09.30.20

The Volante

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 2 0

MORSE’S FARM MARKET BRINGS LOCAL FLAVOR TO PRODUCE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

SPORTS (B1, B2)

USD Swim and Dive team prepares for season with intrasquad meet After their 2019-20 season came to an early end, the USD Swim and Dive team returned to the pool on Sept. 26 for an intrasquad meet. See how the team kicked off the season on page B1.

VERVE (B3, B4)

Mr. and Miss Dakota 2020 Top 14 candidates revealed

Jacob Forster | The Volante

Morse’s Farm Market has been passed through Mitchell Morse’s family for five generations, reaching as far back as the 1890s.

Jacob Forster

Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu

Morse’s Farm Market, tucked away on Dakota St. on the outskirts of Vermillion, is a smaller operation than the competing Vermillion Area Farmer’s Market, but one that’s been a part of the community for generations.

Mitchell Morse, the proprietor and sole operator of the market, has been working at the farmer’s market since he was a small child. The market has been passed through his family for five generations, he said, as far back as the 1890s.

“We used to raise about 60 acres of produce,” Morse said. “And I suppose I started working when I was about six or seven years old.”

Operating a farmer’s market largely alone, Morse said, can be a challenge. Morse makes produce deliveries without someone watching the market. This he said, means he could miss customers.

Regular customers at the market, however, know how to self-serve. “(Customers) know what the prices are. I leave a price sheet,” Morse said. “They pick out what they want, weigh their stuff, leave the

money and go.”

In addition to running Morse’s Farm Market, Morse is a custodian at USD’s Beacom Hall, and also sells flowers and Christmas trees seasonally.

Morse supplies the seeds for much of his produce to a Hutterite family who raises it for him. Morse then brings the produce back into Vermillion and sells it at his market.

The produce he offers varies by season.

“We start out in the spring with seeds and plants, and then we go into vegetables. You know, sweet corn, tomatoes, onions and potatoes,” Morse said. “Pumpkin season is the next big season, and then starting about the 20 of November, the Christmas trees come in.”

Morse said COVID-19 impacted various areas of his business in different ways. Flower sales increased, but he was unable to supply produce to schools due to a decrease in in-person education.

“It was a very good year (for flowers) because everybody was stuck at home and they were planting gardens or wanted flower beds,” Morse said. “The downturn was that I lost out on about $5,000

worth of business, (because) I provide produce for schools.”

In order to maintain a customer base, Morse said it’s important to provide personal service and to guarantee produce. This means that customers should know they’ll get the quality they’re paying for.

“If you get something that don’t taste good, don’t bring it back, just let us know,” Morse said.

This time of year is pumpkin season, and Morse said a lot of families bring in young children to get pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns and want to take pictures at the market.

“I say, of course, you take all the pictures you want, because it might be their child’s first pumpkin,” Morse said. “What people say is a stem sells a pumpkin more than anything.”

Steve Mayer, director of USD’s Wellness Center, is a regular customer at Morse’s market. He said the market has reasonable prices and Morse is a friendly face.

“Obviously, it’s a long-standing business in Vermillion,” Mayer said.

“And it’s just a good place to go to get produce that’s local and right out of the ground.”

Mr. and Miss Dakota, a tradition that started in 1914, represents the value of excellence both on and off campus.

Meet this year’s candidates on page B3.

Jacob Forster | The Volante

Alaska, Morse’s dog, greets customers as they shop around the market.

YOTE YARDS BEGINS NEW D-DAYS TRADITION

Miles Amende | The Volante

President Sheila Gestring delivered the State of the University Address on Sept. 24.

USD President discusses fiveyear plan at university address Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

Peyton Beyers | The Volante

Yote Yards, a new addition to D-Days, is a yard-decorating competition. It includes three categories particpants can win: most original theme, best use of the color red and biggest display of Coyote pride.

Rachel Pechous

Rachel.Pechous@coyotes.usd.edu

Due to alterations in the way USD has been operating, Dakota Days has had to make some changes to its events for the week. Newly added to the list is the D-Days Yote Yards event, which encourages community

members and students to decorate their yards with USD gear.

Hailie Warren, director of public relations at USD, said it lets the community and students remain involved in D-Days festivities.

“We are always trying to lean into traditions

and come up with new ones as well as getting the community more engaged and this just felt like a perfect medium,” Warren said.

Joni Freidel, Director of Scholarship Administration and participant in Yote Yards, said reimagining D-Days

means celebrating as a community even though we cannot safely participate in traditional events or activities.

“This is an activity in which you can safely show Coyote pride and can be enjoyed by everyone,” Freidel said.

See YOTES, Page A3

At the State of the University Address on Sept. 24, USD President Sheila Gestring outlined the university’s strategic plan to improve USD over the next five years. She also brought up the state of enrollment at USD and announced new plans for Julian Hall.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, a committee of 42 faculty and staff were tasked with interviewing over 1000 internal and external stakeholders within 76 constituent groups, which included students, faculty, alumni, community

members, tribal representatives, businesses and legislators.

In working with that information, Gestring said in her speech, the committee of faculty and staff saw six common themes emerge for improving USD. These themes are academic excellence, engagement, infrastructure, diversity, serving South Dakota and affordability.

Gestring said these themes will guide the university by insuring USD continues to engage stakeholders, prioritize investments in technology and infrastructure, revise diversity See ADDRESS, Page A3

News LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN A2 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Peyton BeyersI The Volante

Margaret Meierhenry won $150 in Coyote Cash after she competed in Yotes Got Talent on Sept. 27 in Aalfs Auditorium. Meierhenry performed "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.

CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE >> Sept. 20 - Sept. 26

1

non-injury accident

Sept. 20 Caller requested help with gas money to get home. An officer assisted the man.

Sept. 20 Officers responded to a report of a disturbance outside of a residence.

Caller reported that a man was throwing trash around his yard.

The man was contacted and was frustrated by the number of flies.

No police services were needed.

Sept. 20 Officers were called to a local business for a disruptive patron. One adult female was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest.

Sept. 20 Officers investigated a report of a noise complaint at a residence. The offender was located and warned.

Sept. 21 Officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at a residence. One adult male was arrested for simple assault.

Sept. 21 Officers responded to a local business for a report of a theft. Two women were on camera stealing items from the store.

Investigation continues.

Sept. 22 Officers responded to

1

1

domestic assault

a non-injury accident.

One driver was ticketed for a lane violation.

Sept. 22 Officers investigated a fake ID that was found by a third party. Charges are pending.

Sept. 22 Officers responded to a report of two males fighting. It was learned one of the males found the other trying to steal things out of his friend’s car. The theft suspect was arrested.

Sept. 23 Officers responded to a non injury accident.

One of the drivers involved had been texting while driving

CWC hosts first students of color panel, opens dialogue about race

and was ticketed.

parking complaint

criminal activity detected.

Sept. 23 Vermillion officers received a parking complaint.

Officers located the vehicle and issued the vehicle a parking ticket.

Sept. 24 Officers stopped a car for an illegal U-turn and discovered underage occupants in the car that had been drinking. Two underage consumption tickets were written.

Sept. 24 Officers responded to a dispute between an adult child and their parent. Officers mediated the situation and returned to service. No

was

Sept. 24 Officers received a report of harassment through social media.

Case is under investigation.

Sept. 24 Officers were called to a business for the theft of some merchandise.

Investigation continues.

Sept. 25 Caller reported observing a male assaulting a female outside of their home.

Officers located the couple and witnessed the male punch the female in the head while they were inside their

LIVE AT 5 P.M.

car. Officer arrested the male for a felony domestic assault and outstanding arrest warrants.

Sept. 26 An officer stopped a vehicle for a lane driving violation. The driver was found to be intoxicated. The driver was arrested and charges are pending.

Sept. 26 Vermillion Officers received a 911 call of a driving complaint.

Officers located the vehicle and found the driver to be intoxicated.

The driver was arrested and charges are pending.

TUNE IN THIS MONTH

Watch Channel 21 live at 5.

Check out the KAOR website for student podcasts.

COYOTEHistory 2013 Astronaut Mark Kelly speaks at USD.

2006 South Dakota Board of Regents refuses to pass smoking ban.

Miles Amende I The Volante

Ashley Charlie was the moderator for the CWC's first Students of Color Panel on Sept. 28.

Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

The Cultural Wellness Coalition (CWC) hosted its first Students of Color Panel to discuss issues stemming from systemic racism both on and off campus.

Panelists answered prepared questions as well as audience questions from in the room and from the event’s Facebook Livestream. Ashley Charlie, the moderator of the event, said these issues have always been present, and that the panel was needed to inform the USD community.

“I do think current events did kind of push (the panel) even more, with everything that’s been going on on-campus and in the world, but I think the panel was going to happen regardless,” Charlie said.

The panel discussed issues surrounding race identity, the Black Lives Matter movement and ways for students to talk about race issues. Panelist Shanice Hall said for white students who want to discuss these issues and cause change, they need to be respectful and educated on what they want to discuss.

“In order for us to get to that level of

inclusion and support, you have to talk about it,” Hall said. “If there’s something that you want to speak on, speak on it.

Be open, be respectful, be assertive, but make sure that you have the facts to speak on it, and be careful how you talk about it.”

