The Volante 01.28.15

‘Je suis Charlie’ a USD perspective Verve, B6

Photo courtesy of Patrick Morrison

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

The Volante

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volanteonline com

JANUARY 28, 2015

Henchal drops from SGA race Ally Krupinsky

Ally Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu

Two days after declaring their candidacy for executive positions in the Student Government Association, junior Nick Henchal and his running mate, sophomore Chelsea Gilbertson, have announced their withdrawal in the upcoming race for president and vice president.

Henchal HENCHAL officially withdrew from the race Jan. 22, citing “rising health concer ns” as the reason for his departure. “ ( W e ZOSS are) just going to stay on SGA on any capacity we can. We’re going to support Sami and Michael’s election and then we’re going to try again next year if we can,” Henchal said. “We still SEE SGA, PAGE A6

Complaints lead to ‘Yote Float return

Downtown Vermillion destined for a remodel

Nathan Ellenbecker

Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu

The evolution of downtown Vermillion is evident in the number of for sale signs in store windows and emerging city-led changes to curb traffic flow.

City officials are studying a problematic intersection on Main Street, and more than eight

building spaces are on the real-estate market.

Downtown is destined for a remodel.

Nate Welch, executive director of the Vermillion Chamber of Commerce, said now is the time for businesses and buildings downtown to be rejuvenated — despite a few already choosing to sell their establishments.

“Downtown is at a great

8+ buildings listed for sale in downtown Vermillion.

turning point,” Welch said. “It does have some businesses that are either re-adjusting by looking to change ownership, looking to invest more into their business, and some

businesses have closed their doors.”

Liquor license up for grabs Todd Radigan, the owner of Maya Jane’s, put his business on the market when he found out he and his wife were expecting their third child.

He does not want the doors of Maya Jane’s to SEE CITY, PAGE A7

MEGAN CARD I THE VOLANTE

Trent Opstedahl

Trent.Opstedahl@coyotes.usd.edu

Despite the University of South Dakota Student Services’ quiet last call for ‘Yote Floats in December, the ice cream social resumed Tuesday after a number of student complaints about the cancellation of the event came pouring in last week.

Lindsay Sparks, director of transitions and student programming at Student Services, said the weekly ice cream social had been canceled indefinitely this semester because of low attendance and the lack of social interaction taking place at the event.

On average, Sparks said between 100 to 200 people usually cycle through the Tuesday event from 3-4 p.m.

“We noticed that people were coming and just leaving without interacting with anyone else,” she said. “It wasn’t the social hour it was originally created for.”

The first ‘Yote Float funcSEE FLOATS, PAGE A7

South Dakota Legislative Session

Four bills proposed in Pierre may have an effect on student body Michael Geheren

bills pertaining to USD, prior to the bill filing deadline.”

Feb. 4 is the last day to introduce a bill.

Michael.Geheren@coyotes.usd.edu

As the 2015 South Dakota legislative session gets underway in Pierre, The Volante compiled a list of bills to keep an eye on that pertain to students at the University of South Dakota.

No requests from USD were received by the South Dakota Board of Regents asking to submit any bills to the Legislature this year, Janelle Toman, director of communications at SDBOR, said.

Toman said the SDBOR did file a few bills related to construction, sale and purchase of land at South Dakota State University.

“At this point, all of the Board of Regents bills have been filed. There will be

House Bill 1032 This bill proposes to change a law about stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks. Currently, the law reads drivers need to yield for pedestrians. If passed, the bill would mandate drivers come to a complete stop when a pedestrian is crossing the street. House Bill 1032 also upgrades the penalty from a petty offense to a Class 2 misdemeanor.

KENZIE WAGNER I THE VOLANTE

Members of the South Dakota House of Representatives convene Jan. 26. The 2015 legislative session continues through March 30.

no more bills introduced on behalf of the Board of Regents this session,” Toman

said. “However, I cannot speak for individual legislators who might wish to file

Senate Bill 1 The bill could provide drastically change the cost of driving in South Dakota by raising the gas tax. Senate Bill 1 proposes a gradual increase in the gas tax in the

state each year.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposed a plan similar to Senate Bill 1 in his State of the State address to raise the gas tax 2 cents per year. Senate Bill 1 has a much more gradual increase in taxes than Daugaard’s proposed increases.

Daugaard has not introduced a bill at this time with his proposal.

SEE BILLS, PAGE A6

ONLINE ONLY Cracker barrel Jan. 31 Follow The Volante’s live coverage of the Jan. 31 cracker barrel featuring local legislators at 10 a.m. in the Vermillion City Council chambers.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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CAMPUS & CITYDigest State authorities say synthetic drug can be mistaken for water What's trending Associated Press SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota authorities are warning students and college officials about a drug that can be mistaken for tap water.

The Argus Leader reports the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into South Dakota’s first confirmed report of the drug known as 25i. In its liquid form, the synthetic hallucinogenic drug is clear and colorless.

Division spokeswoman Sara Rabern says authorities came across the drug in southeast South Dakota, but couldn’t give more details because of an ongoing investigation.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration linked the drug to at least 19 deaths between March 2012 and August 2013. The DEA says the substance and its related compounds are “substantially more potent than other hallucinogenic compounds” and even small amounts can cause seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest or death.

The drug has been used nationwide for a few years and it is among a series of synthetics made to mimic the effects of illegal drugs.

Attorney General Marty Jackley says the drug comes in many forms, including as a powder and liquid. It has

on our website? volanteonline.com

COURTESY OF UPI

The synthetic drug known as 25i, pictured above, can cause hallucinations, disorientation and violent behavior. State authorities warn the drug can be mistaken for tap water.

similar effects to LSD and can cause hallucinations, disorientation and violent behavior.

Jackley says under South Dakota law, it is a felony to possess, distribute or manufacture

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theft incidents

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underage drinking

Jan. 18 An officer stopped a vehicle for a stop light violation and frosted windows. The driver was warned for driving infractions.

One underage passenger in the vehicle was under the influence of alcohol.

The passenger was cited for underage consumption.

container in a motor vehicle and driving on a suspended license.

Jan. 18 An officer received a complaint where a vehicle struck a light pole. The officer investigated the incident and found the vehicle.

The man driving the vehicle involved was arrested and charged with hit and run that included property damage, careless driving, open

Jan. 22 An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for failure to maintain proper lane position. The driver was found to be intoxicated.

He was arrested and charged with DWI and possession of marijuana.

Jan. 22 Officers received a com-

Jan. 19 An officer responded to a local business for a report of fraudulent checks being used to purchase items. The incident is currently under investigation.

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drug incidents

plaint of marijuana odor in an apartment complex. The officers identified the apartment and contacted the residents.

One male was arrested and charged with ingestion and possession of marijuana.

Jan. 23 An officer took a report of a theft of materials from a construction site. The theft is under investigation.

Jan. 23 Officers were called to a residence where an ongoing fight was reported. They conducted an investigation, and one female was arrested and charged with simple

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MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE

1. Boy Scout presents ROTC program with custom bookcase

City of Vermillion Police Blotter traffic incidents

synthetic drugs that have similar characteristics and properties to those ofw controlled substanc-

>> Jan.18-24 assault

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public safety

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2. Students volunteer fraud incidents

ONLINE ONLY Google Map with additional locations of incidents reported in Vermillion’s weekly police report.

volante online.com assault.

age consumption.

Jan. 23 Officers conducted a walk through of a bar in a downtown area and came into contact with a male under the age of 21.

The male was escorted out of the business and issued a citation for under-

Jan. 24 An officer received a report of a theft of prescription medication from a home.

After investigating, officers arrested and charged a male subject for trespassing in the complaint’s home.

in Vermillion, Yankton for Day of Service

3. SGA senators

announce executive campaigns

4. USD men fall to SDSU 71-57

LIVE AT FIVE An inside look at VerminCon, the local version of the national Comic-Con festival.

TUNE IN AT NOON Lindsay Sparks will be on the air to clarify Paw Points and how students can earn them.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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NEWSBriefly Coyote History

DEADSPIN DIALOGUE

2003

1973 There was a 25 percent decrease in fuel levels for dorms and other buildings at the University of South Dakota. Since there was a fluctuation between fuel levels, a surplus amount was used one month, but the university was deficient in the month’s following.

ALLY KRUPINSKY I THE VOLANTE A two hour-long discussion on racism in the middle of the Muenster University Center was initially quiet.

But the forum soon became a vocal platform for students, faculty and others to share their thoughts and experiences surrounding racism.

Senior Eric Shufford, pictured left, was one of several to share his perspective at the event, which centered on recent stories coming from areas such as Ferguson, Mo., and featured Deadspin.com writer, Greg Howard.

Howard read his online article, “America Is Not For Black People,” at the start of the forum, which was hosted by the Union of African American Students.

USDSU, a collaborative school between USD and SDSU based in Sioux Falls, created a growing concern over the poularity of the new university. USDSU had the potential to become the state’s seventh regental institution, but some people thought this would be detrimental to the other universities.

The state’s Board of Regents decided not to continue its funding.

CAMPUS

LOCAL

STATE (continued)

Beacom starts new in-house program

15 workers treated for carbon monoxide poisoning

tomers the chance to donate $1 to $5 during the purchase with the purchase of their items.

Mary Kolsrud, Komen South Dakota executive director, said if the program is successful, it could expand to other communities with large Latina populations outside of Sioux Falls.

The Beacom School of Business launched its new E n t re p re n e u r- i n - Re s i dence program Jan. 21.

This program, which now boasts two entrepreneurs, was created with the purpose of helping students and faculty come up with business ideas and earn commercial success.

The program’s inaugural entrepreneurs are Ben Hanten and Sue Lancaster.

Hanten has owned numerous media-related businesses and helped found Ben’s, the first smoke-free bar in South Dakota. He also cofounding Rockin’ Ribfest. He is involved in the Young Entrepreneur Council, a non-profit that provides entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship and resources.

Lancaster is the director of business development at South Dakota Innovation Partners. She has specialized research experience with life sciences and agriculture markets.

International Club hosts ‘Culture Shock’ The Center for Diversity and Community will be the spot for “Culture Shock” Thursday in the Muenster University Center.

The University of South Dakota’s International Club is hosting the event at 7 p.m. in the Center, located on the second floor of the MUC. Students in the group will lead a discussion about culture shock from local and international perspectives. Participants will also have the chance to earn Paw Points.

MUC library chatter opens new chapter For bookworms in the community, a library book chatter will be held Thursday in the east lounge on the second floor of the Muenster University Center from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Each participant is invited to bring a book and summarize it for the group.

Fifteen workers treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after an incident Jan. 21 at a Vermillion warehouse.

Emergency crews responded to an alarm in the afternoon at 907 N. Norbeck St., where high carbon monoxide levels were detected.

Authorities believe a forklift being used at the warehouse area of the Alleviant medical billing and collections company was to blame for the release of the toxic gas.

The building was ventilated, and some employees returned to work later in the afternoon.

STATE Governor’s juvenile justice overhaul passes first hurdle One South Dakota legislative panel approved a proposal that aims to put juvenile offenders on community-based punishments.

This proposal is pushing to greatly decrease the number of juveniles committed to the state’s Department of Corrections.

Jim Seward, Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s general counsel, told reporters the plan would reduce the state’s high rate of juveniles in state-sponsored care.

This is just one of many proposals of Daugaard’s policy for the reform to the adult corrections system.

Grant to state’s Komen program targets Latinas A $72,000 grant, awarded to the Susan G. Komen program of South Dakota, will allow for the production of a program focused on breast health awareness to 22,000 Latina women.

The grant comes from a donation from Walgreens stores as part of an October Breast Cancer Month fundraiser.

This fundraiser gave cus-

The Volante Volume 139, Number 13 Jan. 28, 2015 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Chuck Baldwin

HOW TO REACH US Editor-in-Chief 677-5494 Advertising Manager 677-4253 Business Manager 677-5493 News 677-6894 Opinion 677-6891 Verve / A&E 677-6890 Sports 677-5511 FAX 677-5105

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.

The Volante does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any production service advertised in this paper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.

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.

NATION Universities vetting donors with Facebook To simply “like” a page on Facebook might mean a call from universities’ alumni associations.

