The Volante
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887 VERVE (B3, B4)
W E D N E S D AY, M A R C H 3 0 , 2 0 2 2
Chamber Singers spread songs through South Dakota
The Track and Field team saw nine first place finishes in fourday span
USD’s Chamber Singers traveled on tour throughout South Dakota and Iowa during spring break.
Coyotes traveled to Texas to compete in three different meets. Highlighted by a school record being broken.
VOLANTEONLINE.COM SPORTS (B1, B2)
ASIAN NIGHT HOSTED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT USD
Andreea Munteanu| The Volante
AASA hosted a celebration of Asian culture for students and Vermillion community. The event had several performances, including a ddance group and musical covers. Andreea Munteanu
Andreea.Munteanu@coyotes.usd.edu
Asian Night was hosted for the first time in the MUC Ballroom on March 27. The event had an attendance of over 50 people, which consisted of students, faculty and members of the community. Pooja Modawel, the president of the Asian American Student Association (AASA), identified the gap in the events hosted at USD and the groups of students which are targeted. “Honestly, we have seen the Asian American population on campus has been growing so much in recent years, and we have something such as African Night to celebrate African cultures. I think that it was important for us to bring to light that there is a lot of
Asian representation here on campus,” Modawel said. Asian Night is seen as a very important event by AASA, especially with the level of hate felt by the Asian community. The students need to know they are represented and the community needs to see there is more to Asia than they are ever made aware of, Modawel said. “After being in the works for three years, we decided that 2022 was the year Asian Night must happen. We started planning the same as we would when we plan our other events and decided on performances and food orders,” Modawel said. Emily Chov, the vice president of AASA, was involved in ensuring that Asian Night would run accordingly
and believes it to be an important event for the Asian community as well as various other cultures that make up USD’s student population. Asian Night encountered some difficulties, just like any other event that students get the chance to enjoy on campus, Chov said. “I want to say that the budget and the representation gave us some difficulty in preparing for the event because even though there is a growing AsianAmerican community happening, it’s still hard to find the people as there is not really a way for people to come together and to reach out to them,” Chov said. The event consisted of various performances, from a fashion show that presented all countries that comprise Asia to solos and duets of well-known
songs. The food was originally supposed to be cooked by Modawel and Chov, but Royal Palace and Shahi Palace were chosen because of time constraints, Modawel said. Grady Harrington, a freshman media and journalism major, enjoyed what the event had to offer along with his friends. “I liked the food, and mostly the performances, especially the fashion show. The end performance was really good. It was something different. It is always nice to see different cultures from around the world while enjoying a good meal with your friends,” Harrington said. Asian Night is expected to receive a lot of positive feedback and with that, it is hoped to become a tradition,
Modawel said. “We hope to be able to do this every year, and we think that it could become one of our big events after Diwali and Lunar Asian New Year,” Modawel said. Individuals who wish to get involved with AASA can also do so through attending the monthly events and following the Instagram page, Modawel said. “Our main idea is to have events every month, and that way we’re known even more to the community, so more people show up each time. This was also one of the ways in which we recruited more people into the executive board of the club. People usually email or talk to us about events and join our club,” Modawel said.
Bel Canto Duo performs at National Music Museum Maddi Kallsen
Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu
The Bel Canto Duo, consisting of artists Darci Gamerl and David Downing, performed classical and modern original pieces at the National Music Museum March 26. The duo is based in Omaha and was created in 2016. “We’re both performers and composers. I play oboe and English horn, and David plays cello and he uses a looping station. He layers different parts to make it sound like a number of different voices are happening at the same time. It’s really cool,” Gamerl said. The Bel Canto Duo has performed and composed together for over five years, Gamerl said “We met in 2016 and we’ve pretty much started making music together ever since. We aren’t just partners in life, we are also partners in music so it just kind of happened simultaneously, but I think the pandemic and how everything shut down really accelerated that for us in terms of developing the duo,” Gamerl said. “We just did some more writing and developed things a lot more than we would have otherwise.” Michael Suing, the interim director of the National Music Museum, said this group was chosen to introduce the community to new sounds and
different kinds of music. A duo consisting of cello and oboe isn’t very common. “I wanted to give our audience the opportunity to hear the duo. I mean, I personally had never heard it. To have that as part of the concerts that we’re offering is an access point to the work that we do in the history of musical instruments to hear different kinds of sounds and different kinds of music,” Suing said. Along with classical and contemporary music, the duo also focuses on singing bowls, featured in several pieces they perform. “We also focus on healing music and we use singing bowls. We have several that we’ll use in the performance. They have pretty amazing properties to help people to destress and relax. But also they literally help you restructure on a cellular level,” Gamerl said. “They’re pretty amazing to listen to and then also just to play. You can feel the vibrations coming off of the bowls.” Music engages many parts of the brain and is very important to have in life, Gamerl said. “When somebody is listening to music or playing music, it engages many different areas and parts of your brain,” Gamerl said. “With the bowls, that happens to your body, too, because the sound is washing
over you on a neurological level.” Downing said the duo is inspired by nature and other forms of art, including all kinds of music. “The duo has been inspired by other music you know, the great music that came before us and world music,” Downing said. The natural rhythm of the world is something the duo draws on for inspiration, Gamerl said. “I think we’re inspired a lot by nature and kind of the natural rhythm and sound benefits that we get from nature,” Gamerl said. “I mean, you see it all the time after going for a walk or something like that, how you feel refreshed and like you’re reconnected with things, yourself included, and we try and express that in our music and how we are. I think that’s a big part of it.” The Bel Canto Duo will be composing music for an interdisciplinary exhibit in Omaha, Nebraska, at Gallery 1516. The exhibit runs from April 29 to June 26. “It’s an interdisciplinary exhibit that has a film running that features the different rivers of Nebraska and they also show you the Milky Way from the sand hills and some really beautiful things and there’s going to be dance as part of it, I believe, and then the the music that we’re recording and writing for that,” Gamerl said.