Charlie said she thinks the event will get more people involved and informed about these issues, and that panels like this will happen again in the future.

“Students, administrators and faculty come and go, so you hear new experiences from different people all the time, and I do believe this may be a yearly event,” Charlie said.

The main goal of the panel, Charlie said, was to create a dialogue to help people understand some of the racial issues in the world so future generations don’t have to live with them.

“We have to listen, understand it and digest it in order for us to move on to solutions. I feel like the main goal was to get people in that room and have this conversation … to have people get out of their own mindsets and walk in someone else’s shoes,” Charlie said. “I understand you can’t always do that, but if you have an open mind, it helps.”

The Volante Volume 145, N0. 20 September 30, 2020 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069

Lexi Kerzman editor-in-chief Bailey Zubke managing editor Miles Amende news editor Jacob Forster news assistant Sara Cappiello news designer

Adviser Kyle Miller

Chloe Fullenkamp

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.

Madilyn Sindelar

verve editor sports editor Peyton Beyers photo editor Leah Dusterhoft executive designer Heidi Schneider social media director DeAndre Hill social media assistant Cecilia Gillen advertising manager

A3 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

News

Unauthorized personal routers, hotspots interfere with campus internet connection Tyler Boyle

Tyler.Boyle@coyotes.usd.edu

When USD students move back into the dorms, hundreds of computers, phones and gaming systems move with them. Over the weeks, these devices have caused slow and sometimes inaccessible internet for students in their dorms.

The Information Technology Service (ITS) desk sent an email to students on Sept. 2 addressing the issue.

The email said the internet issues are sometimes being caused by unauthorized devices on USD’s network such as personal hotspots, wireless routers or Bluetooth devices.

Kyle Gruhn, Director of IT Operations and Development, said the ITS Desk identified 555 of these types of devices potentially interfering with USD’s WiFi on Aug. 31. This happened after USD added over 1,000 new Wi-Fi access points in residence halls over the past 6 months to improve internet services to students.

“These personal devices used by students use a wireless signal that compete with other wireless signals in the area, potentially causing interference with USD’s network,” Gruhn said. “This can result in a lot of noise with the network around campus and results in a bad connection.”

Cheryl Tiahrt, Chief Information Officer at USD, said students should remember to always connect to the University’s network “eduroam” and avoid using other networks. This includes using one’s personal hotspot from their cell phone.

“If you have other wireless profiles other than ‘eduroam,’ like rogue ones or ‘SDvisitor’ and ‘SDsecure,’ you should click the option to forget those files and remove them from your device,” Tiahrt said. “You can often do this

Alle Anduaga

USD Research, Engage and Design (RED), an online data repository, was created over two years ago. RED allows worldwide sharing of scholarly and creative works created by USD faculty, students and institutional partners.

RED is a service of the University of South Dakota University Libraries. Daniel Daily, dean of libraries, said the vision for RED was to show off all of the good works done at USD — which highlight a broad range of disciplines and thinking.

“RED is fairly new so not all of the schools, colleges and departments have work in there,” Daily said. “RED represents a lot of the school of medicine because that was one of the first groups of faculty and researchers that started putting materials in there.”

Any USD student, graduate or faculty member is welcome to add materials to RED. Daily said the

Tyler Boyle

USD’s School of Health Sciences has created the Community Action Response Epidemiology (CARE) team to partner with the South Dakota Department of Health and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board to provide contact tracing, health promotion and comprehensive services to the state of South Dakota.

Susan Puumala, the project director of the CARE team, said the team has also been working with the University of South Dakota in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic on campus.

“The idea is for the team to be involved in a range of different projects for the state

From Page A1

statements and make financial services easier for students to navigate.

In a question and answer session with provost Kurt Hackemer after the speech, Gestring said USD has been good at continuous improvement, but having engaged in this study will allow the university to carry out its strategic plan.

“I think the collaboration comes and the execution comes because we engaged so many stakeholders, and there’s going to be this ownership and this buy-in, and I think it’s always much easier to really execute a plan when you have that sense of ownership among all your stakeholders,” Gestring said.

In her speech, Gestring also talked about USD’s retention rate of 80.7%, but noted a decrease in new undergraduate enrollment and international student enrollment. These trends, Gestring said, are consistent with enrollment data across the country.

“While we admitted

twice as many international students compared to last year, we ultimately realized a 35.6% decrease in new international student enrollment due to COVID19’s impact on global mobility,” Gestring said.

One of the many developments Gestring discussed in her speech was the support to replace Julian Hall. Construction on a new Health Sciences building will begin in the spot in April of 2021, made possible by a $5 million appropriation from the state legislature and a private matching gift.

“We are in a time of continual growth, and these gifts, leadership changes, partnerships and campus updates, are significant markers of USD’s forward movement over the past year,” Gestring said. “In addition to celebrating these advancements, we must also recognize the challenges and the opportunities.”

From Page A1

Heidi Schneider| The Volante

The recent internet issues on campus are due to a large amount of unauthorized devices on USD’s network. These devices include personal hotspots, wireless routers and Bluetooth devices. by going into the settings of your device.”

Tiahrt said in addition to forgetting these networks, students should also report the networks to the ITS Desk so they can identify private networks interfering with the university’s WiFi. The network itself is not always the issue with connecting to the internet but rather with the computer itself, Gruhn said. He said oftentimes computers need to be updated in order to gain better internet access.

“Laptops and computers

are often in need of driver updates. You typically will get these updates maybe once or twice a year,” Gruhn said. “It may have not been a problem at your house, but with the internet access the university has, your device would benefit from having that driver update and properly negotiating its connection.”

No matter the issue, both Gruhn and Tiahrt said they encourage students to contact the ITS desk so they can help your computer or internet problems as well

as prevent it in the future.

Students can also find answers to frequent issues and questions about their devices if they visit the Coyote One Stop website, Tiahrt said.

Currently, the university is still investigating dorms to find and prevent potential unauthorized devices from interfering with the networks, Gruhn said. So far, they have been able to lower the number of interfering devices they can identify to 490 since the email was sent on Sept. 2.

materials that are found on RED really took off due to the relationships that already existed among the university’s librarians, faculty and students.

RED is a working group, Danielle Loftus, manager of RED, said. She said it isn’t just a single group of people contributing to RED, it is USD as a whole.

“RED is open access, so it’s something that, traditionally, faculty will put their work in there,” Loftus said, “Both graduates and undergraduates are able to upload their work.”

Loftus said there are a lot of works from the fine arts department as well as honors theses.

“RED is for intellectual output,” Loftus said. “Any kind of article, video, scholarly research, data, working papers, technical documents and more can be added.”

It may be difficult for undergraduate and graduate students to find publication opportunities, Loftus said,

Since RED was implemented: • 1,195 works posted • 42,048 downloads • Read by 155 countries • Read by 1,782 different institutions • Google was the top place where users found USD RED content so RED provides them the opportunity to publish information they wouldn’t be able to distribute elsewhere.

“It’s been great for the honors program because the students are able to publish their honors thesis and have it available worldwide,” Loftus said.

Students applying to graduate school can use RED as a place to view potential graduate schools and for their honors thesis.

Admission committees are able to look at the honor

theses there, Daily said. RED also allows employers to see the work one has done as an undergraduate.

The primary focus of RED is to allow access to undergraduate student work, Daily said, particularly with the honors program and undergraduate research program here at USD. “RED will really kind of grow itself, we help people upload stuff in there but for the most part it really is selfservice,” Daily said.

New CARE Team collects research to aid in USD’s, South Dakota’s COVID-19 response Tyler.Boyle@coyotes.usd.edu

ADDRESS

YOTES

USD RED allows students to contribute information, access data worldwide Alle.Anduaga@coyotes.usd.edu

The Volante | volanteonline.com

and university,” Puumala said. “We want to play a role in public health with not only the coronavirus but other diseases, public health messaging and public education and provide an extra type of workforce to the state of South Dakota.”

Puumala said the first project the team is doing focuses on contact tracing for the Department of Health of South Dakota. Their main two focuses for the contact tracing are on travel communities within the state and contact tracing at USD. At the end of the project the team will be analyzing their date to identify ways the state and university could improve contact tracing.

The CARE team includes

undergraduate students, graduate students and staff members at USD. Puumala said there are a total of 20 official members but the team has support from others as well.

Irene Thelma ArangoGomez, one of the student leaders of the team, said she has received first-hand experience in epidemiology that students don’t normally receive in the classroom.

“The students and faculty will be able to build relationships with each other as well as with tribal communities and the South Dakota Department of Health,” Arango-Gomez said.

“This is a great opportunity for students to get their foot in the door with the SD DOH

and to gain experience in doing public health work in South Dakota.”

For the next several months, the CARE team will be focusing on the coronavirus, but after the pandemic the program plans to focus on helping the South Dakota Health Department with other epidemiological diseases, Puumala said.

“I’m not sure exactly what the needs are going to be in the future so we are promoting ourselves to help out,” Puumala said. “We are also thinking about public health and health promotion with vaccinations and other promotions of different things in a non-clinical setting to students and the community.”

Yards will be judged in three different categories based on votes submitted by the public. The three categories are Creative Coyote, Red Rising and Coyote Crazy.

Creative Coyote is judged by the most original and creative theme. Red Rising is judged by the best use of USD’s school color, red. Lastly, Coyote Crazy is judged by the biggest display of Coyote pride.

