9.15.21

The Volante

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 2 1

USD Greek Life reacts to UNL Fiji case Madeline Knau & Miles Amende

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu Miles.Amende@coyotes.usd.edu

In the midst of the sexual assault and rape allegations with the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has sparked protest both on and off UNL’s campus.

The incident that oc-

curred at UNL happened Aug. 24 at around 3:40 a.m.

The UNLPD responded to a phone call from Bryan East Hospital where a 17-year-old sorority student was allegedly raped by a 19-year-old fraternity student from Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji). The incident caused a protest in front of the fraternity and a petition to end the Fiji chap-

ter at UNL forever, which has over 474,000 signatures as of Sept. 14.

Many fraternities at USD have put out statements on the Fiji incident.

Tayte Gleason, President of USD’s chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, said he was glad to hear that recruits expressed their disgust with what was going on and that they stated

they were not going to share those values.

“We pride ourselves on being gentlemen. It’s important to us to keep foundations. Definitely, this incident made us make sure we looked back at the foundations we’ve set, making sure we’re going above and beyond with risk management, See USD GREEK Page A3

USD STUDENTS FIGHT FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

VOLANTEONLINE.COM

VERVE (B3, B4)

Amplified opening at the National Music Museum The National Music Museum announced their opening date and held a live musical performance by local Yankton guitarists

SPORTS (B1, B2)

Coyotes break Division I record in South Dakota Classic The USD volleyball team hosted Bradley, Central Arkansas and Milwaukee as a part of the South Dakota Classic Sept. 9-11 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (SCSC).

Maddi Kallsen | The Volante USD Students for Reproductive Rights hosted a rally on Friday, Sept. 10 in response to the new legislature regarding abortion and Gov. Kristi Noem’s response to the Texas Legislature. The students and participants marched from The DakotaDome to Old Main.

Maddi Kallsen

Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s Students For Reproductive Rights hosted a rally in response to the new abortion restrictions in Texas and students and community members in support of their cause marched from the DakotaDome to Old Main Friday, Sept. 10.

Lexi McKee-Hemenway, president of Students for Reproductive Rights, said the rally was a response to several antiabortion tweets by Gov. Kristi Noem, along with the recent legislation in Texas regarding abortion.

Kristin Hayward, the manager of advocacy and development at Planned Parenthood and advisor to Students for Reproductive Rights, also attended the rally. Hayward said the number of attendees exceeded her expectations.

“I am a professional in this movement, nobody here in this space today is professional,” Hayward said.

“They’re here to represent people in the state of South Dakota having their bodies and their choices and what is best for them, so I’m blown away. I was optimistic—I thought there’d be a few people here, but this is just an unbelievable crowd. I’m really, really proud to be here. I’m proud of our work.”

Hayward said she has been working for Planned Parenthood for three and a half years.

“We live in a conservative state so we have had some really terrible bills come our way, but we keep fighting them and keep standing up for what’s right, and we’ll keep doing that for our patients,” Hayward said.

Maddi Kallsen | The Volante Many USD students and community members came to support the cause. “I am Polliesther. I’m a local drag queen, and I stand with the women,” USD student and reproductive rights support, Polliesther said.

The new Texas legislation is not the first of its kind. Similar laws exist in Georgia, Idaho, Alabama and 14 other states. Destiny Long, vice president of Students for Reproductive Rights, said legislature dictating reproductive rights is unlawful.

“We just think that the government should stay away from our bodies. We feel like we should have a voice. Obviously that’s getting taken away,” Long said.

USD students represent both sides of the anti-abortion and reproductive rights movements.

Faith Orcutt is the President of USD’s Yotes for Life. No matter what somebody’s beliefs are, Orcutt said, they still have the right to protest.

“I believe that everyone has the right to peacefully protest for whatever they believe in. Although

I don’t support their (the Students for Reproductive Rights) cause, I believe there isn’t anything wrong with expressing your own beliefs.

Our group decided to respond with positive and encouraging pro-life messages, not to start an argument, but rather an ongoing conversation,” Orcutt said.

Yotes for Life works closely with pregnancy resource centers, such as ZoeCare in Yankton and the Alpha Center in Sioux Falls. The student organization plans to continue working with these organizations.

“The pro-life cause is important to me because every human life holds significant value and that each life begins in the womb. Every human deserves the right to life, and there are millions of children who have been denied this first and most fundamental right,” Orcutt said. “I

stand with this movement because there are millions who cannot stand up for themselves and were never given a choice of their own.”

Along with Students for Reproductive Rights, Yotes for Life has plans to be active on and off campus. Local resources need all the volunteers they can get, Orcutt said.

“This coming semester, we plan to volunteer and work closely with the Alpha Center, ZoeCare and with our local right to life groups to provide pregnancy resources and promote a pro-life culture on campus,” Orcutt said.

McKee-Hemenway said Students for Reproductive Rights has a lot planned for the fall semester including seminars and collaborations with student organizations such as Spectrum and Tiospaye Student Council.

“On top of that, we plan on doing regular tabling, sex trivia nights and more protests. We want to inform people about everything. We’ve got a lot in store for the campus, and we hope that everybody else wants to join us,” McKee-Hemenway said.

Addison Miller represented the USD Political Science League and the Get Out the Yote initiative by helping students register to vote. He said the power lies with people when it comes to democracy.

“We are nonpartisan, and we’re registering voters at political events on campus that want us. Regardless of what they believe, we just want to increase that civil engagement on campus, and we want to continue to provide power to the people in these environments,” Miller said.

Many came in support of Students for Reproductive Rights, whether they were in the student organization or not. USD student, supporter of reproductive rights and Vermillion drag queen Polliesther came to the rally.

“Being a male, even as a gay one, we often take our positions for granted. It’s important to be present in these spaces and not be the dominant voice because this is about reproductive rights,” Polliesther said. “Exposure of this stuff leads to tolerance, and tolerance leads to acceptance, and hopefully that acceptance will turn into people agreeing that this isn’t a pro-abortion thing, it’s pro-health care and it’s a pro having the option to begin with.”

South Dakota animal shelters help rehome pets displaced by Hurricane Ida Jacob Forster

Jacob.R.Forster@coyotes.usd.edu

In the wake of Hurricane Ida sweeping the Gulf Coast, hundreds of shelter animals were left with nowhere to go. Operation Sunflower, a project run

by Greater Good Charities, transported at-risk shelter pets in advance of and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida to animal shelters across the country.

One such animal shelter was the Heartland Humane Society in Yankton, which took in a total of seven animals—five cats and two dogs. The shelter was one of 10 participating shelters in the state. In total, shelters across South Dakota took in 92 animals.

Kerry Feilmeier, the executive director of Heartland Humane Society, said they were able to place all seven animals in foster care. The animals were all around five months old. “(They’re) super playful, kind of just super sweet,” Feilmeier said. “They’re all going to be very adoptable. The process was really smooth, we would totally do it again.”

Denise St. Jean, the vice president of communications at Greater Good, said the project helps not only to insure animals are adopted, but also to clear space in shelters in affected areas for an influx of newly displaced animals.

The pets airlifted out in advance of Hurricane Ida had to undergo health checks to make sure they were healthy, non-contagious and able to fly safely.

Feilmeier said the challenges of the program came in how fast the process moved.

“We were asked to commit last Monday (Sept.

1). And so Monday was commitment, Tuesday was paperwork, Wednesday was kind of a wild day where everyone’s like, ‘what’s going on?’” Feilmeier said. “No one knew, we weren’t told until Thursday night what animals we were getting.”

