10.12.2022

Potential Jumpstart to Future With Thousands in Debt Relief

Biden-Harris Administration to begin loan forgiveness process this month with the opening of the application.

Changes to the original plan proposal now limit the specific loans eligible for debt relief funds. Perkins Loans and Federal Family Education Loans now join private loans in those non-eligible for loan forgiveness.

The Education Department along with the Biden-Har ris Administration announced that applications would go live at the beginning of October, allowing students to submit their information for eligibility.

Along with the types of loans taken out, borrowers will only be eigible if they are Pell Grant recipients ($20,000 in relief funds) or if their annual income is below $125,000 as an individual or below $250,000 as a married couple ($10,000 in relief funds).

The Education Department will be determining if a borrower’s annual income falls in the necessary amount by checking their adjusted gross income found on either their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return.

Keeley

Student Debt Relief to Begin this Month

Sydney Johnson Sdyney.g.johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

Applications for the Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief are set to go live sometime at the beginning of this month.

For students who received a Pell Grant, they are eligible to receive up to $20,000 of forgiveness, and for those who don’t they are eligible for up to $10,000 if their annual income is below $125,000 (below $250,000 for married couples).

To determine annual income, students should check their recent tax returns, either from 2020 or 2021. The Education Department will be looking at an individual’s adjusted gross income (AGI) found on line 11 of their federal tax return.

Borrowers who are employed by nonprofits, the military, or federal, state, Tribal or local government may be eligible to have all their student loans forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness pro gram according to the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office.

On top of fitting into a spe

cific AGI, only certain federal loans are included in those being forgiven by this initiative. Parent Plus loans, Grad loans and subsidized or unsubsidized federal loans, all being distribut ed before June 30, 2022, will be forgiven.

A recent change designated that Perkins Loans and Federal Family Education Loans held commercially will no longer be included. Private loans are also not included in the debt forgiveness plan.

After applying, the FSA office said borrowers can expect relief within six weeks. Those seeking relief should apply by mid-November to receive relief before the expiration date on Dec. 31, 2022, according to the Education Department.

Debt forgiveness is usually a taxable income; however, it will not be counted toward federal income taxes as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan. While most states align their income tax codes with their federal counterpart, it is possible that borrowers may have to pay state income tax on

Are your loans forgiven?

the amount of forgiveness they receive. According to the Tax Foundation, these states may in clude Arkansas, California, In diana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

For Braden Bury, a senior political science and economics major, the Biden-Harris Admin istration’s plan is allowing him to leave college with a sense of financial stability.

“All the debt I have right now is federal debt, so it will all be pretty much paid off,” Bury said. “… It allows me to get ahead for my future.”

Bury is a Pell Grant recip ient and has taken out federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans, all of which are eligible for forgiveness under the relief

plan.

Along with the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan helping Bury on a personal level, he also believes it will increase the number of students able to acquire a degree in college.

“I think especially since the cancellation is targeted towards low-income students, it will make it more accessible for low er income students wanting to continue college to do so with out having a severe burden of debt on their back,” Bury said.

For more information about when the loan forgiveness applications will be available, students can stay up to date at studentaid.gov or sign up to receive email updates from the Department of Education.

Tavin Carncross | The Volante

USD’s Korean Student Association Approaches Budget Challenge with Confidence

What started as a small dinner conversation amongst friends, ended up turning into USD’s first ever Korean Student Association (KSA). However its members continue to search for proper funding.

President Eunjin Lee and Vice President Erica Martinez are the founders of KSA, a program which looks to cultivate the student body on traditional and modern Korean culture. The two planned the group’s first event which will take place Saturday, Oct. 15: the “Spicy Fire Noodle Challenge.” But in order to hold future events, they’ll need to raise more funds.

“It would be great if we were

self-sustaining so we’ll have to look at how much things cost in the future. The noodles alone for this were $180 which was a bit of a shock,” Martinez said.

KSA had to reduce the amount of noodles they would provide at the event due to budget concerns. Originally, Martinez said they had hoped to have one hundred noodles, but will now have 60.

With nearly 10 participants since its startup this semester, the association encourages anyone interested to get involved.

“If students are willing to give their time and energy and love Korean culture, we’ll absolutely take you. We just ask that you’re an active member in the group,” Martinez said.

