04.22.20

The Volante W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 2 0

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

VERVE (A5)

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

SPORTS (A6)

USD students, faculty make masks for those in need

Seniors reflect on Coyote track and field careers

PAGE A5

PAGE A6

The USD Mask Task Force, a group of students and faculty, is making and giving out masks to Vermillion residents and those who live in the surrounding area. Read more about what the task force is doing on A5.

Emilee Shostrom and Ellie Wilson reflect back on their time as Coyotes as their final year is cut short. Read about their decisions to move on and what being a Coyote meant to them on page A6.

NEWS (A1-A3)

DAKOTATHON COMBINES WITH STATE-A-THON FOR FIRST-EVER VIRTUAL DANCE MARATHON

File Photo | The Volante

South Dakota Dance Marathon took place on Saturday via Facebook. This was the first virtual dance marathon.

Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

Dakotathon and State-A-Thon put aside the USD and SDSU rivalry to combine fundraising forces for this year’s virtual dance marathon.

Together as South Dakota Dance Marathon, they raised $242,605.20 for Children’s Miracle Network.

The virtual dance marathon took place on Facebook and featured videos from miracle families and dances performed throughout the day.

The event started at 10 a.m. with words from Dean of Students Kim Grieve. Later at 11 a.m., members of South Dakota Dance Marathon came together via Zoom to show their morale dance.

Ryan Scholten, Co-Dakotathon overall chair, said transitioning online was challenging

since there was limited time to plan. He said while it was difficult, not having an event wasn’t really an option.

“We felt the message that we share and the impact we provide for countless people was still incredibly important and we decided to go ahead and try to deliver the event virtually,” Scholten said in an email interview with The Volante. “We are still focusing on providing a life-changing and impactful event for the students of USD and the families we benefit.”

While Dakotathon usually has a fundraising goal, Regan Jensen, Co-Dakotathon overall chair, said this year they wanted to focus on the event itself.

“We know that people are having troubles financially right now. And we understand that obviously, it can be more difficult to fundraise in a climate like this,” Jensen said. “Our goals mainly are just to get people involved and

Vermillion mayor, USD alumnus Jack Powell passes Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

After a five-year battle with cancer, Mayor John E. (Jack) Powell, retired USD professor and Vermillion, passed away on Monday, April 20.

Powell was elected mayor in 2010 after serving three terms on the city council, according to the Vermillion Plain Talk.

He was elected again in 2014 and 2018, serving the city for a total of 20 years.

Powell received his master’s degree in mathematics from USD where he taught Operations Management, Production and Operations Management and Management Information Systems at the Business School, according to his obituary in the Plain Talk. Powell taught at USD for

45 years until his retirement in 2007.

Powell advocated for many public works projects in his career, including the construction of power lines to the Spirit Mound power station, a plan to expand the Vermillion public library and a plan to levy a malt beverage tax to help fund the Prentis Plunge swimming pool.

Powell planned to resign as mayor due to his health issues but passed away before he could read his letter of resignation at Monday’s city council meeting. The letter explained Powell’s cancer became incurable and though he would be stepping down as mayor, he and his wife Lisa Ketcham would continue to do all they could to serve the city of Vermillion.

File Photo | The Volante

The virtual dance marathon raised $242,605.20 for the Children’s Miracle Network.

excited about our cause and aware of all of the great things that CMN provides to our families.”

While the world slows down due to COVID19, Scholten said the fight for the kids has not.

The battle to cure childhood illness is a long endeavor, he said and is especially important now.

“The families and their miracle children continue to have the same medical needs regardless of whether or not we can meet in-person for the event,” Scholten said. “The fight these kids are going through has not (slowed down). Particularly considering the number of miracle kiddos that have respiratory diseases or are immunocompromised, the dollars going to support CMN are more important now than ever.”

Collaborating with State, Jensen said, was a little odd at first, considering most people on the exec teams were meeting for the first time

online to put together the event. Overall, she said having both schools work together was a good experience.

“It went exponentially better than I could have ever expected,” Jensen said. “State has an amazing team and I’m very, very glad we got to work with them. I think it’s a unique experience for this year’s Dakotathon.”

Both co-chairs said collaborating with State offered new perspectives and opportunities to try new things that hadn’t been done before.

Scholten said he hopes this is only the first collaboration Dakothon and Statathon can do.

The virtual event was overall very successful, Scholten said, despite a few technological difficulties.

“As long as we can change but one person’s life with this event, we will have surpassed any goal I could have for us,” Scholten said.

Campus dining switches to take-out only dining model Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

Since classes have been moved online, USD has provided take-out meals to students. Planning for summer and fall dining options, however, is still ongoing as USD evaluates how to proceed through the pandemic.

Residential Dining adjusted its hours after its reopening on March 15 to 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. for brunch and 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. for dinner. All self-service food stations, like the salad bar,

have been removed to comply with social distancing guidelines and meals are served in to-go containers. The current dining model will continue until the end of the semester.

Students who remained on campus after spring break will not be refunded for their meal plans despite the change in dining.

John Howe, Associate Dean of Students, said the university has not decided whether to extend this current dining model into the summer.

“USD recently decided to

cancel or move online summer camps hosted on campus,” Howe said in an email interview with The Volante. “Decisions regarding summer dining options are still pending” Howe also said plans concerning fall semester dining in the event the pandemic continues are still being formulated and evaluated.

This is an ongoing situation, The Volante will continue to update this story as updates become available.

South Dakota primary set for June, absentee voting available South Dakota elected officials are mailing out applications for absentee ballots for the upcoming June 2 primary election to ensure all residents are able to exercise their right to vote.

