The Volante 02.11.15

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FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Jumping Hurdles New USD sports complex experiencing setbacks late in construction process

FILE PHOTO I THE VOLANTE

The University of South Dakota will host the Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May 2016 when a new outdoor track complex is completed this fall.

Nathan Ellenbecker

Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu

The University of South Dakota’s new outdoor track and soccer complex will have seating for 2,000 spectators, but spectators won’t have access to the usual concessions and bathrooms when it opens.

A preliminary estimate for a bathroom and concessions building in the complex was $1 million. That cost forced project managers to remove the building plans for now.

The complex, being built north of the Wellness Center, will be completed this fall and will open in spring 2016.

This will allow USD to host the 2016 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May 2016.

“We have permanent restrooms at the concessions at the softball diamond, and we can pull in portable toilets if

we need to for large crowds,” Lorin Wilcox, project manager, said. “But we can’t have a track meet without a track, and we can’t have a competition soccer game without the competition soccer field.

The thing that had to be cut in order to get in the budget was that building.”

USD Athletic Director David Herbster called the bathrooms and concessions a “non-factor.”

He said a plan exists to add a full bathroom and concession area to the complex in the future. Deciding to cut the bathroom and concession building from phase one of construction was made about a year ago.

“It’s not going to detract from the functionality of the facility at all,” he said. “The bathrooms — whether they start off as portable bathrooms and a building that’s built later or you’ve got the

COMPLEX

BY THE NUMBERS: $5.71 FUNDING FROM USD FOUNDATION (MILLIONS)

$1.07 EMILY NIEBRUGGE I THE VOLANTE

The new track and soccer complex being constructed north of the Wellness Center will use portable bathrooms for large events after plans for a bathroom and concession facility were cut.

bathrooms that are over in the softball center diamond area — it’s not as if individuals out there are left in the dust.”

The project is running on schedule, both Herbster and

Wilcox said. The total cost of the outdoor track and soccer complex is estimated at $7.33 million.

Junior golfer Miles

YEARLY MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COST FOR TRACKSOCCER COMPLEX (MILLIONS)

2,000 TOTAL SEATING BETWEEN SOCCER FIELD AND TRACK

11.1 ACRES OF LAND THE COMPLEX IS BEING BUILT ON

Braley Dodson

The amount of sexually transmitted diseases has risen in South Dakota, but local professors and students are trying to get a better understanding of how these diseases work.

The South Dakota Department of Health’s December 2014 Health and Disease Summary reported a 25 percent increase in chlamydia, a 41 percent increase in gonorrhea, a 7 percent increase in HIV and a more than 1,000 percent increase in early syphilis over the past five years.

There were 4,110 cases of chlamydia, 847 cases of gonorrhea, 31 cases of HIV and 79 cases of syphilis in 2014.

In 2013, there were 49 cases of syphilis, 3,927 cases of chlamydia, 784 cases of gonorrhea and 36 cases of HIV.

Three Student Government Association senators aim to send General Activities Fees increase to vote.

The petition is calling for a student-wide vote on the GAF fund increase of $4.50 per credit hour for the next three years, maxing out at $13.50 per credit hour. It requires 500 students signatures, or five percent of the student population.

Sophomores Nathaniel Steinlicht, John Slunecka and Brent Seehafer are heading the petition.

Steinlicht and Slunecka voted “no” on the GAF increase. Their reasoning was SGA needed more student voices in the process.

They did not necessarily disagree with the increase.

“There really wasn’t much for student opinion given, and it’s a pretty important issue,” Steinlicht said. “If everybody’s going to be paying, you want a lot of student opinion on it.”

Steinlicht said the petition is expected to be presented to SGA Feb. 17. The goal is to have the voting on the same ballots as senator and presidential elections, generating more student voting.

The GAF increase will generate more than $700,000 in fiscal year 2016 with $500,000 going to athletics. This allocation of money drew concern from some senators as well as students who are signing the petition.

SEE GAF, PAGE A6

Cadaver lab provides USD students new experience

Melissa Shefl, a physician assistant at the Vermillion Sanford Clinic, said most students who come in to get screened for STDs do not know about the rise, especially with syphilis.

“That’s the statistic that gets people listening,” Shefl said. “It’s not something you think could happen around here or happen anymore.

That one has shock factor.”

She said the clinic screens for chlamydia and gonorrhea most often.

If an STD is not detected and treated, Shefl said it could lead to long-term issues.

“The number one danger is passing it on to other people,” Shefl said. “We want them to be tested and treated as soon as possible.”

Shefl recommends peoSEE STD, PAGE A7

Nathan Ellenbecker

Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu

SEE PROJECT, PAGE A7

STDs on rise in S.D., students, faculty research diseases Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu

SGA senators aim to send possible GAF increase to student vote

Ally Krupinsky

Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu

CHRISTINA DREY I THE VOLANTE

Junior Laura Rezac, a medical biology student, assists Lisa Moore in conducting research on sexually transmitted diseases.

Anatomy 411 — human gross anatomy — has a clear set of rules for its students on the first day of class. Rule No. 1: students are required to make the first cut into the body placed in front of them.

“It bothered me at first,” said junior Jen Allen, a medical biology and chemistry double major. “It’s kind of like anything — once you get to working, your mind just kind of escapes and you kind of forget what you’re doing. I really enjoy it.”

The University of South Dakota houses the state’s only human body donation program on a college campus. Three times a week, students participate in hands-on experiments with donated SEE LAB, PAGE A8

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CAMPUS & CITYDigest Facilities Management working to fix leaky Mickelson roof What's trending Phillip Millar

Phillip.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu

A garbage bag, some duct tape and wires. That, along with buckets placed throughout North Complex, is the shortterm plan to stop a leak outside of Mickelson Hall.

Leaks in the roof have appeared throughout North Complex in the past month, and Associate Dean of Student Services John Howe said a much larger repair will be necessary to fix the leak.

“Unfortunately, the leak is within the membrane of the roof, so it’s a much larger repair,” Howe said.

Howe said Facilities Management has hired a contractor to repair the leaks in the future.

First-year Anthony Wilson, a resident of Mickelson Hall, said

he hasn’t seen much progress in repairing the leaks.

“I haven’t really seen any progress or effort made to clean it at all other than the buckets put under where the water is dripping,” Wilson said.

Howe said there isn’t much that can be done to fix the problem right away.

“They’re doing the best that they can right now,” Howe said.

“They’re trying to do some basic shielding of the roof, but it’s a much larger repair, and Facilities is doing the best they can in a not-great situation.”

One big reason the leak has yet to be fixed is the fluctuating temperatures, forcing management to shovel snow off the roof to prevent leaking.

Before they can completely fix the problem, temporary measures are being taken.

“At different meetings, I’ve heard different scenarios of things (Facilities) might be able to try to do,” Howe said. “Everything from tarping to shoveling (the roof) to doing all those things.”

First-year Nathan Sanchez lives in Mickelson Hall. He is not satisfied with the short-term solution to the problem.

“I feel as if you can go a different way about it rather than just throw a couple strings together and put a trash bag on it,” Sanchez said.

Howe said the university is addressing the problem as best they can.

“I know it doesn’t seem like (much is happening) from an outsider perspective, but they’ve done and moved as quickly as they can and are hoping,” Howe said.

City of Vermillion Police Blotter

5

speeding violations

Feb. 1 Officers performed checks of a downtown bar and located three women that were under the age of 21.

All three women were removed from the bar and cited for underage consumption. Two fraudulent ID’s were confiscated.

Feb. 1 Officers responded to a report of a three vehicle accident. No injuries were reported. Two drivers were cited for over-driving the road conditions.

Feb. 2 An officer took a report of theft of electronics

4

3

underage drinking

from a vehicle. The investigation continues.

Feb. 4 Officers responded to a two vehicle crash. No injuries were reported. A man was cited for a stop sign violation.

Feb. 5 An officer stopped a vehicle for inoperable taillights. The driver admitted he did not have a current driver’s license.

He also alerted the officer to property in the vehicle he had been gifted that he believed included stolen items. He was cited for driving on a suspended license. The prop-

theft incidents

erty was verified as stolen property from another case.

Feb. 6 Officers responded to a business for a trespassing report. After an officer made contact with the man, he admitted he understood he was not allowed on the property.

He also provided the officer with merchandise he had been attempting to take from the store.

He was then arrested and charged with trespassing and theft.

Feb. 6 Officers responded to a report of a possible

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on our website? volanteonline.com

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The leaky ceiling above Mickelson Hall’s door is managed by duct tape and trash bags.

>> Feb. 1-7

2

DWIs

1. USD couple takes leap of faith with engagement

2. The top 10 things

1

to do before you graduate

domestic assault

3. SGA candidate drops out of presidential race

4. Boy Scout presents

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

ROTC program with custom bookcase

volanteonline.com underage party and drug use at a residence. They were unable to verify any of the reported activity.

The man who reported to tip was later arrested and charged for violating a protection/court order restricting him from being at the residence.

LIVE AT FIVE

Feb. 7 Officers received a report of a physical altercation between a man and woman. After investigating the incident, the man was arrested and charged with domestic simple assault.

Watch to learn about a proposed beer tax in the city and how it could affect students.

TUNE IN AT NOON Listen to get updated about all the news happening around campus.

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contact Contact Katrina Vyborny Kate Turner Advertising Advertising ManagerManager Katrina.A.Vyborny@coyotes.usd.edu Katherine.Turner@coyotes.usd.edu

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NEWSBriefly Coyote History

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

1963 The state’s House of Representatives passed a $1 million appropriation for a new library on campus.

Meanwhile, the House failed to concur with the Senate’s drinking age bill. Students ages 18-21 waited to hear the state’s decision on the minimum drinking age. The Senate’ s bill would have raised the drinking age to 19.

CAMPUS

Three contestants competed for the 2015 Miss USD crown Feb. 8 in Slagle Hall.

Junior Stephanie Fischer was crowned the winner of the competition and now has the opportunity to compete for Miss SD in June.

Fischer, first-year Arielle Wolterman and sophomore Akela Sorensen were judged by an interview, which took place before the pageant, lifestyle and fitness, talent, evening wear and an on-stage question.

Five judges and other current title-holders such as Miss South Dakota, Miss Missouri River, Miss South Dakota Teen and 2014 Miss USD were present.

The University of South Dakota’s I.D. Weeks Library is seeking entries for its “Bound and Unbound III: Altered Book Exhibition” — an altered book art exhibition planned for next fall.

Sponsored by the University Libraries Arts and Exhibits committee, the exhibit features a collection of altered books. The altered books come from media artwork as well as changing books from their original forms by altering the book’s state or meaning.

Books from any source and medium are eligible for the exhibition, and all work must be original and completed within the last three years.

This year’s juror is Sandra Brooke, associate professor of art at Oregon State University-Cascades.

Brooke received both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Oregon. Since 2010, Brooke has been in 16 juried shows, three of which were national juried, 12 were by invitation and one was a solo exhibition at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D.

Spelling Bee buzzing to USD in March Most contestants have been selected for the 2015 Southeast South Dakota Scripps State Spelling Bee to be held at the University of South Dakota in March.

The state competition is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21 at Farber Hall inside of Old Main.

Participants will compete against the top three placers from regional competitions at Rapid City, Mitchell, Sioux Falls and Mobridge, S.D. The event will be streamed live on www.usd.edu.

Thirty-two contestants representing 10 South Dakota elementary and middle schools competed at the 2015 Southeast South Dakota Regional Spelling Bee Feb. 7 in Vermillion. In addition to the oral competition, students completed written

n and vocabulary exams prior to the oral competition. In the regional contest, the written scores did not count toward the championship like they do in the national contest.

The winner of the Scripps State Spelling Bee next month will participate in the 88th Scripps National Spelling Bee this May in Washington D.C.

STATE

Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Chuck Baldwin

Republican Rep. Jim Stalzer of Sioux Falls told the committee that he has a concealed pistol permit and has been in situations where he’s been glad to have it.

Openly carrying a firearm in South Dakota is legal. South Dakota currently allows citizens to carry a pistol on this hip without cover. However, covering the pistol with clothing is illegal.

World

Record sales for Laura Ingalls Wilder book Six from Middle East charged with terrorism The South Dakota Historical Society’s book “Pioneer Girl” made South Dakota publisher history.