Lee and Martinez were also

Fresh Start for LaHSO, Planning Upcoming Events

Zadya Abbott Zadya.Abbott@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s Latino-Hispanic Student Organization (LaHSO) adopted new leadership and programing plans during Hispanic Heritage Month. Jacqueline Munoz, a freshman dental hygiene major, is the new president of LaHSO.

“I want Hispanic and Latino students to be comfortable and feel like a community, and not just Hispanic and Latino students, anyone is welcome,” Munoz said. “I would love for people to have a feel of Hispanic and Latino culture.”

LaHSO currently has 15 organization members, a number Munoz hopes to grow throughout the year. She also hopes to collaborate with other student organizations on campus to host more events, and increase campus knowledge on cultural traditions all across Latin America.

According to the LaHSO’s mission statement, “In a time when there is racial tension in the United States, our main goal is to promote awareness of the different cultures and races that make up the Latino Student Body.”

Because the organization was going through a leadership shift and revival at the beginning of the

year, LaHSO had no programming events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

Currently LaHSO does not have a set meeting time. Students can turn to USD Involved for all of LaHSO’s organization updates.

Their next upcoming event is in recognition of El Dia de Los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead. LaHSO will be putting on this event in collaboration with the USD Cultural Wellness Coalition (CWC) and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).

Before the main event on Nov. 2 in the MUC pit, LaHSO will create an altar in the student-center space in MUC 219, outside the OMA.

present at the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Sept. 13 meeting to review KSA’s food budget request where senator Katie Conzet introduced Senate Bill (SB) 83 “Korean Student Association Special Appropriation.” The group was granted a food exemption and $320 by SGA to meet their organization’s needs.

“We couldn’t have done it without SGA,” Martinez said. “Since we asked SGA for money, we also want to give some of that back to them eventually so we can contribute to other campus organizations.”

Although this grant will serve a beneficial role for the upcoming event, KSA looks to host future campus gatherings to build up their funds.

One idea was a “Valentine’s Day Singles Mixer.” Martinez said the event would include participants paying a small fee to fill out a questionnaire and compare their results with similar respondents.

“We’ve also thought about hosting a K-drama where everybody pays a couple bucks to cover popcorn and other things,” Martinez said.

Martinez said she looks forward to the growth of the organization and expanding the appreciation for Korean culture at USD. The organization continues to navigate through the process of establishing itself on campus.

“Every organization has its first couple of hiccups, but once we get that all sorted out, it’s all smooth sailing,” Martinez said.

The VolanTe

Volume 147, No. 12 September 27, 2022 www.volanteonline.com

Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069

Adviser Tim Schreiner

Mission statement

The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students. Faculty, staff and community members are welcome readers, but the newspaper is written and presented for a diverse community of students from the students’ point of view. The paper should provide a variety of information, entertainment and educational opportunities for the readers.

The Volante encourages everyone to write letters to the editor.

The Volante wishes to be viewed by students as respectable, objective, accurate, fair and trustworthy. If you have comments, concerns or questions, please contact The Volante at 677-5494.

The Volante is distributed Wednesdays during the academic year free of charge locally with the cost of $1 for each additional copy. One year subscription rates are $40, which solely covers the mailing costs.

The Volante does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any production service advertised in this paper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.

The Volante disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The Volante reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

Bennett Clary co-news editor

Zadya Abbott co-news editor Karlee Phillips assistant news editor Jozie Hunter news designer Keeley Thomas verve editor Madeline Knau verve designer Tavin Carncross sports editor Brock Weider sports designer Emma Daggett opinion editor Chloe Fullenkamp opinion designer Madison Martinez photo editor

Rachel Pechous social media director

Maddilynn Kallsen social media director Kaitlyn Kumm advertising manager Sydney Johnson editor-in-chief Allison Horkey managing editor

Karlee Phillips

State, National and International Briefs

Zadya Abbott Zadya.Abbott@coyotes.usd.edu

End of Pandemic Free-Lunch Program

Secondary school students across South Dakota are experiencing the consequences of food insecurity due to the end of the pandemic era freelunch program. The two-year federal program provided four billion free meals to children across the nation including students in South Dakota.

