CENTER STAGE
Students juggle classes and productions. VERVE B1
EARLY ARRIVALS
Freshmen benefit from extra practice. SPORTS B3
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A campus debate Students and faculty react to sanctuary campus resolution
U
Devin Martin
Devin.Martin@coyotes.usd.edu
SD’s Student Government Association has recently been debating a resolution that, as it was originally written, supported making USD a ‘sanctuary campus,’ which wouldn’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officers in deportation proceedings. The resolution, which is currently in the SGA state and local committee, has since had its sanctuary campus language removed, and currently is worded as a request for clarification on the university’s standing regarding immigration policies. While in committee, the bill could still be revised any number of ways, and the sanctuary campus wording could return. SGA senator Josh Arens, the sponsor of the resolution, said he put a lot of thought into it. “The vast majority of us, this does not effect. There is still a large number at USD that are international that are undocumented,” Arens said. “They will be affected by these policies either right now or in the future. I think it would be better to have the administration on top of this (and See CAMPUS, Page A3
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Recycling pilot programs to start this month
211 Helpline now available in Clay County Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
Rachel Newville
Rachel.Newville@coyotes.usd.edu
Clara Kirkvold, a first-year earth science major, was assigned a project in her sustainability class this fall. When looking around her North Complex dorm, she realized there weren’t resources for recycling on individual floors, so she decided to set a recycling bin in her kitchen. When it gets full, about once a week, she hauls it to the recycling center. Kirkvold said the best way to recycle across campus is for individuals to take it upon themselves. “Right now we kind of have grassroots recycling, there’s no university-wide policy, but everyone does it on their own anyway,” Kirkvold said. That is set to change soon. The university is launching two recycling pilot programs after years of ‘grassroots recycling’ around campus. Scott Pohlson, chair of the president’s committee on sustainability, said the first pilot program will start on Feb. 27 and run five weeks, ending March 31. The program will run in Slagle Hall. Slagle Hall was chosen by President James Abbott as the site for the program for multiple reasons, Pohlson said. Slagle is regularly visited by students and administration,
Submitted Photo I The Volante
Greendrops like the one above will be located in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for a recycling pilot program.
and houses the IT department in the basement, so there’s a wide variety of recycling needs. There will be four totes on each floor. One bin will be for No. 1 and No. 2 plastic items, one for aluminum cans, one for white paper and another for mixed paper. Occupants of Slagle will also be surveyed as part of the pilot. “Everyone in Slagle has been notified. They will get a survey before it starts,” Pohlson said. “They will get a survey in the middle and another in the end.” Pohlson said if the pilot goes well, the next step would be to expand programs to the Muenster University Center and the I.D. Weeks Library. “The first (place) that we would go to for sure, unless something goes really wrong in the pilot, would be the MUC and the library because that’s the highest traffic area for students,” he said. “We want to try a residence hall, and I think we want to try North Complex.” Starting a program in North Complex, however, will prove challenging, as there are no elevators for totes to be transported. Pohlson
said a program in North Complex would require a lot of work with students on finding a solution to get all waste to a main floor. In addition to the pilot program in Slagle, the Sanford Coyote Sports Center is starting a pilot program this month. The pilot started unofficially on Feb. 11 during the men’s basketball game against South Dakota State University. “The reason we did it for the SDSU game is because that’s the biggest volume that we will see,” Pohlson said. For recycling in the SCSC, Pohlson has been working with Dan Gaston, the senior associate AD for operations and facility management. Gaston said 31 percent of waste was diverted through the greendrops at the state game. Greendrops are stations around the arena that have four bins for each type of recyclable. “Thirty-one percent isn’t the greatest, but it’s a lot better than See RECYCLE, Page A3
Clay County residents now have access to the 211 Helpline, a 24/7 service that provides access to information and support. A partnership between the United Way of Vermillion and the Helpline Center, the helpline launched on Feb. 11. People can call 211 for information on government questions, where to find food or addiction services and more, according to a press release from the Helpline Center. Kelsey Collier-Wise, executive director of the United Way of Vermillion, said 211 is something the United Way board has talked about for years, but just became financially feasible. United Way pays 75 cents per person in the county per year to run the system, she said. For Clay County, this amounts to around $10,000-$11,000. Additional donations to United Way made the launch possible, Collier-Wise added. “So you kind of have to have a commitment of that going forward,” she said. Students are “absolutely” encouraged to utilize the free resource, Collier-Wise said. “A lot of students know their campus pretty well, but they don’t always know their community pretty well,” she said. Collier-Wise said 211 will hopefully help address the many needs of Vermillion residents, 37 percent of which are living in poverty. “I think that 211 is helpful
By the Numbers $0.75 per person that United Way pays in the county per year to run the helpline.
$10,000-11,000 total amount paid in Clay County for the helpline.
16th Clay County is the 16th county in the state to get the helpline.
wherever it is, it’s almost all over the country and in many places it’s statewide because they recognize how important it is,” she said. “For us, when people are in need, they spend a lot of time looking for resources, they might call one person and then be sent to someone else, then be sent to someone else. And it uses up a lot of their time and energy.” The community’s population turnover rate is about 20 percent each year, Collier-Wise said. “There’s never a time where you can just say, ‘Well everybody in Vermillion knows where this is, or where that is.’ Because you just always have new people coming in that you have to introduce to your services,” she said. Every person that answers 211 calls is a certified crisis counselor, Collier-Wise said. “If people are depressed, they need someone to talk to, they’re in crisis, they can also use the 211 number for that,” she said.
News
A2 Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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FAREWELL TO MOEN
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Matt Moen, USD’s former dean of Arts & Sciences, said goodbye to friends and colleagues at a farewell event Tuesday afternoon. Moen, who served 14 years in the position, was praised as a champion of liberal arts education by speakers at the event.
City of Vermillion Police Blotter Highlights >> Feb. 12 - 18
2
2
DWI’s
Feb. 12 Officers were called to a local tavern in response to a medical emergency. Officers arrived to find a 22-year-old woman, who was suffering from possible alcohol poisoning. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
gunfire. The caller reported hearing loud sounds, which they suspected to be gunfire. Officers arrived and located a demolished commercial CO2 canister in the roadway. The can appeared to have been run over by a vehicle. No other reports were received.
Feb. 12 Officers were sent to a residence in response to a fire in the kitchen stove. Officers arrived and contained the scene until Vermillion Fire Department units arrived.
Feb. 12 Officers were sent to a residence following a report of a juvenile who appeared to suffering from alcohol poisoning. The juvenile was transported to a medical facility.
Feb. 12 Officers were called to a residential neighborhood for the report of possible
Feb. 16 Officers assisted a mental health professional with an involuntary committal.
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public urination citations
Feb. 16 A call was received from an apartment complex reporting the odor of marijuana. Officers arrived and walked through the complex for several minutes and were unable to locate any criminal activity. Feb. 17 Officers are investigating a report of a sex crime. Feb. 17 An officer saw a man standing on the sidewalk urinating on the wall of a downtown business. He was cited. Feb. 17 An officer stopped a vehicle for improper lane
sex crime investigation
a building. He was cited.
travel. The driver was intoxicated and was arrested for DWI.
Feb. 18 An officer stopped a vehicle from turning right from the left lane of traffic in a multi lane road. The driver was intoxicated and was arrested for DWI.
Feb. 17 Officers were called to an apartment complex in response to a complaint of loud noise and the odor of marijuana. Officers arrived and substantiated the noise complaint, and detected the odor of marijuana coming from a specific apartment. A search warrant was obtained and one man was arrested for numerous, misdemeanor drug charges.
Feb. 18 Officers responded to a call of a patient suffering from abdominal pain. The officers provided care until an ambulance arrived and took over treatment.
Feb. 18 An officer saw a man standing on the sidewalk urinating against the wall of
Feb. 18 A caller reported that a neighbor was yelling at him and refusing to
leave. Officers investigated and found there was an ongoing dispute involving dogs defecating in the neighbor’s yard. Officer mediated a temporary solution. Feb. 18 Officers responded to a report of domestic violence in progress. Officers stopped the ongoing yelling when they arrived. The caller and his girlfriend had been arguing and a fight occurred. Officers arrested the girlfriend for domestic assault after determining she was the predominate aggressor. Alcohol was a factor.
