09.01.21

The Volante

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 1

VERVE (B1, B2)

VOLANTEONLINE.COM SPORTS (B3, B4)

New ice cream shop Cow & Spoon opens downtown

Coyote volleyball’s 2021 season starts Friday

Cow & Spoon, located on Main street, opened in June to the Vermillion community.

The USD volleyball team looks to defend the Summit League championship this fall.

USD PREPARES FOR SECOND YEAR OF COVID-19

Rachel Thompson | The Volante

Sources: USD COVID-19 Dashboard

USD plans to continue monitoring COVID-19 levels Maddi Kallsen

Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

USD is still monitoring COVID-19 cases among students, faculty and the community as a whole.

Kevin O’Kelley, USD Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance and Director of Environmental Health and Safety, is the university’s point of contact for the South Dakota Department of Health. He will know about every COVID-19 case on campus and within the community and report those numbers to the USD COVID-19 Taskforce and to President Sheila Gestring.

“Given the low COVID rate in the state during the summer, we relaxed some standards and practices on campus, i.e. the mask mandate indoors and the physical distancing in classrooms and labs,” O’Kelley said. “Those have been rescinded, based on the fact that last spring, we saw a precipitous decline in COVID-19 rates in our staff and faculty. By the end of the school year it was virtually gone from campus.”

USD does not act on these mandates on their own. The South Dakota Board of Regents makes most of these decisions, O’Kelley said.

Michelle Cwach, The Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Enrollment and University Relations said modeling suggests there will not be a notable outbreak this coming fall.

“USD’s COVID-19 Task Force has prepared contingency plans in case we are mistaken.

USD will monitor local conditions and should our status change, we would reconsider mitigation efforts such as face coverings, reduced capacity, etc. in coordination with the South Dakota Board of Regents,” Cwach said.

“The Board of Regents doesn’t want any of us to overreact, or any of us to under react.

Those decisions are generally best made by a

dispassionate group of professionals, which is our South Dakota Board of Regents,” O’Kelley said.

Due to the residence of safety protocols and mandates, expectations for a mass outbreak are low.

“We expect some students to get sick, and need to be isolated in a room, or perhaps return home. We know students will be exposed to COVID-19, which is why we are encouraging vaccinations through our vaccine clinics this week. We hope by offering free daily testing, students who have not been vaccinated will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Cwach said.

USD will be restarting the COVID-19 dashboard on its website. O’Kelley said he remains optimistic for this semester.

“In South Dakota, 36% of the 18 to 24 year old demographic is fully vaccinated. That’s our student population,” O’Kelley said. “We have an unknown number of people that have had COVID-19; those people presumably have enhanced immunity to COVID-19 including the Delta variant. That means 60 to 70% of our population is relatively immune.”

“We hope cases remain low and our students can fully enjoy the robust semester of in-person activities we have planned for them,” Cwach said.

USD has rescinded the mask mandate and the physical distancing mandate, O’Kelley said. The vaccine is readily available. USD will be offering the free vaccine the first week of classes.

“We’re going to be offering vaccine because we believe vaccination is one of the key tools to prevent spread of COVID-19 among our student population. The best case scenario is that COVID-19 fizzles out because we killed it through vaccination,” O’Kelley said.

USD, Sanford host Vaccination Drive as students return to campus Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

During the first week of classes, USD and Sanford Health partnered to host a vaccination drive, open to all students, staff and community members in Vermillion.

The vaccination drive was held for a few hours each day in a building on campus, with 100 vaccines being administered. “(The drive) went reasonably well,” USD Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance and Director of Environmental Health and Safety Kevin O’Kelley said. “We vaccinated about 100 students and that is a significant percentage of our unvaccinated student population.”

O’Kelley said he anticipated for roughly 100 people to stop by throughout the week.

In South Dakota, 36% of the state’s population from ages 18-24 are vaccinated, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

O’Kelley said the university doesn’t know the exact number of vaccinated students on campus, but presumes the percentage is higher than 36%.

“Many of our students are healthcare students and their clinical work often requires them to be vaccinated,” O’Kelley said. “For example, if their clinical work takes them to a nursing home or one of our two major hospitals, all are now requiring vaccinations, which is why we believe that we have a higher than average vaccination rate.”

South Dakota as a whole has 62% of its population with at least one dose of the vaccine. O’Kelley said his hope is that USD can

reach a 100% vaccination rate sooner rather than later to try and mitigate the spread of the virus.

As of Aug. 31, there are 20 self-reported cases of COVID-19 among students and faculty at USD. Last fall, USD peaked at 243 selfreported cases on Sept. 2. O’Kelley said USD is anticipating for roughly half as many cases at the peak this fall, despite the removal of the COVID-19 precautions of masks and social distancing on campus.

“We anticipate that we would have about half the number of cases we had last year,” O’Kelley said. “If you look at the dashboard from last year, you see that we had a quick peak and then a quick decline. We anticipate the same thing this year.”

There are no more vaccination drives planned for this semester, O’Kelley said.

“There are no plans to do so at this time,” O’Kelley said of another drive. “Instead we are focusing on advertising that vaccines are free and readily available at Student Health, which is off-campus.”

Vaccinations are free to the public, and students are encouraged to schedule a vaccination appointment with student health to receive either their first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Students that are unvaccinated are encouraged to call student health to get vaccinated, O’Kelley said. Student Health offers all three vaccines and students who received their first dose at home can still receive their second dose at Student Health.

“

We anticipate that we would have about half the number of cases we had last year

-Kevin O’Kelley

The Volante I volanteonline.com News USD WELCOMES NEW COYOTES ON MOVE IN WEEKEND

A2 Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Rachel Thompson I The Volante

Incoming Coyotes line up outside Coyote Village as they begin unloading things into their new rooms.

CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE BLOTTER

4

sex crimes

Aug. 22 Vermillion PD officers assisted the University Police Department with a medical emergency near the USD campus.

Aug. 22 Caller reported a sex crime that had occurred years prior. Under investigation.

Aug. 22 Officers responded to a report of a possible sex crime. Under investigation.

Aug. 23 Officers responded to a report of a sex crime. Under investigation.

Aug. 23 Officers responded to a report of a sex crime. Under investigation.

Aug. 25

2

Officers investigated a report of a suspicious activity outside of a residence.

Caller reported someone had entered his vehicle and rummaged through the vehicle. Nothing appeared to be missing. No suspect information at this time.

