10.13.21

The Volante

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High school marching bands compete in Vermillion

Ticket sales back to pre-pandemic numbers

High school marching bands from all over the state are making their way to Vermillion for a chance to compete against each other in the Quad State Competition.

Last year the athletic department faced new rules and regulations that were put in place to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Entering the 2021-22 sports season, fans and students flocked to athletic events again, similar to how they did prior to COVID-19.

SGA SENATE RESOLUTIONS ADDRESS CDC, SOUTH DAKOTA STUDENT FEDERATION SGA Senate Resolutions 6 puts SGA Senate Resolution 7 Speaks Out On SD Student Federation SGA support behind Center for Diversity and Community Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

At the Oct. 5 Student Government Association meeting, Senate Resolution 6, a resolution to support the Center for Diversity & Community (CDC) was introduced to the SGA body.

Senate Resolution 6 and the other resolution introduced last week, Senate Resolution 7, were inspired inpart by the Opportunity for All listening session hosted by the task force put together by USD on the subject.

“SGA was really just waiting for the perfect time for us to speak on this,” Sen. Carter Linke, one of the lead sponsors of Senate Resolution 6, said. “After the listening session, we were actually super pleased to see as many students that could come, come out.”

In total, roughly 350 students, faculty, staff and community members attended the listening session Sept. 28. Many members of SGA attended the listening session to try and see what the students and faculty of USD had to say about the situation surrounding the CDC and the potential Opportunity Center that will be added to campus Jan. 1, 2022.

“I would say sitting in that room, gathering information about students’ perspectives in that listening session about the CDC and the Opportunity for All Center had a major impact on it (Senate Resolution 7),” Sen. Caleb Weiland, sponsor of Senate Resolution 7, said.

Following the Opportunity for All listening session, SGA members had a week to sit on what was being discussed around campus, and the four chairs of each committee of SGA came forward together to introduce Senate Resolution 6. The resolution was introduced

by Senators Linke and Weiland, as well as Sen. Miranda Schulte and Sen. Reagan Kolberg. The idea behind Senate Resolution 6 is for the SGA to openly voice their support for the CDC. “The Student Government Association of the University of South Dakota supports the Center for Diversity & Community and the continued promotion of diversity and inclusiveness from the University of South Dakota,” the resolution states.

For Linke, this resolution is a way for SGA to back the CDC while the CDC is in a position where it needs the support.

“The CDC is probably at its most vulnerable time right now,” Linke said. “In the past six months, there have been state legislators

talking about defunding offices of diversity.

We can look up north to South Dakota State University, where it is looking at defunding their office of diversity totally. This is just like a reaffirmation of our support.”

The Argus Leader reported Sept. 24 that SDSU doesn’t have plans to get rid of its multicultural center, but the diversity office on campus no longer exists. Some students at the listening session at USD questioned why the Director of the CDC position hasn’t been filled by the university yet.

While SGA can’t directly influence the university’s attempts, or lack thereof, to hire someone to fill the position left vacant with the departure of Laura Chandler, they still want to show their support in keeping the CDC open, alive and well.

“The university has to take responsibility and find a replacement for Dr. Chandler,” Linke said. “I can’t speak for the university, but with the talk from the legislators, I definitely think there could be some caution while finding replacements because they don’t know the future of diversity offices in general.”

The South Dakota Board of Regents’ response to the South Dakota Legislature’s Senate Bill 55 was the Opportunity for All Centers, which left a lot of questions due to the broad language of the proposal.

“I think it’s pretty visible after the turnout from the listening session that students don’t want the CDC to change,” Linke said.

“I haven’t been in close contact with the task force that’s managing this, but I can also speak on the legislation that they got from the Board of Regents, and it is very broad. There’s really no guidance to what the Opportunity Center should do, what it ought to do or where it should be.”

With all of the uncertainty surrounding the CDC and Opportunity Centers alike, Linke said what the CDC provides USD should show the positive impact it has on the university.

“I think the resolution really spoke for itself,” Linke said. “I think it’s really a testament that I can go through their website and find all of this information with just a few clicks. The Center for Diversity & Community shouldn’t be going anywhere. It’s something that the university prides itself on and the talk of it potentially going anywhere is unacceptable.”

USD’s representatives for the South Dakota Student Federation, Ally Feiner and Katie Brust, received an email that the leaders of the federation would be sending representatives from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to the South Dakota Board of Regents meeting Oct. 6-7.

This email sparked conversation among Student Government Association Sen. Caleb Weiland and other leaders of SGA, and Weiland decided to take action.

That action came to fruition in the form of SGA Senate Resolution 7, first introduced at the Oct. 5 SGA meeting. The first draft of the resolution took Weiland 20 minutes to write, and he said it came from a spot of passion.

“We received the email approximately four or five o’clock (Tuesday), and we had a meeting about it and I made my opinion very strong that I’m sick of the ineffective behavior of (the) Student Federation, and I think we need to do something about it, so I proposed the no confidence resolution,” Weiland said.

The email said that the Student Federation would be giving an update and would like to be able to address each university. The email also said that the Student Federation has been invited to send delegates on behalf of the Student Federation. The Volante was able to receive a copy of the email sent to the Board of Directors.

“The BOR will be meeting and conversing with the universities in that region of the state,” the email said. “We have been invited to send some delegates to represent Stu Fed. We are extending this invite to the SD Mines President and Vice President to attend on our behalf, as it is our priority to have your voices heard this year.”

The vague language brought up questions from Feiner and Weiland on whether the executive director or chair of the Student Federation would be attending the SDBOR meeting.

Student Federation Executive Director Zebadiah Johnson said he and the chair of the Student Federation, Elizabeth Benzmiller, attended the hybrid meeting over Zoom.

Johnson gave an update to the BOR. “As executive director, I attended last week’s BOR meeting virtually, as did my partner,” Johnson said in an email interview with The Volante. “The October BOR meeting was held as a hybrid meeting, so participants could join in-person or virtually. The Student Federation’s delegates were still the executive team members and the Federation’s report was given by the executive director.”

Another concern Feiner has is that the chair of the Student Federation is currently studying abroad in Ireland, and there is no

USD faculty perform at Colton Grand re-opening concert Maddi Kallsen

Maddilyn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

After six months of renovations, the Colton Recital Hall is now open.

The faculty of the music department at USD performed at the Colton Recital Hall Grand Re-opening Celebration Concert.

USD music department chair, professor and director of choral activities David Holdhusen said the entire music department was excited and ecstatic to be back on stage performing. “(It) was an amazing experience. We did do some performing last year, but we had to limit the audience. Most of it was through livestream, so we wouldn’t get that immediate audience feedback.

From the beginning of the show today just walking out on stage, you could feel the energy and electricity,” Holdhusen said.

Students, faculty and alumni are all impressed and happy with the new space, junior Hunter Loge said.

“The variety of pieces that were performed in the new hall sounded amazing… You can just tell the difference in sound quality from what we had to now just sounds way better, and the environment as a whole feels a lot more warm and comforting and more into the music,” Loge said.

The faculty of the USD music department typically perform once a year, and will now have the opportunity to do so in a brand new space.

“People are excited to be back in there, and then to add to it in this beautiful, miraculous new space,” Holdhusen said. “Everybody was excited, and I think it just lifted everyone’s energy and everyone’s strength and willingness to play. It was just exhilarating to go through that whole process.”

Alessandra Feris, USD assistant professor of piano, performed at the re-opening concert.

“Being back with an audience feels great. For someone who dedicates an entire life to the audience, the audience is the most important thing, so I’m thrilled,” Feris said. “We’re very excited to have a completely renewed concert hall… We really needed that.”

Feris said along with the audience and students, she’s grateful for the new recital hall.