Submitted | The Volante
Darci Gamerl and David Downing performed at the National Music Museum. The duo’s music is inspired by nature and healing with music.
News The Volante I volanteonline.com USD students celebrate Holi, festival of colors
A2 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Madison Martinez | The Volante
The Nepalese Student Association and Asian American Student Association host cultural celebration for students.
CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE BLOTTER HIGHLIGHTS
2
2
traffic stops March 21
March 21 Officers responded to a residence after a teen reported they were having a mental health crisis. The caller was able to speak with a counselor via video call and was able to remain at home.
Caller reported a neighbor playing loud music. An officer contacted the neighbor who turned down the music. March 22
A local bank turned over a $50 counterfeit bill. Detectives are investigating.
Officers responded to a report of someone kicking in a neighbor’s door. The suspect was still on scene, had successfully kicked in a door and was taken into custody for criminal trespassing.
March 21
March 22
An officer initiated a traffic stop for speeding in a school zone. The driver was issued a warning ticket.
Officers responded to a residence for an unresponsive person and assisted EMS. Officers provided care until the ambulance arrived and transported the patient to the hospital.
March 21
March 21 An officer was requested to assist Child Protection Services with removal of children from a residence.
March 22 Vermillion PD detectives began
an investigation for a possible sex crime. March 22 Officers assisted another agency with locating a runaway juvenile. March 22 Officers responded to a residence for a verbal dispute. Officers found a dispute between the caller and another person. After discussing the situation with all parties, the officers found a place to stay for one of the persons. No crimes occurred. March 23 Officers responded to a weapons related incident. The case is under investigation. No serious injuries were reported. March 23
Sara Moir
Sara.Moir@coyotes.usd.edu
On March 23, Gianna Miranda hosted a leadership seminar that focused on the importance of the middle performers in a professional, group setting. The seminar was conducted in MUC 211. Miranda said people in authority only ever focus on the highest and the lowest performers. She tried to get her audience to think of the middle performers more often. Miranda is a Fraternity Graduate Assistant (GA), and each assistant is assigned a project area. Her project area is leadership, so she used this as inspiration to create the seminar series, develop all of the topics and personally present her findings.
day. However, in addition to being a leader, Miranda said being a mentor and leading by example are also important aspects in her current position. Miranda said middle performers are just as important to the overall group, and they are labeled as such because they don’t do more than they are asked to or less than what they’re asked to. “The middle performers, I would argue, are the most vital aspect of any team because they’re going to be the ones that are micromanaging,” Miranda said. Miranda said it’s important to focus on being open-minded and non-judgmental. “If you capitalize on that, as a leader, you’re going to be inclusive to anybody and everybody as you should,” Miranda said.
bar fight
found no suspicious or criminal activity. An Officer met with the complaintant who advised everything appeared in order. March 24 An officer conducted a traffic stop for speeding. The driver was taken into custody for driving while impaired. March 24 Officers received a report of a dispute between neighbors. Officers found the dispute to be civil as no crimes had been committed. Officers documented the incidents. No charges or arrests were made. March 24 Officers located and arrested a male with an active arrest warrant. March 24
Officers received a call of suspicious activity. Officers responded and
Graduate assistant, Gianna Miranda, hosts leadership seminar Since Miranda has taken various leadership classes at USD, she included ideas and concepts in the seminar that she wished she had known before being enrolled in those courses. Miranda said she put those aspects in because she “thought they were so vital to becoming a leader and starting from the bottom and working your way up to a leadership position.” Understanding the phrase leadership skills and learning how to use it effectively can get you far in any professional setting, Miranda said. “It’s going to teach you things like strategic communication, decision making and really just being able to logically break down your steps to make a decision,” Miranda said. In Miranda’s position as a Fraternity GA, she uses her leadership skills almost every
1
incidents of trespassing
>> March. 21 - March 25 The reporting party wished for the suspect to be removed from their property. Officers delivered a trespass notification to the suspect. No charges were filed. March 24 Officers responded to a report of theft at a local business. Officers located the suspect and issued a summons. Charges are pending. March 25 Officers responded to a report of 7-8 people fighting downtown outside a restaurant. Officer arrived and contacted several people in the area. Some had minor injuries or torn clothing. No one would cooperate with the investigation and no major injuries were noted. Alcohol was a contributing factor. No further action.
Officers investigated a dispute between persons call for service.
The Volante
Allison Horkey news editor
Keeley Thomas news assistant
Rachel Thompson
Volume 148, No. 1 March 30, 2022 www.volanteonline.com
news designer
Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller
verve designer
Madeline Knau verve editor
Rachel Pechous Chloe Fullenkamp sports designer
Emma Daggett opinion editor
Jozie Hunter opinion designer
Bailey Zubke photo editor
Mission statement The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students. Faculty, staff and community members are welcome readers, but the newspaper is written and presented for a diverse community of students from the students’ point of view. The paper should provide a variety of information, entertainment and educational opportunities for the readers. The Volante encourages everyone to write letters to the editor. The Volante wishes to be viewed by students as respectable, objective, accurate, fair and trustworthy. If you have comments, concerns or questions, please contact The Volante at 677-5494. The Volante is distributed Wednesdays during the academic year free of charge locally with the cost of $1 for each additional copy. One year subscription rates are $40, which solely covers the mailing costs. The Volante does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any production service advertised in this paper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Volante disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The Volante reserves the right to refuse any advertising.