SGA passes gender-inclusive facilities resolution Chance Mullinix
Chance.Mullinix@coyotes.usd.edu
The Student Government Association passed a resolution Tuesday night that will change all signs on single-stall restrooms that have locks on their doors to include the phrase “all-gender restroom.” The resolution clears up any confusion non-binary and intersex students may have regarding their ability to use single-stall restrooms, and recommends the university have at least one all-gender restroom in each building on campus. The university must also consider an all-gender restroom for all renovated and newly-constructed buildings, according to the resolution. In other SGA business, senators overturned a veto from President Nathaniel Steinlicht on a resolution clarifying the authority the election steering committee has. Steinlicht vetoed the resolution because he didn’t want it to take ef-
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Chance Mullinix I The Volante
Will Himmler addresses the Student Government Association during its Tuesday
night meeting.
fect during elections. Marcus Ireland, the sponsor of the resolution, amended language stating the resolution would take effect immediately. The resolution will now take effect when the new executive team is sworn-in on March 14. The veto override was unanimous. A resolution that supports making USD a ‘sanctuary campus’ was gutted by the student affairs committee and amended to remove all
sanctuary campus language. The resolution is now effectively a request for clarification from the administration on matters of immigration. Resolution sponsor Josh Arens, who removed the “sanctuary campus” language, is unhappy with the current amended version of the resolution. “I’m very disappointed with the resolution as it stands,” Arens said. “I sent an amended version of the resolution
to the committee that I thought was more appropriate – it’s obvious that it wasn’t considered. I find it problematic, considering I’m the author of the resolution. I’m still disappointed with the outcome.” Olivia Mann, a member of the student af-
Correction A previous headline for an article in our Feb. 15 issue read “Media and journalism department no longer allowing electronics in classes.” This headline didn’t accurately reflect the department’s informal policy, as professors can choose to participate on a voluntary basis. The Volante regrets the error.
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in this paper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Adviser Chuck Baldwin
fairs committee, said they wanted to make the resolution passable. She wasn’t convinced it would work as it was previously worded. “It was (the committee’s) understanding that the intention of this resolution was to seek answers and a clear response from the administration, while making a statement that SGA wants all of the students we represent to feel safe and welcome on campus,” Mann said. “We wanted to make sure the resolution to reflect real steps that SGA and the administration can take. We made changes to be more understanding of what SGA and the USD administration can actually achieve together.” The resolution was sent to the state and local committee for review.
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Rachel Newville managing editor Heather Egbert advertising manager Mason Dockter news editor Josie Flatgard news presentation editor Chance Mullinix news assistant
COYOTE History 1973 With the bicentennial of the U.S. upcoming, the Black Hills saw an increase in commercialization as Mount Rushmore expected millions of tourists for the celebration.
2005 KYOT launched a new show called The Afternoon Buzz, which featured students showing off their dorm rooms and answering USD trivia.
Cheyenne Alexis verve editor Devin Martin verve presentation editor Morgan Matzen verve assistant Dustin VanHunnik sports editor Clay Conover sports presentation editor Taylor Kidd visual assistant
News Former USD football player charged with bank robbery
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 A3
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Volante Staff
Volante@coyotes.usd.edu
A former USD student-athlete is under indictment for robbing a bank. David Giese, a 26-yearold former USD football player, was charged in federal court in Sioux Falls last week with bank
RECYCLE From Page A1
nothing,” Gaston said.“…We did a fairly good job without much participation.” The SCSC has also implemented recycling bins in all locker rooms and office spaces as part of the pilot program. Gaston expects that to be a hot spot for re-
robbery, according to court documents. The documents show that Giese was charged by a grand jury in a July 2016 robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Yankton. Giese, according to the documents, is also being charged with using an explosive device to intimidate bank employees.
A warrant was issued for Giese on Wednesday, and he was arrested two days later. Giese, who entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, is set to appear before a jury on April 25. The Volante will publish more updates as they become available on volanteonline.com.
cycling water and Gatorade bottles. “We have bottles and bottles and bottles,” he said. The next step for the athletic department will be implementing recycling programs at other events, like football games. “The original pilot is to see where we can go,” Gaston said. “The next step would be football games. A football game is a lot differ-
ent than a basketball game. You’re outside and then inside... It’s finding what can we do, what can the staff handle?” Pohlson is excited for the results of both pilot programs because waste management is much different at athletic facilities than on campus. “Slagle is every day you don’t want to see any trash, and recycling. You want it gone that next day or at least under a lid,” Pohlson said. “Whereas athletics is, not that they aren’t busy all the time, but you could have bottles laying in the stands and they could come in and practice and that wouldn’t bother anybody, not that that’s how it works, but athletics is very big volume and then it dies down.” While it has been and will continue to be a long process, Pohlson said he appreciates the patience of everyone involved. “There is so much more to it than I originally thought, but everyone’s been really positive,” he said. “It’s refreshing to see community that wants to come together to see something that I think matters.” Kirkvold is excited for the opportunities the pilot program will bring. “I think it will be good, I wish there was more (recycling) in the dorms,” she said.
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Cristobal Francisquez, president of the Latino Student Organization, said he knows people who live in fear of deportation every day.
CAMPUS From Page A1
to) have a plan of action regardless of what President Trump does instead of being reactionary.” President Trump’s recently-signed executive order closed U.S. borders to Muslim countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia until a federal appeals panel rejected to reinstate President Trump’s travel ban. Many USD students from affected countries, or countries neighboring the affected countries, have expressed their concerns about the travel ban, which has since been overturned by the courts. Arens said making USD a sanctuary campus would show support to other students and their possible concerns with some of President Trump’s proposals. “I have had people come up to me after Trump got elected with concerns,” Arens said. “This is kind of my way of voicing those concerns that I have heard because these things do not affect me.” Cristobal Francisquez, president of USD’s Latino Student Organization (LASO), said there are flaws with the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency responsible for deportations, does its job. Though the actions of ICE aren’t affecting Francisquez’s family now, he knows people living in fear of deportation. “Growing up in the United States, my parents came here in the ‘90s,” Francisquez said. “We live with fear. My mom got her citizenship and my dad is a resident, but I have friends who are living with this everyday.” Francisquez said he supports the idea of making USD a sanctuary campus. “I think the sanctuary
“
We live with fear. My mom got her citizenship and my dad is a resident, but I have friends who are living with this every day. Cristobal Francisquez, president of LASO
campus is a great idea,” Francisquez said. “This is a school where people want to better themselves, and stripping away education is probably the worst thing that could happen.” USD isn’t the only university to consider becoming a sanctuary campus. At the University of Alabama-Huntsville, students were inspired to make their university into a sanctuary campus, and a Change.org petition on the matter is now circulating. Arens said the action taken by UAH students inspired him to draft this resolution. Others in SGA aren’t as enthusiastic about the legislation. Senator Tim Flynn said the original bill went beyond SGA’s authority. “In my opinion, it’s overstepping SGA’s bounds,” Flynn said. “I think our organization should be more, simply giving recommendations to the university, and with the current language in the bill, there’s a lot of words such as ‘demands’ in there.” Even if the bill was approved by SGA, its actual intent might not be realized the way its supporters might hope, Flynn said. “It wouldn’t make an immediate effect,” he said. “If SGA passes this bill, we’re not going to suddenly deny federal agencies physical access.” Flynn also noted that the bill would have to
rise up to the state level to actually have the force of law. And officials at the state level say they would be walking a fine line with this issue. “There’s really no clear way to operationalize what that (sanctuary campus) means,” said Paul Turman, South Dakota Board of Regents vice president of academic affairs. “I think what we would seek to do is really lay out some sort of guideline or policy structure that establishes what being a ‘sanctuary’ meant for the campus.” Turman said that refusing to cooperate with federal agencies could jeopardize federal funding for universities, making such a move potentially risky. So if ICE or another governmental entity requested permission to apprehend an undocumented student or community member, the university administration and the Board of Regents might have their hands tied. Jordan Hanson, a junior political science major and a member of USD’s College Republicans, said she didn’t approve of the idea of a sanctuary campus. “My issue is that SGA has gotten very progressive in their approach to different topics and I don’t think at this point that it’s necessary for them to do so,” Hanson said. “Unless they really (have) seen the need to become a sanctuary campus, I think that is an extreme route right now.”
Opinion
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
THE VOLANTE
VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
VOLANTE EDITORIAL
File Photo I The Volante
About 200 students and community members attended the Asian Lunar New Year Celebration earlier
this month.