St. Jean said the challenges of the program were made greater by how many shelters nationally are experiencing overcrowding.

“We are so grateful to the shelters in South Dakota who stepped up to accept these Hurricane Ida pets,” St. Jean said. “It’s that type of willingness to help that allows Greater Good Charities to respond to disasters and help shelters in need like our partners in Louisiana.”

Feilmeier said Heartland Humane Society is grateful to be a part of the response and to do its part to help these animals.

“Heartland is such a small entity in the world of animal welfare. To be able to just be a small piece of that puzzle is really fun, and we only do that by the support of volunteers,” Feilmeier said. “So the more foster homes we have, the more shelter volunteers we have, the more animals we can help. It’s really our community and those who support us Submitted photo | The Volante really make things like this happen.”

Yankton’s Heartland Humane society took in 10 animals in need of shelter through To donate and support the Good Flights the Operation Sunflower project, run by Greater Good Charities, in the aftermath of disaster relief efforts, visit greatergood.com.

Hurricane Ida. Animals were sheltered across the country.

The Volante I volanteonline.com News COYOTE FOOTBALL WINS FIRST HOME GAME

A2 Wednesday, September 15, 2021

USD fans experienced a big home win for the Coyotes facing Northern Arizona while also honoring 9/11 with an America theme.

CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE BLOTTER

3

2

sex crimes

1

public open containers

>> Sept. 5 - Sept. 10

posession of tobacco

Sept. 5

locate anyone.

open container in public.

Investigation continues.

An officer stopped a vehicle for driving during night-time hours without headlights on. The officer found the driver to be intoxicated and arrested the driver for DWI. Charges are pending.

Sept. 5

Sept. 6

Sept. 8

Officers responded to a report of two people ringing doorbells during the early morning hours. Both persons fled before officers arrived.

Sept. 5

Sept. 5

A Vermillion Officer responded to a non-injury accident at a busy intersection in Vermillion. The investigating officer found one driver failed to stop at a stop sign. The driver was cited and released.

Officers encountered a male asleep in the bed of a truck who provided a false identity and was in possession of numerous fake ID cards.

Officers arrested the man for numerous criminal charges.

Officers responded to a report of a dispute between persons. Officers found the dispute to be civil in nature over a shared rental and property.

Officer found a highly intoxicated male who had left his shoes and socks sitting on a bench. The male was under the age of 21, so he received a ticket for underage consumption and was reunited with his clothing.

Sept. 5 Officers cited a man who had an open container of alcohol on a public sidewalk.

Sept. 5 Officers responded to a report of loud noise coming from a basketball court in the early morning hours.

Officers arrived and did not

Sept. 5 Officers responded to a welfare check. Officers were familiar with the subject of the welfare check and found them to be doing well.

Sept. 6 Officers saw a male walking on a sidewalk with an open can of beer. The male was stopped and ticketed for

Sept. 7 Officers stopped a car for running a stop sign. The driver was ticketed.

Sept. 7 Officers took a report from a woman who reported her ex-husband was at her house and refusing to leave. The male was gone by the time officers arrived. Charges are pending.

Sept. 7 Detectives took a report from a woman who reported she was sexually assaulted.

one driver for following too close.

Sept. 9

Sept. 8 Officers took a report of a possible scam from a person who attempted to buy a dog online. Investigation continues.

Sept. 8 Officers investigated a theft from a local business. A suspect was identified and charges are pending.

Sept. 8

Officers preformed bar checks and ticketed several people for underage consumption and arrested three people for possession of fake IDs. Sept. 10 The School Resource Officer ticketed two teens for possession of tobacco by a juvenile.

Sept. 10 Detectives took a report of a sex crime. Under investigation.

Sept. 10 Detectives took a report of a sex crime. Under investigation.

Officers responded to a noninjury accident and ticketed

SGA swears in new senators, funds SafeRides Allison Horkey

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

SGA President Ally Feiner swore in the new SGA senators, Rachel Beare, Kathrerine Conzet, Grace DuVall, Dillon Grubb, Tabitha Hunt, Max Mickelson, Rachel Overstreet and Cole Pry. A bill was passed to fund Students for Reproductive Rights. SFRR is a student organization dedicated to advocating for women’s choices in health matters and educating about women’s reproductive rights issues. SFRR was granted $800.

Lexi McKee-Hemenway, the president of SFRR, said because the organization was not active last year, there was no budget submitted and as a result, SFRR has been operating with no SGA funding.

“A lot of the work that we do has to do with real human rights that are being violated with the United States right now. So, obviously,

in order for us to be able to actually be true avtivists, help spread the word about this and uphold our own constitution… we have to have a budget,” Mckee-Hemenway said.

The Student Art Alliance (SAA) was also granted funding. SGA Vice President, Katie Brust, spoke on behalf of SAA and secured $1,160. Brust said SAA did go through the budget process last year but missed a meeting and was not able to attend a budget hearing and did not qualify.

SGA provided emergency funding to SafeRides in the amount of $1,250 to operate for an additional two weekends. “[SafeRides] gets their fuding through grants typically. Because of COVID last year the grant was not available,” Feiner, who introduced the bill, said.

SafeRides has grant funding starting Oct. 1, which is D-Days weekend. The bill funds SafeRides for the two weekends proceeding D-

Days. SafeRides offers students transportation from downtown back to campus in an effort to cut back on drunk driving.

Aside from the SafeRides grant, Scott Pohlson, Vice President of Enrollment, spoke during the meeting. Pohlson said enrollment rates are static from last year to this year or possibly lower.

“Included in enrollment is also retention numbers so how many students are actually retained from previous year. But where we probably have the most work to do in terms of USD and enrollment is literally in our backyard, so we will probably have one of our best years in Sioux Falls,” Pohlson said.

Enrollments from Iowa and Minnesota have increased, but enrollments from Ne-

braska are down. Pohlson said enrollments are expected to increase next year, when the Premier Scholarship, the State of South Dakota’s first needs based scholarship, becomes available, Pohlson said.

John Howe, Associate Dean of Students, also spoke during the meeting. Howe discussed President Gestring’s All Campus Picnic, on the MUC west lawn from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Howe said to encourage constituents and classmates to download the USD Safe app and USD Go app, two apps which have accessible information and resources for students.

A bill to fund the American Indian Science and Engineering Society was brought to the floor. There was no representatives from AISES and the bill was moved to next weeks agenda.

The Volante Volume 146, No. 23 September 1, 2021 www.volanteonline.com

Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller

Allison HorkeyI The Volante

Lexi Mckee-Hemenway speaks at SGA meeting to ask for funding for SFRR. Mckee-Hemenway is surrounded by other members of SFRR.

Mission statement The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students.

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Maddi Kallsen news editor

Allison Horkey news assistant

Rachel Pechous news designer

Bennett Clary verve editor

Alle Anduaga verve assistant

Madilyn Sindelar verve designer

Chloe Fullenkamp sports designer

Emma Daggett opinion editor

Rachel Thompson opinion designer

Sydney Johnson photo editor

Jacob Forster copy editor

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Kaitlyn Kumm advertising manager

Bailey Zubke editor-in-chief Miles Amende managing editor

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News

A3 Wednesday, September 15, 2021

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Bruce Veneziani displays musical talent in downtown Vermillion Isabel Tewes

Isabel.Tewes@coyotes.usd.edu

Last Thursday, Bruce Veneziani played a wide variety of music at Old Lumber Company. He hit the stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar and his voice.

