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ADDRESSING POVERTY: A COMMUNITY EFFORT

Rates still going up despite new initiatives, more collaboration between nonprofits

By Ally Krupinsky

Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu

Vermillion, a town of about 11,000 and home to the state’s flagship university, is similar to most small towns in South Dakota. It has bars, a business district and a slew of community events. But, as a small town with little diversity in its employment opportunities, there’s a growing population of residents experiencing a very different side of the community than most USD students.

Thirty-seven percent of Vermillion’s residents are living in poverty, a four percent increase from 2010. This isn’t the only statistic that stands out in the community in relation to poverty.

According to FeedingAmerica. org, Clay County has a food insecurity rate of 16.8 percent. Vermillion’s Salvation Army provides emergency services for five to 10 people per week. The Vermillion

Food Pantry served 5,000 people as of mid-September, 1,000 people ahead of last year. Welcome Table, a free meal held each week, serves about 140 people every Monday, and the Vermillion Weekend Backpack Program gives food to more than 200 children every Friday.

Jessica McKenzie, director of the food pantry, said she has come to expect this annual increase.

“We are 1,000 people ahead of last year, and that is humongous growth for a town like ours, an organization like ours,” she said.

“This pantry started just in a closet, it was a tiny thing, (it) served a couple people a year. And now we’re serving thousands and thousands of people in our community.”

Often, poverty is addressed through providing schooling for uneducated people and jobs for unemployed people. However, neither is a significant issue in Vermillion, said Kelsey Collier-Wise, ex-

ecutive director of the United Way of Vermillion.

“We have very low unemployment in Clay County. (It’s) notably low compared to the rest of the country,” she said. “Most people in poverty are working, they just aren’t making very much money at it.”

As of 2015, Clay County had an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent.

The national average is 5.3 percent.

“It’s a very interesting dynamic to try to deal with, because it’s not our stereotypical situation of an ‘easy fix,’” McKenzie said. “We still are trying to wrap our head around what exactly is causing this.”

The Clay County Poverty Task Force was formed in 2014 in order to reduce poverty and increase collaboration between like-minded organizations. Collier-Wise said the group includes all organizations that do human services work with the poverty population

in Vermillion.

Increased communication and newfound partnerships between these groups has been one of its greatest successes thus far, she added.

While the task force has made progress addressing these issues, the causes behind them are less clear.

“We were hoping that we might find the silver bullet, like this is the reason why poverty is what it is,” Collier-Wise said. “And I think what we found is it’s a lot more complicated than that.”

She also said that much of the problem can be attributed to the state’s low wages.

According to the Living Wage Calculator, a single parent with one child must earn $19.89 per hour to make a livable wage in Clay County. For two working adults and two children, the hourly wage must be $13.23. The hourly wage in Vermil-

lion is $8.55.

Collier-Wise said that many of the jobs needed to support USD are service jobs, like wiping tables at the MUC or stocking the shelves at Walmart. This often leaves little opportunity to move up in rank or pay.

“If we had more non-university-related businesses here, in a greater variety of types of employers, I think that you would see the poverty lessen,” she said.

Collier-Wise added that many of these lower-wage jobs can be filled

by USD students, which makes asking for more money difficult for residents trying to support their families.

Creating a strong economy Since Nate Welch accepted the position of Vermillion Area Chamber & Development Company See POVERTY, Page A6

New TRIO program offers extra support, guidance for 144 undergraduate students

By Ally Krupinsky

Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu

Malachi Petersen I The Volante

Food Recovery Network Director Hailey Purves records how

much food is being donated from the MUC Friday afternoon while volunteer John Fanta stands by to help carry food. The new program seeks to help alleviate food insecurity in Vermillion.

New campus program aims to decrease food insecurity

By Malachi Petersen

Malachi.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu

The small, 15-pound box of assorted food being donated to the Vermillion Welcome Table on Friday wasn’t much of a sight to see, but for a few USD students, it was the culmination of more than a year of work.

A newly implemented Food Recovery Program at USD aims to take food that would otherwise be thrown out at the MUC and donate it to help solve food insecurity in Clay County.

“It’s a common sense solution to the problem. We’ve got food

that’s not being used so let’s give it to people that need it. It’s an easy thing to do and something that we’re happy to do,” said Andrew Koch, the president of Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning (AWOL).

The program is part of the larger Food Recovery Network, a student movement which seeks to end food insecurity in the United States with more than 191 chapters at schools across the nation donating food to people in need via local nonprofit organizations.

The groundwork for USD’s See FOOD, Page A3

A new federal program hopes to make a difference at USD, 144 students at a time.

Student Support Services is one of three TRIO programs on campus. The program started last semester and will soon be at full capacity. It offers individual meetings with advisers and free tutoring for at-need students.

Through a $1.1 million grant received by the university last year, Student Support Services is able to accommodate 144 students per year. Its purpose is to provide undergraduate students with “access and success in their college experience,” said Carol VossWard, director of the program.

The other two TRIO programs, Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search, serve high school students.

Rachael Gaertner, a sophomore, has been a member of Student Support Services since last semester. Before TRIO, Gaertner said she was contemplating dropping out of school to work full time.

In addition to taking three to four courses each semester, Gaertner is a single parent of three kids and works close to full-time.

She heard about TRIO from her academic adviser and disability services. Since then, she said her experience with the program has been “amazing.”

Gaertner said she and her TRIO

“

I would say Carol kept me here.

She took the time to get to know me and what works for me and what doesn’t work for me.”

Rachael Gaertner, USD sophomore

adviser, VossWard, talk at least two times a week, either over the phone or email.

“I would say Carol kept me here,” she said. “If I had to pinpoint it, it was Carol. She took the time to get to know me and what works for me and what doesn’t work for me.”

Senior Chance Yagabo, another program participant, has been involved with TRIO since 2009, when he was in high school. After being accepted into the Upward Bound program, his TRIO adviser helped him apply to SDSU, wrote him a recommendation letter and introduced him to faculty.

“It helped a lot,” he said. “She did a lot of stuff for me.”

Yagabo was enrolled in Upward Bound throughout his first year of school. That’s also when he first applied to SDSU’s Student Support Services, which he said was another “big help” in his life and education.

Yagabo transferred to USD two

years ago to pursue a criminal justice major. He was just accepted into USD’s Student Support Services program about a month ago, and said his adviser has already helped him quite a bit.

Yagabo said he would encourage students to apply for the program and take advantage of its services, like free tutors and other helpful resources.

“It’s a program that’s there to help you to be successful in your lifetime,” he said.

Without the program, Yagabo said he doesn’t know where he’d be in his college career.

Despite TRIO’s focus on academics, Yagabo said he’s seen many benefits beyond help with classes and schedules. Yagabo’s advisers have pushed him to do his best, helped him step-by-step and made him feel more comfortable asking questions. He’s also much better at time management and See TRIO, Page A3

A2 Wednesday, October 5, 2016

News

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2016 A3 News Lamont Sellers named associate vice president for diversity The Volante I volanteonline.com

By Cheyenne Alexis

Cheyenne.Alexis@coyotes.usd.edu

Former director for the Center for Diversity & Community Lamont Sellers has been promoted to associate vice president for diversity, filling the spot of Jesus Trevino.

Sellers has been at the University of South Dakota since September 2014, and said this position was “a good move” in furthering his plans for diversity and inclusiveness.

“It’s been a process that started 14 years ago when I got to the University of Denver,” Sellers said. “I felt like it was a next step for me as far as my career (and) an opportunity to continue the work, the foundation that has been laid with inclusive excellence here at USD.” President James Abbott named Sellers AVP for diversity because of his “significant experience at USD,” and received the support

from the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusiveness to give Sellers the job because of his ability to work with faculty, staff and students.

“As I look at it, it’s sort of a dual role here,” Abbott said. “Lamont is an individual who can do both — (interact with) both faculty and students. He was the best all-around candidate. (Sellers was) simply a good candidate.”

Before coming to USD, Sellers graduated from Shaw University, a historically black college in North Carolina, and worked as a high school math teacher in Virginia before being introduced to diversity training.

