10.25.22

Demolition of Julian and Brookman Halls Begin on Campus

Domesticity and Human Experience Showcased in Two Art Exhibitions

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After the quarterback change in the second quarter of the homecoming game, Nielson might have saved his job as the head coach of the football team. This change also might have Camp leaning towards the transfer portal after deleting USD images from his social media.

Enrollment Increase, High Retention Rates Point USD in Right Direction

Karlee Phillips Karlee.Phillips@coyotes.usd.edu

This fall, USD experienced its largest increase in student enrollment numbers in nearly ten years, with retention rates skyrocketing.

Scott Pohlson, vice president of enrollment, marketing and university relations, said not only does this mean the university is headed down the right path, but also demonstrates the growth in student population post COVID-19. While Pohlson does not oversee enrollment statistics for the law and medical schools, he does work in partnership with them to meet university goals.

“We brought in about 1,215 new, full-time students this fall to the Vermillion campus. The reason why that percentage increase is so high from last year is because we went through two years of ‘COVID enrollments’, where our numbers were significantly down,” Pohlson said.

The South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) reported a 4.1 percent headcount increase at USD from last year. This was the highest increase across all six South Dakota universities. International student enrollment also saw a 137 percent increase within the graduate computer science program at USD this fall.

“We are advertising for new computer science faculty members because the numbers look good again for the spring and next fall,” Pohlson said. “As an institution, we’re going to invest in new faculty in computer science at the graduate level, but it’ll probably trickle down to the undergraduate level as well.”

The university also broke its highest retention rate from the previous school year to this school year by 81.7 percent. Pohlson said it’s important to realize that even though enrollment was lower last year with new students, USD retained the highest percentage of those students and welcomed

a much larger entering class this semester.

When examining the number of students enrolled at the university, Pohlson prefers to look at headcount from an enrollment point of view rather than credit hours. He explained counting credit hours is beneficial for the university to gauge its financial standpoint with full-time students, but for enrollment purposes may not be the most accurate.

“If we had 200 students that only took one credit hour, and your cost is based off of a per credit hour base, then we would not be in as good of a situation if we had people taking 15 credit hours of those 200,” Pohlson said.

From a class size perspective, Pohlson said with the increase in enrollment, the university is looking to return to its regular class size numbers before the COVID-19 pandemic, which will mostly affect the larger incoming classes.

USD also depends on enrollment from surrounding states, including Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. By offering an in-state tuition rate for Iowa and Nebraska students, Pohlson said those students are easier to recruit and retain. He said without it, it would be more difficult to persuade non-South Dakota residents to apply, which would lower the diversity of the campus in terms of geography.

“With another good class next fall, which is what we look like we’re shaping up for, we feel really good about the student interest in the value of USD,” Pohlson said.

Maddie Martinez | The Volante

gather in the Sanford Coyotes Sports Center for convocation. The incoming Coyotes added to the highest percent enrollment increase seen in a decade.

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Family of Four Displaced in House Fire

Sydney.g.johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

The Vermillion Fire EMS Department responded to a fire at 607 Cottage St. on Oct. 20 at 4:39 p.m.

The first units to arrive on the scene saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the home. Everyone in the home was evacuated without injury.

The Vermillion Department was aided in controlling the fire by neighboring fire and EMS departments including Gayville, Wakonda, Yankton and Elk Point. With help from these other fire departments, the firefighters were able to extinguish the flames in the roofline and interior walls, however the house still sustained major damage.

In the attempts to stop the fire, no civilians were injured, one emergency personnel received minor injuries and two pets perished in the fire.

The American Red Cross assisted the family of four displaced by the fire and helped them find somewhere to stay.

The fire departments were on the scene for a total of three hours and 18 minutes. This included 30 personnel from the Vermillion Fire EMS Department, eight personnel from the Gayville Fire Department, six personnel from the Wakonda Fire Department, three personnel from the Elk Point Fire Department, eight personnel from the Yankton Fire Department as well as members of the Vermillion Light and Power, Vermillion Water, Vermillion Police and Clay County Sheriff’s Department.

Demolition of Julian Hall Begins

Zadya Abbott

Zadya.Abbott@coyotes.usd.edu

Brookman, Julian Addition and Julian Hall saw active brick-breaking demolition begin, in preparation for a new parking lot, last week.

