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SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
USD ROTC sees surge in numbers for 2014
‘WE’RE JUST LIKE YOU’
Braley Dodson
Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu
After returning from the brink of cancellation, the University of South Dakota’s Reserve Officers Training Corps program is ushering in the largest class it’s seen in years. Lt. Col. Ross Nelson, chair of the Military Science department, said this fall there are about 40 new students in the program compared to 2013. Last year, there were approximately 80 students involved in the program. In October, NELSON the U.S. Army announced USD’s ROTC program would be cut. Nelson said the announcement came as a shock to the university and he didn’t realize the program was in danger of closing or what the criteria was for the program to remain open. The decision to close the program has since been reversed, and instead, the program will undergo a review process in March. Jackson Yates, a senior and cadet in the program, has been organizing events and mentoring new cadets, which included helping one first-year who locked themselves out of their dorm room. “The numbers this semester go to show that the University of South Dakota is not done ROTC wise,” Yates said. Had the program been cancelled, Yates would have had to travel to South Dakota State University for a day in order to graduate from the ROTC program. Students who had several years left at the university would have had to drop the program or transfer to a different university. Since the jump in recruitment, the physical training platoon has split into two groups, increasing the number of leadership positions available for students. SEE ROTC, PAGE A7
EDITOR'S COLUMN
Kroeger ‘took the world by storm’ Emily Niebrugge
Emily.K.Niebrugge@coyotes.usd.edu
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Macaulay McDonald, a member of SESDAC, bowls at Howler’s Monday alongside assistant bowling coach Jordan Petersen.
SESDAC pairs with USD, Vermillion to strike down disability stereotypes Cristina Drey
Christina.Drey@coyotes.usd.edu
In a place where the clap of high fives is as prevalent as the thud of a bowling ball, students from the University of South Dakota and community members are teaming up with members of SESDAC, Inc. for a bit of friendly competition while building relationships.
Sept. 8, practices for the Special Olympics Unified Bowling season started at Howler’s Bar and Grille. A unified sport is one in which volunteers are paired with a person with a disability to create a team and practice together. “It’s almost as if with unified (sports) the whole label of disabilities melted away,” said
Joseph Barth, day services and special olympics coordinator at SESDAC. “It presents a chance to see the person for who they are...to change that original stereotype of people with disabilities.” Each team of bowlers coordinates schedules to practice either on Monday, Friday or SEE BOWLING, PAGE A8
Last week my organization lost one of our photographers, Rebecca Kroeger, in a car accident in Minnesota. For someone who has built a career on writing, I can tell you it has never been more difficult to find the right words to express our sadness and to explain who Rebecca was as a person. There is no way to accurately describe her vibrant personality and willingness to help anyone she could. Nothing scared her, and she took the world by storm every chance she was given. I have never been more proud of anyone I have ever had the chance to meet. That, I can tell you, is the most difficult part. I feel so incredibly honored to have had the chance to be a part of this young lady’s life and to get the chance to see her grow up in front of my very eyes. I had the privilege of meeting this beautiful woman just after her junior year of high school as her counselor for South Dakota Girls State Journalism City. Girls State brings high school women from across the state to participate in a mock government, while young journalists put together a daily newspaper for coverage of the week-long events. Rebecca walked in that Monday afternoon, and I instantly knew she was vibrant, passionate and an overall incredible individual. Her own camera in tow, she came prepared to bring her craft to everyone taking part in our program — shooting hundreds of photos at every single event that week. I can also tell you everyone on my staff felt the exact same way about her. It is never easy, as an individual or an organization, to hear such heartbreaking news, and telling my staff was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my entire life. I could see each of their eyes as they welled with tears a heartbreak I cannot describe. Ask anyone who SEE KROEGER, PAGE A6
Alcohol-permitted Student tailgate shrinks to 30 spots dorm room use on to accomodate arena construction the decline at USD Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
Of the 2,200 students living on campus, less than 200 are 21 years old or older and none of them are utilizing the alcoholpermitted dorm rooms at the University of South Dakota this semester. In its fourth year of being available to students of age, wet rooms are allowed on the first floor of McFadden and the ‘C’ wing of CoyTUCKER ote Village. In 2011, 40 students were living in alcoholpermitted rooms, while only 20 students did in 2012 and in
2013 no students were living in wet rooms. Todd Tucker, director of university housing, said the low numbers have a lot to do with the lack of interest in alcoholpermitted rooms. “A lot of students that are interested in alcohol-permitted rooms on campus end up moving off campus because they find a place to live,” Tucker said. “We like being able to offer housing to upper-class students when they choose to take advantage of it.” Anna Duxbury, a 22-year-old senior, lives in an apartment off campus, which she said she prefers to living on campus. “It’s just nicer and you don’t have to buy a meal plan and you don’t have to worry about SEE DORMS, PAGE A7
The prospect of a $66 million basketball arena has had some unintended consequences for football fans at the University of South Dakota — especially those who count on a beer and a brat before a game. USD officials relocated student tailgating to the northwest side of the DakotaDome because of arena construction. The move reduced the number of tailgate spaces to 30 from the original two designated parking lots south of the Dome, but Director of Transitions and Student Programming Lindsay Sparks said the only time cars exceeded this number was before the game against South Dakota State University last fall. “The size is what it is. My hope is that people will work together to say ‘Let’s just do one big group’ for those bigger games,” she said. “Really, it’s just one car per spot, SEE TAILGATE, PAGE A4
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
University of South Dakota junior Matt Newborg and senior Steve Payne play beanbags Sept. 6 at the new tailgating area located behind the DakotaDome.
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