“This is a great way for people to get creative with their displays and have fun being a part of the USD pack,” Warren said.

Freidel decorated her own yard with skeletons dressed in USD gear, including a football player and cheerleader, with her theme as “Wasting Away Waiting for Coyote Game Day!” Freidel said she got the idea from her daughter and it escalated from there.

“It was a family activity which was another positive of the Yote Yard event,”

Freidel said.

Each category will also have first, second and third place winners.

First place winners will be awarded four 50-yard line suite tickets to a 2021 USD football game with food and drinks included.

Second place winners will be awarded four tickets to a 2021 USD football game with access to Coyote Landing.

Third place winners will be awarded a $150 Charlie’s gift card.

Voting started on Sept.

28 and ends Oct. 3, winners will be announced on Oct. 3 on USD’s Facebook page.

Warren said she hopes this event will go well and will be carried over to future D-Days celebrations.

“It is our hope that a tradition like this can continue and every year over D-Days we can all come together and paint the town red,” Warren said.

USD sees decline in new student enrollment, sets record retention rate Jacob Forster

Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu

USD saw growth in new graduate student enrollment and a record number of returning students, in addition to a small decline in total new student enrollment this semester.

Total enrollment declined by 4.6%. Part-time students declined by 9.2% while fulltime students declined by 1.9%. This means that USD’s core student population was largely unchanged.

This semester, firsttime on-campus freshmen declined by 73 students from last year. USD saw growth in enrollment from South Dakota and Nebraska,

but declines in Iowa and Minnesota.

USD also set a record retention rate of 80.7%. USD President Sheila Gestring attributed this to the university’s commitment to supporting students.

“I’m incredibly proud to see the hard work of our faculty and staff pay off with our record retention rates,” Gestring said in a press release last Wednesday. “It speaks volumes about the kind of experience students have and can look forward to at USD.”

VOTE AL LEBER

FOR DISTRICT 17 REPRESENTATIVE

“A Voice for Public Education”

* Vietnam Era Veteran * Vermillion High School Principal for 8 years * 1994 – Region II High School Principal of the Year Award * Dakota Valley School Superintendent for 17 years * 2014 – South Dakota Superintendent of the Year Award * Served 7 years on the National School Superintendents Governing Board, lobbying Congress on Education Issues * Endorsed by the South Dakota Education Association I look forward to your support on November 3rd.

Contact me at leberfordistrict17@yahoo.com PAID FOR BY CANDIDATE

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Social media and relationships

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

JAMIE JOHNSON is a senior majoring in strategic communication Technology is forever evolving around the world and it can be a powerful tool.

Nowadays people are worried about their relationships because of social media. Social media is a very popular platform used to express one’s feelings, opportunities, adventures and many other factors.

These factors help tell the public our interest and who are important in our life.

Relationship are different than how they were before social media; I think that social media could easily ruin a relationship.

We might know someone based off their personality, but social media could give us a whole new perspective.

Whether it is new or old social media post, it can determine what someone is like and give you and idea of what they believe in.

This can help determine an idea of what your relationship could get into and maybe even second guess it. Let us say you find a post about your boyfriend from 4 years ago before you were dating. It was a racist post and aggressive toward a culture, this could change your perspective and second guess his current beliefs.

Hopefully after finding new information you communicate with them and ask them why they wrote that. This is just one example on how social media could potentially ruin a relationship.

Relationships consist of trusting one another and social media could ruin that trust for someone too. Finding information that we do not mean to find on our significant other can break our hearts or question them. I think social media is powerful and people do not realize everything is public and can be found so easily.

Social media can also distract you from a relationship and make you miss important moments in each other’s life.

Social media can help us gain a better understanding of someone too.

Usually what we follow on social media means that we take an interest on that something or someone. This is kind of like a sneak peek of what this relationship could entail and how to prepare for it.

Although relationship should not be based off social media, some people look at this as an advantage.

I however think social media can cause issues in relationships if it is the center of the relationship.

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME

1 in 3 The average ratio of college students that binge drink in a month.

5 File Photo I The Volante Like previous Dakota Days celebrations, last year boasted huge crowds all week at bars downtowns and at the football game to close out the week. This year with the pandemic and no big game, D-Days will look a little different.

Editorial: What is D-Days without football?

USD’s homecoming celebration, Dakota Days, usually starts with royalty finalists being announced and wraps up with the D-Days football game on Saturday.

With no football game, what is homecoming all about?

Homecoming is not dependent on the football game being played, however it is a large part of the celebration. The game, parade, street dance and other events have been canceled or changed to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dakota Days is more than a football game, it brings the USD community of students, faculty and alumni together, but the culmination of excitement and celebration for the week is brought to the parade and football game that take place Saturday. All the build up, is to win the D-Days game and celebrate another great year of USD. This year not having the game means the Dakota Days Committee had to find a new way to keep the celebration alive without the typical celebrations.

The committee gave students new ways to celebrate with things

like Yote Olympics, but kept old traditions like homecoming royalty and the talent show.

While the committee did everything they could to keep the spirit of D-Days alive, how many students actually know that D-Days is happening this week? How many students are still celebrating despite having no game on Saturday? How many alumni are still making trips to Vermillion this week to celebrate D-Days?

There are a lot of reasons to still celebrate D-Days. Professors and students are rejoicing for having made it this far without having to move everything online for the rest of the semester. The number of cases on campus has stayed between 20 and 30 for the last two weeks and the number of students in isolation continues to drop. However, there are still cases around Vermillion and South Dakota continues to see a climb in cases.

While we all could use an opportunity to celebrate, now is still not the time. There are going to be house parties, people crowding the bars and no respect to social distancing and mask

Follow us on Twitter

wearing requirements this week.

With all that has gone on over the last six months, we all need

The average number of college students that die every year due to binge drinking.

20

is that opportunity, but is now really the time?

Late last week the athletic department

announced

the

schedule for spring football, with eight conference games — four home and four road games — being played starting in February.

The percentage of college students that have Alcohol Use Disorder.

If it is safe to play football come spring, then why not wait for then to have Dakota Days. Yes, that feels weird, but what about the year 2020 doesn’t?

97,000

Older alumni and fans of USD

The number of students that experiencing alcohol related sexual assault in a year.

may not feels safe to travel to Vermillion for the celebrations this week, but still may feel pressured to because it is D-Days.

The celebration of D-Days should be enjoyed by everyone, and the

1 in 4

easiest way to do that is to wait until football season this spring.

@VolanteOpinion Submit overheards Vote in weekly polls Live tweets from campus Listen to the student’s voice

The number of students reporting academic problems from drinking.

From niaaa.nih.gov

The Volante

What are your plans for DDays?

24%

If you need me... I’ll be downtown

14%

I’m staying home

59%

Decorating my yard

1,825

a reason to celebrate. D-Days

WEEKLY POLL: Darties

The number of drinks in two hours that qualify for binge drinking.

3% *Out of 37 voters

Let us hear your voice by voting in @VolanteOpinion weekly polls on Twitter.

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

EDITORIAL BOARD Lexi Kerzman, editor-in-chief

Madilyn Sindelar, sports editor

Bailey Zubke, managing editor

Chloe Fullenkamp, verve 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 North 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.

Opinion

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Climate change is happening SARAH BECHEN is a senior majoring in media & journalism

The infamous “think about your children and grandchildren” trope is out. Climate change is here and there’s very little time to reverse its effects.

Pressuring people to think about their children and grandchildren should’ve been used 50 or 60 years ago. The children of Generation Z are the ones you should’ve been thinking of. Gen Z is being handed a world that’s on fire, LITERALLY! On top of the world burning, this year has already seen record amounts of hurricanes.

According to National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, there are normally only two named storms form as early as August and the ninth named storm won’t show up until Oct. 4.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, on the other hand, set records naming the ninth storm in August.

2020 isn’t a coincidence, it’s the result of centuries of disrespect for Mother Earth coming to heads.

One question I’ve found myself asking lately deals with the disbelief some have with doing the little things now, or those convinced that nothing we do now will matter.

There seems to be a consensus that if time travel is proven, going

back in time and changing some little things could change everything, so why are so many convinced that doing something small in the present will not affect the future. Food for thought.

If 2020 didn’t seem daunting enough the way it is, there is now a climate change countdown clock in New York. This piece was meant to be an impactful art piece displaying these numbers to remind people of the work we have to do to ensure that climate change doesn’t become irreversible.

While I understand the intentions of this daunting clock, are the citizens who walk by it every day your target audience? Doing daily tasks as an individual

such as recycling, rejecting fast fashion or using eco-friendly products is amazing, but aren’t corporations the problem? Shouldn’t this art installation be targeting them rather than putting another thing on the shoulders of the consumers?

Any angle one chooses to take, there is no longer denying the existence of climate change. Scientist have been heeding warnings for many years, what’s happening right now was going to happen, yet many continue to argue.

There are seven years left to reverse the effects of climate change and in case you chose to disregard your elementary school teachers too, seven is a small number.

Building your pack PAYTON RYZ is a junior majoring in medical biology

As we head into the next phases of our lives, we will embark on new paths that lead us to different groups of people, different areas of the world and spark different career and life motivations. Along that path a key component to our success that most of us take for granted is our network.