The annotated autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill, has reached record highs for small book publishers of South Dakota. The book profiles the story of the young girl moving along the prairie with her homesteading family, but the autobiography has remained hidden since the 1930s.

“Pioneer Girl” has been a best-seller on Amazon.com since January.

The original plan was for the printing company to release up to seven books. The SDSHSP has decided to publish three of the books planned for this year with a possible fourth at the end of the year, because of the unexpected sell-outs of “Pioneer Girl.”

Bill passes lifting bans on weapons permits South Dakotans may no longer need a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

On Monday, the House State Affairs Committee voted to pass the measure 7-5 with one excused vote, which removes the requirement for a concealed pistol permit from state law.

The requirement could open the door for other weapon possession cases this legislative session, such as carrying concealed weapons on college campuses.

The Volante Volume 139, Number 15 Feb. 11, 2015 www.volanteonline.com

The largest Taco John’s restaurant in the nation at the time opened in November on Cherry Street. The new building was 7.7 times larger than the previous Taco John’s building in town, which had no indoor seating. Staff was expected to grow from 11 to 35 employees and would provide seating for 110 people. In total, 20 new businesses opened in Vermillion over the course of the year.

CAMPUS (continued) STATE (continued)

Book competition seeking contestants

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

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Government officials charge six from Middle East with ISIS-related crimes Six U.S. residents were charged on terrorism charges Feb. 6. These charges involved the ISIS terrorist group, which has come under fire in the last year for egregious killings that have been posted online.

Federal prosecutors said that one man communicated through Facebook and other social media to organize the sending of firearms, accessories and military equipment to ISIS locations.

The people charged are Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 40; his wife, Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 35; Armin Harcevic, 37; Nihad Rosic, 26; Mediha Medy Salkicevic, 34; and Jasminka Ramic, 42. All six were originally from different parts of the Middle East.

Some of the military gear said to be involved is camouflage clothing, military boots, rifle scopes and surplus military equipment. These goods were sent through U.S. mail to Turkey and transferred to Syria.

Five of the people who are charged have been arrested. The sixth is overseas.

The defendants face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for providing material support to terrorists. Hodzic and Rosic are additionally being charged with conspiring to kill and maim people in a foreign country, and could face up to life in prison.

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 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

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VOLANTE EDITORIAL

Teachers should be paid more as incentive to stay and work in S.D. Students at the University of South Dakota striving to become part of the education system have a big decision to make upon graduation — where to work.

Although there are many scholarships and stipends offered to students to stay and work in South Dakota, it’s concerning some will not stay in-state because South Dakota has the lowest teaching salary in the U.S. According to the National Education Association, teachers in South Dakota made an average salary of $39, 018 in 2014. Just below Mississippi, South Dakota has the lowest salary for its teachers.

This poses two main concerns: the lack of teachers in our education system and the quality of teaching.

USD is one of the leading education institutions in the state, and there are a variety of degrees offered for teaching opportunities in South Dakota. However, with the state’s low average

salary, students are likely to teach somewhere else.

In the surrounding states, Minnesota’s average salary is $56,268, North Dakota’s is $47,344 and Iowa’s average salary for teachers is $50,946.

Money isn’t always everything, and South Dakota’s cost of living isn’t nearly as high as other places in the country, but they are huge factors for students who are coming out of college with debt to consider.

Another repercussion of having such a low starting salary is the quality of our teachers in the state.

Teaching positions in South Dakota are not nearly as competitive as they could be, since school districts can’t be too particular about their possible employee candidates when they are dealing with limited salary funds.

Part of an education degree requires students to student teach for a certain amount of time. While most are likely to teach in South Dakota, students may

choose to go elsewhere after graduation due to salary constraints or what they may have encountered during their student teaching.

Both of these concerns have a ripple effect in South Dakota, if they haven’t already. One dire reality is the future of federal funding to the state’s education systems.

Generally speaking, if South Dakota does not produce the desired results as outlined by the federal government, we are at risk for receiving less federal funding.

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was signed

by George W. Bush. This act was designed to hold every state’s education systems, thus including teachers, accountable for the quality of education being provided to our nation’s students.

It was meant to give each individual student an equal opportunity to remain on the same education level as their peers, but looking back on legislation passed more than a decade ago, it

has also impacted teaching professionals.

All of these factors must be taken into account as USD students choose where to go for their teaching profession. As a state, South

Dakota should be more attuned to national teaching salary averages to obtain and keep quality teachers. This is a problem that has been put on the back burner for far too long.

THE BOTTOM OF THE PACK South Dakota teachers earn, on average, $39,018 annually — placing them behind every other state in the U.S.

ON PAGE A6 Read the full story The state’s low teacher salaries are driving recent graduates out-of-state to seek employment.

SOURCE: NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION | GRAPHIC BY KATIA DUSZENKO

Students should be wary of celebrities’ social media, hold them accountable for behavior CHEYENNE ALEXIS is a first-year student majoring in English and media & journalism.

People read about celebrities on a daily basis, and their actions can sometimes draw caution to their reputation. There are times, however, when celebrities are so popular, good-looking, innocentseeming or when their

fandom exceeds great numbers that they can get away with anything they want.

What celebrities post on social media is a good example of this behavior.

People idolize celebrities sometimes to the point where they believe it is OK for them to do anything, even if it would be horribly disgusting and nontolerable if the average person did it.

For instance, famous YouTube star Sam Pepper was accused of multiple sexual assault cases after

a hidden prank video of his went viral in 2014. In the video, Pepper would deliberately grab women’s backsides without them knowing who did it and then pretend he saw nothing.

The YouTube celebrity has more than 2.3 million subscribers on his channel, which consists of pranks and comedy skits. While Pepper received backlash for the video, he also received a lot of praise.

Fortunately, the video has been taken down since then.

My question is why

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.

no one decided to block Pepper’s channel after the video was launched — though he has other prank videos of him harassing women — and why people still chose to defend him.

The fact that Pepper blatantly sexually harassed women in public and had the audacity to publish it on his YouTube channel should not be tolerated.

Another example of unwarranted celebrity praise relates to rapper Iggy Azalea, who has the continuous habit of posting racist and other controversial tweets. The

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

“What do you do at the Wellness Center... read?”

— Muenster University Center

“My room was clean yesterday, then I came home from the bars.”

— McFadden Hall

“Yes, in the three months since you’ve seen me I had a child who happens to be one.”

— Main Street

“They don’t smell bad. Except the smelly kind.”

— Al Neuharth Media Center

“It hurts so good!”

— Wellness Center

“I probably shouldn’t type ‘something big’ into YouTube. You never know these days what it will bring up.”

— Muenster University Center

“I wonder if this is what a vibrator’s like!”

— Old Lumber Company

rapper expresses her obliviousness toward her ignorant behavior, and she feels it is necessary to make clear that she is not racist, because she has multiracial friends and family.

Consequently, Azalea has not received much public backlash, but she also has devoted herself to fans who tweet back at her, claiming she is simply speaking her mind and being funny.

It’s not funny, however, because it is never OK for anyone to be racist — especially on social media

— and then feel the need to pull the ‘I’m not racist’ card.

Celebrities should be entertaining and influencing others in a positive manner — to show regular people they can achieve success. It is shameful how people basically worship them, even though some celebrities can be cruel.

Just because a celebrity has a hit song on the radio for several weeks in a row or they have millions of subscribers on the Internet does not mean they are good people.

In The Know & In The Dark IN THE KNOW: On Feb. 12, the University of South Dakota is having an event entitled “Kiss the Pig.” The event will be sponsored by USD’s Dakotathon executive team to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network, and top fundraisers get to kiss the pig.

IN THE DARK: Rumor has it South Dakota State University is donating a student for the cause.

IN THE KNOW: Singer/songwriter Sam Smith won four Grammys at the music awards show on Feb. 8.

IN THE DARK: Smith dedicated his last win to an ex-boyfriend. From a broken heart to ‘money on his mind,’ Smith clearly doesn’t need a Valentine this year.

IN THE KNOW: “50 Shades of Grey” debuts this Friday, Feb. 13th. The highly anticipated film is based off of a book published in 2011.

IN THE DARK: Boyfriends everywhere are being drug, — not bounded — to the film and will now be forever compared to Christian Grey.

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

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Don’t get swept up in the mad consumerism of U.S. holidays NADIA ABUSWAI is a senior majoring in media & journalism.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, lovebirds everywhere are making plans for magical evenings, plotting perfect meals and selecting exactly the right flowers for their significant others.

It is a day where people take the time to make their special someone feel loved, which is a wonderful notion – but the fact that Americans will spend nearly $20 billion to do it on one specific day is ridiculous.

Going back to Valentine’s Day 2012, I lived in the dorms and my boyfriend at the time lived on the floor above me. We were 20 years old, and I remember being rather excited about

the fact that it was my first real Valentine’s Day celebration.

At the time, I was dating a slightly clueless young man who was a bit of a hopeless romantic, and so he tried his best to make it a special day for both of us.

He wore his favorite suit and brought me flowers, a pack of my favorite unfiltered cigarettes, jewelry and a love letter that was carefully written and neatly tucked into an envelope bearing my name — which was surrounded by tiny hearts.

It was sweet, but also incredibly cheesy. I had made him a scrapbook full of photos of us, letters, movie ticket-stubs and notes we had written to each other over time.

It took forever to make, and between dinner and the gifts he bought me, it was clear that we had both put a lot of time, effort, and money into our first Valentine’s Day together.

It was all quite enjoyable, but the best part

was after all of the typical Valentine’s Day gift-giving was over.

We split a bottle of wine and watched “Fear” — I really wanted him to hear Mark Wahlberg’s Boston accent when he says, “I’m sorry Nicole” — and later we tore through a container of vodka soaked gummy bears and argued about who did a better impression of Wahlberg.

I appreciated the jewelry and the flowers, but the best part of the day was the part that took the least effort.

Splitting a bottle of good wine and watching a movie that included both a young Mark Wahlberg’s bad acting and Alyssa Milano’s butt cheeks made more sense to me than buying a bunch of things that everyone else was buying.

It was about spending time together, not going through the motions of Valentine’s Day consumerism – that part isn’t necessary at all.

Showing someone they are valued and taking the time to do something really special for them shouldn’t be something out of the ordinary to be done once a year alongside everyone else.

Playing into carefully planned consumer culture markets has led to revenue increases on Valentine’s Day that is hardly romantic — it’s dull and repetitive.

Boxes of chocolate, lingerie, dozens of roses and candlelight dinners are all lovely things, but why not enjoy them when you feel like it, and a lot more frequently than just one day in a year?

Looking back on Valentine’s Day 2012, I know that if he hadn’t bought me flowers and taken me to dinner, if he hadn’t shown up in a suit with my favorite cigarettes, it wouldn’t have mattered – my Mark Wahlberg impression was vastly superior to his, and that’s what I’ll remember the most.

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Valentine’s Day should celebrate all forms of love MYRIAM MEDINA is a first-year majoring in economics and political science.

The word “love” is defined by the MerriamWebster dictionary as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person.” Nowhere within this definition is love defined as being a specific, romantic affection toward someone else.

This holiday is often known for its appreciation of love.

Valentine’s Day has been recognized as a day to express love to those who matter most. Yet, the meaning is much more singular than its definition. Today, the holiday isn’t for everyone, it’s for couples.

The way which many people view this holiday stems from what we are taught as children. I can remember the days back in third and fourth grade in which the teacher would make us bring in little cards and candy to put in other students’ bags. My parents would smile at me as I arrived home from school and asked me who my Valentine was this year. I would blush and answer, “my whole class,” not knowing what having a Valentine actually entailed.

To me, a Valentine was a friend, and at most, a best friend, and Valentine’s Day was a day to acknowledge that friendship. But, that was in elementary

school. Now it has somehow morphed into something that is seemingly no longer meant for just friends, but just for couples.

I blame adults.

Children are influenced in large part by what adults around them tell them. They grow up with a view of the world entirely shaped by the adults in their life.

The idea of Valentine’s Day being for couples is no different. It is what keeps the tradition so prominent.

Valentine’s Day should be a day we praise the ones we love and show our appreciation for them by giving cards and chocolates. It shouldn’t be narrowed down to the people who have a significant other.

