Last week’s election yielded unex pected outcomes in many key races, but Republicans flipped the House of Representatives now that they have offi cially won 218 seats. It is projected that Democrats will retain a minimum of 50 Senate seats and thus their majority, with the Georgia Senate race going to a runoff next month.
Georgia election law requires a candidate to receive 50 percent of the vote to be elected. Neither Sen. Rapael Warnock nor Herschel Walker crossed the 50 percent threshold last week, so they will compete head to head in a special election next month.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem won 62 percent of the vote to secure a second term. Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson also secured victories in their races.
The state-wide proposition to de criminalize marijuana failed, while Medicaid expansion passed.
Clay County voters approved a $42 million bond to build a new jail.
Republicans exceeded expectations in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley won with 18 and 12 percentage point margins, respectively.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who held the position for 40 years, lost re-election to Republican Brenna Bird by 20,780 votes.
On the national front, Democrats performed above expectations in many key races.
John Fetterman beat Mehmet Oz to become the next senator of Pennsylva nia.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers narrowly won re-election with 51.2 percent of the vote, while Repub lican Sen. Ron Johnson also narrowly won reelection with 50.5 percent.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michi
gan won re-election, with Democrats winning key house races in that state, which included the 3rd, 4th and 8th districts.
In the West, votes are still being
counted but almost all races have been called.
Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo defeated incumbent Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak. However, Nevada Sen.
Catherine Cortez Masto won re-election against Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, by a margin of 6,500 votes.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona won re-election against Blake Masters, and Katie Hobbs is projected to defeat Kari Lake for Arizona Governor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was re-elected in a landslide 20-point vic tory against former Gov. Charlie Crist, making it the largest win for a governor since 1982. Florida’s Senate election had similar results, with Sen. Marco Rubio’s 16-point win against Rep. Val Demings.
In New York, Republicans had the best turnout in 20 years, Rep. Lee Zel din garnered over 47 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial election but failed to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Republicans are also positioned to flip four congressional seats in New York, including Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s seat, who is the current chair of the Democratic Congressional Candidate Committee.
In the aftermath of last week’s elec tion, several senators have called for a delay in the Republican leadership vote, in what experts believe to be an effort to remove Mitch McConnell as Minority Leader.
“It makes no sense for Senate to have leadership elections before GA runoff,” tweeted Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley replied to Cruz on Twitter, expressing his concurring views that the winner of the Georgia election should have a say in Senate leadership.
Sen. Marco Rubio used stronger language on Monday.
“We should not have a Senate GOP leadership vote until we have a clear explanation for why our 2022 campaign efforts failed and until we have a clear understanding of the political & policy direction for the GOP Senate moving forward,” Rubio tweeted.
Tavin Carncross | The Volante Sen. John Thune, Rep. Dusty Johnson and Gov. Kristi Noem secure their second term in the 2022 Midterm Elections.
Karlee.Phillips@coyotes.usd.edu
Charlie’s Career Closet will take another step toward its goal of providing professional attire for USD students this week.
The organization’s mission is to support USD students with the necessary professional attire they
need for job interviews or professional outings. All clothing articles will come from donations collected at clothing drives.
The program will launch its first official clothing drive on the first floor of East Hall Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lori Costello, Assistant Professor for the USD Media and Journalism Department and visionary for Charlie’s Career Closet, said the idea stemmed from a past job of hers at the unemployment office in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I would see so many people coming in that just didn’t have anything. A new outfit makes all the difference between feeling good and confident or feeling like you’re unable to do something,” Costello said.
All clothing donations will be accepted at the drive, but the closet is primarily looking for business and professional attire of all sizes.
“We feel really strongly about making sure there are sizes for everybody,”
Costello said. “For things that we don’t get through donation, we’ve also got monetary donations coming in.”
The closet will be located in East Hall once renovations are complete. Costello said they also plan to have steamers and other cleaning products to ensure donated clothing articles are sanitized before their dispersal.
The official roll out of the program is set for Spring 2023. The program aims to provide students with the appropriate
Last Friday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. a 120 foot by 20 foot mural done by USD students and the community on the side of Mushy’s Bowling Alley & Bar in Centerville was unveiled and dedicated. The Centerville Development Corporation in connection with the South Dakota Arts Council sponsored the project that began last spring.