After becoming a diversity trainer, Sellers said touring the south and visiting some historical sites, such as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church in Atlanta, Georgia and the Voting Rights Museum, he said he “knew he needed to

do more,” and went to graduate school at the University of Denver. There, he met Trevino and worked with him as a graduate student.

Sellers worked his way through the ranks while attending school full-time. He accepted a position at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, though he said it “wasn’t for him,” and left after seven months and moved back to Virginia to work at Regent University as an academic adviser for six years.

From then, Sellers applied for the director position at USD, noticing that Trevino had also been at USD, too.

“It was like a hand in a glove — a perfect fit,” Sellers said.

Sellers, though still remaining in the same office, has more duties to take on as associate vice president for diversity, such as working with other administrators, faculty members and deans

Cheyenne Alexis I The Volante

Lamont Sellers was recently named associate vice president for diversity at USD,

and will be taking on larger roles to connect with students, faculty and staff.

TRIO

From Page A1 planning, he said.

“It’s like a parent sitting next to you,” Yagabo said.

“So it’s really nice.”

A stronger connection VossWard started as the program’s director last November. Chrissy Lesher, the program’s counselor, and Carlie Ness, the academic skills coordinator, have since been hired. All three faculty members act as advisers to students in the program.

Though always located in the MUC, this is the first year Student Support Services faculty have all had offices in the Center for Diversity & Community.

“There’s a great atmosphere here that’s very welcoming, there’s things going on, it’s engaging,” VossWard said. “So I think that it makes people feel comfortable and

it makes it easy for them to take advantage of the services that are here.”

Both Yagabo and Gaertner said they’d like to see Student Support Services grow.

Over time, as the program is more established and sees more success, VossWard said she hopes the university will receive funding to serve more eligible students.

“Our goal is to build a really strong program at USD that offers the right kind of opportunities and support that students need as they persist to graduation and beyond,” she said.

All grade levels are accepted in Student Social Services, and students don’t have to reapply from year to year. Students are eligible for the program if they meet one or more of the criteria: Taxable income (not annual or adjusted gross income) meets the federal low income eligibility guidelines, be a first-generation college student (meaning neither parent has a four-year col-

lege degree) and have a documented disability.

Once students are accepted into the program, they’re assigned to and meet with one of the three advisers. VossWard said the first meeting with a TRIO adviser is spent discussing the student’s interests, academics, career goals, financial needs and more.

Yagabo said in his experience, his TRIO adviser has been “more connected” than other faculty advisers.

Similarly, Gaertner said the extra connection helped her stay on track.

“Sometimes it’s just the extra kick that you need,” she said.

A social work major and addiction studies minor, Gaertner said her experience with TRIO made her feel like she wasn’t “just another student.”

“I’m thankful for it. All together, it’s probably the reason that I’m still here,” she said. “I can honestly say that.”

COYOTEHistory 2003 1999 The USD Coyotes beat St. Cloud State 43-22 in the last Dakota Days game of the century.

The Volante Volume 141, N0. 6 October 5, 2016 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Chuck Baldwin

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USD students celebrated the 89th Dakota Days “Celebrate U. What’s your song?” with Jell-O wrestlers and palm readers, among other events.

Malachi Petersen

“

Lamont has components of empathy and really valuing his staff, giving them the freedom to succeed and grow and really be creative and innovative.

Lena Tran, intercultural program coordinator for student services

in how to continue to move USD forward with diversity and inclusive excellence; working with the president’s council on diversity and inclusiveness and helping to advise and coordinate efforts needed to be done through the office for diversity. Something that has changed is that Sellers will no longer be helping with programming for the CDC. Lena Tran, the intercultural program coordinator for student services, has worked with Sellers for more than a year, and said one of her favorite things about working with Sellers is how they work together.

“Our work dynamic is the epitome of what diversity is,” Tran said. “Lamont has components of empathy and really valuing his staff, giving them the freedom to succeed and grow and really be creative and innovative.

Our relationship conveys that with the success of the CDC.” Sellers’ short term goals include updating the website with the marketing department and making it better, and fixing the safe zones training. Long term, he said he would like to find a way to diversify not only

FOOD From Page A1

chapter was laid by Eric Schlimgen, a recently graduated law student who was also working on his master’s degree in public administration. For his capstone project in public administration, he decided to tackle food insecurity, Koch said.

“As part of his capstone he wanted the Food Recovery Network thing to happen here because Vermillion does really struggle with food insecurity and food waste so the Food Recovery Network is a way to really combat both of those things at the same time,” he said.

Schlimgen, now a law clerk for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Deadwood, South Dakota, said he’s happy that the program is being implemented and hopes it lasts for years to come. “…This program will hopefully carry on long after I’m gone and long after the people who are collecting the food have graduated,” he said.

According to Feeding South Dakota, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end hunger in South Dakota, more than 12 percent of South Dakota’s population has been food insecure in recent years.

And yet, across the U.S., nearly 100 billion pounds of food go to waste each year, according to the organization.

“I know like even (Einstein Bros. Bagels) their bagels expire every four hours so if

the students, but faculty and staff. Also, figuring out how USD is measuring how its doing in terms of diversity and inclusiveness, is something Sellers said he is “very interested in.”

Sellers said his new position is an “exciting opportunity” to create a dynamic for the office of diversity that is more visible and accessible to the USD community.

“I’m looking to continue to advance inclusive excellence,” Sellers said.

“That would mean, from my new advantage point, really working with faculty, staff and students… as well as looking to fulfill what is in our university’s strategic plan as far as inclusive excellence and diversity is concerned.”

Chika Osunsanmi, a junior and a member of the African Student Association, which Sellers advises, said she was “so happy” upon hearing about Sellers’ new position.

“It was well-deserved,” Osunsanmi said. “He’s a very hard-working person, very considerate, caring and very involving… I don’t see anyone else that would be best for the job.”

Tran was “extremely ex-

cited” when Sellers was promoted, and said that since she knows Sellers personally and professionally, it was a good fit for the university.

“It’s a really inspiring story of where Lamont came from,” Tran said. “For him to get this position is inspiring to all the black boys out there to see someone persevere and make it to the top. He can really advocate for students, and I believe our university will move to the right direction with him being there.”

Though it hasn’t been decided yet, Sellers said he’s working on getting his previous position filled.

With the new position, Sellers said he’s able to work more closely with the university as a whole, and is “excited” for the future.

“I’ve said it on several occasions, and I know it sounds cliché, but I absolutely love my job,” Sellers said. “Coming to work and being able to work with the students, and even the faculty, staff and administrators that I have worked with over the past two years coming into my third year of being here has been a really great experience… I absolutely enjoy being a Yote.”

you can imagine how many people like during like a slow day or something — that’s a lot of bagels,” said Hailey Purves, an AWOL member and the director of the Food Recovery Network at USD who took over the project when Schlimgen graduated in the spring.

Thanks to the new program at USD, leftover food from the MUC will be frozen and packaged each week. On Fridays, student volunteers from AWOL, Students Enhancing Resources for Vermillion Enrichment (SERVE) and other organizations will pick up the food, weigh it, record what’s being donated and then drive it a few blocks from campus to the Welcome Table located at the First United Methodist Church.

“As far as the Welcome Table is concerned, this is just going to make it more affordable for groups to be able to serve the Welcome Table because we’ll have food that they otherwise might have had to have catered or something,” said John Lushbough, the director of the local nonprofit organization where various volunteer groups serve food for at-need individuals every week.

Lushbough said USD isn’t the only place that’s donating food on a weekly basis.

Walmart and Hy-Vee also donate their leftover food to be used.

“I think we’ve really seen a huge difference in Vermillion just in the last couple of years with the amount food that’s been recovered, not just with this program — it’s

just a sort of continuation of things,” he said.

Purves said students at USD should care about the food insecurity issue in the community and do what they can to help solve it.