Many school districts across the state, including Sioux Falls do not have the budget to continue the program in their schools without additional funding. Jane Stavem, Sioux Falls School District Superintendent, told News Watch that continuing the free lunch program without any federal assistance would approximately cost the district $5 million annually.

The high cost to continue the program is partially due to how recent inflation has raised food and labor prices. The average family of four is spending 26% more on food this year as opposed to 2021. Additionally, because the program ended in the summer, many families whose income would qualify for free and reduced lunches did not reapply

this year for the program because they thought the COVID-19 program would remain intact.

While most students in South Dakota are not being turned away from the lunchline, schools are facing questions about how they will provide nutrition for students. Some teachers, including Bill Egan of Rapid City middle school, have taken to storing Lunchables and other snacks in their classroom for students who cannot afford the daily meal.

SD Representative Dusty Johnson told the Argus Leader that he is in support of the current school lunch program that uses reported family incomes to determine which children qualify for the free or reduced lunch.

Across the nation, the topic of universal free meals for school children is becoming a larger talking point and citizens are looking to the U.S. Congress or the 2023 Farm Bill for continued funding.

Kansas City New Stadium, First Ever for Women

In Kansas City, MO, on Oct. 6 ground was broken at the site of the new Kansas City Current stadium. The $70 million project at Berkley Riverfront Park will be the first stadium built in the U.S. specifically for women athletes.

The Kansas City Current’s are registered as a National Women’s Soccer League team. There are a dozen soccer stadiums that the NWSL teams use, but none of them are specifically for the women’s team.

The project was announced in October 2021 by owners Angie Long, Chris Long and Brittany Matthews. The team signed a 50-year lease for the 7.08-acre site. The new stadium is set to open in 2024 and will bring in more than 11,000 soccer fans.

“From the beginning, our vision has been to create a playerfirst experience, and facilities for our team that match not only the elite

32 Dead, 52 Missing After Venezuela Landslide

On Oct. 9 a landslide in Venezuela killed at least 35 people and left over 52 people missing. 317 homes were destroyed and another 750 were damaged. The landslide occurred after multiple days of heavy rainfall caused by Hurricane Julia which passed just north of Venezuela.

According to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, the landslide came down in the Santo Michelena municipality after five streams near the town of Las Tejerías overflowed.

President Nicolás Maduro declared three days of national mourning that started Sunday. According to the Ministry of Communications, at least 1,300 families have been affected with more than 10,000 families experiencing water outages.

Over 1,000 officials from the National Risk Management System and police officers are participating in the search and rescue operation. Search efforts were still ongoing as of Monday afternoon.

level of these incredible athletes, but also the passionate support of the Kansas City metro and our fans,” KC NWSL Co-Founder and Co-Owner Chris Long said via press release. “We believe this significant investment and commitment will shape a stronger future for our entire region and our athletes.”

Bennett Clary Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

Taste of Mexico Comes to Vermillion

Allison Horkey Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

A local couple decided to bring a taste of home to Vermillion when they opened their business this past summer, now they’re winding down for the winter but hope to come back for more events next year.

Jose and Mayra Lira own and operate Sabor A México LLC (translates to Taste of Mexico), a street style taco business echoing the streets of Guanajuato, the Mexican state Mayra and their daughter Victoria are from.

“I moved [away] from home with my parents when I was 18, so I’m used to not living with my parents. Every time people will say ‘oh poor thing, you must miss your family,’ I think ‘no, I miss the food,’” Mayra said.

Jose and Mayra said they wanted to add some more eating options for the Vermillion community and this led to them opening Sabor A México on July 16. A few weeks before, Sabor A México first made its appearance at the Vermil lion Area Farmers Market selling baked goods.

Throughout the summer the couple worked at Thursday on the Platz, the Fleurish Flower Farm and Design events in Elk Point, the GathRED event, Ribs Rods and Rock’ n Roll and were usually set up outside of Vermillion Chiropractic PC on Saturdays. On Thursdays they also sold conchas, a Mexican pastry, and oth er treats at the Vermillion Area Farmers Market.

Jose said running this business is a lot of time and dedication, but knowing peo ple are enjoying the food makes it worth it.