The assistant vice president of Facilities Management (FM) Brian Limoges said the work within the buildings was outsourced to contractors.

“USD FM removed all of the salvageable items from each building and the contractor that was awarded the demolition contract has removed wood, metals, etc. from the buildings and hauled that to recycling companies in the area,” Limoges said.

Julian Hall has been vacant for years but before the tear-down process could commence the university waited for all students to move out of Brookman at the end of last semester. They then followed up with asbestos abatement of the buildings and the removal of all hazardous wood, metal, A/C units and glass by the demolition contractor.

“The contractor started demolition of Julian Addition this past Wednesday and will continue to demolish that building, remove the rubble and then move onto Brookman Hall and finally Julian Hall,” Limoges said.

While the buildings have just begun to come down, the plan to demolish the

buildings has been known.

“The process really started several years ago when we were discussing the idea of building a new Health Science Building to house the departments that were in Julian Hall,” Limoges said.

“We then looked at potential renovation costs to update these buildings as well as the maintenance and repair costs for these buildings.”

It was determined that those costs were comparatively not justifiable. After that, and the approval from the South Dakota Board of Regents, advertising to outsourced firms for demolition and asbestos abatement began.

The design for the new parking lot that will be taking the place of the demolished buildings is actively in the works, and the construction plan is set to begin in the spring of 2023 and be finished this upcoming fall.

Mission statement

The cause of this fire still remains under investigation as of a press release made by the Vermillion Fire EMS Department on Oct. 21.

The VolanTe

Volume 147, No. 12 October 26, 2022 www.volanteonline.com

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

Adviser Tim Schreiner

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

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.

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

Sydney Johnson | The Volante Multiple first responder units put out house fire.

Sydney Johnson

Tavin Carncross | The Volante Demolition of Julian Addition in progress for new parking lot.

State, National and International Briefs

Gubernatorial Canidate Smith Visits USD

South Dakota Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith visited USD on Oct. 25 in Farber Hall. The USD College Democrats are hosting Smith two weeks before the Nov. 8 general election.

Smith is challenging incumbent Gov. Kristi Noem, who is running for re-election. Smith is the House Minority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives. He represents District 15, which mostly covers downtown Sioux Falls.

A poll published by SDSU on Oct. 11 showed Noem ahead of Smith by four percentage points. The breakdown showed Noem with 45 percent, Smith with 41 percent and 14 percent undecided.

Noem was elected in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 points against Billie Sutton. Separated by just over 11,400 votes, it marked the closest gubernatorial election in South Dakota since

Election Season Heats Up Across Nation

Polling of senatorial and gubernatorial races in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania show a shift in favor of Republican candidates. Real Clear Politics’s generic congressional ballot shifted two points to the right, and their senate and governor predictions favored the Republican party.

These races include Oregon’s governor election, where Christine Drazan has a chance to become the first Republican candidate to win since 1982. Republican gains in Congress would continue a trend since 1948 where firstterm incumbent midterms favor the political party which does not control the presidency. Only in 2002 was this cycle broken when Republicans gained eight seats in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been campaigning for Democratic candidates across the country. Their message has been focused on expanding abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, as

well as jobs and the economy. Republicans have focused on issues such as inflation, cost of living and education.

Liz Truss Resigns

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned last Thursday after 44 days as head of the government. Her resignation will make her the shortestserving prime minister in British history. The last time the UK had three prime ministers in a year was 1827.

Truss won the Conservative Party leadership election in Sept. after Boris Johnson’s resignation in July, defeating Rishi Sunak. She will remain prime minister until King Charles III formally accepts her resignation. Although her tenure was short, she became prime minister only two days before the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Amid skyrocketing energy prices and record high inflation, Truss is one of the least popular prime ministers in British history. A YouGov poll showed Truss was viewed unfavorably by 80 percent of the population, compared to just 10 percent who had a favorable view of her. Rishi Sunak is running unopposed to replace Liz Truss as the next prime minister.

The Conservative Party has been in power since David Cameron’s victory in 2010, and increased their support to historic levels in December of 2019. The Conservatives do not have to call a general election until January 2025.

George Mickelson’s victory in 1986.

