Sports, B1
News, A8
Settling In
Just Dance!
Dakotathon is raising the bar and partying until dawn for Children’s Miracle Network.
The Volante
International studentathletes adjust to Midwestern life through their sports.
APRIL 8, 2015
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
Tuition rising five percent across the state Nathan Ellenbecker
Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu
Students at the University of South Dakota will pay more out-of-pocket after an increase of tuition and fees was approved last week by the South Dakota Board of Regents. USD will see a yearly cost increase of about $435 per student, or about 5.4 percent. The average increase across the regental system was $455.76
yearly, or 5.8 percent. Jack Warner, executive director of the SDBOR, said he has not received much student feedback regarding the increase. He attributes the low amount of complaints or concerns to student governments already igniting conversations on campus about increases to tuition and General Activity Fees. “We never like raising tuition and fees,” Warner said. “We understand the impact, particu-
larly on students struggling to make tuition bills. So, that’s what made it important to see what was driving the increase and going from there.” The incentives behind the increase were a two percent market movement, state salary policy and reorganization of other state employee classifications. One percent of the increase will be used to increase the salary pool, which is a state requirement to balance the cost of
employees supported through tuition and fees. A lack of state funding for higher education also added to the increase. “There are a number of fixed costs that impact tuition and fee rates. Those cost drivers necessitate these rate adjustments, especially when additional state revenue is not available to us,” SEE RISE, PAGE A6
COYOTES ON BABY PATROL
JOSIE FLATGARD I THE VOLANTE
Senior Shana Boger interacts with two children in the Vucurevich Childcare Center. Boger works 20 to 25 hours per week, gaining experience for future opportunities upon graduating, no matter the field.
Students balance class work with childcare experiences Josie Flatgard
Josie.Flatgard@coyotes.usd.edu
Junior Jessie Miller has been working at daycares for all three years of her college career. “I just really love children, so I’ve just always wanted to work with them,” Miller said. “I connect really well with them, and so one of the only places
that you can work with them and not have a degree is in a daycare.” At the Vucurevich Childcare Center — the University of South Dakota’s daycare center— she is able to float amongst the varying age groups, helping kids refine their motor skills, teaching manners and how to interact with other children appropriately, and the
basics like colors, numbers and words at the preschool level. “I get to see different ages, so like their developmental and learning abilities so I think that’ll be important with social work,” Miller said. Dawna Andersen has been the SEE KIDS, PAGE A8
.
volanteonline com
SGA gives more funds to student organizations through GAF Phil Millar
Phillip.Millar@coyotes.usd.edu
Student Government Association President Sami Zoss is excited to see what student organizations will do with the new money available through the General Activities Fees increase approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents last week. “With the GAF increase, it’s really exciting, we had an extra $50,000 to allocate between large and small organizations,” Zoss said. Zoss said large organizations will see the bigger increase, but small organizations will get their share as well. “I’m excited to see what our large orgs are going to do, because they are the ones obviously getting the biggest increase. But then even our small orgs,” Zoss said, “We gave them the ZOSS max amount. We can only increase, per our bylaws, 10 percent, so we gave them a 9.9 percent increase.” SGA Business Manager Emily Van Laecken said there is a process to go through before getting money from SGA. “(Organizations) basically come in and talk about their requests and what they asked for and why, and then after we have talked to them, the budget committee meets as a whole and talks about all the different requests and then looks at how much we were allocated through GAF, and then kind of breaks it down depending on the number the organization reaches,” Van Laecken said. Diego Marquez, a member of the budget committee, wants students to know their organizations could receive funding from SGA. “I think it’s really important for students to know that this is a thing, because I don’t think a lot of students in student organizations knew that they could be budgeted if they just adjust their constitutions,” he said. Van Laecken said that if student organizations follow SGA’s fiscal guidelines and bylaws, they need to attend a budget seminar and complete a budget request form to become funding eligible. The amount of funding awarded depends on what type of organization they are, she said. “Depending on whether they’re a small org or a large org or a club sport, then we decide how much to allocate them,” Van Laecken said. Zoss said the GAF increase gives SGA more freedom in allocating funds. “It’s just really nice because we have organizations doing some great things,” Zoss said. “So it’s helping us not to limit these organizations and what they can do and the reach that they have.” Follow reporter Phillip Millar on Twitter @PhilMill15
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