“It’s a lot of physical work, a lot of prep time and clean up, but I like it when peo ple like our food and they love it and then they come back. I get to talk to a lot of people, I like talking to people,” Jose said. “... That’s why I like the street style too, because if you’re in a restaurant you can’t talk to people or watch [the food be pre pared].”

For Mayra, seeing her family work to gether is very special, even if it was dif ficult at first. While they are cooking to gether, their daughter Victoria will take

customer’s drink orders.

“I really enjoy doing things together as a family. And I think this is a different way to get to know each other and even know Victoria, how she acts and her per sonality,” Mayra said. “It’s actually good. The first day was terrible, but after that, I think we complemented each other really well.”

While Mayra and Jose do not have any solid plans to expand their business into a restaurant, that has not stopped them from talking about it.

“If we are going to spend [money] to be a restaurant, it will be totally different. We were talking about it and [I would want something like] Italian restaurants, like it’s kind of expensive, but they are all authentic...,” Mayra said. “Everything would be authentic from Mexico, but it will be totally different. It would be like fine dining.”

For now, the couple are just staying close to the flavors of home with their street style business. The Sabor A Méx ico LLC Facebook page provides updates on events they are planning to attend and their menu.

Allison Horkey | The Volante Owners Mayra (left) and Jose (right) work together to bring a new eating option to Vermillion with a little taste of home.

SportS

Four Coyotes Land on Preseason All-Summit

Tavin Carncross Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

On Oct. 11 the Summit League released the basketball preseason standings along with the players included in the first and second teams. This was voted on by the league’s coaches, sports information directors and select media members.

For Coyote men’s basketball, redshirt soph omore guard A.J. Plitzuweit along with senior guards Mason Archambault and Kruz Per rott-Hunt were voted to the second team.

Both Archambault and Perrott-Hunt ended last season being on the All-Summit League sec ond team.

Archambault is starting his third season as a Coyote after transferring his sophomore year from Gillette College. He led the Coyotes with an av erage of 33.4 minutes, 1.2 steals and .5 blocks per game. Archambault was the second leading scorer for the Coyotes with 14.5 points per game. Ar chambault was the second best free throw shooter in the NCAA as he shot 93% from the line.

Perrott-Hunt is coming off his best season as a Coyote where he led the team in scoring with 15 points per game. He also beat out Archambault by one assist to be the team’s leader with 71 total. Per rott-Hunt grabbed a career high in re bounds with 4.1 per game with his previous being 2.8.

Before Plitzuweit’s injury in 2020-21 which caused him to miss the entirety of the sea son, he was named to the All-Summit League FirstTeam and the Summit League Newcomer of the Year. Plitzuweit averaged 19 points per game that season along with dish ing out a team high of 3.9 assists per game.

The Summit League saw many players leave the conference. Among those transferring are former South Dakota State guard Baylor Scheierman (First Team and Player of the Year), North Dakota State guards

Sam Griesel (First Team) and Tyree Eady (De fensive Team), South Dakota guard Boogie An derson (Defensive Team), North Dakota guard Paul Bruns (Honorable Mention) transferring to Creighton, Nebraska, North Texas, Southern Louisiana and South Dakota respectively.

Those that graduated are Denver guard K.J. Hunt (Honorable Mention), Kansas City guards Evan Gilyard II (First Team) and Marvin Nesbitt Jr. (Second Team).

Leading the Summit League this preseason is Oral Roberts led by Preseason Player of the Year Max Abmas. Following the Golden Eagles are South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota State, Denver, Kansas City, Western Illinois, St. Thomas, Omaha and North Dakota in that order.

In the women’s Preseason Poll, sophomore guard Grace Larkins was the only Coyote men

Larkins was named the Sixth Women of the Year as she averaged 6.5 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game and 34 steals. Larkins was the fifth lead ing scorer on the Coyotes squad behind seniors Chloe Lamb (Summit League Player of the Year), Hannah Sjerven (Defen sive Player of the Year/Summit League First Team), Liv Kor nagable (Summit League Second Team) and redshirt freshman Mad die Krull. Larkins helped the Coy ote team last season reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in which they lost to the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines.

Summit League women’s basketball had a number of guards graduate and trans fer as well. South Dakota guards Lamb and Korngable all graduated at the end of the 2022 season. The transfers were West ern Illinois guard Danni Nichols who took her talents to West Virginia now coached by former South Dakota coach Dawn Plitzuweit. Kansas City guard Naomie Alnatas left for Oklahoma State to follow former Kansas City head coach Jacie Hoyt.