The people who support us, the people who taught us, the people we worked with, the people who hire us and anyone in between.

This is our pack. The ripple effect of building your pack starts with a single drop in your inner circle and works outward and beyond. You never know what ripple effect will lead you to a person that ends up being a vital contact for the next

journey in your life.

Over the last five months I have had the privilege to tap into the power of networking through the Hult Prize community. I have been getting to meet and speak with hundreds of people from across the world; these people being other teams, experts, mentors and Hult staff who are here to support us in the Hult Prize competition.

To see and meet so many people from across the world with the same drive and motivation to do social and environmental good has been so inspiring.

The beauty of speaking to so many different people and hearing their stories is that you often recognize yourself in them.

Their drive and desires are often mirroring your own and seeing them succeed allows you to also believe in yourself and unlock your true potential.

Support from people all over the world is a gift and can feed your passion and

gratitude within like no other.

What we all have in common, shows just how small the world is even when we think it is too enormous to comprehend.

Everyone knows someone and is connected in some way. A few days ago, I had the honor to speak with someone in Bangladesh who leads many initiatives and organizations for water, sanitation and youth empowerment.

She has spoken at many events such as TedTalks and Global Citizen events which actress and activists Priyanka Chopra MC’ed (Priyanka is married to Nick Jonas). Now even though it is a long shot, technically, I have a connection to a Jonas Brother which is CRAZY to think about.

Networking or building your pack, can be anything from a small, more personal contact to a distant contact.

Whatever those contacts might be, add them to your pack and consider what

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

“Why are you looking up pregnant body builders?”

— Yale Street

“Sorry I had beef jerky caught in my throat.”

— Dakota Street

“My mask smells so good.”

— DakotaDome

“He’s very go with the flow, I wasn’t sure if it’s his meds or if he’s a Libra.”

— 41st Street

“Will you shut up man?”

— Presidential Debate

contacts they may have that could be beneficial to your success.

Forbes, a globally known business media company, says that “networking is not only about trading information but it also serves as an avenue to create long-term relationships with mutual benefits.”

In the future, periodically check in with people from your pack and offer them your help if they ever need anything. That way during times when you may need advice or help they will be more inclined and glad to help in return for all the times you offered your support to them.

You never know where you will end up or the people you may meet. Continue making connections with people because these connections ultimately create a large part of the human experience. After all, we are all connected in some way making our Earth and everything in it, one community.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 A5

Tipping is essential, quit acting otherwise HEIDI SCHNEIDER is a senior majoring in sport marketing and media In South Dakota, the minimum wage was recently increased to $9.30 an hour, just over two dollars more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. $9.30 still isn’t high enough but compared to other Midwest states, it’s not bad. But that’s not the point here.

Employees deemed as “tipped employees” can be paid as little as $2.13 an hour from their employer. Several states have increased that minimum on their own; in South Dakota, it is $4.65 an hour. But how does one live on $4.65 an hour?

They rely on tips from customers. There are several reasons why this is MESSED UP. I worked as a server for six years, starting at 15-years-old. I put myself through college on that money. I bought my car on that money.

For me, it was mostly a part-time job, especially once I found an office job on campus my first year at USD. I have first-hand experience with how tough it is for tipped employees.

Customers can be flat out rude, disrespectful and unruly. $4.65 an hour is not enough to deal with that.

Tipped employees — think servers, bartenders, hairdressers etc. — are often forced to be overly kind and understanding to customers disrespecting them just so they can pay their bills at the end of the day.

I loved serving.

But it was sometimes demeaning how much hard work it took to be

tipped from certain customers.

Other customers “don’t believe” in tipping.

That’s fine. But too bad for you. You chose to go out to a place that pays its employees on the basis that you will tip them.

If you have a problem with tipping, lobby for the labor laws to be changed so tipped employees can earn a livable wage before tips.

Don’t take your beef with the government out on minimum wage tipped employees just trying to pay the bills.

On top of both of those situations, now tipped workers are risking their health to make money.

You can’t tell me these workers are not exposed to COVID-19 on a weekly basis. This heightened risk so business owners can make money deserves recognition and better tips. These employees don’t want “Thank you” banners.

They want better tips.

10% and 15% doesn’t cut it right now. Tip better.

Always keep in mind servers have no control over how your food turns out. Don’t take your frustrations with the kitchen out on their tip.

Even if you don’t think the service was great, tip them. It’s a hard economy. You chose to go out. They didn’t choose to work for $4.65 an hour.

Be kind and give them a break. It’s not easy being deemed a tipped employee and it’s even more difficult right now.

If you can afford to eat out, go out for drinks or have your hair done – you can afford to tip. And up to 20-25% isn’t that much more for you but it adds up for the worker.

We’re all just trying to make it.

Want to make your voice heard?

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

News The Volante | volanteonline.com Co-teachers help motivate students through virtual, in-person learning

A6 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

For most USD students, their last year of college is spent on campus making final memories on campus and in Vermillion before they prepare for life after graduation.

Education majors, however, spend their last year off-campus in a yearlong teaching residency.

The USD School of Education partners with surrounding school districts to provide students the opportunity to co-teach and get hands-on classroom experience.

Robin Wiebers, interim associate dean for the School of Education, said the school of ed adapted the co-teaching model around 10 years ago.

When a student becomes a teacher-candidate and gets placed in a school district, Wiebers said they are treated as an employee of that district.

“They are just part of the school district. They really are there to support teachers as young educators within the school district,” Wiebers said.

“Just anything that needs (to be done) they’re willing to roll up their sleeves and help. And I’m so proud of our seniors.”

This year with COVID-19, Wieber said some teacher candidates have had to sub for other teachers in their districts. Others, she said, have been there to support fellow teachers who are trying to transition to online

learning.

Wiebers said having the partnership already established with the school districts made the transition to COVID learning easier for both sides of the partnership.

“Our students are valuable and helpful, even before they’re certified to be teachers, they’re able to be part of a school district and understand how important the teaching field is,” Wiebers said. “I truly believe teachers working together and supporting each other (especially now) make all the difference.”

Lexie Ellerbeck is a senior French education major and has been teaching French in the Omaha School District.

Ellerbeck said her experience as a teacher candidate has been interesting as she has been teaching a foreign language to her students all over Zoom.

The teachers in Omaha are in the building, Ellerbeck said, but all her students are at home.

“It’s definitely been interesting,” Ellerbeck said.

“Trying to create relationships with students when it’s at a distance and also not knowing if students understand the concept.”

On top of the regular communication barriers of Zoom, Ellerbeck said, there is also a language barrier.

As a French teacher, Ellerbeck is expected to speak in French for 90% of the class period. Making sure

students are able to keep up with the information and understand her speaking in another language while not being able to be with her students, she said, has been very challenging.

“I do quite a few more checks for understanding during class too,” Ellerbeck said. “I say ‘I’m saying all these things, and we’re going through this concept, but do you actually understand it if you apply it?’ I could talk for hours in French and the students could not understand a word I’m saying, so I made sure to do checkups regularly.”

Ellerbeck said right now the plan is to have all her students back in the classroom next month.

While teaching in the Wagner school district, Cassity Kerner, a senior English education major, has been in the classroom with her students all year.

Kerner said despite the circumstances with COVID19, her teaching residency has gone a lot smoother than she anticipated. Her district allowed students to choose if they wanted to be in person for school or go fully online.

“That makes it a little bit difficult because in a sense it’s almost as if we’re teaching two separate classes in one class,” Kerner said. “We have certain seventh-graders online and certain seventh-graders that would ideally be in that same class face-to-face. So we have to modify how we

teach in-person students and online students.”

Kerner said jumping into co-teaching this semester has been challenging, especially after the abrupt change in classes last semester. Despite the challenges, she said her experience has been great and ensured she is going into the right profession.

Growing up, Kerner said, she always played school with her siblings and just loved learning. Now, she said, she is able to take that passion she has always had and made it a career.

“Even though there’s so much going on and I’m so busy with college classes, lesson planning and grading — I still wake up every morning looking forward to seeing my kids,” Kerner said.

“If this wasn’t what I knew I wanted to do, I don’t think I would have that feeling every day.”

Wieber said every year she is proud of the teaching candidates and this year is no different. She said she admires their passion and willingness to learn and help other teachers in this challenging time.

“I just really do have the highest admiration for candidates that are out there because they are working alongside the teachers and doing some really great things,” Wieber said. “This too shall pass. Hang on. I am looking forward to seeing the students make every child feel special, even in these times.”

Submitted Photo | The Volante

The USD School of Education partners with surrounding school districts to give students the opportunity to co-teach.

Wellness Center launches new fitness app to provide easy access to services Sara Cappiello

Sara.Cappiellos@coyotes.usd.edu

Peyton Beyers | The Volante

The USD Fit App, recently launched by the Wellness Center, provides information about the events and activities going on at the Wellness Center.

For students looking to stay informed and in shape on campus, the Wellness Center is offering a new resource.

The USD Fit App launched on Aug. 12, and is a way for students, faculty and local community members to be aware of the daily events and activities going on at the Wellness Center.

Steve Mayer, Wellness Center director, said the idea for the app arose when the Wellness Center was shut down due to COVID-19.

Mayer said they needed a way to organize reservations for group fitness, racquetball and the climbing wall.