Stop arguing and start supporting Campuses around the country have been flirting with the idea of becoming “sanctuary campuses” following President Trump’s recent travel ban. Such a move was proposed last week in a Student Government Association resolution. While the bill itself has changed significantly since then, the question should still be raised: how inclusive is USD? Rather than focusing their energy on rehashing a resolution that may or may not actually have any weight with USD’s administration, perhaps SGA senators would be better off creating an environment of acceptance and support among their constituents. In fact, all students should make an effort to appreciate, celebrate and support one another. Inclusiveness and acceptance shouldn’t be just be practiced in the Center for Diversity and Community. What if, instead of bickering and pointing fingers
over a General Activity Fee increase, students start supporting and accepting each other for who they are? Maybe USD doesn’t need a sanctuary campus resolution. Maybe it needs a student body committed to inclusivity and kindness. Whether that’s attending a theater production or basketball game, holding the door open for the next person to come through or wishing each other good luck before a test – at the very least, those things could make someone’s day just a little more bearable. Maybe it’s better to start small. What kind of impact could 100 students have if they committed to doing a random act of kindness? While it’s easy to be biased against other majors or student groups, it’s not productive or worthwhile. USD mirrors the nation right now – it’s divided. Students should commit to supporting other student organizations and teams. More importantly, students should commit to learning
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EDITORIAL BOARD
more about other cultures. In order for USD to be a truly inclusive campus and the student body to consist of well-rounded and empathetic people, diversity should be celebrated. The CDC hosts many events each year to support other cultures, including Asian Lunar New Year, Diwali, Día de los Muertos, Black History Month and many more. From players on the volleyball team to student musicians playing music downtown, students are doing amazing things, and they’re loving their time here. Why not apply that same energy to respecting and celebrating others? Students can participate in and support different events year-round. All groups on campus deserve to be appreciated and respected. Supporting each other is the way to go. Complaints won’t solve anything, and neither will arguing over an SGA resolution.
To the students of USD, There is a divide on our campus, and it resides in a flatpaved section of asphalt known as Cherry Street. Geographically, it divides the main campus and from athletics, and this is where the metaphorical divide also begins. Now I confess that I am a proud member of both of these groups, as I am a student-athlete who studies theater. From my perspective, I play witness to a multitude of judgement from both groups. When I first joined the theater department, I felt slightly ostracized, almost as if my being an athlete wasn’t welcome in that half of the building. At the same time I was receiving backlash for being the lone theater major in athletics, and I’m sure you can guess what I was being called. However, over time athletes realized that my theater degree wasn’t so easy, going from working on productions in the Fine Arts to practice. This also occurred with the theater students, who realized that my schedule consisted of waking up at 4 a.m. and sometimes finishing homework at 1 a.m. Over the last three years at this school, I’ve seen a problem that affects all of us at USD, which is tribalism, where groups of people with a shared interest separate themselves and view others judgmentally. Recently, due to the GAF resolutions and proposals, these judgements are starting to come into the spotlight. Both of my departments on campus have also noticed students leaving football games at halftime, even when we’re tied or even winning, or the low student attendance at theater events. The reality is that there is a drop in
I recently read an article featured in The Volante. A senator of USD’s Student Government Association, Josh Arens, sponsored a bill that would make the University of South Dakota a “sanctuary campus.” He is also quoted as saying, “No alternative facts, don’t listen to those that say it does call for illegal action.” An “undocumented” immigrant is an illegal immigrant, and I’d encourage Josh to Google “8 USC section 1324.” This will help him understand that it is illegal for anyone to “knowingly conceal, harbor, or shield undocumented aliens.” Anyone who violates this code is subject to a fine, and no more than 10 years imprisonment, or both. I ask Josh, will the university be responsible for paying this fine, and who will serve the potential prison time? I’d also like to point out the financial impact illegal immigrants have on the tax
OVERHEARDS
Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.
Cheyenne Alexis, verve editor
“I could not love a human child as much as I love cheese.”
Rachel Newvelle, managing editor
Dustin VanHunnik, sports editor
— North Complex
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: Letters, The Volante Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 Fax to: 605.677.5105 E-mail to: Volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our Web site: VolanteOnline.com The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.
Miles Bergner, senior theater major
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Ally Krupinsky, editor-in-chief
CONTACT US
activity in extracurriculars all over campus. The truth is, athletics provide free tickets to students for all home events. Students take that for granted and show up for half of games even when we are playing SDSU. The other truth is that GAF helps fund the six productions that the theater department puts up every year, yet students rarely come see them. Instead of supporting each other, we as students judge student-athletes, fine arts majors, Greek life, business students, med students and so on, not fully realizing that they are people too and have chosen this school to improve themselves just as we have. Instead, we develop grudges against athletes even though they put in a lot of work just to act as entertainment for people on game days. Regardless of how we want the GAF money spent, we need to recognize that it supports students. The truth is that we are not united as a university. But with a little thought and respect for others, we can come together in pursuit of a better school and a happier student body. So, I ask of you students, please take a moment to realize that the ones that you judge have feelings and emotions just like you do. Please support them and take pride in this school, because it does more and offers more to you than you realize.
paying citizens of South Dakota. In 2013, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal immigrants cost South Dakota taxpayers $33 million. “Well, illegal immigrants pay taxes too!” Sure, they paid $1 million in taxes for 2013, a $32 million deficit for legal taxpayers. South Dakota taxpayers provided illegal immigrants with $16 million for education, $3.5 million for healthcare, $4 million for law enforcement, $3.5 million for public assistance and $6 million in government services. The information above is fact, and it is far from alternative. Protecting undocumented immigrants is illegal, it puts a burden on South Dakota taxpayers and it undermines immigrants who have gone through the process the right way, and gained their citizenship legally. Ryan Saeger, USD MBA student
In The Know & In The Dark IN THE KNOW: Strollers is this weekend. IN THE DARK: Try not to puke on the sidewalks,
folks. People take their dogs for walks on those sidewalks.
“Vermillion is a trap.”
IN THE KNOW: The CMC debate is this Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Al Neuharth Media Center
— Main Street
conference room.
IN THE DARK: Tweet your questions for the candidates with the hashtag #SGA2017.
“Mom, I just want to return the means of production back to the people.” — Al Neuharth Media Center
IN THE KNOW: Spring break is in a week and a half.
IN THE DARK: Some of us will travel to Mexico, “Vermillion really sucks you in, doesn’t it?”
others will binge watch Netflix and our their families.
— Main Street
IN THE KNOW: Everyone is still salty about the
GAF budget approval.
“If you stare at that wrapping paper long enough, you’ll see dolphins.” — Al Neuharth Media Center
IN THE DARK: It’s been voted on, it’s been two weeks – IT’S OVER.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 A5 Opinion Candidly Canada: True sanctuary found in federal policies
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ALLIE KNOFCZYNSKI is a junior majoring in media & journalism
For my host country like Canada, universities need no special recognition for welcoming anybody, regardless of citizenship or ethnicity. American perspectives on immigration are a tad different. Since Trump has begun pushing for efforts to find and remove all undocumented immigrants from the country, the collective emotion rising among the American people is fear. If Trump were to deport every single undocumented immigrant, the New York Times says the total people affected would be up to three million. From the antiimmigration fear arose an increasingly popular title of “sanctuary campus.” A
File Photo I The Volante
College Republicans President Kade Lamberty read a statement criticizing the Student Government Association for considering a bill that would protect undocumented students during last week’s meeting on Feb. 14.
Billy Penn article defines sanctuary campus as any American college that adopts policies to protect undocumented immigrants. The status suggests campus policies such as barring campus police from enforcing immigration orders, not sharing student information with immigration enforcement officials and denying federal officials entry without warrants. USD’s Student Government Association
is considering a resolution that would make USD a sanctuary campus. While it’s honorable to consider such a title, the campus designation is just that: a title, one which might be more problematic than helpful. Going beyond legal means would be both risky and potentially detrimental to the entire student body. We must tread the deportation matter cautiously. Enacting pledges that can’t be kept won’t help anybody. The real authority
here, no matter how public universities try, is the government, which could easily decide to cut funding if such “sanctuary” actions are taken. Federal action could also threaten to refuse to issue loans to students at sanctuary campuses or withhold federal research grants. The sanctuary campus movement mainly aims to protect those under DACA, or Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals. American organization Immigration Equality says that in 2012, President
Obama created the policy calling for deferred action for certain undocumented young people who came to the country as children. However, DACA is a temporary deferment. Student visas are available, but getting a Green Card requires employment. Whether a university declares itself a sanctuary or not, students still have basic rights that can protect them. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits schools from releasing a student’s personal information without consent. Also, the federal government has a longstanding policy against raids at certain “sensitive” locations like college campuses. Universities can continue providing education and a location where immigration agents likely won’t go, but we’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist yet.
The sanctuary title is nothing but another form of protest causing more harm than good. Being proactive is great, but it’s more respectable to have clear, legal standards to protect students. The real action needing to take place is at the federal level to allow greater accessibility for immigrants to become citizens. To show support for all students, USD’s SGA bill works just fine, but we can’t expect USD to get involved otherwise. The government is still in charge. We need to keep protesting and voting. We can’t stand behind a public university to face our problems. If this is an issue we’re concerned about – and rightfully, we should be – this is our battle to fight. If you’re a USD student traveling abroad and would like to contribute to The Volante, please contact us at volante@coyotes.usd.edu.