South Dakota State took the No. 1 position on the women’s side as they are led by Preseason Player of the Year Myah Selland. Following the Jackrab bits are South Dakota, Oral Roberts, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Kansas City, Western Illinois, Denver, St. Thomas and Omaha in that order.

File | The Volante

(Top to bottom): Kruz Perrott-Hunt led the Coyotes in scoring last season with 15 points per game. Grace Larkins was the Summit League Sixth Women of the Year. Mason Archambault led the Coyotes in three categories including minutes with 33.4 per game. A.J. Plitzuewit (left) missed all the 2021-22 season due to an leg injury.

SportS

Back on Roster After Season Ending Injury

Bennett Clary Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

Senior distance runner Merga Geme da ended his last cross country season be cause of a season ending injury. Gemeda said after the injury, his motivation was completely taken away but he is trying to stay focused this season on staying healthy and performing well at conference compe

Last year, Gemeda was named Summit League Cross Country Runner of the Week five times and three times this year so far. Gemeda said he has received this award primarily because of his team mates and coaches pushing him to be bet

Submitted | USD Athletics

Senior distance runner Merga Gemeda had nine total Summit League weekly honors. Tied for third most all-time in Summit League history.

For Gemeda, the Summit League Cross Country Runner of the Week title is used to motivate athletes each week. Ge meda said other awards are usually given out at the end of the season based on their entire performance.

“I haven’t been able to win a confer ence [meet] in the past four years. So that’s pretty much my goal and to do something for the team and for the program. I defi nitely want to win the conference title and we [as a team] also want to do better than we have done in the past, so that’s pretty much the goal. After the conference [sea son, my goal] will be to qualify for the Na tional and Regionals,” Gemeda said.

Gemeda said there is no guar antee for a perfect season and one of his goals is to just stay as healthy as he can by doing stretches and little things outside of practice to prevent injuries.

“Even last year going through the sea son, that was my fear and then I ended up being injured before a conference meet. And that’s the worst thing that can hap pen. That’s one of the focuses of just trying

to stay healthy and do the little things to stay healthy throughout the season,” Ge meda said.

Another motivation for Gemeda is his teammates and coaches. He said their cur rent coaches are more focused on recovery and preventing injury and his teammates are constantly cheering him on through practices and competitions.

“I have teammates who really push me at practices and they will cheer for me and we just workout together,” Gemeda said.

“That kind of environment kind of moti vates you to work hard. So that’s definitely the kind of environment I need for me to perform well.”

In the future, Gemeda said he would consider running after college by joining a club, but everything depends on his indoor and outdoor track season. For Gemeda to stay motivated through each season, he said he has his goals written on a board to look at every morning.

During his track season, Gemeda hopes to break 29 minutes in the 10k and break 14 minutes in the 5k.

SportS

Coyote Sports Spotlight Oct. 12 - Oct. 18

Former Coyote Nine Months into Professional Athletic Career

Sydney Johnson Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

In January, student athlete Maddie Lavin took to social media to announce her time in Vermillion was over.

Lavin, a Vermillion native attended USD where she studied neuroscience and marketing while also competing as a triathlon, swim and dive, cross country and track and field athlete for the Coyotes.

Now, Lavin is a professional triathlete training with the Project Podium Squad in Arizona.

“In order to kick off and pursue this pro-triathlon career I had to pick up and move to a better training spot that was in Arizona/Utah,” Lavin said.

As a freshman at USD, Lavin set the DakotaDome pool and school record in the 200 fly (2:21.21) in a dual against SDSU and also was a part of the cross country team that won the Summit League Championships for the fifthstraight time.

During her junior season, Lavin set the school record in the 100 fly (1:04.79) against SDSU and also earned CTCA Scholar All-America Honors in triathlon.

As Lavin transitions from collegiate athlete to profes sional triathlete, she said there are a few changes that have taken some getting used to.

“The main difference was just the fact of training with guys and getting used to doing a few workouts solo,” Lavin said. “It was a lot different than at South Dakota when I had a bajillion teammates to train with.”