“It’s a period of lots of emotions.

Coming out of a pandemic with a beautiful hall to perform in is like a dream,” Feris said. “I’m thankful to USD and I’m sure the audience is thankful too.”

The Colton Recital Hall now compares to other facilities around the state, including SDSU, assistant

in-person representation when all the Regents are at these meetings.

“If we’re not able to have someone accurately represent us in person, when all the other Regents are there, when the Executive Director of the Board of Regents is there, then how does that look to the Board of Regents,” Feiner said. “It looks like the students don’t care and it look like our student government is just sweeping everything under the rug.”

The Student Federation is the main lobby for the student governments at the SDBOR institutions, and they are intended to represent the student governments at SDBOR Meetings and State Legislature sessions. The Student Federation is supposed to represent the students in response to SDBOR or state legislature ideas, like the carry-on-campus ideas and the Opportunity for All Centers.

Another duty of the Student Federation is to communicate to the Student Governments on the information they are receiving and what is going on at Board of Regents meetings, but that communication hasn’t been happening as of late. Feiner said there is a major lapse in communication with the current leadership.

“I got the position (SGA President) in March, I didn’t get an email from them until the beginning of September,” Feiner said. “So I heard absolutely nothing from there, and there had already been talks about Opportunity Center. All that we have done is had a meeting with the Board of Regents along with the leadership. Not all the Regents were there.”

The issue Weiland has taken up has to do with the lack of leadership by the Student Federation during the campus debates on the Opportunity for All Centers that the SDBOR is asking its institutions to implement by Jan. 1, 2022. Weiland’s concerns are not limited to the impact at USD, but across the state as well.

“I’ve had numerous conversations with leadership all across the state, and this isn’t just USD,” Weiland said. “This is felt across all regental universities about the lack of leadership the Student Federation has, and it’s heartbreaking.”

The latest need for the Student Federation in Weiland’s eyes, the charge to create Opportunity for All Centers, has been neglected by the executive team. Weiland said that the Student Federation was made aware of the Opportunity for All Center possibilities over the summer.

“The Board of Regents is the only state agency that needs their budget to be published and public when they submit it to the governor’s office,” Weiland said. “This whole process already happened, and this started happening this summer, when they (Student Federation executive leaders) were well into their term, and yet they didn’t show up to the See SSR7 Page A6

USD professor of horn and music theory Amy Laursen said.

“It’s like a whole new world and ball game with the new recital hall…

I’m so thankful that the university found us money to make this happen,” Laursen said.

Before the faculty concert, prospective USD students were the first to see and perform in the new concert hall during the music majors day, where music students first tour USD and the department, Laursen said.

Todd Cranson, USD assistant professor of low brass and director of athletic bands, said the faculty played very well.

“I do think it’s a game changer for the music department. It’s going to be good,” Cranson said.

University President Sheila Gestring helped make the new Colton Recital Hall happen, Holdhusen said.

“It’s just so nice to have a worldclass facility to hear our world-class talent here, whether it be our students or our faculty, and we are just so thankful to President Gestring and her vision and her support, both financially as well as just Maddi Kallsen | The Volante general support for the music deThe Colton Recital Hall is now open. The USD music faculty partment, and specifically for this performed for the Colton Grand Re-opening Concert in the newly Colton project,” Holdhusen said.

renovated recital hall.

A2 Wednesday, October 13, 2021

News

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Sparks fly at scultpure department iron pour

The sculpture department did an iron pour for scultpure projects outside the Fine Arts building Friday night.

Miles Amende | The Volante

TRiO speaks at Tuesday’s SGA meeting

TRiO Director Dallas Doane spoke at Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting in the Freedom Forum Conference Room.

The Volante Volume 147, No. 7 October 13, 2021 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller

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Emma Daggett opinion editor

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News The Volante | volanteonline.com Sociology Club to host Innocence Project exonerees

A3 Wednesday, October 13, 2021 Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD Sociology Club will host a two-night speaker series with the Innocence Project Oct. 18 and 19.

The Innocence Project is an organization that seeks to exonerate wrongly-convicted individuals in the justice system. The Sociol-

ogy Club has asked select exonerees and staff to tell their stories and hold Q&A sessions with attendees, John Lefferts, Sociology Club treasurer, said. These sessions will be hosted via Zoom, but the event is in-person in Farber Hall.

“We tried to review a lot of exonerees’ cases, and we’ve made choices that we

feel interest us and hold our attention for particular reasons,” Lefferts said. “These are individuals, 100%, but their experience is part of a wider social world, and sometimes they do find themselves the victims of these wider social phenomena and social trauma.”

Lefferts said he hopes students will come away from the series with a more realis-

tic understanding of the criminal justice system.

“And when it comes time to make policy decisions for some of our future leaders, they’ll be able to think twice before being overly punitive,” Lefferts said.

The event will take place 4-6 p.m. Oct. 18 and 4-6:30 p.m Oct. 19.

Vermillion-area cloggers attend weekly class Jacob Forster

Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu

Every Wednesday, Grace Freeman teaches a small clogging class in the Washington Arts Center in Vermillion.

The class, drawing roughly five to seven regular attendees, covers the basics as novice cloggers learn simple clogging steps to songs like “Fishin’ in the Dark” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Clogging is an American form of folk dance developed

by Irish, Scottish, English and German immigrants along with Cherokee and Black Americans in the Appalachian Mountains. The dance is usually associated with bluegrass music.

Freeman, who moved to Vermillion 24 years ago, grew up in Wisconsin, where she said clogging is commonplace.

“I started clog dancing in Madison, Wis. in like ’99-ish, mid-’90s,” Freeman said. “And so in Wisconsin, it’s a big deal, it’s a really big deal, like everybody clog dances in Wisconsin.”

Freeman started attending clogging conferences in Nashville, and would seek out clogging groups wherever

she moved.

“When I got here, there was no clogging, and that was a big bummer,” Freeman said. “Because I’d always been a student, I never taught.”

Freeman said that with clogging, which involves wearing shoes with weighted soles, the feet of the dancer function as a percussion instrument. She believes this allows new cloggers to loosen up and feel more free.

“What it’s taught me is a way to feel the beat of the music and get that freedom in your feet,” Freeman said.

“It’s a very freeing form of dance.”

The clogging classes were initially run through the Vermillion Area Dance Organization (VADO), but are now run as an independent operation associated with the Vermillion Area Arts Council (VAAC). The VAAC provides a space for the classes.

“It’s worked out well because there’s not much else going on,” Freeman said. “We’re really loud, so we need a space where we can be loud.”

Jo Schweinle has been attending the class semiregularly for the past two years.

“I always liked dancing as a cheerleader, like you know, junior high, high school,” Schweinle said.

Schweinle said the dance gives her an opportunity to move and to improve her balance, and that it’s fun to get together with a group of other people and do something together.

“Mostly it was to move and to feel... the rhythm, and to be in sync with the rhythm,” Schweinle said. “I think it helps because you’re changing feet a lot, you’re on one leg some of the time and I figured it would help there.”

Freeman said she encourages people to attend the class, and emphasized that attendees never have to perform, but can if they choose to.

“We love performing, but no one ever has to perform,” Freeman said. “It’s a way of maybe learning to move your body, just some general loosening up for dancing. So if you enjoy music, you would really enjoy this dance class... with this group, when we all get together and dance, it’s like Irish (dancing) where we’re all synchronized. And so it’s funner with a bigger group.”

Maddi Kallsen | The Volante On Sept. 1, Texas Senate Bill 8 went into effect. The bill bans abortions for women at six weeks from their last menstrual cycle. The bill has sparked reactions from both antiabortion and abortion rights groups on campus.