Beyoncé should’ve won, plain and simple NICK ZEIMET is a sophomore majoring in media & journalsim There’s very few people out there who can deny the power of Beyoncé. When it comes to relevance, the woman has been on the top of the game since her emergence onto the music scene in 1997. Whether someone’s dancing it out to “Survivor” from back in her Destiny’s Child days or they’re jamming harder than they’ve ever jammed before when the bass drops in “Partition,” there are millions of reasons to love Beyoncé. Everyone has a reason to love Beyoncé. So why hasn’t she ever won Album of the Year? In 2010, Beyoncé lost Album of the Year to Taylor Swift. In 2015, Beyoncé lost to Beck. And most recently, just a few weeks ago, Beyoncé lost Album of the Year to Adele. How can this be? Yes, in 2010 when Taylor Swift was on the radio every five minutes singing about how you belonged with her, it seemed almost inevitable that she would win. This is a loss that makes sense in a lot of ways. In 2015, however, when Beyoncé lost to Beck, a red flag had to be raised. I mean, who is Beck? Ask me – or any
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Everyone has a reason to love Beyoncé.
person off the street for that matter – to name a Beyoncé song and at least 15 tracks come to mind. But Beck? Besides his 1993 song, “Loser,” (isn’t that ironic?) not another song comes to mind. Coming around the bend to the most recent Grammy Awards, Beyoncé lost the title of Album of the Year to Adele. While there’s no questioning the worthiness or relevance of this opponent, there is a big issue: Adele didn’t deserve to win. Was Adele’s “25” a bad album? Of course not. “Hello” and “When We Were Young” were instant hits and when the album was released in November of 2015, after a five-year break from music, people were starving for her. The quality was absolutely there, the talent was absolutely there, but Adele’s album felt exactly the same as her last. But Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” was different than anything the singer had ever released before. The social and political commentary created with the release of “Lemonade” was groundbreaking. The album and the single “Formation” are
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Members of the Union of African American Students gathered at USD’s Black History
Month kick-off event Feb. 1. forcing people to take a look at the world around them and to really examine their surrounding and themselves. In addition to the album’s impact, Adele herself thought Beyoncé deserved the win. “I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé and this album, to me, the ‘Lemonade’ album,” Adele said on stage when she accepted her award. So what does this say about the Grammy Awards? When the person who received the award genuinely believes that she shouldn’t have won – isn’t that an indication that maybe she shouldn’t have? “And the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering,” Adele continued. There’s no denying the legitimacy of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. I, along with Adele and so many others, all believe it’s time the Recording Academy woke up and gave the woman the award she deserves.
Black History Month should be incorporated into more classes MIKI KENNERLY is a sophomore majoring in Spanish and strategic communication For those who may be unaware, February is Black History Month. Black History Month is a yearly event that celebrates achievements and contributions that black Americans have made to U.S. history. The United States joins Canada, the United Kingdom and more in dedicating a month to the achievements of black people in their home countries. For black Americans, this month means a lot – especially in a time where minority groups feel afraid to be themselves. Throughout the majority of February, USD’s campus groups have held a few events relating to Black History Month. On the first day of February, campus groups organized an event in
the Muenster University Center pit lounge, where people were invited to watch movies and eat food with cultural relevance to African Americans. Though events like this are important and are incredible opportunities for students to learn and feel included, they’re also optional and not widely advertised. I love attending a college that promotes diversity-related events, especially in an area like South Dakota where a lot of students are from small, mostly white towns. But in order to be dedicated to diversity and inclusion as USD proudly states on their website, students and staff members should be required, or even strongly encouraged, to incorporate Black History Month in their classrooms. It’s easy to quickly write off this idea. How does a statistics professor teach black history? How will every professor be
able to participate? Firstly, I believe there are many ways in any subject to incorporate contributions. For example, in a philosophy class, a professor could devote a few minutes of class time a couple days out of the month to discussing black philosophers. I’m not asking that each professor incorporate black history every day, but even one or two references to black history in the subject material doesn’t seem like too much to ask. It’s also necessary to point out that Black History Month isn’t the only month dedicated to the history of a race. Native American Appreciation Month and Asian-Pacific American Month exist as well, and shouldn’t be written off. In a time where many are feeling excluded, simply recognizing the works and contributions by black Americans in everyday life is something that will be beneficial for everyone involved.
Professors should consult students to pick affordable textbooks JORDAN SMITH is a sophomore majoring in political science I’m going to say something that will surprise no one: textbooks are really, really expensive. It doesn’t matter the subject, any class that doesn’t defer to books in public domain or a popular press will likely see mind-numbing prices. According to NBC, the cost of textbooks has risen at more that four times the cost of inflation. To say the least, that’s an alarming problem from the perspective of a group of people who are largely living by accumulating debt. So why is this
happening? Part of the problem is that students don’t really have a choice. Whatever the textbook is, there’s only one book, only one current version, and so there are really only four options as displayed by the bookstore, Amazon or any other place one might find textbooks: buy new, buy used, rent new and rent used. Students need books. If a professor requires a book, the class most likely needs to buy the book without asking too many questions. Personally, I’ve had classes where professors insist that I need to get the book and then never open it. That’s another $80 I’ll have to pay once I graduate. And as much as my
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Students really don’t have much choice in what books we need. I think that’s the real problem.
professors would probably hate to see me write this, you can probably get away with not reading at least some assigned material, and save a few bucks that way. This grants at least a small amount of choice to hold off a purchase until there’s true necessity. Even if we can claim a small amount of power from this minor rebellion, students really don’t have much choice in what books we need. I think that’s the real problem.
A Planet Money NPR report addressed this issue. On that particular episode, a professor and a textbook company CEO who discussed the process professors undergo to select textbooks, something the average student doesn’t really get to see. There’s a whole marketing industry based around selling professors the newest and best textbooks. At least in the case of
most professors contacted by NPR, professors weren’t aware of the exact cost of the materials being sold to them. The problem is that they were the ones being marketed to, but they aren’t the ones with a wallet in the market. As the only supplier, textbook companies decide the initial price, and everything falls in line from there. In most products, the free market will allow for competition to either drive down price
or increase quality. There aren’t options that would make that work in a free market, and no great incentive for the government to regulate this. Maybe the most expensive textbooks are really the best, but from the student perspective, this might not be worth the extra cost. All I’m saying is if professors and students alike joined arms, we might be able to bring about meaningful positive change for academia, or at least save some money so I can occasionally afford to eat something besides instant mac-n-cheese. Smith is a member of College Democrats and the Political Science League.
The Volante I volanteonline.com News USD community reacts to secretary of education nomination
A6 Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Morgan Matzen
Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu
Trump’s recent secretary of education pick, Betsy DeVos, has many educators, both future and present, sitting on the edge of their classroom chairs. One major concern is DeVos’s previous work experience and her support for charter schools as a member of the Michigan Republican Party. Donald Easton-Brooks, USD’s dean of education, said the new change in administration could be a challenge for educators and students. “We have a secretary of education who’s unqualified, which makes it challenging for us as a nation to have someone with no experience in education to be one of the critical parts of education,” Easton-Brooks said. “If she comes in and invests in the system that we have in place to make it better, I think it would work.” Easton-Brooks pointed out that one investment DeVos could make would be in both middle-class and lower-income school districts. DeVos has been a supporter for giving states the right to choose what happens with the allocation of their federal funding. “If they say, ‘Okay, we’re going to give states control,’ that can create another level of bias,” Easton-Brooks said. “It’s
a matter of who has the ability to advocate for money the best. We know the lower income schools really have needs, but what about the middle class?” Lucas Bonham, a sophomore secondary education and history double major, has the same concern regarding funding in classrooms. “It worries me as a future educator that wherever I may end up teaching at may not have the funds to provide the technology or other fundamental materials that I would need to teach in my classroom,” Bonham said. “I want to help educate the future of America.” Morgan Hartenstein, a junior secondary education major, said teachers are still going to continue funding their classes as needed on their own. “Even though I’m not happy with her nomination, teachers are still going to do what they’ve done every day for the past however many years,” Hartenstein said. “They’re still going to support their students and promote an inclusive classroom instead of an exclusive classroom.” Regarding the Native American population in South Dakota, Easton-Brooks said funding could do more for those communities. “If (state decision)
Morgan Matzen I The Volante
The South Dakota Education Association met Tuesday night to discuss the role of future educators in the state. comes here, we would invest in more of the tribal schools, and then we don’t really think about Sioux Falls or Rapid City or Vermillion, for that matter,” Easton-Brooks said. “It can make education slow down in some places, and possibly advance things in other places.” Hartenstein said she’s concerned for students with disabilities, because DeVos said that enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal civil rights law, should be left up to the states. “She should have been automatically disquali-
fied (as secretary), especially about her regard for students with disabilities,” Hartenstein said. “For me, that was the most concerning thing, that she wasn’t going to be an advocate for them.” Another hotly-debated topic among educators is the role of weapons, especially guns, in schools. DeVos said in a confirmation hearing that schools should allow guns because of potential grizzly bears. Hartenstein, who’s the secretary for the South Dakota Education Association’s chapter at USD, said guns and grizzlies don’t mix. “I actually work in
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in the summers, so I thought that was very funny because I know that is not how you handle grizzly bears,” Hartenstein said. “While she feels that guns should be in the education system, she needs to give clear reason for that instead of citing a grizzly bear that doesn’t exist.” The issue of religious freedom and the separation of church and state are two more areas that DeVos has seen criticism for. According to the Washington Post, DeVos and other members of the new Trump administra-
tion have been associated with the Council for National Policy, a group with Christian interests for education that include dismantling the department of education and introducing God into classrooms. “Let’s not do that,” Bonham said. “We’ve finally come to a point in the last 100 years where we have eliminated the standard of religious education and we’ve finally been able to progress as a society to better all individuals. I feel like they’re called back to the olden days.” Easton-Brooks said DeVos and the new cabinet have had a lot to say about the state of education in the first 100 days, which has made him lose confidence in the administration. “Honestly, I don’t have confidence that she would do anything better,” Easton-Brooks said. “I hope that she would do things better, to be honest. There is a stigma that there’s something wrong with the field of education, and that’s really not the case. Education as a whole has something wrong with it, but I think it’s a problem that most politicians are promoting that something is wrong with education.”