Aug. 25 Officers responded to a residence to investigate a dispute between a landlord and their tenant. Officers determined the matter was a civil dispute.

Aug. 25 Officers investigated a report of a hit and run accident in which one of the vehicles left the area without reporting the accident. Investigation continues.

Aug. 25 Officers responded to a disorderly person at a local business. Caller reported a woman entering the store

1

domestic assaults

>> Aug. 22 - Aug. 28

hit & run

and taking items without paying for them and threatening the staff with bodily harm. One adult female was arrested for multiple charges.

report a domestic assault.

After an investigation, the woman’s boyfriend was arrested for assault.

for underage drinking, possession of tobacco while under 21 and possessing a fake ID.

Aug. 27

Aug. 28

Aug. 25

Caller reported a female patron was acting strangely in a local bar. Officers located the woman and determined that she was experiencing a mental health crisis and assisted in finding friends or family for her.

Officers responded to a residence in response to a 911 call. Officers determined that the caller was experiencing a mental health crisis and was not in any physical danger.

Officers investigated a report of fraudulent activity through an online source.

Investigation is ongoing.

Aug. 26 Officers responded to a call of a domestic assault.

Investigation showed a male had attacked his girlfriend.

He was arrested.

Aug. 27 Officers were called to a business for a report of a drunk driver. Officers investigated and arrested a male for DUI. Aug. 27 Officers spoke with a woman who came to the station to

Aug. 27 Caller reported two people in their neighborhood that were walking around and peering into parked cars through the windows. The persons fled from the caller when approached. Officers arrived and conducted an investigation.

Aug. 28 Officers located an adult male with an open container of alcohol on a city sidewalk.

Officers arrested the man

Aug. 28 Officers came upon an intoxicated female who was experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers provided assistance by helping her find her friends to care for her.

Aug. 28 Officers investigated a report of suspicious activity at a residence. Officers arrived and discovered evidence of someone tampering with parked vehicles. No arrests were made.

SGA hosts first meeting of 2021-22 school year Allison Horkey

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

SGA held their first meeting Aug 31. David Herbster, the University of South Dakota’s Athletic Director, spoke as a special guest. Vice President of Student Services and Dean of Students, Kimberly Grieve, gave the Advisor Report.

Herbster emphasized the need for tailgating before games this year, which is a social gathering taking place prior to athletic events. Last year, tailgating was prohibited due to COVID-19.

Herbster said tailgating provides a fun way to build community and that students enjoy the events.

Grieve said there was an invitation for SGA students to go to the Vermillion Downtown Cultural Association Dinner this Thursday, Sept. 2. Greive also said there was free COVID-19 testing in the MUC from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I went today; I’m going to visit my granddaughter tomorrow. I wanted to make sure that I was safe, and I will continue to go because it’s free, it’s quick, it’s easy, you’ll get your results really quickly, so don’t hesitate to use that service,” Grieve said.

Grieve said the GatheRED event, which was supposed to be held Aug. 26, has been postponed to Thursday, Sept. 9.

Senator Carter Linke, Chair for the Student Affairs Committee, asked if USD was considering any kind of vaccination mandate.

Grieve said that USD follows the South Dakota Board of Regents policies, and that she hasn’t heard of any conversation within SDBOR that would indicate mandatory vaccinations.

“We’ll have to see how COVID-19 goes on campus. I don’t think it’s totally out of the question but it’s not been in conversation right now,” Grieve said.

Grieve said vaccines are available at Sanford, Walmart and HyVee. Logan Johnson, the Director of Finance, said there was approximately $41,000 in the general account with $25,000 in funds that can be reallocated. He said although in the past the Finance Committee was lenient with special appropriations but discourages.

“It may encourage people in the future to just forego the actual budgeting process and do a special appropriation and get funded to a much higher level,” Johnson said.

SGA approved Campus Leaders Conference committee appointments.

The Volante Volume 146, No. 23 September 1, 2021 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller

Sydney JohnsonI The Volante

SGA hosts their first meeting. Athletics director, David Herbster encourages tailgating this year and discusses other concerns.

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.

Maddi Kallsen news editor

Allison Horkey news assistant

Rachel Pechous news designer

Bennett Clary verve editor

Alle Anduaga verve assistant

Madilyn Sindelar verve designer

Chloe Fullenkamp sports designer

Emma Daggett opinion editor

Rachel Thompson opinion designer

Sydney Johnson photo editor

Jacob Forster copy editor

Riley Riggs social media director

Kaitlyn Kumm advertising manager

Bailey Zubke editor-in-chief

Miles Amende managing editor

News

A3 Wednesday, September 1, 2021

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Greek Life begins new year, new policies Madeline Knau and Miles Amende volante@coyotes.usd.edu

As USD students begin their first few weeks of classes, some among them have been busy getting involved in Greek Life.

For returning students, this means looking forward to social and service events that were previously cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. For new members, it’s a chance to see what Greek Life has to offer.

Kelsey Wathen, who recently got accepted into Kappa Alpha Theta, said she had always seen Greek life in movies and didn’t know anything about it. She wanted to know what the experience felt like, and decided she wanted to be in a sorority.

“For me, it was more of an exciting process. I didn’t know what to expect. None of my family has done Greek Life and I didn’t really know much about it, but I’ve only heard good things about it,” Wathen said. “It was just a great experience to meet a lot of girls and make new friends.”

New Pi Beta Phi member Olivia Morrow said she chose Greek Life to be involved in the community and because they have great philanthropic endeavors. She said the process was very overwhelming at first because she didn’t know

what to expect and was really nervous.

“We went to the first house and it’s just like a bunch of girls just coming up to you and asking what your name is, so it was just overwhelming, then going into the other houses, it wasn’t that bad because you knew what to expect,” Morrow said. “It was very tiring. By the end of the night I was just so exhausted.”

Laura Anderton, director of sorority and fraternity life at USD, said fraternities and sororities are social organizations at their core, and that this year, students in Greek Life will be able to socialize more than they have in the past and recruit in less-restrictive ways.

“When we had to live through (the pandemic) where a lot of that social life was taken away, it made our organizations function so much differently than they usually do,” Anderton said. “I think everybody’s just really excited to get back to some sense of normalcy and some sense of being able to see their friends and… really live out that social experience.”

Ian Hansen, a member of Beta Theta Pi, said he is excited to welcome many new members to his fraternity.

“I’m excited to meet all the new guys and hopefully bring someone into our house and welcome

them, as well as living up to the brotherhood and showing them a good time (and) helping them out throughout college,” Hansen said.

