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The Volante W E D N E S D AY, F E B R U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 2 4

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

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The Sound of USD Makes Their Appearance at Mardi Gras See Page 12

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Leila Rose’s Band Partners With CAB and PAVE for Sexual Assault Awareness

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“Never Forget the Names,” Students March for Missing Indigenous People See Page 3

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News

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2024 THE VOLANTE

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“Never Forget The Names,” Students March For Missing Indigenous People Carter Linke

Carter.Linke@coyotes.usd.edu

On Thursday, February 16, USD students, faculty and staff joined the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) and the Native American Cultural Center for a Missing and

Murdered Indigenous Person march.

There are 132 missing people listed on South Dakota’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse. 71 of the persons listed are Native American or Alaskan

Native.

Attendees were joined in prayer at the beginning of the event, before beginning the march from Old Main to the Knudson School of Law. Marilyn Allen, the pres-

ident of the NALSA and member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, said this year’s demonstration was personal.

“Every year, the NACC hosts [a march]. This year, there were a few incidents that hit pretty close to home for me, and after speaking with NALSA’s board we felt this year’s march was something that we should bring attention to and show our peers in the law school.”

Following the march, attendees were invited to join representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for a panel discussing the issue Among those in attendance was Gregg Peterman, First Assistant,

U.S. Attorney’s Office. He emphasized the importance of community support while investigating these crimes.

“We need to do a better job of responding to the needs of survivors. They need help working with legal work, education, and social work,” Peterman said.

Joining Peterman in the panel was Alison Ramsdell and Troy Morley from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

For students like Allen, the opportunity to meet with these legal professionals was impactful.

“It really showed just how important this cause is to them. They were more than happy to share their

words and answer our questions regardless of the audience size, and that was pretty great,” Allen said.

Although the protest may have happened on Thursday, Allen reminded attendees this advocacy must happen each day.

“Never forget the names of the men, women, children that have been taken, murdered. They wanted to be safe, but that was taken from them, and if we continue to ignore it, it will continue to happen and it could be someone in your family or yourself,” Allen said.

Carter Linke | The Volante

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Leila Rose’s Band Partners with CAB and PAVE for Sexual Assault Awareness

Jacob Peirce

Jacob.Peirce@coyotes.usd.edu

On Tuesday Feb. 20 Leila Rose’s Band Partnered with the Campus Activity Board (CAB) and Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE) to put on a concert in order to raise money and awareness for sexual violence on campus.

Alexa Carlson, the president of PAVE, said that events like these have many beneficial impacts on campus.

“Hosting events that raise awareness of sexual assault is a great way to advocate

for better means of prevention, education, victim empowerment and community building here on USD’s campus,” Carlson said.

Carlson emphasized that PAVE as well as CAB work diligently throughout the academic year to help spread awareness towards sexual assault, prevention efforts, bystander education, and more in many different ways.

“Through hosting events that have broader aims of engaging the student body

and Vermillion community as a whole, we can work to change social norms and rise above an issue that indiscriminately affects college campuses nationwide. These events provide an opportunity to educate students about the various forms of sexual assault, consent, and healthy relationships. This event also aims to empower individuals to speak out against incidents by creating an environment where survivors feel supported and encouraged to share their stories,” Carlson

said.

Carlson believes that preventing sexual assaults is something that the entire community needs to work towards, however there are ways for the individuals to help.

“Preventing sexual assault is a shared responsibility but some tips to help prevent sexual assault are education and awareness. Open dialogue about consent and the very basic foundations of a healthy relationship can also help support a safe environment

for students,” Carlson said.

Kadin Williams, a member of Leila Rose’s Band, said that the band put on this event because they’ve had a great time partnering with CAB in the past and strongly believe in the fight against sexual assault, especially within a college community.

The concert is free to all attendees, however students are free to make donations during the concert. All of the proceeds will go towards the upcoming “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes’’ event that

is being hosted by PAVE. Leila Rose’s Band has three more concerts this semester on March 22, April 13, and April 26.

The concerts are in Ames, Vermillion, and Madison respectively.

More information about CAB and PAVE can be found on USD Involved.

Further information about Leila Rose’s Band can be found on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok @leilaroseband.

