DAVID VS GOLIATH
Coyotes begin the season with offensive giant Oregon Aug. 30. PAGE A8
THE VOLANTE AUGUST 27, 2014
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
GREEKS ON THE MOVE
Students conduct brain research Malachi Petersen
Malachi.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Sophomore Alpha Phi member Vanessa Rise talks with first-year pledges Amanda Covert and McKayla Hermanson Thursday during bid day festivities.
Cristina Drey
Christina.Drey@coyotes.usd.edu
Sorority members and incoming first-year women at the University of South Dakota experienced a lightened load for the first week of classes in comparison to previous years with Fall Recruitment Week taking place the week before classes began. Amber Groh, director of Sorority and Fraternity Life with Student Services, said the change was made because the tradition of sorority recruitment taking place the first week presented many clashes with outside activities such as orientations and evening classes. Women interested in joining sororities in the past went through recruitment the first week of school during the evening. “We moved it to be before school to resolve those conflicts,” Groh said. “It gives the women a better opportunity to get into a chapter and get to know the organization.”
Early recruitment week lightens first week schedules for pledges and active members From Aug. 19-21, over 215 women interested in Greek Life participated in events to become familiar with the four sororities at USD and attempt to receive a bid in one. Of those women, approximately 150 received bids, Groh said. Brought forth by the Panhellenic Council made up of nine sorority members, the idea of changing the dates was approved last year. In the past, women entering the recruitment process paid a $10 registration fee. It was changed this year to $45 and included a t-shirt, meals and activities throughout the three days.
SEE BRAIN, PAGE A4
Multicultural center lands final location MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
SEE GREEK, PAGE A4
First-years Levi Foss and Caleb Rector play a game of bean bag toss Monday evening at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
USD buys drone as federal law remains in air Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the marketing department’s new drone. The University of South Dakota purchased its first unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, less than a month ago. The five-pound device is controlled by USD’s marketing and university relations staff and is the first to be used by a public university’s communication department in the state. “We just view it as another way to get photos. We’re not really seeing it as going somewhere we couldn’t go on the ground,” said Tena Haraldson, department director. Howard Thomas, USD’s digital strategist, flew the $1,300 drone
They might not be able to go to a physical location on campus, but the students who participated in the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research in Addiction (SPURA) are still working for a common cause. Throughout the summer, eight USD undergraduates participated in the 12 week program, which allowed students like junior Melissa Prince to conduct research focussing on things like substance abuse and related or underlying mental health issues. Students then presented their findings to a one-of-a-kind program found nowhere else in South Dakota — the Center for Brain and Behavioral Research’s (CBBRe) first research symposium. Prince’s research and the research of her fellow students and colleagues was presented Aug. 21. The event, held at the Andrew E. Lee Memorial Medicine and Science building, celebrated the one year anniversary of USD’s research center and featured presentations ranging from depression to neural responses to fear. “I feel very fortunate I was given this opportunity,” Prince said. “It helped me to see other research that was being conducted on campus.”
Friday over the first-years traveling to the DakotaDome for convocation. Haraldson said the device is intended to capture outdoor campus shots for tailgating and move-in day, but could also be used inside the DakotaDome. The white drone includes four propellers that can carry the device to more than 33 mph. A high-definition camera is attached, and the drone uses a gimbal to stabilize the camera as the object is in-flight. The university’s purchase of the small unmanned aircraft comes at a time when national debate about drones, especially for commercial use, is on the rise.
Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
A facility to house multicultural groups at the University of South Dakota will open Oct. 1 on the second floor of the Muenster University Center in tech vacated Student Services suite. The center is designed to bring student organizations together to improve campus-wide communication and involvement, said Kim Grieve, VP of Student Affairs and Dean of Students. The university is in the process of hiring a faculty director, who will work with students to fill the six available offices and give a name to the long-going project. Grieve said the multicultural center will serve students or student groups hoping to take part in inclusive discussion or projects. “I’m so excited,” she
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
SEE DRONE, PAGE A4
A drone operated by the University of South Dakota marketing department flies over first-years Friday before Convocation.
SEE CENTER, PAGE A4
.
volanteonline com
Tyler Starr hits the small screen Sports, A6
All the daily updates about the news you need to know. Please Recycle
USD grounds get a facelift Verve, A7