“I think that I’ve always wanted to perform and be involved in music since I was a kid. Guitars fascinated me. I started teaching myself to play when I was 15. I bought my first guitar myself while working after school and on weekends at a local café,” Veneziani said.

Even when he’s not performing, his career is centered around music and shows. Music is an important part of life, Veneziani said.

“My business is solely in the music scene. I run a small live production company where I provide sound and lighting for bands and events. But I live for the times I get to play music for an audience,” Veneziani said.

The best part about performing is the audience, Veneziani said.

“I love when I can really connect with a crowd and I can see people having a good time, whether

they are singing along, clapping to the beat or cutting a rug. I don’t have any rock star dreams, but I really hope to be able to keep playing music for as long as I live,” Veneziani said.

Old Lumber Company hosts a variety of special events weekly, along with other performances from artists such as Veneziani.

The performance drew a crowd of students and community members. Anna Bottesini, a USD freshman, attended the performance.

“They (Old Lumber Company) always seem to have some kind of event going on as far as I’m concerned. It’s nice, ‘cause if I’m bored one night and wanna go out with some friends and get food or something we can always just go there,” Bottesini said.

Bottesini said there was a lot of energy and spirits were high throughout the performance in the bar, and that people enjoyed the show.

“I’d definitely go there again if there’s more people who are gonna be doing live music. It was like a tiny concert, which is fitting for Vermillion,” Bottesini said. “I totally recommend going there, and like, even if there’s no live music, it’s still a good time.”

Isabel Tewes | The Volante

Bruce Veneziani performed at Old Lumber Company Thursday, September 9.

Old Lumber Company hosts a variety of special events weekly, along with other performances from artists.

Vermillion Library’s “Book Chatter” is back together Rachel Spinks

Rachel.Spinks@coyotes.usd.edu

Book Chatter is a Vermillion book club where members of the community come together to discuss their thoughts on books they’ve read each month.

Kendra Brewer, the new adult programmer for the Vermillion Public Library, said they meet on the second Friday of every month at 2 p.m.

The group is once again being held in-person, having previously been moved online to a Facebook group last March. The club usually has anywhere from five to 15 members at a meeting, Brewer said.

“Book Chatter is (where) you bring a book you want to talk about that you have read. It could be a book you’ve read before, it could be a book that you’re reading,” Brewer said.

“We talk about our books that we have read, which is kind of nice because it’s a good way to get recommendations.”

The previous programmer would then put out a list of all the books discussed so attendees could put them on their own reading lists, Brewer said. She said the club reads a variety of genres, but fiction is the most common.

Book Chatter was founded at USD before being moved to the public library, Brewer said.

“Some of the people in the library wanted to get together

for their own little book group and then started doing it here.

It’s kind of morphed from that into a public program, which I think is pretty awesome,” Brewer said.

The program is important to the community because people love to talk about the books they’ve been reading, Brewer said. With the pandemic shutting the library down, the community was not able to come together.

“I think that sense of community—we need that. I think it’s very important to give people that sense of community and that relationship with others to rely on or just to have somebody to talk to, especially because we saw how lonely it could get in the isolation,” Brewer said.

Calli Connors | The Volante

The last “Thursday on the Platz” was hosted downtown Vermillion last week.

GatheRED wraps up Thursday on the Platz

Calli Connors

calli.connors@coyotes.usd.edu

Thursday marked the end of the “Thursday on the Platz” tradition for the 2021 summer season with the GatheRED event.

The event was hosted at the Vermillion City Hall parking lot and was originally scheduled for Aug. 26 but was postponed due to the weather.

GatherRED was a celebration for the students at the USD, as well as the surrounding community. The goal was to bring the two together for a night full of games, music and food, Dean of Students Kim Grieve said.

“President Gestring really wanted this to be a larger and better (event) to really join the community and the university together,” Grieve said.

The tagline for GatheRED was

“RED connects us all.” Both USD and Vermillion High School have red as the primary school color, and the event was meant to connect the two parts of Vermillion’s population.

“It almost feels like D-Days, because there hasn’t been a home game in two years. It’s a really nice environment,” USD student Hayes Miller said.

Pizza Ranch was the main food sponsor for the event, and the line for pizza stretched down the street.

People who attended the event could win prizes by playing games at different booths.

“It’s a really fun atmosphere.

They’ve got all sorts of booths set up, where you can play games and then win prizes. It looks like a great time so far,” USD student Mariah Koenig said.

The event featured live music from Blue Rune, a band based in Vermillion, as well as the Sound

USD Greek From Page A1

watching out for each person’s accountability.”

Gleason said. “We recently had a training at Lambda with our new members to make sure they’re on the same page, because we need to make sure that everybody is on the same page about keeping this campus safe for women and men as well.“ Connor Van Der Werff, President of USD’s chapter of Phi Kappa Alpha, said the fraternity is diligent and very careful when it comes to these situations and making sure that they don’t happen.

“If there is any sort of issue that would happen to arise in the chapter, we deal with it immediately.

Sexual assault, hazing, whatever it might be, has no place in Greek life, has

no place at college, has no place anywhere,” Van Der Werff said.

Other fraternities on campus have also came out with statements regarding these issues.

Phi Delta Theta recently posted a statement on their instagram page.

“The men of the South Dakota Chapter of Phi Delta Theta stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. We remain committed to the safety and pursuit of justice for all victims. We strive to keep the University of South Dakota community safe and secure. We are committed to ending all violence through education and activism. We recognize it through the unity of a community,” Phi Delta Theta said in their

of USD marching band. Also in attendance were the USD cheerleaders, who performed to kick off the night, and USD’s mascot Charlie Coyote.

“It was really cool how they had the band play, and the cheerleaders do some cheers. And we got free pizza, so I’m happy about that,” USD student Kathrinn Hopkins said.

Following a strong turnout at the 2021 event, Greive said there will be two mosaics worked on in the upcoming year around the GatheRED theme.

“We’re doing a mosaic that says ‘GatheRED’, and we’re doing two of them. One will be in the community, and one will be at USD,” Grieve said.

“It’s so important to have the towngown relationship, and it’s been good for the university, and great Calli Connors | The Volante for the community as well,” Grieve GatherRED was a celebration for the students at the USD, as well as said. the surrounding community with the goal for the community to come together and have fun, Dean of Students Kim Grieve said.

statement.

Laura Anderton, Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life on Campus, said Greek life policies are governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and are part of the Student Code of Conduct as well.

She said she encourages chapters to report if any of those kinds of activities occur.

“If we do get a report that something has happened in a facility, then we make a report to our Title IX officer, and she goes through the investigatory procedures. We work in collaboration with our Title IX office to make sure that the students—both the perpetrator and the victim—get any resources that they need to be able to navigate that,“ Anderton said.

Ronnie Green, chancellor of UNL, responded to the allegations in a video statement to the university

community and posted the transcript to his twitter account.

“We take any allegation of sexual assault very seriously. The Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity at UNL is currently under probation for previous violations of university policy. We are closing the fraternity house and suspending operations of the Fiji chapter while this investigation is ongoing, due to potential violations of their probation,” Green said in his statement.

With the fraternity being temporarily closed, many of the men from the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity have had to move into freshman dorm halls.

ILLiana Hammers, a student at UNL, lives on the same floor as some of the men from that fraternity and has participated in the protest there. She said she’s protested every night from around 10 p.m. to 1

a.m. She said the protests enabled people to tell their sexual assault stories so they can feel heard.