Jacob Forster | The Volante

Grace Freeman teaches a clogging class in the Washington Arts Center. Clogging is associated with bluegrass music and is a form of American folk dancing. Freeman said clogging is commonplace in Wisconsin, where she’s from.

Charlie’s Cupboard fights against food insecurity

Mike Hammond

Michael.Hammond01@coyotes.usd.edu

Charlie’s Cupboard provides food and personal care products to students at zero cost. The cupboard is located in the Center for Continuing Education building and is open to all USD students every other Thursday from 4-7 p.m.

“The mission behind Charlie’s Cupboard is to provide a fluid cupboard on campus for USD students, and the beauty behind that kind is that it is a no questions,

no information-based program.

Any student can come get resources and food and leave without any questions,” Charlie’s Cupboard supply chain manager, Kianna Thelen, said.

Any student can come get food from Charlie’s Cupboard whether they’re in need of food or not, Thelen said.

“It has been super awesome because we have people who have families where mom and dad (are) trying to pay for college, and

we’ll give them resources to come get food, or maybe you just have college students that are super busy and don’t have time to go to the store, it’s an option for them to come get food. It is an all-around service for anyone who is at USD, even if they’re commuting,” Thelen said.

The cupboard is becoming much more than just a place where students can come get food, cupboard president Nate Popp said.

File Photo | The Volante

Charlie’s Cupboard is student-led and is dedicated to ensuring students have access to food. “The mission behind Charlie’s Cupboard is to provide a fluid cupboard on campus for USD students, and the beauty behind that kind is that it is a no questions, no information-based program. Any student can come get resources and food and leave without any questions,” Charlie’s Cupboard supply chain manager, Kianna Thelen, said.

“This year we are focusing a little bit more on mental health resources on campus, maybe not ones that we can provide, but we can give direction as to where to go with mental resources,” Popp said.

The cupboard has served as many as 250 students a week this year.

“We had a friend who was facing food insecurity, and you would have never guessed she was facing food insecurity. It is kind of expected as college students to not

have food and that should not be the case, students should have just as much food security as anyone else. It should not be something you are expected to experience in college. Helping fellow students is what drove me to be involved with the cupboard,” Popp said.

The cupboard is open this Thursday. Students are able to select the items they need and take as much as they want.

Opinion WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

File Photo I The Volante

Students and faculty gather to listen and express their concerns about the CDC.

Editorial: The Center for Diversity and Community is essential to student life

The Center for Diversity and Community (CDC) can be a home for all students, but it is more specifically for students of color, international students and LGBTQ students.

According to USD’s enrollment dashboard, the campus is 80.91% white, making it a predominantly white institution (PWI). The United States Census Bureau shows that in June 2019, Vermillion had a population of 10,926 people, with 86.6% being white citizens.

In a school and city that is predominantly white and consequently built for white people, the CDC guarantees a safe space where students know they will find other students who look like them and who have had similar life experiences.

This space is home to many student-led organizations such as the African Student

“

Association, Tiospaye, Spectrum and several other diversity organizations. The students involved in these organizations use the CDC as a place to share their stories and experiences as minorities while also being able to teach other students.

USD offers a great educational experience while also providing a diverse cultural experience, and the CDC is the space to learn about and celebrate these different cultures.

It offers a place for students to learn and make mistakes without major repercussions that may otherwise occur outside of the university.

All events that organizations in the CDC host are open to the

Obviously, this wouldn’t have been the case five years ago, but the drastic change in lifestyle was the first global, life altering event that today’s college students have had to navigate.

Many were lucky enough to have teachers, professors and others in the education system working together to create a welcoming environment during the period of isolation.

But, now that class is back in session, many students feel that they are either behind or simply lacking the discipline and

entire campus. The organizations and events do not discriminate if students are not a part of the race, culture or background being presented. The events hosted by the CDC are there for students to learn, and that is why students can comfortably attend and make mistakes at these events.

The CDC does not take away from the white students

on campus by providing a space specifically made for minority students. USD is made for all students, but specifically caters to white students because that is the predominant race on campus. The CDC is made for all students but specifically caters to students of color, international students and LGBTQ+ because they are underrepresented on the rest of campus.

Removing or making any changes to the CDC would impact the overall well being of students on campus. Minority students wouldn’t have a space to feel welcomed and to learn about other cultures. White

students are also able to learn about cultures they otherwise may not be exposed to if it wasn’t for the CDC. The CDC doesn’t tell white students they aren’t allowed; rather, it fosters a space where all students are able to go and feel like they belong. Minorities in South Dakota, and at USD, should have a voice and a place to feel welcome. The CDC gives the students of USD a place to use their voice and share cultures.

Let students of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds have a space where they can go and be themselves without having to worry about the outside world. Let students have the CDC as a place to feel like their home away from home.

motivation it takes to transition away from online classes into the old “normal” setting.

There is always the “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” mantra which many of the older generations enjoy repeating, but that does not acknowledge why students have lost their desire to relentlessly pursue personal success in the classroom.

In fact, most would probably say that they are living with a more “survive the day” attitude.

In the few interactions I’ve had with peers this week, there

have been multiple statements implying that the future is more of a bleak afterthought than something that should be exciting and celebrated.

Obviously, everyone is struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic, but it is saddening to think that we feel unprepared for the future.

In an ideal world, people would look at these issues and attempt to tackle them headon rather than shut down. But if there is a lack of confidence in our community of learners,

there is little hope for this type of group mindset to take off.

There is a flaw in an area of the current education system that renders students helpless in regards to their own and the planet’s future.

It’s time we begin teaching future generations how to solve real-world problems rather than having them memorize minor details that will serve little to no purpose throughout their lifetimes.

Minorities in South Dakota, and at USD, should have a voice and a place to feel welcome. The CDC gives the students of USD a place to use their voice and share cultures.”

Post-quarantine academic burnout

ELLA BEYERS is a junior majoring in english education.

If a student was asked to name a potential cause for the population’s declining performance in the classroom, a worldwide lockdown would likely be one of the first ideas to come to mind.

WEEKLY POLL: What is your favorite type of ice cream flavor?

Chocolate

42%

Vanilla

15%

Rocky Road

18%

Mint Chip

25% *Out of 33 voters

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IT’S A NUMBERS GAME From usd.edu/enrollment-dashboard

258

7,657

The number of international students attending USD in fall 2021.

The number of white students who are enrolled in fall 2021.

261

356

The number of The number of Black Hispanic/Latino students attending USD students attending USD in fall 2021. in Fall 2021.

150 The number of Asian students attending USD in fall 2021.

145

The number of Native American students attending USD in Fall 2021.

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OVERHEARDS

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

“Your dog looks like she goes to the country club every weekend.”

— Library

“He’s like a mood ring.”

— Coyote Village

“My friends say some weird stuff, but I don’t pay attention half the time.”

Opinion

The case for democracy in South Dakota ADDISON MILLER is a junior majoring in political science.

— Al Neuharth

Even as legislative efforts to curb voter accessibility are implemented by state legislatures throughout the nation, a passion for community service and civic engagement continues to thrive in South Dakota.

I was raised here in South Dakota for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I would beg my parents on my hands and knees to take me to the Children’s Museum in Brookings, just over an hour drive from my home on the west side of Sioux Falls.

The Children’s Museum was built as a miniature community. Inside, there were jobs that worked throughout the building and were all intertwined.

Children playing as farmers would deliver food from a make-believe farm to the make-believe grocery store.

Children in the make-believe grocery store would sell goods to make-believe customers using make-believe money earned from their makebelieve jobs.

Even as kids, we want to feel like we’re a part of something bigger; that we have an impact on the world around us and on our communities. Cultures

Striking the perfect chord ELISABETH KLUIN is a sophomore majoring in history and english

Music is everywhere!

