The Volante
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887 VERVE (B1, B2)
W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 7 , 2 0 2 1
The Takuwe exhibit brings Lakota art to USD
Coyote soccer beats in-state rival South Dakota State 2-1
The Takuwe art exhibit features several Lakota artists sharing their stories about the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. Danielle De Jager-Loftus said the word “Takuwe” translates into English as the word “why.”
The USD soccer team took on in-state rival South Dakota State Oct. 24. The Coyotes came into the matchup with a 9-3-2 record and at 4-2 in Summit League play, placing them third in the conference.
VOLANTEONLINE.COM SPORTS (B3, B4)
VERMILLION SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BUILD NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Submitted Photo | The Volante
The Vermillion school district approved a budget of 26 million dollars for a new elementary school. The school board passed the decision with 74.8 voter approval. They are scheduled to break ground for the new school in May 2022. Jacob Forster
Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu
Early this month, Vermillion voters approved a bond issue for $26 million to construct a new elementary school. The election, in which 74.8% of voters approved the bond, is the first step toward making the school a reality. Vermillion Public Schools Superintendent Damon Alvey said the new school is necessary because of both the old buildings’ aging materials and infrastructure, as well as a lack of adequate space for learning. Alvey said the school board has been discussing the need for a new school for about six to seven years. “It will offer a much needed space. We’re pretty landlocked, and our buildings are filled to capacity,” Alvey said. “Secondly is the updated features we wouldn’t be able to get out of our 67-year-old buildings.” The issues that arise from such old buildings include outof-date plumbing and electrical systems as well as issues with wireless internet connectivity. Alvey said the new building, which will be constructed in Barstow Park, will also allow Vermillion schoolchildren to learn better. “Kids today require a different space today than they did 60 years ago, and we want
kids to have larger learning environments (and) more collaborative spaces where they could partner up and do different things.” Tim Schwasinger, a recentlyretired member of the Vermillion School Board who was heavily involved in the campaign to pass the school bond through the Elementary School Bond Promotion Committee, said the challenges of the early stages of the project were selling a $26 million bond to Vermillion residents. “The idea of 26 million plus dollars is a big ticket item, and I get why people are hesitant to spend that kind of money,” Schwasinger said. “It was an easy sell from the standpoint, we can really see the age of those buildings and we had public meetings at both schools, so if folks wanted to, if they hadn’t been in the buildings for a number of years, they could
check things out.” Schwasinger said the community was supportive of the measure but had questions about the plans, especially those who lived in neighborhoods near the current schools. “The community was super supportive,” Schwasinger said.
to building. This includes food service, which is currently prepared for the elementary schools at the middle school. “We eliminate a lot of that travel and make everybody more efficient,” Schwasinger said. “So even though the food is great, it’s going to be even better.” Schwasinger said the new building will also increase safety with the parking lots by placing the bus pick-up and drop-off points away from parent pick-up and drop-off points. “That eliminates a lot of traffic congestion,” Schwasinger said. “It’ll still be busy, but it takes a lot of things out of the mix.” Alvey said the Submitted Photo | The Volante current “There was never any organized challenges are getting a detailed opposition to the plan.” plan completed by January, Schwasinger said he’s excited including heating, cooling, for the efficiency that will be parking and amenities. gained with the new building. In “It sounds like a lot of time the old buildings, teachers and to do it, you still got two and a half months, but time really staff have to travel from building
goes fast,” Alvey said. “So time is really our biggest challenge at this point to do it. We want to think through all the pieces of it and put out the best product we can, but the time frame is pretty important.” Alvey said the project is a sign of progress and shows the Vermillion School District is growing. “A new building shows progress, and it shows your community that you’re here for the long run,” Alvey said. Schwasinger said he’s grateful for the support the community has shown throughout this process. “Everything we heard was, you know, the people were supportive of the project,” Schwasinger said. “But again, when it comes to spending that kind of money, at the end of the day, it’s our taxpayers and tax property owners that have to ante up that money, and (I’m) just thankful that they understood why it was so important to do at this time.”