“I knew when I was a freshman I wasn’t eating as many of my meals as I should have so they’re preparing meals for me to be eating but I’m not eating them. So why wouldn’t I, as a person who cares about other people and poverty and all of that kind of stuff, why wouldn’t I want other people to be able to enjoy the food that I just wasted?”

Purves said.

For the first day of the program only Purves and John Fanta, the president of SERVE, were the ones to collect the food, but Purves said they hope the number of students who take part in the program will grow as more people become aware about it.

Fanta said overall, he thinks the program is really needed in Vermillion and was glad the food donated Friday will be put to good use.

“I think it’s a really needed program, especially just thinking about bringing the food over here and then thinking that food would have gone to waste you know or been thrown out,” he said. “It was like 10 pounds or 15 pounds of food so I think even though it might be small now it can make a difference, it will make a difference and will continue to make a difference if we keep working with the program.”

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2. Valuable lessons from my time on the gridiron

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4. Graduate student completes prestigious Department of Energy internship

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File Photo I The Volante

Students who utilize the Center for Diversity & Community attended the weekly Student Government

Association meeting Tuesday evening to show their support for a new media center at the CDC.

5. Annual report documents three rapes on USD’s campus in 2015

Opinion WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

VOLANTE EDITORIAL

Students can help alleviate poverty in Vermillion In college, students tend to

later, while we’ve made sig-

focus on their individual edu-

nificant progress, we’re still far

cations and futures. But as we

away from our goals.

live in our own little worlds, a

When first visualizing pov-

community epidemic is occur-

erty, images of starving children

ring right under our noses.

in third world countries usually

As one of the lowest income

comes to mind. Most people

counties in South Dakota, Clay

don’t necessarily picture their

County is no stranger to issues

neighbors included in those

related to poverty. According to

struggles. Actually address-

South Dakota Dashboard, the

ing and acknowledging the

county has an average income

problem is the first step toward

of $28,000. Statistics from

strengthening every member of

Feeding America show that the

the community.

city of Vermillion itself has a

Luckily, many people and

poverty rate of about 37 per-

organizations are already step-

cent. These numbers won’t just

ping up to lend a helping hand.

decrease by themselves. They

Habitat for Humanity, the

require a cooperative effort to

Welcome Table, the Backpack

look beyond individual needs

Program and Vermillion Food

situations some are facing just

choose to struggle. But we can

semester. We all need to take

and reach out to others.

Bank all make positive contri-

a few blocks away. By putting a

choose to bring hope to these

a spare hour or two out of our

real, human face to the num-

people when all they may see is

schedules to bring light and

bers, the reality of local pov-

hardship.

strength into the world. Some

This issue is not new for

butions for those struggling to

Vermillion. The Volante has

meet basic needs of food and

covered initiatives and studies

shelter. The new Food Recovery

conducted on local poverty in

Program at USD tackles the

the past, but we cannot deny

problem directly, taking food

that numbers are still increas-

that would otherwise be thrown

ing. The fight against poverty

out and donating it those facing

would be nothing without the

food insecurity. Every student

South Dakota Department of

Andrew Cooper I The Volante

erty becomes clear. Until even

And with the issues hap-

might question the potency

considering volunteering, many

pening a small town, it’s easy

don’t even realize that poverty,

to let them slip by and think

homelessness and food inse-

somebody else will take care of

curity affect a small town so

them. This notion is far from

at least once, but hopefully

heavily. Rural poverty is just as

the truth. We cannot allow

Social Services, churches, the

more often, should volunteer in

devastating as poverty in urban

problems so obvious to go

celebrities singing “We are the

school district, the Department

Vermillion.

inner cities or the developing

unnoticed.

World” to utilize our potential

of Labor and local charities

We get used to the conve-

world. Poverty is poverty. It has

USD’s student body makes

of their actions on the small scale, but every effort makes an extraordinary difference.

We don’t have to be a group of

in uplifting Vermillion and Clay

joining forces with the United

nient accommodations of the

no distinct, universal appear-

up a good portion of the

County. We simply need each

Way of Vermillion. Over a year

USD campus, we overlook the

ance. The people affected don’t

town’s population during the

other.

South Dakota initiative would be beneficial to union workers DEAN WELTE is a junior majoring in media & journalism.

On Nov. 8, the South Dakota legislature will release a ballot to voters addressing 10 initiatives that have been approved for the ballot. One particular measure on the ballot will be on whether or not nonprofit and corporate organizations will be able to charge a fee for services rendered. This fee would be very helpful and fair for unions For students voting in the upcoming election, even if this particular measure doesn’t directly affect them, it’s crucial to be aware of issues at stake involving other South Dakotan workers.

According to Ballotpedia,

“

It’s crucial to be aware of issues at stake involving other South Dakotan workers.

the official language of Measure 23 is “Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, an organization, corporate or nonprofit, has the right to charge a fee for any service provided by the organization.”

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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.

This means that unions and other employee-sponsored organizations will be able to charge a fee from those who aren’t part of a union. This initiative may seem unfair to others, but this would be very beneficial for employees in the long run — especially for those who work for a major company with many workers.

Unions, like those with UnionPlus, help employees maintain a better cost of living by negotiating on behalf of the employees, ensuring that their employment contracts are done properly. This prevents unfair treatment by employers such as not giving their employees proper wages and making sure their working environment is safe.

These benefits not only apply to union employees, but for anyone else working for a company who has chosen not to join a union. So even if an employee doesn’t support the

union, they’ll still be ensured all the benefits that the union has strived to obtain.

For all the services unions provide, it’s still illegal in South Dakota for them to charge fees for the work they do to ensure employees are taken care of well.

With the ability to charge fees to even the employees who aren’t a part of some union, but still gain all of its benefits, unions will be able to keep providing their necessary services. Along with that, they will be able to do their jobs better because they will have more resources at their disposal.

The official argument against passing Measure 23 comes from South Dakota Chamber of Commerce. They say the unions will use this as an opportunity to extort money from nonunion members Those who would possibly get extorted would be teachers,

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

“Go out and punch flowers.”

— I.D. Weeks Library

“I should not be wearing a white robe while eating a calzone.”

— Brookman

“Shania Twain is on a different level above country.”

— MUC

“Good morning? That’s a bold statement.”

— Neuharth Center

Send letters to: Letters, The Volante Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 Fax to: 605.677.5105 E-mail to: Volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our Web site: VolanteOnline.com The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

“You know I love her because I’m picking her over Kanye.”

— MUC

firefighters and other state and city employees. Thus hard workers in these fields who do not wish to be part of a union will be required to pay fees regardless if they want to be part of the union.

But the fact remains that many people who work in these fields already reap the benefits of the unions’ efforts. It only seems fair that they support the union that is responsible for making their work environment better. For students preparing to enter the work environment, having these guidelines in place would only improve their experience.

So in the end, all voters, no matter their age or work experience, should vote yes for Measure 23. The work that unions do is essential for many employees and allowing unions the right to keep themselves financed will ensure that they keep doing what they can to help employees.

In The Know & In The Dark IN THE KNOW: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are splitting up after two years of marriage.

IN THE DARK: Brad Pitt is now single. Enough said.

IN THE KNOW: Students are finally receiving their orders for the new iPhone 7.

IN THE DARK: There is still no way to reasonably justify not having a headphone jack.

IN THE K NOW: Netflix and Marvel original series “Luke Cage” premiered last Friday.

IN THE DARK: If Netflix thinks they’ll get me to watch something other than “Stranger Things” or “Black Mirror,” they are quite wrong.

IN THE K NOW: Incoming freshmen this fall received $6.8 million in scholarships.

IN THE DARK: Hey, freshmen, feel like sharing with the rest of us?

SUBMIT OVERHEARDS AND IN-THE-KNOWS AND IN-THE-DARKS ON TWITTER @VolanteOpinion and at volanteonline.com/overheard-submission

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Opinion

Wednesday, October 5, 2016 A5

Majoring in business a great choice for undecided students MYRIAM MEDINA is a junior majoring in media & journalism.

Beacom School of Business over any other school of business is its accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

USD’s business school has been accredited since 1949 according to the school’s business overview.