Applications will be mailed this week, April 17-24. Voters are encouraged to complete and submit the application as soon as possible, however, applications will be accepted until June 1.

Applications either need to be notarized or include a photocopy of an acceptable photo identification card, according to state law. Acceptable ID includes South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver ID card, tribal photo ID, passport, other picture ID issued by the United States or current student photo ID issued by South Dakota high school or postsecondary education institution.

If voters do not have access to a photocopier, they can take a photo on their phone and email it to their county auditor.

As of right now, in-person voting is still scheduled for June 2, but increased absentee voting can help ensure voters’ safety.

Information from: The Black Hills Pioneer

Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

South Dakota’s primary election will take place on June 2 this year.

In response to the continued rise in COVID-19 cases, legislation was prompted earlier this month — making this the first time residents will receive absentee ballots via mail.

The application for absentee voting is now officially open.

Every South Dakotan will receive an application in the mail in the coming weeks.

Those who have already requested an absentee ballot will not receive an application in the mail.

Although this is the first time applications are being mailed to residents, Jason Luz, South Dakota’s deputy secretary of state, said in an interview with KELO Land News,

the absentee voting has been available to residents for decades.

After the application form is completed, the individual must submit it to the county auditor.

If it’s not submitted, Lutz said that individual will not receive an absentee ballot.

As of right now, Secretary of State Steve Barnett said in an Argus Leader article, South Dakota is still planning on having in-person voting on June 2.

Barnett said he expects more absentee voting this year, but said the state encourages residents to practice their right to vote, whether in person or absentee.

“Part of it depends on where we’re at on June 2 in this pandemic,” Barnett said. “Cases are going to go up. Are people going to be comfortable to go exercise their constitutional right?”

South Dakota’s primary election date falls right before South Dakota

is projected to hit its peak in COVID19 cases. Because of this, Barnett said polling stations will look a little different. More cleaning measures will be put in place to ensure voter safety.

Barnett said right now they are looking for backup poll workers, as many poll workers are older than age 60, putting them higher at risk.

Each polling station needs at least three workers for election day.

Barnett said he is expecting some of the current workers to drop out because of COVID-19 risks, which is why they are looking for backup workers.

Absentee applications are now open and are due by 1 p.m. on June 1. In person registration closes on May 28. Even if voters request an absentee ballot and later decide to vote in person, they can go to the polls and cast their votes.

News

A2 Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Volante I volanteonline.com

50 YEARS OF CHARLIE

Peyton Beyers I The Volante

Charlie Coyote, USD’s mascot, turned 50-years-old on Tuesday, April 21.

CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE >> April 13 - April 18

2

hit and run accidents

Apr. 13 Officers responded to a request for a welfare check. Officers determined the person did not need law enforcement assistance.

Apr. 13 Officers responded to a medical emergency at a residence.

Apr. 13 Officers investigated a report of theft from a gas station. Investigation continues.

Apr. 13 Officers investigated a hit and run accident in a private parking lot. No injuries were reported.

Apr. 13 Officers performed a welfare check on a person who was experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers determined a medical emergency was occurring in the home when they arrived and they forced entry into the home. The victim was transported to a medical facility.

Apr. 13 Officers investigated a report of a hit and run accident in a private parking lot. Officers collected witness statements and the investigation continues.

2

1

welfare checks

Apr. 13 Officers took a report of lost jewelry.

Apr. 14 Officers were patrolling in the early morning and discovered a business that had its lights on during hours in which it typically does not have them on.

A check of the property revealed no obvious signs of criminal activity.

Apr. 15 Officers investigated an abandoned 911 call at a residence. It was determined no emergency existed.

Apr. 15 Officers investigated a noise complaint of a loud party at an apartment complex. Officers encountered numerous underage people who had been consuming alcohol at the party, including two juveniles.

Officers issued citations for underage drinking. One adult male was charged with noise violations and providing alcohol to juveniles.

Apr. 16 Officers responded to a report of a public disturbance outside of a business. Caller reported that a male was intoxicated and drinking

theft

outside of the business.

Officers identified the person and referred them for appropriate charges.

Apr. 16 Officers responded to a non-injury car accident. One driver was ticketed for failing to stop from a privet drive.

Apr. 16 Officers were called to a residence to remove a belligerent and unwanted person from the home.

Apr. 16 Officers responded to a call of two juvenile brothers fighting. The

investigation did not find any reason for charges.

Apr. 17 Officers stopped a vehicle that was driving down a dark street with no headlights on.

The driver was arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.

Apr. 17 Officers responded to a call of a male acting strangely and taking a car. The car was later returned, but the male was not found.

SGA passes appeals, approves Senate Bill 01 Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

As the budget season continues, the Student Government Association saw two financial appeals from large student organizations. The body also discussed and passed Senate Bill 1, which has seen multiple amendments since its introduction.

Dakotathon, which was denied large organization status at last week’s meeting, appealed to SGA to regain its past large organization status. Ryan Scholten, External Co-Chair of Dakotathon, said last year, Dakotathon raised over Miles Amende I The Volante $208,000 for the Sanford Children’s Hospital and included 787 partici- SGA President Abuk Jiel speaks at the pants, making it the largest student SGA meeting on Tuesday evening. organization by participants in the Board of Regents system.