“You can find information about everything from hours of operation, group fitness classes, specialty programs, reservations, special events and more,” Mayer said. “It will help the customer be more informed and connected to wellness services.”

The USD Fit App was developed by FusionGO, the software company the Wellness Center already

uses for daily transactions of swipes, memberships and cash and credit card transactions.

In addition to allowing users to make reservations for the events and activities at the Wellness Center, the app will soon include a capacity feature. Due to COVID19, there is a restriction of how many individuals are allowed in each area of the Wellness Center, and the capacity feature would notify individuals when the Wellness Center is at or nearing capacity.

Grace Boone, senior health science major, is a building manager for the Wellness Center. Boone said she downloaded the USD Fit App right away and uses it frequently.

“Utilizing the push notifications can be an awesome resource in making sure that you are aware of all the events and information that relate to the functioning and events of the USD Wellness Center,” Boone said.

In addition to providing information for USD students and current members of the

Wellness Center, the app also offers the opportunity for non-students and nonmembers to sign up for memberships.

Users have also been taking advantage of the feedback feature on the USD Fit App, Boone said.

“For individuals that have downloaded and utilized the app we have received a very large number of great compliments and ideas on what we can do to enhance the app,” Boone said. “I think that as people begin to learn the specifics regarding the app, many more individuals will utilize it daily.”

So far, Mayer said, the app has been successful. Students, faculty and community members have been using the app mainly for notifications about group fitness and climbing wall and racquetball reservations.

“We know as we move forward the convenience of having an app is the future for successful communication and a great tool to bring wellness to your fingertips,” Mayer said.

Code Club solves problems, prepares for work after graduation Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

Code Club is dedicated to solving problems. Each week the club is assigned a coding problem and they try to solve it and improve their coding skills.

Right now, Code Club has around seven members. Members have the opportunity to compete in competitions related to coding each year.

Josh Henderson, Code Club president, said they are not sure if competitions are happening this year because of COVID-19. “(The competitions are) still scheduled for next semester, but obviously, no one knows what’s gonna happen,” Henderson said.

“We’re looking at bringing a competition to a local site here, we usually go to Sioux Center, Iowa, but we’re looking at bringing it (to USD) this year.”

Coding competitions, Henderson said, are made up of a bunch of problems ranging from easier to really hard. Competitors are timed and given 10 problems, Henderson said, and are expected to complete as many as they can.

Five years ago, Doug Olson, a professor of computer science, helped bring Code Club to USD. Olson said that year they had a lot of really good programmers who were interested in getting more

practice solving problems.

Since forming, the club has competed at the international programming contest each year, and Olson said their team has moved onto the world finals twice.

“I’ll point out that Harvard and Stanford didn’t make it to the world finals those years,” Olson said.

In order to prepare for competitions, the club gets weekly problems from a programming website online.

Henderson said they get the problems and solve them on their own time and then meet to discuss how people solved the problems.

Henderson said solving weekly problems has made him a better problem solver, but also a faster problem solver — skills he said will help him in finding a job after graduation.

“It’s helped me develop quick problem solving skills.

Not just being able to solve problems but solving them as fast as possible,” Henderson said. “(Fast problem solving) is ideal for both classes and the professional world. It has helped make me better in some capacity.”

This semester, as president, Henderson said he hopes to get more people a part of Code Club. Henderson said people don’t realize they don’t have to be a computer science major to join Code Club.

“A lot of people’s apprehension comes prior

Submitted Graphic | The Volante

to coming. Once they come they’re like ‘Oh, this is actually really helping me in my classes,’” Henderson said.

“Once you get there you realize how beneficial it is.”

Henderson said Code Club gives students practical skills to help better themselves in their career. While the club may be small, he said, it is crucial to USD’s campus community to have small clubs like Code Club.

“It’s important because it gives you opportunities for development, you wouldn’t get otherwise,” Henderson said. “Just being able to learn from some of the faculty in your specific field of study or whatever, that you wouldn’t necessarily get a chance to otherwise. That’s why I think it’s important to emphasize some of those smaller clubs that people may not know about, but could benefit a lot of people.

Code Club meets once a week. For those interested in getting involved, they should get in contact with Goodman.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

The USD Code Club helps coders enhance their skills and prepare them for finding employment after graduation.

Sports

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS

Peyton Beyers | The Volante

After winning the 800-meter freestyle, junior Leah Dregenberg shakes hands with a teammate.

USD SWIM & DIVE PREPARES FOR SEASON WITH INTRASQUAD MEET Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s swimming and diving teams had their 2019-20 season come to an early end due to COVID19, but the team made their return to the pool Saturday for an intrasquad meet to kick off the new season.

The Red vs. White intrasquad meet held in the DakotaDome pool was live-streamed for parents and

fans to watch, and for swimmers like senior Cooper Fuchs it was their first action since the season ended in March.

“I didn’t swim over the summer or lift at all because the gyms and pools back home are closed,” Fuchs said.

“So, coming back here in August and really starting to get into the groove of the 20 hours a week training sessions. It was a little difficult at first but I think have adapted well to it

and just trying to get better every day.”

Fuchs was a member of the White team and placed second in the 50-meter freestyle. Fuchs was also the anchor leg of the relay team that won the men’s 200-meter medley relay. Fuchs said there is a little different feel to the intrasquad competition compared to a meet against other teams.

“You know, personally, the people

that you’re racing, and you kind of know how they train after training with them for quite a while,” Fuchs said. “So, planning out race strategy is a big thing, especially going into these meets where you know how these people race. That’s huge but I’m excited to hopefully soon get back into competition with schools within our conference.”

Junior Meghan Atwell competed on the Red team Saturday and was a

part of two team relay victories and an individual title in the 100-meter breaststroke. Atwell said it was nice to have something to look forward to and compete in.

“Even though it was just against my own teammates it was nice to be able to have a feeling of some kind of structure because right now as athletes, we don’t have a lot to look forward to,” Atwell said. “So it See SWIM, Page B2

Athletes return after recovering from COVID-19 Jake Lindenberg

Jake.Lindenberg@coyotes.usd.edu

Submitted Photo | The Volante

(Left to right) Caleb Vander Esch and Dakota Smith record an episode of their podcast 1328.

Creating the 1328 experience Madilyn Sindelar

Madilyn.Sindelar@coyotes.usd.edu

Two members of the South Dakota football team recently came together to create a podcast. Hosted by Caleb Vander Esch and Dakota Smith, 1328 is a creative outlet for them to discuss topics larger than sports.

The first episode of the podcast, the California natives aired on Sept. 5, and they continue to release new episodes every Tuesday on every streaming service.

The show originated off of Vander Esch’s own podcast he previously solo hosted called D.C.R. with Caleb Vander Esch, where he did one-on-one interviews with people like President Sheila Gestring and former Coyote quarterback Chris Streveler.

“We had a couple conversations and felt like we could do this and just started recording. The most basic premise that we bounced around is taking athletes, whether college or professional level, and getting to know them outside of sports,” Smith said.

The housemates plan on finding out their podcast guest’s basic opinions, beliefs and stories during the show.

The first three episodes of 1328 focus on the hosts themselves and talking through their own stories and how they are more than just athletes.

“It’s more of a lifestyle, random every day college kid things than a sports podcast,” Smith said.

The title 1328 originated the morning of the first episode, after they had picked a previous name for it, Smith said.

“That morning I was in the shower and heard a song with a bunch of numbers and I really liked the way four numbers together sounded,” Smith said.

“Then I was thinking what four numbers should we use then it was 13 which is (Vander Esch’s) number and then 28 which is mine.”

The production process for 1328, Vander Esch said, includes the two hosts and a table in the living room.

“We had to go buy some chairs for the table and we have mics on the table and our TV is right behind us,” Vander Esch said. “We have to tell our roommates to just be quiet when we’re recording.”

Vander Esch then takes the raw sound and masters it into an audio program.

The two said they plan on doing some outside videography to include with the podcast content as well.

“We just use the 50 minute conversations straight. We also are going to start filming them and creating youtube videos to go along with it,” Smith said.

The show is continuing to grow and is described by the pair as a work-in-progress.

“We want to start reaching out to people we know to be on the show. We want to not only reach out to college athletes locally, but reach out to some professional athletes we’re both friends with,” Smith said. “We just want to get to

know them and their opinions on some things.”

The process of how their show is set up is very abstract, Smith said. “(Vander Esch) might write some things in his notes, but I just like to think about things through the week and be like okay, if I remember it then I remember it and if I don’t then it wasn’t meant to be,” Smith said.

Vander Esch said having no plan is the best plan because the episodes are as genuine and raw as they can be.

“People will ask us before we record an episode about what we’re going to talk about, and we honestly don’t have an answer, I really don’t know,” Vander Esch said. “It just kinda comes out with a random shower thought.”

One of the recurring segments on 1328 is “shower thoughts”, where they think of a random thought and go from there, Vander Esch said.

The pair said they wanted to take their ideas to a podcast to have a truly intimate conversation with people.

They want their show to be more than a podcast by making vlogs to create an experience.

“I would love to see where we can go with this, and if we can do it after college that would be awesome,” Vander Esch said. “We don’t have much of a plan but want to see where it goes and we have a lot of fun with it. We want to continue it and if we can continue doing it after college with different impurities that would be great.”