Charlie’s Cupoards Recent Food Drives Proves to be a Success Stella Lewis

Stella.Lewis@coyotes.usd.edu

In this past week, Charlie’s Cupboard received a sizable amount of donations, ranging from personal hygiene items to food products, that are to be given away to the students at USD. Charlie’s Cupboard is a student-run organization that was created in 2020. The goal of the Cupboard is to help students who are in need of groceries or other necessities.

In their most recent food drive, the Cupboard received three bins full of food items, and two bins full of personal hygiene products. While they were open last Thursday, they had already given

away two bins of food, as well as one and one-half bins of hygiene products.

Since the start of Charlie’s Cupboard, there has been a large increase in the number of students who use the on-campus resource.

Spencer Pigman, Junior at USD and Vice-president of Charlie’s Cupboard said, “When I was a freshman, there were probably 10 to 20 kids that came in on a Thursday and now the numbers are around 150 to 200 a week consistently.”

Donations to Charlie’s Cupboard are necessary for main-

taining not only the donation drive as a whole but also the ability for students to get the products they need for day-to-day life. The cupboard also receives grants that allow its workers to buy food for donation.

However, the donations of canned goods and other products are a major part of what makes up the cupboard.

People within the Vermillion community are very generous about donating, but there is always a need for more.

“People are super generous, and it’s been amazing. We have what we need, but we can

always take in more items so that we can provide for more and more people,” Pigman said. receives donations through many ways, specifically by placing donation bins across campus throughout the year.However, Student organizations will

also often have food drives to help give to the cupboard. There are currently donation

drive bins located in the law school as well as in the Continuing Education Center that

are available for people to donate year-round.

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Mission Statement The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students. Faculty, staff and community members are welcome readers, but the newspaper is written and presented for a diverse community of students from the students’ point of view. The paper should provide a variety of information, entertainment and educational opportunities for the readers. The Volante encourages everyone to write letters to the editor.

The Volante wishes to be viewed by students as respectable, objective, accurate, fair and trustworthy. If you have comments, concerns or questions, please contact The Volante at 677-5494.

The Volante is distributed Wednesdays during the academic year free of charge locally with the cost of $1 for each additional copy. One year subscription rates are $40, which solely covers the mailing costs.

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The Volante disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The Volante reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

Our Staff Editor-In-Chief Charles Streeter Managing Editor Juliana Oltmanns News Editor Marissa Brunkhorst Assistant News Editor Jacob Peirce Verve Editor Nathan DeGreef Sports Editor Trevan Rychlik

Opinion Editor Charles Streeter Social Media Manager Sydney Kolln Lead Designer Juliana Oltmanns Sports Designer Tavin Carncross Advertising Manager Ella Delperdang Ast Advertising Manager Madeline Knau

Contact Us The Volante welcomes letters to the editor in regards to campus, local, state and national issues. Letters will be edited for clarity and length and will be printed as space allows. Please limit letters to 300 words or fewer. The Volante reserves the right to hold letters for publication in a later issue.

Submissions must include the author’s name, address, telephone number, year in school and major or job title.

Letters must be exclusively for The Volante.

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Send letters to: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069

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The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

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SPORTS

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Minnesota Native Back on the Court for the Coyotes Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

Of the 12 games played since the new year, the Coyotes’ redshirt sophomore center Natalie Mazurek has had seven double-digit scoring games.

During the span of 12 games, Mazurek brought her season average up to 7.9 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

With a blossom in scoring comes more playing time including her first two career starts as the Coyotes faced Denver and Omaha.

“It means a lot and it shows that they have confidence in me which grows my confidence, which is why I think I am starting to play better, so honestly, it just means a lot,” Mazurek said.

After missing the 2022-23 season due to injury Mazurek decided to use that as a redshirt year.

“I took last year just mentally and physically just making sure I can be ready when I come back and I think for the last two years I will use what I learn and become the best player that I can be,” Mazurek said.

Mazurek hit career highs in 18 points and 10 rebounds this season but knows that she can do more for the team other than score and rebound.

“I think not only scoring and rebounding but playing well on defensive getting a blocked shot here or there and getting some steals. Just doing what I can to help my team win whether that is starting or off the bench,” Mazurek said.

Coming into the season, Mazurek shot 33.3% from the 3-point range but has boosted that percentage to 39.7% which has been one of the biggest mentality boosters for Mazurek.