Science, education professors denounce Senate Bill 55
Chance Mullinix
Chance.Mullinix@coyotes.usd.edu
A bill that allows school teachers to teach the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories in classrooms, titled “An Act to protect the teaching of certain scientific information,” passed in the South Dakota Senate last month. The bill, which hasn’t yet been enacted into law, has sparked controversy as a possible defense of teaching creationism in public schools. Various entities, including the state ACLU, as well as various editorials, have been outspoken about their opposition to the bill. In full, the bill consists of only one sentence: “No
teacher may be prohibited from helping students understand, analyze, critique, or review in an objective scientific manner the strengths and weaknesses of scientific information presented in courses being taught which are aligned with the content standards established pursuant to 13-3-48.” Sam Shaw, an administrator within the division of learning and instruction in the South Dakota Department of Education, said it’s unclear what the bill does. “The intent seems to be allowing any teacher to teach personal opinions regarding scientific information,” he said. “If the bill does nothing, then it’s unnecessary. If it really does something, then it infringes on the authority and responsibilities of the local school boards to supervise classrooms and direct curriculum. I think, fundamentally, this bill is attempting to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.” Shaw said there’s no need for the bill because teachers are given leeway to teach what they want, as long as it’s backed up with evidence.
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I think, fundamentally, this bill is attempting to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. Sam Shaw, administrator in the SD Department of Education
“As of now, science teachers do not need protection if they’re teaching on scientific evidence,” Shaw said. USD biology professor Hugh Britten said the bill doesn’t really do much, and he questioned why legislators would be in favor of such a bill. “Why do we need to waste legislators’ time and everybody else’s time?” Britten said. “The lawsuits are going to be inevitable and the state is going to have to defend them. There’s going to be money, time and effort that’s being wasted all on this one bill.” While the bill is vaguely-worded, Britten said its real purpose is clear. “These are weasel-worded bills that come up every once and
awhile,” he said. “The strength and weaknesses language is common for creationist bills. You can’t have a law that says x, y and z, you have to fool the legislature.” Britten said grade school level science should only teach established scientific concepts. “My view for pre-college classes is to give students a background in settled science,” Britten said. “Then when they come to college we can start pushing the edges a little bit.” Cathy Ezrailson, a USD science education professor, said the bill allows teachers to teach their personal opinions in science classrooms. “It is a bill that espouses to give teachers a
choice in how they teach science, that’s the way it’s worded,” she said. “What it does is allows for creationism to be taught alongside science, or instead of science, in public schools. Creationism is a belief system, whereas science is a way of doing and seeing the world. They’re two different things and should not be equated.” Mark Sweeney, a USD associate professor of Earth sciences, wrote an op-ed in the Argus Leader. He stated, “Previous versions of related bills and in their public statements, the sponsors have clearly indicated their targets: climate change and evolution.” In an interview, Sweeney said what’s being taught in schools is a set of hard facts, and not off-the-cuff subjects. “In K-12 education, I don’t think it helps them when you’re questioning theories,” Sweeney said. “They’re theories because they’ve been tried and tested, over and over again. So it’s not just someone’s opinion. There’s a load of data that back up these ideas.” Sweeney said he’s frustrated that lawmakers are
considering this type of bill when scientific literacy is lacking. “I think most of us here that teach science at USD are really into science literacy,” he said. “So we want to do what we can to make sure undergraduate students know as much as they can about different science topics.” There’s little room in science for non-objective, personal agenda-based thinking, Ezrailson said. “Science has no politics, it has no belief system,” Ezrailson said. “Science is what is observed and recorded, and really, the essence of what is happening. The truth.” The goal of education is to improve, not impede, students’ education, Sweeney said. This bill would hinder the processes in which students learn science. “We want to strengthen education, not weaken it,” he said. “We want our students coming out of grade school to have a solid foundation in understanding what scientific concepts are today, based on the evidence we have.”
Get ready for IdeaFest, USD’s annual showcase of research and creative scholarship April 5-6! Deadline to submit applications to present your research is
March 1, 2017 Access applications at www.usd.edu/cage/ideafest
Verve
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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File Photo I The Volante
Senior Christa Gescki (left) portrayed the character Vanda in “Venus in Fur” in October 2015, first-year Ella Williams (middle) played the stage hand in “Six Characters in Search of an Author” and senior Ebrin Stanley (right) played Jesus in the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” last fall.
Theater life: A balancing act
Students discuss managing homework and performances Rachel Newville
Rachel.Newville@coyotes.usd.edu
Lights, camera, action. There’s a lot more that goes into a production than many audience members realize. And there’s even more work that goes into being a full-time student and actor, which often means taking anywhere between 15 to 22 credit hours a semester and rehearsing 20 to 30 hours a week. Senior musical theater majors Christa Gesicki and Ebrin Stanley talked about all the work that goes into being a musical theater student. A typical day begins early and most students don’t leave the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts until late at night, Stanley said. “Most of us start (classes) at 9:30 at the earliest and so you go until about 5. You take a break, you have rehearsals from about 6 to 6:30 to 10… Then after that whatever’s open you find time to rehearse,” he said. “So on average some of us are here till almost 1 in the morning.” Gesicki said there are a few strategies students use to complete all their work with such
busy schedules. “But with these breaks (between classes and rehearsals), like yesterday I did all my homework before rehearsal. Even with all our performance classes we still have written stuff too. So really it’s whenever you have time,” she said. “Whether that’s waking up earlier in the morning and getting it done before you go to class or those small breaks or you just stay up really late and get it done.” While life gets busy Stanley said students need figure out how to make things work best for them. “You just kind of make it work,” Stanley said. “My adrenaline just keeps running.” Gesicki’s time management has improved throughout her years at USD, she said. “When we were freshman we used to stay up until like four or five in the morning and then go to our nine o’clock classes. I don’t know how we did it,” Gesicki said. Gesicki said she saw a shift in her time management between her sophomore and junior year. “It was one of those things
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I’m excited to be a part of so many productions my first year. I’m very blessed to have these experiences. Ella Williams, first-year musical theater major
we just had to learn as we went, because when your body crashes, you will know,” he said. Not only do theater students have to worry about attending rehearsals and getting all of their homework done, but they also have to be healthy. The actors said health becomes more of a concern when they’re putting on shows. “We’re doing something where we can’t be sick.” Gesicki said. “You can go to your lecture class when
you lost your voice and still be fine, but if I’m going to an acting class and have to do my scene that day and don’t have a voice, we can’t do that.” In Stanley and Gesicki’s time at USD, shows have gone from one to two weekend runs. “When we did ‘Seussical,’ we did 13 shows and a couple of those days were two-a-day,” Gesicki said. Stanley said during the longer runs, students need to listen to and
trust their bodies. “Like my body knows when I needed to just keep going, eventually it’ll crash, but it knows I need you to just hang in there a couple more weeks,” he said. While Stanley and Gesicki have the routine down, first-year musical theater major Ella Williams is still learning how to balance her schoolwork and rehearsals. “It’s pretty hard to manage,” she said. “It’s just learning that you need to do your homework before, because I’m not going to want to do it after rehearsing. Even in productions there are other smaller things to rehearse.” Williams said the biggest adjustment since coming to USD was learning to function with little sleep. “My first semester of college was a big switch because I am someone that likes to sleep a lot,” she said. “When I was in high school I would get a good eight plus hours of sleep. But learning like six hours of sleep is more normal and eight hours is like, exciting.” See PLAY, Page B2
International students find differences in American education, learn to adapt Sylva Stoel
Sylva.Stoel@coyotes.usd.edu
Students from all over the world come to American universities for education and cultural exploration. According to the Institute of International Education, American universities hosted 1,043,839 international students in 2015-16. Here are two different perspectives from international students at USD.