The holiday is one of my favorites, but I know unfairness when I see it. The idea of a significant other is also very broad and goes beyond the confines of a love interest. A significant other can be described as anyone who means a lot to a person.

This could be a friend, a sibling or a parent.

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be considered a day just for those with love interests. It should be a day for everyone who truly cares about another person.

It is about expressing your unconditional love for another person and that unconditional love can be between more people than just a couple. Love is such a grey subject, but if we are going to have a holiday in the name of love, it might as well expand to all of those who claim to feel it.

SOURCE: VISUAL.LY

History of ‘love’ holiday lost in modern day society MIRANDA LETCHER is a sophomore majoring in media & journalism.

Love — it is one of the most beautiful, positive feelings we will ever experience in our lives.

It is uplifting, comforting and something for us to believe in. One holiday which celebrates love above all else is, of course, Valentine’s Day. It is twenty-four hours of mushy, sappy, yet sweet love posts clogging up my social media feeds. It is a day when people hope for and expect flowers, stuffed animals, candy and dinner or movie dates.

All of our expressions of love are wrapped up into one giant, overly commercialized, pointless holiday. It puts

too much pressure on people on this day. We should show our love everyday.

Let me give you a quick run-down on the history of Valentine’s Day. Historians have not been able to completely trace its origins, but they believe it started with a Roman festival called Lupercalia, which celebrated the fertility of women for the next calendar year.

It is believed the festival occurred in today’s calendar month of February. Though there have been many St. Valentine’s in catholic history, the holiday has been traced back to one during Emperor Claudius II’s reign.

Claudius wanted to keep his soldiers from getting homesick for their families and therefore, he banned marriages.

Father Valentine, a Catholic priest who believed strongly in the sacrament of marriage,

secretly wed couples behind the backs of government officials. He was eventually caught and thrown in jail to be executed on Feb. 14. It is believed that some of the couples he had joined in marriage came to visit him, bringing him notes and dropping them through the barred window of the cell.

He fell in love with the emperor’s daughter and slipped her a note on the morning of his execution.

He signed the note, “From Your Valentine.”

This leads us to believe that this was the start of sharing love notes, now known as what we call Valentines, on Feb. 14 each year. Pope Gelasius then declared the day St. Valentine’s Day. Considering this, we have taken advantage of such a beautiful, romantic act of love and blown it completely out of proportion. I have never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day and still

am not, because I believe that it has become too commercialized.

It also puts too much pressure on those who are in relationships because they are expected to pick out the perfect gift for their significant other.

The origins of the holiday have been lost.

The cute little love notes that allow us to express our true feelings toward someone are no longer a priority. These acts of love should be carried out at random times of the year when they are a surprise and will be more memorable and meaningful to the other person.

Knowing the history behind a holiday you choose to observe is important — it teaches us about what we are celebrating and how we are meant to celebrate it.

KATIA DUSZENKO I THE VOLANTE

Follow columnist Miranda Letcher on Twitter @MirandaL_4

Valentine’s Day gifts are on display in the Muenster University Center.

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on such gifts.

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VOLANTEONLINE.COM

Education students weigh career options Josie Flatgard

Josie.Flatgard@coyotes.usd.edu

According to the National Education Association, the average starting teaching salary for South Dakota is $29,851 and the average public school teacher salary is $39,018.

Hee-sook Choi, interim dean of the school of education, said about 60 percent of the students who graduate from the University of South Dakota’s teacher education program stay in state, even though concerns surrounding the low wages have become apparent.

Choi said in general, she believes students choose to go into teaching because it is what they are passionate about, not because it will necessarily be the best paying job available.

“Although salaries are low in South Dakota, not all of our students come to the School of Education thinking that, ‘I’m going to get into education to make money,’” Choi said.

“Nobody does that — it’s just their passion.”

She said a person would be “insane” if they thought they were getting into the profession for the money.

A personal goal to contribute to something big-

ger than themselves, she said, is what drives people so they are not concerned about salaries being low.

“Recently, we’ve had 100 percent placement, so they know they’ll have a teaching position as long as they want it,” Choi said.

The one-year program for student teaching has been appealing to many incoming students, since USD is the only school in the state to have it implemented already.

Senior Haley Evans is majoring in elementary education and has been student teaching at Elk Point since the fall, where she has been exposed to a classroom she might not have had the chance to otherwise. The first semester, she taught at the middle school, and this semester she is working with the elementary students.

“I think it’s more beneficial that I got middle school and elementary,” Evans said. “I know that when I apply for a job, I’m prepared for either — I’m really glad I got put there.”

With the opportunity to have a semester more of experience, Evans said she can see why incoming students are drawn to USD. “I think part of that is

“Although salaries are low in South Dakota, not all of our students come to the School of Education thinking that, ‘I’m going to get into education to make money.’”

-Hee-sook Choi, interim dean of the School of Education that USD has such a good program, and they’re constantly doing things to make it better, like the year-long student teaching,” Evans said.

As for those who venture out of the state to find a better-paying job, Evans said she may be one of them.

For now, she is applying at Elk Point, where she would be close to her fiance who teaches at the Vermillion High School. Down the road, she said, they would consider moving closer to their families, and the better salary would be a plus.

Evans said one of the reasons for so many leaving the state is the location of USD. Being so close to states with better salaries makes it hard to keep students on this side of the

Students spend time interning at Capitol Dylan Huggins

Dylan.Huggins@coyotes.usd.edu

Senior Clay Hoffman didn’t originally consider interning outside of Vermillion during his final semester as an undergraduate at the University of South Dakota.

Then senior Tyler Tordsen, Student Government Association president, informed Hoffman of possible opportunities in Pierre during the state’s legislative session.

Tordsen was convincing enough for Hoffman, who decided it would be an opportunity to step in the door of South Dakota politics and learn on the fly.

“I didn’t fully consider applying for the State Legislative internship until Mary Pat Bierle recommended that I apply,” Hoffman said.

“Now, here I am interning with the senate Democrats in our state Capitol.”

Hoffman is one of seven interns representing USD at the 2015 legislative session. The students are participating in two different internship opportunities.

Five students — Hoffman, senior Chad Peterson, sophomore Curstie Visser, senior Michael Burke and sophomore Jalatama Omar — are working within the legislature.

Meanwhile, senior Rachelle Norberg and sophomore Chelsea Gilbertson are carrying out lobbying internships in Pierre during the session for Tieszen Law Firm.

There are specific qualifications Pierre interns must meet. Students do not have to be political science majors.

However, political science majors have an advantage with resources such as professor Mary Pat Bierle, who has connections and

>> GAF

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

Sophomore Dustin Santjer, SGA vice president and member of the seven person GAF committee, refused comment on the petition.

Santjer, however, did mention that SGA, as a whole, is in favor of the increase in GAF fees.

For 30 credit hours over the course of two semesters, students fees would increase $135 dollars.

Last year, SGA added an external communica-

seeks to fit political science majors with internships in politics.

“They work directly with me — we identify where they’d like to work,” Bierle said. “I also help them draft a resume and identify their career goals.”

Once given the opportunity for an internship, students select their party affiliation and are usually assigned to work for that party.

The legislative internship program runs from Jan. 13 to March 13 inclusive and veto day, March 30.

The students said the jobs can be demanding and many of the jobs they are carrying out are different from what the expected.

Visser is interning with Rep. Steve Westra, R-S.D., assistant majority leader, and does whatever he asks.

“My job includes keeping Rep. Westra on track with his scheduling and bills,” Visser said. “I also attend committee meetings each week and take notes to keep Rep. Westra up to speed on what is hap-

pening.”

Visser hopes this internship allows her to prepare for her future career, whether in politics or other areas of government.

“I hope to be able to further myself toward a future career by learning as much as I possibly can during this opportunity,” she said.

Working for a lobbying company is a little different. Gilbertson is interning for Tieszen Law Office and said one of her tasks during the day is to prepare agendas at session meetings.

“We attend either the House or Senate session to watch for action taken on legislation,” Gilbertson said. “When session is over, we return to the office to prepare and print committee agendas and their respective bill.”

Hoffman said he has been assigned to a new task during his internship.

“I moderate the Democratic leadership press conference at the end of the week,” Hoffman said. “That is a fun assignment.”

KENZIE WAGNER I THE VOLANTE

Senior Clay Hoffman takes notes during a meeting of state legislators at the state Capitol.

tions position to reach out to campus students more.

The SGA’s initiative was hoping for more student engagement, larger attendance at meetings and more interaction between students and SGA. In the eyes of Slunecka, having great relations between senators and students have always been rocky.

He said most SGA senators are extremely active on campus, making it difficult for communication because of times sake but situations like increases to student payments require more talking.

“SGA didn’t do its due diligence in talking to students,” Slunecka said. “We had the two readings, and we voted it in, and it was passed. I think that was way too fast for something this important and this significant to the university.”

Santjer also declined comment on the communication between SGA and the student body.

Steinlicht and Slunecka have been approaching students in the Muenster University Center to pass petitions.

Senior Kendra Mulder met with the two senators

state line, she said.

Iowa has an average starting salary of $48,997; North Dakota’s is $47,344; and Minnesota’ s is $56,268.

Strong partnerships with schools to provide student teaching opportunities for students, Choi said, has been a great support to the program at USD, and she encourages students to stay in-state even with the lowest salary.

Choi said there is a percentage of students who leave South Dakota to return to their home area, so she does not think pay is the top factor students consider.

“That’s where they came from, that’s where their families are,” Choi said.

“There’s a comfort level there, so they tend to go

back to where they’re from, or they’re wanting to have that proximity to their families.”

Recruiting from Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, she said those students tend to go back to where they came from.

Senior Taylor Jones, of Harrisburg, S.D., is planning to leave the state after graduation to be closer to her father’s side of the family in Arizona.

Jones was a student teacher at Yankton High School last semester and is at Beresford this semester, teaching biology and working her way to teaching anatomy and physiology.

Through her experience, she was able to get a feel for classrooms with varying class sizes and levels.

“It was great to get two different viewpoints on teaching, two different styles,” Jones said.

She said salary plays a big part in deciding where she wants to end up after graduating since she is not devoted to staying in one comfort zone for an extended amount of time early on in her career.

Choi said the benefits of teaching and having a positive impact on children far outweigh what the income

AVERAGE TEACHING SALARIES South Dakota

$39,018 North Dakota

$47,344 Iowa

$48,997 Minnesota

$56,268 Graphic by Kenna Thompson

numbers might be. Plus, teachers are only on the clock for three-fourths of the year.

“Yes, teacher salaries are not high, but when you think about the fact (the) job is not all year round — it’s a nine month job — you have your summer vacation and you work from 8:00 a.m. to, what, 3:30 p.m. and then, (the) day is over, so you still have all evening to do something else,” Choi said.

SGA committee replaces failed diversity committee Phil Millar

Phillip.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu

The University of South Dakota Student Government Association has created an inclusive excellence subcommittee to replace a diversity subcommittee that previously failed after trying wto become a full student organization.

SGA passed a bill Feb. 3 to bring the committee back under the control of SGA. “What this would do would create the subcommittee which would be comprised of SGA representatives and students from across campus to be able to come together and make sure that the student government — the student representatives of our student body as a whole — are practicing inclusive excellence.

And then also being able to do special projects,” SGA President Tyler Tordsen said.

Although the committee has no specific projects on their plate yet, they have a general idea of what sort of projects they will deal with, Tordsen said.

“The nice part is that this committee can work on any projects towards inclusive excellence in SGA and on campus. Some examples are hosting the annual Diversity Symposium every year on campus where they bring in various speakers to help explore different areas. They basically have a clean slate to take inclusive excellence at USD to the next level,” Tordsen said.

The committee will form in March following SGA elections.

Sophomore Marissa Tran is the vice president of both the International Club and the Asian American Student Association and is also involved in the American Muslim Student Association.

She said SGA is taking the right steps toward including all students and student

BRALEY DODSON I THE VOLANTE

Student Government Association president Tyler Tordsen presides over Tuesday’s meeting.

organizations on campus.

“SGA’s been really supportive of what we’ve been doing for the diversity center,” Tran said.

Even though she does appreciate SGA’s support, she would like to see a more two-way relationship between the governing body and the Center for Diversity and Community.

“I want to see what they’re doing, because I don’t know what they’re doing really. I want more involvement in the Center, because I don’t see them,” Tran said. “Attend a meeting.

