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Have a Drink - Cammie Veldkamp holds up drinks from her business Jitterbug. Bismarck State College student Cammie Veldkamp spent her summer differently than most 20-year-olds: She opened her own business. Jitterbug, Veldkamp’s mobile energy-drink stand, launched June 26, 2026 and traveled throughout the Bismarck-Mandan area during the summer. The business sells fruit-based Lotus energy drinks and posts its pop-up locations at car dealerships, local events, and businesses

Philip Larson Hometown: Hettinger, ND Year: Junior Major: Visual Arts and Behavioral Health Q: What hall are you in and how long have you been an RA? A: I’ve been an RA for two years and I’ve lived in Lidstrom Hall for both. Q: What is your favorite late-night snack or study-break food? A: I love pepperonis. Just a bowl of pepperonis. Q: What is one item you think every student should bring to college? A: I think everyone should bring a fan, it can get hot in the dorms.

Juanita Lee Staff Employee: Public Information Officer Q: If you could choose one song to play every time you walk into a room, what song would you choose? Why? A: “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield because professional words and stories matter. Personally, I choose it because the story isn’t over yet. My story has developed, and now the focus is watching my kids’ story unfold. Q: If you had to explain your current job to a 5-year-old, what would you say? A: I get to tell

Brand New Look! - New Scooter's Coffee in the Capital Credit Union on Burnt Boat Dr. set to open Oct. 2, 2026 Capital Credit Union on Burnt Boat Dr. near Bismarck State College will soon be sharing a drive thru with Scooters Coffee. Bismarck is no stranger to Scooter’s, as the location on Bismarck expressway has been busy serving coffee and other drinks for years. The new location is within walking distance of BSC campus. Across the street from McDonalds, this partnership

Going Up! - The new dorm's construction can be seen from almost anywhere on campus. Many Students are interested in this new addition to the campus. Bismarck State College is in the midst of constructing a new building, introducing more housing choices for people who decide to live on campus grounds. Though it’s far from completion, the dorms will offer more space for students. Chief Buildings and Grounds Officer Don Roethler spoke about the new dorms and what problems th

October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. The month is highlighted by two pivotal days with National Depression Screening Day on Thursday, Oct. 8, and World Mental Health Day Saturday, Oct. 10. Leading the way in this month-long push is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Established by an act of Congress in 1990 and set on the calendar for the first full week of October, it was created to educate the public, combat stigma, and raise awareness about mental

Mr. President Meet Mr. President - Theodore Roosevelt impersonator, John Dobmeier, visited the Bismarck State College campus in celebration of Constitution Day. He participates in a press conference with the Mystician Team, and posed for a photo with Brian Kalk, BSC's president.

Cinema 100, the film society, has released its movie list for October within late August. Cinema 100 brings unique film selections to Bismarck with affordable prices and season tickets which can be worthwhile for Mystics. This fall season, the film society will be sponsoring five films throughout October with only two timeslots per movie the day of their showing. To start off, Cinema 100 has selected “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” (2025) to show on Oct. 1. “Mr. Nobody Against Pu

Tech Time - This photo was captured in the Security Operations Center. Located in the ATC, this room is where students learn basics in cybersecurity. A swarm of autonomous Artificial Intelligence agents breached Hugging Face’s cloud infrastructure this month, marking one of the first large-scale cyber incidents carried out without direct human attackers. The breach, disclosed Sept. 1, involved hundreds of rogue OpenAI evaluation agents that self-organized to exploit vulnera

Alumni Spotlight - The co-owners pose in front of their State Street location. Located right off of I-29 on state street, Ryan and Dave’s Fuel and Auto Spa is located. The business is owned by Bismarck State College Alumnus Ryan Berndt. Berndt attended BSC during the class of 1998 and graduated with an Agriculture Business degree. While attending, Ryan started working as a gas station attendant. With years of dedication he became responsible for multiple locations. This ev