Project Podium, the group Lavin has been training with, was created because the NCAA doesn’t have a men’s triath lon program and therefore male athletes needed a training program to develop them for an Olympic cycle, Lavin said.

Since leaving the Coyote community, Lavin said she has spent her time training and racing around the world.

She moved to Arizona in January and began training

with Project Podium right away. Triathlon season then be gan in mid-March. Lavin has competed in races in both South America and Europe and will be returning to South America in the near future to compete.

While Lavin has had the opportunity to travel abroad to race, she said the highlight of her career occurred when she was still a Coyote.

In July 2021, Lavin competed in her first elite race in Long Beach, California and said that was the moment that kickstarted her lifelong passion for triathlon.

“It was a race where I didn’t have any expectations,” Lavin said. “It began this realization of ‘Oh, I could do this full time.’ I think that race opened my eyes to the possibility of pursuing this dream and career.”

Now, in her first full-time year as a professional tri athlete, Lavin said she still has a lot of things she wants to accomplish. She said she is currently the No. 8 U.S. girl triathlete.

“I feel like I haven’t raced as well as I’ve wanted to this year,” Lavin said. “This sport really takes a lot of time to perfect. We’re doing three disciplines [swimming, biking, running], and there’s a lot that goes into having a perfect race.”

This year and the following year will be Lavin’s final two years in the U23 triathlon group. This group has a special discretion for age groups, and once Lavin finishes her time in that group, her competition will open to the Elite Field which includes all adult triathletes.

Before leaving the U23 group, Lavin’s goal is to quali fy for the U23 World Championships which take place in November. After Lavin’s next race in Missouri on Oct. 15, she will find out if she was selected to compete in the U23 World Championships.

Lavin said her time as a USD athlete helped her prepare for a career as a professional athlete and ultimately helped her grow her love for triathlon.

“My time at USD gave me an abundance of knowledge of learning myself and what I can handle in a sport, men tally and physically,” Lavin said. “… I also learned how to have fun with the sport, which I definitely took for granted at USD… I’m super appreciative of all those memories that I can look back on and remind myself that this is supposed to be fun and I only do well when I’m having fun.”

Submitted | The Volante

Former Coyote athlete Maddie Lavin turns her collegante experience into helping her become the No. 8 U.S. girl triathelte.

OpiniOn

Editorial: Sodexo Prices Are Limiting Our Student Orgs

Events on campus are one of the best parts of college life. Student organizations often end up throwing events that allow students to make great memo ries with close friends and feel excited about being on campus. However, soaring catering prices experienced during the transition from Aramark to Sodexo can make it a lot harder for organizations to host these events.

The International Club hosted their first Around the World Wednesday of the year last month and they had to pay a much higher price than expected. Last year the average was about $600 for each Around the World Wednesday serving roughly 90-100 students, but the event they hosted last month

was $1100 total with $900 for food to feed 60 people.

On Oct. 6, the Asian Ameri can Student Association (AASA) threw an event in the MUC pit also involving food. Their Boba Night came with a high price tag. The event cost $1250 to feed only 100 people. This ends up coming out to $12.50 per student, way more than most organizations on campus can handle. The treasurer of

AASA, Aditya Bhagavatula, said he wasn’t as involved with the finances last year, so he isn’t sure of the exact difference in cost, but does know last year’s costs were much cheaper.

Both of these organizations are fairly large and therefore have bigger budgets, but what about the smaller organizations that want to host bigger events?

Those smaller clubs don’t have the membership for a big

budget but still want to provide USD with interesting and exciting events. With prices like $12.50 per student, a smaller organization would not be able to host an event where they feed people.

Sodexo is a big reason for the high prices. Even for USD Housing staff, if resident assistants (RA) want to have a program with food for their floor, they have to use Sodexo as the caterer or Sodexo has to approve the reason why the RA would want to use a different caterer, or even make food themselves. This decision is at the discretion of Sodexo. Student organization spon sored events are special and one of the places magical college moments can happen. These

events would not happen if not for the hard working students who dedicate their valuable

time to the clubs and groups they are most passionate about. With Sodexo restricting their budgets with high catering costs, organizations might have to limit the number of events they have.

Ultimately, the rising prices Sodexo is charging students is unreasonable. Sodexo was supposed to make the dining situation on campus better, they certainly haven’t done their job. If they want to improve, they can start with making the prices friendlier for students and the organizations on campus they love.