“It’s an accredited business school, which is great,” said Sam Giessinger, a sophomore finance major. “Plus, there is a lot to do with a business major and it’s what I’m interested in.”

The process of accreditation is a lengthy and rigorous process.

Business schools that wish to keep their accreditation must undergo a “Continuous Improvement Review” process that is required to happen every five years.

With seven different majors to select from, there is a good variety for students to choose

Every student wants to major in something that will land them a job after college which is why more and more students are deciding to go with majors that are business related.

USD’s business school is one of the best in the nation and a great choice for those considering a business-oriented career.

The school was featured In Princeton Review’s 2016 edition of “The Best 295 Business Schools,” which proves that not only does USD have a reputable business school, but it’s also seen as one of the best schools to attend for those considering a business degree.

One of the reasons students are picking the

Screenshot I The Volante

Past statistics from the National Association of Colleges and Employers show that business majors are continuing to see increases in starting salary and popularity at universities. USD is no exception.

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Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency tests, standardized testing is not useful in accurately measuring quality of education Is standardized testing worth the stress?

Students aren’t the only ones frustrated by the national emphasis on standardized testing. Americans in general want alternative methods to judge academic quality and performace.

64

percent

think there is “too much emphasis on testing.”

14

percent think standardized testing is a “very important ” factor in measuring school effectiveness.

55

percent

oppose test scores being used to evaluate teacher performance.

Courtesy of PDK/Gallup

ALLIE KNOFCZYNSKI is a junior majoring in media & journalism.

After spending years in high school preparing and stressing over the ACT and SAT, college students assume the world of general standardized testing is a fading memory. At least until junior year. This is when the ACT’s Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency comes into play.

Commonly referred to as CAAP, the test is designed to evaluate students in core subject areas to determine their preparedness for upper-level courses and the workplace. The use of standardized testing and CAAP, however, doesn’t adequately assess overall knowledge well enough to accurately represent the college demographic.

According to USD’s course catalog, the purpose of the test is to ensure the standards and quality of the education that students receive and to provide the college with information for improving the general educational curriculum. The test is also designed to provide

“

CAAP places students in a box when they specifically choose not to be.

students with information that allows them to compare their performance to that of other students across the United States.

CAAP is virtually identical to the ACT in its format and subjects, including math, scientific reasoning, reading and English. Essentially, CAAP’s goal is to determine who has the potential to graduate or not.

The fact that this judgement is made halfway through an undergraduate career could leave some people at a standstill, paying for over 48 credit hours just to be told they aren’t good enough. If colleges cannot determine who will do well in college or not before admitting students or through their grades in everyday coursework, they have a bigger problem at hand.

For lucky individuals,

they may be exempt from ever facing CAAP. Those with high enough scores on the ACT or SAT aren’t required to take the test. This is just a recent change to the South Dakota Board of Regents policy. But the overall system is flawed in that students aren’t in college preparing for a standardized test. Taking a standardized test is a skill in of itself and is a situation virtually nobody will actually occur in a workplace environment.

Also, students who may not perform well under pressure receive negative feedback on filling in bubbles rather than their academic abilities. Research from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development adds that education cannot fit into a mold for judgement when the individual people involved have drastically different

strengths and weaknesses.

The purposes of a liberal arts college like USD are learning and personal growth. Students expose themselves to a wide range of ideas and engage in critical thinking. The structure of standardized testing doesn’t coincide with these institutions. An arbitrary test score doesn’t include a student’s research, projects or passions. Nor does the test account for many areas available at four-year colleges, such as history, music or art. CAAP places students in a box when they specifically choose not to be.

If the state still sees a problem in the quality of enrolled students, they should consider investing in all forms of higher education, including technical schools and community colleges. Offering more options are various paces and levels, along with different job opportunities, allows students mindlessly choosing to attend four-year colleges other ideas for their futures.

Students are more than just numbers. They are people investing their money in learning.

Students have options to consider voting outside two-party system JORDAN SMITH is a sophomore majoring in political science.

T h i s newspaper, especially during a presidential election, has seen its share of political articles. With all of the pushes to get the student body politically active, as glam rock band Europe once said, “it’s the final countdown.” We are less than six weeks away from a very serious election, and it really isn’t hard to get involved. Rather than telling everybody who to vote for, I’m stressing the need get out and do something to help change this country.

As a full disclosure, I’m a Democrat, but I’m sure the College Republicans can help everyone else.

USD’s main two political party-focused groups are probably the easiest way for students to get involved. As a member of College Democrats, the experience thus far

has opened up a range of things for me to get involved in the last month.

Since the beginning of this semester, I have volunteered to campaign with the Clay County Democrats, received a fellowship with the Iowa Democratic Party and currently have the chance to get an internship with the American Civil Liberties Union. Beyond fanning my ego, these opportunities have all had direct benefits for my budding career. That isn’t to mention the free food. Volunteers are usually fed well.

If nothing else, this is a really important election for the country.

If the debate last Monday didn’t make it clear, America faces a major choice that can take the country one of two very different directions.

Whichever way students vote, it’s important to let the world know how the people want the country to progress. If Clinton or Trump don’t seem like qualified options, the election still allows room for people to make some noise.

Being a two-party sys-

tem, people often forget there is a third or even fourth choice on the ballot. As the Bernie or Bust movement shows, a lot of young people felt disenfranchised following the Democratic National Convention. For those who really can’t support Clinton, or maybe don’t want to vote for a racist piece of corn, they don’t have to. I wouldn’t encourage it, but students can cast a vote for either the Libertarians or the Constitutional Party in November. While they will almost certainly lose, it can serve as a form of protest against other parties or the greater political system as a whole.

I’d like to end with an analogy to my favorite intellectual property in the world, “Star Wars”: If I consider Jar Jar Binks, I frankly feel bad. No one likes Jar Jar. He irritates everyone.

That said, he’s also politically active as a delegate to the Senate from Naboo.

What’s more, he’s directly responsible for the installation of an Emperor and the death of the Republic, which is pretty much the worst

ACLU I The Volante

For students like Smith and senior Chelsea Gilbertson, becoming involved in political activities has included many opportunities to make a difference in the state. case scenario for this election. He still did his political duty, so even if things don’t go as he planned, he has the right to complain.

If people complain without doing what they can to swing the election in a preferred own way, they’re actually worse than Jar Jar

Binks. So here’s our chance to get out there, and prove that we, as Americans, are better than that horrible, horrible Gungan.

A6 Wednesday, October 5, 2016

POVERTY From Page A1

(VCDC) director in 2014, addressing poverty through the diversification of Vermillion businesses has been at the forefront of his mind.

“You’re trying to solve that poverty issue by creating a good, strong economic outlook in your community,” he said.

While this has always been a priority, it’s not a process that happens quickly. Asking companies to relocate or expand isn’t an easy conversation to have, Welch said.

“We’re trying to look for good jobs,” he said. “We’re trying to look and attract good companies that will be able to stay here, that are financially strong.”

When recruiting a business, it’s also important to consider if the city has the infrastructure necessary to support it, Welch said. This could include affordable housing or other amenities the business would like to see, he added.

One resource Welch believes the city is doing a better job of taking advantage of is the talent that USD attracts and educates.

“You’ve got the law school, the medical school, the business school and all the fine arts, fantastic athletes – but we didn’t have any jobs for them,” he said. “And so what Vermillion was able to do was starting to embrace the intellect and the experience of what they have in their community, and to be able to start going after jobs that may be more appropriate for someone coming right out of school, because we’re educating them right here.”

“

Cassondra Keller, USD alumna and St. Agnes preschool teacher

what they need and how we can really accelerate where they are.”

Even without a shared building, McKenzie said the task force has allowed organizations to communicate like they never have before, resulting in more sharing of food and new community initiatives to help people who are food insecure, or without access to a sufficient amount of affordable, nutritious food.

The new food giveaways are an example of this increased collaboration. A three-way partnership between the backpack program, the food pantry and Feeding South Dakota, the giveaways are scheduled over Christmas break, spring break and within the first and last weeks of summer – all times of the year when students go without school lunches.