Charles Streeter charles.streeter@coyotes.usd.edu

Wikimedia Commons | The Volante

| The Volante

Bennett Clary | The Volante

Dakota Days Spotlight

Maddie Martinez | The Volante

Coyote community gathers on top of Bob Sinclair Service downtown to watch the Dakota Days parade.

USD students enjoy Dakota Days festivities before D-Days game against Southern Illinois.

Vermillion community enjoy the Dakota Days Parade along Main Street.

SportS

Plitzuweit Gives Up Street Clothes for Jersey

A men’s basketball player is ready to trade in his street clothes for a red and white jersey as he makes his comeback after a season away from the court.

Vermillion native A.J. Plitzuweit has been on the Coyote roster for three seasons but has only played one. During the 2019-20 season, Plitzu weit was redshirted, then in 2020-21 he started 22 games and received the Summit League Newcomer of the Year and all-Summit League First-Team honors before dislocating his knee, tearing his ACL, LCL and hamstring.

These injuries sidelined Plitzuweit last season as he was forced to take a medical redshirt year.

Now, Plitzuweit is ready to get back to the sport he loves and said he has been playing as long as he can remember.

“I am looking forward to playing on the court again and contrib uting to our team’s success,” Plitzuweit said in an email interview with The Volante. “I really just want to soak in this whole upcoming season and appreciate all the moments that come along with it.”

Plitzuweit said his journey back to the court has been long, but he has also learned a lot about himself throughout the process. His daily schedule included rehab, icing, biking and lifting to get himself ready to compete this season.

“I think I’ve learned how to be a more patient person,” Plitzuweit said. “As a competitor, I always want to go go go, but I’ve had to learn re straint, and how to handle the bad days, so the good days feel even better.”

As Plitzuweit enters this upcoming season he said there is one specific game he is really excited about: Wisconsin.

“I have a lot of family that will be able to attend, so it will be awesome to have the opportunity to play in front of them,” Plitzuweit said. “Some of my extended family has never been able to see me play in-person, so that will be a really cool experience.”

On top of being excited to play in front of his family against Wis consin, Plitzuweit is also hoping to help the Coyotes secure one of their goals; to bring a Summit League Championship to USD.

“A lot of our older guys have been really close (to winning a Sum mit League Championship), but we have never been able to get over the hump,” Plitzuweit said. “Our goal is to continue getting better every day, so we are prepared and playing our best basketball in March.”

Not only is Plitzuweit eager to reappear before the Coyote fans, he said his team is also excited about returning to the court and hopeful that fans are ready to pack the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for their first game of the season, an exhibition match against Simpson College on Oct. 30.

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

Tavin Carncross | The Volante Redshirt sophomore guard A.J. Plitzuweit makes his return to the court this season after missing the 2021-22 season with an injury.

Weidner: Nielson’s Hot Seat Cools After D-Days

Brock Weidner Brock.Weidner@coyotes.usd.edu

South Dakota head football coach

Bob Nielson has been the topic of con versation around Vermillion lately after losing four of his first five games of the season. Begging the question: “Is Niel son’s time with the Coyotes coming to a close?”

Nielson was the head coach of a fellow Missouri Valley team, the West ern Illinois Leathernecks (WIU), from 2013-2015 and led the Leathernecks to a (16-21) record over his three-year span. In 2015, the Leathernecks made it to the FCS playoffs with a 6-5 re cord, making it Nielson’s first winning record with WIU. Western Illinois went on to beat Dayton in the first round 247, but then fell to No. 4 Illinois State 36-19 in the second round. Nielson was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Coach of the Year that sea son.

Joe Glenn, the Coyotes head coach at the time, retired following the 2015 season after four seasons with USD. This opened the door for Nielson who was coming off his best season at the D-1 level. Nielson parted ways with Western Illinois to take the South Da kota job.

One of his first orders of business was picking up Minnesota quarterback Chris Streveler from the transfer por tal; and it paid off. The Coyotes went 4-7 in Nielson’s first season, but they looked more competitive than the year before with nine of the 11 games being decided by one possession. Streveler was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year.

The Coyotes built off the momen tum and went 7-4 in the regular sea son in 2017. This led them to their first playoff appearance at the D-1 lev el. USD knocked off No. 22 Nichols State in the first round, 38-31, but fell in round two to No. 5 Sam Houston State, 54-42. Streveler was the runner up for the Walter Payton Award which

is given to the best offensive player in the FCS.

