AMY WILLIAMS STEERS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO TOP 10 SCORING TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY SPORTS, B4
The Volante
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
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FEBRUARY 4, 2015
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Student fees to increase pending approval Student Government Association votes to increase student fees by $13.50 over three-year incremental period Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
A General Activity Fee fund increase, if approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents, could increase overall student fees at the University of South Dakota by nearly $14 per credit hour
over a three-year span starting next semester. Senate Resolution #4, passed by the Student Government Association Dec. 9, 2014 with a majority vote, proposes a GAF fund increase starting at $4.50 per credit hour and increas-
Vermillion police prepare workshop to combat shooters Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
Virginia Tech. Columbine. Newtown. These names are shorthand for mass school shootings that sent shockwaves through the United States. In their wake, schools and offices, have widely adopted a fairly typical lockdown procedure: sound the alarm, call the police and wait behind locked doors. But some security experts believe this approach is insufficient and are offering a different response — includ-
ing how to fight back against a gunman. Now, local law enforcement is adopting a fight-back training program to defend against armed attackers. The ALICE program, which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate, the training is being viewed by some as a viable option to decrease the number of fatalities in dangerous attacks.
ing the amount for three years until it caps at $13.50 per credit hour. About $7.50 of the total $13.50 is planned to go toward USD’s athletic department, but that could change when the Student Government Association’s
GAF Committee evaluates budget requests in the fall. SGA President Tyler Tordsen said GAF funds, unlike tuition and other fees, do not automatically go up from year to year. There has to be a desire expressed by students for an increase to take place. “Basically, we kind of reached our threshold — the requests keep getting larger from all these differ-
ent departments, all these different student groups, everything,” Tordsen said. “And we just don’t have any more money, and it’s not looking good in the long run. So this is more of an investment.” The GAF committee within SGA consists of seven people, including four students: Tordsen, SGA Vice President Dustin Santjer, former SGA Senator Rach-
elle Norberg and graduate student Ashley White. The committee recommended SGA approve Senate Resolution 4. Two faculty members and one staff member are involved on the committee, as well: Molly Rozum, a history professor; Bryan Bracey, kinesiology and sport science professor; and Vice SEE GAF, PAGE A8
UNDERFUNDED, UNDER PRESSURE “...if you’ve got the cheapest house, you don’t tell everybody that your house is the cheapest house. I mean, you dress it up as best you can and fix what you can when you can.”
Beyond Lockdown and Hiding The University of South
David Herbster, athletic director
SEE ALICE, PAGE A7
Forum delivers legislative session topics to residents Nathan Ellenbecker
Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu
House Bill 1030 hits home for District 17 Rep. Nancy Rasmussen, R-S.D. The bill would require operators of motor vehicles to give bicyclists three feet of space on town roads and six feet of space on highway roads. Her son nearly crashed because of an incident on a highway between a semitruck and bike rider in the last year, she said. Now, Rasmussen is on the state legislature’s transportation committee and has a companion bill
with HB 1030 that would also require bicycle riders wear colored clothing. “I’m surprised at the pushback I’m getting from the people who have a list of reasons why they don’t want to have a mandate,” she said. HB 1030 has been pushed back to its third day of reading and deliberation. Rasmussen said this is because not all roads in South Dakota are shareable. The pending decision was something Rasmussen wanted to inform District 17 residents about at SEE TALK, PAGE A6
NATHAN ELLENBECKER I THE VOLANTE
USD Athletic Department least funded in Summit League, Missouri Valley Football Conference since D-I transition Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
The University of South Dakota’s Athletic Department budget is the lowest in the Summit League and Missouri Valley Football Conference — something university administrators hope to change soon. USD’s total athletic department budget of roughly $9.4 million is about $6 million less than South Dakota State University’s total athletic budget,
and about half of North Dakota State University’s. The student fees that contribute to USD’s athletic department budget are also low — coming in at just under 15 percent — accounting for about $1.3 million of the total athletic budget, which is why an increase in the General Activity Fee fund is being proposed. When USD began the process of becoming a
2014 Summit League Athletic Funding $9.4
USD Western Illinois SDSU MIRANDA LETCHER I THE VOLANTE
South Dakota legislators from District 17 convene Jan. 26. The 2015 legislative session continues through March 30.
$12.1 $15.1
NDSU
$18.7 05
10
15
Total Budget (in millions)
20
Division I university in 2011, student fees were not raised to cover the increased cost. Athletic Director David Herbster said although they’ve done well with what they have, some financial resources are tapping out. “Believe me, if you’ve got the cheapest house, you don’t tell everybody that your house is the cheapest house. I mean, you dress it up as best you can and fix what you can when you can,” Herbster said. “And that’s kind of what we had done for a while, but it got to the point where you can’t do any more with what you have.” USD President James Abbott said in addition to athletics, student activity support is also underfunded. “We haven’t raised the fee as much as other institutions, and we haven’t asked the students to pay for the arena, for instance,” Abbott said. “We’ve concentrated on rais-
ONLINE ONLY Additional information See the full PowerPoint presentation USD Athletic Director David Herbster presented to SGA about how a GAF fund increase would affect the athletic department.
volante online.com ing money to build the facilities, but we do need operating dollars.” There wasn’t a push to cover the expense of D-I athletics through student fees because it likely wouldn’t have been approved the South Dakota Board of Regents, Abbott said. “At the time, there was some belief that increasing fees at the same time we made the move (to Division I) would not be supported by the SEE FUNDING, PAGE A8