“I know for me and my roommate, because (Fiji members) had moved into my dorm hall, that we specifically scheduled our shower times together. We try not to leave the dorm by ourselves (or) walk by ourselves in the dorm halls. If we do, we carry like mace or something with us. It’s just more of a protection for ourselves...

Many of us don’t leave unless we have someone with us, just because we don’t know who’s who, or who’s going to do what,” Hammers said.

Fraternity and sorority members at UNL have also come together to talk about how they felt about the issue. Brooke Goshorn, a member of UNL’s Delta Gamma chapter, said she felt that there is a large culture of sexual harassment

through fraternity houses and the parties held there, and that women are more at risk and have to be on high alert wherever they go. However, Goshorn said she is impressed with the students’ response to the situation.

“I’ve seen so many instances where even male fraternity members have displayed their support towards the victim and their... disgust towards the situation. We’ve had meetings with other fraternities and opportunities to kind of talk to those members about females and what we want to see change and what’s comfortable. So there’s been a lot of room for growth and learning through this entire thing that I’ve been impressed with,” Goshorn said.

As of Sept. 14, UNL’s Fiji chapter remains shut down and under investigation.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Rachel Thompson I The Volante

USD students participate in a reproductive rights march on campus Friday.

Editorial: Texas abortion law causes debate throughout the nation “

In the past few weeks, there has been chalk all around campus supporting both antiabortion and abortion rights ideologies. This debate has been brought forward again because of the abortion law is being put into place in Texas.

The Texas law bans abortion as soon as a heartbeat is detectable, which is around six weeks for normal pregnancies.

For many women, this could be before they know they are pregnant. What makes this law so different is it allows private citizens to sue abortion providers.

This new law has caused a lot of chaos and confusion. It doesn’t allow people seeking an abortion to be sued, but it also doesn’t allow providers of abortion to perform abortions legally after six weeks into pregnancy.

The Supreme Court

The new law in Texas is extremely intrusive for pregnant women. The same government who says a mask requirement is intrusive just passed the most restrictive abortion law. This same law asks its citizens to become spies against their neighbors and to report them. ”

has recently voted on the constitutionality of this law, and in a 5-4 vote, the Texas abortion law will remain. Other states have attempted to pass similar laws in the past concerning abortion but were blocked by abortion-rights activists and federal courts. Now, some state legislatures are looking to implement similar laws within their state.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi

Noem hopes to investigate reinforcing the state’s laws.

“Following the Supreme Court’s decision to leave the pro-life TX law in place, I have directed the Unborn Child Advocate in my office to immediately review the new TX law and current South Dakota laws to make sure we have the strongest pro-life laws on the books in SD,” Noem said in a recent Twitter post.

With the new law in place in Texas, there is now a move to change abortion laws in other states such as South Dakota, Idaho and Florida. Oklahoma has already passed a similar law that will take effect at the beginning of November. Some states have trigger laws, which means abortion restrictions will be put in place if other legislation is passed.

Some abortion facilities have

temporarily stopped offering the procedure because they fear getting sued. This new law will hit these facilities hard.

New lawsuits will take time and money away from providing for patients.

The new law in Texas is extremely intrusive for pregnant women. The same government who says a mask requirement is intrusive just passed the nation’s most restrictive abortion law.

This same law asks its citizens to become spies against their neighbors and to report them.

The Texas government is telling women what to do with their bodies but says it’s illegal to demand someone wear a mask.

People have the right to do what they decide is best, not just when it benefits others.

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME From doh.sd.gov abort73.com

50%

Want to make your voice 106 heard?

Of abortions were performed due to financial struggles in 2020

The number of abortions received by SD residents in 2020

$535

20

The average cost of abortions in the United States

85%

of women having abortions in 2018 were unmarried

The number of weeks into the pregnancy where a person can get an abortion in SD

125

The number of abortions performed in SD in 2020

If you are interested in writing Opinion for The Volante, email The Volante at volante@coyotes.usd.edu.

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Art is for everyone

OLIVIA ROHAN is a senior majoring in Graphic Design

Art is for everyone, and everyone is a little bit of an artist.

From the beginning, when we can hold a crayon in our hand, we are compelled to make art. We make marks on paper without even thinking. We use intuition and our emotions to create something abstract.

As we grow we are compelled to create forms with our drawings, when we play with Play-Doh, when we build structures with Legos, and so on. Making things is fun and we are proud of the outcome no matter what it looks like. We only care what the end product is when other people critique our work.

This is when we start to think about what someone else will think or say about our work. We become insecure and we do not create as intuitively or as passionately as we did before, when we had no inhibitions.

Criticism is what deters people from creating.

It is the little voice in our head which tells us we aren’t good enough even before anyone else says so. It beats down our confidence and we slowly stop creating things.

Even though criticism can be crippling, sometimes there is also healthy criticism.

This type of criticism is meant to better ourselves.

We just have to push through the initial hurt of our pride and jump over the hurdle for us to grow. Other people’s opinions can be helpful and are useful in problem-solving.

Though in the beginning I said criticism is what causes people to stop creating, it can also cause us to grow in our skills and to think more broadly.

We need to learn what criticism is good and what criticism is bad. We need to listen to ourselves as well, because in the end, that is who gets to decide on our art: us. Do not let negative opinions cause you to stop creating. Consider other people’s opinions, but create what you want to create and never stop creating.

Opinion

Renaissance fairs are a must see

EMMA DAGGETT is a sophmore majoring in English.

Renaissance fairs are a must for everyone. If you have never been to one, I suggest you find the nearest one and go while you have the chance.

The past few weekends, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival has been taking place. Over the weekend I went and absolutely loved it. About half of the people were dressed up.

There were Vikings, royalty, fairies, assassins, plague doctors and so much more. The theme of the weekend was “Woofstock,” which meant dogs were there dressed up just as much as their humans.

Not only were the dogs dressed up, but a race took place between some of the dogs. Corgis and wiener dogs ran around trying

to beat the others to their owners on the other side of the field. It was obviously chaos, and most of the dogs were on the sidelines getting pets from strangers.

The fair had all kinds of stages set up for people’s enjoyment. There were knife throwers, jugglers, acrobats and actors performing shows every hour. One group was called the “Danger Committee.”

They were a knife-throwing comedic trio. Every show had at least a 100 people watching them.

Another stage gave tomatoes to people, and they were supposed to throw them at a man dressed as a tomato. While they threw tomatoes at him, he would scream insults at the crowd.

The jousting area was by far the busiest. Men dressed in full chainmail would beat each other up while riding horses.

The Renaissance took place from the 14th century to the 17th

century. It was a rebirth of art and culture after the Middle Ages. Knowing this, you can figure out that these fairs are not historically accurate.

But this is not the point.

The point of a Renaissance fair is to see everyone’s cool costumes and different reenactments.

It is a way to step away from modern technologies and see a bunch of cool artwork and performances.

The acting and performances are not the only things to enjoy.

There are shops selling jewelry, glassware, knives, paintings and costumes. You can see demonstrations on glass blowing or how people make clay mugs.

Of course, there is also food at these fairs. There are giant turkey legs and pints of ale. You can find crepes from France and brats from Germany. And never forget about the bread bowls filled with soup or the mac and

cheese pies.

The strangest thing is how friendly everyone was to each other. We are in the Midwest, so everyone is already polite to people around them, but there, people were 10 times as friendly.

People would compliment each other’s outfits and then they would have conversations for 10 minutes talking about where they were from and why they were there.

Renaissance fairs are a lot of fun and a great experience. There is so much to do and see and one day is hardly enough to see it all. The entertainment is amazing and the food is delicious.