In 2018, with Streveler gone, the Coyotes went back to having a 4-7 sea son and struggled throughout the year despite only losing to Kansas State by three points in the season opener.

The Coyotes had another losing sea son the following year, going 5-7, but they ended the year defeating No. 5 instate rival SDSU in the season finale. This was the Coyotes’ first win against the Jackrabbits since 2000.

The 2020 COVID-19 season saw the Coyotes go 1-3, losing their final three games before the remainder of the Coy otes’ season was canceled.

The Coyotes went 7-5 in 2021 and made it to the playoffs for the second time under Nielson. This team’s re cord could’ve been near perfect if some things fell their way. They almost de feated Kansas, Missouri State and Illi nois State. In the game against the Red Birds, they played without quarterback Carson Camp in the second half due to an injury. The Coyotes lost in the first round of the post season 22-10 versus No. 21 Southern Illinois, the first play off home game in the D-1 era for USD.

This season the Coyotes were hand ed the toughest schedule in the FCS and experts predicted a 1-4 start by the team and they were right. The team is currently 2-5.

The offense had no life in the first two games but got a burst in game three versus Cal Poly when Nielson took over offensive play calling. The offensive production only lasted that one game as they fell flat against NDSU (17-34), SDSU (3-28) and Illinois State (10-12). However, Dakota Days saw a whole new offense which led to the Coyotes’ second win of the year.

In review, Nielson has had two winning seasons in his six with the Coyotes, two playoffs appearances and a 31-39 record at USD.

Nielson’s offense has been almost nonexistent this season as they are sec

ond-to-last in yards per game and have scored the least amount of touchdowns in the Missouri Valley Football Confer ence.

The Coyotes scored 12 touchdowns this year and eight of which came in their two wins of the season, resulting in only four touchdowns total in their five losses. The offense averages 14.6 points per game which ranks last in the MVFC.

However, the game on Dakota Days gave a new life to the Coyote offense once a quarterback change from Camp to redshirt freshman Aidan Bouman was made. The offense was consistently moving the ball, something we haven’t seen much of this year. The Coyotes picked up 335 offensive yards, 205 of those yards coming from the ground to win their sixth straight homecoming game.

The Dakota Days performance has cooled Nielson’s hot seat for now after defeating a top team in the Salukis, but the true test for Nielson will be if he can help his team build off this win.

If the team keeps up the momen tum from Dakota Days, Nielson isn’t going anywhere.

With a lighter schedule next season, the playoffs may be in reach. However, the playoffs this season are a long shot. The Coyotes would need to win every game to potentially get a playoff bid, which will be no easy task with their next game being on the road against Youngstown State, a place the team has never won at.

Nielson’s contract is through 2024 so firing after the 2023 season would result in a minimal buyout from the university.

While Nielson may find himself safe from the chopping block for now due to the victory over the Salukis on D-Days, what will his fate look like if the team can’t keep up their momen tum the rest of the season? It’s hard to tell now, all we know is that the world of college football is ever-changing. Just ask Scott Frost or Paul Chryst.

Sydney Johnson | The Volante Head football coach Bob Nielson keeps the Dakota Days crowd happy as the Coyotes defeat the Southern Illinois Salukis 27-24. Nielson subbed out sophomore quarterback Carson Camp for redshirt freshman Aidan Bouman during the second quarter.

A View from the Nosebleeds

Soccer Season Ends in North Dakota

Tavin Carncross Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

South Dakota’s soccer team headed up to North Dakota for their final two games of the 2022 regular season Oct. 21 and 23.

With the Summit League playoffs approaching, the Coyotes only needed a tie or a win to secure their playoff hopes. The other teams that were hoping to get their spot were North Dakota State and North Dakota, the Coyotes’ next two opponents.

On Oct. 21, the Coyotes got off to a slow start as the Bison were able to get on the board first when se nior midfielder Lavin Douglass put one into the net.

The Coyotes answered in the second half when ju nior midfielder Ashby Johnston tied the game up and kept their playoff hopes alive.