The language in the request likened Dakotathon has held large organizaperformer compensation to “prize tion status since 2013 and spent 99% money.” SGA fiscal guidelines prevent of its large organization budget in the SGA from purchasing or reimbursing 2018-2019 semesters. awards and gifts, so the request was “I know it’s important that (SGA denied. The discussion at Tuesday’s puts) the GAF funding that it gets to meeting resolved the nature of the the most important use and to provide language and the appeal was passed with the biggest impact to (its) constitua vote of 17 yes, three no and two abstenents,” Scholten said. “The reach of tions.

Dakotathon on this campus is huge and SGA also voted on Senate Bill 01, it’s something that definitely would be which has been amended multiple times hurt if our funding is to be restricted.” since its introduction. The final iteration The appeal was passed with a vote of the bill requires organizations who of 18 yes and five no, officially making receive funding from SGA to attend one Dakotathon a large organization once “organizational development workshop” again. each semester, a newer, broader category The Tiospaye Student Council of event which includes previous events appealed for a fiscal guideline exceplike Campus Leaders Mixers. tion in order to host their Wacipi “All we’re doing is allowing Student celebration, the organization’s premier Affairs to facilitate any organizational cultural event. The TSC was origidevelopment workshop, because othernally denied the extra money to host wise they would only be able to do the event because the SGA finance CLMs,” senator Logan Johnson said. committee believed the language in Senate Bill 01 passed unanimously, their request for funding conflicted making it the first new bill of the Jielwith SGA’s fiscal guidelines.

Larson administration.

The Volante Volume 145, N0. 24 April 22, 2020 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller Mission statement The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students. Faculty, staff and community members are welcome readers, but the newspaper is written and presented for a diverse community of students from the students’ point of view. The paper should provide a variety of information, entertainment and educational opportunities for the readers. The Volante encourages everyone to write letters to the editor.

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

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

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

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

Lexi Kerzman editor-in-chief Sara Cappiello managing editor Nik Wilson news editor Miles Amende news assistant Bailey Zubke sports editor Madilyn Sindelar sports assistant Peyton Beyers photo editor Alison Boysen opinion editor Leah Dusterhoft executive designer Tori Harwell page designer Lauren Johnson page designer Heidi Schneider social media director DeAndre Hill social media assistant Jackson Sadler advertising manager

A3 Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Local businesses aim to hire amid COVID-19 Nik Wilson

Nikolas.Wilson@coyotes.usd.edu

With COVID-19 limiting restaurants to carry out orders and deliveries, the hours for current employees at some establishments have been shorted.

For Pizza Ranch in Vermillion, assistant manager Cody Jennings said they’re open to adding new employees.

“A lot of people obviously aren’t working the hours that they usually would be, so we’re going to continue to hire as normal as we would if COVID-19 wasn’t going on,” Jennings said.

While Pizza Ranch and other businesses push through the pandemic, Jennings said he anticipates an influx of people once COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror.

“Once this all clears up, we’re going to have a lot of people, a lot of college kids nonetheless come back and just a lot of people that will still have their job, be able to come back and work,” Jennings said. “As far as hiring, we’re going to treat it just like we would if COVID-19 wasn’t going on.”

Vermillion’s Mexico Viejo has cut hours for some of its staff, Melanie Magana, a server at the restaurant, said.

Mexico Viejo usually has two cooks working during lunch and dinner shifts, Magana said, but lately, they’ve operated with just one cook.

Three to five servers typically would work at once, depending on whether they were running a weekend or weekday shift, as well as a hostess on the weekends.

Now, they have one server for each lunch and dinner shift on the weekdays and two servers on Fridays and Saturdays, Magana said.

As for job openings, Magana said there’s a possibility new positions could open up after COVID-19.

“I believe we will have the same amount of employees that we did before everything happened,” Magana said. “There could be new positions open, just like a few more servers, or maybe a dishwasher or cook.”

News

Submitted Photo | The Volante

USD’s physical therapy prorgram are keeping students on track to graduate during online learning.

Physical therapy students on schedule to graduate after COVID-19 Lauren Johnson

Lauren.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Pizza ranch is remaining open for delivery and carry-out during the COVID-19 pandemic and is planning to hire new employees.

Summer camps, conferences canceled in response to COVID-19 Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

USD announced on Friday all summer camps are canceled— including American Legion Auxiliary South Dakota Girls State, originally scheduled for June 1 through 6, Despite the cancellation, all participants will receive a certificate of achievement and according to the press release, will be invited to the banquet scheduled for the fall.

ALA South Dakota Girl State is for high school juniors to learn about civic engagement and had around 440 girls enrolled for this year’s camp, according to the press release.

David Earnest, the chair of the USD Department of Political Science and W.O. Farber Center said as Girls State is founded in leadership and helping the community and the safety of all was their main reason for canceling.

“While no one wanted this cancellation, the health and safety of everyone, from delegates to counselors and speakers, must be our top priority,” Earnest said in the press release. “This

year, the best service we can provide our delegates and community is to avoid unnecessary risks.”

According to the press release, those students who were enrolled for Girls State now have the option to enroll in the State and Local Government course through remote learning.

All other in-person camps and conferences have been canceled through July due to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.

Despite the fluid situation, according to the press release, USD still anticipates a return to normal classes for the fall semester and is preparing for students’ return.

“We are disappointed we won’t be able to gather together at a camp or conference this summer, however, our top concern is the well-being of our communities,” said USD President Sheila Gestring. “We are grateful to everyone who has put in several hours planning these events and look forward to next summer’s programming.”

Some of the canceled programs have been moved to an online format.

The Volante | volanteonline.com

USD’s physical therapy program is making sure students learn the necessary skills while staying on track to graduate despite transitioning to online learning.