We’ve been to theirs, but it would be nice to have SGA members come to ours. Just keep us updated on what’s going on in SGA, because I don’t think we really know what’s going on.”

Tordsen said the previous diversity subcommittee broke down because members of the old committee graduated, took internships and were too busy to continue.

“That broke free into students for inclusive excellence,” Tordsen said. “It was a student organization that had some of the same stu-

dents on it with the same vision of being able to work with other student orgs across campus and kind of be the bridge between SGA and the university and diverse student orgs.”

First-year Megan Bartels is the vice president of SPECTRUM. Bartels said she wants more involvement around campus within the diversity community.

“One thing that I would like to see more of is interest,” Bartels said. “I wish there would be more interest around campus in certain issues that might not concern that particular demographic. It’s definitely difficult to get people interested sometimes, but you have to work through that.”

Bartels also addressed how inclusive excellence can bring all people together.

“It definitely means intersectionality in terms of being progressive,” she said.

“You definitely have to keep in mind all communities — you can’t dismiss another community’s experiences because you don’t fit into that. You have to take everyone’s experiences into consideration.”

Tuesday afternoon and signed the petition.

“Students should be informed about what’s going on,” Mulder said. “I don’t know if that information has been spread out to inform them of the GAF in general, and I think that’s more important.”

That’s precisely what the petition would do.

“We are not trying to move people in one direction or another. We just want to give them a chance to decide for themselves,” Slunecka said.

NATHAN ELLENBECKER I THE VOLANTE

SGA senators Nathaniel Steinlicht and John Slunecka explain a petition for a student vote on a General Activities Fees increase Feb. 10.

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Mandated national health OUTANDABOUT insurance deadline Sunday, students could face penalty Michael Geheren

Michael.Geheren@coyotes.usd.edu

The deadline to enroll in health insurance is approaching and students not covered on a health plan in 2015 are going to have a hefty fine on this year’s taxes.

People not insured must enroll in a health insurance plan by Feb. 15 to be covered for 2015. After the deadline, there is not an opportunity to enroll in the health insurance marketplace until next year.

“It think it’s important to enroll,” said Lisa Carlson, director of planning and regulation for Sanford Health Plan. “My fear (is that) firsttime students will realize this when they file their taxes. By the time April rolls around, it will be too late.

After the Affordable Care Act was first introduced to Americans last year, a new question has been added when filing taxes. It asks, ‘Did you have health insurance in 2014?’

If people did not have health insurance in 2014, they will find a tax penalty of one percent of yearly household income or $95 per person — whichever is higher. Young adults not covered in 2014 now have to pay the penalty, no exceptions.

However, a few days are left to enroll for health insurance in 2015. Not being insured in 2015 has much higher tax penalties than 2014. If a person is not insured in 2015, they will have a tax penalty of 2 percent of their yearly household income or $325 per person — whichever is higher.

People under the age of 26 can be covered under their parent’s insurance plan. Carlson said she is seeing many parents start to kick their children off their health insurance.

“We do see more and more students going off on their own,” Carlson said.

If parents release their children from their plan or their child turns 26 this year, they will have a special period to enroll in health insurance.

>> STD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 ple get tested for STDs with every sexual partner they have.

“If the thought has crossed your mind, you should be screened,” Shefl said.

To reduce the risk of getting an STD, Shefl said she encourages students to use safe sex practices, including using condoms.

Local Research Lisa Moore, an assistant professor at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, jokes that while she doesn’t have chlamydia, she’s working on it.

“It’s difficult to work on, but it’s fascinating,” Moore said.

Her research focuses on how chlamydia manages to take on the lipid composition of both it and its host cells, which it takes nutrients from without harming. She hopes to find how chlamydia undergoes this process and what the composition of the lipids means, in addition to gaining a better understanding of chlamydia.

Studying the STD doesn’t come without its challenges.

Chlamydia has to be cultured in eukaryotic cells and cannot be grown on plates or broth. The genetic tools used to find out what certain genes do in other bacteria haven’t been developed for chlamydia yet.

“A lot of these classical experiments you can’t do,” Moore said.

Assistant professor Scot Ouellette also performs research on chlamydia. He and Moore share the same research students and also write grants together.

Although they both research chlamydia, their research focuses on different

The Volante asked students if they have health insurance and their opinions on the federal government’s requirement to have it.

DO YOU NEED TO SHOP HEALTHCARE.GOV? START HERE Are you 26 or older?

No

Yes No

Are you covered by your employer’s health insurance?

Do your parents have health insurance and are you on their plan?

YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT COVERED You must enroll in health insurance by Sunday.

Yes. I think it’s a good thing, but at the same time I think that it might be a struggle for some people. I know that it kind of minimizes your costs.

Jordan Bakke Junior

Yes

You can visit HealthCare.Gov to shop for plans and enroll.

No

I think I have international insurance.

I’m not sure about it. I know it’s really expensive.

Yes YOU’RE COVERED!

Ju Chan Lee First-year

Graphic by Michael Geheren

For everyone else, next week is the last chance to enroll for the year.

“Now is the time to shop for an affordable plan at HealthCare.gov,” said Ben Wakana, spokesperson for the federal Department of Health and Human Services. “Eight out of 10 people can find coverage for $100 or less a month with tax credits through the marketplace.”

There are a few options to get insured. Some employers may offer health insurance to part-time employees. If that is not the case, then HealthCare. gov is the next option.

“That is the marketplace,” Carlson said. “You go there, you enter your zip code. You can basically window shop or apply there.”

Being under the age of 30 qualifies students for the catastrophic health insurance plan. It is a plan with low monthly premiums, but a high deductible.

“The reason a lot of students like those high deductibles is they know they are healthy and it is probably a really significant deal,” Carlson said.

Young adults can also qualify for financial aid that

aspects. Ouellette’s research focuses on answering microbiology questions, such as looking at how the pathogen divides.

“It’s always good to have somebody else to bounce ideas off of when you’re writing grants,” Ouellette said.

“As far as the students in the lab, it’s important for them to see that this is how science works. It’s collegial, it’s collaborative.”

He said the rise in STDs might not directly be an increase in the STDs themselves.

“It’s harder to know if the rates are increasing, or we have better surveillance,” Ouellette said.

With chlamydia, catching the STD early is key.

“The issue with chlamydia isn’t really treatment — it’s detection,” Moore said.

Many chylamydia-related infections do not show symptoms and are not detected until a female has her yearly physical exam.

The longer the STD is in the body, the more likely it has to ascend from the cervix to the uterus, where it starts causing damage and could lead to infertility.

While she questions if a vaccine is obtainable, Moore said there’s a possibility of finding a way to limit the infection.

Currently, the treatment for chlamydia includes a therapeutic that targets all the bacteria instead of only chlamydia. Ouellette said their research could potentially lead to a treatment that would only target the STD. But finding a better treatment isn’t the only drive behind his research.

“I find the organism fascinating, and I want to know how it does these basic processes,” Ouellette said.

makes the cost of health insurance even less.

“Eighty seven percent of people who selected 2015 plans through HealthCare. gov in the first month of open enrollment got financial assistance to help lower the cost of premiums,” Wakana said.

The other options HHS recommends for young adults are not applicable for USD students. The South Dakota Board of Regents discontinued its Avera MyHealth Insurance Plan at the beginning of this school year.

The SDBOR said “due to the significant increase in the proposed premiums” they were discontinuing the plan.

Medicaid coverage could also be an option for students, but it’s difficult to get. South Dakota chose not to expand Medicaid with the Affordable Care Act, which gives residents limited opportunities for eligibility.

“The nice thing about health care reform, it did mandate coverage for preventative care,” Carlson said.

“College age students can get annual physical exams and pap smears for women.”

The preventative care mandate provides coverage

for domestic violence-related issues, alcohol abuse and smoking cessation.

“If you leave those things unaddressed, they are often going to lull,” Carlson said.

“And they could cause other issues.”

Although it was a highly politicized debate, the mandate to have health insurance is law. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled the individual mandate was constitutional.

It hasn’t stopped Republicans from voting against the law. The House of Representatives voted last week to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as ObamaCare.

The Associated Press reports the House has voted more than 50 times to repeal the law. The odds of that happening are slim even with a slight Republican majority in the Senate, and President Obama has said he would veto any repeal.

“Before the Affordable Care Act, young adults struggled to get health insurance because, like most uninsured Americans, they just couldn’t afford high premiums,” Wakana said.

>> PROJECT CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

Death regularly attends most Coyote athletic events.

He said something as small as bathrooms puts a stain on improvements to campus.

Being a Division I school demands the best possible facility accommodations, he said.

“To build a complex without something as crucial as bathrooms just seems a little backwards,” Death said.

“Fan experience should be a top priority...something like bathrooms adds to the perception of us being legitimate and outhouses are an eye sore.”

Herbster said he does not see it as an issue like people outside the decision-making process might see it.

He said the construction process is fluid. On a weekly basis, small design elements of the projects change.

“There’s probably what people’s perception is, and

there’s probably what’s practical and what’s reality,” Herbster said. “It’s part of the design to go in there.

When’s it going to go in? I don’t know.”

Herbster said the bathroom situation won’t be as much of an issue for spectators at events as it will be for student athletes who will use the complex daily.

Sophomore Ravan Kott, a sprinter for USD track and field, will be using the facility when it opens in the spring 2016 semester. She does not believe athletes would use the port-a-potties.

“That is going to be an extreme inconvenience,” Kott said. “Not only would it take time away from us practicing to go use the restrooms somewhere else, but our track spikes will also harm and potentially destroy existing bathrooms.”

Wilcox said infrastructure for a bathroom and concession stand at the complex was in place. The area has a sanitary sewer and under-

I have it through my parents. Having to have health insurance is probably a smart thing for an individual, although they might not have the money to have heath insurance.

Cash Anderson Junior

No, I don’t. I feel like it’s a good idea, because I feel like most people, if they don’t have health insurance, they won’t go to the doctor, leading to more illnesses and maybe more deaths.

Monae Williams First-year

“Not only would it take time away from us practicing to go use the restrooms somewhere else, but our track spikes will also harm and potentially destroy existing bathrooms.”

-Ravan Kott, sophomore sprinter ground water to link to, but the cost of the building was something that had to be moved into the next phase of construction.

“In every project, we do have unforeseen conditions that do come up, different things that happen where we try to save money or we end up having to spend money we didn’t plan on,” Wilcox said. “It was a matter of what we can live without and still have a track meet.”

For Herbster, the looming events being hosted at the complex are coming

up fast. He said they are hanging right on top of the athletic department. Ideally, Herbster wants to host a few small track and soccer events before the Summit League conference meet.

The key to being prepared is maintaining the completion date.

“The biggest thing for us is to get the track built, the stands built, get all the infrastructure in and around it built,” Herbster said. “That’s key and primary to actually opening up the facility on time and within budget.”

SUBMITTED RENDERING I THE VOLANTE

The track and field soccer complex will be complete this fall and will be fully operational in May 2016.

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Plans for year-long class registration Students explore housing market to go into effect starting this spring Phil Millar

Phillp.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu

Trent.Opstedahl@coyotes.usd.edu

Changes to class registration are going to effect in the coming weeks.

University of South Dakota administrators are implementing a new yearlong registration process in which students will sign up for summer, fall and spring classes next year all at once.

The new process is effective for the upcoming school year.

Jim Moran, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said the registration process will help create a more streamlined graduation process for students.

“This will enable students to better plan and finish their degrees,” Moran said. “By knowing what the courses are going to be over the year and by planning that out, MORAN we’re hoping it will facilitate department and student planning.”

An email will be sent out Friday to faculty, staff and students officially announcing the university’s transition to a year-long class registration model, said Jennifer Thompson from USD’s Registrar Office.

Advising for the the upcoming academic year begins Feb. 23, and registration will open March 23 and run through April 10. Roughly 7,000 on- and off-campus undergraduate students will go through the registration process, Thompson said. She said while the new process may create a heavier workload for the Registrar’s Office initially, the year-long registration model will help foster long-term planning for both students and the university.

“Some of the most important things is stu-

WARD

-Steve Ward, director of Academic and Career Planning Center

dents will know their schedules a year in advance,” Thompson said.

“It will also tell us what the most important sections are and we can plan ahead.”

The actual process of registering for classes will not change — it will just include both semesters instead of one, she said.