Two North Dakota State Bison however, made sure they were in the playoffs as junior forward Olivia Lovick scored one goal and sophomore midfielder Ol iva Watson scored two. This win secured the Bison’s spot in the playoffs as the fifth seed. They will play Oral Roberts on Oct. 28.

South Dakota then went to Grand Forks in a must tie/win situation to secure the final spot of the play offs. The Fighting Hawks were also in a must win

situation.

Neither team was able to put the ball in the net in the first half.

As for the second half, the Fighting Hawks struck first in the 60th minute. Freshman defender Amelia Loeffer scored her second goal of the season.

The Coyotes had 11 total shots between the 60th minute and the end of the game, however none of their shots went into the net which ended their sea son. The Fighting Hawks captured the sixth seed in the tournament and will play Omaha on Oct. 28.

Scoring for the Coyotes was led by fifth year se nior forward Joana Zanin as she scored five goals in her final season. Following Zanin was junior forward Ashby Johnston and senior forward Shaylee Gailus who each had four goals.

Fifth year senior forward Taylor Cotter led the Coyotes in assists with five. Zanin, Johnston and ju nior midfielder Hattie Giblin each had two.

Redshirt junior goalie Caroline Lewis had three games where the opponent was unable to score on her during her first season as a full time starter. She saved 76 total shots this season.

The Coyotes will lose seven seniors after this sea son including Cotter, Zanin, Jordan Centineo, Teresa

Coyote Sports Spotlight Oct. 26 - Nov. 8

Is Quarterback Camp Aiming for Transfer Portal?

Following the Dakota Days victory over the Salukis, sophomore quarterback Carson Camp, who was benched in the second quarter, removed USD related content from his social media platforms. Followers of Camp also saw the quarterback like a tweet from Dakota News Now reporter Zach Borg, suggesting the end of Camp’s Coyote career. Coyote fans are now left wondering who will head coach Bob Nielson start for the rest of the football season, either Camp or redshirt freshman Aidan Bouman.

Fontenot, Lexie Wood, Anna Hossfield and Tiannah Moore. Head coach Michael Thomas will be heading into his sixth season.

Tavin Carncross | The Volante South Dakota’s soccer team ends their 2022 season with two losses and missing the Summit League Tournament.

OpiniOn

Editorial: Participating in Democracy, It’s Your Right

Elections have reper cussions, especially for civil rights, social justice and hu man rights. The South Da kota 2022 elections bring us another round of elections for legislators, governors and other civil servants. There will also be ballot measures about Medicaid benefits and marijuana use. Participating in voting is part of being a citizen of the United States and should be something everyone takes part in.

Who is elected matters, and it matters who votes. These elected officials and ballot measures will affect all residents in South Da kota. These representatives decide on new legislation, appoint judges, represent

“

Elections have repercussions, especically for civil rights, social justice and human rights.

South Dakota residents in Washington D.C. and so much more.

While it might not feel like every single vote matters, they do. There have been multiple elections that have occurred in the United States that were won by one vote. According to an article

“from Virginia Wesleyan University there have been many different occasions in the United States where elections have been tied and ultimately decided by drawing a name out of a hat or have been won by a single vote. In 2016, a Vermont state senate primary was

The VolanTe

Sydney Johnson, editor-in-chief Allison Horkey managing editor Tavin Carncross, sports editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE

CONTACT US

Keeley Thomas, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

determined by a single vote out of more than 7,400 cast.

“Voting is your civic responsibility” is a common sentiment as each Election Day comes. By voting, citi zens are participating in the democratic process. Citizens vote for leaders to represent them and their ideas, and elected officials are meant to support the best interests of their citizens.

Voting registration in South Dakota has closed so before requesting an absen tee ballot or going to the polls, check to make sure you are registered to vote. If you are a South Dakota resident or have registered to vote in South Dakota, you can go to the South Dakota

Voter Information portal. There you can double-check if you are registered and the location of your district for in-person voting.

The information portal will also provide a sample ballot for your district and county so you know ahead of time what is going to be on the ballot. You can also find information about absentee, early and in-person voting.

It doesn’t matter if you are registered as a Republi can, Democrat or Indepen dent, make sure to vote on Election Day.

OVERHEARDS

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

“The only word I know in French is oui and it’s not even a real word.”

— FA

“If you’re sad just go watch the pigs.”