The vendors are like walkup Etsy shops.

The point of a Renaissance fair is to just have fun and let loose for a few hours, and I can say it definitely worked.

The Volante Bailey Zubke, editor-in-chief

OVERHEARDS

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 A5

Miles Amende, managing editor Jacob Forster, copy editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

Bennett Clary, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.

CONTACT US

“I just know too much about her personality to find her pretty.”

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.

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“I’m excited, I haven’t screamed at a white man in a while.”

— MUC

“She could punch me in the face and I’d say thank you.”

— Elm St.

“That pee pee was a ten out of ten.”

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“He misses my birthday every year to go deer hunting.”

— Old Lumber Company

“Why would I leave, we’re up by 27. Do you know how rare that is?”

— The Dome

“It’s not a Colorado thing, its a normal thing.”

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“At least finnish him off.”

- Outside MUC “Do you prefer the foot shaven or not shaven?”

- MUC “Imagine liking anything Korean.”

“Is that racist?”

- Outside MUC “Let him vibe with the food.”

- Outside MUC “What happened to you as a child?”

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Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

Bring back reading for pleasure ELIZABETH AREND is a sophomore majoring in English Education Reading hasn’t been “trendy” between high school and college-age students for many years, but it is time for a change in mindset. The benefits outweigh any arising cons when considering taking reading as a hobby.

Higher levels of creativity and imagination, stronger vocabulary usage, wider ranges of perspectives, enriched understanding of history and experiences, and stress relief are all results

of taking up the act of reading for pleasure.

Feeling sad? Read a book. Feeling lost? Read a book. Feeling happy? Read a book.

When thinking of all the of literary works in this world, the knowledge filling the pages is endless.

Everyone should be exposed to the type of experiences reading can lead to. The reader can connect strongly with one of the characters and end up feeling empathetic toward the situation and world they are living in.

The reader can become enriched with new ideas or concepts they may have never realized existed.

Lots of students will be assigned books they have

to read for class, which leads to the experience more than likely being pretty unenjoyable. The joy in reading for pleasure is that the consumer gets to choose any eye-catching genre rather than being forced into an unpleasant read.

Lack of concentration is a contributing factor in why people claim they don’t read for pleasure.

Sitting in a quiet place and removing external distractions—like cell phones or televisions—can aid in focus.

Sharpening and enhancing academic strengths is another benefit of reading for pleasure. Struggling with recollection is a major

factor in the downfall of tests, but reading is an easy and effective way to strengthen those skills.

Getting into reading can be difficult, especially when there are many other extra-curricular options to fill the day with. Establishing a book club on campus or within a group of friends can provide a push down the path of reading for enjoyment.

There comes a time when all the entertainment on Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are just not fulfilling anymore, which is a great opportunity to dive into the world of reading.

- Outside MUC

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News The Volante | volanteonline.com Ribs, Rods, & Rock ’n’ Roll held in downtown Vermillion

A6 Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Madeline Knau | The Volante Ribs, Rods, & Rock ’n’ Roll was a two-day annual event held downtown which included many activities.

Madeline Knau

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu

Ribs, Rods, & Rock ’n’ Roll was a two-day event held in downtown Vermillion. The event included many activities including a car show, the Clay Creak Deaf Cowboy Band, WASABA Wing War and many more.

Many students from Vermillion High School helped work the event. Mackenzie Brady, who worked the inflatable area, said she enjoyed seeing some adults come through and pay for random kids.

Madeline Knau | The Volante A car show, the Clay Creak Deaf Cowboy Band, WASABA Wing War and many others were hosted for community members.

“I love getting to see all the kids have fun while all the adults get to socialize downtown because it gives them something to do,” Brady said.

Members of the Vermillion community also came to the event. Andy Taverna, a USD alumnus, came to celebrate his birthday, partake in the events and enjoy downtown Vermillion.

“It looks pretty good and it seems pretty unique. I came down here for the USD game.

It’s actually my birthday, so we came down here to celebrate a little bit. And yeah, also Ribs

Rods, & Rock ’n’ Roll seems to have good food,” Taverna said.

Many USD students also attended the event. Austin Beargrass said she enjoyed coming with a couple of friends and getting to do some of the activities with them and to try some of the food that they had there.

“Some of my friends had invited me and I thought that it would be a good time. I think that all the food seems pretty good, and it was cool to see some of the cars on our way into the event as well,” Beargrass said.

Emily Sharp, who also participated in some

of the events, such as JJ’s axe throwing, said she had enjoyed the sense of community she felt from the event and from seeing many people there wearing USD gear.

“I went to the event because my friends thought it would be fun. I got to try axe throwing for the first time and I enjoyed it a lot, (I) got to try new foods, meet a lot of new people and see what it’s like downtown as well,” Sharp said.

Ribs, Rods, & Rock ’n’ Roll ran from Sept. 10 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m and Sept. 11 from 8:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Study Abroad opportunities available to USD students Michael Hammond

Michael.Hammond01@coyotes.usd.edu

The Gallagher Center hosted its annual Study Away Fair Wednesday, giving students an opportunity to learn more about opportunities to study around the country and world.

Jessica Winterringer is the USD study abroad advisor for the Gallagher Center. Her job consists of helping students wanting to travel and study for academic and individual purposes.

“Students are potentially looking for new places and grad schools. We have a great program called the National Student Exchange, which allows one to exchange here in the United States,” Winterringer said.

USD is connected to several other schools across the country, allowing students to study at different schools in different places.

“If you’ve ever thought about living in California or going to grad school in New York... it is a great trial period to kind of see if you like it before you fully commit,” Winterringer said. “This program is great because you can either pay USD tuition or the in-state price. For example, Hilo, Hawaii is small school with about 3,000 students, but students are paying way less

than they would at USD.” In addition to the National Student Exchange program, there are international schools where students can study abroad.

Countries students have travelled include Australia, South Korea, Switzerland, England and Italy. The more popular the destination and the more tourist-like it is, the more expensive it becomes to travel there, Winterringer said.

Opportunities range from year to year within college. Students can travel any year of their academic career.

“I think sophomore and junior year are great,” Winterringer said. “Sophomore year, you still have enough free time within your schedule to take some general courses as well as electives. Once you get into your junior year, your courses are much more limited, and it is harder to find the exact coursework you need.”

Students can reach out the Gallagher Center to take advantage of the opportunities offered. The deadline to apply to study abroad for the spring semester is Oct. 15. More information about the Gallagher Center Michael Hammond | The Volante and appointment scheduling are both on the USD The Gallagher Center hosted its annual Study Away Fair which lets website. students learn more about opportunities to study around the country and world.

USD Women in Philanthropy gives back to Vermillion

USD Women in Philanthropy hosted an event and selected four new Allison Horkey Coalition, Jiel said.

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu “(The President’s Senior Leadership Institute) is a program The USD Women in Philanthropy that’s offered for seniors within their held its annual event Saturday, Sept. last year, to gain that real world 11. USD Women in Philanthropy, professional development and gain a part of the USD Foundation, is a those soft skills that they never group of women alumni dedicated would have obtained inside of the to supporting USD’s current students classroom. And it’s also a great way and the Vermillion community. The for our students to connect with USD Women in Philanthropy event alumni,” Jiel said. is an opportunity for members to Some of the ways USD Women be recognized for their contributions in Philanthropy has helped USD in and hear from groups who have the past, Jiel said, include working to benefited from the philanthropic fund and support Charlie’s Cupboard organization. and student mental health.

