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TKE BRINGS BACK
FIGHT NIGHT Devin Martin
Devin.Martin@coyotes.usd.edu
Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) will continue their philanthropic event TKE Fight Night after last year’s fight was cancelled for the first time in 10 years. TKE members said they’re looking forward to this year’s fight on April 19 in the Sanford Coyote Sport Center, and they’ve learned from last year’s mistakes.
The fight
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Preparation for TKE Fight Night started last fall and now TKE plans to market the event as plans have been finalized.
New dean hired Morgan Matzen
Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu
Dawn Bragg was recently hired as the new dean of medical student affairs. Her first day was Feb. 15 and she accepted the position in November of 2017. Bragg said what attracted her to USD were several colleagues within the Sanford School of Medicine and the university’s commitment to South Dakota communities. Before coming to USD, Bragg served for 25 years at the Medical College of Wisconsin in various positions, such as the associate professor of pediatrics and medical education as well as the associate dean for student inclusion and academic enrichment. Bragg said she wore two different hats during her time at Wisconsin. “I made sure we provided quality curriculum for our medical students and educational opportunities for all different types of learners as they come into medical school,” she said. “The other hat of associate dean was to provide support for our medical students, provide services that will enhance their learning and help them to become better physicians.” She said her office is commit-
ted to making sure students are successful and getting through their courses. She plans to work with curriculum, student BRAGG services and academic support as well as pipeline programs. “My goal is to make sure that our students have a rigorous experience, but a challenging one, one that helps them to enrich them to become better physicians when they go out into the country,” she said. Bragg said she’s passionate about her line of work and is excited to work for students. “I’m committed to providing that support for students (that) are mentored and challenged as they go through rigorous course of study to realize their dream of becoming physicians,” she said. “Many of our students have held these dreams since they were quite young and they’ve worked hard to get here to be at this point getting into medical school, so we want to ensure their success.”
TKE Fight Night is a registered amateur boxing event, and all proceeds go toward St. Judes Children’s Hospital. Josh Anderson, a junior political science and business administration major and president of TKE, said participation in the 34th annual TKE Fight Night is encouraged for all students, not just those involved in Greek life. “We always try and encourage USD students to participate,” Anderson said. “We always get a few either that just have an interest in boxing or are supported by their student organization, whether it’s another fraternity or sorority or chapter on campus. I think it’s really unique and it’s a different experience for students to be a part of.” Different student organizations across campus are participating, such as ROTC and the boxing club as well as a boxing club from Sioux Falls. Anderson said there are participants preparing to fight, however, there is not a set number of fighters competing. “There’s been a solid group of about eight people so far to
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Practices for TKE Fight Night are held every Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday in Wellness Center room 113. practices and being a part of it,” Anderson said. “As you go through, you’ll learn who the committed people are, and more people are welcome to still come and take part in practice and take part in the event.” With around $5,600 raised in April 2016, TKE members are determined to meet their goal for this year despite finding a new location and head boxing coach. “We don’t really have a set dollar amount this year. It’s going to be a little bit different as we’re going in a different route organizing it, moving it on campus,” Anderson said. “We’re really trying to make it an event that we can sustain in the future.”
Learning from mistakes
Jody Harnois, former boxing coach for TKE fight night, stopped coaching the event after 34 years due to scheduling conflicts. Jimmy Burma, a sophomore marketing major and philanthropy chairman of TKE, took on the responsibility of running the event this year. He said he wanted to get involved with TKE Fight Night to “get his name out there” for planning events in Vermillion. “I’ve never been involved in (the event and) last year we did not have it, but it meant a lot to me,” Burma said. “I thought this would be a cool thing, especially being a marketing major.”
See FIGHT, Page A6
Newly-formed Indian Student Association strives to be a ‘home’ Kelli Susemihl
Kelli.Susemihl@coyotes.usd.edu
The Indian Student Association (ISA), a new organization on campus, hopes to help international students from India feel like they’re at home. Shaun Khatua, a first-year computer science major and Indian international student, formed the organization in the beginning of February. Khatua said he was inspired to start ISA at USD after learning about similar organizations on other campuses. “Every college, even community colleges, they have Indian Student Associations,” Khatua said. “We already had one existing, but it got deactivated in 2015, so we needed an association for the Indian student community here at USD.” Meera Venkatachalam, the associate director of the Honors program and ISA faculty advisor, said the goal of the group is to provide Indian students with a home away from home. “When you come from another culture and live in the U.S., you come in and you think you speak English, and you’ve
THE INDIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION’S OBJECTIVES Provide Indian students a home away from home Help students with the transition to living in a new country Help with trips to and from the airport Host events to promote Indian culture on campus Leah Dusterhoft I The Volante
watched the Hollywood movies, you met a lot of Americans and you think that you’ll just ‘melt,’” Venkatachalam said. “But the fact is that you’ll go through culture shock.” Venkatachalam said the organization could help students through the transition into America. “At some point you really just want to have a group of people that you can hang out with where you don’t have to explain things,” Venkatachalam said. “(You can) be yourself and speak
your language.” ISA also plans to welcome international students by providing transportation to and from the airport. Subharaj Pal, ISA president and a sophomore studying graphic design, said arriving at the airport can be daunting to international students who are just arriving in the U.S. “When they land in Sioux Falls and they want to come to Vermillion, they don’t know See ISA, Page A3
Center for Diversity & Community begins hiring process Cheyenne Alexis
Cheyenne.Alexis@coyotes.usd.edu
This is the final story in a threepart series. A search committee is looking for new Center for Diversity & Community leadership. Students have been involved in the hiring process from the beginning, said Kim Grieve, vice president of student services and dean of students. “Every student will, of course, have the chance to meet each of the finalists when they come to campus and have a voice,” she said. Grieve and Lamont Sellers, associate vice president for diversity, have been handling the day-to-day operations of the CDC in the interim period, along with increased involvement from students.
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Kim Grieve, vice president of student services and dean of students, leads a meeting in the Center for Diversity & Community Feb. 20.
Reviewing applications Following the resignations of Lena Tran, the former intercultural program coordinator, and Adetokunbo Oredein, the former director, two leadership roles in
the CDC are vacant. Grieve said the CDC is looking to hire a director and then a coordinator in the next few weeks. Olivia Mann, a senior sociology and criminal justice double major, is one student on the hir-
ing committee. She’ll sit in on interviews after spring break, she said in an email. “(We) had the opportunity to give feedback on what we wanted to see in the new CDC director and the types of skills and experi-
ences we wanted emphasized in the job description,” she said. Saeed Dabbour, a junior business marketing major, is also involved in the hiring process. Dabbour reviews the resumes and cover letters of the applicants, and will be present for phone interviews with candidates. “I think it’s extremely important to have these experiences. Right now after going through a couple of (applications) I learn how important it is to have a student’s voice on the committee,” Dabbour said in an email. “Also, it lets you know how to set up your resume and cover letter, and just gives you a different perspective on how search committees of organizations/companies review and look at job applications.” See CDC, Page A3