Maddi Kallsen copy editor
Maddi Kallsen social media director
Kaitlyn Kumm advertising manager
Sydney Johnson editor-in-chief
Bennett Clary
managing editor
News
A3 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The Volante | volanteonline.com
Coyotes create legacy both on the court and in the stands
Sydney Johnson | The Volante
Redshirt senior guard Hannah Sjerven competes in her last basketball game as a Coyote on March 26 in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Sydney Johnson
Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu
The women’s basketball team made school history last Saturday as they competed in the program’s first Sweet 16 game of the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Coyote fans, students and alumni made the trip to Wichita, Kansas to cheer on the women. The Intrust Arena housed roughly 8,540 fans which was much more than the arena was first expecting. According to Intrust Arena personnel at the event, once it was announced that South Dakota would be advancing to the Sweet 16 and the arena saw the influx of people wanting to attend, they decided to open the upper bowl to ticket sales which they weren’t prepared to do originally. “Coyote sports…is just a great way for the community and USD campus to come together, and it’s just such great entertainment for us I know,” Coyote fan
and Vermillion local Deb Christensen said. “…To be down here (Wichita) to cheer them on, we’ve been watching them play this season and every season in the past and this is just a great way to end the season.” Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit and the team said that the amount of Coyote fans that made the trip to support them meant more than anyone will know. “To all of our fans, to Coyote Nation, that came, it was a very special thing. That was an incredible crowd that we had; it was just incredible support. To not only our fans, I think we recruited quite a few fans from the region who came to cheer for us as well. The state of South Dakota is really important to us, and I think that was certainly a really special time for our young ladies,” Plitzuweit said. Prior to Saturday’s competition, the Coyote women took down No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 2 Baylor in Waco, TX. The win over Ole Miss became the Coyotes’ first
tournament win ever. The Coyotes’ Sweet 16 opponent, Michigan, was also fighting to make program history. The Wolverines came into the NCAA Tournament seeded No. 3 in the Wichita region. After making it to the Sweet 16 round of the tournament, the team was determined to reach the Elite Eight round for the first time. “Obviously we’ve made history throughout this entire season, but we wanted to continue to keep doing things that have never been done before,” senior guard Leigha Brown said. For both the Michigan team and USD, the idea of making their mark on both the tournament as well as their respective programs was in the back of their minds. “Knowing what goes into getting yourself and your team here, it’s not one or two players, it’s not just the coaches, it’s a whole community of what we are in Vermillion. I hope people remember how we were able to create that and that
(the community) keeps showing up for women’s basketball and keep doing that for the next generation,” redshirt senior center Hannah Sjerven said. Now that the Coyotes’ season is complete, the program will be saying goodbye to Sjerven along with redshirt seniors Chloe Lamb and Liv Korngable and senior Reagan Sankey. “I think that the seniors that we have, including Reagan and the three super seniors, they were hungry to do something that’s really hard to do,” Plitzuweit said. “What I told them was that they’ve had the chance to qualify for four NCAA tournament, and that’s almost unheard of at the mid-major level. To do that, that’s hard. And then to go to the tournament and to win a first round game is really hard to do…I think what they’ve done is nothing short of compete at a very high level.”
Sydney Johnson | The Volante
Redshirt senior guard Liv Korngable played 35 minutes and amounted six points, four assists and one steal in her last game as a Coyote.
Sydney Johnson | The Volante
Redshirt freshman guard Maddie Krull shoots a three pointer, adding to her five points on the night against Sweet 16 rival Michigan. Sydney Johnson | The Volante
The Coyote bench takes part in the fan celebration as the Coyotes tie with Michigan late in the fourth quarter.
Sydney Johnson | The Volante
USD students took advantage of the free bus providing travel for students to attend the Sweet 16 game in Wichita.
Sydney Johnson | The Volante
Coyote fans packed the Intrust Arena with over 8,540 attendees present to cheer on the women’s basketball team as they made school history.
Opinion WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022
THE VOLANTE
VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION
EDITORIAL
Editorial: Gen Z: The desensitized generation
In our lifetimes, we have seen the effects of 9/11, we have lived through the 2008 recession, monthly school shootings, racial injustice, the insurrection of the capitol, a pandemic and now we are witnessing a major war between Russia and Ukraine. We have always arrived at the airport a few hours early to get through TSA. Recently, we have become accustomed to wearing masks, keeping our distance and getting tested to protect those around us. Now a war is occurring and we are having discussions about how the economy and trade will be impacted worldwide. All of these topics are
regular conversations we have because of major traumas our nation has faced. Even if they occurred before we were able to comprehend them, our parents and teachers teach us about them over and over again because it would be a disservice to the lives lost. But Gen Z has become numb to it. We grew up watching news footage of the Twin Towers crumbling. In elementary school, we watched people jump out of a window to their death because it was faster than burning. From an early age, we were taught how to handle active shooters, especially in schools. Turn off the lights, lock the door, put your phone on silent, sit in a corner
“
There is no easy way to handle emotions after a traumatic event and our generation has been faced with no choice but to conceal the magnitude of the issue and continue our lives.”
and be quiet. According to the Washington Post, as of March 29, the last school shooting was 67 days ago. More than 292,000 students have been impacted by shootings in 310 schools across the nation. These events are no longer rare and have lost their horrifying aspect. Having multiple traumatic and major events occur back-to-
Find more opinions on our website. volanteonline.com Follow us on Twitter @VolanteOpinion Polls • Overheards • Columns
back during our short lifetimes has desensitized us as a generation. The APA dictionary defines desensitization as “a reduction in emotional or physical reactivity to stimuli that is achieved by such means as deconditioning techniques.” Our generation is no longer affected by events that would typically be appalling.