Abuk Jiel graduated from USD in Ally Feiner is a junior at USD the spring of 2021. She now serves as currently serving as the Student the director of development for USD Government Association President.

Women in Philanthropy.

Feiner said she got started with “Each year we plan an annual Women in Philanthropy when she Women in Philanthropy event, and began her term as president in our main goal is to get our USD March 2021. women back together. I think one “It’s a really great cause and of the main goals is to really show I’m more than happy to work with just how much these women can empowering women,” Feiner said. do when they come together, and Marcus Destin is the Social Media amazing things happen,” Jiel said.

Coordinator for USD and attended There are four main initiatives the event as a representative of the the USD Women in Philanthropy Cultural Wellness Coalition. are supporting this year. The main “I’m here as a representative with initiative is the President’s Senior Ashley Charlie, as students, as we tell Leadership Institute, followed by the group about what we’ve done three other initiatives: the Native and thank them for awarding us and Student Services Learning Living giving us an opportunity to expand Community, USD Kundsen School our organization and our goals,” of Law Women’s Leaders Lecture Destin said.

Series and the Cultural Wellness Feiner said USD Women in

Allison Horkey | The Volante initiatives Sept. 11.

Philanthropy has been a great resource for Vermillion and USD students.

“Women in Philanthropy has brought in a new light to Vermillion.

They totally understand what it’s like to be a college student, they’ve been able to impact students so various denominations. So, they support things in the MUC (Muenster University Center)... they’ve given funding to students. With COVID-19 happening, the pandemic has really been an opportunity for them to give back. Along with that, a lot of them work in the healthcare field, and so they’ve used their talents toward various communities throughout South Dakota,” Feiner said.

Jiel said around 140 women attended the event, but closer to 500-600 women are involved with USD Women in Philanthropy in some capacity, including through social media.

“One thing that I continue to hear from women was just the impact of hearing from the individuals who are running these programs is very eye opening, and also very humbling.

That’s something that you tend to forget when you’re an alumni, and you’re so far removed. You don’t really think about your time at USD and just being able to really reflect on all the amazing things that Allison Horkey| USD Marketing happen,” Jiel said.

USD Women in Philanthropy, a part of the USD Foundation, is a group of women alumni dedicated to supporting USD’s current students and the Vermillion

Verve

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

AMPLIFIED OPENING AT THE NATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

Two local Yankton guitarists performed Sept. 10 in the new Janet Wanzek Performance Hall to kick-off the “NMM Live!” concert series at the National Music Museum.

Guitarists Mike Hilson and Jay Gilbertson started playing together almost 34 years ago after they met at a music shop in Yankton.

They performed in multiple bands and played a lot of live shows in Vermillion.

Hilson is the adjunct guitar instructor at USD; he has played the guitar for 47 years. He said that for many of the duo’s gigs, they are like wallpaper to the event in that people don’t pay attention to them, but their concert at the Museum was completely focused on them.

“It’s kind of given me butterflies thinking about (it) because now people are actually just sitting there listening to this,” Hilson said. “It’s a different experience for sure because you hope that you bring your best because people are actually sitting and listening to you.”

Michael Suing, the interim director at the NMM, oversees all daily operations at the museum. He invited Gilbertson and Hilson to perform because the NMM hosts musicians from all backgrounds and traditions in hopes that they will bring life to the museum’s collections.

“A thing that became really apparent to us is that there’s so many really talented people right here, right here in Vermillion, in Yankton, Sioux Falls, the surrounding area, and so as we

were looking to put together the lineup for this year,” Suing said. “It was like, ‘who have we not celebrated that is right here with us?’”

Gilbertson has played the acoustic guitar for 41 years but also plays the bass guitar and drums. He said it’s special to be back in Vermillion, especially in the museum. He said the biggest difference for their performance was the new space they had never played in.

“I’m just happy to play for the reopening of the museum because the museum is so cool,” Gilbertson said. “I haven’t been there for a long time, but I know a lot of the stuff that they have and I kind of drool over a lot of the stuff that they have. I’m just glad they’re back.”

The duo used to play in downtown Vermillion often, but Gilbertson said there’s no

Mike Hilson and Jay Gilbertson have been performing as a duo for almost 34 years after meeting in a music shop in Yankton.

longer the need for live music. They have over 12 hours of music in their repertoire, mostly memorized, but they adjust the songs they play depending on their audience.

“We’ve evolved a little bit, but we just do what we like and that’s what makes our art of playing these guitars,” Gilbertson said. “That’s what makes it fun, that’s what we like to do.”

In October, the NMM will have a polka band and a Native American filmmaker perform.

The museum will be open to the public starting Oct. 1. They will have temporary hours of Friday, Saturday and Monday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. More information is available on their website at nmmusd.org.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Indigo Spa celebrates grand opening in downtown Vermillion

Indigo Spa offers multiple services like facials, lashes and sauna wraps. In the future they hope to offer group waxings.

Alle Anduaga

Alle.Anduaga@coyotes.usd.edu

The Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company (VCDC) officially welcomed Indigo Spa into the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept 14.

Indigo Spa opened downtown at 119 E. Main St. Monica Miller, owner and operator of Indigo Spa, began her spa services at the end of 2018. Due to COVID-19 and a change in spa locations, Miller is finally opening her quiet day spa, which offers a variety of services.

“I’m hoping the ribbon cutting ceremony will get more awareness out there,” Miller said. “Having more exposure, hopefully, will let people know that I’m here.”

The Indigo Spa grand opening began with welcoming speeches from VCDC members and Miller.

Afterward, people gathered

inside the spa where there were donut holes, champagne, giveaways and discounts on bookings and products.

Miller said those who purchased products or bookings had the opportunity to spin a wheel for free items and other discounts and deals.

Indigo Spa offers facials, body waxing, lashes, peels, sauna wraps and thermolysis, as well as products for skincare.

Miller said she is planning on turning one of her unused spa rooms into a halfrelaxation, half-party room.

The room will be available for relaxing facials or group bikini waxings.

“Some women like to get waxed together, especially if this is their first time, (and) they have a blast,” Miller said.

“Maybe even do wine and painting nights.”

Miller is currently in graduate school for counseling

Alle Anduaga | The Volante

and wants to dedicate her other unused room to mental health services.

“It’s not so much about the looks,” Miller said. “It’s more about skin health and not doing damage. Learning how to accept yourself, honestly, is a lot of it, because people want to change themselves so much.”

Miller said she wants to help people embrace their unique beautiful selves.

“For me, and I guess why I’m going into mental health, it’s about whole wellness,” Miller said.

Indigo Spa can be found online at https:// indigovermillionspa. glossgenius.com for bookings, as well as on Facebook at Indigo.VSD and Instagram at Alle Anduaga | The Volante vermillionindigospa.

The VCDC joined Miller in the grand opening of Indigo Spa on Tuesday.

Verve

B2 Wednesday, September 15, 2021

The Volante | volanteonline.com

“The Hook Up” event provides sexual assault prevention and consent education to students

Alle Anduaga| The Volante

The Hook Up taught students what consent can look like and how to identify dangerous situations for others.

Izzy Tewes

Isabel.Tewes@coyotes.usd.edu

Every year, the student leadership program hosts a sexual assault prevention event, and this year’s event was an interactive program called “The Hook Up,” and was created by Catharsis Productions.

“Hooking up can often sound like harmless fun, but it can also be a cover for some very unhealthy behaviors,” Catharsis Productions said on their website. “This engaging discussion pulls back the covers on hooking up, clarifying when it’s actually sexual violence and how bystanders can protect potential victims from predators.”