Anderton said that last semester, Greek Life was not able to raise as much money as it did historically, nor were sorority and fraternity members able to complete as many hours of community service as they used to.

Because of the lifting of mask mandates and capacity restrictions across the university, however, sororities and fraternities will be able to hold more fundraising and philanthropy events.

“They’re really excited to be able to get out and do some of those traditional things that they maybe had not been able to do because of size restrictions or interaction restrictions,” Anderton said.

Despite Greek Life’s current freedom to carry out operations as normal, Anderton said each chapter has put together COVID19 contingency plans. These plans cover scenarios such as how houses will go about quarantining if their members get sick, or how chapters might restrict capacity at events.

For now, Anderton said, fraternities and sororities are getting the full Greek Life experience. Even if policies have to change in the wake of a COVID-19 resurgence,

Miles Amende | The Volante

USD students involved in Greek life look forward to social and service events that were previously cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. For new members, it’s a chance to see what Greek Life has to offer. she said the institution has learned a lot since the beginning of the pandemic, and hopes to imple-

ment practices that allow students to continue to have the Greek experience in a safe way.

SGA is prepared to cope with issues arising from COVID and other legislation. Senator Carter Linke said it’s very important to get vaccinated.

File Photo | The Volante

SGA Returns with new faces, new positions Allison Horkey

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

SGA began the first of its weekly meetings Tuesday. SGA will likely continue to face problems with COVID-19 in addition to its usual legislation.

Katie Brust, the SGA Vice President, said she was looking forward to how young the senate is compared to previous years.

“I think that with COVID in particular, a lot of older students began focusing more on career related activities rather than more campus or student organizational related activities, but you always see a lot of engagement with the underclassmen, so I think that’s part of it. Also, I think that we just have a really special group of underclassmen that work really well together and are excited about things,” Brust said.

Miranda Schulte is the Chair for the Internal Review Committee. Internal Review, as Schulte puts it, is a vital but less-visible part of SGA, which is more behind the scenes than Student Affairs and Government Affairs. Schulte is also excited about the new faces in SGA “We only had a couple meetings before the end of the school year last year with all the new at-large Senators and it was just kind of quiet, so like I’m very excited to see what

all these new individuals bring to the table as well,” Schulte said.

Carter Linke, the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee, is concerned with student re-engagement with relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

“I’m super excited that as a Student Affairs chair that we’re able to kind of get back to a new normal on campus.

We’re expecting quite a bit of either legislation, or just some concerns with how things are going to transition back into this normal so I can definitely see this being a busy semester for student government,” Linke said.

Schulte and Linke both mentioned how the election process might be revised this year.

“I’m looking at… redefining the process (for at-large elections) because in our bylaws it’s very vague, which is like awesome and a lot of room to like pick and choose how you want to go about it, but I feel like it also causes a lot of confusion, especially within my committee, so I kind of want to focus on redefining the at-large process,” Schulte said.

“One big thing that we want to handle is making it as easy as possible for students that are interested in being student leaders on campus to get into office,” Linke said.

“I’ve actually spoken to a few senators that are excited to introduce legislation that would change the election process

to help as many people as possible get on the ballot so that we get the best possible candidates.”

Brust said in addition to focusing on supporting student mental health resources like the Cook House, she is trying create more financial resources for USD’s international students.

“I’m trying to establish an international student scholarship. So, instead of people receiving money to study abroad, more of people coming in and students coming in from different countries and supporting them financially is a priority of mine, and overall I’d say (those are) my two major initiatives I have along with Ally Feiner, but we’re also looking at a few other options,” Brust said.

Brust and Linke both express hope for this semester, even as COVID-19 numbers increase. Brust said SGA’s Executive team will likely ask senators and directors to wear masks during meetings.

“As a leader on campus, I definitely think that just getting vaccinated and still protecting the pack (is important), even though we’re kind of dialing back on some of our some of our COVID-19 restrictions,” Linke said. “It doesn’t mean that COVID is over yet. Getting vaccinated is the most effective way to protect yourself and others from getting COVID and getting severely sick.”

Café Brulé struggles to keep staff amid pandemic Maddi Kallsen

Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

Café Brulé has been coping with a shortage of labor, as well as issues related to COVID-19 for the past year and specifically past three months.

Monica Iverson and James (Jim) Waters are co-owners of Café Brulé and Dakota Brickhouse. Both Iverson and Waters said they have never worked harder in the last 10 years as business owners.

“When we’re short, we’re picking up the slack because no one else is coming in, and no one wants to work for anybody,” Iverson said.

Several workers have been on rotation for the past several weeks without much break.

“We’ve been able to work together and it’s making us stronger as a team, but it does put a lot of stress on us as a team. It makes it where we all feel very tired,” Savannah Vandenberg, Café Brulé staff member, said. “It’s really hard on the staff, especially us who have school schedules and work schedules and families; it’s hard. I think that we’re going to make it on the top but I think that just

can take a little patience with the staff and the community.”

Another staff member, Stephen Yung, said everybody is burned out.

From COVID-19 to being short staffed to shortages on products, keeping afloat has been very difficult for business, Iverson said.

Along with labor shortages, the community also faces shortages on a wide range of products. French fries, onion rings, Alaskan cod, glass bottles, rubber gloves and takeout containers have all been difficult if not next to impossible to get, Waters said. Some suppliers have completely closed.

Along with some suppliers, restaurants have closed. Pizza Hut and Red Steak House both closed within the last year-and-a-half.

Iverson said just as USD students started returning to Vermillion, COVID19 has started to surge again. This has deeply affected the staff.

“For one thing, I think (the labor shortage) is a nationwide problem,” Iverson said. “I think it started when the government was still doing quite a few monthly, really nice, payouts to people.”

Government aid was given out over some of the first months of the pandemic.

“Everybody went on government aid. They stayed there for a long time.

So I mean, I understand why that was necessary. I’m not knocking that,” Iverson said. “A lot of people needed that because they could not work. They recommended isolation and how are you going to pay your bills? So it was just one of those pandemic problems that dominoed and affected everybody.”

Most restaurants have accommodated COVID restrictions.