Keeley Thomas| The Volante
There is no easy way to handle emotions after a traumatic event and our generation has been faced with no choice but to conceal the magnitude of the issue and continue our lives. Every time a major event has occurred, Gen Z has taken to the internet and created memes, hashtags and jokes to cope with the burden of yet another traumatic event. Even if older generations see this as a poor coping mechanism, at least we are still attempting to process tragic events instead of ignoring them. We have lived our entire lives from one “world changing” event to the next and don’t expect it to change.
The Volante Sydney Johnson, editor-in-chief Bennett Clary, managing editor Tavin Carncross, sports editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
Madeline Knau, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
CONTACT US 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: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069
Fax to: 605.677.5105 Email to: volante@coyotes. usd.edu Via our website: volanteonline.com
The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.
You need to learn to enjoy your own company ELIZABETH AREND is a sophomore majoring in English education.
If you are not satisfied with your own company, how do you expect others to want to be in your company? In today’s society, it has become easy to get wrapped up in social media and consume the information of
others’ lives. It can also be easy to be drawn into all of the negative aspects of life, without trying to find the small positives in your own daily life. Learning how to enjoy your own company leads to an overall happier lifestyle. Being content being with yourself allows more opportunities for solo travel experiences, more freedom from the validation of others and a more in-depth understanding of yourself. Needing to be validated or defined by others’ opinions of you can be physically and
mentally draining but learning to be content with yourself can be a difficult process, too. Taking the steps needed to become comfortable with your own company can be freeing and liberating. Not only will you find more personal happiness, but you will appreciate the relationships you have more than before. If those around you aren’t fulfilling the needs of the friendship, it will be much easier to stop hanging out with those who don’t appreciate the full extent of what you have to offer.
I’m not asking you to stop being social, but remember being content with your own company doesn’t mean you’re lonely. For some, their idea of personal enjoyment is reading a book, shopping, lying in bed and binge watching a new show, going on a trip or going out for a nice meal. You can still enjoy the small, exciting moments of life even if others aren’t around to enjoy it with. Being alone is better than being in bad company.
Opinion
The Volante I volanteonline.com
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 A5
Telling the truth about boarding schools JOHN LEFFERTS is a sophomore majoring in philosophy.
out their language and culture. To call this policy misguided would be an understatement. The Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition estimates by 1926, over 80% of Native children went through USD students believe, this boarding school at least to some extent, system. There have knowledge is power. been roughly four You can’t make good generations of boarding legal decisions or good school students, from policy without good the post-Civil War up information. One blind to now. What we don’t spot where our state know is exactly how lacks information many children this concerns Native happened to? How American boarding many children died or schools in the state and went missing? in the wider U.S. The Twenty-five of these U.S. government set schools were in South up boarding schools, Dakota. Eight are often run by churches, still open. Four are to assimilate Native still boarding. These peoples and stamp schools were often
places where abuse would take place. Take St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain for example; in 2010, an abuse case involving St. Joseph’s reached the South Dakota Supreme Court. That same year House Bill 1104 was passed, a bill written by a St. Joseph’s attorney that limited the damages an abuse victim could seek. The Native Times called this “the most discriminatory bill ever passed in South Dakota.” The state legislature decisively sided with abusers over victims. This is a very ugly history, but telling the truth is a part of healing. Canada, is somewhat ahead of us here. The
What ’s your favorite season? 25%
Summer
25%
Fall
25%
Winter
25%
From Apa.org and nlm.nih.org
*Out of 12 voters Let us hear your voice by voting in @VolanteOpinion weekly polls on Twitter.
IZZY BAKER is a sophomore majoring in Business Management.
These are the best places to live in Vermillion, coming from someone who has not lived in any of these places (so take it with a grain of salt). I’ll start off with the absolute greatest place of all time to live in Vermillion. It’s not considered “smart writing,” it’s what the people want. The obvious answer is
75%
69%
62%
The percentage of Gen Z who report mass shootings as a significant source of stress.
The percentage of Millennials who report mass shootings as a significant source of stress.
The percentage of adults overall who report mass shootings as a significant source of stress.
68%
6,000
The percentage of Gen Z adults who feel very stressed about our nation’s future.
71%
The approximate amount of violent acts an 18-year old observes from T.V., social media and movies in one year.
The percentage of Gen Z who report feeling hopeful about their futures.
Best places to live in Vermillion the downtown Vermillion loft apartments. I wish I could attach photos of the inside of the lofts so you can agree with me but honestly you don’t need them. Just imagine a quaint, chill, open-spaced loft above the local shops of downtown Vermillion with rays of sunlight spilling in through the large open windows encompassing your whole apartment. You wake up to the warm sun on your cheeks, the faint, distant sound of birds chirping nearby, whilst you get ready for a lazy morning of painting, light reading and cooking a delicious
OVERHEARDS
Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.