OVERHEARDS

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

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— MUC

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With Sodexo restricting their budgets with high catering costs, organizations might have to limit the number of events they have.

“Who sings International Harvester?”

“We live in South Dakota, the most diverse thing here is corn.”

“My grandfather was Charles, my father was Entertainment, please call me Cheese.”

“I just gotta find a tight end. Both in fantasy and in real life.”

Letter to the Editor: Remembering Native History

On October 10th, USD will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring Native history, culture and people. On this day of celebration, I will also remember the painful history between the United States and Indigenous communities.

For over a century, hun dreds of thousands of Native children were taken from their families and placed in federally

sponsored boarding schools, ex periencing violence and abuse. For Native South Dakotans, this is not a history that only exists in the long past. In our state, at least 30 Indian Board ing Schools operated between 1819 and 1969, making us the state with the fourth-highest number of schools.

The consequences of these actions are ongoing. A 2012

SDBOR report found that Native college students at USD still face massive barriers to success, including high poverty rates and little access to the mentorship and advising many non-Native students had in high school. Native students also make up just over 3% of college students in South Dako ta, even though they represent almost 9% of the

state’s population.

I urge senators Mike Rounds and John Thune to co-sponsor the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act (H.R 5444/S. 2907). This legislation would be the first step in reckoning with the violence inflicted on Native communities by the federal government.

As we honor the culture and resilience of Native people this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we must also hold our govern ment accountable for the ac tions that have caused so much pain to these communities, past and present.

Rachel Overstreet Sioux Falls, SD

Work Experience and the Devaluing of Education

ELLA BYERS

is a senior majoring in English education.

first place.

College attendance has skyrocketed in the past few de cades. It is significantly harder to obtain what is considered a “quality” job without a fouryear degree. There is also an increased amount of pressure on young adults to enroll in the

However, even when people are successful in obtaining a college diploma, many freshly graduated college students are not finding it any easier to secure a job in their field of choice.

This is largely because most supposed entry level jobs require extensive work experi ence in addition to a bachelor’s degree. For example, over 60% of full-time jobs hiring “entry-level” employees require

a minimum three years of work experience. This number is only expected to increase in the next decade.

Essentially, degrees are becoming less of an investment and more of time spent away from gaining this highly valued work experience. Granted, there are internships that help hone work skills, but many of these are unpaid.

Most people are aware the average college student doesn’t have the privilege or resources

to work an unpaid internship.

In addition, it is also hard to gain expertise in the class room when one is struggling with both finances and stress ing about the intricacies of their resume. These realities decrease the value of education because it seems like less of an asset for long-term success.

Education and work expe rience are equally important, but work experience should not have to be obtained when an individual is focusing on

thoroughly understanding their degree. Much like studying being crucial to ensure success in the classroom, the only way to increase competence in a full-time job is to work.

Employers need to realize that expecting years of expe rience from newly graduated students is not conducive to creating an effective work environment that cultivates growth and produces produc tive employees.

Verve

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Josh Ellerbeck to Self-Publish Third Book

Brooklynn Kahle

Even with all his classes, Josh Ellerbeck made time to pursue his lifelong passion, writing. Ellerbeck, a junior communication studies ma jor, recently self-published his third book, “Street Lights,” the first novel in a two-part series.

Since his childhood years, Ellerbeck has always enjoyed writing. He created his first series in elementary school and shared it with his class where he was met with posi tive feedback. This experience has led Ellerbeck to make his passion for writing a reality.

“I know I’ve always enjoyed writing, but once I could feel more in touch with my pas sion for writing, it started to take off,” Ellerbeck said.

After his junior year of high school, Ellerbeck started writing on a blank Microsoft Word document. He said he couldn’t stop until he realized his book was over 400 pages long.

His first self-published book, “When Stars Leave The Sky,” was released in 2019. This book addressed the issue of eating disorders, specifical

ly in males, and the stigmas that surround this problem. Ellerbeck hoped once people finished his book, they would feel more confident in them selves.

His second self-published book, “The Glory Days,” was published in 2020. Ellerbeck wrote this story around the concept of school shootings. This book took longer for him to write as he said it was a tougher subject to address.