— MUC

The Volante welcomes

will

to the

in regards to

local, state and

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

“We are going to prioritize death.”

— FA

“There’s no men here so we should be able to stay on task.”

— MUC

“If I ever committed a crime it would definitely be tax fraud.”

MUC

Halloween Will Always be the Best Holiday

EMMA

DAGGETT is a junior majoring in English.

It’s fun to dress up, but it’s never a require ment. The best costumes are definitely all of the dogs and cats that get dressed up. Seeing the pets, all dressed up and festive, always makes me smile.

available. Seeing all the cool carvings or pretty painted pumpkins on peoples’ door steps is always something to be excited about.

Halloween is one of the greatest holidays. There are activities for people of all ages to enjoy and nothing is required if you do not want to participate. It’s the time of monsters, large amounts of sugar and scary movies.

Halloween is also during the best season. The weather is cool and there are tons of fun things happening. The leaves are falling and seasonal drinks are being brought out.

Pumpkins are also

As a kid, trick or treating was obviously the best thing. Now that I am an adult with adult money I can go and buy all of the candy I want.

As I grew up, I found a new favorite Halloween activity, haunted houses. Going to different haunted houses is always a lot of

fun. It’s hilarious when you go with your friends. The haunted house staff keeps jumping out from around corners or chasing people through the halls, and when you finally escape it’s awe some. Haunted mazes are similar, but so much more fun because you get lost when people are chasing you.

There are a bunch of seasonal children’s mov ies like “Hocus Pocus,” “Coraline” and “Franken

What Education is Worth

ELLA

BYERS is a senior majoring in English education.

career.

In today’s world, telling people you are seeking a degree in education elicits a similar response to telling them that you are pursu ing a degree in underwater basket weaving. Even those who are less vocal seem confused about the choice of

Obviously, there are multiple (and sadly justifi able) reasons behind this reaction. A couple being the pay and poor working conditions as behavioral issues in the classroom con tinue increasing. Educators are leaving the field by the thousands, as some 300,000 have quit since the start of the pandemic.

In order to remedy this new shortage, states are implementing process es that make it easier to

receive a teaching certificate rather than attempting to improve their education system. Some states are even dismissing that a college degree is necessary for a person to work in this field.

While this will help fill job positions, it is a poor route to take in the long run because quality teach ing requires much more than just relaying content. A good educator has to be knowledgeable about trauma responses in children and how they can improve the

child’s life so they can be successful outside of the classroom as well. These qualities can be obtained outside of a univer sity, but a college education is more likely to provide tools that create empathet ic, responsive and versatile teachers. This being said, the drop of expectations in sinuates that many states do not place access to quality education at a place of high importance, and simply “getting kids through” school is enough for the

weenie” that are always on my to be watched list every year. Thriller and horror movies are also added to the list, as long as there is a blanket nearby to hide under when things get too intense.

This Halloween is on a Monday, so there won’t be as much time to celebrate because people need to study and work, but it will still be an excuse to eat way too much sugar.

time being.

Educators and future educators do not expect per fection, and, while changes in salary would be great, most teachers are clearly not motivated by money.

Before real change can happen for America’s educa tion system, lawmakers and individuals must acknowl edge education as a field of incredible importance as it is shaping the country’s (and globe’s) future.

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USD Galleries Reimagine Themes of Domesticity

Allison Horkey Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

Several artists were brought together in two related exhibi tions, “Sitting Down Together” and “Amanda Boeger: Matres ence,” highlighting concepts like domesticity and the chang es of motherhood and family. Seeking to bring a new per spective to USD, gallery curator Amy Fill contacted several dif ferent artists for these exhibi tions. “Sitting Down Together’’ features work from three pro fessors of printmaking, Melissa Haviland at Ohio University, Andy DeCaen at the Univer sity of North Texas and Janet Ballweg at Bowling Green State University. Amanda Boeger is a local artist from Sioux Falls. Fill said “Sitting Down To gether” and Boeger’s exhibition

focus on experiences of being at home, connecting with others and caring for a home.

“(The exhibition is) dealing with domesticity and when we think of domesticity, we think of the home and typically wom en’s kind of work. I mean, I think that’s changing now, a little bit,” Fill said.

Boeger’s exhibition more ex plicitly expresses these themes through the lens of a new mother, Fill said.