“I wouldn’t refer to them as children, let’s call them offspring.”
morning breakfast. That is exactly how I imagine life to be if I got to live in those apartments. I simply choose to believe I would have no problems if I lived there. This is all slightly sarcastic, but the lofts are just too pretty to not romanticize. More accessible apartments include options like The Heights, The Quarters and Clarks Landing. All of which are very nice, accommodable places to live. The Heights is closest to the University and is a very modern, hotel-like place to stay. Furniture is provided as well as
ELISABETH KLUIN is a sophomore majoring in history and English.
“They get poisoned by the poison they were using to poison the person who poisoned them.” — Arts and Sciences
“I’m not built for fighting, I’m built for loving.” — Al Neuharth Media Center
“She looks like she’ll kill me in my sleep, but that’s what makes it fun.” — Norton
“Being barefoot is easily one of my favorite pastimes.” — Al Neuharth Media Center
“You’ve got to take notes from a Catholic nun.” — Old Main
“I appreciate an attempt to be quirky but your personality is so dull.”
a variety of amenities, but with that comes an expensive rent. I personally don’t love the Heights because it does remind me a lot of a hotel or much nicer version of the dorms. The Quarters, although increasing in rent due to demand, is a much more home-styled place to live. It has similar amenities to the Heights such as a pool, tanning and a gym but you have to bring/buy your own furniture. This could be a perk for some people, but not all. I have spent lots of the time at The Quarters and it is a very nice place to stay if you have the money for it.
Clarks Landing is the cheapest out of the Quarters and Heights, just missing the extra amenities. Clarks Landing apartments are very nice and hospitable, the apartments are spacious and have nice parking availability. The only real negative there is the distance from campus, but then again, we are in Vermillion. Nothing is really too far from campus. Overall, there is a large variety of places to stay in Vermillion and these are just some of the popular options!
Blue is beautiful
— Arts and Sciences
— Mexico Viejo
assimilation practices and human rights violations that occurred against Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. It will hold culturally respectful and meaningful public hearings for victims, survivors and their families to testify on the impacts of these policies, as well as receive guidance from a Truth and Healing Advisory Committee with representatives from tribal organizations, tribal nations, experts and survivors.
IT ’S A NUMBERS GAME
WEEKLY POLL:
Spring
Canadian government assembled a Truth and Reconciliation commission to investigate the legacy of their boarding school system. They also produced a comprehensive report with calls to action. My hope is we “catch up” and do something similar here. To that end, Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced S.2907, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. My hope is Senator Rounds, who sits on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will show support for the Commission. The Commission will formally investigate and document the
Blue is a beautiful color. Many times, people associate blue with sadness, dark skies and loneliness, but blue really is beautiful. Blue skies often mean rain. A perfect time to cuddle up with a classic book, warm mug of tea and to be wrapped up in a soft blanket. Rain also promises spring, growth and the budding of a new season. Blue skies can provide a relaxing rainy day with endless puddles to play in throughout the following days.
A dark blue hue sweeps across the sky when it nears night. While dark skies may not always be the most thrilling, they can help one explore an infinite number of worlds, stars and life beyond them. Taking a walk and stargazing at night is a wonderful and enlightening experience. Blue skies, whether dark or light, allow one to travel to a new fantasy or real location within our and other worlds. While the color blue may be associated with a lonesome feeling, I believe times alone are the best. This is the time we are one with ourselves. We can explore our own minds, thoughts and ideas and bring them to life. I believe it is in these late hours of ‘dark skies,’ ‘sadness’
and ‘loneliness’ where I create some of my best and most thrilling work for my future endeavors. It’s within this shade, the infinite shades of blue that I have and continue to discover my budding passions. While it may have these unfortunate stigmas, I think blue is a color beyond the definition of blue. The color can be everything and nothing that a person may want. The color blue looks to the unexplored locations of the deep blue sea. The color blue looks to the sky to discover the dark blue space around us. Blue is the most exquisite color. It is the shade that really brings about joy, far more than sadness. I believe blue is beautiful.
News
A6 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The Volante | volanteonline.com
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Conference returns
Karlee Phillips
Karlee.Phillips@coyotes.usd.edu
The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department hosted a two-day research conference in the MUC ballroom last week, welcoming students, faculty and the Vermillion public. The biennial event took place March 24-25, and included an art show and discussions on this year’s theme, care, across various disciplines. Sara Lampert, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies conference chair and coordinator organized this year’s program schedule and keynote speakers, CV Harquail, Lenny Hayes and Jennifer Holland. “One of the things we were really conscious of is how much the COVID-19 pandemic exposed our culture’s reliance on the care work of very marginalized people. The pandemic exposed that, but we also didn’t want the conference to be exclusively about COVID19,” Lampert said. “I think what the conference theme allowed us to do is focus on something
that we were very aware of, that’s deeply gendered, that points to gender disparities, but that also connects with many other things outside of COVID-19.” Participants heard from feminist management scholar and consultant CV Harquail about how feminine leadership can be practiced inside a business and its correlation to the caregiving theme. “I want people to understand that feminism is so much more than just about abortion rights, reproductive justice or the wage gap. Feminism is intersectional and focused on multiple oppresions, not just gender,” Harquail said. Audience members were able to ask questions at the conclusion of the lectures. Presentations from USD and other college students also took place throughout the conference. Several sessions were hybrid in order to accommodate viewers unable to attend the conference in-person. Students and regional artists were able to display their artwork at the conference’s art show held
on the second floor gallery of the MUC. Art historian Lauren Freese, led an exhibit tour and provided additional interpretation of each piece. Two concerts also took place: a cabaret lecture led by USD musical theater professor, Joe Stollenwerk on Thursday evening and a performance by the band YPony on Friday. “For this conference and its focus on care, we want people to think about their assumptions about who provides care, how it’s valued or taken for granted in our society. We also want people to think about care that focuses on gender equity in how we organize our workplaces,” Lampert said. Dating back to as early as the 1980s, the conference has offered insight on various topics and themes for many individuals. Janet Davison, a steering committee member of the conference said she helps decide what kind of theme is appropriate to examine at each conference. “We chose care because as faculty members and students amongst themselves, we’ve had to change interactions with one
another in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think we’re all happy to be able to come back together and do this in-person this year,” Davison said. Davison said this conference is a great opportunity to hear from scholars across the upper Midwest and get involved in conversations being addressed in each session. Lampert encouraged USD students to attend a session of their interest. She emphasized the conference’s mission to offer a relaxed, inclusive atmosphere for every attendee. “This is what makes college great. It’s a place where there is a lot of opportunity to explore new ideas and research, and I hope people take advantage of those opportunities,” Lampert said. Guests could come and go at their convenience with meals provided for those who registered for the event. Lampert looks forward to the future growth and advancement of the conference, and said she enjoys being able to see the different proposals and ideas of others.