Whether you’re driving around town, shopping in the mall or grabbing a bite to eat, music is universal.

Growing up, I was immersed in music since the very beginning. From piano recitals and festivals to endless hours of practice on the field for marching band, music shaped me into the person I am today, hence why I believe music to be a fundamental aspect in the growth and shaping of every person.

For me and many others, music is an escape.

It opens my mind to creativity; it allows me to create and experience a story unlike any other.

Without music, studying for tests and watching movies or plays would be far from exhilarating.

Music shapes the dynamic of our surroundings, and in numerous scenarios tells us how to feel. Colors, shapes, sounds and distinct chords bring to life the world around us.

However, music is far more than the notes printed on the page. From my experience, music involves the technique and passion of an artist, but also the mind of a child.

The artist creates music with years of learned experience and work while the mind and imagination of a child allow for a fresh and new experience each and every time.

Furthermore, I credit music for the everlasting friendships I have made throughout the years. I will never forget the thrill of performing on stage, however, a multitude of my memories lie in the early mornings and quiet evenings with my friends.

From playing variations of Uno on the bus to enjoying a meal after orchestra activities with my friends, music has granted me an inclusive and accepting environment, allowing me to continue to reach toward each and every goal I set.

Ultimately, it is because of music that I am who I am today, and because of that, I believe everyone should delve into the imaginative and thrilling experience of making and enjoying music.

Find more opinions on our website. volanteonline.com Follow us on Twitter @VolanteOpinion Polls • Overheards • Columns

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 A5

like the one shown by the Children’s Museum are exemplary of a core piece of democracy: a desire to better your community.

Once, when I went, a few children that I made friends with decided to hold pseudo-elections for mayor of the Brookings Children’s Museum. We saw democracy in action throughout the museum, with children campaigning to one another as to why their candidate was the one to pick. In essence, this little society became my first experience with the idea of public service—and I was hooked. This bite-sized example of democracy in action is exemplary of everything that South Dakota stands for, and it’s part of the reason why I kept begging my dad to take me back.

I eventually grew out of the unspoken age limit for children’s museums. I’m now a junior political science student at the University of South Dakota serving as the president of the Young Democrats of South Dakota State Executive Committee.

Because of my role, I had the opportunity to fly out to Cincinnati to represent the Young Dems of South Dakota at the YDA National Convention. While there, I met progressives from throughout the country, and had the chance to hold a conversation with a New Yorker about the dire need

for a true investment in rural America.

He was of the belief that South Dakota was a lost cause, and that the people who lived here were as ruby-red Republican as it gets. And sure, if you look solely at the voter registration counts for the Democrats and Republicans in South Dakota, that may look like the case.

However, he forgot about a few core parts of who we are in the great plains.

Regardless of what color you’re hoping to see fill the U.S. map on election night, progressive values run deep in our culture. We’re proud supporters of democracy, having the honor of being the first state to allow for ballot initiatives.

Not only was South Dakota the first state to establish ballot initiatives, but it consistently shows a progressive voice through them when our legislature does not. In just the last decade, South Dakota has approved ballot initiatives in regards to term limits, tax reform and gaming.

Democracy is not dead in South Dakota, regardless of what a scrappy individual from the big apple wants to say about us. I see that in everything I do, both as a student at USD and in my service as president of the Young Dems. However, although direct democracy once flourished here in the

Great Plains, we see it struggle today at the hands of the very people we’ve elected.

As I write this, South Dakota Constitutional Amendment C has been placed on the June 2022 election ballot. This initiative, if approved at the ballot box, would increase the vote requirement for approval on initiatives that increase taxes or deal with more than 10 million dollars from a simple majority (50% + 1) to a requirement of 60% instead. Essentially, some of the legislators up in the ivory dome of the South Dakota Capitol building in Pierre don’t think that South Dakotans should be allowed to use their votes as easily on initiatives like Medicaid expansion, marijuana legalization and anything more that may come up in the future.

I say to them: The people of South Dakota are smart enough to know what we want, and a dollar amount doesn’t confuse that.

Democracy and progress have never stopped in South Dakota before, and they won’t be stopped now. I call on you, the readers, to fight threats to democracy, now and later, as they may arise in states across America and right here at home in South Dakota.

Instant ramen is bad for your health EMMA DAGGETT is a sophomore majoring in English.

Instant ramen noodles are enjoyed by many.

They’re cheap and only take a few minutes to get ready. They are the perfect, convenient meal for college students.

Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles, wanted to create something people in his country could easily purchase. They were supposed to be something that was easily accessible.

Ando wanted to create food that could sustain human life.

When instant noodles were first produced, they were five times the cost

of fresh noodles and were considered luxury food. Now, they are a signature cheap food in grocery stores.

In moderation, instant noodles are fine to eat. But having them too often can cause serious health risks.

Instant ramen has lots of sodium, and this can cause an increased risk for heart disease, stomach cancer and strokes.

The noodles are also flash-fried in palm oil, which, compared to other oils, has high amounts of saturated fats.

The waxy layer on the noodles can be bad for your health too. Your body uses lots of energy to digest the waxy layer of the noodles, and this process can sometimes take up to three days.

Of course, you can

make the noodles like the package instructs, but there are tons of different ways to prepare the noodles to make them more filling or better for you.

Instant noodles were cooked before they were dried, so you can eat them without cooking them.

Doing this gives you more of the nutrients instant ramen does have, such as iron and vitamin B. Adding fresh ingredients is a great way to make the noodles more nutritional.

You can add things like vegetables, meat or seasonings.

One of the easiest ways to decrease the sodium content is by throwing out the seasoning packet and using your own herbs and spices. But if you don’t season the noodles, you

can add them to nearly anything.

Personally, I like to add an egg to the boiled noodles—it makes the broth creamier and thicker.

If you want other recipes or ideas for adding things to ramen, the internet is a great place to go.

Ramen noodles on their own are not a good food to live on. They are a tasty snack for certain occasions and should not be eaten regularly. Instant ramen and Cup Noodles will continue to be common food items for college students, but there are always ways to reduce their dangerous health effects.

The Volante Bailey Zubke, editor-in-chief Miles Amende, managing editor Jacob Forster, copy editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

Bennett Clary, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

CONTACT US The Volante welcomes letters to the editor in regards to campus, local, state and national issues. Letters will be edited for clarity and length and will be printed as space allows. Please limit letters to 300 words or fewer. The Volante reserves the right to hold letters for publication in a later issue.

Submissions must include the author’s name, address, telephone number, year in school and major or job title. Letters must be exclusively for The Volante.

We will not publish anonymous letters.

Send letters to: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069

Fax to: 605.677.5105 Email to: volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our website: volanteonline.com

The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.

Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

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Residence halls to have recycling, landfill bins added to rooms

Miles Amende

Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

Last year, student Caitlin Reimers applied for the Green Initiative Fund with the goal of putting recycling and landfill bins in every dorm room on campus.

That project has since become a reality, with every residence hall either installing or planning to install bins in individual rooms this semester.

Reimers, a transfer student from SDSU, said she appreciated the recycling bins provided to students there and missed them when she came to USD. She found out about the Green Initiative Fund, a primarily Student Government Association (SGA) led fund to promote sustainability on campus, and used it to bring the project to fruition.

“After a semester of having makeshift hamper bins that I set up and emptied once a week for my whole floor to use, I couldn’t help but feel that this was putting a band-aid on a cracked dam. I decided I needed to find a more widespread permanent solution to our problem with recycling. I found out about the Green Initiative Fund from a friend and thought I would give it a shot and see if I could do anything about it,” Reimers said in an email interview with The Volante.

Anna Moore, campus recycling coordinator, said the project has been going well so far. She said this semester is the first time that all residence halls will have recycling programs, and that so far, most rooms now have small recycling and landfill bins.