VERVE (B1, B2)
SDBOR Representatives meet with student organization leaders Bennett Clary
Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu
Before the Senate Bill 55 task force meeting on Oct. 14, at 4:30 p.m., a meeting was held between members of the South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) and several student organization presidents to discuss how the soon-to-beestablished Opportunity Center would impact USD. General Counsel Nathan Lukkes explained the Opportunity Center and answered a majority of the questions with help from other members of the SDBOR. Dean of Students Kim Grieve attended this meeting, but no one else from the USD task force was present. Lukkes said he reached out to the university following an interview with The Volante earlier this semester. “After that interview, I kind of got to thinking, well, I’m going to be in Vermillion for the Senate Bill 55 meeting, so I reached out to USD and said ‘is there any merit or any appetite if anybody wants to sit down and meet to talk about this,’” Lukkes said.
Spectrum president Isabel Young said Lukkes discussed what freedom of speech looks like for all public South Dakota universities. She said the discussion was about the word diversity and how it “has been a hot button issue for a lot of people.” Young said the government is regulating the usage of the word so it will not be able to stay in the Center for Diversity and Community (CDC) name. Lukkes said that he didn’t expect to reach a consensus on the debate, but he believes that a strong conversation was had about concerns. “We met for about 90 minutes, but we had a good discussion on how things were being perceived, what issues or concerns they had, what the critical aspect or kinds of services and resources that they’re currently receiving under the CDC and vocalizing not wanting to lose or jeopardize some of those things,” Lukkes said. “We talked through where we were coming from, where they’re coming from, and trying to identify common ground if you will,
or actually engage in a dialogue and try to get understanding.” Young said the change comes from national debates and pressures from Gov. Kristi Noem, who wrote a letter to the SDBOR. She said there were also think tanks within the board discussing the Opportunity Centers and diversity centers on each campus. “They said that they wanted the Opportunity Center to be more of an umbrella, and that an ethnic center, or like a ‘mosaic center,’ would exist underneath it,” Young said. Rachel Overstreet, president of Tiospaye Student Council, said the SDBOR, the legislature and the governor are responding to the divisiveness around the word “diversity.” At the meeting, Lukkes said that the words “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” can all mean different things to different people, and that the word “diversity” itself is divisive. “President (Ally) Feiner asked if the CDC is being dissolved. Lukkes did not answer that question directly,” Overstreet said. “His
response to me seemed to indicate that because the word ‘diversity’ is so divisive, the CDC, at the very least the word diversity, cannot exist on USD’s campus anymore and that the Opportunity Center is one step in removing the word ‘diversity’ from campus.” Young said students asked questions about how the resources are going to be spread out. She the answer was that the SDBOR doesn’t want to change how the organizations will work, but also said their response was vague. Young said students asked questions about how resources would be allocated and said the answers were vague about where the office would be and how resources would be shared. She said they were told that the stakeholder meetings will be concerned with those decisions because the university has to decide on the specifics of the Opportunity Centers. “I think my biggest concern is the fact that they really don’t have any plan to help protect the students in their space because they’re so
focused on creating a space for everyone that they’re forgetting about the people that need space to not feel like they’re in danger,” Young said. In an email interview with The Volante, President of the Student Government Association Ally Feiner said that after attending the 4:30 p.m. meeting, she was able to understand that the SDBOR isn’t necessarily taking away the CDC but rather increasing resources to other services so that students can better utilize them. “Moving forward, the committee will be holding stakeholders’ meetings with students and any other active groups that will be affected by the changes regarding the Opportunity Center. I highly encourage students who want their opinion to be heard to email the President’s Office to set up a stakeholder meeting. The only way to ensure that the University is creating a space that all of campus agrees with is by allowing the committee to hear your opinion,” Feiner said.