More and more colleges are using EverTrue, a Boston start-up that applies modern social media analytics to find out the best donors to approach, reports The New York Times.

The business’ social donor management program can evaluate alumni interactions on a college’s Facebook pages to determine who are the best graduates to approach for donations.

Other companies are also thriving with donor management software and services for nonprofits.

WORLD Ireland takes heat for hassling students Studying abroad in Ireland may be more of a hassle than expected, reports an investigation by an Irish newspaper.

The Irish Independent determined student visa controversy in the country has “severely damaged Ireland’s reputation abroad.”

The investigation collected individual stories of students from students around the world who were overcharged by thousands of dollars to study in the country.

Issues in Ireland appear to stem from colleges taking money from students prior to their visa application completion. If their chance at a visa falls through, refunds of previously paid tuition are not issued.

Trent Opstedahl editor-in-chief Josie Flatgard managing editor Katrina Vyborny advertising manager Michael Geheren online & multimedia producer Braley Dodson online & multimedia editor Cristina Drey photo editor Nathan Ellenbecker news editor Megan Card news presentation editor Ally Krupinsky & Phil Millar assistant news editors Katie McGuire opinion editor Katia Duszenko opinion presentation editor Malachi Petersen verve editor Megan Street verve presentation editor Natalie Keller assistant verve editor Emily Niebrugge sports editor Austin Ashlock sports presentation editor

OPINION VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION | @VOLANTEOPINION

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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VOLANTE EDITORIAL

Students should exercise right to free speech, but do so responsibly As Americans, we have our First Amendment right to free speech. As it says in the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

While we are protected under this right, there has always been a question of if we should say what we want just because we can.

In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, many around the world are questioning whether or not there should be limitations to this right.

Although the Charlie Hebdo magazine had a legal right to print the cartoon that made fun of Islamic culture — which is said to have prompted the attack in which two Islamists shot and killed a number of the magazine’s staff members and later a few citizens — there’s a bigger issue at hand than whether or not the publication should have done what they did.

With our world constantly advancing in technology, we must also be careful what we

post or create on the Internet to exercise our rights. Social media outlets and the film industry have been under constant attack for the words and messages that have been conveyed in recent years.

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘What goes on the Internet, stays on the Internet,’ but sometimes we don’t fully understand the depth of this caution, and it often leads to more trouble than success.

The movie “The Interview” is an example of this controversy. While some Americans simply found it to be just another comedy, others argue it put the U.S. in a compromising situation with North Korea and that many threats were placed against the U.S. over the winter holidays.

The security breach in Sony’s employee information proves that although physical violence wasn’t involved, words have the power to strike anger in others, so much so that they feel the need to attack in some form or another.

Protected under the Constitution, the directors — Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen — had every right to make the film, but to many, the film came off as offensive and inappropriate. Whether

the film was right or wrong, at the end of the day we must ask ourselves if it was really worth it in the greater scheme of things.

Voltaire once said, “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Along with the First Amendment, this encourages us as citizens to practice the right not only to say what we want to say, but to defend our beliefs, which isn’t always the case in some countries.

To fully practice the First Amendment, it is only right we are held accountable for what we have to say and how we present our thoughts publicly, and recent events have proven we must keep in mind the power and consequences that could become of what we have to say.

Remember the importance fully practicing our right to free speech, but bear in mind just because we can say something doesn’t always mean we should.

ON PAGE B6 PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PATRICK MORRISON

Read the full story

Demonstrators in Paris, France rally around a national monument amid the motto “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) in solidarity with the victims of a terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The magazine was targeted due to its provocative and, at times, controversial depictions of religious figures.

Students and faculty reflect on the Charlie Hebdo magazine attacks that occurred earlier this month.

Editor’s column: Volante launches web show TRENT OPSTEDAHL is a junior majoring in media & journalism.

For more than 125 years, The Volante has been bringing you news about the University of South Dakota that students need to know. It’s come a long way since then, and sometimes

it’s hard for us as a staff to believe that there was a time when the publication was produced without the use of a computer or any other form of technology.

At The Volante, as is the case with most college newsrooms around the country, we are working with computers and software programs most newspapers in the industry aren’t even using yet.

Some of this is because easier access to infrastructure funds, but the primary reason The Volante is constantly

utilizing up-to-date technology is to ensure that by the time students graduate and enter the workforce, they are ahead of the game and more employable than the next guy in line.

As The Volante has moved through the varying stages of technology to keep up with the times, so too has our news coverage. We’ve shifted from the traditional idea that we’re only a weekly newspaper to a more contemporary, fast-paced newsroom striving to bring our readers the news as it

The Volante THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

EDITORIAL BOARD Trent Opstedahl, Editor-in-Chief

Emily Niebrugge, Sports Content Editor

Josie Flatgard, Managing Editor

Malachi Petersen, Verve Content Editor

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.

We will not publish anonymous letters.

Send letters to: Letters, The Volante Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 Fax to: 605.677.5105 E-mail to: Volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our Web site: VolanteOnline.com The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

happens.

Last spring, we launched a new website — a complete overhaul to the drab website we had been using for so many years. Our mobile-first mindset of reporting the news as fast and correct as possible has been our goal ever since then.

But now, a year later, The Volante is expanding upon its commitment of striving for a continuous online presence by bringing you something we call Verbatim.

Verbatim is a web show designed to take viewers

OVERHEARDS Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.

“I hate putting diapers on my girlfriend.”

— Muenster University Center

“Isn’t tonight especially beautiful? I mean, look at the clouds!”

— McFadden

“I want a genocide of cats in Vermillion.”

— Muenster University Center

“I forgot how to Google for a minute.”

— The Volante newsroom

“I kind of want to whiten my teeth, and lose weight, and get rid of acne. But I mean, one battle at a time.”

— Muenster University Center

“Alright, how do you spell semen?”

— Muenster University Center

“What is wrong with you Iowans?”

— Al Neuharth Media Center

“I almost ran someone over!”

— Cherry Street

behind the scenes of the stories our reporters produce each week. It’s a blend of news and insight about topics relevant to USD students.

As students ourselves, we realize it can be hard to make time to read about the news going on with all the demands being a college student brings. That’s where the inspiration for Verbatim came from.

These weekly videos are short and simple, with the intention of informing viewers about of some of the most interesting stories we’ve

covered that week.

As the semester progresses, you’ll probably start noticing more videos accompanying the stories we have both online and in print.

These videos are a physical promise that we’re pushing ourselves to explain why the news is relevant on all platforms.

Going back to our roots more than 100 years ago, we were founded on the mission to be the students’ voice, and we are constantly adapting to maintain this promise to the students of USD.

In The Know & In The Dark IN THE KNOW: USD’s Student Government Association announced its candidates for the upcoming presidency.

IN THE DARK: One of the running teams has already dropped out of the race.

IN THE KNOW: Students can enjoy the newlyreinstated complimentary “‘Yote Floats” in the Muenster University Center every Tuesday afternoon.

IN THE DARK: This simple pleasure was almost denied to students this semester due to the whopping $66 the university is forced to spend on it every week, making students’ tuition and fees look like chump change.

IN THE KNOW: The East Coast is currently in the midst of what some are calling the worst snowstorm ever, while South Dakota is enjoying unusually mild January weather.

IN THE DARK: Some Vermillion residents can be spotted in shorts due to the fact that it is not completely frigid outside.

SUBMIT OVERHEARDS AND IN-THE-KNOWS AND IN-THE-DARKS ON TWITTER @VolanteOpinion and at volanteonline.com/overheard-submission

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

Documenting family tree useful in learning history MEGAN STREET is a firstyear student majoring in political science.

Once, when I was a child, I was flipping through my school yearbooks and noticed people with my last name whom I had never met before.

When I asked my mother about it, she described a split in the family that had happened sometime about a century ago. It was a bit like the Montagues and Capulets — we rarely spoke to one another.

This sparked something in me — I had to learn more. I began researching when I was 15, and while the stories and paper trail are almost nonexistent, I’ve stumbled upon so much more along the way. The family rift has now become only a small piece of the jigsaw puzzle that makes up my family history.

The discoveries I’ve made have been incredible.

I am a distant cousin of George Washington. Four of my great-great-great-great grandparents disappeared without a trace. Some of my Gypsy ancestors were chased out of Romania and immigrated to the U.S. My ancestors come

from at least a dozen different nationalities and countries.

In a December 2012 article published in The Guardian, Emily Kasriel wrote, “In drawing up my tree, I have found that it is the connecting fibres and portraits of the uncertain or unknown that become the most compelling.”

I have come across so many uncertainties in my family I would have to agree. I have more questions now than I did before I began researching — but I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the fun of it. I never know what I’ll find — or won’t find.

As students, we’re often told these are the years that we will discover who we really are. We study history for a reason — to understand where we came from, to preserve our cultures. We are all diverse and unique, and making sure we don’t lose that piece of ourselves is crucial to our identities.

In addition, our generation is now in charge.

The future of our country is beginning to fall onto our shoulders. We have to make sure not only is the future in good hands, but also our pasts.

Sitting down and discussing family history with my relatives brings us closer together. With our world constantly changing, we often have completely

different views on a lot of things. But our rich history is something of a common ground, something we share.

With the power of technology, research is easier than ever. Instead of pouring through library archives for hours (which is still a very helpful research strategy), online records are a click away, family trees can easily be created and we can even collaborate with other family historians — who may turn out to be distant relatives.

Technology also has the advantage of being able to preserve history. Every day, every hour, every second, history is lost forever. My great-grandfather’s birth certificate was destroyed in a fire decades ago, so my family does not know his birth year.

Everyone should go out and start researching their heritage. I would recommend those dabbling in genealogy to talk to their relatives. From there, they should look through old newspapers. Use online databases such as Ancestry. com. Start building a digital family tree — there are many free and easy programs out there.

It’s important we don’t forget who we are. Failing to preserve our history lets a piece of us die with it.

We can learn a lot from the past, and, as students, that should be our first priority.

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USD should offer more scholarships to minority groups CHEYENNE ALEXIS is a firstyear student majoring in English and media & journalism.

Minority-based scholarships have been offered for many years, and it seems the debate as to if they are fair or not still arises today.

Furthermore, universities should offer more scholarships that directly assist minority students because they, too, deserve a chance to attend their school of choice and succeed like any other student.

Minorities are not only defined as being a certain race, it is also defined as less than half of an entire population, which correlates to race, yes, but also to people in LGBTQ, members of a different religion or even gender.

Minority-based scholarships are like any other scholarship with various requirements like high academic achievements and extracurricular activities involvement, but they assist minority students who may be excluded from other financial

aid that non-minorities receive more often.

All students going off to college deserve a sense of relief when it comes to how much money they have to spend to receive an education that meets their standards, which is why scholarships are helpful. Those opposed to minority-based scholarships sometimes feel they take away the sense of earning and believe they are only for people of different ethnicities.

These types of assumptions can sometimes reflect that people do not want minorities in schools, and want to continue having a single, dominant race and gender.

Additionally, some people do not realize how underrepresented minorities are on many college campuses around the country and the defeated feeling this causes for minority students wishing to earn an education, but with limited means.

Consequently, this sense of defeat can hurt and it can make minority students feel unwanted and cheated when so many of their “privileged” classmates are getting the same education.

This is why I believe minoritybased scholarships need to be more transparent and

readily-available, as it can help minorities at least feel like they have a chance at succeeding.

With more minority-based scholarships, schools will be able to increase their diversity, and diversity is especially important in this day and age. Here at the University of South Dakota, there are not nearly enough of these scholarships being offered, which in some ways has contributed to the dominate race feeling reflected in the demographics of the student body.

Some scholarships that are offered to minorities at USD, however, are the Glenn E. & Barbara R. Ullyot Lakota Scholarship for Native American students and, possibly, the Dorothy C. Schieffer Political Science Scholarship, which states, “Preference is given to nontraditional students with clear financial aid.”

Not only is offering more minority-based scholarships beneficial to universities, but also helpful in building a stronger workforce.

Furthermore, with more diversity in the job industry, great strides in breaking down ethnic, gender and other discriminatory walls can be made.