Karlee Phillips | The Volante
The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department held their annual research conference with three keynote speakers with lectures on the topic of care and how it relates to gender and marginalized groups.
Dispatches from the CDC: A garden for USD Allison Horkey
Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu
Blue Rune band, made up of USD professors performed covers and original music at Varsity Bar.
This is the sixth installment of a series recording the experiences of students and faculty involved with the Center for Diversity and Community (CDC). The series seeks to highlight why this organization was so impactful on the USD community and why the CDC was more than the sum of its parts. “This is the search for identity, that search for friendship, the need for young people to be together. It’s too big to be permanently smothered by this taking away of space,” Cindy Struckman-Johnson said. Struckman-Johnson works in the psychology department at USD and has taught at USD since 1980. In 1989 she started the Gay Alliance, the group that would become Spectrum. Struckman-Johnson said she remembers when the Gay Alliance was being welcomed by the USD administration while at the same time facing criticism from faculty and the campus community. “I was reminded of this in a talk with Susan Wolf…but she remembered that when she took over that Betty Turner Asher invited Spectrum, or the Gay Alliance, over for pizza at the president’s house, when she was president and so that was really special. And Jim Abbott was a strong supporter. I remember him attending, not a meeting, but there were events that were being put on by the Gay Alliance and he attended,” Struckman-Johnson said. The CDC was a place where friendships were allowed to flourish, StruckmanJohnson said this is because it was a very convenient place for acquaintanceships to grow. Acquaintanceships happen when people first come together and they begin finding similarities between each other. “According to social psychology, that will draw you together when you find your similarities. And yet there’s another force that will happen as you become more acquainted, and that is, you find your differences and the differences possibly can drive you apart,” Struckman-Johnson said. “If you don’t have common ground to really work on a relationship, the differences can drive you apart. But yet, if you come to understand the differences, it can draw you back together again.” Struckman-Johnson said the celebration of both, similarities and differences, is what creates diversity. “Through acquaintanceship you will find that you are different now. You’re culturally different, your sexual preferences are different, your background, your ancestral background will be different and that this is the other half of diversity is finding out about difference and then learning to appreciate it,” StruckmanJohnson said. “And so you’ve got your similarity over here and you’re celebrating the similarity here and you’re celebrating difference over here, and they go together. The two of them create diversity so it’s always a dual process of
and Willman have been in bands before going all the way back to 2004. Upon hearing that Filotas plays drums, the band was put together. For the show on Saturday they went for a Mardi Gras style. Blue Rune played some original songs, and have more about to be recorded, but they also performed covers. “We also have the Zoli rule, which is we cannot play more than one song by a band per set, so we have to mix it up,” Willman said. Along with the Zoli rule, the band commits to keeping up with Blue Rune as long as it
doesn’t start to feel like work. With jobs as professors, they agreed they want to keep the band friendly and loose. “It’s a hobby and it’s intellectually stimulating and interesting and fun, but not work,” Dudley said. The band was originally called Blue Ruin, an old 19th century slang term for “Low-end Gin.” The band found the name amusing and its historical context interesting until finding out numerous other bands went by the same name.
Madeline Knau | The Volante
USD’s AWOL and SDSU’s SCAPP host a wellness clinic for Vermillion community members.