Another new resource in Vermillion to combat food insecurity is the Tanager Take-Out, a small food pantry located in Vermillion High School. Instead of participating in the backpack program, high school students can pick what they want each Friday afternoon.

Ally Krupinsky I The Volante

other student volunteers pack bags on Sept. 22 for the backpack program.

The current focus of the Vermillion Poverty Task Force is to find a building that multiple organizations can move into. Collier-Wise said the space will house the food pantry, the backpack program, Salvation Army and United Way, but other organizations can still get involved.

Collier-Wise said the process is still in its early stages — they’ve looked at a few buildings and made a list of their priorities, but haven’t made any decisions yet. She added that she anticipates some fundraising to cover the added cost, but hopes that rent can be covered by the organizations’ budgets.

In addition to increased efficiency in terms of stocking and sharing food, a communal space would also greatly benefit the organizations’ customers, McKenzie said.

“I think the most exciting thing to me is the way that our organizations will be able to collaborate in ways that we’ve never done before, and how we could be such a onestop shop,” she said. “We’ll be able to provide a much more comprehensive look at

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(We’re) just living semester by semester — we don’t realize that so many kids in this community don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Members of the women’s cross country team and

Feeding the line

News

In addition to letting students pick what they’d like, the Tanager Take-Out is able to provide items not possible in the backpack program, like frozen meat, toiletries and school supplies.

The pantry is open both to students and families who would prefer it over the backpack program.

“The most important part, in my mind, for that is the selection,” Lushbough said. “The kids pack what they want.”

Kelly Stone, a special education teacher at Vermillion High School, runs the Tanager Take-Out. She said the school pantry is a great way to fill the gaps in services for older students.

Stone moved to Vermillion in 1985, and has been teaching for close to 20 years. She said she wasn’t surprised to hear Vermillion’s high rates of poverty and food insecurity.

“As a teacher in our district, I fed a lot of students,” she said. “You’ll find that with most teachers. They have a side drawer with snacks, granola bars.”

Sheila Beermann, business manager for the Vermillion

Quality.

Flexibility.

Affordability.

School District, said 31.56 percent of K-12 students in Vermillion qualify for free or reduced lunch.

So far, the Tanager TakeOut has provided food for 24 students and three families.

Stone said she anticipates needs at the Tanager TakeOut growing, especially considering the number of free or reduced lunches that are provided by the schools.

A ‘constant eye opener’ Cassondra Keller, a preschool teacher at St. Agnes Elementary School, saw students receive the backpacks while she was student teaching at Austin Elementary School.

“That just made me want to get involved even more,” she said. “To see the kids get so excited about food, it made me sad but it also made me realize that I could help with that.”

Keller first got involved with the backpack program while pursuing her undergraduate degree at USD. Since then, she’s become more involved with the program, and her passion for helping food insecure children has only grown.

“To see these kids get the backpacks, it warms your heart,” she said. “Because then you know we’re doing something right, that we’re helping them for the weekend at least.”

Though there are many USD students that volunteer for local organizations, Keller said she believes more can be done.

“We’re just trying to get through assignments, we’re trying to get through tests and quizzes and our coursework and just living semester by semester — we don’t realize that so many kids in this community don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” she said.

Lushbough said he’s definitely seen more awareness among students since he started Welcome Table 16 years ago. He said the process has been a “constant eye-opener.”

Lushbough retired from teaching computer science in 2004, and said he missed having regular contact with students. Now that the majority of volunteers for Welcome Table and the backpack program are students, he gets more of that interaction he missed.

“I tell a lot of people that that’s what really keeps me going, is all the students. That student energy is unbelievable,” he said. “Having the students involved in both these programs is really, for me, is really an unbelievable thing.”

Though McKenzie believes there is still work to be done in terms of tapping into the resources that USD presents, she’s noticed more awareness of the issues in Vermillion among USD students.

“I can feel a different energy coming in with this new generation,” she said. “I think there is more awareness, especially in that age group, there’s a lot more activism to change these things.”

Ally Krupinsky I The Volante

Cassondra Keller, a preschool teacher at St. Agnes Elementary School, has been involved with the backpack program since she was an undergraduate student at USD. While she was student teaching, Keller was able to see children get the backpacks.

EARN YOUR GRADUATE DEGREE FROM THE

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA

AREAS OF STUDY Art and Design Business

It’s All Here – Choose Your Program

Communications and Media Culture and Society Education and Training Languages and Literature Law and Government Mathematics Medicine, Health and Wellness Performing Arts Science and Technology Sport Management

To learn more about

USD Graduate School or to apply, visit

www.usd.edu/grad

414 E. Clark St. | Vermillion, SD 57069 800-233-7937 | 605-658-6140 | grad@usd.edu

Sports

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016

THE VOLANTE

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@VOLANTESPORTS

Freshman quarterback Brevin Kaiser scrambles from the backfield during Monday night’s practice in the DakotaDome.

Max Tushla I The Volante

Coyotes prep for D-Days matchup with UNI

By Max Tushla

Max.Tushla@coyotes.usd.edu

A

trip to Ohio to open Missouri Valley Conference play was fruitless for USD this past weekend. Youngstown State took the lead early in the first quarter and did not look back.

The Penguins led 20-3 at halftime and despite a second half surge from USD, the Coyotes lost 20-30.

With that loss, USD dropped to 1-3 on the season. Once again it was simple mistakes that kept the Coyotes from stealing a win.

Two interceptions from junior quarterback Chris Streveler were the difference in Youngstown.

For the Coyotes, the mistakes need to be corrected for them to win games late.

“You’ve just got to work on things that are correctable. I think the things that we’ve identified, many of which are correctable, those will be points of focus this week in practice,” said Coyote head coach Bob Nielson.

With a young team that is still developing, USD needs to iron out some kinks in their game.

“The other thing is I think our guys are learning,” Nielson said.

“For us to win games we’ve got to play closer to perfect than what we’ve played over the past couple weeks.”

Now that the Missouri Valley gauntlet is underway, there is little rest for USD between tough games. The Coyotes now square off against 11th ranked Northern Iowa.

The Panthers are 2-2 on the season with losses to Montana and Eastern Washington and wins against Iowa State and Illinois State.

When UNI gets to Vermillion, USD is in for a fight.

“Every week is a battle in the Missouri Valley obviously. It’s a tough conference so you’ve just got to come in and work as hard as you can every week and stay focused and you never get ahead of yourself,” Streveler said.

Not only is the game the first game back in the DakotaDome after three weeks away, it is also Dakota Days.

“It definitely gives us a lot more energy, too. Especially in the game on defense on third downs when the crowd gets involved, that’s something that can help us affect the offense as well with them not being able to hear or also not being able to coordinate with their hand gestures that will take them out of their zone,” senior linebacker Tyson Graham said. “That will give us the edge especially seeing this place loud; when it’s full it gets

pretty loud in here.”

While this is Graham’s last D-Days, as a transfer this will be Streveler’s first homecoming game.

“Everyone’s been talking about it, it’s my first D-Days,” Streveler said. “I’m excited the Dome was rocking when we played Weber, it’s kind of nice to be at a home game here and I’m excited — it’s always fun playing in the Dome.”

Streveler isn’t the only one who will be experiencing D-Days for the first time. This year will be Nielson’s first and he is excited for the crowd that will come with the festivities.

“I’m really excited to be back home. It seems like we’ve been on the road forever with the two road games and the bye week,” Nielson said. “I know our guys are excited to be back at home and really excited to see a great crowd like we had that first week against Weber, I thought that made a big difference for us.”

However, with all the joys of D-Days comes distractions. As a senior, Graham is well aware of what goes on during D-Days and is careful to make sure the team keeps its collective head together.

“There’s something going on at least every night and it’s very easy to get distracted, especially with

the rest of the student body doing it and your other peers doing it,” Graham said. “You’ve just got to tell them to keep a straight head and don’t lose focus of the main goal and the main goal is beating UNI on Saturday. Right now we’re just trying to limit the distractions and focus on what’s at hand.”