Differences in formality
Submitted Photo I The Volante
35th and Taylor is made up of Max Miller on drums and Jaco Osborn on bass. USD first-years Anna Grote on lead vocals and Evan Kaler on lead guitar.
Alternative band hopes to make it big, expand music scene Morgan Matzen
Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu
One would be hard-pressed to find a band as committed to making it big as 35th and Taylor is. First-years Anna Grote (singer, guitar and piano) and Evan Kaler (lead guitar) decided to go to USD for the sole purpose of keeping their band together. Grote also decided to major in strategic communication to benefit the band. “What I was thinking I could
do with that major is to probably market for the band, but we’ll see,” Grote said. “The goal for our band right now is to become a national act. That’s what we’re working at.” The two met in middle school at their talent show and picked up a rhythm section soon after with Max Miller (drums) and Jack Osborn (bass), who still go to high school in Sioux City. Grote and Kaler decided to come to USD to keep the band together. “We’ve been a band since we’ve
been 12 and 13 years old and playing in bars since (then),” Grote said. “Evan and two other guys had a jam band with no singer and then they heard me sing ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ by Janis Joplin, and from there they asked me to join the band.”
Finding ‘the voice’
Soon after the creation of the band, Grote went to an open call audition for “The Voice” in New See BAND Page B2
Sudarshan Paul Rayapalli is a graduate student studying computer science. Rayapalli finished his undergrad in India, where he’s from, then studied in the United Kingdom and Florida before transferring to USD. Rayapalli said the greatest difference between being an Indian student and an American student is the work schedule. “In India, we have a Monday through Saturday work week, and classes run from 9 to 5 every day,” Rayapalli said. Similar to American high
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school, Rayapalli said students weren’t allowed to eat in class or arrive more than a couple minutes late in India. College students also had to ask the professor to leave class in order to use the restroom. The college environment in India is very formal, Rayapalli said. Rayapalli said he wants to get some work experience in the U.S. then return to India. “In terms of immigration, after I graduate I will be allowed to stay for 12 months of optional practical training,” he said. “During that period, I can look for a job. As a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) student, I can do a STEM extension and stay in the U.S. to work for a total of three years.” Rayapalli said he believes USD is a friendly and welcoming place. “They do whatever they can to support you and put your idea into action. Because of this, I strongly encourage international and domestic students alike to seize opportunities and get See ADAPT, Page B2
I strongly encourage international and domestic students alike to seize opportunities.
Sudarshan Paul Rayapalli, graduate student from India
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York, and was sequestered to a hotel in Los Angeles for a month as she prepared for blind auditions. “I didn’t really think anything of it, I just did it for the experience,” she said. “I got to perform in front of this theater and overall, it was an amazing experience just being surrounded by national musicians and artists and getting to meet the four judges and talk to them for a bit afterwards.” Grote had the chance to meet Blake Shelton, Shakira, Usher and Adam Levine, which was a boost to her ambition of making it big. “(Meeting them) was very cool,” Grote said. “I wouldn’t say I was as starstruck as you think it would be. They were just normal people that had good advice. It was an incredible experience to be able to meet them and listen to the advice that they had to give me and learn from that.”
the most out of their time at USD,” he said. “My journey has been constantly changing, and changing for the better. And I owe it all to the people that I am surrounded by and the opportunities that are offered to me at USD.”
A helpful community
Saeed Dabbour, a Jordanian sophomore who came to USD after living in Saudi Arabia, said the lack of transportation in Vermillion took a lot of getting used to. Coming from a land of Uber with cabs on every corner, Dabbour said he dislikes the fact that he’s now forced to ask for rides from his friends. There were some social challenges for Dabbour as well, he said. “I’ve lived in the same house since the day I was born, I went to the same school from preschool to high school, and suddenly I was dropped in a new place where I didn’t know anyone,” Dabbour said. Everything changed when Dabbour went on a trip to Sioux Falls with the international students club, he said. “It changed everything for me,” he said. “I started spending all my time on campus and I got to know everyone that way.” Dabbour said involvement in campus activities is important for international students. “Putting yourself out there is worth it,” he said.
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While the work is exhausting, Williams said she wouldn’t trade it for anything. “I’m learning a lot. I’m excited to be a part
Making a move to Nashville
Sylva Stoel I The Volante
International students Sudarshan Paul Rayapalli (top)
and Saeed Dabbour (bottom) recommend that international students get involved on campus.
of so many productions my first year,” she said. “I’m very blessed to have these experiences.” Gesicki said she has no doubt all the current underclassmen will get the major figured out. “(I would tell them to) have lots of fun, it goes very
very fast and as challenging as it can be, it can be equally rewarding if you let it be. So be open to that,” Gesicki said. Stanley offered two pieces of advice to the underclassman. “Stay true to you and with that stay in your own lane,
One piece of advice Grote got from the superstar judges on “The Voice” was to move to Nashville and release an album. The band took initiative with “I Know You’re Trouble,” their alternative blues rock album with notable influences from The Black Keys, White Stripes, Grace Potter and Kaleo. “That was our first album that we’ve felt as a band that we developed our own sound and we weren’t
and I don’t mean that in a rude way,” he said. “I mean that, in this profession, it’s so easy to focus on what he’s doing what she’s doing, they sound better than me, they look better than me. But the only person who can beat you is you.”
The Volante I volanteonline.com 13 and recording it,” Grote said. “We went out to Nashville and lived out there for a month and recorded it, so we were really excited to share that with everyone.” The band worked six-day weeks with Jay Hall, their producer and a co-writer. “That’s the first time we’ve worked with a producer and not just a studio engineer,” Grote said. “It was tough work. It takes a toll on you. You don’t think that making music is really strenuous work, but being in the studio for 11 hours a day for six days a week gets tiring.” Their hard work paid off, Grote said. “It was incredible and definitely a creative learning experience,” Grote said. Kaler said the mental challenge of pushing out musical content every day was a helpful process. “You’re just always thinking and trying to exercise every part of your brain and it was exhausting,” Kaler said. “I thought it was pushing out what we had in our heads. The sound that we got on there was what I heard in my head.” Nashville’s large music community was also influentail, Kaler said. “(Living in) Nashville was a really eye-opening experience,” Kaler said. “Everyone there is in a band. Everyone there is someone, to some extent. I mean, the people who work at Starbucks play in a band and have a recording deal. We went from being big fish in a little pond to being a speck in the ocean.”
Filling stadiums, bars and street dances
35th and Taylor also had the opportunity to open for Andy Grammer and Echosmith at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa on Dec. 17 in 2015. Grote said the concert was the biggest crowd they’ve played for yet. “That was in front of 5,000 people,” Grote said. “Big crowd, but that was a lot of fun for us, and just being exposed to that amount of people was definitely the biggest crowd we’ve ever played for.” Grote said she enjoys playing at street dances as well, and remembers their first few gigs at jam nights in Sioux City. “I think street dances where a couple hundred people are there can be incredibly fun,” Grote said. “It totally depends on the crowd and how much they’re into it. When they’re into it, we’re into it. It’s a much better experience.” Kaler and Grote do acoustic sets in the basement of The Varsity the first and third Thursdays of every month. “It’s easier to play when they’re into it,” Kaler said. Grote and Kaler want to reach out to other student musicians, they said. “We would love to have other students who are in the music scene come up and jam,” Grote said. “That’s kind of what we planned on developing over time. There’s places to play in Vermillion, but it’d be cool to get that started and get other people involved, for sure.”
FAST FACTS
CHRISTA GESICKI • YEAR: SENIOR • MAJOR: MUSICAL THEATER • PRODUCTIONS: 13 • CREDIT HOURS THIS SEMESTER: 19 ELLA WILLIAMS • YEAR: FIRST-YEAR • MAJOR: MUSICAL THEATER • PRODUCTIONS: 3 • CREDIT HOURS THIS SEMESTER: 16
File Photo I The Volante
Seniors Ebrin Stanley (left) and Christa Gesicki (right) have performed in various productions throughout the school year
EBRIN STANLEY • YEAR: SENIOR • MAJOR: MUSICAL THEATER • PRODUCTIONS: 15 • CREDIT HOURS THIS SEMESTER: 22
including “Jeus Christ Superstar” and “Venus in Fur.”