“It gives me a lot of confidence to be able to stretch the floor and make it hard for teams we play against defensively,” Mazurek said. “Having the

confidence to continue shooting when I am open, means a lot to our team and brings something to our team that other teams don’t have.”

Since she started high school Mazurek knew she wanted to play Division I. Mazurek said playing in the state of Minnesota convinced that she could eventually go up to that level.

“Lots of great talent in Minnesota and it was playing against other players that went (Division I) in Minnesota that continued to show me I could play (Division I) one day,” Mazurek said.

Despite all the career highs this season, Mazurek really just wanted to get back out on the court and play with her teammates this year.

“It has grown my confidence a lot to be able to get back out on the court and play with my teammates. It has been a lot so honestly I am just excited,” Mazurek said.

Sydney Kolln | The Volante After spending last season on the bench, redshirt sophomore Natalie Mazurek has played in every game for the Coyotes this season. She is averaging 7.9 points per game along with brining down 4.7 rebounds per game.

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Gopher State Hosts Swim and Dive Championships Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

The Swimming & Diving Summit League Championships are set to take place on Feb. 21-24 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

At the start of the season, the Denver Pioneers were selected to finish first in both the men’s and women’s competitions for the Preseason Poll. Where Coyotes were selected to finish third in the men’s poll and second in the women’s polls.

The Coyote men’s top five rankings are graduate student Zachary Kopp is ranked fifth in 100 free. Freshman Joaquin Contreras-Fallico is ranked third and junior Adam Fisher is fifth in the 100 back. Junior Jack Berdahl is ranked fourth in the 50 breast. Fisher is ranked third and senior Grant Wolner is ranked fourth in the 100 fly.

South Dakota swept the top three spots in the 100 IM with fifth-year Mack Sathre in first, Wolner in second and senior Parker Sonnabend in third. Sathre ranks fifth in the 200 IM. USD ranks second in the 200 free relay, third in the 400 free relay, 200 medley realy and 400 medley relay and fourth in the 800 free relay.

The Coyote women’s top five rankings are junior Emily Kahn ranks second and first in the 50 and 100 free, respectively. Sophomore Camilla Brogger-Andersen ranks fifth and third in the 1000 and 1650 free, respectively. Sophomore Tatum O’Shea ranks fourth in the 100 back. Sophomore Taylor Buhr ranks second, third and third in the 50, 100 and 200 breast, respectively. Buhr also ranks first and fourth in the 100 and 200 IM. Freshman Gabbie Ahrendt and junior Christina Spomer ranked second and fifth in the 100 IM. South Dakota ranks first in the 200 free relay, second in the 400 free relay, third in the 800 free relay and the 200 medley relay and second in the 400 medley relay.

Senior Stella Fairbanks ranks third in the 1M dive.

The Swimming & Diving NCAA Championships for the men are from March 27-30 at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI in Indianapolis and the women are at the Ramsey Center from March 20-23 in Athens, GA. File | The Volante The Coyotes will head to Minnesota to compete in the Summit League Championships. Last February, the men finished in third and the women in second.

Diver Earns League Honors Before His First Meet Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

Freshman diver Charlie Matthews captured the attention of the Summit League the second he stepped on campus as he was selected the preseason “Diver to Watch” for South Dakota.

With the preseason honor, Matthews was the only athlete under a junior classification for the Coyotes to be selected.

Matthews has five individual wins on the season after winning both the one and three-meter dive at the Coyotes Invitational at the start of February.

Knowing he has five individual wins this season, Matthews feels capable in his abilities going into the Summit League Championships.

“Makes me a lot more confident than I was originally,” Matthews said. “It definitely makes me a lot more

confident in my conference meet.”

The confidence for Matthews has grown from a young age when he started swimming at five years old.

Matthews won the state championships in Kansas as a sophomore in high school. From that moment on, Matthews knew in his mind that he could dive in college.

“I knew pretty early on when I won the state championships as a sophomore. So then I knew I was good enough to do this,” Matthews said.

When he was getting closer to being in college, he started to look at different places to go but knew that the search was going to be difficult because swimming and diving were not as big of a sport as football.

“It doesn’t produce enough revenue so the scholarship money is tight,” Matthews said. “It’s a lot different than football. In the sense of availability and the

schools that have swim and dive.”