“(I was) wanting to pair the smaller gallery space with a show that communicates with (“Sitting Down Together”) and (Boeger’s) dealing with just the woman’s issue of childbirth and how that changes her life, her body, her mind, and her rela tionship with the world,” Fill said.

In an email interview with The Volante, Boeger said she painted models, herself and her new baby in order to show the beautiful and difficult parts of having a child.

“Matrescence is a period after giving birth in which a mother or non/binary birthing person experiences great psy chological, social and physical changes. It’s essentially a period of time in which a mother or parent is born themselves. My portrait work in general focuses on the human experience and giving birth to a human is a big experience. I gave birth to my first baby in February of this year, which switched my focus,” Boeger said.

Fill first encountered Boeger through social media and was really fascinated with her art

work. Boeger has since been involved with other exhibitions within the USD community. Fill said Boeger’s work is visu ally very interesting.

“I love (Boeger’s) painting technique and the energy and color that she uses in her figu rative paintings. They really feel very playful and spontaneous. And also still dealing with is sues like psychological (issues) too. But just her work talks about the human experience,” Fill said. The themes of these two exhibitions follow each other, which was intentional for Fill, who curates galleries in ways not only meant to in terest USD’s larger community but also provide an educational benefit for fine arts students.

“I try to build shows that would be of interest to the

art department… Sometimes there’ll be like national artists that are not local or have a tie to USD like this particular show,” Fill said. “I reached out to (Haviland) and asked her if she wanted to co-curate with me and if she had any artists she would want to show with that she never had before. So she picked (Ballweg) and (De Caen) and it was kind of a coin cidence that (DeCaen) was also an alumni so that was a pretty nice coincidence,” Fill said.

“Sitting Down Together” opened on Oct. 17 in the John A. Day gallery and “Amanda Boeger: Matresence” will open soon in room 110 gallery, in the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts. The opening reception for both exhibits will be Nov. 4.

Allison Horkey | The Volante

The John A. Day gallery features the works from three different print artists. The exhibition colors the gallery with themes of repitition and home.

THE VOLANTE

The Cat Cafe

De-stresses Students

Brooklynn Kahle Brooklynn.Kahle@coyotes.usd.edu

Students swapped lap tops for cats at the Cat Cafe event aimed as a de-stresser for midterms week.

On Oct. 20, USD’s Res idence Hall Association (RHA) partnered with the Heartland Humane Soci ety of Yankton to put on the Cat Cafe Event.

At the event, the Heart land Humane Society brought cats that are up for adoption at their facil ity. Students could come pet and play with the cats, along with enjoying crois sants and coffee/tea. Ra chel Olney, president of RHA, said they had two primary purposes to put on this event, one is for the students and the other for the cats.

“Our hope is to do two things. The first one being that we would like to pro vide a space for students to relax with animals. The second is for the cats to be

adopted and to shine some light on adopting animals around our area,” Olney said.

The event had a large response. Zena Aragon, a freshman who attended the event, said she was glad this was offered and enjoyed her time there.

“It was the best stress reliever known to this Earth. The kittens were so tiny that they could fit in the palm of your hand. Also, I got some really good croissants afterward,” Aragon said.

The humane soci ety’s mission statement is “Helping great pets find great people.” On their website, it says they are a limited admissions center which means they take in animals when there is appropriate space and re sources. Their goal is to find homes for these ani mals.

An event similar to the Cat Cafe occurred last year called Pet the Stress

Away which was put on through Student Services and the Heartland Hu mane Society of Yankton. They hope to put on this same event in the coming spring. Their goal is to make both Pet the Stress Away and the Cat Cafe an nual events.

“I would love to have more events like this. I enjoy coming up with pro grams and collaborations to highlight the amazing work that people are do ing,” Olney said.

Some programs by RHA coming up include the Haunted basement partnered with Lambda Chi Alpha. RHA plans to collaborate with Sculpture Culture where students can create ceramic tiles for the North Complex Hallway. They will have a program around Thanks giving called Thankful Turkeys where students can send someone a thank fulness note along with a caramel apple sucker.

Maddie Martinez | The Volante

The Heartland Humane Society of Yankton partnered with USD’s Residence Hall Association to host Cat Cafe during midterms.