USD’s physical therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The commission establishes the minimum standards and elements of knowledge PT students need to graduate.

Patti Berg Poppe, professor and chair of the physical therapy department, said third-year students were in their fifth and final clinical rotation when USD moved to remote learning options.

CAPTE communicated minimum criteria for clinical education completion including the number of weeks, level of assessed competence on a clinical performance instrument

and diversity of collective clinical experiences, Poppe said.

“Because USD Physical Therapy curriculum well exceeds minimum expectations,” Poppe said in an email interview with The Volante. “Our students were well-positioned to easily meet these expectations.”

Poppe said to minimize health risks to the students and those educating them, the department chose to pull third-year students from clinical experiences.

“These students exceeded minimum expectations set by our accrediting agency,” Poppe said. “They will graduate on a typical timeline.”

Poppe said faculty have been working to generate videos of hands-on techniques and skills and voice-over audio presentations to support asynchronous formats.

The department has also used synchronous sessions for active learning sessions, guest presenters, structured question/ answer and review sessions and demonstrations.

“Our oral research presentations were moved to a virtual showcase session and will be distributed to clinicians and program stakeholders through ZOOM links,” Poppe said.

Some courses require students to demonstrate clinical reasoning skills with case patients or manual skills which can’t be delivered remotely with the reassurance the student is competent.

Poppe said for these courses students will be given grades of incompletes. The department is working on a timeline for handson intensive instruction.

Faculty has been working with the School of Health Sciences Dean and the Dean of the Graduate School and Academic Affairs leadership on solutions for shifting courses and moving clinical education to a later date.

“These efforts have been made to improve the likelihood of an on-time graduation for both our first-year and secondyear students,” Poppe said.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

USD faculty have been working to provide hands-on learning videos to students.

How Hy-Vee uses policy changes to protect customers and employees Nik Wilson

Nikolas.Wilson@coyotes.usd.edu

Heidi Schneider | The Volante

Coronavirus continues to spread in South Dakota Deandre Hill

Deandre.Hill@coyotes.usd.edu

South Dakota now has 1,755 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, according to the state’s health department. At least 65 people are currently being hospitalized and 824 people are recovering from the virus.

On April 21 there has been 71 new positive cases in South Dakota along with one new COVID-19 death, according to the Associated Press reports.

Currently a halfway house in Sioux Falls is on lockdown after 14 of their residents along with two employees contracted the coronavirus.

Minnehaha county still has the most cases of the coronavirus with 1,469 confirmed and Lincoln county following with 99 cases confirmed.

South Dakota’s Gov. Kristi Noem has been criticized for her stance on the stay-at-home order recommend by the government.

“I took an oath when I was in Congress, obviously, to uphold the constitution of the United States,” she said. “I believe in our freedoms and liberties. What I’ve seen across the country is so many people give up their liberties for just a little bit of security, and they don’t have to do that.”

The mayor of Sioux Falls, Paul TenHaken, called upon Noem to strengthen the existing orders to have closed schools, recreational areas and discouraged large gatherings such as in churches, and told people to stay at home.

While the Center for Disease and Control encourages people to self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, people still need food, water and other essential resources. With attention to CDC guidelines and adjusted store hours, Hy-Vee has made changes to protect employees and customers from COVID-19.

The CDC issued new guidelines last Wednesday, which encouraged pharmacy employees to wear medical masks during work. Christina Gayman, Director of Public Relations for Hy-Vee, said the company stays up to date on CDC recommendations.

“We began the process ... as soon as the protocol came out, so I know we’re hard at work to make that happen soon,” Gayman said.

Gayman said she is unsure when Hy-Vee locations will receive medical masks for their pharmacy team members.

In addition to pursuing masks for workers, Hy-Vee has also altered its store policies in response to the pandemic, which was announced in a press release three weeks ago, Gayman said.

From 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., the

Hy-Vee store in Vermillion, as well as other locations, are reserved for people over 60, expecting mothers and people who are at a higher risk of severe illness — these hour changes include the pharmacy.

“We’ve had really good feedback from our customers on (the policy),” Gayman said. “They appreciate the opportunity to shop during that time, especially if they are older or have an underlying health condition, so we’re doing what we can to keep everyone as safe as possible and the feedback has been positive.”

Adjusted store hours don’t just benefit the customers, Gayman said — the new hours also allow Hy-Vee to improve its cleanliness and give employees more time with their loved ones. “(The changes in store hours) was to give us more time to clean and sanitize and figure out what those procedures were going to be for our stores, but also to allow our employees to have more times with their family,” Gayman said. “A lot of our employees have kids. Kids are out of school.

They needed to figure out new childcare arrangements, that sort of thing, so we made those adjustments.”

Hy-Vee stores and their pharmacies have the ability to

adjust their hours as they see fit right now. In addition to new hours, Gayman said, Hy-Vee’s pharmacy family account is beneficial during this pandemic.

“You could easily add someone to your account so that you can pick up for one another and that can all be done through the Hy-Vee app or by calling the Hy-Vee pharmacy,” Gayman said.

The pharmacy family account existed prior to COVID-19, but Gayman said it has been helpful during the pandemic.

While changes have come in the form of new store hours and safety precautions, Gayman said Hy-Vee has not implemented any limits on the number of overthe-counter medicine customers can buy. Hy-Vee saw increases in purchases for over-the-counter medicine such as pain relievers like Tylenol and Ibuprofen in the last few weeks, Gayman said, but the company has kept up with the growing demand for medicine.