The program required active participation from

students in order to teach them about topics like the definitions of sexual assault and how to hold sex offenders accountable.

With sexual assault reports popping up around the country as students return to campus, the program addresses those types of situations head-on.

The Fiji sexual assaults at University of NebraskaLincoln and the University of Iowa are two examples of sexual assault that occurred on college campuses this year.

Noah Henry, a freshman who attended multiple Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) protests at UNL, said he is an active supporter in the fight for consent.

“I think that when it comes to anything involving another person, especially

in an intimate way, consent is necessary,” Henry said.

“If you are trying to get with somebody who is intoxicated, they can’t properly consent.

It’s terrible what happened at that party, and the victim deserves justice.”

Catharsis Productions said they wanted students to leave with three major takeaways: connecting the dots between sexist language and hooking up, knowing the differences between a healthy sexual encounter and a rape and empowering students to hold sex offenders accountable.

To report an assault, contact the University Police or the Vermillion Police Department. To get support, reach out to ICARE Vermillion or the Student Counseling Center.

Alle Anduaga The Volante

Students learned more about what sexual assault can look like,

Rachel Review: Shang Chi Hits the Perfect Tone

Press Photo | Walt Disney Company Rachel Thompson| The Volante

Rachel Thompson

Rachel.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu

Marvel’s new movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opened Sept. 3, reviving the energy of Marvel’s phase four plan and setting a new standard for upcoming Marvel movies.

Simu Liu shines in his Marvel debut as the lead Shang-Chi. Liu showed he has what it takes to be Marvel’s new top hero, as he did all his stunts. He is partnered with Awkwafina, who is also making her Marvel debut as Shang-Chi’s best friend, Katie. While Awkwafina is generally the comic relief, as most sidekicks are, she was still given her own story and character arc that I’m looking forward to seeing continued in future movies. Together the two make a perfect pair through their amazing acting chemistry.

In most Marvel movies it’s noticeable how Marvel relies heavily on comedy, showing me that they don’t have as much faith in their story or didn’t make it as developed as it could have been. While “Shang-Chi” has humor, the humor doesn’t take away from the storyline and isn’t as distracting as I have found in other Marvel movies. “Shang-

Chi” has a well-developed story and because of this radiated self-confidence.

The fact that it’s the first Marvel movie with an Asianlead and all-Asian cast isn’t what audiences will find the most memorable part of the movie. The most memorable aspect will be how great of an origin movie it is.

All Marvel movies have jokes and scenes that were added to make them more lighthearted, but not all have a confident story and production like “Shang-Chi.” One of the best parts of this movie, and the aspect that most fans will love, is the well-choreographed fight scenes and the fact that the fights tend to be more than a minute long opposed to other Marvel movies.

Liu did most of the stunts for his role and they turned out amazing. The best part, in my opinion, is that along with the complex choreography, the camera was able to follow the fights so precisely that it avoids confusing the audience.

“Shang-Chi” was also refreshing due to the fact that the big villain wasn’t exactly someone just looking for power or to take over the world; it was much more

complicated than that. The true villain that everyone in the movie was facing was accepting the past, to then be able to heal and create a better life for themselves and their families.

The reason “Shang-Chi” hits the perfect tone with audiences is that nothing in it is overdone or underdone.

The movie paced out all their storylines well and did not add unnecessary scenes. The main actors do an amazing job and still don’t overshadow any other actors’ performances. Every essential character is given enough back story and time on screen for the audience to become attached and decide whether to root for them or not. It didn’t try and do everything and didn’t cut itself short. “Shang-Chi” made itself a memorable movie, not just a Marvel movie.

Relay for Life pays tribute to loved ones recently lost to cancer.

C ol leges Against C ancer’s Re-L ei for L ife t a kes a wa l k to rememb er Marissa Brunkhorst

Marissa.Brunkhorst@coyotes.usd.edu

The annual Relay for Life event took place Sept.

12 at USD’s track field and was open to all students and the Vermillion community.

The event was held to raise money for The American Cancer Society and to honor survivors of cancer and those who died.

Last year, the event was held virtually due to the pandemic. This year, USD’s Colleges Against Cancer club chose to have a Hawaiian theme and named the event the “Re-Lei for Life.”

The event included a variety of activities. The main event was for survivors and families who took care of loved ones who had cancer to walk around the track.

The President of the organization, junior Maddie

Seiler, said the club is excited to be back with in-person events and to continue fundraising this year.

Students and community members could participate in singles or teams by taking walks around the track.

“Each lap represents the challenges cancer patients endure,” Seiler said.

The organizers also had markers and bags for attendees to decorate and to create tributes to their lost loved ones. They were spread across the bleachers of the track to show the widespread effect that cancer has in the community.

The Colleges against Cancer club raised money for the event themselves.

Seiler said that the only fundraiser they have done this year was selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but they plan to hold more

fundraisers for the American Cancer Society as the year goes on.

For the survivors, the Colleges against Cancer club prepared gifts. They made mugs filled with candy to hand out to survivors who attended the event.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is one of the largest peer to peer fundraising events for the cure for cancer and cancer research and hosts events all over the world, according to cancer.org.

“We’re honoring the people that survived cancer and showing the strength of those currently fighting that fight,” Seiler said.

Sports

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 THE VOLANTE

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COYOTES TAKE DOWN LUMBERJACKS 34-7

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

Redshirt freshman Carter Bell carries the ball down the field at the first home game of the 2021 season. Bell led the Coyotes with five receptions for 59 yards overall.

Spencer Buley

Spencer.Buley@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD Coyotes competed in their first home football game of the 2021 season on Saturday, picking up their first win of the season, defeating Northern Arizona 34-7.

The game was the first with unrestricted attendance since Nov. 23, 2019, and it was the first opportunity for fans and players to experience the newly renovated DakotaDome without restrictions.

“With fans on both sides of the Dome now, it creates an even louder environment than it ever did before,” USD head coach Bob Nielson

said. “The students put so much energy in the building, and we need that.”

The Coyotes dominated offensively, scoring 27 points in the first half and adding on another touchdown in the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Carson Camp completed 15-of-24 pass attempts, throwing for 213 yards.

Redshirt freshman running back Travis Theis also contributed highly for the Coyotes, carrying the ball 12 times for 74 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Carter Bell led the receiving core with 5 receptions for 59 yards, and Camp connected with senior tight end Brett Samson for 28 yards in a passing

touchdown for USD. Kicker Mason Lorber also added six points for the Coyotes with 41 and 44 yard field goals.

“Everyone did their job today, and we were clicking on all cylinders,” Camp said. “We were harping all week on execution and jumping on them first, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Defensively, the Coyotes had a stout performance, giving up seven points. Senior linebacker Jack Cochrane led the defense with nine total tackles (eight solo), and sophomore linebacker Brock Mogensen racked up eight tackles.

The Coyotes managed eight tackles for a loss, and sacks from Jason Simon-Ressler, Tre

Thomas, Brendan Webb and Brock Mogensen.

The Coyote defense created three turnovers, including a fumble recovered by Dakota Smith, an interception from Elijah Reed and an interception returned 51 yards for a touchdown by Jonathan Joanis, his first career score for USD. “We’ve focused and worked hard on being a really good defense fundamentally,” Cochrane said. “I think that’s starting to show dividends on Saturdays, and we’re going to keep doing that and keep getting better.”

Next weekend, the Coyotes travel to San Luis Obispo, California to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Damani Hayes: From walk-on to scholarship Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Redshirt senior Damani Hayes signed his full-ride scholarship for USD men’s basketball Sept. 1.