Matthews decided upon USD because he loved the community as well as the swim team opportunities available.

“Great community and we have a swim and dive team. I loved the coaches and the new pool is a plus,” Matthews said.

Matthew’s confidence has grown over the year making him excited for the future.

“It makes me more excited for the next three years.

It makes me feel better about my abilities. Didn’t really think I would be here,” Matthews said.

Matthews will compete in the Summit League swim and dive championships on Feb. 21-24 in Minneapolis.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2024 THE VOLANTE

Track and Field Heads to Championships in Fargo Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

The Indoor Track & Field Summit League Championships are on February 23-24 at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track and Field Facility in Fargo.

The Coyotes were selected to finish first in the women’s Preseason Poll and the men’s team were selected to finish tied for first with NDSU. Coyote’s top five rankings for the men’s are Junior Ken-Mark Minkovski ranks first in the 200-meter dash.

South Dakota ranks fourth in the 4 x 400-meter relay with a team consisting of Minkovski, sophomore Henry Grayson and juniors Thomas Nikkel and Luke Olson.

Junior Joe Lynch and sophomore Landon Olson rank first and third in the high jump.

South Dakota sweeps the top four in the pole vault with senior Marshall Faurot in first and junior Eerik Haamer, Tre Young and Spencer Buley in second, third and fourth, respectively.

Sophomore Bennett Schwenn ranks first in the long jump and 61 nationally.

Freshman Carsen Staehr and junior Jayden Green ranked second and fifth in the triple jump, respectively.

Sophomores Brandon Vander Sluis and Tristan Gray rank third and fourth in the shot put, respectively.

Gray also ranks fifth in the weight throw.

Junior Derek Eidsness and sophomores Noel Spence and Townsend Barton rank first, second and fourth in the heptathlon, respectively. Eidsness and Spence rank 73 and 90 nationally as well.

Coyote’s top five rankings for the women’s are as follows.

Junior Erin Kinney ranks first in the 60-meter dash and 29 nationally.

Junior Sara Reifenrath, Kinney and Jacy Pulse rank second, third and fifth respectively in the 200-meter dash, and Reifenrath and Kinney rank 72 and 78 nationally, respectively.

Reifenrath and Pulse rank first and third in the 400-meter dash and 35 and 50 nationally, respectively.

Senior Ella Byers and freshman Madison Brouwer rank third and fourth in the 800-meter dash. Byers also ranks second in the mile.

Junior Abrielle Jirele ranks fourth in the 3000-meter run.

Junior Averi Schmeichel ranks fourth in the 60 hurdles.

South Dakota ranks first in the 4 x 400-meter relay with a team of Pulse, junior Annalee Robinson, Kinney and Reifenrath. Ranking 25 nationally.

Junior Daniella Anglin and sophomore Matayah Yellowmule rank first and third in the high jump. Anglin ranks 23 nationally.

The Coyotes sweep the top five with juniors Marleen Mulla, Cassidy Mooneyhan and Jaidyn Garrett, freshman Kailee Swart and sophomore Alayna Falak ranking one through five, respectively. Mulla ranks fourth, Mooneyhan ranks 18, Garrett ranks 50, and Swart, Falak and senior Gennifer Hirata are tied for 71 nationally.

Junior Lauren Meyer ranks fifth in triple jump.

Senior Meredith Clark ranks first and sophomore Kinsley Ragland ranks fourth in the shot put with Clark ranking 51 nationally.

Junior Kenzie Campbell ranks third and 89 nationally in the weight throw.

Yellowmule ranks fifth and 50 nationally in the pentathlon.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2024 THE VOLANTE

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Why Does Chick-Fil-A Have a Check-in process

Julia Nilles is a sophomore majoring in in music education

Grubhub is one of the most popular apps for college students, with a familiar process - customers order ahead on the app and receive an estimated timeline before their order is ready.

Once their order is ready, students pick up the food waiting for them. But one restaurant on campus has a different process—Chickfil-A uses NFC check-in.