“We are doing everything we can the CDC guidelines say as far as if you’re not feeling well, don’t come in to work. I would say that right now, at least 95% of our employees are vaccinated,” Iverson said. “The staff is taking things day by day, as it’s hard to gauge what things will be like next week, two weeks from now or next month. It’s unknown whether or not we will be able to keep Café Maddi Kallsen | The Volante Brulé open past 4 p.m,” Brickhouse, Vermillion bar, is co-owned by the owners of As of now, Café Brulé is open from 8 Cafe Brule Monica Iverson and James (Jim) Waters. The bar, along with Café Brulé, is understaffed. a.m to 4 p.m.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Jozie Hunter I The Volante

Students first week back at campus with no mask policy.

Editorial: Back to normal, for now

Welcome back, Coyotes. The 2021-22 school year is underway, and we are already seeing some changes around campus.

One week into the semester and students from previous years can see the difference on campus. There are so many students walking between classes, mask mandates and social distancing are not being enforced and most classes are back to fully in-person.

We get to re-meet people we met last year whose faces we never saw. Even just sitting next to a person in class is nice.

There’s no more finding a spot in the Muenster University Center (MUC) or library to spend the rest of your day attending class over Zoom.

It’s a relief to be able to take a drink from your water bottle without taking off your mask, or to be able to see people’s smiling

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME From doh.sd.gov/COVID

usd.edu/covid19

faces around campus again.

All these changes, this idea of getting back to normal, shouldn’t overshadow COVID-19, though.

The pandemic is still ongoing.

The Delta variant is more contagious than previous strains and its here to stay.

While it may be fun to hang out with friends, go downtown or attend a sporting event or concert, we need to be cautious of COVID-19 and be smart as we go about a “back-to-normal” life.

“

The best way to protect yourself and your community is to get vaccinated. People without the vaccine are more likely to contract the virus which means they are more likely to spread it according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Receiving the vaccine is crucial to prevent a repeat of the 2020-2021 school year. The last thing people want to be going back to Zoom and wearing masks everywhere. USD hosted

a vaccine drive last week to try and make the vaccine accessible to students and faculty on campus. Student Health is still offering vaccinations for free by appointment.

Even though vaccines are important, they don’t halt the spread or make you invincible to COVID-19 or the delta variant. If you are feeling ill, get tested.

USD is offering rapid COVID19 tests in the MUC. The test will take approximately 15 minutes

All these changes, this idea of getting back to normal, shouldn’t overshadow COVID-19, though. The pandemic is still ongoing.

20

14

Active COVID-19 cases on campus

On-campus quarantined people

96,021 The number of total confirmed cases in South Dakota.

for results and is paid for by the South Dakota Department of Health. If you feel you might have contracted COVID-19 please use the resources available to you.

It’s also important for you to keep yourself updated on COVID-19. Keep an eye on the news, CDC and any other sources for any relevant information.

Everyone has different health issues. Some feel more comfortable wearing a mask, others might wish to stay six feet away. It’s important to be respectful of everyone’s health.

It’s everyone’s own responsibility to keep themselves safe.

Most of all, it’s important to be aware of the threat COVID19 still poses, but it’s a new school year; make sure to have some fun.

5,035

56%

Active COVID-19 cases in South Dakota.

of South Dakota residents with a completed series of vaccinations

216 1,811

62%

People currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in South Dakota

Deaths caused by COVID-19 in South Dakota

Of South Dakota residents have one dose

Want to make Find more opinions on our website. your voice volanteonline.com heard?

If you are interested in writing Opinion for The Volante, email The Volante at volante@coyotes.usd.edu.

Follow us on Twitter @VolanteOpinion Polls • Overheards • Columns

Opinion Remembering and looking forward to Olympic history

The Volante I volanteonline.com

MICCI ABBOTT graduate student studying counseling and psychology

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was submitted to The Volante this summer.

With the previously postponed Tokyo Olympic Games now complete, and the Winter Olympics in Beijing opening less than six months after the Tokyo closing ceremonies, the Olympics are about to re-emerge into global thought in an abnormal and exceptional way.

This unique circumstance was foreseen by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach in early 2020. When speaking on the postponement of the Games due to COVID-19, he said, “the Olympic flame will be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

The Olympic flame, however, is too often dimmed by the injustice and disregard.

Figure skater Debi Thomas’ Olympic journey is a prime example.

Thomas was the first Black athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics, doing so in Calgary in 1988 by winning bronze in ladies’ figure skating. Going into the 1988 Games, Thomas was a favorite to win gold, locked in a highly publicized rivalry called “Battle of the Carmens,” named this because Thomas and her top competitor both skated to music from the opera Carmen. On February 27, 1988, Debi Thomas skated to center ice to perform her short program as viewers across the world watched the camera zoom in on her face. Thomas took a breath and can be seen saying, “just do it.”

Five months later, in July of 1988, Nike launched “Just Do It” as their slogan.

This could be a coincidence. It could also

be yet another example of institutions profiting off Black people without giving them credit or compensation. As is often the way with history, it depends on who you ask.

Thomas has been quoted saying, “I invented ‘just do it’ before Nike did. It wasn’t easy, but if you keep plugging away, you get where you want to be.”

Nike claims the slogan was inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore, a criminal executed in the 1970s. Before his death by firing squad, Gilmore said, “let’s do it.”

What’s more believable?

The variation of the last words of a man executed 11 years prior or a direct quote from a recent, globally broadcasted historic moment in sports?

Thomas went on to graduate from Stanford and Northwestern to become an orthopedic surgeon.

She had a private practice for many years, served as a representative of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and was inducted into the U.S. Figure

Skating Hall of Fame. Later, she lost her practice and her Olympic medal when she filed for bankruptcy, unable to afford her medical bills.

Her medal was worth slightly over $2,200 when it was surrendered to the bank. As of 2015, she was living in poverty with her fiancée and his two children.

No matter what story you believe about the inception of Nike’s multi-million dollar slogan, one thing is clear: the Olympics are a powerful event with lasting, global ramifications. Hosting two Games within a six-month period is certain to echo through history whether we listen for it or not. If we do take the time to listen, we must also take the time to speak up. The spirit of Olympism as outlined in the Olympic charter implores us to speak out against injustices, bask in the joy of effort, and celebrate one another whenever we can.

Pineapple belongs on pizza and nobody can change my mind OLIVIA ROHAN is a senior majoring in Graphic Design

There has been a huge debate about whether pineapple should be on pizza or not. These will be the reasons why pineapple belongs and will forever remain on my pizza.

Baked pineapple is delicious. When you bite through it, its juicy sweetness envelops your mouth. The soft, juicy textures pair well with a flatbread pizza’s crunchiness.