Madeline Knau

“Having the small bins in of energy removing those items “They put milk in (coffee). And people’s rooms has made recycling so Millennium Recycling​​—the that milk sits for days and days and be the default behavior, and Sioux Falls facility the team takes days and starts to rot. And then because of that, we’ve seen a lot the recycling to—can process the you end up with a bad bag that more recycling in the residence materials. stinks,” Block said. “If there’s a hole halls than we did last semester One of the most common in the bag, any liquid, but coffee in the couple of halls where we non-recyclables the team finds, especially, can leak through that had recycling bins as an option,” Moore said, are the plastic cups hole, and you end up with a dirty Moore said. used for iced coffee. Not only is the bin that you then have to take to Reimers said the project’s plastic unable to be recycled, but the shop and wash and let it dry, implementation is a huge step for the liquid from one person’s coffee and then that bin’s out of commisUSD, and she can already see the cup can ruin an entire stack of sion for at least a day.” impact that recycling has had on otherwise recyclable paper, Moore To combat these issues, Moore campus. A large project like this, said. said the team is looking into she said, gives students a preceRoss Block, a member of the working with campus dining dent for starting conversations recycling team, said coffee could services to establish a system that about sustainability. contaminate bins to the point allows students to use personal “Maybe it will even encour- where the team needs to take reusable cups for coffee. age USD to create a sustainability them out of the halls for cleaning, While Reimers utilized the office for students like me, who potentially causing them to miss Green Initiative Fund to execute have an idea, to have the proper an opportunity to collect recycling. her project, the fund itself has guidance and resources in undergone changes since the future,” Reimers said. last semester. Elizabeth The recycling bins are Leibel, the graduate assisattended to by the recycling tant who oversees the Green team, which now numbers Initiative Fund, said the seven students.

These guidelines were revised to be workers visit the residence less vague about the kinds of halls every weekday to projects that are qualified for collect recyclable materials. funding.

According to data collectLeibel said there have ed by Moore, between been only two years where January and August 2021, the Green Initiative Fund the team has collected 36.16 has been used to implement tons of recyclable materials. projects—the bike share This is more than the totals program in 2017, and the for 2019 and 2020, which recycling bins program this are 24 tons and 19.95 tons, year. She said there would respectively. be good ideas that couldn’t Moore said most residents be executed because they are doing a great job of weren’t feasible within the recycling, but the team still given timeframe, budget or finds non-recyclables like existing systems at USD. Submitted | The Volante plastic bags, plastic cups, The new fund is a two-tier paper towels and tissues Recycling team member Ross Block searches system, she said. Students in the mix. She said the for contaminants in Coyote Village’s recycling are now required to outline team spends a fair amount bins. their ideas, create a timeline

and roughly estimate the cost of their project in a pre-proposal for Leibel and Scott Pohlson, chair of the President’s Joint Committee on Sustainability, to review. If the pre-proposal is approved, the two will send revision suggestions back to the student, and they will be asked to submit a full proposal for review by the full Joint Committee on Sustainability.

The five members of SGA who sit on the committee will then take the committee’s recommendations to SGA, which will vote on the project. Leibel said that while SGA ultimately decides which projects receive funding, the Joint Committee on Sustainability recommends the projects with the greatest impact.

“We’re really hoping that these new guidelines and added support will help it grow and help students get excited about it and make sure that there can continue to be these projects,” Leibel said.

The fund isn’t exclusively for large projects like the bike share program and the addition of recycling bins, however. Students can also submit projects for better signage, or even for maintenance of existing projects, Leibel said.

“The more projects that we get and the more potential that (the Green Initiative Fund) has, then hopefully it’s something that continues and there can be more student-led sustainability projects with it.”

The Campus Green Initiative Fund is still accepting applications, and will be open until Oct. 18. More information can be found at www.usd.edu/student-life/sga/ campus-green-initiative-fund.

‘Why Trees Go Nuts’ lecture held at Farber Hall

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society held a lecture in Farber Hall on “why trees go nuts,” explaining the importance of trees growing nuts and how the process works and impacts the world.

The lecture was given

by Victoria L. Sork, a professor at the Institute of Environmental Sustainability at UCLA, who has written over 140 publications about conservation genomics, biology and ecology.

Trees are a long-term evolutionary species and became a species through a long line of evolution,

Sork said. She said she wondered why trees were successful, which led her to a number of questions ranging from hybridization to how oaks are famous for the fact that they can hybridize with other species and still maintain their own species integrity.

“All trees in general are what determine ecosystems, and I’ve always thought if you’re going to study, as a species, and you want to understand it, why not study something that matters. So if you lose the trees, you pretty much lose the forest, or you lose the savanna, I mean, they are definitely fundamental,” Sork said.

Andy Lentz, Frank

Davis, Delphine Grivet, Doug Scofield and Peter Smouse are Sork’s co-investigators in her research. They did their research at the UC Santa Barbara reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley. Sork wanted to see what an oak savanna habitat looks like.

In their research, Sork and her co-investigators looked into seeing how many acorns they would find on each tree and how they would move and spread out.

Humans have benefited from trees growing nuts, Sork said. People are a part of the ecosysMadeline Knau | The Volante tem, and bringing awareness to that is important, Bringing awareness to the impact of trees and how humans are part of the ecosystem is important, lecturer and professor at the Institute of Environmental Sustainability at UCLA Sork said.

Victoria L. Sork, said.

Native American Day celebrated in South Dakota Maddi Kallsen

Maddilyn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

This year, for the first time in history, the United States president recognized the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In 1990, Columbus Day was changed to Native American Day in South Dakota. USD student Rachel Overstreet is the new Tiospaye Student Council president.

“Indigenous people, especially in South Dakota and in the US have historically not just been marginalized, but they’ve

SSR7 From Page A1

meeting and didn’t have any input.”

All of these issues built up to Senate Resolution 7, which Weiland said is meant to get the Student Federation’s attention about the lack of work it has been doing.

“A goal of it is to just send a message to the Student Federation leadership that they’re not doing their job, and right now, we are feeling the effects of that,” Weiland said.

Johnson said that they were unaware of this potential resolution.

“Before the introduction of the resolution, leadership within the federation had not received communication addressing or expressing any issues at hand,”

been completely absent from the historical conversation about America and what it means to be American,” Overstreet said.

“This (Native American Day) allows native people to celebrate their identity as a native person, and also, as an American.”

Overstreet said Columbus Day is a painful reminder of a person who committed genocide against native people—and who never even set foot in the continental U.S. “The replacement of Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, or Native American Day in South Dakota, helps show that the U.S. values native people and that native people are important, and that their stories are important, and that

Johnson said. “Therefore, it came as a surprise, and we look forward to working with USD and all Regental schools to address any concerns and resolve them effectively and efficiently.”

After the resolution’s introduction last week, Weiland realized that he needed to be more detailed in what the resolution should say.

The resolution was redrafted and approved by the Government Affairs committee over the weekend.

“Government affairs unanimously passed this updated version of the resolution,” Weiland said. “I literally wrote the original version of Resolution 7 in about 20 minutes, and I was very heated, there was a lot of passion that went into it, and it was more of me speaking and not me laying on the facts behind it.”

The updated version of the resolution was shared with The

Volante prior to Tuesday’s SGA meeting. The new resolution, which passed unanimously at Tuesday’s SGA meeting, details 12 expectations and responsibilities outlined in the South Dakota Student Federation constitution and bylaws that SGA believes are not being met by the current executive director and chair of the federation.

“The Student Government Association of the University of South Dakota does not have confidence in the current ineffective behavior of the Student Federation and calls for immediate action to change this behavior,” the resolution concludes.