For Nielson, he is confident his team will keep their wits about them this week.

“I talked to our guys about our focus this week is on one thing and that’s winning the football game on Saturday. Honestly, if you’ve got to worry about stuff like that, you’re probably not in a good place,” Nielson said. “I’m confident our guys understand what their responsibility is and what they’ve got to do to be the best football team on Saturday.”

The team has bought in on their goals and they don’t want to let anything derail them.

“At this point I don’t feel like we should have to say anything.

We’ve all got pretty high goals for this team and expectations so if people aren’t living up to those expectations, then obviously that’s not something we’re looking for,” Streveler said. “I don’t think we’re going to have any problems with that this week. We seem really focused and I think everyone’s

really focused about the game and excited for that.”

Despite the looming distractions of homecoming, the Coyotes are focused, and the 11th ranked Panthers do little to shake that focus.

“It’s going to be smash mouth football all fourth quarters. That’s just how it is in the Missouri Valley, as you can see now with the scores that have been happening, it’s pretty much open,” Graham said. “We’ve just got to go out there and continue to play South Dakota football and worry about the guys that are here and continue to let our play do the talking.”

USD takes on Northern Iowa this Saturday at 2 p.m. for the 102nd Dakota Days.

“This team has a lot of potential and there are a lot of things I see in this team that hasn’t really been here since my time here. As long as we continue to play together and fight together the sky is the limit for us,” Graham said. “I’m just excited for D-Days week of course, my last one, so I’m just ready to try and bring the fans, and of course the team, a victory.”

Volleyball remains undefeated in Summit League play

By Megan Engle

Megan.B.Engle@coyotes.usd.edu

Volleyball season is in full swing and the Coyotes are rolling with win after win. USD is 15-2 in the season and are undefeated, 4-0, in Summit League play. After opening Summit League play at 2-0, the Coyotes took down North Dakota State last Friday in straight sets.

“We have seen good competition and the team just needs to continue to put everything into the game and give it their all,” Lauren Mattison, a sophomore for the Coyotes, said.

The match saw junior Brittany Jessen post a match high 43 assists and senior Audrey Reeg notch 20 kills.

As the team puts everything into each game, they’re not looking too far into the future.

“The team is just taking one game at a time, they don’t look too far ahead on the season and just try to be 1-0 each day,” said head coach Leanne Williamson.

Taking it one game at a time is important as the Coyotes get into Summit League play.

“We have to expect all teams

that we play to be good, we have to raise our level of play against challenging teams so that we are able to come out on top and take skills from these games so that we can maintain our playing level and improve from the last game,” Williamson said.

This mentality came into effect when the Coyotes traveled to Brookings to take on South Dakota State University. USD and SDSU split the season series last year, but this year USD got off to a good start. The Coyotes swept the Jackrabbits in straight sets to take the first leg of the home and home series. USD took the sets 25-19, 25-19 and 25-15. Jessen notched a match high 39 assists, while Reeg totaled 14 kills.

“The girls just have to keep the good things high and improve on the low things and the season will continue to be in our favor,” Williamson said. “We can’t change what we are doing dramatically and we just focus on improving each day at practice and getting better.”

Part of their success is due to the fact that the team is a unit.

File Photo I The Volante

The Coyotes celebrate a point during a matchup with Oral Roberts in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Mattison also said the team’s chemistry on and off the court is perfect. They are all able to hang out outside of volleyball and really come together as a team even when they aren’t in the volleyball setting.

And when they are, each player is able to contribute to the team.

Williamson also said the Coyotes have the ability to control the game against a good team. When the team plays good completion there is higher expectations and the team together can’t let the

teams in and have to start strong and have a good energy level right from the beginning.

“This team is different from last year, we know what we are capable of achieving and we put in the extra time and practice this summer so that we’re able to show everyone what type of team the Coyote women are,” said senior Lindsey Brown.

With seven games left to play at home, the team is enjoying the use of their new venue.

“The team has always been a good team even in the old venue.

We had the team and now we have the great facilities to show off the team,” Brown said. “It is a rewarding feeling getting to play in the new complex and being a good team playing there is even better.”

The Coyotes will take on IUPUI on Friday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. and then Fort Wayne on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. in the Sanford Coyote Sports Complex for Dakota Days.

B2 Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Sports

File Photo I The Volante

Senior forward Corey Strang chases down the ball as it heads for the out of bounds line against the University of North Dakota at the First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex. The Coyotes have struggled as of late losing their last 10 games and starting Summit League play at 0-2.

Coyote soccer opens Summit League play with back to back losses

By Max Tushla

Max.Tushla@coyotes.usd.edu

After winning their opener against Idaho, the Coyotes went 0-9-1 in remaining games of pre-conference play. Looking to turn a new page, USD opened Summit League play last Friday on the road against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

After a 40-minute weather delay postponed the game, the Jaguars struck first in the 21st minute with a header from close. USD would equal IUPUI with five shots in the first half, but they were unable to find the back of the net. The second half saw the Coyotes on the offensive, with seven shots to IUPUI’s four, but it was again the Jaguars who broke through. After a penalty in the box in the 48th minute, IUPUI scored their second

goal of the game off of a penalty kick. The Coyotes were unable to find the net in Indianapolis, dropping their first Summit League match 0-2.

USD then travelled to Macomb, Illinois, on Sunday to take on Western Illinois. After the first half saw no difference between the teams, the Leathernecks broke through the deadlock with a goal from outside the box in the 47th minute. That goal would prove to be the difference in the game, as the Coyotes fell 0-1. Despite six corners to the Leathernecks one, the Coyotes were unable to find the back of the net.

USD has still not locked down their starting keeper.

Junior Sydney Hardin and sophomore Parker Rytz are splitting time at the position. Hardin played all 90

minutes against Western Illinois, while Rytz played the full game against IUPUI. The team has also tried rotating the two, each played 45 minutes in the 2-0 loss to Kansas State.

The Coyotes are in town for Dakota Days this Friday, when they take on the 7-5 (2-0 in Summit League play) North Dakota State at the First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex. Kick off time is set for 3 p.m. USD then travels to Denver to face off with the 5-7 (2-0 in Summit League play) Pioneers on Sunday, before returning home to match up with rival South Dakota State next Friday. This could be the Coyotes’ only match of the year with the 6-4-1 (1-0 in Summit League play) Jackrabbits.

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Verve

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

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Submitted Photo I The Volante

Christina Schroeder holds a model bike in front of the camera at the Loveland Pass in Colorado. Schroeder is a USD alumna and secretary at the law shcool.

Law school secretary bikes across country

By Cheyenne Alexis

Cheyenne.Alexis@coyotes.usd.edu

A USD alumna and senior secretary at the law school, Christina Schroeder, completed a 70-day biking journey across the United States this summer to raise awareness about young adults who have cancer.

The ride was with 4K for Cancer, a program of the non-profit Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults that aims to help young adults unite to help fight for other young adults who have cancer.

The program has four cycling teams that go across the country and two teams that run. The process of getting into the program, Schroeder said, included doing research on the program, applying for the program, getting interviewed and then waiting to see if the participant is accepted or not. After getting accepted in June 2015, Schroeder began training.

Schroeder said she had no previous biking experience before deciding to take on the journey, and borrowed a friend’s bike before raising $1,500 in fundraising money for her own in December. Schroeder had trained

for about a year before the actual biking trip. Before leaving for the bike trip, Schroeder had logged around 2,000 miles during her training period.

The main reason Schroeder said she participated was because she believes in the cause, and she had to learn a lot about biking before going into the trip.

Schroeder said that the bike trip was enjoyable, though there were times she felt were “definitely difficult.” Overall, the experience was good because of her duty to help with cancer awareness.

Besides going on the bike trip, Schroeder has worked to raise awareness and funds for cancer in other ways - she founded the “Shavetober” event at USD, and shaved her head one year for the event.