Some people say pineapple shouldn’t be on pizza because it’s a fruit, but tomatoes are a fruit as well, therefore fruit belongs on pizza.

It’s a silly argument to begin with. There are fruit smoothies and vegetable smoothies, there are different kinds of everything. Why can’t there be two different kinds of pizza?

Tomatoes and pineapples are both acidic. Acidic foods add flavor to your meals making them much more delectable. Acid and fat are a great combination for a great dish, with pineapples and tomatoes being the acid and cheese being the fat.

Sweet and savory is one of the greatest flavor combinations of all time. Think about the sweet and savory combinations you might already love: honey mustard, candied bacon, chicken and

waffles, fries and ice cream, peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and cayenne pepper, sausage and syrup, balsamic vinaigrette and Brussel sprouts, sweet potato fries and ranch, pears and blue cheese, carrot cake, etc. Many things you have eaten are probably a sweet and savory combination without you even knowing it.

Many recipes have secret ingredients which make a dish taste rich, like adding chocolate to chili. I’ve heard of people adding Velveeta cheese to their fudge recipes. Some people add cola to their pot roasts to tenderize the meat.

I bet most people who say they think pineapple on pizza is

preposterous because they have never even tried it. You know what they say: “don’t knock it till you try it.”

I just ordered a pizza two days ago with pineapple and salami on it with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. The fat from the salami and cheese coated my mouth with umami. The sweet, juicy, acidic pineapple and tomato marinara cut through the fat leaving my taste buds begging for another bite.

You won’t be sorry if you try pineapple on pizza, and if you think you don’t like it, give it a second chance— maybe you’ll change your mind.

The Volante Bailey Zubke, editor-in-chief

EDITORIAL BOARD

Miles Amende, managing editor Jacob Forster, copy editor

Bennett Clary, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

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

Fax to: 605.677.5105 Email to: volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our website: volanteonline.com

OVERHEARDS

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

“I had to pee, but eight girls were in the bathroom just talking so I didn’t.”

— MUC

“I tried to buy a can of baked beans and my card got declined.”

— MUC

“Is everyone just pretending to be okay?”

— Coyote Village

“Dude you almost COVID tested me.”

— MUC

“I need financial compensation for being your friend.”

— MUC

“I do need my porn.”

— MUC

“The last few 9-11’s I haven’t even noticed.”

— Beacom

”Remember when that car crash happened outside the window? ...Yeah, that was actually pretty funny.”

— Al Neuharth

The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021 A5

Coming together after a storm EMMA DAGGETT is a sophmore majoring in English.

The city of Lennox was hit by a tornado on Saturday, Aug. 28, and just like people would expect of a small-town, people came together to clean up the mess.

Trees had fallen into the streets and on houses.

Roofs were torn off sheds near the industrial area of the town. The cemetery and golf course had trees uprooted. Portions of the high school’s roof had been torn off. Basements were flooded and siding was torn off houses.

While the schools were expected to begin on Aug. 31, there is a lot of work to be done around the entire community. Fallen branches and trees will need to be cleaned up and brought to the dump.

Despite all the destruction, the town has followed the idea of a rural community and its ability to gather. Thirty minutes after the storm hit, people were outside in the streets moving branches out of the way so cars could come and go. Next, you could hear chainsaws down every block and trailers appearing seemingly from thin air.

Despite a tornado just hitting the town, everyone was working hard to get things cleaned.

I met a guy who went to Tea to buy a chainsaw after the storm so he could help.

The high school football team gathered and went to

help throughout the town.

Lennox is an older town and with it comes a lot of families who have been there for ages. Around 20% of Lennox’s population is 60 and older. While the “young folk”—that’s what they called us—cut down trees and lugged branches, they ran around giving us water and snacks.

When they saw people get tired, they would pull them aside and start going on a tangent about one thing or another. Whether they did it on purpose I have no clue, but it certainly helped.

When one yard was cleaned, everyone moved to the next. Everyone helped each other, not because they had to but because they were friends and family. In a time of crisis, these communities always come together and help everyone.

What I found most amusing was everyone meeting each other. One man down the street had just moved in and I guess this was just a way to introduce himself because he came right over and said “Yeah, I live two doors down.” Then he started throwing branches on the trailer, and that was the end of it.

Small towns seem almost fairytalelike because of this togetherness during or after a disaster, but it isn’t fake. People in a community care for each other and will look after one another.

News The Volante | volanteonline.com USD professor works to save chameleon species from extinction

A6 Wednesday, September 1, 2021

USD Assistant Professor Chris Anderson is doing research on endangered chameleons. Anderson’s research was located in Malawi, South Africa.

Jacob Forster

Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu

USD Assistant Professor Chris Anderson took a leading role in a recently published study on the critically endangered Chapman’s pygmy chameleon.

Anderson took part in a team that did an assessment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 2014. This assessment placed the chameleon in the category of “critically endangered,” meaning it’s at high risk of extinction in the wild. Anderson said this determination was made based on the species not being seen in its native habitat in 15 years.

Anderson then helped to obtain funding to send a team to Malawi to assess whether the species was still present. He said funding was largely obtained through crowdfunding.

“We reached out to the general public and particularly the community of individuals who are interested in chameleons as a hobbyist because they’re kept oftentimes as pets,” Anderson said.

The most expensive piece of the research project would have been flying Anderson to Malawi. Since the rest of the research team was based in South Africa, in order to ensure the project went forward, Anderson remained in the United States and contributed to data analysis and the formulation of the results of the study.

The study found that the chameleons were still present in the environment, but at a greatly reduced rate. The native habitat had been reduced by about 80% or more since 1980 based on satellite imagery and aerial photographs taken from the time. Anderson said that only about 45 hectares, or 0.17 square miles remain.

“They’re essentially clinging to survival,” Anderson said.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

A further problem is that the habitat has been fragmented so that remaining chameleons are unable to travel from one fragment to another.

However, Anderson said part of the species had relocated to a second site about 15 years ago.

“The species at the translocation site is still surviving and appears to be flourishing,” Anderson said. “Hopefully this translocation site could serve as a bit of a safety net in the event that the habitat in the native range is not able to be conserved.”

The species’ habitat is currently being cleared for subsistence agriculture, which causes further problems with soil erosion. Anderson said in order for the species to survive, the remaining habitat needs to be conserved. In order for this to happen, Anderson said, a large non-governmental Submitted Photo | The Volante organization would need to become involved and work with the government of Malawi to safeguard Habitats for chameleons and other animals have repeatedly been fragmented. the habitat. Anderson said it’s critical for the local population to be involved in any conservation efforts.