Weiland said that this resolution is not a call to leave the federation, and is not meant to make things personal, as he has worked with and respects the executive leaders of the Student Federation. Weiland said that he understands the call to leave

their existence is important,” Overstreet said.

The Tiospaye Student Council and the Native American Cultural Center (NACC) are planning to collaborate for Native American History Month this coming November.

There will be a week full of activities the week of Nov. 15th, Overstreet said.

The NACC and Tiospaye are tentatively planning to restart the monthly Indian taco feeds that were canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Along with the celebrations this November, in the spring during April, Tiospaye will be hosting the annual Waccipi.

but doesn’t think that it is the answer at the moment.

“It’s (the Student Federation) not really living up to its full potential,” Weiland said. “It’s been ineffective and systemic ever since and now there are calls to leave the federation.

While I admire the passion behind those calls, I think we need to take a step back.”

Feiner said that if there is no change in the communication between the Student Federation and the student government, a complaint can be made.

“If it (communication) doesn’t get better, there is a complaint process,” Feiner said. “It’s very flawed, because you essentially have to make your complaint to the chair and the executive director, and then they have to call a special session and create a whole committee that would investigate the complaint, do

a hearing on it, then bring back their conclusions to the whole board of directors. Then we would all vote on the complaint, but if I’m going to make a complaint about the executive director or the chair, I have to make it to them.”

Weiland doesn’t think leaving the Student Federation is the correct answer at this moment, but if this vote of no confidence doesn’t have the impact that SGA is looking for, all options would be on the table.

“I believe the current leadership we have is unmotivated for change,” Weiland said. “But I believe that we could change some bylaws systemically that are really hurting the federation’s prosperity. At the end of the day, impeachment and leaving Student Federation aren’t off the table, because we’ve really seen, since we’ve introduced this resolution, no change.”

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HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BANDS COMPETE IN VERMILLION

Drum major Emily Muirhead leads the Sound of USD marching band through all their performances.

Sydney Johnson

Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

High school marching bands from all over the state are making their way to Vermillion for a chance to compete against each other in the Quad State Competition which will be held Oct. 16 in the Dakota Dome.

This competition is a chance for high schools to come together and perform while also giving The Sound of USD a chance to show off their skills and recruit high school musicians from across the state and throughout the surrounding area.

After not being able to host the event last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 16 high school marching bands participating are prepared to return to competition. Sioux City West, Yankton, Vermillion, Sioux Falls Washington and Sioux Falls Roosevelt are a few of the high schools competing.

This competition will be hosted by USBands, who hosts

similar tournaments all over the country. USD helps to run the South Dakota regional tournament.

The Sound of USD director Todd Cranson has helped run the event every year that he has taught at USD, except for the one year that COVID-19 interrupted the competition season.

“I’m the person on the ground here that organizes some parts,” Cranson said. “The USD marching band is the staff for it, but USBands provides the judges which come from all over the country.”

The USD marching band not only helps staff the event, but also performs. The band performs twice, once at the halfway point prior to the awards ceremony, and again at the end of the competition as it leads bands into the final awards ceremony.

“For USD, it’s an opportunity for all of these high schools to see what we do as a college marching band,” Cranson said. “It is also a little bit of recruiting, and a little

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

bit of motivation and excitement and just something we really enjoy doing. A lot of members of the USD marching band participated in (state) marching band when they were in high school, so in that regard it is a good recruiting event.”

The event begins at 10:55 a.m. with the National Anthem, and the final awards ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. This competition is open to the general public, and tickets will be for sale at the door of the DakotaDome on the day of the event.

“The general public can come and watch, so if you want to see a whole bunch of really good marching bands, we would like to see you there,” Cranson said. “We won’t sell out, but I expect there to be three or four thousand people Sydney Johnson | The Volante there. It’s a pretty big deal.”

The band will perform twice for the high schools during the competition.

Two USD students find joy in building collections Alle Anduaga

Alle.Anduaga@coyotes.usd.edu

Gavin Paller, sophomore innovation and entrepreneurship major, and Cheyenne Nikolaus, junior music education major, are both students at USD who collect random things for their personal enjoyment.

Paller said he has been collecting Hot Wheels practically since birth.

“I never got bored of it, and then a few times growing up my mom was like ‘wow like you’re 13 or 14 want to maybe put these in the attic,’ and I was like ‘why would I do that, why would I do such a silly thing, I’m having fun,’”

said Paller.

Nikolaus said she unintentionally gained an interest in anime when her mother accidentally bought her a pack of 10 Japanese comic books called manga.

“I read all of them, and then I read them over and over again, and then I found out later this is a thing (manga),” Nikolaus said. “When I was about 14, I started collecting my own. I went to Barnes and Noble intentionally looking for these and I started buying them.”

Paller has around 2,000 to 3,000 Hot Wheels in his collection and he stores them in wicker baskets, display cases, shelves and shoe boxes.

Hot Wheels cost 97 cents. However, some of

Bennett Clary | The Volante

Paller’s Hot Wheels collectibles are worth a lot of money. Paller said he has one from 1971 that is worth between $400 and $500.

“Depending on what car it is, what condition it’s in and the color of it will determine the value of it,” Paller said. “A lot of cars in hot pink or purple color will sometimes be worth more because less of them were sold.”

Nikolaus said anime can be different types of genres ranging from romance to horror.

Even the movie “Frozen” has been adapted to the format.

“I mostly collect manga books. I have about 33 volumes in total,” Nikolaus said. “I also have the little figurines, they’re like action

figures but you don’t play with them, they’re for display purposes.”

An individual book from an manga series is typically $10 and a figurine can range from $25 to $50. Along with manga books and figurines, Nikolaus also collects mangaapparel.

“They’re just so pretty, I like the way they look on my shelf, they look so nice, organized and the art is so gorgeous,” Nikolaus said.

Paller said he doesn’t plan to stop collecting Hot Wheels, and if he does, it will be because he just forgot about them.

Nikolaus said her favorite thing to do is to go back and reabsorb all the details from her manga collection.

Bennett Clary | The Volante

Cheyenne Nikolaus displays her manga collection of books and figures on her living Since Gavin Paller began collecting Hot Wheels, he continues to look for different ways to store and display all of his collectables. room shelf.

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Opportunity for All committee presents to SDBOR Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

On Oct. 6 and 7, the USD Opportunity for All committee presented their ideas for the new Opportunity Centers to the South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR).

The SDBOR and the presidents of the six universities met before the public meeting to discuss the Opportunity Centers. During the meeting, the SDBOR gave feedback to the presidents; however, they did not provide feedback during the public meeting where the presidents and provosts presented.

President Sheila Gestring told the SDBOR during the public meeting that the Opportunity Center would “broaden and build on student services,” promoting activities like leadership training and alumni networking.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Kurt Hackemer said the Opportunity Center could be a great way for students to develop professionally throughout their college career.

“This office will be working with students on things like those leadership programs, so you want it to be accessible,” Hackemer said. “You don’t want it to be, you know, hidden anywhere, so it’s just really a matter of looking at university space and where can we do this.”

After the public listening session Sept. 27, Hackemer said the strong sentiment about the Opportunity Center not being in the CDC is allowing the committee to think of new locations for the office.

“Right now, what we’re working on is a solution that would make that happen so that the Opportunity Center might be in proximity to the space or it might be in another space entirely, but the plans that we’re working on right now do not envision the Opportunity Center being in the physical CDC space,” Hackemer said.

Moving forward, Hackemer said the plan is to engage students in talking about their needs, although he said the committee may not be able to do everything students want.

Future feedback sessions will be available to students as the

committee learns more.

“The next stage is to, before we settle on an approach, is to more-directly engage students in talking about what works for them and what is it that they want,” Hackemer said. “We may not be able to do everything that students want, but at least to hear that a little bit more, and I think we’re still trying to figure out the best way to do that.”