“I had a feeling that I need to help in the cancer community because it affects so many people,” Schroeder said. “It’s such a big thing that can overwhelm so many different people... When people are affected by cancer, they don’t have the time or effort to fight for themselves.”

Skylar Marcoux, the program coordinator for 4K for

Cancer, worked with Schroeder during the summer, and said since Schroeder has had other experiences working for cancer awareness and because she feels strongly for the cause, she worked hard.

“She was very enthusiastic,” Marcoux said. “She has done a lot for the cancer society, and she learned a lot and was energetic about the efforts.”

The purpose of the bike trip was to show support for cancer patients who are undergoing cancer treatments, and to simulate what they go through.

“For something so extreme like that, it is very life-changing,” Schroeder said. “Being able to relate to chemo treatments without going through it really brings a whole new perspective to the things that cancer patients go through.”

Schroeder said the challenges they faced weren’t the same as cancer patients, but still allowed the bicyclists to have a window into what some patients go through.

“So, imagine a cancer patient who is sore and tired and does not want to go to the hospital to get treatment; learning that is a

perspective that I think we will remember forever... you hear stories that can just blow your mind and this person is still fighting on. They’re the reason why we continue for the day of riding,” she said.

During the trip, Schroeder rode 3,854 miles out of 4,000, and with her team of 22 people, they road more than 4,500 miles in total.

Schroeder said during the trip, the team switched roles of who were in the two vans — the “water van” marked the route with chalk so the cyclists knew where to go and providing rest stops, and the “host van” that was in charge of taking duffle bags and backpacks and finding food donations for the team.

During the trip, Schroeder was in one of the vans 10 days out of 70. The team also required 10 rest days, so the members each logged in around 50 days total for riding.

There was one day, Schroeder said, the team chose not to ride out of respect for Anne Davis, a member on a different biking team who was hit and killed by a vehicle during the bike trip.

Each morning, Schroeder and

the team would gather in a dedication circle to dedicate their day of riding for a cancer patient, so they would have an inspiration for that day. Schroeder also kept up with a blog, onesmallbike, and brought along a tiny bike trinket that she took photos of on her journey.

Marcoux said Schroeder did a “great job”at being the leg leader of the team.

“She did a lot beforehand,” Marcoux said. “She organized with note taking, had a lot of duties, and she did a really good job juggling responsibilities.”

During the moment that she reached San Diego, her final stop, she said she “felt a lot of weight lifted off her shoulders.” “(I had an) overwhelming feeling of completion, completing this great ride,” Schroeder said. “To think a ride like this is to simulate and parallel cancer treatment, and to think we made it through was amazing. You learn a lot about yourself and about the goodness that is in the world... To be in an area where you’re constantly hearing about the good things, receiving good remarks about what we’re doing is inspiring.”

Biology student seeks to build aquaponics system

By Mason Dockter

Mason.Dockter@coyotes.usd.edu

A new, integrated way to grow vegetables and harvest fish at the same time may be coming to Vermillion.

Parker Messerli, a senior biology major, is trying to find a place on campus or in Vermillion to set up an MESSERLI aquaponics system, which takes aquarium water, sullied with fish waste and nutrients, and uses it to water vegetables. The vegetables use the fish waste as fertilizer, filtering it out. The water then returns to the aquarium without harmful fish waste and filled with healthy nutrients from the plants.

“Aquaponics is the marriage between aquaculture, which is raising fish, and traditional greenhouse growing (of plants),” Messerli said. ”What it’s doing is basically creating an ecosystem between the fish and the plants — the plants filter out what the fish don’t want, and that keeps the water clear so they can thrive in grow.”

While there are several types of aquaponics systems that can be built, Messerli’s system would pipe the aquarium water out of the aquarium and into a bed of growing vegetables, then back to the aquarium.

“You have a tubing in the fish tank to the grow bed, where you push the water through that and allow the plants to filter out waste and other products that they can use, that the fish perceive as toxic,” Messerli said.

While the fish still have to be

fed, the nutrients provided by the plants are still good for their health, and having the plants doing the filtering work eliminates the need for water filtration. The plants are able to absorb enough nutrition from the fish waste water to reduce their need for fertilizers.

The system would cost approximately $200, and Messerli’s current vision of the system would be, roughly, a 20-gallon tank with about five fish and about a 2’ x 4’ area for plant growth. In theory, a wellthought out aquaponics system should be relatively low-maintenance, Messerli said.

“Because it’s set up like an ecosystem, it encourages bacteria growth, which basically takes all the decomposing matter from the water and breaks it down for the plants to use,” Messerli said. “So generally if you set it up with some forethought, there’s not going to be very many problems.”

Messerli said that his system might use decorative rather than edible fish species right away as he tries to master the technique, though he will grow vegetables. Eventually, he would like to include species of edible fish that are known to thrive in an aquaponics environment, such as tilapia.

There are roadblocks in Messerli’s way besides the technical challenge of setting up an aquaponics system — the biology department turned him down when he asked for their help in setting up the system, as there was no space for it. There are also cumbersome rules surrounding live animals kept in an experimental setting — they must be housed in a secure set-

Mason Dockter I The Volante

An aquaponics system takes water laden with fish waste and uses it to grow plants. The plants filter out the toxic qualities of the waste and pump it back to the fish tank. ting, under the supervision of the medical school.

Thus, Messerli has been creative in his search for a home for his aquaponics system. He is considering Heikes Family Farm north of Vermillion as a possible location, or a local church.

In planning for the aquaponics system, Messerli has been “bouncing ideas off of” Jeff Wesner, a sustainability professor. Wesner said he appreciates Messerli’s tenacity in trying to launch the aquaponics system in spite of the challenges he faces in launching the system.

“I always like it when students have an idea to improve the university somehow, and

a lot of students have those ideas and then you say, ‘OK, here are the barriers to getting that done,’ and you list 1,000 things,” Wesner said. “And Parker’s not really deterred by that, he’s trying to find space for it, he’s really motivated to get it done. And to me, here’s a student that’s spending time doing something that’s going to be a cool project for the university — why not support something like that?”

Wesner also said the aquaponics system would be a good learning opportunity when discussing fish ecology in class.

“We can talk all day about fish in a river, but if I can go

show someone fish that are feeding in a tank, it’s much easier to talk about those fish, talk about their nutrients, talk about nutrient flow through an ecosystem with something like that,” Wesner said. “It’s a perfect teaching tool. And of course it also produces harvestable food, so that also is a perfect teaching tool of ways to make our food system more efficient.”

Ideally, Messerli would like to have much of the legwork for the aquaponics system completed by spring.

“I’ll be here for another year, but I would like to have it going at least a semester before I leave,” Messerli said.

Verve

B4 Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Legal experts talk juvenile justice

By Lauren Soulek

Lauren.Soulek@coyotes.usd.edu

The topic of about 50,000 children under the age of 18 being incarcerated across the nation was front and center at symposium hosted at the USD School of Law last week.

On Thursday and Friday, the South Dakota Law Review and the USD School of Law presented a symposium to discuss issues associated with juveniles in the criminal justice system in the United States. The law school symposium is an annual event, and the topic each year is chosen by the editor for the South Dakota Law Review.

This year’s symposium was the idea of Law Review editor Ashley Brost, a third-year law student at USD. Brost taught middle school before attending law school, and always had an interest in the rights of juveniles, which is why she chose the topic of juvenile justice.

“I think that juveniles have more vulnerabilities than adults do when they enter the system,” Brost said. “Their rights need to be upheld even though they are minors.”

Altogether, the symposium had 17 speakers, three of them being local and 14 of them being practitioners of juvenile law from across the country. The symposium addressed a variety of issues associated with juvenile justice, including interrogation and confessions, Native American Youth, sentencing, sex offender registry for youth and prison conditions for juveniles.

Nicole Pittman, founder of the Center on Youth Registration Reform at Impact Justice, spoke on Thursday about the harm of placing youth on the sex offender registry and the efforts being made to reform these laws. Pittman started her presentation by introducing the grandmother of a boy placed on the sex offender registry at age 14. Another boy, Pittman said, was placed on the registry at age eight.