From his childhood dream in Mankato, Minnesota to going to Rapid City to play as a Miner and now in Vermillion as a member of the USD men’s basketball team, basketball has been in Damani Hayes’ life.

Hayes, a redshirt-senior, has received a fullride scholarship at USD. It did not come easily for Hayes, however. Coming from the South Dakota School of Mines, Hayes was a walk-on at USD. “I choose to bet on myself and really challenge myself and play the highest level that I could get to. So, when I walked on, that was really the goal, as far as basketball, was to challenge myself,” Hayes said.

The challenge came quickly for Hayes last season, having to practice against Stanley Umude, a former Coyote who is now playing for Arkansas. While Hayes kept battling, he says that he loves it at the same time.

“The thing I love about it is a constant battle, it’s constant improvement and that’s the process that you do have to fall in love with,” Hayes said.

“My mom tells me all the time that I need to fall in love with the process of improvement because that’s what it is, and we can always get better.”

On Sept. 1, Hayes was offered a scholarship after not holding one last year with the Coyotes.

After his dedication and improvement on the

court last season, Hayes’ childhood dream came true with the acceptance of his scholarship.

“Coach Lee was the one who told me it was an individual meeting and truthfully... it’s a goal that I had been dreaming about since I was a little kid,” Hayes said. “Obviously I put a lot of work behind and at first it was disbelief and then that overwhelming joy, pride and what I had done at that moment.”

After he received the scholarship, Hayes now has time to reflect on himself as a teammate and as a basketball player.

“One thing this year I wanted to focus on is to lead by example in the sense of bringing a ton of energy to practice, being ready to go hard in drills,” Hayes said.

Hayes also believes that with the team’s hard work and dedication, they could do something great this year.

“I’m just excited to see how we all mesh this year,” Hayes said. “We have a lot of people that can contribute and are going to contribute. I think that makes us tough to guard and tough to play against.”

Even with the scholarship, Hayes does not shy away from showing his gratitude for basketball.

“I’m extremely grateful for the coachers, my teammates who’ve been around,” Hayes said.

“Nothing has changed, we’re going to continue to work hard and I’m going to try and be the best teammate I can be.”

Sports

B4 Wednesday, September 15, 2021

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Coyotes break Division I record in South Dakota Classic Sydney Johnson

Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD volleyball team hosted Bradley, Central Arkansas and Milwaukee as a part of the South Dakota Classic Sept. 9-11 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (SCSC).

The Coyotes set a Division I record in the final game of the tournament Friday.

Thursday night, the Coyotes took on Bradley inside the SCSC, where they won 3-0. The win followed a lot of back-and-forth play which contributed to five lead changes in the second set and a narrow victory in the third set of 27-25.

Senior Sami Slaughter led the team tallying 13 kills on .344 hitting percentage and five digs.

During the second day of the tournament, the Coyotes competed against Central Arkansas at noon and Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.

In the match-up against Central Arkansas, USD won again in three sets. The Bears were able to stick close to the Coyotes throughout all three sets, holding USD to, at most, a five-point win.

“I’m obviously happy with the sweep, being on our home floor definitely makes a difference with that, but I wouldn’t say this game was as clean as last night,” USD head coach Leanne Williamson said.

The team was led by junior Elizabeth Juhnke, who tallied 12 kills on .346 hitting percentage and six digs.

The final game of the tournament for the Coyotes

was against Williamson’s alma-mater, Milwaukee.

During her time at Milwaukee, Williamson was named an All-American and a two-time National Player of the Year.

USD won the first set 25-21, then proceeded to lose the next two, before beating the Panthers 3-2.

In the match-up, the Coyotes were able to break a Division I record of the highest number of blocks as a team with 19.

Senior Madison Jurgens became fourth all-time for assists in USD history with 3681 career assists during the game Friday evening.

Following the tournament, junior Madison Harms was named the tournament MVP and the Summit League Player of the Week following her 44.5 points, 33 kills and 17 blocks throughout the entirety of the tournament.

The Coyotes are preparing for the Shocker Classic in Wichita, Kansas Sept. 17-18. Following the Shocker Classic, USD will enter their Summit League schedule with their first game against South Dakota State Sept. 24 in the SCSC. “Every schedule we create, we feel like sets us up for what our conference will be like. We have been playing teams that are similar to conference opponents, we even have teams that are maybe at a bit of a higher level,” Williamson said. “A big part of preseason is just learning, learning what we do well and learning what we struggle at, and the best way to do that is to play teams that will challenge us.”

Tavin Carncross | The Volante The USD volleyball squad hosted the South Dakota Classic at the SCSC Sept.

9-11. The Coyotes won all three of their tournament games.

Tavin Carncross | The Volante

The Coyotes set a new Divison I record in the final game of the tournament with the highest number of blocks as a team. The squad is set to play in the Shocker Classic in Wichita, Kansas Sept. 17-18.

Twilight Meet marks start of first Cross Country season since 2019 Spencer Buley

Spencer.Buley@coyotes.usd.edu

The 2021 men’s and women’s USD cross country seasons kicked off Friday, Sept. 3 at the tenth annual Augustana Twilight meet at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls.

The competition was the first for the Coyotes in nearly two years after the 2020 cross country season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“It feels great to be back after two years,” junior Merga Gemeda said. “Missing the cross country season last year was kind of like a setback for everyone, so it’s great to be back and racing again.”

In the Twilight meet, athletes race a trail lit by glow sticks and stadium lights in the evening. The event hosts races for both high school and collegiate teams, drawing in a large crowd spread out across the complex each year.

“There were a lot of people, and it was really exciting,” junior Abby Ripperda said. “It was so fun to have all of the USD fans there. It pretty much felt like a home meet.”

The men’s team competed in the 4-mile race at 8:30 p.m. and placed fifth overall. Merga Gemeda led the way for the Coyotes, finishing in second place in a time of 19:34.30. Also scoring for the Coyotes was Charlie Babcock at 18th place clocking a time of 20:18.52, Alec Atwood at 24th place in a time of 20:34.46, Jarek Glenn at 55th place running 21:04.04 and Mason Sindelar at 60th place with a time of 21:09.26.

Ryan Hartman of Augustana finished first with a time of 19:21.30, and South Dakota State (SDSU) won the men’s meet title.

The South Dakota women’s team started the season strong in the 5000-meter run, capturing their fifth Augustana Twilight meet championship in a row. Standouts for the Coyotes include

Abby Ripperda, who finished second, clocking a time of 18:15.90 and Maddie Lavin, who finished in third place with a time of 18:20.39. Three more Coyotes scored for the women’s team.

Ella Byers finished 22nd in a time of 18:55.36, Melanie Pankow in 25th with a time of 18:57 and McKenna Herrmann in 26th, finishing in 18:57.14.

Leah Hansen of SDSU took first place in the women’s race, crossing the line in 18:15.17.

“I thought we competed very well,” USD head cross country coach Dan Fitzsimmons said. “We didn’t really know what to expect; 14 of our athletes had never put on our uniform for cross country, and for them to go out and finish as high as they did as a team showed how much work they’d put in over the summer and showed their competitiveness.”

The Coyotes will next be traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the Woody Greeno Invitational at 10 a.m., Sept. 18.

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

The Coyotes practice at Lillibridge Track Complex after they kicked off their season with their first cross country meet in almost two years. The Augustana Twilight meet, held in Sioux Falls, hosted both high school and collegiate teams Friday, Sept. 3.