Jared Hybertson was the project’s ambassador of community outreach, and last spring he led workshops in the community. The focus of those gatherings being to isolate the topic of the mural and the design factors in play.
Hybertson then invited Reyna Hernandez and Amber Hansen to the design team as the main artists overseeing the project. The mural was not an isolated project. In fact, several artists worked with Hernandez and Hansen to ensure that the mural was completed on schedule. Sonia Hernandez, a USD alum, and Jon Marohl acted as mural assistants, and Macey Hostetler and Brady Muller served as mural apprentices.
In its finishing days, the mural was
worked on by several USD art students and Centerville community members. The design team did research into the land that Centerville resides on, excerpts from Centerville’s Centennial Book and personal citizen stories to come up with a design.
The mural can be viewed at 640 Broadway St, Centerville, SD.
attire at no cost.
“I get really excited about this. It’s just something I’m super passionate about,” Costello said. “The word of mouth on this has been so incredible.”
Another drive will be held on Friday, Dec. 2, also at East Hall from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Costello’s hope is students will return from the Thanksgiving break with clothing they are ready to part with and can donate to the closet.
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District 27 House Republican Bud Marty May was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with second-degree rape by force, coercion or threats.
May is being held without bond at the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City.
The 37-year-old received 2,348 votes during last Tuesday’s election. His mother, Republican Liz May and Democrat Peri Pourier were elected as District 27 House representatives with 2,830 and 3,069 votes, respectively.
If convicted, May could be sentenced to up to 50 years in prison and forced to pay $50,000 in fines.
May appeared in Pennington County Court on Monday morning for two misdemeanor charges of driving without valid insurance and with expired plates in September. Magistrate Judge Sarah Morrison set a dispositional conference for Dec. 8.
Morrison was set to appear in court Tuesday morning if the state chose to move forward with charges.
Bennett Clary Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.eduSix states have seen a listeria outbreak over the last year. Sixteen infections and one death have been recorded according to the CDC.
The outbreak has been traced to deli meats and cheeses in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois and California spanning from April 2021 to September 2022.
As of Nov. 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting data to investigate the outbreak.
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the food they ate before they got sick. According to the CDC, of the 12 people interviewed, 11 had eaten meat or cheese from deli counters. Among seven people in New York, five bought sliced deli meat or cheese from at least one location of NetCost Market.
The CDC said the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for listeria or recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it takes three to four weeks to determine if someone is sick.
Anti-government protests in Iran are in their eighth week as citizens continue protesting for their rights.
After the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the protests have transformed into a greater challenge of the Islamic Republic. Amini died in a coma while in
police custody for allegedly not following the country’s mandatory hijab covering for women.
The Iranian government has taken steps to minimize international news coverage. According to BBC, 32 journalists have been arrested and the two remaining social apps, Instagram and WhatsApp, have been blocked.
According to NPR, the Biden Administration said it condemns brutality and repression against the citizens of Iran and it will look for ways to impose more sanctions against the Iranian government.
Last month, 43 international human rights organizations urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold an emergency session about Iran and to take legal action against those responsible.
In Berlin, tens of thousands of people marched to show solidarity for the women and activists in Iran.
So far, the U.S., UK, EU and Canada have sanctioned Iranian officials and organizations who are accused of being involved in issues the citizens are protesting against.
Tavin Carncross Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu
With two regular season games left, many teams are changing their focus to the Summit League Tournament in Omaha.
USD is 15-1 in conference play and 26-2 overall. Their games left include North Dakota State on Nov. 17 and North Dakota on Nov. 19.
South Dakota won the Summit League for the sixth time in seven years with their win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 12. The Coyotes sit with their al most perfect record of 26-2 on the season with their only losses to current No. 5 Louisville and Summit League rival North Dakota State.
South Dakota is led by junior outside hitter Eliz abeth Juhnke who has set South Dakota records and also led the NCAA in kills all season. She leads the NCAA in total kills (600), kills per set (5.45) and total attacks (1464). Juhnke is also an eight time Of fensive Peak Performer of the Week in the Summit League this season and back-to-back Summit League Peak Performer of the Month for the women’s side.
Fifth year defensive specialist Lolo Weideman leads the Summit League in service aces and total digs with 50 and 517, respectively. Weideman was given the honors of Defensive Peak Performer of the Week twice this season (Sept. 27 and Nov. 8). This was the second Coyote to be given the award, the first being junior middle blocker Madison Harms (Oct. 25).
