The Volante W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 9
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volante online.com See The Volante website for a video on the science behind Stevens’ pigeons.
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Hit-and-run perpetrator still at-large Lexi Kerzman
Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu
Lauren Soulek I The Volante
Kandy Noles Stevens holds a homing pigeon outside her home in Marshall, Minnesota. Stevens commutes to Vermillion once a week to teach physical science for elementary in the School of Education.
Staying curious:
One professor’s story of science, grief and pigeons Lauren Soulek
Lauren.Soulek@coyotes.usd.edu
There are over 400 species of pigeons in the world, and each species has its own specialized trait. For homing pigeons, it’s always knowing the way back from which they came. For a USD professor who raises them, it’s figuring out which way to go. Kandy Noles Stevens is an adjunct professor and STEM Specialist teaching physical science for elementary in the School of Education at USD. The recipient of the 2019 Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award at USD, she’s also studying to gain her doctoral degree. Stevens grew up as the only girl in a crowd of cousins who led her to muddy riverbanks to catch frogs and tadpoles. In high school, despite an upbringing in nature, Stevens had no intention of entering the field of science, until someone told her she couldn’t. “My first day of my high school physics class, the teacher said something about how only the boys were going to succeed in the class and none of us girls were going to be able to finish
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Learning that life cycle and seeing the flight patterns and just the sound of them coming home, it’s really kind of a neat thing. Kandy Noles Stevens, adjunct professor and STEM specialist
the class,” Stevens said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but as I got older and was able to look back, it was in that moment that a scientist was born. Because I was going to prove him wrong.” And prove him wrong she did. She went to work as a chemist for the United States Agriculture Department, and later, became a teacher herself. Now, when Stevens isn’t teaching at USD, she’s teaching at Southwest Minnesota State University in Mar-
Lauren Soulek I The Volante
A theory on homing pigeons suggests that they know how to navigate over vast distances using earth’s magnetic field as a guide. shall, Minnesota, where she and her family live. It’s also the place where, eleven years ago, tragedy struck them. On Feb. 19, 2008 at 3:25 p.m., on a highway north of Cottonwood, Minnesota, roughly 15 miles north of Marshall, a mini-
van blew through a stop sign and broadsided a school bus returning children home after a school day. The bus flipped on its side, and as a result, injured fourteen people and killed four. See PIGEON, Page B4
University, Vermillion police tag team Dakota Days Lexi Kerzman
Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu
Dakota Days, which concluded Sunday, is a time for celebration. Sometimes celebrations get out of hand, and when they do, Vermillion Police Department and the University Police Department, rely on assistance from the Sheriff’s Department and Highway Patrol to enforce laws and keep people safe. In an average week, VPD receives 130 calls – this D-Days, they had 260. This number, although double a normal week, is lower than previous D-Day celebrations. Matt Betzen, VPD police chief, said the colder weather on Friday and South Dakota State’s Hobo Days being held simultaneously might have lowered call rates. “Also, maybe there is a culture shift, we’ll see if it keeps going,” Betzen said. “Generally speaking, I think we saw a lot more assaults 10 years ago. Now people are distracted by phones.” Some of the phone distraction is thanks to the VPD and the Clay County Sheriff live-tweeting out low severity incidents. Betzen said this creates a more transparent relationship between community members and the police. “It’s easy to get angry at the person you never see and never know,
but it’s a lot harder when you are able to talk to them and engage with them and you realize they kind of talk just like you,” Betzen said. “Those are the things Twitter does for us. It adds a layer to transparency, even though obviously we don’t share everything.” While the Twitter feeds were full of humorous posts throughout the homecoming weekend, Betzen said they are only funny to try and get engagement. “If you don’t have engagement it doesn’t matter. For non-emergency type things we want to be able to engage people in a real-time way,” Betzen said. “The reason we engage in the Twitter page is not really to be funny or anything but to make sure people are paying attention to social media so we can use it as a venue to get information out.” As most of the incidents that occur over D-Days involve downtown Vermillion and alcohol, the state also provided funding to install cameras down Main Street. Security cameras, Betzen said, help end questions on what actually happened during an incident; now there is evidence on what exactly happened and who is to blame. They also help limit the number of incidents that occur. “Over and over again prior to the cameras we would have fights, way
more drinking than we do now, larger groups and the number one purpose of the cameras is to deter that behavior,” Betzen said. “Everyone can agree that, generally speaking, most people behave better when they know they’re on camera.” The security cameras are only downtown for the week of D-Days because they are too expensive and not necessary the rest of the year, Betzen said. While VPD patrols downtown and most parts of Vermillion, UPD is in charge of keeping the USD campus safe. Although often misunderstood, UPD has all the same legal powers as VPD and regular police depart-
ments. The only difference is that they mainly patrol the school, Bryant Jackson, UPD administrative sergeant said. “We try to divide up the responsibilities. We work together really well,” Jackson said. “There are some reasons that we have to, just being in the same city, we have to work together.” Both Jackson and Betzen said their main concern over D-Days, and every day, is safety. “At the end of the day, we are big supporters of D-Days as well,” Jackson said. “We want to make sure there is a safe environment for people to celebrate throughout the weekend.”
While VPD said they received fewer calls this D-Days than previous years, major incidents occurred, including a hit-and-run involving a USD student. Jaycie Pohlman, a senior strategic communications major, was walking home early Saturday morning (around 1:50 a.m.) when she and her friend were hit by a car. Pohlman does not remember the accident and said the last thing she remembers before waking up was walking down Main Street. “I don’t remember crossing the street. I don’t remember a car hitting me. I don’t remember getting put on a stretcher,” Pohlman said. “The next thing I know is that I was on my way to the hospital.” Pohlman spent roughly seven hours at the hospital. Both she and her friend survived the crash, but sustained serious injuries, she said. “I got a concussion, sprained ankle, my thumbs are pretty messed up, the nails got ripped off, the cops found them in the street, and I have two big black eyes and a pretty swollen forehead and face,” she said. “His teeth got chipped and his right foot got messed up and he got road rash.” VPD is still searching for the driver who hit the two students. Pohlman turned to social media to try and solve the mystery. She posted pictures of her injuries and asked people to please step forward if they knew anything related to the accident. Pohlman said she just wants people to feel safe while walking home. “Be safe. Anything can happen at any time and just because we are in a small town, doesn’t mean it’s safe,” she said. “There needs to be more resources to make sure people can get home safe and they don’t have to worry about getting run over by someone else who decided to drive drunk because they probably couldn’t get a ride either.”
S.D. Supreme Court holds court at USD Law School Bailey Zubke
Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu
The South Dakota Supreme Court held its October hearings at USD’s School of Law courtroom from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. The Court heard nine cases in total, three per day. Cases covered a wide variety of topics, including the Buffalo Chip and a murder. The Buffalo Chip case pertained to local and state government powers and the incorporation of the campground and performance area in Sturgis. The murder case pertained to the evidence involved and the intent of the murder. “They get to see what it’s like to be a real live lawyer out in the field, so that is exciting for them,” School of Law Dean Neil Fulton said. “The cases the Supreme Court will typically pick when they are sitting down here, focus on what the students are studying.” The hearings were open to the public, but security precautions were taken to ensure the safety of everyone involved. The Highway Patrol and the Supreme Court coordinates security for the event. The doors that face the Al Neuharth Media Center were locked to the public.
ONLINE ONLY Read the full story to learn more about the cases the S.D. Supreme Court heard in the Law School courtroom last week.
Lexi Kerzman I The Volante
University police patrols campus and has the same authority as other police departments. They work with VPD to patrol the city.
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