Despite the Summit League President’s Council’s vote to unanimously postpone the regular season and championships for fall sports, USD athletics have continued to practice while simultaneously attempting to navigate the pandemic.

According to USD’s COVID-19 Dashboard, the university saw a peak of 238 active COVID cases and 666 self-isolated students on Sept. 2. While the cases have been trending toward zero in recent days, some student athletes have been forced to self-quarantine and miss practices since the semester began, giving them less time to prepare for competition.

While it’s expected that missing practices would affect athletes’ conditioning and performance, senior swimmer Maddie Gallagher said one of the hardest parts of quarantine was not being able to socialize with her teammates.

“I struggled with the thought that my team was still training together while I was stuck in my room,” Gallagher said. “I did have some visitors to my window, which was super appreciated, but the whole time I just wanted to be back in the pool with my team.

The swim and dive team is like a huge family, so I really missed everyone the whole time.”

Gallagher said she was the only member of her team to test positive, but many other members were forced to self-isolate due to exposure risks and pending test results. She said she commended her teammates and coaching staff for the efforts being made to create a safe practice environment.

“So far, our team has handled the quarantine protocols very well, and everyone is currently healthy and practicing,” Gallagher said. “Our coaching staff is very good about requiring face coverings and social distancing, which is especially hard in the pool, but I’m really proud of how well everyone has been

coping. One of our main focuses this year is adapting to change, and everyone is doing a great job with this.”

Aside from missed time with teammates and coaches, athletes in quarantine must also adjust their schedules with no practice to attend. A junior track team member who asked to remain anonymous expressed how weird it felt not being able to train or practice while battling COVID-19.

“Missing practice was tough because I’m used to being out there and being active every day,” they said.

“There were quite a few of us in quarantine at the same time, but it didn’t really affect our group or cause any issues. It was very strange for some of us to be sidelined while the rest were able to continue training.”

Despite the uniqueness of their situation, the track athlete said their coaches made strides to help ease them back into practice and stay as close to performance shape as possible.

“Conditioning definitely took a hit for me personally.

That was a two-part mix between being sick and not being active for so long,” they said. “However, our coach had separate workouts designed for athletes who were in quarantine in order to ease us back into things safely, which helped with my return process. After a few practices, I felt pretty close to where I had been prior to quarantining.”

Gallagher said she felt nervous about her return to the water, but similarly got back into the swing of things relatively quickly.

“I was very worried about missing 10 days of practice because it’s easy to lose your feel for the water when you’re out of the pool for a while,” Gallagher said.

“But I was actually able to get back into shape pretty quick, which I was thankful for. The coaching staff was very supportive as I started training again, and that really facilitated my first couple of days back in the water and on the field conditioning.”

B2 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Sports

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Vermillion Tanager athletics navigates pandemic precautions Rachel Thompson

Rachel.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu

Vermillion High School implemented safety regulations at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, they have been able to continue on with a normal school year with academics and sports.

When COVID became a threat to South Dakota, Vermillion High School sports administrator John Huska set many measurements to not only prevent the spread of COVID in athletic teams but to also track if someone got it.

Huska said he communicated with the health department and the state athletics association, to help come up with a safe plan for all the sports teams to follow.

“We were fortunate enough that we started in the summer with some of our workouts, individual workouts and things like that,” Huska said. “We implemented some safety measures there, with the temperature check, the questions on how they were feeling, things like the use of hand sanitizer, limited contact with kids and limiting the numbers in the gym.”

They treated the summer practices before the 2020 school year like a test run for their COVID safety measures, Huska siad.

The safety regulations proved effective over the summer, Huska said as no one got COVID. Coaches and students, he said, did their part in helping prevent the spread of COVID. “Coaches really deserve a lot of the credit in this because with them implementing this and really being strict on it,” Huska said.

Huska said students and families of the community understood the rationale and importance of these new conditions. With missing out on a lot last year, Huska said, they were willing to do whatever it takes to have what they used to.

“Our students have definitely done a great job in school,

following the expectations,” Huska said. “And I think they understand how valuable, after not having, face to face learning is after last year. And I know they wanted to get back, they were very excited to start activities this year.”

Activities and competitions have the same schedule as they did last year. Huska said only one match for volleyball was postponed, which has already been rescheduled.

“We are operating the same schedules, just with different precautions, everything is pretty much the same,” Huska said.

All precautions are still implemented today — masks for inside games are required for everyone, assigned seating on the buses and frequent temperature checks.

“I don’t think there have been huge things that have changed, just a lot of small things,” Cael Mockler, a Vermillion football player, said.

A player on the football team had to quarantine two weeks ago, and the team had to be more strict with masks since, Mockler said.

The team now has to wear them in the locker room and weight room and the coaches are now required to wear them during practice.

It’s the little things that were implemented that helped Huska said.

“When it comes down to it when the volleyball is thrown out on the court, and the football is kicked off, the gun goes off for a cross country meet,” Huska said.

“Once it starts it’s pretty much the same as it has been in years past.

I think everyone has adjusted very well.”

There have only been eight cases at Vermillion High School, one to two of which were a part of sports programs. To keep the number of cases down, Huska said, the new safety measures are here to stay.

“I don’t see anything changing in the near future,” Huska said.

Leah Dusterhoft | The Volante

Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, Bruce Fischbach temperature checks an athlete before practice.

USD athletic trainers adjust to treating athletes with COVID-19 Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

Athletic trainers at USD are still finding ways to schedule training sessions and work on athlete rehabilitation while conforming to new COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Kylea Sheley, the athletic trainer for women’s basketball and softball, said every athlete is screened for COVID-19 symptoms before they train via a questionnaire and temperature check. Athletes are also required to contact their trainer if they feel sick so they can be quarantined and so contact-tracing can occur.

“The amount of communication we have with our student-athletes, coaches and staff within this building has basically tripled,” Sheley said.

“We’re getting calls at 5 a.m. in the morning until oftentimes pretty late at night, which isn’t uncommon for us, it’s just a lot more frequent.”

The biggest issue to tackle in the workout room, Sheley said, is making sure it is safe for both training and rehab. In the summer, teams could spread out and train on outside practice fields, but now, athletes using the training room must wear masks, use hand sanitizer and social distance.

To make workouts easier, Sheley said lots of athletes now carry

SWIM From Page B1

Peyton Beyers | The Volante

Senior football player Cael Mockler attempts to tackle Yankton quarterback Trevor Fitzgerald.

was exciting and gave us something to look forward to and actually enjoy doing.”

As a senior, Fuchs said he looks forward to making to most of the season ahead, and he wants to make the most of the season while he is still a member of the swim team.

“It’s my last year so really ultimately I’m just trying to have fun with it,” Fuchs said. “At the end of the day times are gonna be times. I’m really just trying to have fun with the team. With this being my last year, enjoying the family dynamic that we have here at USD. And I think once I realized to have fun with the sport the times will come through hard

equipment in their backpacks, and workout cards — instructions for athlete’s exercises — have become digital, which prevents athletes from having to handle physical cards. “(If athletes) don’t have to go grab a card from a coach, it actually makes the delivery of some of that material a lot easier and touch-free for coaches,” Sheley said.

Colby Keegan, the athletic trainer for football, said scheduling time to train large groups of athletes is difficult not only because of the new safety guidelines, but because of the athlete’s own class schedules.

“We’re working around limited people in the weight room, limited times to practice and limited people we can have in the training rooms,” Keegan said. “We have a pretty big training room, but you don’t want to get it too packed at the same time.”

Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Bruce Fischbach said when it comes to rehabilitation and physical therapy for athletes, both the physical therapist and the athlete must be masked. Additionally, Fischbach said, physical therapists aren’t doing as much hands-on assistance as they have done in the past.

“We’re doing maybe a quarter of the massage-type activities that we used to do. If we do anything cupping or scraping there’s obviously

a lot of cleaning and sanitizing of our equipment in between each use,” Fischback said. “For the most part, we’re there to direct what the person’s going to do, so they’re doing all the work.”

Sheley said she has found ways to teach her athletes to do certain exercises at home, and she checks in with their at-home progress rather than doing physical therapy in-person every day.

Football players are doing more lift groups than they normally would, Keegan said, so he lines up rehab times with workout times to allow students to more easily fit both sessions into their schedules.

“If you’re lifting at 8 a.m., I’m seeing you at 7 a.m., just so we can rotate those people through and make sure they’re getting what they need, but also to make sure we’re not cramming everything in there at once,” Keegan said.

Fischbach said even with the pandemic, trainers are still busy communicating with and providing service to athletes.

“We’re still practicing. All of our athletes are still doing their lifting, they’re still out doing conditioning, so they still have that opportunity to have bumps and bruises. We’ve still been pretty busy,” Fischbach said.

work.”

The men’s and women’s swim teams are chasing after Denver. The USD men have finished runner-up to Denver each of the last three seasons while the women placed runner-up for the second straight year.

“Our coaches are really pushing on making sure we’re focusing on detail,” Atwell said. “I mean, six years ago we were getting last second to last in the conference and now we have gotten second two years in a row on the women’s side, three years on the men’s side second right behind Denver, so becoming more of a detail-oriented team is going to give us that little extra push that we need to actually close that gap.”