Soaring - Charlee Brought Plenty soars through her final contest. Photos taken by, Story written by, and Layout Created by Clayton Sicble-Fox United Tribes Technical College celebrated their 56th Annual Powwow Sept. 10-13. This is one of UTTC’s most anticipated events of the year, and people from all over the nation come to enjoy and partake. “Our powwow committee was selected in January (2026), so we have been working to make sure the event was ready,” Judith Redtomahawk,

1st Place - Jaycelin Coronado Bismarck State College just held its annual Pet Photo Contest, where students could enter photos of their pets during the BSC Club Fair to see if their pet would be voted as the favorite. This was the third year of this event and was created and coordinated by Erin Schwalk, the Congress of Student Organizations adviser. It all started in the spring of 2024, during a meeting of club officers. The event was inspired by a growing desire to find a

Mystic Pride! - The Mystic student section rises in celebration for BSC Women’s Volleyball at the Bavendick Center on Aug. 22. Bismarck State College welcomed new and returning students back to campus on Aug. 24. The campus has seen quite a few developments in the last year with building construction, degrees, and additional sports. As students settle into the semester, there are some upcoming events and important dates to add to the calendar. The Bavendick Center, BSC’s

Mystics Pep Band Poster Bismarck State College welcomes new Assistant Teaching Professor of Music and pep band director Dr. Dylan Mashburn. He hopes to expand the group and make it a major part of campus life. Mashburn is originally from the small town of Lester, Alabama, and moved to Bismarck, N.D. in early August. Before moving to North Dakota, he attended the University of North Alabama in Florence and later earned a doctorate from the University of Memphis in Memphis, T

Exploring Options! - Nick Kunf and Kailee Gussey examine the Philosophy Club poster at the student Club Fair. On August 26, Bismarck State College hosted their first club fair of the school year in the Student Union. The club fair had an exceptional turnout compared to past fairs, likely due to the partnership between the Congress of Student Organizations and clubs across campus. Erin Schwalk, the CSO adviser, gives insight into what CSO is and what they do. “CSO stands f

Smile and Celebrate! - Bismarck State College academic leadership, faculty and program representatives accept the 2026 NDACTE Innovative Program Award during the NDACTE Awards Ceremony on Aug. 4 at the Bismarck Event Center. Back row, from left: BSC Professor of Computer and Office Technologies Vickie Volk; BSC Dean of Current and Emerging Technologies Mari Volk; BSC Vice President for Academic Affairs Alicia Uhde Front row, from left: BSC Professor Emeritus and architect o

Tammy Staudinger - Course Materials Associate Tammy Staudinger - Course Materials Associate Q: How do you help with students? A: I help them find out if they need books and where they’re located and what is the best cost alternative for them as well. Q: What is your favorite part about helping students? A: Helping students, honestly. I want to make sure that if a student comes in that I kind of understand if they need the book, what their financial availability is, beca

Bismarck State College became a four-year college only a year ago and has since added numerous baccalaureate degrees to their roster. With 14 available programs and partnerships with other North Dakota educational institutions, it can be easy to get lost among the rapid academic changes. Here is a guide to some of the four-year degree options. Behavioral Health BSC offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Behavioral Health. This degree prepares students for careers in human a

Encouraging Words - Governor Kelly Armstrong delivered the Conference’s Opening Speech The 2026 Annual North Dakota Public Information Officer Association Training Conference in the Bismarck State College National Energy Center for Excellence. The conference ran from July 13 to July 15. Each day included presentations from media-trained speakers who imparted on attendees the wisdom they had gained from years working in the field. On the first day of the conference, NDPIO

1) Locate the Financial Aid office and IT help desk on the first floor of Schafer Hall. They are able to answer all of your questions related to student finances and technological issues. 2) Check out the coffee shops around campus! Each coffee shop has a wide section of drinks and even offers food items like soup, sandwiches, and sweet treats. They also offer a punch card system for items that are purchased. 3) Student Union is the place to hang out with friends but it also