Meal plans include poor planning, extra costs KATIE MCGUIRE is a junior majoring in media & journalism.

It had been a month since I last ordered food from the wok in the Muenster University Center, and I was excited to finally eat it again when I came back from winter break. As I walked up to what was once the register, I was met with a sign that let me know that yet again, the prices had changed.

Now three weeks in to the semester, I’ve noticed Qdoba, the salad bar and other food options have adjusted their prices.

But is this for better or for worse? With so much money to spend, I decided to do some investigating in to my meal plan.

As a University of South Dakota student with $739 in Flex money for this semester, I assumed that amount was

how much I paid for, but this wasn’t the case. When I looked at the different meal plan options, I discovered I was charged an extra $50 on top of the $739 — which is upsetting. I could be putting that $50 toward other living expenses.

I would be more accepting of this extra charge if the food on campus was less expensive. According to the spring 2015 budget plan the university provides at every food station, I should be spending roughly $50 per week. Excluding weekends, that’s about 15 meals or snacks per week, which means I’d get to spend a total of $3 for each meal.

This does not make sense. I can go to Chickfil-A and order a meal for about $8. If I want a healthy lunch, I can buy a small salad and 12 ounces of soup, and if I feel like treating myself, maybe an apple or a banana.

The cost of this meal on campus comes out to be nearly $10, which is more than three times what I should be spending for

lunch according to the suggested budget plan.

In the three years I’ve been at USD, the wok station has evolved greatly and does not let students build their own meal anymore, and they now charge students for the number of different meats piled on, leaving them with the possibility of spending $8 or more just on a main course.

In the future, it’d be great if Aramark could truly assess student’s meal plan needs. They’d find out students don’t like being charged for more than what they paid for and don’t enjoy being charged an inflated price for food on campus.

I understand the university and Aramark’s need to make some profit, but when it comes to the end of the semester and I’m struggling to pay for my food because I chose to spend more than $15 worth of Flex in one day — that’s just an added stress I don’t need during finals week.

Follow reporter Katie McGuire on Twitter @KatieMGee

BY THE

NUMBERS $1,764.15

Coyote 17 (17 meals per week, $335 Flex per semester) Paw Power Pack ($1,679 Flex)

$1,602.50

Yote Pack 70 (70 meals, $900 Flex)

$1,553.00

Yote Pack 80 (80 meals, $776 Flex)

$1,528.95

KATIE MCGUIRE I THE VOLANTE

Students eat in the Muenster University Center Jan. 27. Students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan.

Yote Pack 120 (120 meals, $600 Flex)

$1,420.45

Yote Pack 55 (55 meals, $838 Flex)

$1,420.50

Paw Pleaser ($1,336 Flex)

$1,420.40

Coyote 10 (10 meals per week, $322 Flex per semester)

$786.50

Paw Pride ($739 Flex)

$392.80

Paw Print ($369 Flex)

KATIE MCGUIRE I THE VOLANTE

Students order food at the Wok bar, which recently changed its prices to charge extra for a number of formerly costless choices.

Choosing to wield the sword of satisfaction In job search, as in zombie apocalypse, ease never a guarantee of success AUSTIN ASHLOCK is a senior majoring in media & journalism and political science.

Looking for a job postgraduation is scary. It’s like choosing which weapon to carry with you in the case of a zombie apocalypse.

Pardon the overused zombie-phenomena metaphors, but it really is.

In terms of zombieslaying weaponry — the job you choose can either be a

gun or a sword.

On one hand, a job needs to keep up with your extravagant twentysomething lifestyle — it pays for beer and you and your roommate’s Netflix subscription — while handling the flood of loan, rent and other monthly payments barreling your way.

These kind of jobs are guns. They do well to provide you with the stability and safety you need, but inevitably, “bullets” run out and they must either be replaced or cast aside entirely.

On the other hand, an out-of-college job should be a stepping-stone in a career

that fulfills your intellectual needs and continually pushes your skill-set, demanding the very best from you.

These jobs are swords.

They are hard to come by, and require constant sharpening to stay useful.

Swords may not rack up the most zombie kills — but they are long-lasting.

Both types of jobs do well to provide their own set of benefits, and both have their downfalls. It is up to the job seeker to decide which weapon to suit up with when heading into this zombie-infested, postapocalyptic world of seniors set to graduate in May. Picture yourself first with

the “gun” job. The first few days are great. Every once in awhile, a zombie comes along, you shoot it and move on — strolling through the countryside with ease.

However, it’s been a week now and that magazine is running thin, so what do you do now?

In the workplace, you may be enjoying the opportunities this job offers, and the pay is allowing you to handle your finances without worry — but the work bores you — and after a year, you don’t think you see yourself coming to work day-in and day-out for much longer. You love the comforts of your “gun” job, but you yearn for something

more fulfilling — something that lasts.

So, you have the same choice to make again — do you find the strength to find more bullets or another gun, or do you look for a weapon with more lasting-power?

Picture yourself now with a “sword” job. You may not be killing those zombies with the same ease you experienced with the gun — but after weeks you still have that trusty sword by your side — confident in its abilities to keep you alive with the little extra work it takes to swing.

The job may be more work, and the payoff may not be as swift, but the job is something you enjoy — it

pushes you and it rewards you.

These sorts of scenarios may be a little irrational to be dwelling on when searching for a postgraduate job — but they are factors that all eligible employees need to recognize.

Never sell your abilities short and don’t be too quick to take the job with the highest pay. Instead, do something you love where you find yourself swinging the sword with ease.

That’s easier said than done when scavenging through the arsenals known as job listings — but it’s something to keep in mind during these exciting times.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

Papa John’s to open in North Complex by August Phil Millar

Phillip.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu

Papa John’s expects to open for business at the University of South Dakota campus Aug. 17, roughly a year after the target opening date.

“The soft launch for Papa John’s will be the first week of August before classes start,” John Howe, associate dean of Student Services, said.

USD’s website still states that the construction of Papa John’s is to be completed in 2014. However, the spring 2015 semester has begun, and construction is still ongoing.

“It won’t come to project completion until early April or mid-April,” Howe said.

“That’s when the construction part ends, and they can turn over the facility.”

First-year students Abby Lubeck and Catie Dougherty expected Papa John’s to be here when they arrived on campus.

“I was told it would be here when I got here,” Lubeck said. “I’m not even going to lie, I was a little depressed that it wasn’t.”

Dougherty agreed with Lubeck.

“They said it would be here by the time I was a freshman,” Dougherty said.

Lubeck was worried she may not see Papa John’s on USD’s campus at all.

“I was actually a little confused, I thought it wasn’t coming at all,” she said.

Paden Hunt, a student ambassador for USD, regularly gives prospective students tours of campus. He

tells them — to the best of his ability — about the construction projects around USD. Hunt’s usual response is all he is certain about.

“We’re currently working on building a Papa John’s that will work through the student’s meal plans,” Hunt tells his tours.

CathTORDSEN erine Wagner, director of planning and construction, could not be reached.

Tyler Tordsen, president of Student Government Association, said SGA played a small role in the process of bringing Papa John’s to USD. He also said that, presently, no students have expressed concerns directly to SGA over the delays in the construction of Papa John’s, but said the office door on the first floor of the Muenster University Center is always open.

“We’re the bridge from students to the administration to the university,” Tordsen said. “We took that request — that feedback from students — to Aramark, and they told us how Papa John’s was the answer to that. And then we come back to the fall semester, and then they got delayed, and here we are.”

Follow reporter Phil Millar on Twitter @PhilMill15

OUTANDABOUT The Volante asked students what other franchises they would like to see on campus.

Cherry Berry Kelsey Stoltenburg Junior

Taco Bell

Brian Pfeifle First-year

Buffalo Wild Wings Taylor Tatge Junior

Buffalo Wild Wings Carter Kerber First-year

>> BILLS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

“The legislature implemented the current $.22 motor fuel tax in 1999.

That was 16 years ago, when I was in the State Senate, and Bill Janklow was governor,” Daugaard said in his speech on Jan. 13. “Gasoline was around

$1 per gallon, so the motor fuel tax at the time represented 22 percent of the total price per gallon.”

The bill also proposes to raise the tax on motor vehicle purchases from three to four percent.

Daugaard’s plan also supported the one percent increase. If passed, Senate Bill 1 could bring an estimated $26 million in additional revenue to the state.

JOSIE FLATGARD I THE VOLANTE

Sophomore Skyler Bordeaux and junior Katie Ludemann, both kinesiology majors, study together Jan. 21 in the Native American Cultural Center. The Dr. Walter Anyan Scholarship is set to be open to undergraduate Native Americans who are pursuing a health sciences degree.

Donation helps Native American students Money to be used for those pursuing health sciences career Josie Flatgard

Josie Flatgard@coyotes.usd.edu

A $100,000 donation will provide funds for a new scholarship benefitting Native Americans pursuing a degree in the health sciences field.

The Dr. Walter Anyan Scholarship Endorsement was established by Carol Ann Anyan, of Guilford, Conn., to honor her late husband, and it will finance both incoming and current University of South Dakota students on their road to becoming a health care professional.

The scholarship, which is set to go into effect during the 2015-2016 school year, could assist students like sophomore Skyler Bordeaux, a transfer student from White River, S.D. Bordeaux is studying kinesiology and is on track to becoming a physical therapist. “(The scholarship) is definitely an awesome thing,” he said. “I think if they’re helping any minority, it definitely should be us.”

Serving as the secretary for the American Indian Science of Engineering Society (AISES), Bordeaux has seen the vast number

“There’s such a tremendous need, I think, not just on reservations but in rural South Dakota.”

-Gene Thin Elk, director of Native Studies Services of students studying in the field and the need for tuition assistance for Native Americans.

Michael Lawler, dean of the School of Health Sciences, said the scholarship will be open to undergraduate students studying addiction studies, dental hygiene, health sciences, medical laboratory science, nursing and social work.

“We’re hoping the scholarship will support those fulfilling the degrees,” Lawler said. “We’re hoping to see (this) in recruiting and retaining top American Indians.”

Students would have to apply for the scholarship under general scholarship requirements, and the student selected each year would receive about $4,000 in aid.

“It’s nice to be able to provide students with extra support, so we’re just thrilled,” Lawler said. “This

is one of those blessings to the school.”

Gene Thin Elk, director of USD’s Native Student Services, said he appreciates that the scholarship committee will take into consideration the school work prospective scholarship students have done to get accepted into USD and since then used to succeed in their education.

“Students being successful in class, they really earned that,” he said.

“It’s not like you’re being given something and that’s it.

You’re actually earning it — your job is being a student.”

Students who receive the scholarship would agree to practice their field of study in their home communities upon graduation, as part of the scholarship’s requirements.

Thin Elk said this will be an important step for those in the health field.

“There’s such a

>> SGA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

have a lot of ideas, a lot of ways we can improve this campus.”

Henchal had a doctors appointment scheduled Jan. 21, the day after he had to officially declare candidacy.

He and Gilbertson knew they might have to drop, but decided to declare, anyway.

Henchal plans on being a fifth-year student, so he and Gilbertson may try to run in 2016. In the meantime, both plan on running for senate again.

The opposition-turnedlone campaigning team is junior Sami Zoss, SGA external communications manager, and her running mate, sophomore Michael Buchanan, SGA senator.

“I just don’t feel it’s my place to start asking around about it,” Zoss said. “I’m just kind of letting it all play out.”

Zoss and Buchanan still need 562 signatures, five percent of USD’s population, to get on the ballot. Senior Micaela Duch, head of SGA’s election steering committee, said they will not win by default because they must obtain the majority of votes.

Instead of choosing between candidates, students will simply select yes or no for the one

Senate Bill 14 Introduced on behalf of South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, Senate Bill 14 proposes law enforcement, fire and EMS officials carry and be able to administer an opioid antagonist — which prevents the body from responding to endorphins or chemicals produced by drugs — in the event of a drug overdose.

FILE PHOTO I THE VOLANTE

Presidential candidate Sami Zoss, left, listens to a presentation with current-SGA president Tyler Tordsen during a fall semester meeting.

team when voting.

“I think we’re still going to try to make it as competitive as possible,” Duch said.