Fuchs said he and the rest of the seniors this year hope to continue to make strides towards cutting the deficit between them and Denver,

and they look to lead by example.

“Being the first one in the water, last one out of the water, not complaining during any of the sets just kind of putting your head down, putting in the work,” Fuchs said.

“Leading by example through that.

And in the classroom as well, being a good student on top of that. So really just trying to be a good role model for the underclassmen.”

The next competition on the schedule for USD is the USD Extravaganza Nov. 19-21 in Sioux Falls. The Coyotes host Iowa Central Community College, Omaha and South Dakota State in January, as well as the Coyote Invite in Sioux Falls.

The Summit League Championships are held in Fargo Feb. 18-20.

Vermillion HS updates: Tanagers lose four in a row Tyler Boyle

Tyler.Boyle@coyotes.usd.edu

Football:

Following three straight losses after winning the Tanager’s season opener, Vermillion faced off against Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in an away game on Friday, Sept. 25.

The Tanagers were unable to snap their losing streak and fell to the Chargers 33-23. This puts Vermillion’s season record at 1-4 overall and 0-3 in league play.

The Tanager’s next game is set for Friday, Oct. 2 against West Central High School (2-3) at 7 p.m. in the DakotaDome.

Volleyball:

Vermillion is coming off a week with two losses. The first game on Sept. 21 against the Garretson Blue Dragons ended in three sets with the Dragons winning all sets 25-8, 25-15 and 25-19. Senior Ariena Heyl and sophomore Kelsey O’neil both finished the game with a team-high 4 kills for the Tanagers.

The second game on Sept. 22 also ended in three sets with the Tanager’s opponent, the Tea Titans, taking all sets with final scores being 25-22, 25-13, 25-6. These two games make Vermillion’s season record at 2-6.

Vermillion’s upcoming games are Sept. 28 at home against Sioux Falls

Christian (14-0) at 7 p.m. and Oct. 1 at home against South Sioux City (1-8) at 7:30 p.m.

Boy’s Soccer:

Vermillion played its final regularseason of the season at home Sept.

22 against the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers. The Tanagers fell to the Chargers 8-2 allowing 4 goals in the first and second halves.

This is the second loss of the season to the Sioux Falls Christian for Vermillion following a 0-5 loss to the Chargers on Sept. 8. These two losses are the only two losses for the season for the Tanagers and put their final regular-season record at 4-2-1.

Girl’s Soccer:

Vermillion played one game this past week on Sept. 29 against the Dakota Valley Panthers. The Tanagers were able to come out on top against the Panthers with a final score of 1-0.

This win puts Vermillion’s record at 4-2-4 entering the Tuesday, Sept.

29 matchup against the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers (5-3-3).

Following the game against Sioux Falls Christian, the Tanagers will then face off against Dakota Valley (4-3-3) again at home on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m.

Cross Country:

The Tanagers participated in the

Nike Cross Virtual meet this past week. The meet is a virtual cross country race that involves participants from all over the country. The race is run without the runners from different teams actually running at the same place and time against each other but rather submitting times from a course they choose to run at a particular time. This time must be backed up by evidence, such as a GPS or smart watch’s data during the race. Vermillion’s results for this virtual race have not yet been submitted.

Up next for the Tanagers is the Lennox Invitation on Oct. 8 at the Lenkota Golf Course in Lennox, SD.

Verve

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

MR. & MISS DAKOTA 2020 TOP 14 CANDIDATES REVEALED

Peyton Beyers | The Volante

The final 14 2020 Dakota Days Royalty were announced in Aalfs Auditorium on Sunday. Front Row (from left to right): Abuk Jiel, Sidney Juffer, Kaitlyn Fisher, Kelli Susemihl, Emily Arteman, Abby Kays and Lindsay Seier. Back Row (from left to right): Carson Zubke, Marcus Destin, Carter Hoffer, Thane Hein, Carson Park, Andrew Brunick and Logan Rahn.

Rachel Pechous & Chloe Fullenkamp Rachel.Pechous@coyotes.usd.edu Chloe.Fullenkamp@coyotes.usd.edu

Yotes, never fear. Your Dakota Days Royalty candidates are here. Each year USD selects upperclassmen campus leaders to represent the best of the best for Dakota Days.

A tradition that started in 1914, Mr. and Miss Dakota represent the value of excellence both on and off campus and are celebrated for helping USD become the university it is today. Here are the Top 14 Mr. and Miss Dakota candidates for Dakota Days 2020.

Marcus Destin

Marcus Destin is a senior at USD as well as the President of Coyote Crazies, Co-President of the Cultural Wellness Coalition (CWC) and Dakota Day overall co-chair. Destin said he is very honored to be nominated so highly in D-Days Royalty.

“To be chosen to represent with my fellow peers in top 14 is a high honor that I don’t take for granted. You’re literally chosen by your Yote family to represent and hold it down, I don’t take that lightly at all,” Destin said.

Thane Hein

Thane Hein is a Finance and Operational Analytics major at USD and is also a junior analyst for Coyote Capital Management, hegemon for Tau Kappa Epsilon, a Dakotathon dancer and is a student ambassador. Hein said his favorite memory at USD is from last fall.

“My favorite memory was beating SDSU in football last year by a field goal,” Hein said.

Carson Park

Carson Park is a senior at USD majoring in Medical Biology, president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Marketing Co-Chair of Dakotathon. Park said USD has always been

very involved with its students in organizations as well as the community.

“With the uncertainty that COVID-19 presents, I’m thrilled to see our faculty and students’ drive to keep the tradition and excitement of D-Days alive and well,” Park said.

Abby Kays

Abby Kays is a senior at USD majoring in Health Sciences and is the president of Alpha Eta Honor Society for the Sigma Delta Chapter, event director for Kappa Alpha Theta and a Pre-OT club member all while working at the USD Wellness Center. Kays said she is very honored to be nominated as D-Days Royalty.

“It is truly a blessing and a great experience to represent USD’s traditions and values as Dakota Days Royalty,” Kays said.

Sidney Juffer

Sidney Juffer is a senior, double majoring in Accounting and Management and is the CEO of Kappa Alpha Theta as well as the Co-Vice President of Alumni for Delta Sigma Pi. Juffer said the past D-Days events have been some of her favorite memories while at USD which makes her excited for this week.

“Dakota Days is a special time of year and even with this year looking different, I personally cannot wait to see how the events planned will bring our coyote community together,” Juffer said.

Carter Hoffer

Carter Hoffer is a senior majoring in Musical Theater, events coordinator for the Student Theatre Cooperative and the Co-Overall Chair for Dakota Days executive committee. Hoffer said he likes how close the USD community is.

“My favorite part of USD is just being able to know nearly everyone on campus and having friends in all areas of the university,”

Hoffer said.

Emily Arteman

Emily Arteman is a senior majoring in Business Marketing and is the current Chapter President for Alpha Phi Psi. Arteman said that she is very honored to be nominated for D-Days Royalty and is looking forward to this week.

“Having leadership opportunities on campus has been the best part of my experience at USD so being recognized for this is an amazing feeling,” Arteman said.

Lindsay Seir

Lindsay Seier is majoring in Painting and is the Vice President of the Student Art Alliance, a Study Abroad Ambassador, member of Kappa Alpha Theta and founder and President of Student Organizations for the National Organization for Arts in Healthy. Seier said she is incredibly blessed to be able to represent USD and is very excited for this week.

“USD has offered me extraordinary opportunities, brought me life-giving friends and mentors, and has been a large tool in equipping my heart for the future,” Seier said.

Kaitlyn Fischer

Kaitlyn Fischer is a Nursing major and is the Chief Recruiting Officer for Kappa Alpha Theta and Dakotathon Family Relations Co-Chair.

Fischer said she feels very honored to be picked by her peers for D-Days Royalty.

“As a freshman, I would have never guessed I would be where I am today. I feel so loved and accomplished knowing that I have made a difference in the community,” Fischer said.

Logan Rahn

Logan Rahn is a Marketing Major with a minor in Communication Studies and is

the President of the Interfraternity Council, Recruitment Chair for Pi Kappa Alpha and Technology Chair for Dakotathon. Rahn said his favorite thing about USD is its people.

“The students and faculty at USD are really what sets it apart from other universities, and it makes me proud to be a coyote,” Rahn said.

Carson Zubke

Carson Zubke is a senior double majoring in Health Services Administration and Accounting as well as a former student body president and Co-Founder for Charlie’s Cupboard. Zubke said there is nothing at USD that compares to Dakota Days.

“Dakota Days is my favorite time of every year. It’s awesome to see the energy and memories that students, alumni, and friends bring to campus,” Zubke said.

Kelli Susemihl

Kelli Susemihl is a senior majoring in Political Science, Media & Journalism and History and is also the Chapter President of Pi Beta Phi. Susemihl said that being nominated to represent the community is a huge honor because of how many amazing people surround her at USD. “USD has given me more opportunities and memories than I ever could have dreamed of from my college experience,” Susemihl said, “However, no memory quite sums up my time at USD like admiring the glisten of Old Main on 2 a.m. walks home from I.D. Weeks with Julia Hakes.”

Voting for Mr. and Miss Dakota ends Friday, Oct. 2. Mr. and Miss Dakota will be crowned Saturday, Oct. 3 in a virtual ceremony.

