The Volante W E D N E S D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 7
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
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Public library to loan mobile Wi-Fi hotspots to patrons Chance Mullinix
Chance.Mullinix@coyotes.usd.edu
be ruled unconstitutional.” Sen. Blake Curd of Sioux Falls is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against IM 22. Curd said he would deal with the legislature’s group request for a preliminary injunction. South Dakotans for Integrity (a pro-IM 22 group) filed a motion to intervene. Defending the law, Attorney General Marty Jackley said that even if IM 22 is approved, it may be challenged in court on constitutional grounds. As a result, Gov. Dennis Daugaard was to appoint the five-member ethics commission no later than Jan. 17. The appointment is stalled now because the measure by the committee has an emergency clause. This means, if passed, IM 22 could be repealed by the governor. Kronaizl went to Pierre for a protest of IM 22 with two USD alumni, Bene-
The Vermillion Public Library will offer mobile Wi-Fi hotspots available for checkout, beginning with a trial period in February. Susan Heggestad, the programming specialist for the library, said Verizon contacted the library about this program last summer. The trial will help the library and Verizon better understand how much of a demand there is for the devices, she said. There will only be two hotspots used during the trial, but that could increase to five or even 10, depending on their popularity. The library expects the program to be successful, as many Vermillion residents currently don’t have access to the Internet. The hotspots are 4G capable and use Verizon’s nationwide coverage. “It sounds like these devices can be really useful to people who might have Wi-Fi access, but maybe spotty access,” Heggestad said. “And of course our goal is to also assist people who can’t afford or aren’t savvy enough to get one otherwise.” The hotspots have been tested by the library staff. “Within city limits, outside city limits, we’re finding really great results. People are not experiencing a drop of a signal,” Heggestad said. “It’s really, really intuitive; it’s easy for them to use. No one is having compatibility issues with the devices. So we’re super excited.” Library director Daniel Burniston says he’s been hearing
See IM 22, Page A6
See WI-FI, Page A3
Conflict continues Submitted Photo I The Volante
Legislators and members of the public gathered in the capitol building in Pierre Jan. 26 to watch lawmakers vote to delay the
repeal of Initiated Measure 22, a law passed by voters in November to fight government corruption and promote transparency.
State debates controversial IM 22 Devin Martin
Devin.Martin@coyotes.usd.edu
S
outh Dakota lawmakers have been in the spotlight recently because of their hard-fought efforts to overturn a recently-passed measure, Initiated Measure 22, which supporters say is intended to make state government less vulnerable to bribery and more transparent. IM 22 was passed by voters in South Dakota last November with 180,634 votes in favor and 169,199 votes against. The bill took effect Nov. 16 and a group of Republican legislators are fighting for the repeal of IM 22. Doug Kronaizl, a spokesperson and field organizer of Represent South Dakota, a political organization in support of IM 22, said he wants to work with the opponents of the measure.
“I would rather see (legislators) work with IM 22 than against it,” Kronaizl said. “And the complete and total repeal of a law passed by the voters is totally unacceptable.” The measure is intended to establish publicly financed elections of candidates for statewide office and legislative seats, establish a state ethics commission and place limits on political spending for representatives in the state. There’s an argument by opponents of IM 22 that the initiated measure would be unconstitutional because it encompasses laws of more than one subject. “There has been no final declaration from a court. What they are referring to that Judge Mark Barnett said in his ruling (is that) a preliminary injunction back in the beginning of December (put) the law on hold,” Kronaizl said. “He said three specific portions of IM 22 would in the future
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I never really liked it when Obama did executive orders. While I agree with Donald Trump’s, I don’t really feel comfortable with the executive order itself. Seth Randall, first-year & member of College Republicans
USD students react to Trump administration Volante Staff
Volante@coyotes.usd.edu
Donald Trump has been president for 13 days. In that time, he’s signed more than a dozen executive orders and memorandums. Some of those orders include a travel ban on several Middle Eastern countries, a green light on production of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Many students have been discussing President Trump’s ‘travel ban.’ On Friday, Trump signed an executive order for a 90-day suspension of refugee resettlement and entry into the United States from several countries, including Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. This order has prompted a campus forum on the execu-
tive order on immigration by the Center for Diversity and Community. The forum is scheduled to take place in the Muenster University Center Pit Lounge at 3 p.m. Thursday. Lamont Sellers, associate vice president for diversity, said there will be three attorneys at the forum to answer students’ questions. “They will answer questions and try to bring some clarity to what immigration really is and what this is shaping up to look like, even though this is a moving target and this is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall,” Sellers said. “Nobody really knows what this executive order is or what it is really shaping up to be at this point.” Graduate student Carolina Pineda said she’s concerned about the order. “It’s overwhelming, all the See TRUMP, Page A3
Taylor Kidd I The Volante
According to Gov. Daugaard’s State of the State speech, 599 remedial courses were taken in South Dakota colleges, at a cost of roughly $500,000 while not counting toward graduation. (Source, Daugaard’s State of the State speech and Paul Turman of the SDBOR.
Statewide need for college remedial courses increased in 2016 Mason Dockter
Mason.Dockter@coyotes.usd.edu
In South Dakota, roughly 30 percent of all first-year college students are deficient in their mastery of math or English or both, in many cases. Governor Daugaard addressed this issue in his State of the State Address, calling students’ unpreparedness for college coursework a “persistent problem.” Having to take remedial courses, Daugaard said, is a “lose-lose,” because students are forced to pay to learn material they should’ve learned in high school, and the courses don’t count as college credit. Universities struggle with this as well, because the odds of graduation are poorer for any student taking remedial
courses, he said. There’s a program provided by the state that helps identify subjects that students might need some remediation in before entering college, called the Accuplacer test. Launched in fall of 2013, the intent of the Accuplacer is to tackle the problem while a student is still in high school, thus eliminating the need for costly remedial courses. Paul Turman, vice president of academic affairs of the South Dakota Board of Regents, said the Accuplacer test is much more than just an assessment – it’s a whole program for high school students. “Those students are encouraged to take an Accuplacer diagnostic, and then that
diagnostic basically builds a set of modules for them to work through,” Turman said. “Scores are used to determine whether they’re ready to go into college-bearing courses.” Ideally, a student who successfully completes the Accuplacer system can avoid having to pay for a remedial math or English course in college. Last year, however, only 154 high school students in South Dakota took the Accuplacer test, and of those, only 100 went on to take the final Accuplacer assessment. Daugaard made clear his frustration with the small number of students taking advantage of the program. See REMEDIAL, Page A3