Basically, this means that Chickfil-A won’t start preparing your order until you tap in at the NFC signs outside the restaurant. However, this defeats the point of Grubhub—the convenience of orders that are ready to go when students arrive at a restaurant. I use

the Grubhub app to order ahead when I don’t have time to order in-person and wait for my order to be prepared. If Chick-fil-A doesn’t begin to prepare my order until I arrive, why am I paying an extra Grubhub service fee for a service I am not being provided? I might as well use the self-order kiosks at the restaurant and get my food in the same amount of time.

So why was the NFC check-in process implemented? According to a Campus ID News interview with Tucker Perckerson, a Satellite Restaurant Concepts consultant for Chickfil-A, it’s part of a joint effort between Grubhub Ultimate and Chick-fil-A on

Jozie Kumm | The Volante

college campuses.

The popular chicken brand’s commitment to quality meant that something needed to be done about all of the orders that were not being picked up on time. Chickfil-A, concerned about the food’s quality holding

time, decided that a check-in process was the best way to ensure that orders were picked up and enjoyed promptly by customers.

However, college is a time where students learn to take responsibility and manage their time wisely. I would ar-

gue that if students don’t pick up their food on time and suffer lukewarm or soggy food because of that, it’s a consequence of their own actions. I should not be inconvenienced because other students can’t pick up their food on time.

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THE VOLANTE Students’ Voice Since 1887

OVERHEARDS

Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week.

Context is for suckers.

“My visions so bad I almost saw something in him.”

-MUC “My best friend slept with her cousin, but like she didn’t know they were related.”

-Fine Arts Building.

“Remember you are the steak not the salad, don’t let him treat you like you’re a side chick.”

-North Complex

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When and Wear: Monochromatic - From The Trend of Sweatsuits to Groutfits Nathan DeGreef

Nathan.DeGreef@coyotes.usd.edu

The monochromatic sweatsuit has resurrected recently, with a resurgence that some are all for the trend, while others are not so on board with its revival..

Gaining popularity in the 1970s, the original form of the sweatsuit was the tracksuit, a monochromatic pant and jacket combination that allowed for both mobility and style.

While we have in recent years begun to move towards more comfortable clothing, there is not a pinpoint reason why sweatsuits have gained traction.

“I think they kind of made a reappearance after Covid. I think we shifted into more comfy athleisure, and it just naturally evolved into something more fashionable and chic.”

The most common critique of the set is its appeal in certain situations. When is it appropriate to wear it?

“I think it’s a really good casual outfit, I wouldn’t say it’s anything meant for super professional things,” said student Kaden Fields.

“I’ve seen a lot of classmates wear it, and I think it looks like a perfect go-to class outfit, it’s very comfortable, something nice to wear.”

Arguably a bigger debate than the sweatsuit is the “groutfit,” or an all-gray outfit. While forms of the combination have been around for a while, it seems like only recently it has become more socially acceptable.

“I feel like if you add a pop of color like in your shoes or in your jewelry, where it’s not just all gray then it looks better,’’ said student Myra Engram.

Kallsen had a similar attitude towards the “groutfits” seen throughout today’s typical daily attire.

“I love a groutfit, I really do, It’s not something super innovative or something

we haven’t seen before or even chic, but I think it’s fun and classic, and I think there’s a lot you can do with a groutfit, and I think you can make them fun and personalized,” Said Kallsen.

“There’s a lot of freedom with a groutfit.”

Like most fashion trends, there is always the concern of overconsumption alongside the increase in fast fashion, which is low-priced clothing that is usually made in low-quality facilities that mass-produce items.

“I think social media has a big factor in that and like influencers are influencer marketing promoting Shein and anything like that,” said student Katelyn Poch.

For people this seems to be the best solution to find matching sets for an affordable price, with some sets, such as on the clothing brand Shein, being as low as $10. Although these prices are inexpensive for most, they usually come with a

moral cost.

“I work at the Quarters so I see all of the packages come through, and there are so many Shein boxes that come in,” said Poch.

“It’s insane to me that people order so much fast fashion or like TikTok shop clothes just because it’s a

millisecond of a Marissa Brunkhorst | The Volante trend. That for world yet more specifically sure has increased the environment. It is event a lot.” more important to considAlthough it may seem to er the impact of where a be fun to keep up with the garment may end up in the newest fashion trends, it is long run before choosing to important to remember the impact that fast fashion and click purchase. overshopping has on the

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The Sound of USD Makes Their Appearance at Mardi Gras Celebration

Addison Sporleder

Addison.Sporleder@coyotes.usd.edu

USD band members and instructors embarked on a week-long trip to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras celebration, starting Feb. 8 through the 14.