USD’s AWOL does a wellness clinic with SDSU’s SCAPP Madeline Knau
Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu
USD’s Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning (AWOL) partnered up with SDSU’s Student Collaboration for the Advancement and Promotion of Pharmacy (SCAPP) for a wellness clinic held in downtown Vermillion on March 26. The wellness clinic welcomed all members of the community to provide screenings for blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and ASCVD risk. Mackenzie Petersen, the co-lead for the event, said they have been attempting to do a wellness clinic with SCAPP for a few years but finally got it worked out this year. “A previous AWOL board member had this idea, but then COVID year struck, and it was very difficult to get anything planned. Since Emily (Eisenbraun) has a passion for health and
wellness, when it was her time to pick an alternative weekend, she thought it was a great idea to try to reboot the wellness clinic,” Petersen said. Petersen said they oversaw the advertising for it and decided to hold the clinic in Vermillion as a way to maximize the advertising to students as well as community members. “Since this was an AWOL event and we oversaw advertising, it made sense to have the clinic in Vermillion in order to maximize advertising. SCAPP has traveled to do clinics like this one in South Dakota before, so they were very willing to travel down to see us as well,” Petersen said. Annika Skogg, a member of SDSU’s SCAPP, said it’s been in the works for a while to be able to do a wellness clinic in Vermillion. “It’s an opportunity for the Vermillion community to kind of be exposed to
pharmacy students and the screenings that we offer, just as part of a mission to be like a service organization,” Skogg said. Skogg said they wanted to do the wellness clinic to provide education about health as well as get SCAPP’s name out to the public. “SDSU has a lot of influence in both Brookings and Sioux Falls just because that’s where the program is kind of set up. So just a good opportunity to get our name out there and get to more communities in the state to be aware,” Skogg said. “Overall education about diabetes, heart health and really a lot of prevention strategies that people could get involved with.” Peterson said although they do not believe AWOL has traveled to SDSU to do a wellness clinic, it does not mean that collaboration with SDSU will not happen in the future.
Blue Rune; Vermillion’s band of professors
Rachel Thompson | The Volante
Rachel Thompson
Rachael.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu
Following the women’s basketball game on March 26, Blue Rune hit the stage at the Varsity Pub. The band played Varsity Pub’s downstairs stage to a crowd of 20-30 people. The Blue Rune band consists of Dean of College of Arts and Sciences John Dudley, English professor Skip Willman, assistant professor Zoli Filotas and physician assistant studies professor William Schweinle. Dudley
coming together, knowing and being similar and then understanding and celebrating differences.” Throughout her years at the university, Struckman-Johnson said she has been an observer and ally of the CDC, and has helped with activities and programs in the past. “Over the years I’ve been invited to some of the activities up in the room and they had to do sometimes with gender, politics, sexual assault, quite a few programs up (in the CDC). ICARE programs were held up here, and then (I) just watched and observed the growth of Spectrum and then the blooming of a climate on campus around diversity that I just couldn’t imagine (happening) 15 years ago,” Struckman-Johnson said. “All of a sudden there it was, I don’t know if it was sudden, but it was fast. It was like somebody planted a garden up here and all these kids from everywhere are coming out and meeting.” Struckman-Johnson, as a social psychologist, said she saw how much the CDC offered students, especially in friendships and as a sort of therapy for mental health, which she said disproportionately affected people in the LGBTQ community. “In retrospect, what the CDC was doing was mental health counseling,” StruckmanJohnson said. “…But sort of beyond friendship, it was helping (students) deal with their depression and for Spectrum, that was critical.” Beyond the loss of a social support system is the loss of a safe space, Struckman-Johnson said. She continues to advocate for Spectrum and the other groups formerly housed in CDC and their need for a designated space on campus because these organizations focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations “(The university) is letting these kids literally suffer and experience all the things that are happening to kids all across the country and denying them a basic humanitarian facility to meet and help each other. And it’s just stunning to me that it’s happened and continues to happen. So, I would ask for a homeroom for Spectrum and I think the other groups need something like that, a space where they can meet and know that somebody is going to be there,” Struckman-Johnson said. Ultimately, Struckman-Johnson is confident that students will continue to be themselves and find each other, but the CDC was a loss to the students and the university. “I believe that students have been sacrificed. And this is where it gets tricky and political, but not all students at USD are sacrificed. Our athletes, thank goodness and I’m very happy for them, are taken care of. But they’re on a higher value apparently, than these other students,” Struckman-Johnson said. “The student athletes bring their talent to our university and then so what do students (with) differences (bring)? They bring their difference, and their difference makes USD a better place.” “So we changed it to rune from Celtic Viking and Scandinavian symbols, which meant absolutely nothing, and meant we didn’t have to work too hard to change the name,” Dudley said. Willman said the band is continuing to learn many songs and recording new content. Blue Rune has one song up on their website, bluerune.net, and an album has been recorded and uploaded to SoundCloud.