“They still need to prove that a majority of the student body wants them as president and vice president.”

If Zoss and Buchanan don’t get the majority vote, the president pro temp and the newly-elected senate would have a special election with new teams within three weeks of the polls closing, Duch said.

Specific details, like how debates will be handled — which are required in SGA bylaws — have yet to be determined.

“I’m excited for the new

Senate Bill 33 Currently, South Dakota law allows veterans to receive resident tuition even if they do not meet the SDBOR’s 12 month residency requirement.

Senate Bill 33 would expand this waiver of residency requirements to the spouse and children of the veterans.

experience,” Duch said. “I think it’s going to be a unique election season, and I’m excited to see what we can come up with.”

Zoss said they still plan on running the same campaign, regardless if they’re the only team running.

“I just want to make sure that the goals Michael and I set for ourselves and SGA are both tangible and noticeable,” Zoss said. “So things that students are going to be able to notice, the students are going to be able to see and the students are going to be able to want.”

If they do win, Zoss and Buchanan said a main focus will be reworking how SGA

tremendous need, I think, not just on reservations but in rural South Dakota,” he said. “You know, it’s hard so any health care professionals that we can get to the rural areas, the better off we are.”

Thin Elk hopes students will be inspired to take on a health care degree, knowing there are people available to help them along the way.

“We know that middle class people are really struggling, and any kind of financial help that one can receive, whether it’s books, tuition, housing or anything,” Thin Elk said.

Bordeaux said he attended school in Colorado free of charge as a Native American, but ultimately decided to transfer to USD to participate in a better program. With such a large population of Native Americans in the state, he said it is good to see steps being taken to help more Native Americans get degrees.

“It’s just nice to see that USD is supporting the Native community still, so this is great,” Bordeaux said.

Follow reporter Josie Flatgard on Twitter @Josie_jayne

runs internally.

“A huge internal platform we have is accountability, delegation and management.

Those are going to be in the forefront of our minds when we’re doing everything, but that’s not an easy way to sort of sell a campaign,” Zoss said.

“Internally that’s great, and people who have been on SGA understand the necessity of all three of those.”

As with any year, SGA is hoping for more student involvement in elections.

“We still have to win an election,” Buchanan said.

“Our main priority is just making sure it’s still run like a normal election, making sure the students still get the outreach from the candidates, still understand why we want to run and still understand why it’s important that they value SGA, even if it just appears it’s a white ballot race.”

Follow reporter Ally Krupinsky on Twitter @AllyKrupinsky

ONLINE ONLY Video of SGA presidential candidate Sami Zoss discussing her main campaign commitments.

volante online.com

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

>> FLOATS

‘Yote Floats by the numbers

tion of 2015 was scheduled for Jan. 20 on USD’s calendar of events, but when junior Eric Roach went to enjoy his weekly cup of ice cream and root beer, he was surprised to find the Muenster University Center’s Pit Lounge deserted.

“I was livid when they canceled it,” Roach said.

A number of other students were confused and upset about the cancellation, and the concerns were eventually heard by the Student Government Association’s Student Affairs Committee. SGA Senator Sami Zoss, a junior, sits on the committee.

“We really try to avoid making Student Affairs that committee students can come and complain about every little thing to, but we do ask at the end if there are any overarching themes that students are really upset about,” she said.

Zoss brought the concerns to SGA’s attention during its Jan. 20 regular meeting, and the proposal to reboot the ice cream social was brought forth to Sparks and Vice President of Stu-

100-200

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

Average number of participants each week

12

Number of gallons of ice cream consumed each week

16

Number of liters of root beer consumed each week

TRENT OPSTEDAHL I THE VOLANTE

The Student Government Association sponsored the first ‘Yote Floats of the year. The event was canceled for a week because of low attendance and lack of participation last semester.

dent Services and Dean of Students Kim Grieve, both who advise SGA. “Kim and Lindsay were like, “Yep, we’ll bring it back if (SGA) is willing to help out,’” Zoss said. “It was all taken care of so quickly.”

Sparks said she was surprised students were as vocal as they were about the discontinuance of ‘Yote Floats.

“People were mad. People came to the MUC front desk and to my office asking ‘Where is ‘Yote Floats?’”

Sparks said. “I didn’t think people would get this upset, but they were. People totally noticed.”

‘Yote Floats resumed Tuesday from 3-4 p.m. in the Pit Lounge of the MUC. “I was happy they decided to bring it back,” Roach

said.

Junior Andrew Kost was also pleased to see ‘Yote Floats brought back.

“It’s something I look forward to every week,” he said.

Sparks said Student Services is aiming to change the overall perception of the weekly function — a perception she said is crucial to making the student-funded

BOR eliminates specialization

>> CITY

Change will not affect addiction studies

close, so he thought either selling the entire business or selling his liquor license would be easy ways to cash-in.

“I listed it about six months ago. I thought it would take about 10 minutes to sell,” Radigan said.

“I really haven’t had too many people getting at me about it.”

Maya Jane’s’ liquor license — which allows for a full bar — has few restrictions, and has proven to be more valuable than restaurant liquor licenses, Radigan said.

The city government sells restaurant liquor licenses for $90,000. However, those licenses carry strict regulations on businesses, such as requiring servers every hour. Not to mention, there is a set amount of liquor licenses the city has to issue.

Radigan said he was advised to list his liquor license for Maya Jane’s at $125,000. He expected the owners of the Varsity Pub — which does not have a liquor license — to immediately inquire about a purchase.

“I would never say never,” Diane Wirth, owner of the Varsity Pub, said.

Wirth said she knows she may be losing some business from customers leaving the Varsity because of a lack of a liquor license.

Joey Snyder, a junior and finance major, said he likes going to the Varsity because it is more casual than other bars.

He is not sure if purchasing a liquor license would change the atmosphere,

Ally Krupinsky

Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu

The elimination of a substance abuse specialization will not affect the University of South Dakota’s addiction studies program, although the two areas of study share similarities.

Because of low enrollment, a request for the removal of the specialization in the Counseling and Psychology in Education graduate program was submitted to the South Dakota Board of Regents last November.

Frank Zavadil, addiction studies department chair, said since counseling programs have a different focus than substance abuse programs, the elimination will not have much of an impact on the addiction studies program.

“There’s a distinction as far as what they’re preparing their students to work with, and so that’s always kind of been a disconnect between the two departments,” Zavadil said. “There’s some overlap with some of the courses.”

Counseling tends to focus more on mental health issues, while addiction studies covers co-occurring problems and it is more specific, Zavadil said.

James Cady, a licensed professional counselor at Journey Therapy and Consulting in Sioux Falls, agrees.

He said in either case, mental health and addiction often go hand-in-hand.

“It’s kind of a challenge to find that middle ground, but it is something that I think

“That’s always kind of been a disconnect between the two departments...There’s some overlap with some of the courses.”

-Frank Zavadil, addiction studies department chair is really important because on whatever side of the fence that you fall, you’re going to bump into people that are struggling with both mental health and addictions,” Cady said.

When Cady came to USD for a specialist in education degree, he took addictionrelated classes through the counseling program.

“I did find that very useful,” Cady said. “It was definitely something that was worthwhile.”

Student Adviser Kathy Husby said that although there are some classes shared by both the substance abuse specialization and addiction studies program, like counseling theories and working with families, they yield different results.

“I don’t believe that their department provided all the courses you would need for licensure. It’s a different credential they’re after — over in the counseling department you become a licensed professional counselor,” Husby said. “It’s a different profession, basically.”

The Counseling and Psychology in Education department could not be reached for comment.

To become a certified addiction counselor, USD students need to obtain at

least a bachelor’s degree in the addiction studies program. Becoming a licensed addiction counselor, which allows someone to participate in private practice, requires a master’s degree.

The addiction studies department offers these degrees online and on-campus.

Cady said awareness of both addiction and mental health issues is important in the field.

“I would want to hire somebody that had at least a good awareness of how those issues affect people because it is something that you bump into — sometimes on a daily basis,” Cady said.

“They’re obscenely common problems.”

Junior Kendra Dale, an addiction studies and social work double major, is president of the Coalition for Addiction Students and Professionals Pursuing Advocacy (CASPA). The group’s primary focus is advocating for South Dakota legislation dealing with substance abuse.

“We go, and we represent the students at USD,” Dale said. “We talk to legislators about bills and how they’re going to affect our clients someday, how they’re going to affect us and just the kind of the overall impact on what they’re doing.”

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event a success.

“When you add it up over 32 weeks, that’s a couple of home-grown events, or a speaker or a comedian.

It doesn’t equate to a large concert, but it’s still another event that could attract more people,” Sparks said.

“We’re always trying to look how can we spend funds better and how can we be more efficient and effective with our funds.”

Introduced in 2010, ‘Yote Floats — which costs $66 a week — is paid for through the Student Services’ budget, which is primarily funded through the student General Activity Fee fund.

Throughout the semester, Sparks hopes to see more social interaction between ‘Yote Float attendees and the various campus organizations who sponsor the event.

“Some groups were doing a great job (of making the event attractive), other groups were just serving and there was no interaction,” Sparks said. “Those are the things we really want to push with both people who are coming to be more interactive and the groups who are serving to be more interactive and take advantage of the Pit Lounge.”

‘Yote Floats will continue as originally planned this semester and will be assessed all semester to record traffic volumes and the amount of interaction taking place each week, Sparks said.

“We’re excited about bringing it back, and it’s a nice reoccurring event that we have, but we just want to make sure we’re using student dollars wisely,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a social, come-together community time for USD.”

Follow reporter Trent Opstedahl on Twitter @TrentOp

TOP 10 MOST EXCITING PLACES IN SOUTH DAKOTA 1. Vermillion 2. Mobridge 3. Sturgis 4. Tea 5. Watertown 6. Yankton 7. Hot Springs 8. Dell Rapids 9. Rapid City 10. Spearfish SOURCE: Movoto Real Estate blog

but said he would expect its business to increase if liquor was sold.

“I know some people prefer to go to other bars because they serve liquor drinks,” Snyder said.

Still chance to thrive In the heart of downtown, Chae’s Korean and Chinese Restaurant is not for sale, but owner Jessi Wilharm said she and her husband plan to sell the building.

“There’s a lot of buildings downtown that are for sale right now,” Wilharm said. “We just thought we’d throw ours in the mix and see what happens.”

Just this year, another restaurant across the street from Chae’s closed its doors — Raziel’s.

Downtown is not at full capacity, but Michelle Maloney, broker and owner for Maloney Real Estate, said its not heading into any kind of recession.

“It ebbs and flows,” Maloney said. “I’ve owned a business in downtown Vermillion since 1998. I’ve seen it where we’ve had

absolutely no buildings empty, and I’ve seen it where we’ve had 11.”

Comparing downtown economies to spirals, Welch said downslopes in business are more visible in downtown than in other areas of town.

“But we kind of take those as great opportunities to say, ‘What will we be able to put in here?’”

Welch said.

Maloney said feedback from the community is crucial for downtown development.

“We’re always looking for input on what do you think we need that we don’t have in downtown,” Maloney said.

Follow reporter Nathan Ellenbecker on Twitter @NJE13

ONLINE ONLY Learn about Center Street Check out the online version of this article to read about a 90-day city test to determine the future of traffic flow downtown.

volante online.com

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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A YEAR IN REVIEW

Muenster University Center: Construction and relocation ends after year, university continues to replenish funds used for building expansion RELOCATION

HUB FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI

FILE PHOTO I THE VOLANTE

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard addresses fellow alumni Oct. 10 at the Red Tie Event.

Megan Card

Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu

More than a year later, the expansion of the Muenster University Cnter is finally complete.

The building now boasts 100,000 square feet for student dining, meeting space and staff offices. No immediate plans for changes in the renovated space are planned, said Kim Grieve, vice president of Student Services and dean of students.

Students had access to the expansion Jan. 13, 2014, but in the year since its opening, the MUC has been in a state of metamorphosis — from hosting a lavish red-tie alumni event during the 100th Dakota Days to providing a space for the recently opened Center for Diversity and Community.

Making the MUC a hub for students, alumni Looking around the MUC during mealtime is one way to witness the shift of South

Dakota’s flagship university finally mirroring its Division I counterpoints.

