among other state flags at the time.

This was the official state flag until 1963, when the two sides of the flag were combined. It was expensive to manufacture flags with different emblems on each side, and there were few South Dakota state flags in existence. The Legislature created a “Special State Flag Account” in 1966 through the South Dakota treasurer to sell flags “at cost” to the public and directed the state to keep a supply of South Dakota flags on hand to “meet the demand” from the public and organizations.

The flag changed again in 1992 to read “The Mount Rushmore State,” when legislators changed the state’s nickname during Governor George S. Mickelson’s administration. Florida had also claimed “The Sunshine State” nickname in 1970, and the move aligned with Mickelson’s focus on strengthening South Dakota’s tourism industry — especially in the Black Hills, Jones said.

Yankton lawmaker Bernie Hunhoff broached the topic of modernizing South Dakota’s flag in 2012, though the legislation quickly failed.

The description of the official state flag of South Dakota is outlined in state law, along with the official pledge to the state flag. It commonly flies over state buildings and schools across South Dakota, as well as the Ellsworth Air Force Base and National Guard installations.

“You can broaden your perspective and understanding when you understand why the flag is the way it is,” Jones said. “You can see that the sentiments it was meant to express still apply to you.”

But South Dakota’s flag fails the “good flag test,” Schultz argues.

The North American Vexillological Association released guidelines for creating flags in 2006, and highlighted South Dakota as a “Bad Flag.” According to these guidelines — which can be controversial in the vexillology world — flags should:

Be simple enough for a child to draw it from memory.

Use meaningful symbolism through imagery, colors and patterns.

Use a limited color palette.

Refrain from lettering or seals.

Be distinctive from other flags.

The main reasons South Dakota fails the test is because it uses an intricate seal that can’t be seen clearly from a distance or when the flag is waving several different directions in the wind, and because it uses lettering, which can be unreadable if the words appear backward on the flag while being flown.

Michael Green, an Indiana-based graphic designer, vexillographer and owner of Flags for Good, believes it would benefit South Dakota to redesign its flag. He compares flag design to branding and marketing.

“Branding is all about creating symbols of belonging and identity,” Green said. “If you look at a city or state creating a new flag, it’s about creating symbols — something you want to fly or a brand you want to wear on your chest, assign to your identity and help express yourself, which is like Nike or Adidas brands.”

Just like a company, states can rebrand or refine their image too, he said.

Utah recently redesigned its state flag, Minnesota is in the process of redesigning its flag this year and Mississippi redesigned its flag in 2021. Other states considering simplifying their flags include Maine, Michigan and Illinois.

Minnesota’s six finalist flag designs, submitted by the public and selected by a committee, have received backlash and strong critiques online. Public input is currently being accepted on the state’s website, and the commission will choose the new flag design on Dec. 12.

Examples of impactful state flags include Texas, Alaska and New Mexico. Even though California breaks the “good flag” rule, it’s memorable and something its residents take pride in.

“The South Dakota flag is an objective failure in every use: People aren’t using it to show how proud they are of South Dakota. Non-South Dakotans couldn’t pick it out of a group of other state flags from a distance,” Green said. “So redesign it. You have nothing to lose, but you have everything to gain.”

You can read the entire story at southdakotasearchlight.com.

 

MANDAN, ND – (AP) The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer made his first court appearance Friday on manslaughter and other charges after authorities say he fled from police and crashed into a squad car, killing a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy who was taking cover behind the vehicle.

Ian Cramer, of Bismarck, faces multiple counts, including manslaughter, fleeing a police officer and reckless endangerment in connection with Wednesday’s pursuit and crash that killed 53-year-old Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin.

Cramer did not enter a plea on Friday — that will happen at a later hearing. He appeared in court remotely via videoconference from jail in a neighboring county. District Judge Bobbi Weiler set a $500,000 cash bond, which prosecutors requested, and ordered a mental health evaluation.

Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz cited Cramer’s criminal record in other states when asking for the cash bond, and said he intends to file additional drug-related charges for possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and baggies of paraphernalia.

“We have a multistate offender, we have an extremely serious situation, looks like it’s complicated with drug usage. As a result, we have a dead police officer,” Schwartz said.