Omaha is 13-4 in conference play and 18-9 over all. Their games left include Denver on Nov. 19.
The Maverick’s were last year’s regular season winners, but this season they have the chance to stay at No. 2 or drop to third or fourth position depend ing on how the final games in the Summit turn out.
The Mavericks lost five games during their non-conference slate including games to South Car olina, Florida State, (formerly) No. 17 Creighton, Central Florida and (formerly) No. 23 Kansas. Their conference schedule saw them lose to South Dakota twice, South Dakota State and North Dakota State.
NDSU is 12-4 in conference play and 19-9 overall. Their games left include South Dakota on Nov. 17 and South Dakota State on Nov. 19.
The Bison were projected to be the seventh seed in the preseason polls but now sit in the third position They could potentially move to second or fourth de pending on how the rest of the games end.
The Coyotes have won their third Summit League regular season championship. They have won the tournament six times.
Sophomore outside hitter Shayla McCormick leads the team in kills with 388. McCormick also sits in third place in total service aces with 40. McCor mick was a Peak Performer during the week of Oct. 11, which was the first time she had been named to this honor throughout her career.
Junior middle blocker McKenna Ruch is in third place in the Summit League in total blocks with 128 on the season. Ruch is also the third leading killer on the team with 280. Ruch was named Defensive Peak Performer of the Week twice this season which was the fourth time of her career.
Omaha will need to win their last game against Denver and have North Dakota State lose one of their two games to clinch the two seed in the tour nament.
They started their non-conference schedule col lecting three wins right away which is a fourth of what they were projected to win. Their losses in the non-conference consisted of Louisiana, UTRGV, Cen tral Michigan and Austin Peay. As for Summit League play, the Bison won five straight games including a game against USD. North Dakota State’s losses in the conference were to North Dakota, Omaha, South Da kota State and Denver.
NDSU has four players that currently have over 200 kills. Senior outside hitter Syra Tanchin leads the way with 378 followed by junior outside
Ali Hinze with 375, senior middle blocker Michelle Artis with 287 and sophomore middle blocker Alexis Bol ing with 204.
Tanchin and Hinze were named Offensive Peak Performers of the Week during Oct. 4 and Oct. 25, respectively.
The Bison can control their own destiny to the second seed in the tournament if they win both games against South Dakota and South Dakota State. How ever, if they only win one game, they will need to hope that Omaha loses to Denver.
Denver is 12-5 in conference play and 18-10 over all. Their final game is against Omaha on Nov. 19.
The Pioneers were the projected No. 1 in the preseason polls but after a rough start to the season losing their first three games they are currently at No. 4.
Denver went 6-5 in their non-conference games as they lost to Western Michigan, Green Bay, Colorado, UC Davis and (formerly) No. 1 Texas. The Pioneers have also lost to Omaha, North Dakota State, Kan sas City and South Dakota twice in Summit League competition.
The Pioneers have five players that have over 150 kills on the season with their leader being graduate outside hitter Jordan Lockwood with 279. Lockwood is inside the Summit League top 20 in service aces (15th), blocks (19th) and points (13th).
Senior middle blockers Cadi Boyer and Brianna Green were named Defensive Peak Performers of the Week on Sept. 6 and Sept. 20, respectively. Green leads the Summit League in total blocks and Boyer is fifth. Denver is the best blocking team in the Sum mit League as they have 479 in total. South Dakota is second with 397.
Denver can only get as high as the two seed but they need North Dakota State to lose both games and win their final game against Omaha to do so.
SDSU is 9-7 in conference play and 15-13 over all. Their remaining games include North Dakota on Nov. 17 and North Dakota State on Nov. 19.
The Jackrabbits are where the preseason poll projected them to be as they sit in the fifth position tied with North Dakota but having the tiebreaker as they beat them earlier this season. SDSU’s non-con ference schedule had them finishing 6-6 with wins over Northern Illinois, NJIT, Eastern Washington, Chicago State, Samford and Nicholls State. They lost against UIC, Eastern Washington, Jacksonville State, Iowa, Northern Iowa and North Florida.
SDSU is led by fifth year outside hitter Crystal Burk who currently sits at third in the NCAA in total kills with 497. Burk also leads the Jackrabbits in service aces, points and total attacks and is second in digs. Burk was also named the Offensive Peak Performer on Nov. 8.