“I was in a Hy-Vee (last Thursday) and they were well stocked, so I think some of that has evened out, but we’re constantly receiving shipments at all of our stores, of all those items, and restocking every day,” Gayman said.

Opinion WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020

COVID-19 in communities of color

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Quarantine protests TORI HARWELL is a senior majoring in English.

MICCI ABBOTT is a graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling.

It’s no secret in black and brown communities, or to people external to those communities who are paying attention, the saying is true – when white people catch a cold, brown people get the flu.

Translated, this statement speaks to the fact that while economic downturn and changes in public health can mean severe suffering for white people, for brown people it more often means total ruin.

The continued prevalence of poorer health outcomes in brown communities speaks volumes; the quality of healthcare you receive in the United States depends on who you are, something that was already abundantly clear in a preCOVID-19 United States.

According to the Center for American Progress, the overall mortality rate of Black and Native American infants is double that of white infants. Black people are 50% less likely to receive mental health care than their white counterparts. White women are more likely to get breast cancer but brown women are more likely to die from it.

Now, amidst a worldwide pandemic, this disparity in successful care becomes even more pressing as data begins to surface of brown people in the United States dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than whites.

Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general, confirmed at a recent White House briefing that there is no scientific basis to indicate that brown people are, “biologically or genetically predisposed to get COVID-19.”

Despite this fact, the numbers are staggering.

In Chicago, 70 % of recorded COVID-19 deaths have been black people, despite them making up less than 30% of the city’s population. New York City officials have released data indicating Black and Latinx residents are dying at twice the rate of white residents. Blacks make up 32% of the population of Louisiana but have ac counted for over 70% of the state’s COVID-19 deaths.

Heidi Schneider I The Volante Coronavirus cases in South Dakota have increased from 14 on Mar 21 to 1755 on April 21.

Editorial: Governor Noem can do more

As the number of COVID19 cases climb around the country and specifically in South Dakota, it’s clear more needs to be done to combat this novel virus.

Ultimately, the person who can exercise the most power in our state government is Gov. Kristi Noem, but she hasn’t been doing enough to protect the people living in her state.

While we can all do our part to stay home, it’s evident there are thousands of people who think their rights are being infringed on. Instead of seeing it as life-saving and ensuring that your community stays healthy, many are taking to their capitol buildings to protest shelter-in-place orders.

Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken asked Gov. Noem earlier this month for a shelterin-place order for Minnehaha and Lincoln counties due to the quick spread of COVID-19 in the area and the Smithfield processing plant hotspot.

Noem denied the request and has repeatedly said the state of South Dakota will not have such an order in

place because “The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety.”

While it’s important to make sure our freedoms as American citizens are being protected, we need to recognize when we need to make individual sacrifices for others. While healthcare professionals are making huge sacrifices, others are simply upset that they can’t walk around without a mask.

It seems silly to be upset about wearing protective masks during a worldwide pandemic, doesn’t it?

We need a leader who is willing to take charge in a crisis and make educated decisions on how to best serve the state.

The only real action Noem has taken so far is working with Sanford Health to use an antimalarial drug in trials across the state.

That drug, hydroxychloroquine, doesn’t seem to be promising.

According to an article from the Los Angeles Times, other countries like China, France and Brazil have already been using hydroxychloroquine

and haven’t had success with the drug. There were also patients on the medicine that developed other health issues because of its use.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Americans should be wary of this drug.

“We still need to do the definitive studies to determine whether any intervention, not just this one, is truly safe and effective,” Fauci said.

While it’s good that the state is doing research on a cure for COVID-19, if we’re going to do research it should be on a medicine that actually has the promise of saving lives.

Gov. Noem can do more for her constituents, and we’ve seen that social distancing can save lives and prevent the spread of this virus.

The majority of states have already put shelter-in-place orders in effect. Let’s see some real action of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our state.

ONLINE ONLY

Find more opinions on our website.

Read more about COVID-19’s impact on communities of color.

Follow us on Twitter @VolanteOpinion

volanteonline. com

volanteonline.com

ONLINE ONLY

Polls • Overheards • Columns

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

Context is for suckers.

EDITORIAL BOARD Lexi Kerzman, editor-in-chief

Ali Boysen, opinion editor

Sara Cappiello, managing editor

Tori Harwell, opinion presentation editor

“I don’t wanna throw up tonight but I think I might.”

— Shriner Street

“I would sell my left breast for a Wii right now.”

— Duke Street

“I really may puke but I want another shot of tequila.”

— Clark Street

“It only took eight minutes, including drive time.”

— Fargo

“What did you cry about today? One Direction or Steve Irwin?”

volanteonline. com

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

“Oh yay we’re drinking again!”

— Stanford Street

Read more about why people need to stop protesting quarantine.

The Volante

OVERHEARDS

— Elm Street

Anti-social distancing and anti-stay-at-home order rallies have been popping up around the nation in the last week. There have been planned protests in Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, California and Minnesota.

Please think about what you’re doing. These protests themselves could cause a surge in the spread of the virus. The Pennsylvania gathering alone drew around 2,000 people. Large gatherings have been banned for a reason.

It’s not safe.

Stay-at-home orders are meant to protect us and are essential to slowing the spread of the virus.

Some Facebook groups have made event pages for their rallies, sharing memes and informational posts that are inaccurate and downplaying the seriousness of the situation.

President Trump has also tweeted in support of the Michigan anti-quarantine protests.

These protests need to stop.

Yes, the country must open back up eventually, and it will slowly when it’s safe to do so. But we’re at the height of danger right now.