Students can be seen chowing down on a Chick-fil-A sandwich or a naked burrito from Qdoba Mexican Grill or an Einstein Bros. pizza bagel — an ode to the three national franchises that are open on the Vermillion campus.

Along with the additional eateries is the added number of seating options, which administrators such as Grieve say are promoting meals as a time of community for the university.

“The most surprising thing about the expansion is since there are so many students in one place for lunchtime, it seems like they participate more in other USD activities, too,” Grieve said. “It’s brought a much tighter sense of community to the university.”

And by sheer size, the MUC can hold the growing mass of students that wander there.

The building can accommodate 1,200 students, more than

ONLINEONLY

FUTURE

MEGAN CARD I THE VOLANTE

Kurt Hackemer, history chair, engages with students during a discussion about race relations in the Center for Community and Diversity.

doubling the previous 450-person capacity.

The new space, which cost about $10 million to construct, has also acted as more than a dining and study space in the past year. On Oct. 10, the MUC was transformed into a massive gala of red — cleared of all remnants that indicate hundreds of students pass through the building on a daily basis.

More than 600 people attended the University of South Dakota’s Red Tie Event during the 2014 Dakota Days.

The evening marked the public launch of USD’s Onward campaign, which raised more than $135 million of the $250 million goal, according to the Alumni Association.

Chandeliers, spotlights and grandiose decorations of red illuminated the building as speakers at the event included notable USD graduates such as President James Abbott, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard and Broadway star Cody Strand.

The effect of relocation Some students are not just using the new expansion to empty their flex accounts. Student Government Association senator Jim Gulbranson said the change of SGA’s office to the first floor has ushered it onto the next level of student engagement.

“It wasn’t a matter of people not venturing upstairs in the MUC to come to the office, but now, it’s more about the fact that people can see us right as they walk in the door,” Gulbranson said. “It helps us remind students we’re here representing their interests.”

Gulbranson, a senior, said aside from the increased foot traffic, the new office location creates a more open and professional feeling between senators and students.

While SGA moved downstairs in the MUC, Student Services were also relocated to the first floor, while its former suite became the Center for Diver-

FILE PHOTO I THE VOLANTE

Students line up for Qdoba Mexican Grill at the beginning of the spring 2014 semester in the MUC expansion.

sity and Community. The center officially opened its doors Nov. 5.

After two years of planning, the name and director were finally selected for the multicultural center project, which was created with the purpose of strengthen the level of diversity and inclusivity at USD. The center’s director, Lamont Sellers, who has worked in diversity and multicultural affairs for about 15 years, said he didn’t want “multicultural” to be in the name, so it was more inclusive for the whole student body, not just minority groups.

The center has played host to a number of events since its opening, including a “chocolate break” during finals week in December and numerous discussions to talk about relevant national events, such as the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo. “Even though this might not be the activist campus that you’d see at a larger institution,

it doesn’t mean people don’t pay attention to the news or that these conversations aren’t happening,” Sellers said.

Future expenses The relocation of offices and re-designation of space is at an end in the MUC, but the university is still in the process of paying off the expansion.

The $10 million project was financed internally, said Jessica Preister, director of internal audit in financial services.

“The MUC expansion was paid for with cash on hand,” Preister said. “The plan utilized dollars that had been set aside in the Replace, Renovate, and Repair account for the student union as well as borrowing RRR funds from residential life and the Wellness Center.”

The plan included a payback schedule for replenishing the RRR accounts for the Wellness Center and residence halls. This payment plan is scheduled to go on until fiscal year 2023.

Photosphere

Photo Gallery

Payment plan

allows the reader to check out a 360-degree view of the new addtions featured in the expansion.

of events held in the Muenster University Center since it was entirely reopened a year ago.

includes an illustrated look at the university’s payment plan to replenish funds used to build the MUC expansion.

Beer tax ordinance pits City Council against local businesses Nathan Ellenbecker

Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu

Before a heated informational session Monday evening, mayor John Powell turned to a few other members of the Vermillion City Council.

“I might get impeached tonight,” Powell said jokingly.

The City Council is proposing an ordinance for a five percent malt liquor mark-up to help fund renovations to Prentis Park. The mark-up would be charged directly to businesses at a wholesale cost, leaving it up to individual businesses to choose whether or not to raise prices on beer and other malt liquors.

Tammy Baisden, manager of Freedom Valu Center, spoke up at the public informational session. She said larger businesses can swallow the city’s charge without raising prices, but her small operation would feel a big hit if it had to begin charging more for its malt liquors.

“For me, we’re talking a couple thousand dollars a month, which I’m sure (for) the bars and some of the other businesses that sell more it could be double and triple that,” Baisden said. “It’s going to put smaller businesses out of business.”

The informational session came one week after numer-

ous business owners in town felt tricked by the City Council.

During the Jan. 19 meeting, the City Council expected to give its second reading and final approval on the ordinance. However, business owners in opposition to the ordinance claimed they did not have word about the vote until hours before the meeting.

The Council decided to table the decision until Feb. 17.

The Prentis Park project includes a new waterpark area and other improvements to the public space. The project’s estimated cost is $5.25 million.

The City Council would use the mark-up to pay off a $3 million bond alongside $1

NATHAN ELLENBECKER I THE VOLANTE

Old Lumber Company Grill and Bar displays its disapproval of the City Council’s ordinance for a five percent malt liquor tax with a neon sign above its entrance.

million from the city’s general fund reserve, $1 million from the second penny fund reserve and $250,000 from grants and fundraising.

The yearly debt of the $3 million bond that the malt liquor ordinance would have to cover is estimated at $222,127.

A five percent mark-up on Bud Light would raise a $12.70 18-pack by 72 cents.

Twenty-three communities in South Dakota have a malt liquor mark-up. Brookings has a 10 percent mark-up on malt liquor that generated more than $465,000 in 2013.

Steve Ward, southeast ward city council member, said Vermillion’s mark-up would help make the project affordable.

“I believe that this tax — because it is a tax, we can use

the word mark-up, but it’s a tax — will help in that endeavor,” Ward said. “By creating a pool and a park that will be the envy of the area.”

The public discussion included no recommendations for changes to the Prentis Park project. Only Chad Gruenwaldt, owner of Old Lumber Company, suggested the city consider scaling back the project’s cost in some way.

Multiple people spoke out Monday in defense of the city’s proposal, saying the sales of beer is inelastic because people are going to buy beer anyway.

Addressing business owners and opposition in attendance, Ward said the City Council also expects to review the ordinance periodically.

“We have in the language of

the ordinance a yearly review of this tax,” Ward said. “If I hear evidence that it is affecting it so negatively that you might go out of business, then I, at least, will be reconsidering my vote on this.”

Follow reporter Nathan Ellenbecker on Twitter @NJE13

ONLINE ONLY Beer tax proposal Keep up with the latest developments concerning the beer tax before City Council reconsiders it at its Feb. 17 meeting.

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South Dakota Style Justice:

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COYOTES ON A RUN

USD athletes get together to challenge stereotyping Sean Bower

Sean.Bower@coyotes.usd.edu

performance, especially their win in the final race of the University of North Dakota meet — the 400-meter freestyle relay — which the Coyotes won by mere inches. Senior Colin Krysl also had two first place finishes for the Coyote men, winning both the 100-meter and 200meter butterfly against SDSU Jan. 23 in the DakotaDome.

Knowles said the win came as somewhat of a surprise.

“I didn’t imagine us doing that this year at all,” Knowles said. “As a team, our relays have really stepped up from last year.”

Knowles and his teammate, sophomore Jaden Van Dike, said the last two meets were tough,

On top of all the demands it takes to be a Division-I athlete, many go beyond what is expected of them by participating in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee to support their fellow athletes, campus and community.

Seniors Yamini Reddy and Lauren Bennett, Student Athlete Advisory Committee ( S A A C ) co-presidents, see the committee as an opportunity for student athletes to become more invested in both the university and Vermillion communities.

REDDY “We want to show what we, as athletes, can do both on and off the field,” Reddy said. “We want to participate in events and volunteer to help us get to know other students at USD that we may not have gotten to know simply from classes or from playing our sport.”

SAACs are required for every member institution in the NCAA. Each sport has two representatives who belong to this committee, but representatives can volunteer for their team or can be nominated by their coaches.

The purpose of SAAC is to act as a liaison between the athletes and the university administration.

Committees also encourage athletes to get involved on campus and in the community by participating in community service projects, hosting campus events and supporting other student groups at USD. “Our main goal is to listen to the athletes here at USD and relay any problems or concerns they may have to the administration,” Bennett said.

“Yamini has really taken the reins this last semester and has done a BENNETT great job with getting us involved with Student Government, the Coyote Crazies and the Vermillion community.”

SAAC has participated in several community service projects including its own shoe drive, which wrapped up at the end of the fall semester.

“For the Shoe Drive we reached out to other student groups at USD including Greek life and built relationships with these groups that not only helped us meet our goals but to assist them in projects of their own in the future,” Reddy said.

On top of its Shoe Drive, SAAC co-hosted a social mixer with SGA, the Coyote Crazies and the dance team.

SAAC is also working on throwing several social mixers throughout this semester as a way to broaden its reach and involvement around campus.

“We are trying to change the stereotype we face as athletes,” Reddy said. “We want to show that we are a student group that not only does community service but hosts its own events and participates in other events that other student groups put on.”

Because SAAC is made up only of student athletes, it is tough for other student groups at USD and the Vermillion community to see that these members are striving to make a difference, Reddy said. Senior Ali HAINES Haines, serving as the historian officer for the group, echoed Bennett and Reddy’s hopes for the group.

“SAAC is great because it gives us

SEE SWIM, PAGE B3

SEE SAAC, PAGE B3

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PETER CHAPMAN

University of South Dakota’s Mubarik Musa and Isaac Allen run distance at the Holiday Invitational in Lincoln Neb., which took place Jan. 16-17.

Stories by Emily Niebrugge Emily.K.Niebrugge@coyotes.usd.edu

Coyotes looking for consistency in 2015

Women’s track eyes top conference finish

After a first-place finish at South Dakota State Jan. 24, the mens’ track and field team is fighting injury and building consistency to move forward with its 2015 season.

While no season-ending injuries have been sustained, head coach Dave Gottsleben is still pushing for his athletes to get healthy.

“We are getting healthier as we speak,” he said. “Our goal is, by the end of January, to assess where we’re at. As in any sport, little ticks and bruises can happen. We’re not overly concerned, but hopefully we can get some kids back.”

While the meet last weekend was scored differently than usual, Gottsleben said it still shows credibility of the athletes.

“Our high-end kids are good,” he said. “It was against conference rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State, so we’re happy with that.”

Those high-end athletes come in the form of senior throwers Kyle McKelvey and Cody Snyder, to name two, who took home first place finishes and broke personal and school records at the first two meets of the season.

“North Dakota State has a lot

Although the 2015 track and field season has just begun, it doesn’t mean the goal to win Conference isn’t alive and well for the University of South Dakota women’s track and field team.

With two meets under its belt — in Lincoln, Neb. and at South Dakota State — the team is using those competitions and a strong fall season to push forward.

“As soon as we get back from Christmas break, the indoor season starts really fast and ends really fast, so we’ve been working on staying focused and keeping our goals in mind,” said junior pole vaulter Madison Mills. “As a team we’re really focusing on competing at Conference. To do that, each one of us has to do our part and do our best.”

The team is also using a strong cross country season to build off of and run even better times, said junior distance runner Katie Wetzstein.

“All that momentum has carried over for pretty much everyone,” she said. “We’ve been running times that are giant (personal records) for everyone.

Usually it takes a couple races to get going, so it’s looking good for the rest of the season.”

With more of an emphasis on scored meets this year than in previous years, the first two meets have gotten off to a good

SEE MEN’S, PAGE B3

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PETER CHAPMAN

Seniors Lindsey Montileaux and Rachel Weinandt race past a Nebraska-Kearney runner during the Holiday Inn Invitational Jan. 16-17 in Lincoln, Neb.

start for the Coyote women, giving them a confidence boost in the beginning of the season.

“We’ve had a lot of (personal records), broken records and winning events,” Mills said.