Sophomore middle blocker Ella Thompson was named the Defensive Peak Performer on Nov. 15. Thompson leads the Jackrabbits with 10 solo blocks and second in total blocks with 80.
The Jackrabbits cannot go any higher than the fifth position but they can fall to the sixth spot if they do not win this weekend against UND and NDSU.
UND is 9-7 in conference play and 12-15 overall. Their remaining games include South Dakota State on Nov. 17 and South Dakota on Nov. 19.
With a negative record in the non-conference schedule, North Dakota came into the Summit League season with a 3-8 overall record but thanks to a 9-3 start, they found a ticket to Omaha.
As mentioned earlier, South Dakota State holds the tiebreaker over the Fighting Hawks because of a game earlier in the season.
The Fighting Hawks are led by three players who have above 200 kills on the season including sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Olson, junior setter Elizabeth Norris and graduate outside hitter Sierra Ward. Norris is also the team’s leading assister with 502 on the season.
Senior setter Kortney Carney has been Defensive Peak Performer twice this season. She has 393 digs on the season which is fourth in the Summit League. Carney is also the third highest assister on the Fight ing Hawks with 158.
The Fighting Hawks will have to win the rest of their season to capture the fifth seed. However, they can’t go any lower than sixth.
The Summit League tournament will be in Oma ha. The first round will be on Nov. 24. The first and second seeds will be awarded a bye and will not play until Nov. 25.
The Coyotes announced the signing of 46 athletes across multiple USD athletic teams on National Sign ing Day last week.
The men’s basketball team signed three players for their 2023 recruiting class: Isaac Bruns, Jake Brack and Shey Eberwein.
Bruns is a 6’4” guard from North Sioux City and plays basketball at Dakota Valley highschool where he was the Class A player of the year a season ago, helping the Panthers to an undefeated season and state cham pionship title. Bruns has ties to USD where his broth er Paul is playing his first season at South Dakota after transferring from North Dakota.
Brack is a 6’9” forward from Omaha, Nebraska where he attends Skutt Catholic High School. Last season Brack averged 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game leading him to receive first team Class B-allstate, all-conference and all-area honors.
Eberwein is a 6’5” guard from The Woodlands,Texas. He is a four-year varsity player and a two-year captain of The Woodlands High School Highlanders where he received district MVP.
Like the men, the women’s basketball team signed three recruits on signing day: Avery Broughton, Olivia Kieffer and Addison Klosterbuer.
Broughton is a 5 ‘11” guard from Corisca, South Dakota. She is a highschool three-time first-team allstater and is the all time leading scorer and rebounder at Corsica-Stickney High School compiling 1,909 ca reer points and 1,014 career rebounds in three seasons.
Kieffer is a 5’10” guard from Rapid City, South Da kota. She is a four-year starter at Rapid City Christian where she averaged over 20 points per game in all four seasons equalling to 1,822 career points. Kieffer is also a six-year varsity volleyball player who has tallied over 2,200 kills and 1,700 digs.
Klosterbuer is a 5’11” guard from Little Rock, Iowa. She is coming off a milestone year where she broke the single season three point record at Central Lyon High School and was second overall in the state of Iowa with 75 three-pointers. She was also selected as the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year.
The volleyball team added five players for the 2023 season: Caity Clancy, Amelia Dugger, Samantha Laird, Amanda Loschen and Avery Van Hook.
Clancy is a 5’8” defensive specialist from Castle Rock, Colorado. She is a four-year all-conference start er for Douglas County highschool. This season she led the 5A Continental League with 63 service aces.
Dugger is a 6’1” middle blocker from Decorah, Iowa. This year she recorded 309 kills and Decorah High
School record of .412 hitting percentage. Dugger was also a three-year varsity letter winning soccer player.
Laird is a 6’0” outside hitter from Omaha, Nebras ka. She helped lead Westside High School to the Ne braska Class A state title game compiling 433 kills on the year. Laird tallied 1,308 kills and 1,130 digs in her highschool career.
Loschen is a 6’2” middle block from Omaha, Ne braska. Her sister Elizabeth played for South Dakota from 2016-2019. Loschen helped Marian High School break a three-year postseason drought, recording 384 kills and 89 total blocks this season.