In fact, many officials believe the pandemic is going to get worse than it is right now.

“Bottom line, it’s going to get worse,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said 70% of Germany’s population could become infected.

A forecast produced by Professor James Lawler of the University of Nebraska Medical Center on behalf of the American Hospital Association predicted the United States’ potential death toll to be at hundreds of thousands of efforts to slow the virus fail.

CDC director Tom Frieden also says worst-case scenario, half of the country’s population could become infected and more than one million people would die.

It’s clear this pandemic is far from over — and even when the quarantine ends, we’ll still face the challenges the virus has created for us. The statistics above are predictions, but we can avoid these worst-case scenarios if we take the right steps to slow the spread of the virus.

Bailey Zubke, sports 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: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 Fax to: 605.677.5105 Email to: volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our website: volanteonline.com The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

Verve

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

SENIOR MUSIC STUDENTS PERFORM FINAL RECITALS REMOTELY Sara Cappiello

Sara.Cappiello@coyotes.usd.edu

Sara Cappiello | The Volante

Dominick McClendon (left) and Bekah Bahn (right) peform solos at the Spring Choral Showcase, which was the last musical performance of the semester, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the end of the spring semester usually comes a variety of recitals and final performances for USD’s musicians. The practice rooms are full, the sounds of instruments tuning and voices warming up fill the halls and the anticipation for the end of the semester is in the air.

But this spring semester, the Warren M. Lee Fine Arts building will remain empty, as music students, along with the rest of USD, finish their semesters online. For seniors, this means finishing their final days at USD online.

While senior music students are usually required to prepare a recital for the end of their last semester, some students won’t have the opportunity.

Ivory DeHoed, senior education major, scheduled her flute and vocal recital towards the end of March.

Due to COVID-19 and switch to remote learning, DeHoed will be recording her recitals and submitting them online.

DeHoed said although it’s not the same experience as performing in front of a physical audience, performing via live stream is less nerve wracking.

“Although it does cause the quality of the sound to not be as good as it could be in person, and then of course there are the usual but hopefully not technical difficulties that may occur as well,” DeHoed said in an email interview with The Volante.

Recording performances, however does have its advantages, it’s nowhere near the same as performing for a live audience, Dominick McClendon, senior musical arts major said.

“You get audience feedback, immediately while performing

live,” McClendon said in an email interview with The Volante. “It also makes it easier to emote and truly perform. A live-streamed audience, however, is really not much different, you just can’t see the faces of your supporters.”

McClendon was not required to prepare a recital this spring, but he said he will be “attending” his fellow students’ recitals via Zoom and livestream.

As the semester is coming to a close in just a few weeks, this time of year can feel bittersweet for seniors, especially not being on the USD campus, DeHoed said.

“I feel as though I am missing the experience and adrenaline you get on campus when it is the final week, last day of the school year and even the last day as a college senior,” DeHoed said. “I was looking forward to getting to finish out my final year with all my friends and fellow classmates who I had been with since day one here at USD, but now we all will have to celebrate on our own.”

Not only are some students unable to perform their recitals they’ve been preparing for a planning for a live audience, but they also don’t have the opportunity to make music with each other.

“If I would have known that the last time I sang with a choir or playing in the band was going to be the last time I would in all of my college career, I would have cherished the moment a lot more,” DeHoed said.

As the last few weeks go by, McClendon said he is doing his best to stay motivated.

“My goal is to finish strong and keep my head up,” McClendon said.

“Times are hard for everyone and it’s tough to find work ethic, but we all just have to keep pushing.”

USD students, faculty make homemade face masks for those in need

Maddi Kallsen | The Volante

The Civic Council, one of Vermillion’s thrift shops, is closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

The USD Mask Task Force is made up of students and faculty. The team has made hundreds of masks for on-campus studetns and essential employees.

Chloe Fullenkamp

Chloe.Fullenkamp@coyotes.usd.edu

Students and faculty members at USD are breaking out the sewing machines to supply masks for the Vermillion community and surrounding areas.

The USD Mask Task Force has made hundreds of masks for on-campus students and essential employees — as well as distributing fabric masks to Vermillion residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

The task force consists of USD administrators such as Dean of Students Kim Grieve and faculty and staff who working with students and Vermillion community members to make masks.

Sara Lampert, associate professor of history, is one of the faculty members making fabric masks for the USD community.

“Right now I am coordinating distribution for the USD Mask Taskforce and focusing on supporting those needs,” Lampert said in an email interview with The Volante. “I knew that this was something I could do and a skill I had that could help make a small difference.”

Lampert started out making masks in late March for Avera hospitals due to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortage. Lampert has also made masks for family and friends.

“I try to sit down for a bit every

day and do a little here and there,” Lampert said. “There are women in our community who are working full time on an incredible scale producing masks for local social services.”

The USD Mask Task Force has had help from different departments to supply materials for the masks. The Athletic Department donated thousands of t-shirts and the Costume Shop in the Drama Department has also been churning out masks for the Task Force, Lampert said.

“I worked with (the task force) to set up a system using the MUC as a site where people can pick up T-shirts and drop off completed masks,” Lampert said.

All on-campus students and essential employees have been supplied with fabric masks. The task force is now working to distribute masks to the Vermillion community through the public library.

Though the USD task force is working within the Vermillion community, other students are reaching out in their own areas.

Junior nursing major, Brooke Simonson, has started making masks for family and friends in Jordan, Minn.

“I started making them because medical masks are hard to find, and I didn’t want to take any actual medical masks away from the hospitals or homes that need

them,” Simonson said in an email interview with The Volante.