“That’s been really great, and the team is off to a great start.

It’s important that we keep that going.”

There’s still work to be done,

said head coach Lucky Huber, but he’s still excited to see his team doing well so far.

“We have a few kids that just aren’t quite where they’re ready to go yet, but some of them are,” he said. “Our distance kids are doing really well right now — we just need some time for our field SEE TRACK, PAGE B3

Swim and dive eager for championships Trent Opstedahl

Trent.Opstedahl@coyotes.usd.edu

PHILLIP MILLAR I THE VOLANTE

University of South Dakota and University of North Dakota swimmers dive into the pool during the 400-meter freestyle relay on Jan. 24 in the DakotaDome.

With the regular season over, head coach Jason Mahowald is doing everything he can to make sure his swimming and diving teams are ready to jump into the upcoming championship meets next month.

Despite falling to South Dakota State and the University of North Dakota last weekend, the Coyotes had a few standout performances worth reveling in at the end of both meets.

“A lot of good stuff has happened that gives us a lot of confidence and a lot of stuff to build off the next few weeks for the championships,” Mahowald said.

Sophomore Jake Knowles was optimistic about his team’s

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COYOTEDigest RESULTS

UP, UP AND AWAY

MEN’S BASKETBALL

TRACK & FIELD

Jan. 22 Jan. 16-17 USD 68, WESTERN ILLINOIS 58 HOLIDAY INN The Coyotes outscored Western INVITATIONAL Illinois 43-25 in the second half. USD’s bench players contributed 34 points Lincoln, Neb. on the way to the team’s 10th win.

Jan. 24 USD 50, IUPUI 65 After a 20-5 start in IUPUI’s favor, the Coyotes make just six shots in the first half. Larson led USD scorers with 10. Coyotes fall to 10-11.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jan. 22 USD 73, FORT WAYNE 72

Amy Williams and Co. go on a 7-0 run during the final three minutes to hold on to the top spot in the Summit League standings.

Jan. 24 USD 43, IUPUI 68 AUSTIN ASHLOCK I THE VOLANTE Junior guard Trey Norris and firstyear guard Dejon Davis go air bourne to the basket against North Dakota State defenders during the Coyotes 71-67 victory against the Bison Jan. 14 at the DakotaDome.

Norris went down briefly with a wrist injury, but returned to the game to shoot 3-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line on his way to 10 points. Norris also handed out three assists and pocketed three steals.

Davis made the most of his time, scoring five points, all from the free throw line, and grabbing four rebounds. Norris and Davis weren’t the only Coyotes to find success at the charity stripe. As a team, USD shot 24-for-27 from the free throw line.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Tyler Larson makes his mark

The Jaguars outscored ice cold USD 27-5 in the final 12 minutes, snapping the Coyotes four-game winning streak of the year.

TRACK & FIELD McKelvey tagged with Summit League track honor South Dakota senior Kyle McKelvey has been named the Summit League Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week during the week of Jan. 18, as released by the Summit League on Tuesday.

McKelvey receives his first career Athlete of the Week honor after leading the South Dakota men at the Holiday Inn Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. The Beresford, S.D., native tossed a new career best of 59-5.75 in the indoor shot put. The throw tops the Summit League by two feet and is tied for 22nd in Division I.

SWIMMING & DIVING

Hertting sets USD record in dual with Jackrabbits South Dakota sophomore Greysen Hertting set a new school record in the three-meter dive while sophomore Sam Schutt added four event wins as the South Dakota swimming and diving teams fell to South Dakota State on Friday at the DakotaDome. The Jackrabbit women won 155-139 and the men led 182-108.

Hertting recorded a score of 320.33 points in the three-meter dive to best her own school record of 301.50 set earlier this season.

Hertting’s score also broke a six-year-old DakotaDome pool AUSTIN ASHLOCK I THE VOLANTE

Senior guard Tyler Larson protects the ball in the Coyotes’ 71-67 win over North Dakota State Jan. 14 at the DakotaDome.

Phillip Millar

Phillip.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu

Senior guard Tyler Larson sent 16,000 rowdy Creighton fans into a hushed hysteria when he nailed two three-pointers — just six of his 25 points in the game — in the final 10 seconds of regulation to send the Dec. 9 basketball game into overtime.

Although the University of South Dakota Coyotes fell short of the upset, it gave Larson two things — confidence and campus fame.

“It carried him confidence-wise from there on out,” said USD head coach Craig Smith. “He’s just got this confidence in himself to perform at all times.”

His late-game heroics did not go unnoticed by fans, either. Even third graders at Jolley Elementary school, where he volunteers to read, recognize him now.

“My third grade daughter came home from school to tell me how she hung out with Tyler at school,” said USD assistant coach Gameli Ahelegbe.

“It sounds like he is a big hit at her school.”

Although the messages were wellreceived, Larson doesn’t need any reassurances about his talent.

“Some people I don’t even know have messaged me on Twitter or

Facebook and just told me ‘good game, it was fun to watch you play,’ and that they haven’t seen a team like this in South Dakota that’s playing so hard,” he said. “I’ve always been good in my eyes.”

Larson averages 15.1 points per game and eight rebounds per game this year, up from five points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game during the 2013-2014 season.

“I think he really came in with a chip on his shoulder,” Smith said.

“When we got hired, we told all of our guys, ‘everybody’s got a clean slate.’”

Larson took advantage of this clean slate, impressing Smith.

“When I get in a game, it’s just a whole other mindset,” Larson said. “I want to win so bad.”

Even outside of games, Larson gives everything he has to succeed.

“Any individual rebounding drill we do, Tyler wins every time,” Smith said.

In the team rebounding drills, Larson’s team had gone undefeated up until the day before the North Dakota State game Jan. 14.

“You know, I’m talking trash to him like ‘Tyler, you lost,’” Smith said.

“Before the South Dakota State game (Jan. 17), his team wins by eight, which is a huge number, and he’s like ‘Coach, my team will never lose again.’”

That comes from his “killer

instinct,” Ahelegbe said.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s playing a family game of charades or seeing who has the better jumpshot, which I remind him all the time that my jumper is better than his, but he just always wants to be the best,” Ahelegbe said.

At 6’3”, Larson leads the Summit League in rebounding.

“That’s something that I’m very proud about,” said Larson, who sits at fourth place in the conference scoring charts. “I know I can score, but I try not to force anything.”

Larson also sits fourth in assists in the Summit League standings.

“I like to get my teammates involved,” Larson said. “I’ve always been a versatile player.”

Larson does not fear the challenges Smith throws at him, either.

“Tyler’s one of those guys that you can challenge him, you can ride him hard and he doesn’t ever hang his head and pout,” Smith said. “He just responds to the challenge.”

Now, the challenge for Larson and the Coyotes is to finish the Summit League regular season strong to set themselves up for a run at winning the conference tournament.

“We’ve all bought in to the same goal, and that’s reaching the Summit League championship,” Larson said.

Men’s: Second Place Women’s: Fourth Place

Jan. 24 JIM EMMERICH ALUMNI INVITATIONAL Brookings, S.D Men’s: First Place Women’s: Second Place

SWIMMING & DIVING Jan. 23 USD VS SDSU Men’s: USD 108, SDSU 182 Women’s: USD 139, SDSU 155

Jan. 24 USD VS UND Men’s: USD 129, UND 169 Women’s: USD 121, UND 170

record. Hertting added a win in the one-meter dive with 239.48 points.

Schutt won the 100-meter (58.59), 200-meter (2:07.62) and 400-meter (4:28.25) individual freestyle events. She also anchored a victorious 400-meter medley relay. Schutt dove into the pool three strokes behind the South Dakota State anchor, but split 57.65 seconds in the freestyle leg to win the opening relay for the Coyotes.

FOOTBALL Former football players sentenced in tax scheme Three former University of South Dakota football players, along with eight others, plead guilty to taxrefund fraud.

Alphonso “Rico” Valdez was sentenced to 61 months in prison Jan. 12 in Sioux Falls.

Each of the 11 people involved in the scheme plead guilty, and about $400,000 was collected in total.

Athletic Director David Herbster said in an email this will not negatively affect the football team’s recruiting.

“The event itself is old news — it is just the sentencing that is happening now,” he said. “This did not affect our recruiting when it happened over two years ago, and I don’t see it having any effect now.”

Valdez and five others were football players at the time of the tax fraud. Valdez was ordered to help pay $421,000 in restitution.

ON DECK MEN’S BASKETBALL

Jan. 31 USD (5-2) AT ORAL ROBERTS (4-3) Jan. 29 USD (4-3) VS FORT WAYNE (2-5) 2 p.m.

ORU - Vicky McIntyre, 12.6 ppg 7 p.m.

USD - Raeshel Contreras, 16.2 ppg IPFW - Steve Forbes, 13.7 ppg Radio: 1570 KVTK USD - Tyler Larson, 15.1 ppg TV: MidcoSN/ESPN3 Jan. 31 USD (4-3) VS ORAL ROBERTS (4-3) 4:30 p.m.

ORU - Obi Emegano, 17.0 ppg USD - Tyler Larson, 15.1 ppg Radio: Coyote Sports Network

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jan. 28 USD (5-2) VS DENVER (4-3) 7 p.m.

Denver - Paige Bradley, 12.6 ppg USD - Raeshel Contreras, 16.2 ppg Radio: 106.3 KVHT

TRACK & FIELD

Jan. 30-31 JACK JOHNSON CLASSIC MINNEAPOLIS, MN Host: University of Minnesota Jan. 31 WILDCAT OPEN WAYNE, NE Host: Wayne State College

TENNIS

Jan. 30-31 USD VS MSU-MOORHEAD 6:30 p.m.

GRAND FORKS, N.D.

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as they are both battling the flu.

“There’s nothing much you can do besides try to get healthy and get through your resting period,” Knowles said.

While his teams may not have come out of the last two meets victorious, Mahowald said, there was a lot of energy in each performance, which represents the team’s dedication to improving its game.

“We’ve done a real good job of progressing all season,” Mahowald said. “If we haven’t had the greatest meet, we’ve done a really good job of bouncing back and recovering and coming back strong in the next meet, which is really what you want to do all season to improve.”

Improvement also comes in the form of fine tuning for athletes like sophomore Greysen Hertting, who won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competition against SDSU for the women, breaking a six-year school record with a score of 320.33.

But Hertting only had one thought going through her mind during that match.

>> TRACK CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

event kids to catch up. Our throwers are also doing well, so it’s off to a good start.”

This weekend the teams will split between two meets at Wayne State and the University of Minnesota — something they aren’t necessarily used to.

“That’s a little bit tricky because you don’t have

“Honestly, (I just kept thinking) don’t mess up.

That’s been the main thing — to just do what I’ve been practicing these past few weeks,” she said.

Mahowald said Hertting’s performance has been getting progressively better in her two years on the team, and the finetuning she’s been making to her dives will hopefully pay off soon.

“She has improved greatly.

Her scores have been going up, up and up,” Mahowald said. “She can get even better for conference championships, but our real focus is to have her improve and do better at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.”

Looking ahead to the championship meet, Mahowald said he will be making sure his teams go into the competition with a good attitude and few expectations, and ultimately, to do what they do best — swim.

“Our focus going in to the championships is not saying ‘We want to beat this team or that team,’ but that we just want to go have our best performance,” he said. “If we can go to championships and be primed, ready to go and give our best performance, that’s the best we can do, and the chips will fall

everyone together like we’d like, but it still gives everybody an opportunity to go and do well at a smaller meet in finals to get ready,” Huber said.

Fortunately, Huber said, each individual is able to get the training and coaching necessary to keep doing well and finish strong.

“We’ve got a really good coaching staff that does a really good job of getting all the individuals ready to go,”

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>> SAAC

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PHILLIP MILLAR I THE VOLANTE

Sophomore Jaden Van Dike competes in the 400m medley relay Jan. 23 during a swim meet against SDSU. Van Dike and his three teammates placed fourth in the event. Overall, the USD men lost to SDSU 182-108.

“If we haven’t had the greatest meet, we’ve done a really good job of bouncing back and recovering and coming back strong in the next meet...”

-Jason Mahowald, USD swimming & diving coach where they fall.”