Incoming first-years will only register for the fall semester to keep them from getting too overwhelmed.

Financial aid and billing has not changed.

Moran said aside from fostering long-term planning, the year-long registration model will help ensure students stick to a four-year graduation plan.

In turn, Moran said the model will address affordability to help students meet “critical cost savings” and also increase the university’s graduation and retention rates.

“It’s a pretty simple process. We think this is going to make a difference in retention and affordability for students to get through in a timely fashion,” Moran said.

Junior Zack Schulte said he’s already been planning his semesters at USD based on a track outlined by his chemistry major.

“I’ve had my plan figured out, so it makes sense to me,” Schulte said. “It can take away another stress.”

Conversation about making the switch began in the summer, Thompson said, but the plan didn’t really take off until December.

Steve Ward, director of the Academic and Career Planning Center, said the advising process will remain the same for stu-

>> LAB

gross anatomy, and a clinical anatomy elective for fourthyear medical students.

human bodies in the basement of the Sanford School of Medicine.

Slowly, Allen is getting more comfortable working with her assigned cadaver.

“I’m very gracious that this person donated their body for me to learn. Because that’s a strange thing to do, no one really thinks about that,” Allen said. “I’m really grateful just for the educational process of it.”

Stuart Inglis, director of medical anatomy laboratories, co-teaches anatomy 411 with professor Scott Druecker.

Originally from Canada, Inglis said he came to USD because it was “bang-on” the job he wanted.

“It is just an ultimately unique sort of educational experience for the students,” Inglis said.

Two other medical school courses involve cadavers — medical foundations I, which is cross listed with human

Inside the lab Inglis said 70 deceased individuals rest in the Sanford School of Medicine, either in a lab or the mortuary. He estimated that USD receives around 36 bodies each year, but that fluctuates.

“Currently, and ever since I’ve been here, we have a situation where we’re almost at capacity the entire time,” Inglis said. “And it speaks to the success of the program, and we’re grateful for it.”

That being said, Inglis stressed that may not always be the case, so interested parties should register in case their passing comes at a time of need.

“Because we’re close to capacity most of the time, we can sort of sit back and look and say what are some of the beneficial ways that some of these donations can be used right now, and we can open it up for more learning opportunities for students,” he said.

Bodies from USD are also

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1

Every University of South Dakota student has to find a place to live. Whether considering living in dorms, apartments, Greek houses or rental homes, the housing options for students is constantly changing in Vermillion.

Junior Tucker Volesky can thank his roommate, junior Teivaskie Lewin, for finding them a place to live this year.

“We were initially going to rent an apartment, but when that fell through, Teivaskie had his realty connections, and they were able to come up with a house that accommodated our needs,” Volesky said.

Volesky and Lewin — who works for Dakota Realty — did not have a place to call home until just three weeks before coming to school last fall. The search ended up to be short — only one phone call and a quick decision on a 10-month lease decided things.

“We started off last spring doing the search ourselves, and we were looking at numerous different rentals as far as houses, as well as apartments,” Volesky said.

Lewin is not the only USD student who has worked in the realty business.

Sophomore Mariah Larson is working her first year at Premier Real Estate. She pointed out why finding

“We’re hopeful this will be a step that will help students progress through college easier.”

Trent Opstedahl

dents.

“We’re hopeful this will be a step that will help students progress through college easier,” Ward said.

“There’s probably going to be some bumps along the way, but we’re hopeful this will make things easier.”

Sophomore Ellen Hammel doesn’t think registering for an entire year’s worth of classes is a good idea.

“I wouldn’t like that,” Hammel said. “I’d have to do a lot of extra work to figure out my schedule.”

Since students will register for classes in the spring, Ward said there have been concerns about how much students will meet with their advisers.

“One concern advisers have is it might reduce the number of (advising) meetings,” Ward said. “This is just an opportunity to get focused down the road and see how they can graduate quicker.”

USD is not the first state regental school to make the switch to year-long registration. South Dakota State University is also implementing the new process this spring. Dakota State University and the South Dakota School of Mines have been using this registration model for the past few years.

Moran said once students have gone through registration, the process will be adjusted to improve future registration processes.

“We recognize that the first time through this may not work perfectly,” Moran said. “But we’re going to try and learn and figure out from this time around to make sure the needs of students are met.”

housing right before fall semester can be tricky.

“The busiest time of the year (for searching) is throughout the summer when people are looking for places and especially at the end of the semester when students are going home,” Larson said.

Jessi Wilharm, an agent at Maloney Real Estate, said students can learn from Volesky’s hectic search for a place to live. She encourages students to search early and often.

“Make sure you find out what utilities are,” Wilharm said. “Make sure you ask if there’s abeen problems with water damage. Just be vigilant when you do the walkthrough. Look for water stains on the walls and the ceilings. If it’s (a) high efficiency furnace, that makes a big difference, as well as if it’s good windows.”

She said it mostly comes down to curiosity.

“The more questions you ask the person giving the tour, the better off you’re going to be in the end,” Wilharm said.

Both Larson and Wilharm said USD students gives their agencies a fair amount of business.

“A lot of them are students, but it kind of depends,” Larson said.

Vermillion landlord Roger Jeck, though, said he has the university to thank for almost all of his business.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” Jeck said. “I wouldn’t be here if (the university wasn’t) here, and (students) wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t here.”

Jeck also said nearly all of his experiences with USD students go well.

“Most kids are pretty stand-up citizens,” he said.

Realtors also target the university faculty.

“When university candidates come to town, we get calls to give them tours of town, especially if they’re looking for a place to buy or a rental for if they do get the job,” Wilharm said. “So we do get a lot (of business) from that. We get a lot from professors that move here.”

Although thankful for the university’s business, Maloney Real Estate capitalizes on other aspects of Vermillion.

“The growth in the area just kind of seemed like a natural fit that another real estate office might benefit the community,” Wilharm said, specifically mentioning new housing developments.

Even with the new developments, there are still challenges for realtors in Vermillion.

“There are always challenges — it’s a small market, so you don’t have a whole lot of selection of one type of housing,” Wilharm said.

“There’s not a big discrepancy in what a college student as opposed to a family would be looking for in a rental.”

NATHAN ELLENBECKER I THE VOLANTE

Sophomore Jack Schuver looks through the kitchen while touring an apartment Feb. 2.

36

Bodies donated to the USD cadaver lab each year, on average

5 years

Estimated shelf life of a cadaver

10,000-15,000

Bodies donated each year to the nation’s 140 medical schools transferred to South Dakota State University, Lake Area Technical Institute, Briar Cliff University or Northwestern University, as long as donors approve it in their paperwork.

The donation involves prosecution — a more sculpted process than dissection that preserves a certain segment of the body for many years, Inglis said. Under close supervision, graduate or

undergraduate students can participate in prosection. The number of prosections done each year varies depending on need and number of individuals willing to be a part of that process.

“It’s a multi-step process, but essentially what ends up happening is you dehydrate the tissue, but at the same time you impregnate it with a polymer-resin, like a plastic

ALLY KRUPINSKY I THE VOLANTE

Stuart Inglis, anatomy 411 professor, explains to students features they would see on their experimental human bodies Feb. 10.

material, and then you allow it to cure so that it becomes hardened,” Inglis said. “So it becomes a permanent learning tool.”

Inglis said the body maintains its original form, but because all the water content has been taken out, it doesn’t dry out or decompose.

USD’s collection is an ongoing process and is contributing to what Inglis calls an anatomical museum, which is essentially an extension of the cadaver lab. Only authorized individuals are allowed to see those preserved body parts, just like the cadavers.

Body donations cannot be made if an individual has certain diseases, like HIV or Hepatitis, or suffers from a traumatic death.

Respect and privacy are the donor program’s top priorities at all times. Students never know individuals’ names, and phones are not allowed in the lab. Inglis said each person who enters the lab must first listen to a speech, delivered by himself.

“They’ve entrusted us with their remains and we take that very seriously,” Inglis said.

‘Every life is sacred’ Inglis said the process of body donation begins when someone who is interested calls for more information.

They are then mailed paperwork to fill out, and once completed, are considered registered for donation.

When the individual has passed away, a light embalming and memorial service are held in a funeral home of the donor’s choice. Afterward, the body is transported to USD by a lab technician. After a heavier embalming is done at USD, the shelf life of each body is five years.

Inglis estimates it takes two years for a family to get their family member’s ashes.

Every once in a while, a family member of the deceased expresses some discomfort.

“We’ve had letters come in

from individuals saying that ‘I just want you to know that this is something that bothers me, I want to respect my mother’s wishes but I want you to be aware of the fact that I want this body treated with respect,’” Inglis said.

The USD donor program has never turned away a donation because of family members, but would do so if the donation would cause extreme uneasiness, Inglis said.

Every October, a studentrun memorial service is held for families and students from the current and past semester of cadaver labs. Students read testimonials about what the donation meant or did for them, there is a candle-lighting service, and families share stories of their passed loved ones during a reception.

Inglis said this has a dramatic impact on the students, and helps family members as well.

“It’s nice in the fact that the majority of the family members that come, enough time has passed that the grieving process is over. It’s more of a celebration of life of the individual and what they were able to accomplish in making this donation,” Inglis said. “It also helps with a lot of family members that were unsure of the decision.”

She has not attended a memorial service, but Allen said it sounds like a great thing to be a part of.

“Every life is sacred, so when we get these donations, it’s really good just to remember who they were before and give the families the respect they deserve,” Allen said.

ONLINE ONLY Read the full story about USD’s cadaver program and how it is benefiting students.

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SPORTS

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS | @VOLANTESPORTS

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Gap in coach pay at USD

Male coaches earn more than female coaches Collins Chalup

Collins.Chalup@coyotes.usd.edu

Data gathered from the University of South Dakota’s athletic financial report for the 2014-2015 fiscal year shows a noticeable discrepancy in payment between the men’s and women’s head coaches, making a gap of more than $41,000 in yearly pay.

USD Athletic Director David Herbster said the university does a good job by compensating their head coaches fairly.

“Amy, our women’s coach, is one of the top paid Summit League coaches for women, and Craig, our men’s coach, is in the middle of all the coaches in the Summit League,” he said.

Comparing this to the national average in 2014, male head coaches earn $1,783,100, and female head coaches earn up to $850,400, making a difference of $932,700.

The difference in salary does not just involve head coaches, but assistants as well. At USD, men’s assistant coaches make an average salary of $72,000, and women earn up to an average salary of $42,891.67.

USD head male coach earns

$119,133.75 per year

Head female coach earns

$77,790.75 per year

A difference of

$41,343.00

Former USD women’s basketball head coach Gary Larson said the discrepancy happens for two reasons.

“The fact that it’s acceptable for a male to be a women’s basketball coach takes away these positions for women,” he said. “The other reason is that the influence of women becoming head coaches is a strong, growing influence today, but was not as strong as when I was a coach.”

Lisa Maatz, the vice president of Government Relations of American Association of University Women (AAUW), said there is still a problem with pay discrepancy, but there are also solutions.

“Clearly, we think there is a problem with the pay gap,” Maatz said. “We believe the pay gap that is there today is based on discrimination and stereotypes of women.”

Maatz said in 2013 when the AAUW used the brackets of March Madness teams and advanced them by how much of a pay gap the men and women’s coaches have at that university, the results showed that power five conference pay gaps are not as large as other schools.

Only Baylor made the elite eight in this specialized bracket, Maatz said. She said it also showed that some schools have huge pay gaps between their coaches.

Dayton, the winner of their bracket, had a 96 percent difference in pay between the average salary of men and women head coaches.

In order for this problem to be fixed, Maatz said there are a few things that would help.

“Universities need to hold themselves accountable for any SEE PAY, PAGE B3

CRISTINA DREY I THE VOLANTE

Sophomore diver Greysen Hertting has won Summit League Athlete of the Week nine times this year and 19 times in her career.

SETTING the STANDARD Alanna Schmeichel

Alanna.Schmeichel@coyotes.usd.edu

After breaking her own school record this semester, sophomore diver Greysen Hertting has not only set a standard for herself, but she also inspires her teammates.

“She is one of those people who leads by example,” junior swimmer Rachel Svendson said. “She sets the standard of how people should work, and this is what they should do to be at her level.”