Column: Fine Arts department deserves support from USD
PEOPLE OF THE PACK RACHEL ROTH Year: Sophomore Major: Medical biology
Morgan Matzen: What do you hope to do with your major? Rachel Roth: I hope to become a dermatologist or surgeon. MM: What are you most passionate about in life? RR: Just trying to live life to the fullest and just trying to keep every day going. I help people and that kind of stuff. I like to spend my time volunteering if I can, but I usually do it when I’m home in California. MM: You’re from California? What brought you
“I like to spend my time volunteering if I can.” here? RR: I have family that lives around here. My grandma. MM: What do you like about your grandma? RR: She is the kindest, most generous person you will ever meet. She just does everything for everyone else and then she thinks about herself. MM: What is something
she’s done for you? RR: She let me live with her for my senior year of high school in Beresford so that way I could get residency to come here. MM: What goals do you have besides becoming a dermatologist or a surgeon? RR: I don’t know, probably just being able to have my own family.
CHEYENNE ALEXIS is a junior majoring in media & journalism. I’ve loved creative writing since I was young. Everything about it: creating characters, fixing a plot, writing for hours at a time. Everything that had to do with being creative, I could find in writing. But, pursuing that as a career, despite it being my dream and initial major, seemed impossible for me. I’ve had one person I didn’t even know question my major, and I unfortunately took it to heart and decided to pick a major I thought would be more beneficial. But that doesn’t mean other people should. I’m a believer in appreciating art, not only because it’s everywhere, but because of the people who do it. The negativity and the “starving artist myth,” that goes towards art students is really unfair, because the time they spend perfecting and creating new work is amazing. People assume fine arts students are wast-
ing their time, won’t be able to support themselves in the future and are just painting photos, playing instruments or reading lines on a page. I was looking at some of the course requirements of the fine arts majors, and it’s just amazing how much they have to do to earn a degree. It’s incomparable to other majors, because it’s all creative. It’s not just papers and tests every week — it’s pure imagination, and I respect that so much. Two of my really good USD friends are in the fine arts department, in theater and art, and despite all of the comments they make towards the lack of funding or the disinterest people have in fine arts, the main focus is just that: their art. They love what they do and they remain passionate despite the stigma people have against artists. It’s disheartening seeing these friends of mine feel discouraged because their work isn’t being showcased, or because the fine arts department isn’t being funded like, say, athletics. When I frequent plays at USD, I can feel the actors’ passion. I’ve been to shows that I’ve been sucked into and almost forgot I was watching college students on a stage because it was so
good. Then I’d look into the crowd and get really upset that there weren’t many people there. Yet, the actors still performed with such passion. I’ve watched so many people I know who are artists, actors or musicians struggle, yes, because it’s a tough and competitive field. But their main focus isn’t just making money: artists make their art because they love it. While I’m not a good example of this, it still makes me proud knowing that I will be able to take time and write every so often. I wish I hadn’t given up on a creative writing degree, because I know it would have suited me, and I would be gaining a lot of experience from it. Going to support a play, attending the musical concerts or attending art shows are good ways to support the fine arts department. So many people can benefit from going to these events and finding out what the department is doing. The fine arts deserve much more recognition and support, because it’s a department filled with creative minds.
Sports
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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Dustin VanHunnik I The Volante
Sophomore gaurd Matt Mooney attempts a free throw late in the game against Oral Roberts on Saturday.
Men maintain first Dustin VanHunnik
Dustin.VanHunnik@coyotes.usd.edu
Molly Schiermeyer I The Volante
Freshman outside hitter Makenzie Hesse graduated high school early so she could start practicing with the team and attend USD this spring.
Extra practice for early arrivals Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
High school student-athletes that are committed to athletic programs are increasingly graduating a semester early in order to get a head start on practicing with their college teams. Two such athletes are on USD’s volleyball team. Freshman Makenzie Hesse, an outside hitter, started classes at the beginning of the spring semester. Hesse said she committed to
USD the fall of her junior year, and started thinking about graduating early shortly afterwards. She said she liked USD because of its size, volleyball coaching staff and the close team atmosphere. “They’re a huge family,” she said. “There’s no drama or anything, which I loved.” Junior Brittany Jessen, who also graduated high school a semester early in order to come to USD, said she attributes a lot of her success in the spring of 2014 to her
supportive teammates. “Obviously anyone’s freshman year of college you’re still trying to figure out stuff out and things are new, but I felt like just having the team was definitely a huge, huge help,” she said. A large part of why Jessen decided to come play early was because the team’s only setter at the time was about to graduate, she said. “So that would’ve worked for See EARLY, Page B4
The Coyote men took on Oral Roberts as the second part of a Sandford Coyote Sports Center doubleheader on Saturday. Center Tyler Flack was honored before the game as the only senior on the team playing in the last home game of the season. Coming into the game, Oral Roberts was the only team in the Summit League that the Coyotes had not yet beaten this season. Shortly after the second half started, the Golden Eagles cut the Coyotes’ lead down to just four points. After a run lead by sophomore guard Matt Mooney, the Coyotes maintained their lead to win the game 86-72. Mooney had just one point going into halftime, but finished with 13 points on the afternoon, along with six rebounds. There were five USD players that scored double digits while also posting 43 total bench points. Freshman guards Tyler Peterson and Triston Simpson lead the way for the Coyotes with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Flack was held to just 12
points and three rebounds on his senior night. For the Golden Eagles, the scoring effort was lead by freshman forward Emmanuel Nzekwesi and junior center Albert Owens, with 17 points each. Peterson said that it was great to see the all-around effort that the team gave to get the win. “I think we played aggressive and everyone had a big part in this game in scoring, rebounding, everything,” he said. “It was a team effort for sure.” Head coach Craig Smith said the rebounding was a huge focus for them coming in to the game, and they stepped up. “Rebounding was a major key for us today. We spent a lot of time looking at the film of how they rebounded against us the last time we played them,” Smith said. “They just responded. I know I can coach them hard and they will respond. It’s what good players do.” The Coyotes maintain their position atop the Summit League standings with the win and will close out the regular season with games on the road against Western Illinois on Thursday and against IUPUI on Saturday.
Swim and dive teams place in championships Dustin VanHunnik
Dustin.VanHunnik@coyotes.usd.edu
After a season focused on improvement and team building, it came to a fitting end at the Swimming and Diving Summit League Championships for the Coyotes. The championships took place inside the IUPUI Natatorium Wednesday through Saturday. The men’s team finished fourth place this year, after placing fifth in last year’s championships. The women’s team maintained their position in the standings by placing third for the second straight year. Plenty of records were broken throughout the weekend: 82 lifetime best performances and 106 season best performances in total, head coach Jason Mahowald said. There were 16 new team records set, including five relays. MAHOWALD Senior USD swimmer Sam Shutt said she thought the championships went better than expected. “It blew my expectations out of the water,” she said. “I think it went great overall. I think the team has never been closer than it is now.” The Coyotes also set their new record for the most alltime points scored at the Summit League Championships, with 474.50 points for the men and 582.50 for the women. Denver won both the men’s and women’s championships with 1,060.5 points for the men and 1052 points for the women. IUPUI took runner-up on both sides, and South Dakota State took third in men’s.
Shutt said this couldn’t have been a better ending to her last year of swimming. “Just the way the team was and how we all meshed and bonded and were supportive, you couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” Shutt said. “The atmosphere was amazing and I personally did better than my expectations, so it was a good note to go out on.” Mahowald said the championships were great all around. “I think the best way to describe it is just outstanding,” he said. “To see so many records broken in the championships, like that really validates our training. It says that we worked on the right things so we just have to continue getting better.” Overall, 15 people placed in the top 10 of their respective events and 11 more scored points for their team by finishing in the top 16. In the end, there were five individuals and two relay teams that earned All-Summit League honors throughout the championships. “I think we most definitely saw a lot of growth in our team since the beginning of the year,” Mahowald said. “It was great to see the seniors lead all weekend, but the sophomore class was leaps and bounds better by the end of the season.” Shutt said it was inspiring to see the team perform this well in championships. “Seeing those records fall left and right gives you something to stride for and is a great validation of the hard work you put in,” she said.
Molly Schiermeyer I The Volante
Senior center Abigail Fogg finished with a double-double in her last career home game at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
Coyote women blowout Omaha Dustin VanHunnik
Dustin VanHunnik@coyotes.usd.edu
The Coyote women (22-5, 11-3 Summit) hosted the Omaha Mavericks (13-14, 6-8 Summit) Saturday for their final home game of the season. Senior center Abigail Fogg and senior forwards Bridget Arens and Kelsey Biltoft were honored during warmups for the senior night matchup. The Coyotes started the scoring early and cruised to a blowout win of 91-56. Fogg was a big contributor to the win, the last home game of her career, as she finished with a double-double of 14 points with 10 rebounds. Along with Fogg, four other Coyotes posted double digit points, with freshman guard Ciara Duffy leading the way with 17 points.