Simonson has been sewing since she was little and found a YouTube video to guide her through the process of making a mask, she said.

She has also been helping those in need to stay safe and healthy in her community.

“I think offering to go grocery shopping for your elderly neighbors or those that you know are vulnerable would be a great idea,” Simonson said. “Just taking care of those around you and being kind could go a long way right now.”

There is a Facebook group, Lampert said, that is sharing materials and tips about mask making in Clay County.

“If you are in Clay County and can sew, join the Vermillion/Clay County DIY Mask Making group on Facebook,” Lampert said. “The group shares patterns, ideas, need and if you cannot sew, you can cut masks out of new, clean shirts.”

Lampert said although uncertainty is high during this time, there are still ways to give back to communities and those in need.

“There are so many unknowns that it is challenging, but we have to work for the greater good,” Lampert said.

Find more information about donating face masks and supplies on USD’s COVID-19 Task Force page.

Local thrift shops closed indefinitely Maddi Kallsen

Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and new city regulations, local thrift stores are closed indefinitely.

For the past three weeks, The Civic Council and New 2 You have been closed.

The Civic Council is a second hand, non-profit store that gives profit directly back to the Vermillion community. They frequently donate to the Vermillion Food Pantry, Relay for Life, The Giving Tree and Tanager Takeout. Due to the halt in business, The Civic Council is unable to donate at this time.

Wess Pravecek, an employee at The Civic Council said, the goal of The Civic Council is to give back to those in need.

“Everything we make here goes back into the community and right now, we’re pinching pennies,” Pravecek said.

No business means no income and for most local businesses, that is economically detrimental, Pravecek said.

“We will reopen as soon as we are able to, but right now we’re doing okay and staying busy.” Pravecek said.

To stay afloat, The Civic Council has qualified for the small business loan.

Since they are no longer taking donations, the employees are spending their working hours cleaning the inside of the store.

Pravecek said the Civic Council has gotten used to these changes as they had to adapt.

“We’re adapting okay. Now, We’re just cleaning the inside of the store,” Pravecek said.

Pravecek said they’re thankful for the Vermillion community and will let them know when the Civic Council is open again.

More information can be found on The Civic Council’s Facebook page.

Vermillion’s other thrift shop — New 2 You, is also seeing changes in their business.

New 2 You, a local secondhand store, is still selling furniture by appointment, but their store is closed. They are not taking donations.

“It’s been very hard to close a thriving business,” JoAnn Taylor, a worker at New 2 You, said.

Taylor said they are hoping to be open by May but it’s still unclear whether or not businesses will be able to reopen by May. “We’re just playing it by ear and seeing what happens,” Taylor said.

“Right now we’re being affected very highly by the economic crisis.”

Decisions on the new restrictions in place are all made by the government on national, state and local levels. Taylor said they are following all precautions in order to keep community members safe.

“Everybody be safe; the more we’re safe and distant, the faster this will end,” Taylor said.

Sports

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS

SENIORS REFLECT ON TRACK, FIELD CAREERS Madilyn Sindelar

Madilyn.Sindelar@coyotes.usd.edu

For senior track and field athletes Ellie Wilson and Emilee Shostrom, they knew their time at USD would run out after four years. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they were unable to finish their Coyote athletic careers as planned.

Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska Shostrom came into USD planning on graduating with an MBA after four years, meaning she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the fifth year now offered to spring athletes by the NCAA. “Ever since I came to USD I planned to do my undergrad in three years, and my grad in one year,” Shostrom said. “That’s what I did, I’m finishing out everything according to plan that way, sadly it didn’t work out.”

The decision was based on what Shostrom said would be best for her future in the workforce.

“I had to think about what was best for me and my career and beginning my career in operational analytics if I can get a job right now,” Shostrom said. “It is pretty difficult to find jobs right now, due to COVID-19 which is pretty stressful.”

However during her tenure competing as a Coyote, Shostrom was able to climb the Coyote top-10 in several events.

In weight throws her personal best, 56-4 from the 2019 indoor season ranks seventh in South Dakota program history. In the hammer throw, Shostrom sits at seventh on the Coyote top-10 as well with a length of 172-8. In discus the throw of 150-7 places Shostrom ninth in USD program history.

“I was coming off a good indoor season, I was really excited to throw my top event hammer, outdoor since we can’t throw hammer indoor and discus as well. It was looking like it was going to be a good season and I was looking forward to that,” Shostrom said, “I’m pretty sad I don’t get to do track for USD again.”

However, Shostrom said she is able to look back on her favorite memories with her team.

“I was able to throw in the elite section during senior day and was able to hit a big personal best of 63, which was pretty exciting to have all of my family and friends

there for that,” Shostrom said.

Shostrom said cheering her heart out for her teammate who had a chance of making the podium even though she didn’t final, shows how close the throws family is.

Shostrom said she. plans on using the valuable lessons she learned at USD, like hard work in her future career.

For classmate Wilson, she said she was forced to accept the fact her track career had come to an early close because she was admitted to Occupational Therapy school in the fall at the University of Kansas.

“I want to do pediatric occupational therapy and KU has a really good program and that’s been a goal of mine for a long time,” Wilson said.

While the Shawnee, Kansas native found the abrupt end to her career upsetting she knew it was the best for the health of others.

“It was upsetting but I understand completely, it was just hard for me personally because I’m moving on to a different stage of life after this and having to accept my time with my friends and coaches is over is difficult,” Wilson said.