Cramer, who appeared without an attorney, said he had been receiving mental health treatment from Sanford Health before his arrest, and was working at a Bismarck pizza restaurant. When asked if he understood his rights, he told the judge he had “a little bit of a head injury going on, so it’s really hard to focus right now.”

Deputy Paul Martin was killed when his patrol car was hit head-on by an SUV driven by Ian Cramer.

Ian Cramer, of Bismarck, was traveling over 100 mph and already had two flat tires when he slammed head-on into Deputy Paul Martin’s squad car on Wednesday, pushing it “directly into Martin’s person and launching him for about 100 feet,” according to charging documents. Martin, 53, was killed.

Earlier Thursday, Sen. Kevin Cramer released a statement saying: “We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer’s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us.”

According to Bismarck police, Ian Cramer was driven by his mother to Sanford Health emergency room in Bismarck at around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday over concerns about his mental health. When she got out of the SUV, Cramer took the wheel and crashed through a door to get out of an enclosed ambulance bay at the hospital’s emergency department.

One of Sen. Kevin Cramer’s daughters tracked the SUV through a cellphone and alerted authorities.

Over an hour later, a deputy in Mercer County spotted Cramer and the Chevrolet Tahoe in Hazen, a community about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Bismarck. The North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a news release that a chase then began.

Initial efforts to stop Cramer didn’t work. Charging documents say an officer from nearby Beulah had used a tire deflation device, which flattened two of Cramer’s tires, but he kept driving on North Dakota Highway 200. About 5 miles outside of Hazen, Beulah Chief of Police Frank Senn and Martin deployed more deflation devices and took cover behind their cars. Cramer swerved then hit Martin’s vehicle.

Cramer allegedly started to run away after the crash. Senn subdued him on the ground and was injured as Cramer resisted, according to court documents.

Martin was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Cramer was evaluated at a hospital then jailed.

Ian Cramer’s father, a first-term Republican senator, wrote that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”

On Wednesday, Ian Cramer had insisted on “going to his brother Ike,” who died in 2018, according to the senator’s statement, which doesn’t further explain what that means. Alarmed, Kris Cramer then took her son to the ER.

In 2013, Ian Cramer was charged with misdemeanor simple assault for allegedly injuring his brother’s head; he pleaded guilty. His record also includes a 2010 citation for driving under the influence in Arizona, and several traffic citations during this year and and last, including one as recent as the day before the crash, for driving with a suspended license.

Martin was an 18-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, which said he was married and had three children.

In a post to the sheriff’s office Facebook page, Mercer County Sheriff Terry Ternes said Martin “is our beloved brother in law enforcement, a husband, father, and grandpa. Our wound is raw, and our hearts are broken.”

Whitney Zeadow, 36, who lives near Hazen, said Martin was once her neighbor; she sometimes cared for the retired police dogs he kept when he was away from home.

“He was just a fantastic man,” Zeadow said, fighting back tears. “He was the type that would be your champion. He was just there to support the community, help the kids. Any little thing. He was just a joy to be around.”

Kevin Cramer was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving three terms in the House. He has been a staunch advocate for law enforcement. He also has co-sponsored legislation to address shortages of mental health providers in schools and expand mental health care services for military families and veterans. Critics, however, say he has backed cuts that would put those with mental illness at risk of losing coverage.

In his statement Wednesday, Cramer said that his family grieves with “the family of the hero who tried to help Ian.”

The Cramer family has endured tragedy before.

Isaac “Ike” Cramer in 2007 began dating a woman who was the mother of an infant, Abel. Three years later, the woman was killed by her estranged husband. Kevin and Kris Cramer adopted the child, who is now a teenager. Cramer also has two daughters and six grandchildren, according to his Senate website.

In 2018, soon after Kevin Cramer announced his run for the Senate, Ike Cramer died from liver and kidney failure following a long battle with alcohol addiction. He was 35.

After Martin’s death, some who posted on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page said the deputy had taken them to jail. They described him as a friendly person and said he was always respectful.

Cody Schank said he wound up in jail himself but still praised Martin.

In a private message sent to The Associated Press, Schank wrote: “Paul will be missed deeply and by many, it’s a terrible situation, and very sad it had to happen to such a kindhearted soul such as his.”