The Summit League Championships are set for Feb. 18 in Indianapolis, Ind., while the NCAA Zone Diving Championships

are set for March 9-11 in Iowa City, Iowa. In the meantime, Mahowald said his athletes need to focus on staying healthy.

“We need lots of rest,”

he said. “That’s a big part of it. Our kids connect really well with the event coaches, and that really helps them focus and get the attention they need.”

Sophomore Danielle Waldner threw first place in the shot put at SDSU, breaking the record.

Wetzstein won the mile run, with junior Amber Eickhorn placing third in the event.

Wetzstein also placed second in the 3,000-meter

run. Mills took second in the pole vault, with first-year Shanice Cannigan taking second in the 600-meter run. USD finished second overall.

Wetzstein set a new school record in the mile run at the Lincoln Holiday Invitational, which she then broke the following weekend at SDSU. Eickhorn snagged a win in the 5,000meter run. First-year Bailey Oettel finished fourth in the

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PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PETER CHAPMAN

Red shirt first-year sprinter Alex Williams rounds a corner during the Holiday Inn Invitational Jan. 16-17 in Lincoln, Neb.

he said. “That’s really what we need at this point.”

of good people, so now Kyle and I are No. 1 and No. 2, which is where we wanted to be,” Snyder said. “It’s exactly what we wanted.

Especially starting out the indoor season, I never really knew how far we’d get to, and right at 60 feet is as good as I could have hoped for.”

To build off that start to the season, McKelvey said he is now focusing on consistency to carry him through to the end of the season.

“Age plays a huge role in it,” he said. “When we were younger, we weren’t looking to be consistent. We were looking to throw things extremely far. We thought that was important, but now everyone’s a little older, has been around the block a little bit, and we

Follow reporter Trent Opstedahl on Twitter @TrentOp

5,000-meter run, while first year Bethany Kozak and junior Kelsey Barrett placed second and third in the 3,000-meter run.

Sophomore Nicole Schmidt placed third in the 1,000-meter run. Junior Kayla Johnson placed second in throwing, while junior Janelle Noga placed second in the unseeded pole vault, and first-year Alexis Clark placed third in the unseeded high jump.

know how important it is to be able to do it every week and then eventually be able to hit a big one. First thing first is consistency.”

The men took first place at the Jim Emmerich Alumni Invitational in Brookings, with Snyder claiming a first place victory in discus.

Sophomore Dustin Valind came in second for the event.

Snyder and McKelvey each threw 59-11 3/4 to tie Snyder’s school and state record from last year. Junior Teivaskie Lewin and senior Erik Hill placed first and third in the 60 hurdles, with sophomore Mach Dojik taking first in the 600-meter run.

First-year Gawain Williams also placed second in the 60-meter dash.

Dojik took first in the 800-meter run, while Taylor Chapman finished fifth in the 1,000-meter run at the Lincoln, Neb. Holiday Invitational Jan. 16-17.

Junior Erik Jorgensen took

athletes a group to participate in that we may not have had the time to participate in previously,” Haines said. “It’s just great to see how much we can do beyond our sport.”

This spring SAAC will put on its biggest philanthropy event, Food Fight. Food Fight is not only a philanthropy event for USD, but it’s a Summit League competition between all SAACs of each school in the conference to see which school can raise the largest amount of food.

“We are reaching out to quite a few Greek houses to help us with our philanthropy,” Reddy said. “We have SAAC members going to nine different Greek houses to talk at each chapter meeting and seek help with our cause. We hope to build a better relationship with the Greek chapters this way and in turn, help them with their philanthropies as well.”

In addition to its own philanthropy event, SAAC is helping with Dakotathon by forming a team of athletes and providing a few referees to participate in the dodgeball tournament Dakotathon is planning.

“SAAC provides us the opportunity to demonstrate to USD and the Vermillion community that we’re more than just athletes,” Haines said.

The women’s distance medley — Kozak, Cami Brenner, Schmidt and Wetzstein — placed first, with Mills taking first in pole vault and first-year Hannah Meador finishing second.

The women’s 4x400 relay finished third. USD finished second overall.

Follow reporter Emily Niebrugge on Twitter @ENiebrugge

home third place in the unseeded pole vault.

McKelvey won the men’s shot put and recorded a new career best. Snyder finished fourth in the event.

Junior Peter Chapman was sixth in the pole vault, and sophomore Tyler Frank was eighth in the high jump.

“I’ve never been able to start my first two meets this well,” McKelvey said. “It’s encouraging.”

The team will now compete every weekend for the rest of the season, ultimately looking forward to conference action.

“Track is different than football or basketball.

It’s the end of the indoor season, so we’re going to take little strides to get healthy by that time,” Gottsleben said. “I feel good about the quality, and our kids are working hard.”

Follow reporter Emily Niebrugge on Twitter @ENiebrugge

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VerminCon brings gamers together, breaks record Fine arts

students showcase creativity AMY FILL is a first-year graduate student at the college of Fine Arts.

CRISTINA DREY I THE VOLANTE

First-year Travis Onken, right, prepares to play Pathfinder with Jason Rosauer, middle, from Sioux City, Iowa, and Mike Olsowski, left, from Anthon, Iowa Jan. 24 in the Muenster University Center Ballroom for the 2015 VerminCon.

Britney Thorns

Britney.Thorns@coyotes.usd.edu

Two hundred and three gamers from across the region filled the Muenster University Center Ballroom this past weekend.

The University of South Dakota Games Club hosted its 23rd annual VerminCon, a student-run gaming convention that occurs over the span of two days. The convention broke last year’s record of 168 attendees.

Senior Katarina Hammoud, vice president of the Games Club, said the annual event helps to create a greater sense of community within the USD student body.

“VerminCon went incredibly well this year,” Hammoud said.

“We broke attendance records.

Last year attendance was around the low hundreds.

This year’s attendance was over 200 people.”

Students and other community members are able to come together to

make new friends, she said.

“It’s really nice to take a break from school and work and play games,” Hammoud said.

Among some of the highlighted games featured at the con this year was the Artemis Starship Simulator. The game system was provided by Richard Norton, a con participant from Omaha, Neb. The Artemis Simulator is a game setup with six different computers.

Every individual computer works as a different part of the starship and requires players to work together to communicate as opposed to working against each other.

Norton said he enjoys coming to smaller cons like VerminCon because of the atmosphere and people, which is why he sets up his Artemis Simulator for free at cons like the one in Vermillion.

Gamers came from around the region and included participants

from the Great Plains Game Players (GPGP), as well as vendors, community members and students. The con had board games, video games and a room specifically set aside for miniatures.

Miniatures are small scale figurines. A player takes the miniatures and sets up a historically accurate table-sized map or fantasy-based map, such as the Lord of the Rings.

The miniature tournaments held by the SEE GAME, PAGE B2

203

Number of people who attended VerminCon 2015 — a new record

168

Number of people who attended VerminCon 2014, the convention’s previous attendance record

23

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Number of years the con has been held annually

Scott McDonald, from Ankeny, Iowa, plans his next move at the table set in 1939 Poland in the Flames of War room at VerminCon Jan. 24 at the Muenster University Center.

Artwork and performances from fine arts students at the University of South Dakota will soon be on display in Sioux Falls.

On Saturday, the College of Fine Arts will be showcasing its faculty and students’ artwork as well as their musical and theater talents during the annual USD Night at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science.

As a graduate student specializing in sculpture, I will be participating in this year’s event. To learn more about the event, I spoke with Larry Schou, dean of the College of Fine Arts.

Schou spoke highly of his faculty and of the students who are pursuing fine arts degrees in art, music and theater within the College of Fine Arts.

“Sioux Falls is an active cultural spot for our region, and the Washington Pavilion is the perfect venue to showcase the talent and creative work that is being developed within the college at USD in Vermillion,” Schou said.

Both graduate and undergraduate students studying painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, graphic design and photography will present, demonstrate and create works of art on the first floor of the Pavilion Saturday from 5 - 7 p.m.

Visitors will have an opportunity to talk to current art students about their research, while art faculty will provide information about their programs and the research opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students.

Art history representatives will share information about global learning opportunities through SEE ART, PAGE B5

USD chamber singers receive national recognition Brandon Phrommany

Brandon.Phromanny@coyotes.usd.edu

University of South Dakota junior Sopida Trageser practices singing every day. For more than 10 years, she has been involved in music.

“In my free time, I usually like to look at music 30 minutes a day,” Trageser said.

After countless hours of practice, University of South Dakota Chamber Singers, such as Trageser, are being recognized for their dedication to music.

Practicing three times a week, the 40-member choir was recently awarded the “Honored Artists” award by The American Prize. The American Prize consists of non-profit competitions created to acknowledge and reward the best performing arts groups in the U.S. The “Honored Artists” award also recognizes the “sustained excellence” of individuals and organizations who have competed in multiple competition seasons in the performing

arts.

David Holdhusen, director and conductor of the USD Chamber Singers, said he was nothing but satisfied with this accomplishment.

“It totally took me by surprise,” Holdhusen said.

“It was during the break.

I received an email from them which said, ‘We are offering this first-time award and would like to recognize you.’”

Holdhusen said he was reminded of what the outcome of hard work and perseverance can be after he was informed of the choir’s distinction.

“This is the first time this award has been offered (to us),” Holdhusen said.

Even though receiving the honor was new to them, he indicated this wasn’t the first time the chamber choir had been considered

by The American Prize.

“In the past, we’ve been recognized as a finalist,” Holdhusen said. “We have made the final several times, but were never able to win the award.”

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The University of South Dakota Chamber Singers rehearsed Jan. 16 with their director, David Holdhusen.

To win the award, a group must be a finalist at least three times and be selected by one of the judges that have heard them sing over a period of time.

“It was great to be recog-

nized for what they called ‘sustained excellence,’” Holdhusen said. “Things like this are good motivators for the students, but more than anything it’s the music and their drive.”

Holdhusen said after earning this award he would like the chamber choir to work toward earning even more accomplishments.

“Every year we want to

try to get better,” he said.

With this prize on the chamber choir’s trophy shelf, Holdhusen is confident in what he and his students are accomplishing.

“It’s a motivating fulfillment to know that we are doing good things in the choral world,” Holdhusen said.

Sophomore Seth Pierce has been involved in choir since sixth grade and said he thought the award would be a good way to get the Chamber Singers’ name out into the music community.

“I think it’s important to be recognized for something so great,” Pierce said.

Members of Chamber Singers said they are aware of the importance of the distinction.

“This helps a lot of the new members understand how great the ensemble is and how much we are being recognized,” Trageser said.

Follow reporter Brandon Phromanny on Twitter @BrandonPhromman

THE VOLANTE

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MediaSketch JAN. 28

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JAN. 29

CampusEvents

7 p.m.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Career Wednesday!

Location: Muenster University Center

5 p.m.

Global Learning 101 Location: I.D. Weeks Library, Room 132C

Culture Shock Location: Muenster University Center

7 p.m.

VLP Reading & Open Mic Location: Muenster University Center, Pit Lounge

More than 80 University of South Dakota students participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Jan. 19.

Each year thousands of people across the U.S. volunteer in their communities Jan. 19 to remember the civil rights activist.

This year was the seventh year the Center for Academic and Global Engagement sponsored the event, which involved students participating in various

4 p.m.

“Looking into Elizabeth Bishop” Location: Farber Hall

12:05 p.m.

JAN. 31

NMM Live! Jeri Jorgensen & Cullan Bryant Location: National Music Museum

4:30 p.m.

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5 p.m.

USD Men’s Basketball vs. Oral Roberts Location: DakotaDome

5 p.m.

USD Night at the Washington Pavilion Location: Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD

Super Bowl Party (Paw Points) Location: Muenster University Center

service projects in both Yankton and Vermillion. Locations students volunteered at included the Vermillion Public Library and the Heartland Humane Society.

ONLINE ONLY Video with interviews and video from the MLK Day of Service.

volante online. com

Wellness Center attendance spikes as new year begins Malachi Petersen

FEB. 2

4 p.m.

FEB. 3

Malachi.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu

3 p.m.

“Newsreels, Novels, and Cybernetics Location: Farber Hall

6 p.m.