“Without having the local population on board, any mitigation is probably going to be short-lived,” Anderson said.

In the short-term, this work will involve outreach efforts to local communities as well as building capacity in the local community to monitor the environment and safeguard it.

Anderson said chameleons are a species group prone to extinction. While about 15% of lizard and snake species worldwide are threatened with extinction, for chameleons that number rises to more than one-third.

“We hear a lot about biodiversity loss, just generally things about amphibian declines and Submitted Photo | The Volante so forth,” Anderson said. “These animals are quite Anderson said the chameleons are clinging to life but are thriving at the sensitive to a lot of the pressures that are ultimately translocation site where the chameleons were moved to. causing some of the broader trends we’re seeing in biodiversity declines.”

Fans crowd around as Waka Flocka Flame moves through the crowd.

Aaron Mercado | USD Marketing

CAB hosts first concert, Waka Flocka Flame, since 2019 Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

After a year without concerts at USD, musical artist Waka Flocka Flame burst onto the scene at the Sanford Coyotes Sports Center stage on Sunday night.

The event was a revival of the Campus Activity Board’s annual fall concert, the first since the Plain White T’s performed in 2019.

Kate Solberg, president of CAB, said she found the concert exciting. She said she could almost see a new sense of normal, though she also found it strange that the concert was taking place despite the fact the pandemic isn’t over.

“You could tell other students were excited as well,” Solberg said. “And it was also a little bizarre because I had one moment where I was like, is this really what we’re supposed to be doing… are we really supposed to be here? Like, the pandemic isn’t actually gone… I definitely had one of those moments, but I think the excitement took over everything else.”

CAB sold over 1800 tickets for the event, which Solberg said was the most ever sold in her four years on campus, exceeding totals for the Vince Staples and Plain White T’s concerts.

Solberg said she thinks the concert’s high

attendance is due to several possible factors, including the popularity of Waka Flocka Flame and the timing of the concert with regard to the academic semester.

“I can’t speak for all of CAB; I can speak for myself and some of the organization, and from the students I’ve talked to with on CAB, they thought it was a really good concert,” Solberg said.

Even with the possibility of COVID-19 safety measures being reinstated, Solberg said CAB will continue to put on events throughout the year, and advises students to keep their eyes out for more programming.

Aaron Mercado | USD Marketing Over 1800 tickets were sold for the concert put on by CAB. CAB plans to continue events in the future.

Verve

Wednesday, September 1, 2021 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

NEW ICE CREAM SHOP COW & SPOON OPENS DOWNTOWN Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

In June, the new ice cream shop Cow & Spoon opened in downtown Vermillion. Cow & Spoon is in the same building the old ice cream shop Scoops used to be in.

One of the owners, Leslie Garish, said all four owners wanted to bring an ice cream shop back to Vermillion with a few changes because they all wanted to add to the community in their own way.

“We all kind of thought about buying it at some point and we just went ahead and did it and then changed some things,” Garish said.

“We put a walk-up window and changed the

name and we got a different type of ice cream as well.”

Janet Davison is a customer of Cow & Spoon. She has already been there a few times since they opened and hopes to return before they close for the season after Dakota Days.

“I think that they do fill a gap that we had there, you know, (to) have a specific place to go and get hand-scooped ice cream,” Davison said. “And I also think that it’s a nice addition to the business community.”

Garish said the four owners are community members raising their families on top of owning the business. Their focus is to produce quality customer service and continue to

be very community focused.

The reason they’re able to focus on their customers more, Garish said, is because they know their food is coming from a quality company.

“We get it from our partners, Stensland Family Farms. They’re out in Larchwood, Iowa,” Garish said. “They’re family run. They care about what’s in their products that they sell.”

Garish said Cow & Spoon is a family friendly place and something to do during the afternoon or early evening. She said they just want everyone to know that they’re welcome to come down and try a sample.

Over the summer Cow & Spoon primarily served the local Vermillion community, but with school in session, Davison hopes university students will visit the new shop.

“I think during the summer it was the local community and the kids, the children who were not in school,” Davison said. “I think during the school year is going to be everybody, including college students.”

Davison said she hopes university students will check out Cow & Spoon because it is not a common business and she believes people will get their money’s worth.

Cow & Spoon will be sold at USD sporting events in the DakotaDome and the SCSC.

A Cow & Spoon customer gets their sweet treat before enjoying it on the patio behind the shop. Cow & Spoon is open everyday 3:30 p.m.- 9 p.m.

Rachel Thompson | The Volante

USD students chosen to grow talents on Broadway at Open Jar Institute

Submitted Photo | The Volante Seniors Taylor Gravert, Patrick Simonsen and Mariah Seeley attended the Open Jar Institute for a week to improve their acting and create new connections.

Rachel Pechous

Rachel.Pechous@coyotes.usd.edu

Open Jar Institute, located on Broadway, New York City, is an arts institution that provides training to students specifically selected for an actor training program. Open Jar has a summer institute available to both high school and college students that offers intensive training with stars from Broadway for students to advance their acting.

This summer, three USD students, Taylor Gravert, Patrick Simonsen and Mariah Seeley attended the summer institute for Open Jar from Aug. 1-7.

Senior musical theatre major Taylor Gravert explained the institute as a week long master class where she was given many opportunities to make connections with others.

“You get to see what other people are doing in the business and how to make it happen for yourself,” said Gravert.

Gravert said the institute offered students with many different training workshops, Q&A’s, business seminars and more to give an insight into performing on Broadway and giving them a chance to meet people who have performed on Broadway as well.

“We did a Q&A with John Kander,” Gravert said. “(He) is one of the most notable people that we got to talk to and meet.”

Kander was a part of a famous writing duo from the mid 1900’s. He and his partner, Fred Ebb, produced famous musicals such as “Cabaret,” “The Happy Time” and “Chicago.”

Since Ebb has passed, Kander attended the Q &A with his new

Submitted Photo | The Volante The Open Jar Institute provides actor training to high school and college students with Broadway stars.

partner, David Thompson.

Gravert said the institute split the students into groups because of COVID-19, and each group had a leader that had been on Broadway in some way.

“My group leader, her name was Susie Curl, and she actually got her Broadway debut from someone that she met through Open Jar,” Gravert said.

Senior musical theatre major Patrick Simonsen said his group leader also had inspiring stories from being on Broadway, including time spent working with actresses Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.