Hertting has been named Summit League Diver of the Week

Hertting named Summit Diver of the Week nine times this season nine times this season and 19 times in her career. With her 320.33 score in the three-meter dive against South Dakota State Jan. 23, she broke her own school record set earlier this season and the six-yearold DakotaDome pool record.

“Setting records allows my name to be remembered, and it is a nice feeling to know what you are doing in practice is paying off,” Hertting

said.

From Appleton, Wis., one of the reasons Hertting came to the University of South Dakota is because Chris Hansman, who was taught by her club coach, recruited her.

“We had a nice home connection, and I always wanted to dive in college,” Hertting said. “This is the best school for me.”

After competing for a few weeks without a coach, the divers are now coached by Meili Carpenter — an NCAA finalist and Olympic trials finalist — who heard about the job through Mahowald.

“Having Meili here as her coach has given Greysen a lot of confidence,” head coach Jason Mahowald said. “Meili has really cleaned up some of the technical things with Greysen, and that has really helped her scores improve over the season.”

SEE DIVE, PAGE B3

‘It’s not the banners on the wall’ Men’s track coach set to be inducted into hall of fame Emily Niebrugge

Emily.K.Niebrugge@coyotes.usd.edu

While he may not feel deserving to be inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, those around him know exactly why men’s track and field head coach Dave Gottsleben will find his name among greats such as Jim Marking, Warren Williamson, Dwane Clodfelter and Harry Gamage, to name a few.

But if there’s one GOTTSLEBEN thing Gottsleben is grateful for, it’s making his parents proud of his accomplishment — particularly his father, who ran track at South Dakota State University, graduated in 1947 after coming back from the war and who died in 2007.

“He and my mother went to every competition — whether I was coaching at Menno High School or Dakota State or here — for as long as they could,” he

EMILY NIEBRUGGE I THE VOLANTE

Head men’s track coach Dave Gottsleben bumps fists with senior Josh Petersen on the DakotaDome track Feb. 10.

said. “That was the visible support, but if there’s anything he and my mother gave me, I never wanted to disappoint them. Through that I think that made me be a little more successful.”

Gottsleben, along with 20 others — the largest group ever chosen — will be inducted at a banquet April 11 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, joining 245 others already in the group.

“I was floored (when I found out),”

Gottsleben said. “You read some of the names in the coaches Hall of Fame, and I don’t think at this point in time I see my name with them. In my own mind I don’t feel like I probably deserve it, but I’m happy it’s happened. It’s something my dad wanted for me.”

If anyone can see how deserving Gottsleben is of the award, it’s his student athletes.

Junior Christian Nielsen, currently

facing an injury after the first meet of the season this year, has felt Gottsleben’s support first hand.

“I’m obviously going through a pretty rough patch right now, and he’s had my back the entire way,” Nielsen said. “He supported my decision to register, he supported my decision to SEE COACH, PAGE B3

B2

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

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COYOTEDigest RESULTS

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Feb. 5 USD 75, W. ILLINOIS 61 Senior guard Tyler Larson returned from a zero-point outing in the first half to score 16 points in the second, fending off Western Illinois in the process.

Feb. 7 USD 47, NDSU 71 The Bison cashed-in on 14 three-pointers in their route of the Coyotes in Fargo. Junior guard Tre Burnette led USD with 10 points.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Feb. 6 USD 91, FORT WAYNE 80

The Coyotes jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first half and coasted to an 11-point win, their ninth eighth conference win.

Feb. 8 USD 83, NDSU 79 MIRANDA LETCHER I THE VOLANTE The University of South Dakota track and field teams won two events and two USD athletes set two DakotaDome records.

At the Dakota Realty Alumni Meet on Feb. 7 at the DakotaDome.

Senior Kyle McKelvey broke a 22-year-old shot put record, and junior Katie Wetzstein broke the record for the women’s mile which was 16 years old.

Among the event wins, Madison Mills, left, captured the women’s pole vault at the height of 12-11 3/4.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Bos hits 1,000 career points

Leading by as much as 23 points, the Coyotes had to counter a rally by the Bison on the second half for their fourth straight win. Senior guard Seekamp scored 21 points.

TRACK & FIELD Men’s Lewin named Summit League Athlete of the Month South Dakota junior Teivaskie Lewin earned his first career Summit League Men’s Athlete of the Month award for his performance in January.

It is the second month in a row that a Coyote has earned the award.

From Montego Bay, Jamaica, Lewin recorded a pair of top-two finishes in the 60-meter hurdles last month. He first won the hurdles at South Dakota State’s Alumni Invitational, when he clocked in at 7.98 seconds. Lewin returned the following week with a runner-up finish at the Minnesota Jack Johnson Classic. His mark of 7.79 ranks seventh nationally, leads the Summit League by half a second and breaks a seven-year-old school record. Lewin earned Summit League Athlete of the Week honors for that performance.

BASKETBALL Bos, Seekamp earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors South Dakota seniors Brandon Bos and Nicole Seekamp have been voted to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 men’s and women’s basketball teams as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Seekamp, who hails from Renmark, South Australia, holds a 3.67 grade point average while working toward a degree in psychology. She earned first-team all-Summit League and aca-

MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE

Senior guard Brandon Bos passes the ball to junior guard Tre Burnette, far right, during USD’s win against Western Illinois Feb. 5.

Sean Bower

Sean.Bower@coyotes.usd.edu

Now joining 43 former Coyotes in the exclusive 1,000-point club, senior guard Brandon Bos is used to hearing people say they expect him to be a little full of himself.

But Bos, who joined the 1,000-career-point club against Fort Wayne Jan. 10, doesn’t even take credit for achieving this feat.

“I’ve had a great group of guys and coaches around me the last four years,” Bos said. “It sounds like an individual accomplishment, but if guys don’t give me the ball in the right place, or if the coaches don’t put me in the right place, it’s not even possible.”

His humbleness is something his teammates and coaches have also observed. For first-year head coach Craig Smith, this was something he noticed the first time he met Bos. “He’s a class act — very humble guy,” Smith said. “He’s down to earth, has good presence and speaks very well. He’s got that Canadian accent yet still seems like the all-American kid.”

Bos said he’s a serious player, gets down to business on the court and works hard to win. Off the court, he’s

almost the complete opposite.

“I like to joke around with the guys when we’re not playing,” Bos said. “I like to have a lot of fun. I would say I’m almost two different people.”

Junior Casey Kasperbauer, Bos’ teammate and roommate, sees the difference in personality first-hand.

“Off the court we’re very similar, to the point that we can get sick of each other,” Kasperbauer said. “We’ve gotten very close, and it’s funny to see how similar we are even though he’s not from America.”

Bos, who is from Markham, Ontario, a city close to Toronto, still sticks to his Canadian roots.

Although Bos is a basketball player, he also likes hockey — a sport commonly associated with Canada.

“This was the first year I was unable to go home and play pond hockey with my friends, which was unfortunate,” Bos said.

His love for hockey is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“That’s one thing I don’t think people know about Brandon,” Kasperbauer said. “Nobody realizes how big of a hockey fan he is.”

On top of being a hockey fan, Bos

has many other interests pertinent to his home country. Bos said his favorite NBA team is the Toronto Raptors, and working for them someday would be a dream come true.

Bos is a sports management major at the University of South Dakota and is double minoring in business and entrepreneurship. He hopes to either work in the professional sports industry or start his own company someday.

But for now, he’s only focused on basketball.

“I’m getting a little depressed that my career at USD is about to end,” Bos said. “I’m trying to focus one game at a time and enjoy every moment.”

The Coyotes have six regular season games remaining before the Summit League conference tournament begins. For Bos and his teammates, making the NCAA tournament is the end goal.

“My favorite memories from playing (for USD) are beating SDSU when all the fans pack the Dome,” Bos said. “But winning road games are also special to me. I’m hoping to make the NCAA tournament this year so that my favorite moment can change, though.”

TENNIS Feb. 6 Sioux Falls SOUTH DAKOTA 6, AUGUSTANA 3

SOFTBALL Feb. 6 Nashville, Tenn.

SOUTH DAKOTA 8, BALL STATE 11 Feb. 7 SOUTH DAKOTA 0, GEORGETOWN 8 Feb. 7 SOUTH DAKOTA 9, BELMONT 0 Feb. 8 SOUTH DAKOTA 10, KANSAS CITY 18 Follow @VolanteSports on Twitter for ongoing coverage of USD sports

demic all-Summit League honors a year ago. On the court Seekamp is the 14th-leading scorer in program history with 1,256 points and averages 14.8 points per game. She has also grabbed 338 rebounds, dished out 327 assists and recorded 149 steals in her career.

Seekamp was one of three Summit League players to be named to one of the eight All-District teams.

Originally from Markham, Ontario, Bos maintains a 3.57 grade point average while working toward a degree in sport management. An academic all-Summit League honoree last season, Bos has 1,072 career points, 320 rebounds and 196 assists. He is the eighth-leading scorer in the Summit League this season while averaging 14.3 points per game. Bos was one of two Summit League players to earn a spot on an All-District team.

As first-team selections, Bos and Seekamp advance to the national ballot to be considered for Academic AllAmerica honors later this month.

SOCCER South Dakota soccer signs 12 athletes on Signing Day South Dakota women’s soccer coach Mandy Green is pleased to announce the addition of 12 athletes who have enrolled at USD and plan to compete for the Coyotes this fall.

The list includes five from Nebraska, two from California and one each from Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Illinois and Missouri.

Of the 12 players, six are defenders, three are midfielders, two are goalkeepers, and one is a forward.

ON DECK MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Feb. 12 USD (5-6) AT OMAHA (2-9) 7 p.m.

UNO - Cj Carter, 17.0 ppg USD - Brandon Bos, 14.2 ppg Radio: Coyote Sports Network

Feb. 12 USD (9-2) AT OMAHA (2-9) 7 p.m.

UNO - Mikaela Shaw, 14.2 ppg USD - Raeshel Contreras, 16.0 ppg Radio: 1570 KVTK

Feb. 14 USD (5-6) AT ORAL ROBERTS (6-4) 7 p.m.

ORU - Obi Emegano, 17.3 ppg USD - Brandon Bos, 14.2 ppg Radio: Coyote Sports Network

Feb. 14 USD (9-2) AT DENVER (4-6) 7 p.m.

DEN - Paige Bradley, 12.7 ppg USD - Raeshel Contreras, 16.0 ppg Radio: 106.3 KVHT

Feb. 17 USD (5-6) VS AVILA (6-7) 7 p.m.

AU - Sedrick Johnson, 20.3 ppg USD - Brandon Bos, 14.2 ppg Radio: Coyote Sports Network

TRACK & FIELD Feb. 13-14 IOWA STATE CLASSIC Ames, Iowa Feb. 13-14 SDSU INDOOR CLASSIC

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

B3

USD signs 24 football, 12 soccer recruits 2015 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA RECRUITMENT MAP

Austin Ashlock

Austin.Ashlock@coyotes.usd.edu

The University of South Dakota signed three dozen soon-to-be Coyote football and soccer athletes Feb. 4. Here’s a breakdown of those athletes state-by-state.

CALIFORNIA Soccer: Parker Rytz - Goalkeeper Ecinitas, Calif.

Coral Suarez - Goalkeeper Thousand Oaks, Calif.

COLORADO Soccer: Cooper Thau - Midfield Broomfield, Colo.

Football: Brandon Storebo - TE Timnath, Colo.

Danny Rambo - WR Highlands Ranch, Colo.

FLORIDA Football: Michael Fredrick - RB Miami, Fla. Shamar Jackson - ATH Pahokee, Fla. Jovane Parkinson - DB St. Cloud, Fla. Luis Peguero - DL Wellington, Fla. Eric Saintil - WR Homestead, Fla. ILLINOIS Soccer: Samantha Villwock Midfield - Lake Villa, Ill.

GRAPHIC BY AUSTIN ASHLOCK

Football: Michael Bianchi - OL Island Lake, Ill. Nate Gunn - RB Minooka, Ill. Romontay Hill - LB Robbins, Ill. IOWA Soccer: Madyson Gutknecht Defense - Ankeny, Iowa Football: Brock Brandt - OL Ventura, Iowa

>> DIVE

>> COACH

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Mahowald said Greysen does need to improve on getting stronger — this year she has done better with putting her time in the weight room and building muscle.