Tie Dye (Paw Points) Location: Farber Hall

‘Yote Floats Location: Muenster University Center, Pit Lounge

5 p.m.

Undergraduate Research 101 Location: I.D. Weeks Library, Room 132C

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dynamic study abroad classes. Members of the University Art Galleries will also talk about recent contemporary and student shows, exhibits from the permanent collection and Oscar Howe curatorial opportunities.

The free event is sponsored by the USD Admissions Office and attendees of the evening’s event can also learn about other degree programs available at USD. The Department of Theater and the Department of Music will take to the stage in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Schou said the show is a fastpaced and family-friendly sampling of the works of performance-based MFA and BFA degrees offered at USD. Featured theatrical performances will include scenes from “Pippin,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Death of a Salesman.” The music department will be represented by the Musical Theater, USD Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Singers, the USD Symphonic Band, USD

Opera and the USD Symphony Orchestra.

USD Night at the Pavilion is an opportunity for USD fine arts students to gain exposure and professional experience that goes beyond the classroom. I look forward to presenting my work alongside fellow students from the art department, music department and theater department.

Contact reporter Amy Fill at Amy.Fill@usd.edu

University of South Dakota students are wasting no time in pursuing fitness resolutions for the new year.

According to data collected by the USD Wellness Center, 6,385 people used the facility the first four days of the semester from Jan. 12 to Jan. 15.

Steve Mayer, the director of the Wellness Center, said the first six weeks of the spring semester is the busiest time of the year for the facility, and attributes the high volume of traffic to the lack of favorable weather and the motivation New Year’s resolutions provide people.

“This time of year is usually a high traffic area since it’s usually not very nice outside,” Mayer said.

Students aren’t the only ones flocking to the Wellness Center. In the first few weeks of the spring semester, staff of the facility have also seen an increase in use from both community members and USD staff and faculty.

“They’re in this six weeks area after Christmas break, too. They make New Year’s resolutions just like students do to try to get in better shape,” Mayer said.

Another reason more students are working out could be attributed to the large number of fitness classes the center offers, Mayer said.

During the spring semester, the Wellness Center will host 68 indoor basketball intramural teams and 20 indoor soccer intramural teams. The facility will also offer 75 fitness class options each week which range from boot camp programs to specialty programs.

Some of the options, such as group sessions, are free while more personalized options charge a fee per class.

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Games Club this weekend were based on World War II maps. The point of the game is to defeat the opponent by destroying his army.

Students weren’t the only ones having fun at

MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE

First-year students Audra Van Ekeren, front, and Amy Weichler, back, participate in a Zumba class Jan. 22 in the Wellness Center. The facility has seen an increase in the number of people using its services since the start of the new semester.

“We’re always programming — we’re always doing things for the students and the patrons,” Mayer said.

One of the options offered for free at the Wellness Center is Zumba — a continuous, dance-based exercise class.

Dessie Westall, the head Zumba instructor at the Wellness Center, said she has noticed an increase in new participants who are taking her classes.

“People are more motivated right now to kind of push themselves into a new environment,” Westall said. “I would say that overall group fitness has increased. I know there were over 1,100 par-

ticipants last week alone so I think people are attending multiple classes.”

Westall said throughout the three year period she has been an instructor at the Wellness Center she has seen a pattern in higher class attendance emerge in the people who use the facility to fulfill resolutions or prepare for spring break.

“The motivation’s there, the pressure from peers recruiting each other (is there) and just kind of the social pressures because it’s such a common trend throughout the country — that this is kind of the time when people start thinking about the warmer weather and getting ready for that,” she

said.

First-year Audra Van Ekeren is new to Westall’s 40-person Zumba class and decided to get involved in group fitness after talking with a friend.

“It’s really fun and it’s really fast paced. You don’t really feel like you’re working out since it’s so energetic and lively,” Van Ekeren said. “I’ve always wanted to do it, but this year I wanted to get in shape and fit and just look nice for summer.”

VerminCon. A group of 50-year-old to 60-yearold men from the wider gaming community of the GPGP were also in attendance playing miniatures.

David Glewwe, one of the head organizers of the GPGP, said the club was formed in Vermillion in the 1970s and has helped fuel his love for

playing with historical miniatures.

Glewwe said he loves miniatures because the concept is a “fun and a wonderful hobby.”

“It costs a lot of money to buy miniatures, so you don’t have money to cheat on your wife,” Glewwe said.

First-year Travis Onken said he enjoys

attending cons to make new friends to spend time with outside of conventions.

“I like the chance to play role-playing games like Pathfinder,” Onken said. “It’s also a good way to meet people.”

Follow reporter Malachi Petersen on Twitter @Malachi111493

Follow reporter Britney Thorns on Twitter @KitteninTheSkyy

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TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH

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Senior Tyler Tordsen asked junior Erika Arpan, his girlfriend of 27 months, to marry him at their anniversary dinner over winter break. The couple met during the summer of 2012 and are planning a 2016 fall wedding.

College engagements decline over 50-year period Natalie Keller

Natalie.Keller@coyotes.usd.edu

Junior Erika Arpan and senior Tyler Tordsen are seated at a kitchen table in Kappa Alpha Theta, Arpan’s sorority house, smiling and laughing together as they reminisce on their first date back in August 2012.

Arpan met Tordsen in Rapid City while attending a Crazy Horse Institute summer program, and upon resuming school at the University of South Dakota that August, Tordsen invited Arpan to his fraternity house, Lambda Chi Alpha, to hang out.

Arpan said she remembers Tordsen asking her ahead of time if there was anything she wanted to eat or drink, and in a joking manner she told him she wanted raspberry iced tea

and red Skittles. When she showed up later that night, Tordsen had the iced tea and red Skittles waiting for her.

Nearly 27 months later, the couple is making plans for a wedding in the fall of 2016, having recently gotten engaged to each other over winter break during their anniversary dinner at the Vertex Sky Bar in Rapid City. “(The waitress) walked down with a tray full of roses, and then the ring was on it,” Arpan said. “And then I look back and he was on one knee.”

A friend of Tordsen’s photographed the proposal, Tordsen said.

While Arpan and Tordsen are making plans to walk down the aisle, the trend of getting engaged in college is on the decline in comparison

to past years.

Harry Freeman, a USD human development professor, said the number of engaged and married couples in college has decreased dramatically throughout the last few decades.

“Fifty years ago, about 45 percent of students were engaged or married by the time they graduated,” Freeman said. “Nationally today, that percentage is about eight.”

Freeman said many college students have opted for multiple long-term relationships or have become involved with the “hookup culture.”

“Now the average age of marriage is about 28,” he said.

But cultural trends did not keep Tordsen from proposing to Arpan. The couple

shopped for rings prior to the official engagement, and Tordsen said he had some fun with it.

“There’s so many different types (of rings) out there now,” Tordsen said. “I wanted to make sure I got it right.”

Tordsen will graduate in May, and the couple plans to marry the following year after Arpan graduates.

“I’m glad to have this time to plan everything,” Arpan said. “It will give me a good gap.”

The couple will soon start scouting out possible venues for the wedding, hoping to find somewhere in the middle of South Dakota for both families to come together.

Junior Krissy Zalud, a friend of Arpan’s, said she was ecstatic when she found out Arpan had said yes to Tord-

sen’s proposal.

“They’re a good couple,” Zalud said. “They’ve been through a lot, but they always come out stronger.”

As for Zalud, she said engagement and marriage are not on her radar.

“I personally am not ready to be engaged, but that’s a personal choice,” Zalud said.

“I think it’s right for some people, it’s not right for other people.”

Arpan said she and her sorority sisters participated in a traditional candle passing ceremony, which announced to members that Arpan was engaged.

“Once we get into the big circle, no one knows who got engaged except the house mother and the president,” Arpan said.

The candle is passed

around the circle and on the third round of it being passed, it is blown out by whoever recently got engaged, which is the most anticipated round, Arpan said.

“The hardest part was keeping it secret over break,” she said.

Arpan and Tordsen said they look forward to the time they have left before marriage, and they plan to spend the time with friends and family, as well as plan for the big day.

“We’re excited for the future together, but we are also trying to enjoy the time we have now,” Tordsen said.

“We’re excited to grow up, but don’t want to grow up too quick.”

Follow reporter Natalie Keller on Twitter @Natalie_Keller

Students, faculty react to Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack Megan Street

Megan.Street@coyotes.usd.edu

Earlier this month, a wave of violent attacks in the heart of France shocked the world — and the aftermath is being felt by students and faculty as far away as the University of South Dakota.

On Jan. 7, two gunmen broke into the headquarters of the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris and attacked members of the staff, resulting in 12 casualties, including the editor, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation. Hatred for the

publication’s cartoons, which made jokes about Islamic leaders as well as Muhammad, is considered to be the principal motive for the massacre.

On Jan. 8 and Jan. 9, two other attacks left five more people dead. The outbreaks of violence have been regarded as acts of terrorism and an attack on freedom of speech.

Patrick Morrison, an international student adviser for the Center for Academic and Global Engagement, was in Paris at the time of the attacks.

Morrison said even with the presence of armed

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PATRICK MORRISON

French citizens pay their tributes to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Place de la Republique, Paris, Jan. 10.

“It didn’t have a feel that there was panic or terrible concern.”

-Patrick Morrison, CAGE international student adviser police, the French people were very calm about the ordeal.

“It really didn’t feel like a city that had just had its worst shooting in 50 years and two terrorists on the loose,” Morrison said.

“It didn’t have a feel that there was panic or terrible concern.”

Morrison said public transit and most tourist attractions were open, and on the day of the solidarity marches, all trains in Paris offered rides free of charge.

The local media had a similar attitude, as opposed to the more sensationalist reaction of the international media.

“It was interesting to watch France 24. It was very calm, they didn’t get into the reporters chasing down police cars or things like that,” Morrison said.

“You would switch over to the BBC, and they would go a step further towards sensationalism. And then we switched over to CNN International, and it was a bit more hysteria.”

Senior Komal Shah, president of USD’s Muslim Student Association, said she feels remorseful about the events in Paris.

“It was a very devastating event,” Shah said. “I really am sorry for all of the lives that were lost, and it was truly kind of a shock to know that the attackers were Muslims.”

While she hasn’t

encountered any negative responses from people on the USD campus about the attack, Shah said there needs to be more awareness about Islam because there is a stigma surrounding the Muslim faith.

“People need to realize that those attackers are not considered part of the religion,” Shah said.

“Islam says that killing one person is like killing all of humanity. (The attacks are) not a significant portrayal of who Muslims are.”

Shah said she is “halfand-half” about the media’s portrayal of the Charlie Hebdo attacks and related cases.

“I just feel like (the media) is just ready to slam someone right away,” Shah said.

Michelle Van Maanen, chair of the Media & Journalism Department, said she urges students to respect each other’s rights to voice their opinion, even if they consider it offensive.

“If someone says something that they find objectionable or upsetting, their first thought is to condemn the person and not respect the fact that they have a right to their opinion,” Van Maanen said. “I personally don’t like it when people burn a flag, but I absolutely will fight for their right to do it.

It takes all types of people to make a strong democ-

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PATRICK MORRISON

French citizens laid out pens and lit candles in memoriam of the Charlie Hebdo shooting victims in Place de la Republique, Paris, Jan. 10.

racy.”

Van Maanen said students should remember they have rights on a daily basis, rather than simply when those rights are challenged.

Recognizing diversity not only in students’ own communities, but also across the nation, is crucial, Van Maanen said.

“I think, overall, as students go through their college experience, that one of the benefits of it — no matter what their major — is that they learn that there are differences out there,” Van Maanen said.

“It’s through those diverse thoughts and those diverse people we are stronger as a society.”

Morrison agreed and said while the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo were “edgy,” it was still their right to publish what they desired.

“I think it’s a lesson to

say we need to be protective of our free speech rights,” Morrison said.

“There are people in this world that want to take that away.”

Follow reporter Megan Street on Twitter @MeganStreet2014

ON PAGE A4 Editorial about regulations of freedom of speech and the responsibilities that comes with this right.

ONLINE ONLY Video with added interviews about what students think about freedom of speech.

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