Candidates that did not respond in time for print include Abuk Jiel and Andrew Brunick.

Verve

B4 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Lexi Kerzman | The Volante

Clay Turner is Valiant Vineyard’s speciality bourbon whiskey. The South Dakota bourbon is made from corn, rye and wheat grown in Turner County and fermented, distilled and bottled in Clay County.

‘A hobby that got out of hand’: Valiant Vineyard shares Vermillion history through wine Lexi Kerzman

Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu

In 1993, Eldon and Sherry Nygaard moved to the farm Eldon Nygaard grew up on, near Viborg, South Dakota. The farm consists of mainly hay, soybeans and corn.

However, two acres of their farm is dedicated to grapes.

The couple later decided they wanted to open a winery, but at that time, South Dakota had no legislation to support building a winery.

So the couple decided to draft the farm winery bill. This bill, which eventually turned into a law, allows South Dakota farmers to make up to fifty thousand gallons of wine annually. The bill was made into law in 1996.

That same year, Valiant Vineyards opened — making it the first established winery in South Dakota. Now, Valiant Vineyards is a full winery and bed and breakfast located near the Missouri River in Vermillion.

“It was a hobby that got out of hand,” Eldon Nygaard said.

Sherry Nygaard is originally from California. Because of this, Eldon Nygaard said the couple traveled to

California to visit family and friends often. Through their visits, they realized the acreage price to grow grapes was much cheaper in South Dakota.

In California, acreage was sold for around $1800 Eldon Nygaard said, while in South Dakota land was sold at around $500.

“I saw how valuable it was.

So I came back and I didn’t know anything about it,” Eldon Nygaard said. “Many people have bent over backward to help us.”

Valiant Vineyard makes wine, bourbon, whiskey and vodka. One of their more unique wines, Vitis Riparia — made of wild grapes grown by the river that are native to South Dakota — is sold in Paris, France for around $100 a bottle.

Eldon Nygaard said he enjoys experimenting with new flavors and combinations for wines. One he is currently working on is wild grape wine that is being aged in a Jack Daniels barrel. This, he said, will give the wine an interesting whiskey flavor.

“Wine connoisseurs like to try different things, so we try different experiments,” Eldon Nygaard said.

“That experiment is going to be an expensive wine. We will probably sell

it in a smaller bottle for around $38.”

Valiant Vineyards is a family business. Sherry Nygaard is one of the cooks at the vineyards and son is their winemaker and distiller. “(Our son) started when he was like 13,” Eldon Nygaard said. “And our daughter was involved when she wasn’t in college or (traveling).

It can be a challenge (working with your family). We live together and we work together. But it’s fun.”

Having a bed and breakfast and winery, Eldon Nygaard said, gives a different dimension to Vermillion.

Each room in the bed and breakfast has a unique theme — one of them being USD themed. Eldon Nygaard said this makes it more than just a hotel, it’s an experience.

“It’s brought a little recognition to Vermillion. Besides the university, it is also home of the oldest winery in South Dakota,” Eldon Nygaard said. “I think we brought up a little notoriety and tourism to the city and the state.”

In March, Valiant Vineyard switched from making wine to making hand sanitizer while the demand was too high, Eldon Nygaard said, for big companies to keep up with. Now, they have switched back to making wine, but

Lexi Kerzman | The Volante

Eldon Nygaard, co-owner of Valiant Vineyards stirs fermented grapes in the winery. The fermentation process takes 7-10 days.

Eldon Nygaard said they were happy to help the state keep up with the high demand and need.

The vineyard was able to sell their homemade hand sanitizer to keep up business while they had to have their doors closed for 10 weeks.

“We just did as much as we could, we worked seven days a week,” Eldon Nygaard said. “We at one point had up to 300 orders for hand sanitizer a day.”

Now, Valiant Vineyard is open again for business with safety regulations in place to keep customers and employees safe, Eldon Nygaard said. The reopening

process was slow. At first, Eldon Nygaard said, they only opened on Sundays for their Bloody Mary Sunday special, but now they are fully open.

His favorite part of owning Valiant Vineyard, Eldon Nygaard said is making wine people want to share.

He said people come from all over the country and the world and visit their winery and bring bottles home to share with their communities.

“It’s a pride in making a wine people enjoy enough to come back and talk about or send home,” Eldon Nygaard said. “I never really quite envision this large of a production.”

Living by faith, not by sight Chloe Fullenkamp

Chloe.Fullenkamp@coyotes.usd.edu

Disabilities can be perceived as holding a person back, but for one USD student, looking to the future is what she does best.

Nichole Boese, junior communication studies major, does not define herself by her disability, but by her passions.

“I am proud of who I am and I am proud of my disability,” Boese said.

Boese looks just like every other student at USD. She walks around with a big smile and loves to talk to anyone she meets and some might not notice Boese is legally blind. Boese has been living with vision issues since she was in preschool.

“The first time that (people) noticed something was wrong was when I was about four,” Boese said, “but at that time everyone thought it was something very common like far-sighted or near-sightedness.”

By the end of second grade, Boese could not see the board and was then sent to specialists.

After years of testing, at the age of eight, Boese was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease.

Stargardt’s disease is a form of macular degeneration that causes the retina to deteriorate causing issues with peripheral vision and light sensitivity.

“With Stargardt’s, people will usually progress to being able to see shadows and light variations, but will lose most of their vision,” Boese said.

Boese is halfway through her progression which means she is legally blind, cannot drive and cannot see well in certain lighting. These restrictions, she said, present direct issues in the standard classroom setting.

“I have trouble with reading small text and have large blindspots which makes note-

taking difficult in the classroom,” Boese said.

At USD, Boese works with University Disability Services to help both herself and professors adapt to her disability.

Karen Gerety is the director of disability services at USD and works directly with each student to provide accommodations and support.

“My ultimate goal is to help a student grow into being able to articulate what their disability is, how it affects them as they move through their educational experience and their life, that they have a right to expect full access to campus life and that they play a part in making that happen,” Gerety said.

Certain accommodations disability services provide for low vision students include digital textbooks, more time on exams as well as a reader or scribe and lecture notes provided by the professor. Disability services also help outside of the classroom such as keeping sidewalks clear and construction zones marked.

Boese has accepted the challenges her low vision presents to her, but she said that is the simplest of her problems.

“The biggest problem that people like myself deal with is the judgment and ignorance,” Boese said.

Boese said she has just recently begun to be open with her classmates at USD about her low vision due to a history of past judgments.

“People can be very harsh towards me and I think that is a direct result of how society views people who are different,” Boese said.

Since being at USD and being more open, Boese said she has had a great experience with USD students and faculty as they work with her to provide her the same experience as any

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Each week, ASAP features a different student on their Instagram, showcasing

dreams of being a public speak and an advocate for people like her.

ASAP gets future Yotes excited for arts and sciences

Junior Nichole Boese defines herself as more than her disability as she

other student.

Boese said she sees herself as more than her disability despite the ignorance of others.

As a communications studies major, Boese dreams of being an advocate for people with low vision like herself.

“I have spent a lot of my time hiding and now my goal in life is to speak up for people like me and be a voice for those who feel like they don’t have one,” Boese said.

Boese specifically said she wanted to change how people think of the blind.

“We don’t all walk around with big sunglasses and canes.

We look just like everyone else,” Boese said.

Overall, Boese said she wants students to see herself as she truly is and not just as her disability. Tattooed on her arm, Boese lives her life by a Bible verse she discovered when she was ten.

For we live by faith, not by sight: 2 Corinthians 5:7.

their involvement at USD and favorite parts about the ASAP program.

Kenley Cotter

Kenley.Cotter@coyotes.usd.edu

The Arts and Sciences Ambassador Program (ASAP) gives current USD students the opportunity to bring future Coyotes to USD. ASAP is an organization that prepares incoming Coyotes who have an interest in USD’s College of Arts and Sciences. ASAP is an ambassador program created by Derek Zomer, the Enrollment Advisor, to recruit students to join the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I wanted to start the Ambassador program because there is something valuable in having students help recruit future Coyotes,” Zomer said.

Zomer said ASAP works with different people on campus to be able to learn about what future students are interested in knowing.

“It’s great to talk to recruiters and faculty across campus,” Zomer said, “but students live and breathe the college experience so having actual A&S students at recruitment events helps give a particular narrative that I can’t give.”

ASAP focuses on what students think of the College of Arts and Sciences and how it will make them successful postgraduation, Zomer said.

“There is something valuable in learning about how the humanities, social sciences, math and sciences can all work together for a common goal,” Zomer said.

Zomer said the members of ASAP and himself want this organization to flourish.

This organization is meant to help students find their path in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“My goals for ASAP are to make this a selective group of students thought out the 28 majors in the Arts & Sciences,” Zomer said.

On their instagram, ASAP is featuring students in the organization showing the diversity of majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. Brooke Wiest is a senior communication sciences and disorders major and is a member in ASAP. “I wanted to join ASAP because I want to get future Yotes excited to come to USD,” Wiest said. “I also joined to meet new people and create relationships with other students and faculty at USD.” ASAP informs incoming students, Wiest said, about the variety of majors the College of Arts and Sciences offers and makes them feel welcome.

“It feels good knowing that I can impact someone to come to USD to continue their education,” Wiest said.