Hackemer said he is “really confident” the committee will find a space for the Opportunity Center that is not in the CDC. The SDBOR will host a Senate Bill 55 Task Force community outreach session on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in the MUC Ballroom to discuss the task force’s findings. Students and community members are encouraged to attend this meeting.

Stephanie Kocher and Friends perform faculty recital Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

After almost 20 years without a solo recital, adjunct flute instructor Stephanie Kocher will perform with staff collaborative pianist Diane Van Den Oever and the faculty wind quintet.

Kocher said the theme for her recital is all based on birds, with one butterfly piece thrown in the mix.

Some of the earliest flutes were actually made from bird bones, so it’s not uncommon for bird themes to run in flute recitals now, Kocher said.

“I actually did pick a theme of birds, but then there was one piece I really wanted to do and it was a butterfly, so I thought ‘close enough, it flies,’” Kocher said.

Van Den Oever said she is contracted to work with students but also chooses to play with faculty. This will be her first time performing with Kocher and her first time exploring flute repertoire with a faculty member. She said she is excited to appreciate the separate instruments during the recital.

“When we’re playing in a band or orchestra, we’re kind of used to the wall of sound. When you listen to a duo or a trio or a small ensemble, you really hear

those individual voices, and it’s interesting and fun in a different sort of way,” Van Den Oever said.

Previously, Kocher didn’t have time to practice or perform a solo recital because of her work in the Sioux City Symphony and in taking care of her children.

However, now she is needed less in the symphony and her children are older.

Kocher said she’s had most of these pieces for years, so she’s been practicing them as she has time.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done a recital and I just felt like I needed to keep my skills up if I have students doing this work,” Kocher said.

Kocher and Van Den Oever practiced their pieces separately to learn their parts before coming together. Van Den Oever said they have been practicing at her house and have had about 20 hours of practice together.

Van Den Oever said she enjoys the music and variety available in her job, but truly enjoys the friendship and support of the department.

She said the faculty recitals aren’t required for faculty to put on, so this recital is an opportunity for them to get better.

“The other goal too, I know, when the music faculty puts together a

recital program, a number of them have said ‘well, I like to explore new literature myself

because

then

I

can recommend it to my students,’” Van Den Oever said.

Being

in

space,

a

different

experiencing

something new and finding an appreciation for different types of flute music is what Kocher hopes the audience will gain from attending the recital. Van Den Oever and Kocher both said they hope people will be able to have fun and enjoy a the diverse music provided.

“I

hope

that

they

just have a fun, relaxing experience that makes their week better, and if it inspires somebody to get into flute lessons or rejoin the band, that’s great too,” Van Den Oever said.

The recital will be at Trinity

Lutheran

Church

Oct. 14 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. It can also be livestreamed at usd.edu/livemusic.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Although the theme of the recital is birds, Kocher wanted to include a butterfly piece as well.

Rachel Review: Venom, save dessert for the end Rachel Thompson

Rachel.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” was released Oct. 1 and didn’t fail to deliver the same experience as it had done in the first installment.

Because this is the second movie, there will be some vague spoilers ahead.

This second installment follows Eddie Brock and Venom struggling to live life peacefully together.

In the midst of bickering with each other, Eddie is brought in to see a serial killer on death row, Cletus Kasady, who in their interactions becomes Carnage. Now, Eddie and Venom must find a way to get along to kill the mess they have made.

Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom is one of the main reasons I thoroughly enjoy watching and rewatching the Venom movies. Like how Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, Tom Hardy is now Venom.

He is able to be both characters and makes it feel like a refreshing superhero as he does it.

The scenes where Venom and Eddie are fighting each other are better than the action sequences in the movie in some ways because the movie puts more of a focus on the two characters than the actual problem at stake. Usually the focus is the big bad, so I didn’t mind Press Photo | Marvel that the villain was

in someways an afterthought, and that the real focus was on the development of Eddie and Venom separately and together.

Characters like Anne, Dr. Lewis and the store owner, Mrs. Chen, all return for this second installment and leave memorable impressions.

They were all given moments in the movie to solidify their place as essential people that need to be in Eddie and Venom’s lives.

Like the first movie, it’s very enjoyable and fun to watch, but when you look back on it you can find flaws in the plot and realize that the movie didn’t go as far into its narratives to where it could have got the best effect from the audience.

The whole movie, Eddie and Venom are arguing about becoming crime fighters but never actually act on it. It’s been two movies of build-up to a crimefighting Venom and we will have to still wait.

There was another aspect brought into the movie where Venom was able to help Eddie with his journalism and in other ways take care of Eddie. This was a great aspect added to their relationship, but was soon forgotten by the end of the movie.

Here’s hoping it’s explored more in the third installment.

Woody Harrelson plays the villain, Cletus Kasady, who is infected with a symbiote to become Carnage. His lover and partner in crime is Shriek, played by Naomie Harris. The two were electric together as characters on screen.

I believe the fact that there is little chance for the characters to return gave the actors a feeling that they could lay it all out. Especially for Harris, as she was truly amazing to see and stole the attention when she was on screen. With Harrelson, you could tell he truly enjoyed every minute of being his character, and this gave his performance even more energy than what he already brings.

I think one of the reasons that I enjoy this movie, even with all its flaws, is the energy from the actors. It doesn’t feel like they are just giving their best, it feels as though they are having a great time playing their characters, and because of this, they shine.

But what does any of this movie and the last even matter after you see the post-credit scene. No spoilers for what it is, but if you care about staying updated on your future Marvel watches, make sure to stick around until the end.

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TICKET SALES BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC NUMBERS Sydney Johnson

Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic changed many day-today operations for USD. Many departments, such as the athletic department, faced new rules and regulations that were put in place to keep everyone involved safe and healthy.

Entering the 2021-2022 sports season, fans and students flocked to athletic events again, leading to the game day atmosphere appearing similar to how it did prior to COVID-19 While the athletic department is excited to see many of the regulations from last year lifted, and fans returning to the stands, director of athletic marketing and promotions Jarren Duffy said there’s still a little way to go until USD sees the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (SCSC) and DakotaDome filled like they were prior to last year.

“Last year we had reduced attendance, and then within that reduced attendance there were still season ticket holders and single-game buyers who normally would go to our games

who felt uncomfortable going, and we’re still dealing with that to some extent,” Duffy said. “There’s still some people who are vaccinated or not vaccinated who are uncomfortable heading into a building with thousands of people.”

Although there are still some fans who have yet to make their way back to gameday in the SCSC or the Dome, Duffy said both attendance and revenue are beginning to look a lot like they did back in 2019, when the last normal season of volleyball and football took place.

With the basketball season quickly approaching, athletics have noticed that the season ticket sales for the incoming basketball games appears very similar to ticket numbers from two years prior. While many basketball season ticket holders are renewing their tickets again, many of them are coming with special requests.

“Our ticket sales are bouncing back, but we have some requests,” Duffy said. “Some people may want seats in a lesscrowded area rather than sit right on mid-court or at the 50-yard line. They’re a little more comfortable sitting off to the side in

less-crowded areas, so we are making accommodations where needed.”

Duffy said he’s glad to be back to a normal sports schedule this year. While the athletic department did a good job of keeping all faculty and staff in the loop last year, Duffy said that the worry of not knowing whether he would keep his job was always in the back of his mind because of budget concerns raised with COVID-19.

While many operations have gone back to the way they were in 2019, not all challenges that the athletic department has faced throughout the pandemic have ceased.

“This year still has its challenges,” Duffy said. “The pandemic isn’t completely over yet. There’s still some threats out there, some people still aren’t comfortable coming back, but this year feels a lot more normal than last season and we can really focus on the things that we got into this job for, like getting people to games, making sure they are having fun and keeping fans up to date throughout the season.”