The adventure started In the early morning of Thursday, Feb. 8, when the band loaded the buses and departed from USD’sDakota Dome. Later that morning, they made a stop at Omaha North High School for a concert.

USD’s Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble I, and the Marching Band got the chance to perform at Omaha North. They played in front of Amber Bock and her students at the school.

Bock is a successful USD alum and now the band director at Omaha North.

Add something here about leaving the school to go to the Omaha airport.

Later that evening, the group arrived in St. Louis

where they stayed the night.

The following morning, the students and instructors headed straight to New Orleans. They got to relax for the rest of the night once they arrived, and prepare for the celebration the next day.

On Saturday Feb. 10, the marching band began to line-up in the afternoon for the first parade they would perform in. This parade was called Krewe of Endymion, the largest parade of all during Mardi Gras. The Krewe of Endymion was founded in 1967, consisting of 3,200 riders and 81 floats.

Todd Cranson, director of The SOUND of USD Marching Band, stated, “At our first parade, we found ourselves in the middle of a real-life battle of the bands between southern high-school bands as well as several HBCU bands. It was over two hours of intense sound…quite the experience for our students!”

The following day,

the group got the day off to enjoy the Mardi Gras celebration. The parade that took place that day was the Krewe of Bacchus, where everyone had the opportunity to go to.

Korbin Maertins, guitar player for the Jazz Ensemble I and baritone player for the marching band, described his experience as “unforgettable.” He said, “The most important and best part of it all was getting to go through it with my friends. However, the experiences that really stand out are the chaos of Bourbon Street. Mother’s Restaurant’s Crawfish Étouffée, and sweet potato pie and running between the start of the Krewe of Bacchus parade, to a fried oyster dinner, and then back to the Krewe of Bacchus a couple of miles away, right where we left off.”

On Monday, Feb. 12, the band loaded up in the afternoon to perform in their second parade. This one

Jozie Kumm | The Volante Jozie Kumm | The Volante

was called the Krewe of Orpheus, which started later in the evening. The Krewe of Orpheus was founded in 1993 and consists of 1,500 riders and 38 floats.

Maertins commented on USD’s marching performance by saying.

“Marching band was long and exhausting but with our amazing entourage, and great crowd response, it was very easy to continue putting on a great performance.”

Not only did the marching band play during the Mardi Gras celebration, but also the Jazz Ensemble I performed during parade line-ups for large crowds of people who were also waiting for the parade to start.

Dr. Christopher Kocher, director of jazz studies, talked about his band’s performance by stating.

“USD Jazz Ensemble 1 performed before the parades in the area where the parades began. We had great, appreciative audiences, and the students in the band really played well. I could tell they were

energized by the crowds and the amazing atmosphere.”

Cranson was also excited to see the jazz perform before the parades.

“That is a novel thing that we did, and it was exciting for the students to play jazz in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz! They sounded amazing, fed off the energy of the crowds, and everyone loved them!”

Kocher also commented on how he heard some great bands playing in the streets of the French Quarter. Old traditional New Orleans style was popular during Mardi Gras, consisting of trumpets, trombones, drums, etc. He was also fascinated by popular sites he got to go to, such as Congo Square, the French Quarter, and the statues of Louis Armstrong.

The last day in New Orleans was Tuesday the 13, in which the Fat Tuesday parades took place. Once these concluded, the group boarded on the buses to head on their way home.

They stayed at Southaven, Mississippi, for the final

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night of the trip.

After leaving the hotel the next morning, USD had a long drive back to Vermillion, where they arrived late Wednesday night. I would possibly add on to this sentence.

Cranson stated on the trip, “New Orleans Mardi Gras parades are unlike parades anywhere else in the country. It is a non-stop party atmosphere full of unique cultural experiences.

This atmosphere of fun and revelry is ingrained in the culture of New Orleans, and it attracts people from around the world to come witness and partake. Students got to experience the different flavors and feel of each neighborhood (on the parade route), and we, being from South Dakota, were a novelty to the revelers along the parade route. It was great for the marching band to get such a warm welcome and enthusiastic response from folks on the parade route!”