“She hasn’t reached her maximum potential yet,” Mahowald said. “But she is very critical of herself, and she is harder on herself than we can be as coaches. She is a great student athlete, and she works hard in both aspects.”

Hertting, who said she loves everything about the sport, makes a point to take advice from the coaches and other team members to keep improving.

“She takes a lot of guidance from the coaching staff, but she also takes guidance from Chase Testa and Connor Stephens,” Mahowald said.

“The boys are good for her.

They are good competition, and they push her to get new dives.”

The relationship between teammates is another aspect Hertting loves about diving.

“The team atmosphere is amazing,” she said. “It is always fun to do something you love with people you like.”

Hertting would like to win conference — coming up next week — on both boards and place in finals, as well as qualify for the NCCA Championships in March.

“If she keeps working on just improving, those things like NCCA Championship and Olympic trials will come naturally,” Mahowald said.

“We will see good things these last few meets.”

fix my Achilles and take the rest I need to get back here.

He’s really letting me take my career into my own hands and not forcing me to get out there and destroy my body.”

His support doesn’t stop on the field. For senior Josh Petersen, Gottsleben even helped him academically by writing a recommendation letter to get him into dental school.

“He’s one of the most generous guys,” Petersen said.

“He cares about his athletes, and he cares about their future. He’s always curious about how the classroom is going, because there’s more than track after college. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.”

Seeing the athletes’ success on and off the track is where Gottsleben, who has found

Follow reporter Alanna Schmeichel on Twitter @ASchmeichel

MISSOURI Soccer: Sydney Wilson Defense - Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Braden De Boer - DL Sioux Center, Iowa Darin Greenfield - LB Sheldon, Iowa

NEBRAKSA Soccer: Bella Arkfeld - Forward Gretna, Neb.

Tyler Johnson - OL Peosta, Iowa Austin Simmons - QB Council Bluffs, Iowa KANSAS Soccer: Madeline Butterfield Defense - Shawnee, Kan.

Markale Moses - DB Tulsa, Okla.

Football: Ryan Schuster - FB Ashland, Neb.

SOUTH DAKOTA Football: Dylan Arntz - RB Sioux Falls

Calvin Strong - RB Omaha, Neb.

Makenzie Burmeister Midfield - Gretna, Neb.

DeValon Whitcomb - TE Omaha, Neb.

Tayler Karas - Defesne Gretna, Neb.

OKLAHOMA Football: Marquiz Simpkins - RB Clinton, Okla.

Anna Carnazzo - Defense Papillion, Neb.

himself working as a head coach, assistant coach and teacher at several levels, really finds his passion.

“In the past couple weeks I’ve had a lot of people who were here back in 1984, when I started, that have come back when I started and say, ‘had I not gone out for track, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today.’ And ‘track really helped me become effective in whatever I was doing,’ whether that’s a teacher, businessperson, lawyer,” Gottsleben said. “That’s better than any paycheck you can ever get.”

Gottsleben, who obtained his undergraduate degree at SDSU, spent four years as a high school coach in Menno, S.D., attended graduate school at SDSU, spent four years in Madison at Dakota State and then began his career as head coach at USD, has never been concerned with the age and grade of his athletes and

Courtney Stodola Defense - Elkhorn, Neb.

students. “You just do the best you can with giving them an opportunity to be skilled,” he said. “You, as a coach, never feel like you know enough.

One of the most fun coaching gigs I’ve had was an 8th grade group at Menno who went undefeated in basketball.”

Rather, Gottsleben has always focused on respecting those around him.

“Obviously the technical things are a little bit different the higher you go — the attention span is a little bit higher the older they are — but kids are kids and student athletes are student athletes,” he said. “Hopefully I treated them all with respect and got that back too.”

That respect hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“His first focus is to make good people,” Nielsen said.

“Track is also very important to him, but he’ll make you into a better person than you were when you came here.”

Nickel Meyers - WR Sioux Falls Nathan Byrd- OL Tea TEXAS Football: Dale Williamson Jr. - DB Texarkana, Texas

EMILY NIEBRUGGE I THE VOLANTE

Head men’s track coach Dave Gottsleben talks with an athlete during practice in the DakotaDome Feb. 10.

>> PAY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

men and women head coaches.

In order for this problem to be fixed, Maatz said there are a few things that would help.

“Universities need to hold themselves accountable for any sport, see how they are paying their coaches and be able to justify it correctly without using excuses such as ‘women’s sports make less’ and that ‘all sports are not supported equally at their university,’” she said.

AUSTIN ASHLOCK I THE VOLANTE

Head coach Amy Williams directs the Coyote women’s basketball team players Jan. 31 in the DakotaDome.

AUSTIN ASHLOCK I THE VOLANTE

Men’s basketball head coach Craig Smith speaks with a player Jan. 31 in the DakotaDome.

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THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

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Students learn to cope with long distance relationships

‘Invisible Boyfriend’ not worth the time NATALIE KELLER is a senior majoring in communication sciences and disorders.

MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE

First-year McKenzie Holton skypes with her boyfriend Blake Medvec Feb. 9 in the North Complex lounge. Holton and Medvec have been dating for two years and have been in a long distance relationship since August.

Britney Thorns

Britney.Thorns@coyotes.usd.edu

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many couples will be spending the day with their significant other.

However, for some University of South Dakota students, the holiday will be spent a little differently.

First-year marketing major McKenzie Holton has been in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend of two years, Blake Medvec, since coming to campus this past August.

“The issue of communication and the fact that I’m super busy with my extracirriculars definitely causes clashes in scheduling,” Holton said.

Holton said she and her boyfriend first met during high school in their home state of Owatonna, MN. When the time came to go off to college, the two went to different colleges — Blake to South Dakota State University and Holton to USD.

“Everyone’s paired up — especially this time of year — and they cuddle in the MUC, and it makes you miss them,” Holton said.

There are challenges to any relationship, but long distance relationships have their own set of challenges, Holton said.

First-year Monae Williams has been dating her boyfriend Immanual Sodipe for nine months. Immanual is a student at Wabash College in Indiana. The two met in high school in Chicago and started dating when Immanual asked her to prom their seniro year with flowers.

“It’s really hard being so far away,” Williams said. “It’s really rough to make time for each other. (But) we’re working on it — he texts me, and we talk every night before bed and on weekends.”

First-year Marissa Guerdet lives three hours away from her boyfriend who is

“I didn’t expect it to be so hard.”

-Marissa Guerdet, first-year majoring in agriculture at Iowa Lakes Community College.

“I didn’t expect it to be so hard. In the summer we see each other every day or every other day, and now it’s more like every other weekend,” Guerdet said. “I wish we could be together all of the time.”

While there might be obvious downsides to long distance relationships, Holton said finding things to do to keep busy and enjoying the college experience makes the relationship obstacle easier to handle.

“You have a lot more free time,” Holton said. “I couldn’t do half the stuff I do on campus if I had that kind of time committment with a boyfriend on campus. You also don’t have to shave.”

There are reasons beyond the practical time-saving

aspect of long distance relationships, though, Guerdet said.

“When you do get to see each other, it’s really nice,” Guerdet said. “You realize how much you do like them and appreciate them.”

With Valentine’s Day approaching, the couples have come up with creative ways to spend the holiday together. Williams and her boyfriend are sending each other gifts, and once she gets done working on Valentine’s Day, they’re planning to have a Skype date and open their presents “together.”

Guerdet said her and her boyfriend are planning to meet up for a date over the weekend.

“I think we’re going out to eat and then going to see the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ premier,” Guerdet said.

Both Holton and Guerdet said communication is essential if a couple wants to have a healthy long distance relationship.

“As long as you have communication and trust, (the relationship will be) fine,” Holton said.

Guerdet said working around each other’s schedules and making time for each other also helps them make the best of their situation.

“Good communication skills and working around each other’s schedules and make time for each other,” she said.

Even with the challenges of being separated by distance, the couples said their relationships are worth the effort.

“As far as long distance relationships go, if you want (the relationship) to work, you’ll make it work,” Williams said.

Follow reporter Britney Thorns on Twitter @KittenInTheSkyy

For a week I had two boyfriends. And no, I’m not a cheater.

I just had a fake boyfriend on the side. That’s not weird, right?

The Invisible Boyfriend company is a new relationship service, but with a twist — the company promotes the fact that now there’s a way to get nagging friends and family off your back by having actual proof you are in a relationship.

To get started, you create a profile and choose what your fake boyfriend (or girlfriend) will be like, including their name, age and interests. You then even choose what he or she looks like and decide how you two met. In my case I met my fake boyfriend, Jesse Albert Day, at Starbucks.

The hoax is complete with 100 text messages, 10 voicemails and one personal letter — all at the low price of just $24.99 per month. Purchasing additional text messages is only $9.99. What a deal!

After completing the profile, I received my first text message from Jesse. My actual boyfriend understood it was an experiment.

His only comment throughout the whole ordeal was, “That’s weird.” And he was correct.

All of the conversations shared between Jesse and me were superficial. He never asked me anything too personal — he just asked generic questions like how I was doing or what my plans were for the weekend. He was also lovey-dovey, which made me uncomfortable, because I had no idea who was on the other end, and I already have a boyfriend to tell me sweet nothings.

I also had to initiate every conversation. He never texted me first, which I’m guessing was because I was the one who sought out the service. But for a fake boyfriend, he didn’t seem to care to talk to me.

Needless to say, I was relieved SEE APP, PAGE B5

Anime Club offers ‘something for everyone’ Megan Street

By the numbers 6,938

largest number of television episodes in any anime franchise

$274,925,095

amount of money earned by the highest-grossing anime film of all time, 2002’s ‘Spirited Away’

‘Three Tales’

released in 1960, first anime series to be televised

86,000

estimated number of attendees at the Anime Expo convention held in Los Angeles, Calif. in 2014

2009

first South Dakota anime convention, SoDak Con, held in Rapid City

Megan.Street@coyotes.usd.edu

One student organization at the University of South Dakota is finding fun in Japanese animation.

Senior Casie Moody, president of the Anime Club, said she started the club, which meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m., to attract people who share her love of anime.

“There are a lot of people who are into anime here who aren’t willing to join groups because there’s a stigma against it sometimes,” Moody said. “(We) wanted to make a club so that people can get into anime and be welcomed into it.”

Moody said she loves the stories anime shows can tell.

“There’s just a story element that anime has that I don’t really see much of in regular TV shows, and I love that,” Moody said.

“It touched on hard topics that a lot of other shows wouldn’t touch on.”

Senior Nathan Cunningham, vice president of the

club, said the Anime Club was founded in fall 2013 and attracts 10 to 20 members each meeting. The club advocates itself by putting up posters and tabling or through word of mouth.

“We’ll talk about upcoming stuff, fundraisers, events that we’re gonna do or going to,” Cunningham said. “Then we’ll either watch anime or we’ll do an activity.”

Cunningham said the club will be hosting a minicon Feb. 28 in the Muenster University Center Ballroom.

“It’s just a mini-con, where we’ll have panels and small cosplay contests with showrooms and show anime constantly — hopefully we’ll have some vendors,” Cunningham said.

Funds raised from the event will go toward supporting some of the club’s biggest projects, such attending conventions like Torii Con and Naka-Kon, a convention in Kansas, Cunningham said. The club’s latest fundraiser was a bake sale.

MEGAN STREET I THE VOLANTE

First-year Tattianna Toledo, who makes a living off of her art, creates a digital artwork based off of one of her own characters. Toledo does commissions for others and hosts her work on a variety of websites.

First-year Tattianna Toledo not only loves anime, but creates art for a living.

Toledo said her schedule can be hectic trying to jug-

gle school with art.

“I don’t sleep much,” Toledo said. “It’s a lot juggling studying and classes and homework, and every

other waking moment, I’m drawing.”

SEE ANIME, PAGE B5

THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

B5

MediaSketch FEB. 11

4 p.m.

FEB. 12

11 a.m.

FEB. 13

CampusEvents

12 a.m.

PEOPLE OF THE PACK MOVING FORWARD AFTER TRAGEDY

“Newsreels, Novels, and Cybernetics” Location: Farber Hall

8 p.m.

Olivia Millerschin (Paw Points) Location: Muenster University Center, Pit Lounge

Criminal Justice Career and Graduate Fair Location: Muenster University Center Ballroom

6 p.m.