Van Hook is a 5’9” setter from Marion, Iowa. She helped Marion High School reach the Iowa Class 4A state tournament four times. Van Hook ended her ca reer at Marion with 2,255 assists, 970 kills, 1,119 digs, 172 blocks and 183 service aces.
The women’s golf team added two golfers Ella Greenberg from Rockford, Illinois and Avery O’Don nell from Elk River, Minnesota.
Greenberg is a four-time state qualifier and was the state runner up this fall for Boylan Catholic High School. O’Donnell is a five-time all conference selec tion and a two-time state qualifier for Elk River High School.
The men’s team also signed a pair of new golf ers: John Rohlwing from Apple Valley, Minnesota and Cole Witherow from Woodbury, Minnesota.
Rohlwing is a two time all-state athlete and had the lowest scoring average the last two seasons for Eastview High School. Witherow is also a two-time all-state ath lete and won the Class A individual state title in 2022 for the New Life Academy Eagles.
The Coyote softball team signed six players: Abi Brown, Alexis Lusk, Autumn Iversen, Emmie Wills, McKenna Young and Tessa Villotta.
Brown is a catcher from Bennington, Nebraska. She holds the program record for career hits and RBIs at Bennington High School.
Lusk is an infielder from Lubbock, Texas. She helped Monterey High School win back-to-back Dis trict 4-5A championships hitting .484 and driving in 37 runs last season.
Iversen is an infielder from Wahoo, Nebraska. She was Wahoo High School’s MVP all four years and leads the program in runs scored, home runs and RBIs. She also pitched for the Warriors, striking out 422 batters in her career.
Wills is an outfielder from Papillon, Nebraska. She hit over .500 in her final two seasons, boasting a .550 on-base percentage last season. Wills also played bas ketball and tennis at Papillion La Vista High School.
Young is a pitcher/infielder from Brodhead, Wis consin. She is a two-time all-state pitcher and short
stop. She holds the record for most home runs and the lowest season ERA at Brodhead High School. Young also played basketball and volleyball.
Villotta is an infielder from Blair, Nebraska. She is a two-time all-state honoree and has a .472 batting av erage. Villotta will join her sister Tatum on the South Dakota softball team.
The track and field/cross country teams added Thea Chance a distance runner from Yankton, South Dako ta, Hadley Cheatum a hurdler from Page, Nebraska, Jaden Guthmiller from Spearfish, South Dakota, Mo riah Knapp a distance runner from Algona, Iowa and Maddie Olson a high jumper from Sheldon, Iowa.
The Triathlon team signed two athletes Lulu Ehinger from Coppell, Texas and Ella Spitz from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
The Coyotes swim and dive team added 11 on sign ing day: Zoe Afman from Lakewood, Colorado, Gab bie Ahrendt from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Lauren Anderson from Mitchell, South Dakota, Anna Balfanz from Baraboo, Wisconsin, Teague Bates from High land Village, Texas, James Coffey from Waukee, Iowa, Joaquin Contreras-Fallico from Wheat Ridge, Colora do, Taylor Horan from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Nathan Langstraat from Woodbury, Minnesota, Bri Ruark from Niotaze, Kansas and Dean Wall from Hoschton, Georgia.
The Soccer team brought in seven players from the 2023 recruiting class: Megan Brady, Kyla Brown, Brooke Conway, Cambell Fischer, Sam Luft, Gillian Long and Mali Van Meeteren.
Brady is a midfielder from Vermillion, South Dako ta. She was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year for the Tanagers and helped them to a regional champion ship and a third-place finish at Nationals.
Brown is a forward from Estevale, California. She scored 23 goals this season for the John F. Kennedy Middle College High School Timberwolves.
Conway is a midfielder from Highlands Ranch, Col orado. She was a second team all-conference selection for Mountain Vista High School and was a two-time Elite Clubs National League all-league member for her club team.
Fischer is a goalkeeper from Hartford, South Dako ta. She helped the West Central High School Trojans to three state championships and a runner-up finish. In 2021 Fischer was named the Argus Leader’s Soccer Player of the Year.
Luft is a defender from Castle Pines, Colorado. Luft played club soccer for Real Colorado where she won the U17 ECNL National Championship.
Long is a forward from Chino Hills, California. She was a four-year varsity player for the Huskies and was a Baseline League first-team selection in 2021.
Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States that occurs every fourth Thurs day of November. It wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, when it was proclaimed a national holiday.