Sydney Johnson | The Volante The USD athletic department finds game attendance and revenue returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, and expect it to remain steady as USD enters the basketball season.

Football ranks No. 21 after UND victory

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

USD football competed against North Dakota at home in the DakotaDome Oct. 9 where they won 20-13, moving the Coyotes’ ranking up to No. 21.

Spencer Buley

Spencer.Buley@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD Coyotes hosted No. 13 North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday and captured a win 20-13. The win moves the Coyotes up to No. 21 in the national rankings heading into the week seven matchup on the road against No. 16 Northern Iowa.

“I’m really proud of our football team,” head coach Bob Nielson said. “That’s a great team that we played, and I think our guys found ways to win today. The way we were able to close out the game there, that’s what it’s going to take to win close games in the Valley. We played like a confident football team that’s got something to prove, and now the challenge is going to be against a really good Northern Iowa team.”

The USD offense managed two touchdowns and two field goals against the UND defense. The Coyotes jumped to an early 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game when senior wide

receiver Caleb Vander Esch took a screen pass from freshman quarterback Carson Camp to the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown. Vander Esch had eight receptions for 92 yards, moving him into the top 10 in career receptions at USD. Camp threw another touchdown in the third quarter to sophomore wide receiver Wesley Eliodor for 24 yards, his first career touchdown as a Coyote.

Redshirt freshman running back Travis Theis carried the ball 23 times for a career high 138 yards, including a string of six positive rushes on USD’s final drive to secure the win for the Coyotes. Freshman running back Nate Thomas also rushed for 49 yards over 12 touches.

“We talked about it before the drive, and we knew what we had to do,” Theis said. “We needed to get first downs any way we could, and that’s what we did.”

Senior kicker Mason Lorber was good from 37 yards as well as from a career high of 54 yards in the fourth quarter to give

the Coyotes a 20-10 lead. The 54-yarder tied a program record.

“Brady pointed at me, and I was pretty excited honestly,” Lorber said. “I didn’t even realize how far it was until after the kick. Once it went through, I put it in my head, and then I got really excited.”

The Coyote defense played another sound game, holding UND to 13 points. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nick Gaes recorded a 10-yard sack for the Coyotes, and Redshirt freshman defensive back Da’Raun McKinney led the team with 11 total tackles, 10 of them solo. McKinney also helped seal the win for the Coyotes with a pass breakup in the third quarter and goal late in the fourth quarter that forced a field goal from UND. “This game really helped me show my team that they could trust me and that I can play ball,” McKinney said. “It’s game by game. I’ll make plays if they come my way, and as long as we’re all up there, I’m up there, and we’ll play good.”

The Coyotes are at Northern Iowa Saturday.

B4 Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Sports

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Volleyball sweeps three conference opponents

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

The Coyotes face off against Summit League Conference newcomers St. Thomas at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls Oct. 7, where they won in three sets. The Coyotes also swept Western Illinois Saturday and North Dakota Monday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

The Coyote women swim and dive cruises to season opening win Bailey Zubke

Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD women’s swim and dive team hosted Minnesota State in their season opener Friday night, and won 13 of 16 events to cruise to a 198-100 win.

Three school records were set during competition Friday. Freshman Emily Kahn and Sara Mayer set individual records and both swam on the 200-freestyle relay that set a record. Freshman Christina Spomer and senior Meghan Atwell also swam on the record relay team.

Khan won both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle competitions, with a school record 26.57 in the 50-meter. Mayer’s record came in the 100-meter butterfly and won the 200 free.

Freshman Mairead Powers won two events, taking the 400 and 800 freestyles. Freshman Emma Clark won the 100 backstroke and teamed up with Atwell, Mayer and Kahn to win the first event of the evening, the 200 medley relay.

Seniors Maddie Lavin, Naomi Bingham and Isabel Fairbanks added individual event wins.

Lavin won the 200 butterfly, being just off her school record pace inthe event. Bingham won the one-meter dive and Fairbanks the 200 IM race.

Sophomore Stella Fairbanks, Isabel’s younger sister, won the three-meter dive competition.

A plethora of Coyotes also recorded runner-up performances in the pool Friday.

Sophomore Kayla Middaugh placed second in the one- and three-meter dives. Spomer placed second in the 50 free.

Atwell (100 breast), Shannon Banark (100 free) and Madilyn Sindelar (100 fly) took runner-up in their events. Hannah Aitkin (200 free), Maddie Katz (200 fly), Maddie Grant (200 back), Kristen Quigley (400 free) and Ella Kubas (800 free) all earned runner-up finishes as well.

The Coyote women return to the DakotaDome Pool Oct. 16 against Iowa State, while the men wait for the Kansas Tri-Duals in Lawrence, Kan. Oct. 22-23 to start their Sydney Johnson | The Volante season. Both the men’s and women’s teams will USD women’s swim and dive competed against Minnesota State, winning with an compete in the Kansas Tri-Duals. end total of 198-100.

Seniors get extra year to say goodbye

File Photo | The Volante

Hannah Sjerven is one of three women’s basketball players returning to the court this season after taking an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Sjerven is joined

by Chloe Lamb and Liv Korngable as the three seniors taking the extra year of eligibility.

Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

Due to COVID-19, college athletes were given an extra year of eligibility to play. The USD women’s basketball team has three players that took advantage of this extra year.

Hannah Sjerven, Chloe Lamb and Liv Korngable are the three of many athletes who have taken their extra year of eligibility and will play in the 2021-22 season.

For Sjerven, the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, the decision to come back and play for the University of South Dakota was a no-brainer.

“I transferred in, so this is my sixth year, but my first year of college I didn’t play as much and I didn’t play for a program I felt as passionate about,” Sjerven said. “Getting another year at USD where I’m happy and I

love playing with the girls I play with, it was a no-brainer.”

Korngable, All-Summit League Second Team last season, said her decision to return was similar to Sjerven’s.

“I think similarly to Hannah (Sjerven).

Playing under and among a lot of great players for my first three years, I didn’t see as much court time as I wanted to, so another year kind of gives me that great opportunity to really be in the action,” Korngable said.

As for All-Summit League First Team’s Lamb, she said leaving without taking advantage of the extra year would leave her with some regret.

“It would be really hard to leave knowing that I could have had that extra year of play. I don’t think that would have sat very well with me,” Lamb said.

Now, with the opportunity to play another season, the seniors are looking forward to their

season schedule to begin. The South Dakota women’s team goes into their 2021 season where they will play against Oklahoma, Texas A&M, who was ranked No. 10 last season, and No. 4 South Carolina.

“Seeing the teams we are playing is very exciting. Our coaches always try and stack our schedule for especially our non-conference games, where we play really good teams,” Lamb said. “Some people who play at a major level don’t always get to say that they played Power Five teams such as Oklahoma or South Carolina—people who are playing for a national championship at the end of the year.”

With the season beginning soon, the seniors reflected on how it will feel to be playing their last collegiate season together. “(It’s) definitely a bittersweet feeling, and also a very motivating feeling knowing that time is ticking and winding down,” Korngable

said. “I think it helps everyone live in the moment a little more and cherish the time we have left together.”

While Korngable and Sjerven focus on taking in every last moment, Lamb said she would rather not think about it being their last season together.

For Sjerven, Korngable and Lamb, playing this last season together has given them a lot of time to reflect on all they have accomplished during their time at USD. “Coming into college like this was such an overwhelming and scary experience to dive into,” Korngable said. “But now that I have done it, moving on to a new project, to a graduate assistant position, a grad program or to even continuing playing, it seems less scary and more comfortable to think about now that we have gone through these five, six years of challenge.”