The team overall shot a 61.1 percent (33-54) while also out-rebounding the Mavericks 42-23. Omaha was lead by redshirt senior Michaela Dapprich’s 24 points on 10-17 shooting. Redshirt junior Marissa Preston was the only other Maverick in double digits with 17 points. Bridget Arens said the rebounding was a huge factor in their success. “Games are won with defense for us, and it all starts with the rebounding war,” Arens said. “That was something we came out and did well today and that was huge for us.” Coyotes head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said the team has still been improving, even this late in the season. “This is two games in a row our defense has gotten better
at the end of the game. I also think we are certainly becoming a better passing team right now,” Plitzuweit said. “I keep telling them every day, it is kind of a motto for us, ‘Always building, always believing.’ I think they really take that to heart, and it is fun to watch them enjoy each other having success out there.” The Coyotes will be on the road for the final two games of the regular season. They will take on IUPUI on Wednesday and Western Illinois for their regular season finale on Saturday. If they win both games, the Coyotes will win their thirdstraight Summit League regular season title and will take the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament.
Sports EARLY
B4 Wednesday, February 22, 2017
From Page B3
Photo Courtesy of BowDoc Archery I The Volante
Freshman Robby Weissinger competed in the National Field Archery Association “Vegas Shoot” on Feb. 10.
Archer competes nationally Cheyenne Alexis
Cheyenne.Alexis@coyotes.usd.edu
After dreaming of it for years, freshman Robby Weissinger is now competing to be one of the world’s best archers. Weissinger has been shooting competitively since middle school, and has been “hooked from the beginning.” Now in college and the treasurer of the USD Archery Club, Weissinger is looking to keep improving his shooting skills. Weissinger thought archery was an interesting sport after starting off with bowhunting. “I just would see people on TV shooting deer with a bow and I thought that was kind of cool to try out,” he said.
Shooting greatness
for
Weissinger recently competed in the National Field Archery Association “Vegas Shoot” on Feb. 10. Weissinger was ranked third for the preliminary part of the tournament and placed fifth at the elimination rounds at the Vegas competition. “(It’s) not quite where I wanted to be, but for a first time, it was pretty good,” Weissinger said. “I shot against people that were a little older than me and had a little more experience doing this, so overall I’m happy with my performance, but there’s obviously room for improvement.” Josahan Jaime-SantaCruz is the coaching and program director at the National Field Archery Association at the Eastern Yankton Archery Center, and has been coaching Weissinger since the beginning of this year. “(I’m) proud of Robby,” Jaime-SantaCruz said. “He has great skills for a freshman. (To be) ranked fifth in the country (is) quite an achievement.” Weissinger has been shooting Olympic-style for about two years, and said it’s “one of the most difficult styles to learn to shoot it correctly and to be able to repeat it.” “All forms of archery are hard in their own ways,” he said. “Olympic is probably one of the most physically demanding and requires a little bit extra.” Weissinger said he wants to shoot at the Olympic trials. “I have no doubt that I have the form that I could shoot up and go win tournaments right now — so, win some of the biggest tournaments out there and go to the Olympics with the form that I have now,” he said. President of USD’s Archery Club and sophomore Elizabeth Johnston
Awards
• Eight time Iowa Games gold medalist • Two time Iowa Games silver medalist
regular season play, but that would have been really overwhelming to be the starting setter and not know any plays or just coming to college in general,” she said. “So I decided to graduate early and it was honestly like one of the best decisions I’ve made.” Leanne Williamson, the team’s head coach, said USD doesn’t require student-athletes to come early because its staff believes that students’ senior years are “really important.” “For us, we just don’t think that requiring them to come in early is in their best interest,” she said. “I think it has to be something that they fully believe in, otherwise I think it’s hard to commit to. But it’s definitely a positive when they do want to do it.” While starting college at any time is often an adjustment, Jessen said her first semester went really well because she thought about the decision a lot before she got to campus and was prepared for its challenges. “I think that I really embraced the opportunity and I was very happy with my decision,” she said. Working with the coaches for a semester and getting comfortable with the team are two of the biggest advantages of coming early, Williamson said. This is especially true in volleyball because
The Volante I volanteonline.com there’s an emphasis on skills training for specific positions during the spring, she said. “We’re maybe breaking down how they play defense, how they move to ball in serve receive, what their arm looks like when they’re hitting,” Williamson said. “You can make some of those adjustments in the fall, but the majority of the fall is based on getting the team ready as a whole to play and win games.”
she said. “But my team’s been really supportive in helping me out through all of it.” Team culture is something that’s very important to Williamson. She said it’s critical to create a supportive family atmosphere while also staying competitive and having similar goals. Creating the right team culture starts with recruiting, she added. “What type of players are we recruiting? It’s not just players, it’s people. It’s who they are as a person,” Williamson said. “You know, how they interact with friends and family, how they deal with setbacks, how they deal with failures. And all of those things really go into what we have now.” Jessen said she was “blessed” that the team welcomed and helped her during her f irst semester. “I really think that shows on the court, how we work so well together, and happy for each other’s successes and pick each other up during failures, it’s just a really, really good team atmosphere,” she said. “We all work really hard and know what we to accomplish and I just think being on the same page helps a lot.” Hesse said her teammates have been a big help in adjusting to being at USD. “I love all of them already,” she said.
A supportive team
Coming a semester early is often beneficial in more areas than just athletics, Hesse and Jessen said. Hesse, a nursing major, is hoping the early start will allow her to take lighter class loads later on. “Getting a few core classes out of the way would really help me in the future when I have to do clinicals and stuff,” she said. Williamson said it can be challenging for freshmen to be away from their hometowns and high school classmates, especially if they’re the only freshman joining the team at the time. “You have to be comfortable with putting yourself out there,” she said. Hesse said she’s pretty well adjusted to life on campus. “The first week was kind of a struggle, but I mean, it’s the first week of college. So it’s always going to be a struggle no matter when I came,”
• State Games of America silver medalist • Second place at First Dakota Classic said Weissinger is on his way to the Olympics. “It’s going to take a while before he actually achieves it... but with the motivation he has, he’ll achieve it sooner or later,” Johnston said.
Being a mentor
Weissinger said he wants to help others achieve the passion he has for archery. “I feel like I was put on this planet to shoot and to help others pursue the same path that I’m pursuing,” he said. “I’m going to do my best to help people grow and improve themselves. That’s a big thing for me.” Weissinger coaches younger children back home in Iowa, and said he enjoys helping others learn. “I feel like I’m paying back a due,” he said. Weissinger said his achievements have helped motivate his students. “With me shooting on a bigger stage than most kids have ever seen before, I feel like I’m helping show them all things are possible if you just work hard enough for it,” Weissinger said. “There’s a lot of kids that just think, ‘Well, I couldn’t do it,’ and that was me not too long ago.” Weissinger said he remembers other archers’ achievements rather than his own. “I hold those memories a little more truer to myself than of my own accomplishments,” he said.
Challenges
Though Weissinger practices at least five times a week for a few hours a day, he still puts school first. “Sometimes I just can’t shoot for a couple of days because of homework and tests,” he said. “I gotta have the grades in order to shoot well.”
Weissinger said archery is a hard sport to master mentally. “Everything I’m battling right now is between my ears. Everything is in my head,” he said. “Archery is one of the most aware sports of the mental game, I believe.” Weissinger said it’s imperative not to think negatively when competing. “If I start thinking negative thoughts like, ‘Oh, my last shot wasn’t a 10, so this one isn’t going to be a 10 either,’ that makes it almost for sure that what I want is not going to happen,” Weissinger said.
Hopes future
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the
Johnston said she has high expectations for Weissinger because of his dedication to the sport. “He is very motivated when it comes to competing in archery and he’s always at the range, always practicing and always wants to better himself,” Johnston said. “He’s very competitive and eager.” Jaime-SantaCruz said Weissinger is doing a good job of representing USD. “(He’s one of the most) prepared archers on the range,” Jaime-SantaCruz said. “He’s willing to put in time to train. I’m confident Robby is going to have a successful archery career.” Weissinger’s goal is to grow and compete more in order to enhance his archery skills. “I plan to keep working harder and harder,” he said. “Now, instead of shooting more, I wanna shoot better during that practice to grow as an archer.”
Molly Schiermeyer I The Volante
Junior Brittany Jessen graduated high school early to get more practice on skills training for her position.
PLAYER OF THE PACK Brevin Kaiser Year: Freshman Major: Business Sport: Football
Dustin VanHunnik: If you had all the money in the world, what would be the first thing you would do? Brevin Kaiser: I would have to say that family still comes first ,so most of it would go to them. DV: Where in the world would you want to see if you had the
“I would become best friends with Tom Brady.” money? BK: I would go to Sydney, Australia. I’ve always heard it was great down there, and it seems like an interesting place.
DV: What would be the best thing you would do with your money? BK: I would become best friends with Tom Brady.