The common image of Thanksgiving is a table piled with food like mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and, of course, turkey. We know the story of the “first Thanks giving” well, at least we think we do.
As children we would see depictions of Puritans in big hats, lots of buckles and ugly black shoes feasting alongside their allies the Wampanoag. A good time was had by all as
they rejoiced over their friend ship and harvest.
The images we saw were a warped version of what hap pened. In reality, the Puritans were a group of Chirstians who spent more time fasting than feasting and believed most cel ebrations were unnecessary and wasteful. The first Thanksgiving was not “thanksgiving” but a
rejoicing. Rejoicing often had feasts, drinking, military drills, contests of strengths and more.
The Pilgrims did not invite their allies to the festivities. In fact the Wampanoags showed up with maybe as many as 90 men, which was more than the entire population of Plymouth.
The Wampanoags had heard the gunfire from the Puritans’
military drills and thought their allies were under attack so they came to their aid. Eventually the Puritans and Wampanoag figured out there was no threat from either side and spent the next three days together, explained David Silverman, a Native American historian.
There is no Native Amer ican narrative of these events and we have a story from only one side. However we do know decades after the uneasy peace King Philip’s War broke out in the New England region that devastated the Native American population.
We were taught to falsely see Thanksgiving as an example of intercultural unity. The
Thanksgiving story tries to hide what happened between the Native people of America and European colonizers. It tries to paint a picture of peacefulness and coexistence when there was anything but.
It is important to under stand the complete history of our past. We cannot use the incorrect histories we were taught as truth. Seeing the truth of events allows us to do a better job of understanding the issues we see today because how can you properly address an issue if you do not understand the causes?
Sydney Johnson, editor-in-chief Allison Horkey managing editor Tavin Carncross, sports editor1887
Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.
“I promise there was no whacking.”
— FA
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 N. Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069
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Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.
“I thought I saw two lesbians on the news but it was just Ozzy Osbourn and his wife.”
— MUC
“I don’t think I like cheese.”
— MUC
“It just made me think of space Jesus.”
— Beacom
“I mean war is good for the economy.”
— Old Main
It is important to understand the complete history of our past. We cannot use the incorrect histories we were taught as truth.”
“
Now I understand there are very few Thanksgiving songs, and probably none of them should be on the radio but there should not be Christmas music playing before Thanksgiving has ended.
like turkey or football and try to avoid awkward conversations with the extended family. But Christmas should not be a part of November.
This past weekend I made my way to Sioux Falls and my phone was dead so I was forced to listen to the radio. And to my absolute horror there were a bunch of radio stations play ing Christmas music.
I like holidays having specific months, February is Valentine’s Day, October is Halloween and December is Christmas. But somehow Christmas has taken over November. Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. I don’t
There are still about 40 days until Christmas day and we have been listening to Christmas music for the past week. I have no intention of listening to the same song over and over again for four weeks.
It is not that Christmas music is bad, it just isn’t good. There are a few distinct songs
but most of the songs are so repetitive with the bells and the annoying snow referenc es. These songs are also very catchy, and it’s not a good thing. I have already found myself humming “Here Comes Santa Claus” and it disgusts me. So many of these songs get stuck in my head, sometimes for hours at a time.
For some people, Christmas music causes stress. The songs start a countdown in your head because there is only so much
time left to finish shopping, plan trips and see relatives you don’t want to. Christmas songs foreshadow the end of the year. In general there are too many Christmas songs. They can be annoying and I do not want to hear them before the first of December.
The opening of “Jingle Bells” fills me with dread and I can’t be the only one who feels that way. Until December hits, I will be happily listening to the greatest hits of 2012.
State elections were held last week, meaning people of all age groups over 18 and back grounds brought their opinions to the polls to vote on issues of great importance to them, their communities and the nation.
In South Dakota alone, issues regarding taxation, mar ijuana use and the expansion
of Medicaid were all brought to the table for voters. These sub jects all contain serious matters with consequences no matter if you voted for or against the measure, and individuals as young as 18 were meant to vote and have a say in these crucial decisions.
However, their freedoms outside the realm of voting are limited and make it seem as if they aren’t mature enough to handle responsibility. The na tional drinking age is 21 years, and the same age is required to purchase tobacco products as of recent rulings. It seems ironic
that something as precious as a state and country’s future can reside in the hands of people so young, but these same individ uals are not legally allowed to make more personal choices for themselves.