“I felt called to write about it and be more empathetic with the people struggling with this. I feel it’s important for people to take the issues head-on instead of hiding from it,” Ellerbeck said.

Ellerbeck’s latest self-pub lished book, “Street Lights,” addresses Huntington’s dis ease. Since this topic isn’t discussed much, Ellerbeck wanted to write about it to help people better understand the seriousness behind the disease.

“Huntington’s disease is basically ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s all combined into one. Since it is a serious disease, I am hoping to share more information about it,” Ellerbeck said.

After doing research, he

wanted to write this book with one main question in mind; “How does someone continue on with their purpose in life when diagnosed with Hun tington’s?”

Ellerbeck’s biggest goal when writing this book was to create more awareness of the disease and help those with mental health, especial ly when relating to this ex perience. He hopes this book reaches a wide audience.

“I think it would be in teresting to meet someone in the Huntington’s communi ty through this book. Even though I don’t have a person al connection to the disease, I would like to show my sup port,” Ellerbeck said.

In order to show his sup port to the community, Eller beck is donating one-third of his earnings to the Hunting ton’s Disease Society of Amer ica (HDSA). HDSA provides support, resources and pro grams to anyone impacted by the disease.

Part of the writing pro cess included creating a title and book cover, and Ellerbeck said he chose to do all of this himself. In “Street Lights,” Ellerbeck said the title has a connection to a moment in a

specific chapter, which is the same for the book cover.

Publishing the book is another part of the process Ellerbeck chose to do himself. He said it is more cost-effec tive to self-publish, especially for a college student. He also enjoys it because it gives him more freedom.

Ellerbeck said he enjoys writing books and plans to continue publishing books throughout his life. Right now, it’s more of a side hustle, but in the future, he is hoping

to make it his main focus.

“As I continue as an au thor, I hold myself to a higher standard as I continue to grow in this profession. My dream is that one day I’ll be a pro fessionally published author,” Ellerbeck said.

Ellerbeck’s books are cur rently on Amazon in paper back, hardcover or ebook edi tions, and Ellerbeck plans for the sequel to “Street Lights” to come out sometime next year.

Submitted Photo | The Volante Josh Ellerbeck poses with his book “Street Lights” currently available on Amazon.

A Milestone for the USD Symphony Orchestra

Alexis Johnson Alexis.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

The University of South Dakota Symphony Or chestra, directed by Luis Viquez, was nominated for the Latin Grammys.

Partnering with Eddie Mora, a classical composer from Costa Rica, USD was ranked among four other orchestras for the best clas sical album of the year.

Eddie Mora wrote the song, “El Ruido del Agua” specifically for the USD or chestra. The album is also titled “El Ruido del Agua,” and it features artists from

Costa Rica, Cuba and the United States.

The orchestra spent two years recording the song for the album, which was released in 2022. They worked hand-in-hand with Mora throughout the pro cess of recording the song for his album.

Luis Viquez, the orches tral director, said there were a lot of obstacles to overcome during the re cording process of this song.

“The long-distance be tween Mora and the orches tra was the biggest because Mora lives in Costa Rica” Viquez said.

The orchestra did not let this hold them back. After two years their hard work has paid off, Viquez said.

“It is not about the num ber of resources, it is how you utilize those resources to do a great job,” Viquez said.

Viquez also said this album isn’t just rep resenting the orchestra or the fine arts school but also the university. This nomi nation is one of the high est-ranked awards in the music industry.

The Latin Gram mys have a bigger pull than the American Grammys

because it is all of South America, Central America and Spain.

Viquez had direct ly worked with Mora for four years before moving to the United States. Their friendship is what started this entire journey for the orchestra. Viquez picked Mora to compose a song for the symphony orchestra be cause he loves his music.

“The way he writes is like painting, an orches tral canvas,” Viquez said.

“There are so many colors and textures that he uses to create his artwork.”

The Latin Grammys are

in Las Vegas this year, on Nov. 17. Viquez will be go ing there to represent the college and the orchestra.

This is not the first award for the orchestra, earlier this year they won second in the American Prize for Orchestral perfor mance.

The orchestra isn’t done for the year, they are put ting out another album in the spring. They are cur rently in the final stages of recording this album. Both of these albums will be available on Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.