“It was literally crazy just getting to hear stories of all these people and people they’ve worked with, and it makes you inspired to be them and walk in their shoes,” Simonsen said.

Senior musical theatre major Mariah Seeley said the institute really helped her confidence and showed her what it would be like performing on Broadway.

“It made Broadway seem more obtainable and less of a dream and more like a goal,” Seeley said.

Gravert said the institute also taught her a lesson.

“It really gave me the confidence that I never had, they drive home that it’s not about you going and booking this job, it’s about you going and showing these people who you are,” Gravert said.

Gravert, Simonsen and Seeley were all chosen for Open Jar by auditioning at the Kennedy Center American College

Theater Festival in 2019. All three were accepted to go in 2020.

“We actually got accepted 22 months ago and we waited 22 months to go to Open Jar because of COVID,” Gravert said.

Simonsen said that although this was setback, he was determined to attend the institute.

“I was dead-set on going and then COVID happened, and I was like ‘well, I still gotta go, we’re gonna figure it out,’” Simonsen said.

Gravert said Open Jar typically plans out events for the students to participate in when they aren’t in class, including attending Broadway shows.

Due to COVID-19, Seeley said they weren’t able to attend as many as usual, but they were able to see one.

“They performed the show ‘Passover,’ which focuses on police brutality and Black Lives Matter,” Seeley said. “It was such a powerful show, the first one since the pandemic, and it was so cool to watch.”

All three students can be seen taking what they learned and applying it to shows they will perform at USD, including “Fun Home”—which Gravert will be performing in—that will be showing at USD from Sept. 23-26.

B4 Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Verve

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Waka F l o ck a F l ame takes Ve r mi l li on

Aaron Mercado | USD Marketing

Waka Flocka Flame was the selected musical artist for CAB’s annual fall concert. Flame took to the SCSC stage at 9:30 p.m. and played an hour long set list including hit song, “No Hands.”

Rachel Review: “The Chair” is a comfortable sit with everyday humor

Madilyn Sindelar | The Volante

Kyleigh Boatwright and Morgan Choffin smile for a photo at the Mulberry Bend Overlook.

Staff Picks: 19 Exciting Vermillion activities

Press Photo | Netflix Rachel Thompson

Rachel.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu

Most workplace comedies are targeted toward a younger audience, but what I appreciate about Netflix’s new show “The Chair” is that it doesn’t overcomplicate itself with excessive storylines. The everyday humor added into it makes for a great comedic drama that works for a variety of different audiences.

“The Chair” stars Sandra Oh as Ji-Yoon, who starts her new position as the chair of the English department at Pembroke College. There is little time to enjoy her new promotion as the department is lacking students and has fallen into a PR crisis.

The shining storyline is the personal life of Professor Ji-Yoon as she tries to balance her new promotion with her personal life. Ji-Yoon and her daughter JuJu haven’t found the perfect way to connect, as JuJu is adopted.

JuJu is Mexican and she is being brought up in a Korean household. This is very distressing to young JuJu and it causes her to get confused

and retaliate, which further troubles Ji-Yoon’s life. While some surrounding characters in the show might find this confusing, the show itself makes their story seamless by not feeling the need to overexplain it to the audience.

On top of her complicated home life, Ji-Yoon is asked to fire three professors as they aren’t liked by students, haven’t updated their teachings and are old. Ji-Yoon does everything she can to respect the old professors by keeping them employed, but still has to find a way to move toward a more inclusive, progressive and successful department with their more traditional ways.

The downfall of this show was the confusing love story between Ji-Yoon and Professor Dobson, played by Jay Duplass. The chemistry between the actors and between the characters is amazing, but the aspect that frustrates me is how much of a confusing mess Dobson is.

He is one of the main causes for the English department being in trouble and yet he is too stubborn to care

enough to properly fix any of the problems he created.

Along with the mess of his actions, the love story the show presents is confusing as well. He is a widower, as his wife passed away around a year ago, and he is clearly mourning her loss but is throwing himself into another relationship.

At the end of the show, all Dobson’s problems just get swept under the rug, as if all the issues going on in the English department were fixed with a magic button. I would’ve loved to see Dobson’s grief and him properly resolving the problems he created more, but at the end I felt as if they were just simply restarting his character’s story.

Seeing the nuances of this show through the eyes of women of color being underappreciated in higher education is something I hope to see continued in the second season.

1. Disk golf at Prentis Park or Barstow Park 2. Catch a movie in Coyote Village 3. Tennis or pickle ball 4. Intramural sports 5. Campus events for Paw Points to win prizes 6. Mulberry Bend Overlook 7. Movie at Coyote Twin Theater 8. Spirit Mound Historic Prairie 9. Mr. Smith’s 10. Valiant Vineyards Winery and Distillery (South Dakota’s oldest winery) 11. South Dakota Sculpture Tour Trail 12. Sporting events in the Dome and SCSC 13. Austin Whittemore House (one of the few remaining 19th century structures in Vermillion) 14. Civic Center 15. Treasure Trove (decor only) 16. New 2 You (clothes and decor) 17. Nostalgia Juice Bar 18. Rent a bike or hike Vermillion river trails 19. Thursday on the Platz

Sports

Wednesday, September 1, 2021 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL SET TO DEFEND SUMMIT LEAGUE TITLE Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD Volleyball team is coming off a strong spring season where the Coyotes won the Summit League Tournament title and made an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Coyotes were scheduled to get the 2021 season underway last weekend, but due to COVID-19 protocols, the team’s first three games of the season in Colorado were cancelled. The Coyotes were slated to play Northwestern, Colorado State and Northern Colorado over the weekend.

The Coyotes’ season is now scheduled

to start this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky at the Cardinal Classic. They play Northern Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri.

The match with Missouri comes after the Tigers beat the Coyotes at this spring’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament in the first round.

Following their trip to Kentucky, the Coyotes return to Vermillion for the South Dakota Classic on Sept. 9-10 to play Bradley, Central Arkansas and Milwaukee. The Coyotes then go to Wichita for matches against Wichita State, Creighton and Wyoming in the Shocker Classic.

Last season, USD played Wichita State

and Creighton, losing to Wichita State 3-0 and splitting a two-game series with Creighton, with both matches going five sets.

Summit League play begins Sept. 24 in Vermillion against rival South Dakota State. The Coyotes will play Summit League newcomer, St. Thomas, Oct. 7 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

Coming off of the 2020 Summit League Championship win over Denver, the Coyotes and Pioneers will play twice, Oct. 16 in Denver and Nov. 11 in Vermillion.