Apparently waiting three years to turn 21 is required before you are able to make “adult” decisions about drink ing or smoking. People who are 18 are allowed to vote in elections that decide national issues but are required to fol low other people’s ideas about decisions of personal substance use. While the misuse of both
alcohol and tobacco have seri ous repercussions, the problems do not decrease as people get older.
The health risks that accompany the substances are a reality for everyone, and adults should be able to make their own choice regarding things that will affect their bodies. Es sentially, if lawmakers believe an 18-year-old is competent enough to educate themselves on policies and vote, then they should expect them to make equally reasonable decisions with alcohol and tobacco.
It would also make the
substances seem less like “forbidden fruit,” and it’s pos sible legalization at a younger age would render them less appealing.
In any case, there should not be discrepancies with what we trust our youth with and al lowing them more personal au tonomy can only expand their experiences and allow them to understand real responsibility where both voting and alcohol use is concerned.
ELLA BYERS is a senior majoring
EMMA DAGGETT is a junior majoiring in English.
The Applied AI club, the Ko rean Student Association and the Witches and Pagans of USD are among a few new organiza tions beginning this semester.
The Applied AI Club is in volved in discussing the me chanics of artificial intelligence and benefits of machine learn ing. Run by president Siddhi Bajracharya, the club considers the future that artificial intel ligence (AI) is able to create, including possible uses in agri culture, healthcare and defense. With a focus on the logistics involved with programming AI, the club hopes to show people the possibilities of AI.
“Our goal is to build confi dence and skills for anyone who wants to pursue their career in AI and learn from each other. As we understand, AI has moved out from being an interest from computer science to various
other domains such as physics, business, biomedical and so on. We want to give ideas to people from different backgrounds on how AI might help them solve their problems,” Bajracharya said.
Along with their goals, the club wants to inform students of all backgrounds about how to use AI for themselves. With the available technology, the AI club wants to hold events to teach all students the mechani cal aspects needed to explore AI.
“We are also planning on doing various workshops that will let the student peak beyond academia and into the indus try to prepare them for the AI industry. For this we are also planning to include discussions about the standard tools and technologies used in the indus try,” Bajracharya said.
The Korean Student Associ ation (KSA) has a specific focus to educate on diversity and show Korean traditions around cam
pus. The group, led by president Eunjin Lee, has a goal to show case Korean culture throughout the community with annual, planned events available to all students. With the “Spicy Fire Noodle Challenge” they hosted in October, the association has already started reaching out to students.
Vice president of KSA Erica Martinez joined Lee after learn ing about the then unmade association and its plans. The two figured that the best way of introducing students to the culture is by using Korean food. Their next events are planned and each will have Korean food along with the event.
“Our next event is Jan. 26, a dinner & movie night. We are going to be showing the Acad emy Award winning film Par asite and serving Gochujang Chicken Burritos, Korean BBQ Pork Bao Sandwiches, and Ko rean Carnitas Burritos,” Marti nez said.
KSA also has plans for hol iday celebrations. On Feb. 9, the association will be holding a Valentine’s Day Mixer in the MUC Ballroom. They will use aspects of Korean culture in their music, drinks and food. This event also promises to in troduce Korean Valentine’s tra ditions to USD students.
The Witches and Pagans of USD, created by co-presidents Nyx Podzimek and Sage Kourt, explores witchcraft, crystals, Pa gan traditions, along with top ics like wellness and the envi ronment. Any students are able to join, and Podzimek wanted the experience to be for people to learn more about the witch community.
“Both (Kourt) and I have been practicing witches for years and we have over nine years of knowledge and experience each, based in traditional witchcraft. (Kourt) and I are also practicing Pagans and we really wanted to educate more people about
Pagan culture and be able to share that with them through fun events and experiences,” Podzimek said.
Along with the experience the two have, Podzimek said there are many paths witch craft can follow because of the open-endedness of the culture. Witchcraft has a goal to hear from other members and learn through their experiences.
“It would be unethical of me and out of my scope of practice to teach about a religion that I have not studied or been trained in. I have, however, practiced Pagan culture and I am a prac ticing witch.” Podzimek said. “We do research and plan for every lecture and lesson to make sure that we aren’t going out of either of our scopes of practice, but we also make sure to leave room for others to come forward and share their knowledge on these subjects.”