Leadership Program: Group Dynamics Location: Muenster University Center, Room 211

“50 Shades of Grey” movie premiere (Paw Points) Location: Downtown Vermillion NATALIE KELLER I THE VOLANTE

11 a.m.

Advanced Reporting Guest Speaker: Steve Berry Location: Al Neuharth Media Center, Room 219

Lexy Tuttle is a junior at the University of South Dakota.

FEB. 14

6 p.m.

FEB. 17

8 a.m.

FEB. 16

NK: Tell me about something in your life that you’re most proud of.

Truran High School Piano Competition Location: Colton Recital Hall

Lakota Language Table Location: Native American Cultural Center

3 p.m.

‘Yote Floats (Paw Points) Location: Muenster University Center 5:30 p.m.

“Reconstructing Performance” Location: Al Neuharth Conference Room

LT: Within the last year, my mom passed away and it was a total shock. She wasn’t sick or anything — it was an accident. Being able to move past that with my family and getting closer to my dad

>> APP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B4 when the text messages ran out, which only took a few days.

For those who are legitimately interested in having an invisible boyfriend or girlfriend, you will be spending lots of money — lots. Think how often you text your friends. One hundred text messages isn’t much, so plan on breaking the bank if you wish to maintain the “relationship” for a while.

My advice — don’t waste money on something so unnecessary. If your family bugs you about being single, talk to them. Tell them how you feel when they constantly nag you. Being single is nothing to be ashamed of — it’s just the stage you’re at in life.

As far as friends go, maybe you need to reconsider who you hang out with. Your friends shouldn’t make you feel like you’re inadequate because you aren’t in a relationship.

And finally, if you’re considering this service because you’re lonely, think again. We live in a society in which people hide behind Internet platforms to meet others because somewhere along the way, we felt like interacting with people

NK: What’s one favorite memories

your her?

LT: Before my freshman year of high school, my family went on a trip to visit the Black Hills. While we were there, we stopped at an

with additional commentary about the app including screenshots and a voicemail.

volante online. com

ONLINE ONLY Photo Gallery with additional People of the Pack photos taken over the course of the year.

volante online. com

STATE (continued)

NATION

NATION (continued)

Local spelling bee shows student talent

a Cajun cook-off. People were also able to listen to live music and participate in a costume contest.

Magazine to debut plus-size models

the show. Sam Smith took home four awards including “best new artist” and “best pop vocal album.” Beck won “album of the year,” and Miranda Lambert won “best country album.”

The University of South Dakota hosted the Southeast South Dakota Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Feb. 7 in Aalfs Auditorm. The top three winners from each regional competition will move on to the state level spelling bee happening March 21 at USD.

Deadwood celebrates Mardi Gras early Mardi Gras came early for those in Deadwood.

The city held events Feb. 6 - 7. Attendees were able to partake in parades with thousands of beads and

Sioux Falls to host Ed Sheeran performance English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran announced Feb. 9 he will perform June 10 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his 2015 North American summer tour.

Tickets will go on sale Feb. 27 for $49.50 and $59.50.

The show will start at 7:30 p.m., and special guests will be announced at a later date.

Sports Illustrated is releasing its swimsuit issue soon, and two plus-size models will appear in the magazine. Robyn Lawley is a size 12 and will be the first model of her size to appear in the magazine. Another model, Ashley Graham, is a size 16, and she will be featured in an advertisement for the #curvesinbikinis campaign.

2015 Grammy Awards recognizes top artists The 57th Annual Grammy Awards was held Feb. 8.

Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and AC/DC were a few of the many performers at

WORLD ‘Fifty Shades’ film blacklisted in Asia Not everyone is going to be able to see “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Malaysia has banned the movie from being shown anywhere in the country. The Malaysian Film Censorship Board felt it was “more pornography than a movie.”

The various stages of being >> ANIME single on Valentine’s Day CONTINUED FROM PAGE B4

It’s just one day of the year. It won’t be that bad!

2. Indifference.

Who needs love, anyway?

ONLINE ONLY Video

the employees almost kicked us out. I think her laugh is one of those things that will always be stuck in my memory. I don’t think I ever heard her laugh more than I did on that day.

CAMPUS

1. Denial.

Follow reporter Natalie Keller on Twitter @Natalie_Keller

of of

Arby’s on the way back to our cabin. My brother was goofing off and telling jokes. I don’t even remember what the jokes were now, but we all got involved and we were all laughing pretty hard after a few minutes. Except for my mother... she was laughing so hard she was crying. She had this huge, explosive laugh that just jumped out of her mouth.

Her laughing spell made all of us laugh even harder and eventually we were all in tears. We were drawing so much attention that

EntertainmentOverview

STATE in real life was too much to handle.

We, as students at the University of South Dakota, need to fight this norm. At the end of the day, do you feel more fulfilled by what happened on Facebook or the time you spent with friends?

If you’re lonely, put yourself out there. College is what you make of it. Meet people on your dorm floor, invite classmates to basketball games and join clubs on campus. Sometimes you need to be uncomfortable before finding something truly worthwhile.

And I promise, being uncomfortable by putting yourself out there will bring a whole lot of happiness down the road in life.

as a result, and not letting it ruin my life essentially, even though in some ways it kind of did. It really sucked. The fact that I’m still in school and doing well is just amazing, and I’m so proud of myself.

3. Annoyance.

Look at all of those couples being cute and stuff. It’s disgusting!

ONLINE ONLY Full Verve list with the last four stages of being single on Valentine’s Day.

volante online. com

Toledo said there is something everyone can find to love about anime.

“There is literally something for everyone, and I’m shocked that more people aren’t into it,” Toledo said. “If they are, they’re not ready to admit it for some reason. It’s fantastic, and I think there’s a story for any kind of person. I hope that people just give it a chance at some point.”

Cunningham added anime is so diverse it can reach a wide audience.

“Anime is for everyone,” Cunningham said. “I think deep down, everyone could find an anime that they like...

It’s pretty diverse and exciting, sad, scary, funny — it’s all out there.”

Moody said one of her favorite things about anime is how philosophical it can be.

“It’s got a lot of deep stories, and that’s what a lot of people can be surprised about, that there can be deep stories in cartoons,” Moody said.

Follow reporter Megan Street on Twitter @MeganStreet2014

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THE VOLANTE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

Adviser pushes students to new heights Hackemer inspires others to pursue new professional avenues Brandon Phromanny

Brandon.Phromanny@coyotes.usd.edu

Susan Hackemer, associate director of the University of South Dakota’s Honors Program, goes beyond the usual role of an academic adviser.

Hackemer, who has worked in the Honors department since 1999, said she encourages students to challenge themselves to go beyond their limits to thrive in college.

“It’s nature to take the easy course,” she said.

Hackemer said the Honors Program offers more than a rigorous education — it also provides resources that help fulfill long-term goals.

“It exists to take students that have real academic-type focus, motivation and talent and provide them with opportunities that improve their existing skills,” Hackemer said.

When working with students, she offers multiple options for students to prepare for their career path by connecting them with the right resources.

Hackemer said it is common for students to struggle with an academic career path, but she often fixes that problem by suggesting ideas to students on where they could gain experience, like internship possibilities overseas.

Senior Mitchell Wagner had the opportunity to complete an internship in Ger-

many during his junior year of college, studying computer science and electrical engineering. His knowledge of such a program didn’t exist until Hackemer pointed it out to him.

“If she hadn’t emailed me, I wouldn’t have known about the program and wouldn’t have gone,” Wagner said.

The program suited Wagner’s academic interests as well as his interest in German culture.

“In my sophomore year, I took German and I fell in love with the language. One day, I got an email from Susan telling me about an internship over there that I could apply for,” Wagner said.

Wagner isn’t the only Honors student who studied overseas. Sophomore Joshua Arns studied climate change in the United Kingdom last summer.

“I enjoyed myself — I met some great people and experienced new things,” Arns said.

He said it was never his plan to study abroad, but Hackemer sent him an application for the program, and his mind was changed.

“During the application process, I was confused about what to do with my future, but she helped guide me through the process and gave me what I wanted,” Arns said.

Both Wagner and Arns agreed their overseas experiences were life changing, and

MIRANDA LETCHER I THE VOLANTE

Susan Hackemer is the associate director of the Honors Program at the University of South Dakota and has worked in the department since 1999.

that it’s important for all students to consider studying or working abroad.

“Living abroad for a year gives you a new perspective on how you and other people live,” Wagner said.

Arns appreciated the experience because of how it gave him an outside perspective of the country.

“I hope to do it again next year,” Arns said.

Hackemer said Honors students working with and

supporting one another are qualities that make the Honors Program stand out as a chance for everyone to succeed, rather than being an academic competition.

“The students push each other in healthy ways. There isn’t a lot of grade competition because there are no rankings in college, so the competition is quite healthy,” Hackemer said. “It’s observing one another, supporting one another.”

Hackemer said another standout quality of the program is how welcome it is to students who want to better their academic career from observing the success and opportunities of other students.

“When a student sees somebody who has earned a cool internship, or study abroad, they compare themselves to that person and they often think ‘I can do that. He’s not that much different than I

am. Why am I not trying to do that,’” Hackemer said.

Helping students who are unhappy with their academic situation and desire the tools for a more promising future is a process that never gets old for Hackemer.

“Making students believe that anything’s possible might help them get there,” Hackemer said.

Follow reporter Brandon Phromanny on Twitter @BrandonPhromann

High school entrepreneur to open clothing store, business becoming increasingly popular locally

MIKKELLE CARLSON I THE VOLANTE

Chloe Nielsen, a Vermillion high school senior, is opening her own clothing store March 19. Nielsen’s stock of clothing is currently stored at her house until she can move into the physical store.

Malachi Petersen

Malachi.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu

Chloe Nielsen, 17, takes college courses at the University of South Dakota and believes her thoughts are more business-oriented than the usual senior in high school.

The main reason for this is because she started her own online clothing boutique and will soon be opening a physical store in Vermillion, called Chlotique.

“I’ve always had the idea of it,” Nielsen said. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in fashion.”

To start her business, Nielsen first went to her mother, Tamie, to get funding for the venture. Convincing her to help her get a loan wasn’t easy.

Tamie said she first thought her

daughter was going through a “phase” when she talked about starting a business.

“She’s always talked about doing something in retail, and when she really started talking seriously about it I actually just kind of brushed it off for a good year,” Tamie said.

“Her persistence is really what finally made me decide to give her a chance.”

Tamie said the family comes from a business background and owns auto glass businesses in Sioux Falls and Vermillion. The family moved to Vermillion from Irene, S.D., in April, but has owned the Fast Auto Glass shop in town since 1993.

“We do have that business background, so that helps,” Tamie said. “She obviously needs a mentor. She needs

“We’re from such a small town, but you don’t have to go to big places to do big things.”

-Teagan McNary, first-year someone to help her and to guide her.”

Tamie said she expected her daughter to run the online store until she graduated from high school this spring, but when the owners of the Vermillion Liquor Store decided to change locations, the Nielsens decided to lease the location.

“That kind of sped up the process of moving from the online to the actual brick-andmortar business,” Tamie said.

Nielsen said the opening date for the store is March 19.

Until the opening, the Nielsens

will be busy moving merchandise from their home to the store.

“We have a spare room where we’ve kept all of our stuff, but now that we’re moving into a store our whole house is just overtaken by boxes of clothes,” Nielsen said.

The boutique offers an array of clothing and accessories for all women which vary in price from $15 to $200.

“It’s a wide variety — it’s not just stuff for younger women.

It kind of includes all age ranges,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen said the goal of the store is to grow Chlotique’s clientele and maybe expand into toddler sizes. After the store opens she plans to work at the store along with her mother and will hire one or two employees.

“I plan to be in the store, and I also plan to take some business classes part time at the U,” Nielsen said.

First-year Teagan McNary said she knew Nielsen in high school and recently bought a $45 sweater from Chlotique.

“In general that’s a really

good price,” McNary said. “She offers clothes for all sizes of girls, so that’s really cool, too.”

McNary said the opening of the physical store is encouraging, and she knows many people from the high school and around town who are excited to see a local resident open a business.

“I feel like it’s almost like an inspiration to people,” McNary said. “We’re from such a small town, but you don’t have to go big places to do big things.”