The Coyotes are led by senior Sami Slaughter and junior Elizabeth Juhnke. Both players were named Players to Watch in the

Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced Aug. 25.

Slaughter was ranked eighth in kills and 10th in blocks in the Summit League last season. Juhnke was named an All-American and Summit League Tournament MVP last season where she led the league in points along with being second in kills.

With both their 15-7 record and Summit League Tournament title, the Coyotes received 78 points by league coaches, naming them most likely to win the Summit. The Summit League Tournament is in Vermillion this fall, taking place Nov. 25-27.

File Photo | The Volante

After last season’s Summit League Tournament title, USD Volleyball is named most likely to win the Summit. The Coyotes will kickoff their season in Louisville, Kentucky at the Cardinal Classic.

Ten USD sports events to see this year Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

With a lift on COVID-19 restrictions, the USD athletic department is looking at a more-normal schedule for this season. With a return to non-conference schedules, full capacity events and regular scheduling, there are a lot of events fans won’t want to miss.

Women’s Basketball vs. South Carolina

The Coyotes are taking on South Carolina in women’s basketball for the third season in a row. The Gamecocks defeated USD at home in 2019 and in the Sanford Pentagon in 2020. The Coyotes and Gamecocks will face off in the Pentagon Nov. 12.

The Coyotes are coming off a Summit League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Men’s Basketball vs. NDSU

The Coyote men’s basketball saw its season come to an end at the Summit League Tournament at the hands of North Dakota State. The Coyotes and Bison will square off for the first time this season Jan. 1 to kick off the new year. The Coyotes lost Stanley Umude to graduate-transfer.

USD Football @ Kansas

Last season, the Coyotes were supposed to open the fall season at Iowa State, but due to COVID-19, the Coyote season was pushed to the spring and the game was canceled. This season, USD is on the road to open the season, this time around at Kansas, a Big 12 Conference school located in Lawrence, Kansas.

Coyote Men Swim & Dive Defend Title

The Coyote men’s swimming and diving team won its first Summit League title in program history last spring at the Summit League Championships. The Coyotes will attempt to defend the title at the 2022 Summit League Championship Feb. 16-19.

USD vs. St. Thomas

The South Dakota Classic

The Coyote Volleyball team will play its first home games of the season Sept. 9 and 10 as a part of the South Dakota Classic. The Coyotes face Bradley Sept. 9 and Central Arkansas and Milwaukee Sept. 10. The Coyotes are setting out to defend the 2020 Summit League title.

St. Thomas is making the jump to Division I after being removed from their Division III conference and joining the Summit League. The first time the Coyotes and Tommies face off is in Vermillion as the women’s soccer programs play Oct. 1. Volleyball faces off in the Sanford Pentagon Oct. 7 and the men’s and women’s basketball teams play against St. Thomas Jan. 22.

USD-SDSU Football

The Coyotes are facing South Dakota State for the first time since the 2019 season when the Coyotes defeated the Jackrabbits 24-21 to end the 2019 season. The Jackrabbits are coming off their first trip to Frisco, Texas for the FCS National Championship game. SDSU lost to Sam Houston State. The Coyotes’ 2019 win was the first win in 20 years against SDSU.

USD-SDSU women’s basketball

Two of the top programs in women’s college basketball call the state of South Dakota home. The two teams square off for the first time Jan. 8 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The two teams didn’t play in Vermillion last season due to travel restrictions with COVID-19. SDSU swept USD in Brookings.

Summit League Basketball Champions

The USD women’s basketball team and Oral Roberts’ men’s basketball team will defend their conference titles at the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls March 5-8.

The tournaments are hosted at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

D-Days: USD vs. Indiana State

The return of Dakota Days is highlighted by the Coyote football team taking on Indiana State in Missouri Valley Football Conference action Oct. 2. The game is the first home conference football game of the season.

B4 Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Sports

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Former Coyote’s Olympic homecoming

Rachel Pechous | The Volante

Former USD pole vaulter Chris Nilsen was welcomed home by family, friends and students on Aug. 6. Nilsen competed in this year’s 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and won the silver medal in pole vaulting.

Coyote soccer off to a rollercoaster start Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyote soccer team is coming off the 2021 spring season, where they made the Summit League Tournament and fell in the opening round.

After a trio of exhibition games, the Coyotes got their season underway Aug. 21 with a 1-0 win over Northern State, followed by a 0-0 tie at Colorado State Thursday and a 2-1 loss at Wyoming Sunday.

The Coyotes (1-1-1) are at Creighton Thursday at 7 p.m. and at Northern Iowa Sunday at 1 p.m.

South Dakota 1, Northern State 0 (2OT)

A 107th minute goal from Maliah Atkins gave the Coyotes a 1-0 win over Northern State Saturday, Aug. 21 in Vermillion.

Atkins scored her first career goal off a corner kick after 106 minutes of play to break the 0-0 tie and give the Coyotes the victory.

The corner kick was by senior Abby Ostrem and the sophomore Atkins put her foot on the ball to score the first game of the Coyote season.

Redshirt sophomore Caroline Lewis was in goal for the Coyotes, picking up two saves in the shutout. Lewis didn’t see a shot from the Wolves’ offense in the first half.

South Dakota 0, Colorado State 0 (2OT)

The Coyotes traveled to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State Thursday, and for the second time in two games the Coyotes were playing a two-overtime game.

USD was able to get four shots off in the first half, and saw a pair of solid attacks just miss the goal. Junior Shaylee Gailus’

last chance shot for Coyotes went wide to end the game in a tie.

Senior Emma Harkleroad recorded five saves in goal for the shutout win.

Wyoming 2, South Dakota 1

An early goal gave USD a 1-0 lead, but Wyoming rallied for a 2-1 win over the Coyotes Sunday in Laramie, Wyoming.

Senior Maddison Sullivan found senior Jordan Centineo for a goal less than two minutes into the action to put the Coyotes up 1-0.

Wyoming tied the game in the 27th minute, with Nikayla Copenhaver putting a shot past Coyote goalkeeper Caroline Lewis.

Alyssa Bedard scored the second goal for Wyoming, which ultimately was the decider.

File Photo | The Volante

Coyote soccer team is heading into the fall season after three exhibition games resulting in one win, one tie and one loss. The Coyotes play at Creighton on Thursday, September 2.