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THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
Women in leadership: The year of the woman
W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 8
Rachel Newville
Rachel.Newville@coyotes.usd.edu
This is the second part of an ongoing series about female leaders in South Dakota. The New York Times reports that 2018 has been a recordbreaking year for women for many reasons. There is a record number of 257 women running for the House and Senate this year; the 2018 midterms have broken the record for number of females dedicated who filed; and the number of women who
won House and Senate primary contests and the number of women winning primaries for the governor’s office is higher than ever.
women in state government, five female county commissioners and 12 councilwomen according to Ready to Run SD’s website. Gubernatorial candidate Kristi Noem said meeting people of all backgrounds has been one of her favorite parts of being a politician. “Meeting so many people has certainly been a positive experience,” Noem said in an email to The Volante. “I’ve met so many people I would have never met otherwise. I’ve learned from
Women in state government
There are 244 women running for a state or county office in South Dakota this midterm election. South Dakota currently has 16 women in the South Dakota house of representatives, 10
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them. I’ve been inspired by them. That’s a huge blessing.” Noem said it’s important for women to be involved in the political process because they bring new perspectives to the table. “Women bring a different perspective to the table than men. I approach policy as a farmer and as a small business owners, but I also think about it as a mom and a woman of faith,” she said. “That’s a perspective See WOMEN, Page A3
USD IS WATCHING
Community members, students and faculty keep a close eye on election coverage at a watch party in the Muenster University Center on Tuesday evening.
Peyton Beyers I The Volante
MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS AFTER SEASON OF INVOLVEMENT Nick Nelson
Nick.Nelson@coyotes.usd.edu
Students and faculty kept close watch on election night results at watch parties at Dakota Brickhouse and the Muenster University Center (MUC). At time of publication, Republicans were projected by CNN to retain control of the U.S. Senate and Democrats were projected to win the U.S. House. Ed Gerrish, assistant professor of political science, said faculty was present to help students interpret the results and the coverage.
“In a lot of instances, this may be the first time a student is watching midterm election returns,” he said. “It’s good to have faculty here to help students understand everything that’s going on.” Julia Hellwege, assistant professor of political science, said these events help students gain more perspective on different political opinions. “Events like this really bring our department together, it creates community,” Hellwege said. “We have research that shows that students engaging with faculty will often bring them
to the middle of the political spectrum, as opposed to having them go into their enclosed bubbles and gravitate more toward the extremes.”
Historical gubernatorial candidates
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kristi Noem would be making history, if elected, by becoming the first ever female governor of South Dakota. Noem began her political career in the South Dakota House of Representatives until she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Billie Sutton would be making history by being the first South Dakota Democratic governor elected in 40 years. He was paralyzed from the waist down in Oct. 2007 when his horse flipped while competing in the PRCA Circuit Rodeo. With his rodeo career over, Sutton first began serving in the South Dakota Senate in 2010, since acquiring the title of South Dakota Senate Minority Leader. Tyler Wenande, a senior economics and political science major, and the organizer of Coyotes for Sutton said that
Sutton’s story is compelling to South Dakota voters. “As more people learn about Billie’s message and his story, I think it’s something that really resonates with people,” Wenande said. David Earnest, the chair of the political science department, attributed the surprising success of the Sutton campaign to the, what he called, “historical precedent” of progressive periods of South Dakota politics. He noted that these periods often occur during times of agriculturSee VOTE, Page A3
College of Arts and Sciences adds 13 new academic programs Kelli Susemihl
Kelli.Susemihl@coyotes.usd.edu
Peyton Beyers I The Volante
Student workers will have acess to the soon to be installed panic buttons at the front desks at North Complex.
Panic buttons to be added at North Complex Lexi Kerzman
Lexi.Kerzman@coyotes.usd.edu
Within the month, panic buttons will be installed at North Complex front desks in order to improve the safety of desk workers and the students living in the residence halls. In the case of an emergency where a student employee is unable to call the police, the buttons allow them to alert the police immediately. Two new panic buttons were also added last winter break at the front desk of the Muenster University Center and in the Dean
of Students office. In an email interview with The Volante, Jef Rice, UPD Lieutenant, said panic buttons have been used in various buildings at USD over the past 10 years. He said the buildings that have panic buttons were installed because of department requests. “They will be added to locations that are occupied by desk workers in the residence halls,” Rice said. “For several years they have been utilized in various buildings throughout campus. They were requested by departSee BUTTONS, Page A6
The College of Arts and Sciences introduced 13 new academic programs this year, including certificates, minors, specializations, and degree programs. New certificates will be offered in forensic anthropology, professional ethics, professional writing and Spanish translation; new minors are linguistics, Russian studies, and nonprofit studies; new specializations are in human and natural systems, environmental science, analytics for large data sets and professional writing; and new degree programs are both a master’s and doctorate program in sustainability. John Dudley, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said all of the programs are in place this semester, with students currently involved in all of them. “They’re happening. They’re
New Degree Programs: Sustainability, M.S. and Ph.D.
New Minors:
Linguistics Russian Studies Nonprofit Studies
in place,” Dudley said. “I’m not sure how many students are currently in each program… but there are students in all of those programs at this point.” Dudley said many of the programs are made up of courses that already existed, but are being repackaged in a way for students to put on their transcripts. “In a lot of cases, we’re taking courses that were already being offered and redesigning and repackaging them in a way that will make sense for students,” Dudley said. This repackaging will allow students to be more marketable and have more experience for their résumés, Dudley said. “It’s a competitive job market, and if a student can get a credential on their transcript... if you’re going to hire someone for a job, they might get a second look,” he said. “I think students appreciate the opportunity to get that extra credential.”
New Specializations:
Ilmira Dulyanova, a Russian language instructor, said USD is the first and only school in South Dakota to offer a minor in Russian studies, and this program will help students gain experience and knowledge for their future careers. “The Russian studies minor provides our students with appropriate language skills and cultural, historical and/ or contemporary societal knowledge and thus makes our students more competitive in the job market,” Dulyanova said in an email interview with The Volante “Our students with the Russian Studies minor have additional opportunities to get a job in federal agencies, the Foreign Service, military intelligence, cyber security and academia.” Meghann Jarchow, the chair and associate professor in the Department of Sustainability and Environment, said
English, B.A. and B.S., Professional Writing Physics, M.S., Analytics for Large Data Sets Sustainability, B.S., Environmental Science Sustainability, B.A. and B.S., Human and Natural Systems
See PROGRAMS, Page A6
New Certificates:
Forensic Anthropology Professional Ethics Professional Writing Graduate Certificate in Spanish Translation