“All the things I thought that I still had, like running a certain time, and now just having to accept that stage of life is over sooner than I thought it was going to be is hard,” While Wilson’s time athletically as a Coyote has concluded, her favorite memory comes from setting the school record in the 4×800 relay clocking in at 8:56.16 at the Drake Relays Invite.

Other top performances by Wilson include earning all Summit League honors as a member of the Coyotes third-place distance medley relay, clocking a personal best 2:14.95 to finish ninth in the open 800 meters and rallying 14 top-10 finishes during the 2018-19 season.

Wilson said her Coach Lucky Huber helped her throughout her career.

“They understood all this was really hard for us seniors, but I had this running joke with (Huber) because of this really cool old Coyote sweatshirt he had,” Wilson said.

“I would constantly bug him about it at practice every day. But when I went to say goodbye to him after I moved out he gave me the sweatshirt I’d bugged him about.

Knowing I can always count on him to keep in touch is great.”

File Photo | The Volante

Senior Emilee Shostrom finsihed her MBA in four year and is not taking the extra year of eligibity granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19. Her time at USD came to an abrupt end.

USD’s Jamaican track star shines as freshman Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

Rachel Bellwood | Summit League

Freshman Brithton Senior clears a hurdle at the Summit League Championships this spring.

Out of the 16 qualifying 60-meter hurdle competitors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field championship, there was one freshman, USD’s Brithton Senior.

Senior committed to USD from Jamaica and said what helped him make his decision was his coach Teivaskie Lewin, who is also from Jamaica. Lewin was USD’s first All-American at the Division I level and joined the USD track and field coaching staff in 2017. Senior said having his coach also be from Jamaica is something that eased the transition to USD. Senior had a successful indoor track season, but it wasn’t until the Summit League Championships he really shined. In the preliminaries of the 60-meter hurdles at the championships, Senior tied the indoor championship meet record. On the following day in the finals, Senior ran a 7.74, breaking the school and Summit League Championship

meet records.

That run also put him in a tie for 16 in the NCAA and the top 16 advances to the Indoor Championships. Senior was originally left off the qualifying list, but due to a scratch, it was added as the 16th runner.

Senior was joining four other Coyotes headed to the NCAA meet before it was canceled due to COVID-19. Senior said not getting to compete after getting in was disappointing. Luckily for Senior, he still has 3 more opportunities.

Senior said USD feels like home to him, so he doesn’t get home sick much, even though he is over 2,000 miles from home. He also said the winters are far too cold for his liking, but he’s okay with that.

Going forward, Senior said he wants to keep improving on his times and get another chance at the NCAA meet. He also said he hopes to finish out his career as a Coyote, then go professional in hurdles.

Coyote mens’ basketball seniors say farewell Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyote mens basketball team’s 2019-20 season ended not how they had hoped — losing in the first round of the Summit League Tournament and missing out on an opportunity to play in a postseason tournament.

Senior Triston Simpson finished up his four-year career with the Coyotes this season.

Simpson said the team had goals they didn’t accomplish but had accepted an invitation to a postseason tournament until it was canceled due to the COVID19 outbreak.

“Three days after our loss in the Summit League Tournament, we had some days off and we met as a team and we were going to accept an invitation to the CIT,” Simpson said.

Senior Tyler Hagedorn is finishing out his final year as a Coyote after being injured for the 2018-19 season. Both Hagedorn and Simpson endured injuries and a coaching change during their Coyote careers.

“My five years there could not have been crazier,” Hagedorn said. “My freshman year we played in the Dome for a season and obviously we played in the arena these last four seasons, which is a great place to play. It was quite the experience to play with two different coaching staffs, two different arenas. I had to sit

out a year due to injury in the middle of my career. With all of those things, it was definitely not the path I thought I would be taking.”

Hagedorn and Simpson are joined by three other seniors, Tyler Peterson, Brandon Armstrong and Cody Kelley. Each player has had unique experiences and journies to USD. Hagedorn said the group is unique in that they have a player from three different age groups.

“Cody Kelley graduted high school in 2014, I graduated in 2015 and Triston, Tyler Peterson and Brandon Armstrong graduated in 2016.,” Hagedorn said. “We definitely had some age between us, but we all finished up our last year of eligibility together. It was special to play with these guys.”

While both players didn’t get the ending to their Coyote careers they may have wanted, they both showed thankfulness for their time at USD. The five seniors played a majority of the minutes this season with four of them starting and one coming off the bench to play minutes. Both Hagedorn and Simpson said they expect Stanley Umude to have a great season next year as a senior. Simpson said there is a lot to look forward to for Coyotes.

“With the graduating class of five seniors, he will have the opportunity to put up even bigger numbers next year,” Simpson said. “One guy I think Coyote fans

R o

Madilyn Sindelar | The Volante

Senior Triston Simpson walks through a teammate tunnel with his family on Senior Day this season. will really like is Brady Heiman.

He transferred from Nebraska, and he is from Nebraska, so I knew him in high school a little bit. He is a legit 6-11 and he has good hands and will protect the rim really well.”

Both players are moving on from Coyote basketball, but plan to play professional basketball at some level. Simpson said he is in

the process of finding an agent while Hagedorn has selected an agent and has spoken with a pair of NBA teams already.

The Coyote seniors didn’t get the send-off they wanted, but three 1,000 point scorers and multiple 20-win seasons for this group is something they are proud of.

“I love these guys,” Simpson

said. “One thing we will always be able to look back and smile about our time here is that we left the program in a better place than when we got here. I’m not saying they weren’t good, but I would say in these last four years we have had some of our best Division I seasons and some exciting times at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.”