The damage caused by being on the sex offender registry affects more than just the juveniles themselves.

“A child on the registry is a family on the registry and also a victim on the registry,” Pittman said. “My work that I do is not just about telling people about putting kids on registries. It’s about getting everyone to understand that these are our kids. These are all of our kids.”

Pittman discussed how children placed on the sex offender registry experience psychological impacts, increased exposure to violence and it has an impact on their families. They also face problems when it comes to housing, barriers on education and employment and economic issues.

Pittman showed statistics that said 900,000 people are on registries in America, and there are zero studies in the past two decades showing that youth registration is effective. She also showed that the rate of recidivism, or a person’s relapse in criminal behavior, among youth that commit sexual harm is under three percent.

Many times, young people fac-

“

Juveniles have more vulnerabilities than adults do when they enter the system.

Ashley Brost, third-year law student

ing sexual charges never even have the opportunity to see their case in court.

“Ninety-nine percent of the cases that were sex offenses were handled as pleas. Most kids did not talk to their attorneys. Most attorneys did not talk to their kids that were accused of sexual offenses,” Pittman said.

Angel Runnings, a lawyer with the Minnehaha County Public Defender Office, also spoke on Thursday about the age of consent and the criminal charges juveniles are facing. Runnings said “the registry ruins everything” for those that don’t re-offend, as placement on the registry will stay with that person forever.

“These are our kids, too. This is what’s happening every day.

Children are being charged,” Runnings said. “They are often lowfunctioning, they are often victims themselves. Virtually 100 percent of the time, this is curiosity and exploratory. They are acting out on things that they’ve heard or saw. It’s not the passion of lust that adults have. Often it’s boyfriends and girlfriends. Very often the children are actually below the legal age of consent themselves, which is 16 in South Dakota. There is rarely injury or threats involved.”

Amy Fettig, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, spoke on Friday about juvenile prison conditions, solitary confinement and vulnerability to violence while incarcerated.

“The reason that we at the ACLU focus on solitary confinement, quite frankly, is that it is a matter of life and death,” Fettig said.

Students and professors from USD attended the symposium, along with others. Many of the speakers stayed to listen to the other speakers and there were even people that came from other states just as an audience member.

Addie Rolnick, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, spoke about the problems faced by Native American youth who find themselves in the justice system.

In her presentation, Rolnick said the situation of juvenile justice within Native American communities is fraught with problems and contention, though the basic problems are broadly agreed upon.

“The system that native youth find themselves in is indeed a tangled web. The current system, more than just being tangled, is basically exactly backward from what it should be,” Rolnick said. “Native youth are vulnerable and traumatized, incarceration is not effective as a deterrent to the behavior,

the juvenile justice system in this country re-traumatizes the youth that are already traumatized, and incarceration is often the wrong alternative, yet is often the rule, rather than the exception.”

Native American youth, Rolnick said, suffer from “high rates of physical and sexual abuse, high rates of exposure to violence and trauma, high rates of poverty, high rates of poor educational obtainment and poor educational outcomes, poor health care, lack of access to healthy food,” all of which are major factors that predispose young people to criminal activities.

As a group, Rolnick said Native American youth are vastly over-incarcerated, often for non-violent, petty offenses that white youth typically do not go to jail for. Within jail, Native American youth often face physical and sexual abuse, along with very limited access to medical assistance or education.

One reason the problems associated with the incarceration of Native American youth are so difficult to address, Rolnick said, is that criminal justice in general within Native American communities is a “jurisdictional maze,” where it can be difficult to tell whether the responsibility falls under tribal jurisdiction, federal jurisdiction or state jurisdiction.

Rolnick stuck around for the later presentations on Friday as well. Overall, she had a positive impression of the symposium.

“I thought it (the symposium) was fantastic,” Rolnick said. “I think all of the speakers here were talking about things that are the right direction that the system needs to move.”

Dennis Marks, a lawyer from Nebraska, decided to come to the symposium after seeing the schedule of topics being discussed and the speakers.

“It (the symposium) was incredible,” Marks said. “They did a terrific job putting together not just a wonderful agenda, but wonderful speakers as well.”

Marks said he has been representing juveniles for the last 20 years, so he feels very strongly about the issues surrounding juvenile justice.

At the end of everything, Brost said the she felt the symposium went well.

“The Law Review staff worked really well together to make sure everything was organized and the law school administration and faculty really supported us to ensure success,” Brost said. “I thought the speakers were amazing and delivered powerful messages about how to protect the children in the justice system.”

Juvenile justice by the numbers

50,000.................................number of incarcerated youth in the U.S. 95...........................percent of youth arrested for non-violent crimes 200,000...............................................number of youth tried as adults 22................................states that try children as young as 7 as adults 95,000...................estimated number of youth held in adult prisons

Morgan Matzen I The Volante The Beards rehearse in the Vermillion home of band member, Amy Askew.

Bearded musicians take Vermillion bars by storm

By Morgan Matzen

Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu

Beards are no longer just a trendy style of facial hair — but a local band from Vermillion, which sprouted up like stubble on the face of the local music scene.

The Beards are made up of USD biology professors Jake Kerby on electric guitar and Jeff Wesner on drums as well as English professor Joe Raiche on guitar and lead vocals. The band formed when Kerby was jamming with beardless bassist Amy Askew at a party, and Askew’s husband Jason soon joined the group on the keyboard.

“I had a birthday party at my house, and a bunch of people were playing music,” Kerby said.

“Amy and I were jamming together and she’s like, ‘We should just come over to my house and play.’ We both knew Jeff, so we invited him to come down, so the three of us just played one session. Then Amy said she knew this guy (Joe) who thinks he can write music.”

The group’s sound could be classified as indie or alternative rock. They rehearse in the basement of the Askew home, so there is a very do-it-yourself element to the music. They have set aside the rowdiness of youth and the ambition to become rockstars for their more realistic pursuits in academia.

“We’ve all got kids and real jobs,” Amy Askew said.

The group demonstrated their individual musical skills in a recent practice session.

They played “Breaking,” which has parts that play to the strong suits of each musician. Amy Askew knows her way around the bass, Jason Askew is a skilled keyboardist and Kerby controls his guitar pedals with ease.

Another of their songs is “Robin,” which is a touch more emotional. Raiche has an acoustic part in that song, and Amy demonstrates her vocal talent by singing along with him.

The Beards played their first few shows in town. One of their earliest shows was Thursday on the Platz downtown on May 4.

That show was the beginning of all the buzz about The Beards.

“Thursday on the Platz was fantastic because there were a lot of people there,” Raiche said.

“When we started a song it was quiet and we were downtown in this space where there were bouncy castles and all this stuff where people were interested and sticking around.”

Their most recent show was at the Varsity Pub on Main Street. All of the Beards were ex-

“

There were a lot more people than we expected at that last show, nd they stayed the whole time, which was really cool.

Amy Askew, Member of Beards cited at the turnout at that show — an intimate, but interested crowd.

“There were a lot more people than we expected at that last show,” Amy Askew said. “And they stayed the whole time, which was really cool.”

The show at the Varsity caused a bit of a stir in the local community, most likely for the posters that could be seen around town featuring Raiche’s angry bearded face. On the top of the poster, there was also a link to the band’s website, a playground for Raiche’s sense of humor.

“I kind of put stuff up there as a joke,” Raiche said. “It’s fun that people are going and looking at it and we’re bumping into people that we don’t know who have heard the music or been to the site or heard somebody talking about us. It’s fun. It’s a pleasant surprise.”

The Beards hope to continue to share their music with other people.

“I think that’s the spirit of the band, as you see,” Kerby said.

“We’re just a bunch of friends, we have fun and we are kind of surprised that people are into it.

We love it and we just keep doing it. I think that’s part of the spirit too, like we’re 30 years older and we thought we were gonna be rockstars, but we just (mess) around and have fun.

Music comes from a creative place.”

The Beards’ next performance will be at Maya Jane’s on Oct. 15. They will perform there with fellow musical group At Ease.