Sports
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 THE VOLANTE
VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS
THE TRACK AND FIELD TEAM SAW NINE FIRST PLACE FINISHES IN FOUR-DAY SPAN
Track and Field teams traveled to Texas to compete in three meets. The weekend was highlighted by a 4x100 relay team breaking a school records. Sydney Johnson
Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu
The track and field team competed in three tournaments from March 23-26. These tournaments began with the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays that took place in Austin, Texas. On the first and last day of this tournament, no Coyote saw a top five finish. However, on the second day, freshman Marleen Mulla placed fourth in the Women Pole Vault with a height of 4.25m and sophomore Abrielle Jirele placed fifth with a time of 4:30.61 in the Women 1500 Meter Run. The third day saw the relay team consisting of sophomores Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse, Sara Reifenrath and freshman Annalee Robinson place first in the Women 4x100 Meter Relay. The third day also produced two fourth place finishers in Jessie Sullivan and Daniella Anglin for the Men Discuss Throw and Women High Jump, respectively. The Coyotes then took part in both the Bobcat Invitational and the Wildcat Classic March 25-26. USD had three first place finishers at the Bobcat Invitational. These finishers included Mulla for the Women Pole Vault where she increased her height by 0.10m from her height at the Clyde
Littlefield Texas Relays, junior Merga Gemeda who finished the Men 5000 Meter Run with a time of 14:31.20 and relay team; Kinney, Robinson, Reifenrath and freshman Moe Bridgen, in the Women 4x100 Meter Relay. Sophomores Lydia Knapp and Marshall Faurot along with Anglin, all finished in second place for their respective event. Knapp took part in the Women Hammer Throw where she threw 59.87m. Faurot tied with Elmar Schutte from Texas A&M with a height of 5.35m. Anglin competed once again in the Women High Jump. Anglin’s teammate sophomore Carly Haring also placed in the Women High Jump, coming in third place with 1.70m. Freshman Tre Young tied with seven people to secure the fifthplace spot in the Men Pole Vault at 5.05m. Junior Josey Starner found herself at fifth with 14.40m in the Women Shot Put. Junior Jack Durst came in fifth for the Men High Jump with 2m. During the Wildcat Classic’s two-day event, the Coyotes saw 19 top five finishes in nine events. In the Men 800 Meter Run, freshman Mason Sindelar finished first with a time of 1:59.01. Two more Coyotes made their way into the top five in this event including junior Braden Peters at fourth and senior Kallo Arno at fifth. Sindelar saw another first place finish in the Men 1500 Meter Run with a time of 4:05.09. He was followed by Arno who came in
Madison Martinez | The Volante
second with 0:01.24 separating their times. The Coyotes secured the top two spots in the Men 5000 Meter Run with junior Charlie Babcock in first with a time of 14:58.47 and sophomore Jacob Waymire in second. Freshman Tristan Gray came in third for Men Shot Put with 16.15m. He also placed second in Men Discus Throw alongside teammate senior Matt Slagus who placed fourth. In the Men Hammer Throw, Slagus finished first with 59.71m. Freshman Quincy Warren who competed unattached from USD placed fourth in this event. Freshman Melanie Pankow had a time of 2:28.65, making her second in the Women 800 Meter Run. Pankow also competed in the Women 1500 Meter Run where she placed second with a time of 5:00.03. In the Women 5000 Meter Run, the Coyotes secured all five of the top five spots beginning with sophomore Renee Thompson at first with a time of 18:20.89. Thompson was followed by sophomore Abbie Schmidt in second, junior Haley Miller in third, sophomore Lily Provenzano in fourth and sophomore Alyssa Gerth in fifth. The track and field team will return home on April 2 to host the USD Early Bird event.
Sara Reifenrath: The best accident Tavin Carncross
Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu
Before sophomore Sara Reifenrath was a Summit League champion, she was a volleyball and track athlete. Young Reifenrath was unhappy playing volleyball, but her mother wanted her to play sports which then led her into cross country in seventh grade. “I got out of volleyball by doing cross country, which then led into doing track,” Reifenrath said. Reifenrath continued to do track and got her big break during her freshman year of high school by “accident.” “Someone got either hurt or sick in the 400 (meter) and they put me in it,” Reifenrath said. “It turned out that I was pretty good at it so I just fell in love with (track) from there and it was kind of an accident.” Reifenrath’s family is the reason why she continues to be so competitive on the track. “My dad does Ironmans and half marathons and stuff like that and I think that is really hard to do so I think that is inspiring,” Reifenrath said. “My mom, she was always super competitive and I think I got that from her.” Reifenrath was a part of the South Dakota indoor track team that won the program’s first-ever Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championship. They are now projected to win the Summit League again next season. “Even if we weren’t projected to win, we definitely would want to win,” Reifenrath said. “I think it’s almost sort of a small confidence for us. It will be a little different, there are different events in the outdoor (season) but I think we should still be able to (win). We have a talented team.” Reifenrath was a part of the Women 4x100 Meter Relay in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas. Reifenrath and her team finished in first place with a time of 46.21. She also captured another first place in a 4x100 Meter Relay in the Bobcat Invitational hosted by Texas State. The team crossed the line with a time of 45.85.
Submitted Photo | The Volante Sara Reifenrath was named Summit Track Athlete of the Year. She was a part of the Coyote relay team to break the 4x100 Meter Relay school record in Austin, Texas.
B2 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Sports
The Volante | volanteonline.com
Coyote softball splits home opening weekend against NDSU
Madison Martinez | The Volante
Coyote softball opens Summit League play against North Dakota State. They won the series 2-1. Bailey Zubke
Bailey.Zubke@coyotes.usd.edu
The Coyote softball team got their conference season started over the weekend, taking two of three games against the winner of seven of the last nine Summit League Championships, North Dakota State (NDSU). In the first game of the weekend, NDSU was in the driver’s seat to win the game, but the Coyotes got a 5-4 walk-off win. South Dakota freshman pitcher Clara Edwards gave up two runs in the first inning and two in the third to allow NDSU to build a 4-2 lead after three. Edwards settled in from the circle and didn’t allow a run for the rest of the game. The Coyote offense pushed one run across in the first and another in the second before being held off the scoreboard until the seventh and final inning.
After Edwards sent NDSU down in the top of the seventh, the Coyotes loaded up the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning. Senior outfielder Courtney Wilson recorded a two-run single to tie the game and senior infielder Jadyn DeWitte recorded the game winning single off of an error. The Bison won game two Saturday, 7-1, as NDSU controlled the game from the start, tallying four runs in the first inning. The Coyotes scored a run in the fifth off a ground ball from senior infielder Lauren Eamiguel. The Coyotes didn’t score after. Junior pitcher Holly Fletcher came in to pitch four innings of relief for the Coyotes, giving up one run over four innings. USD took the tiebreaker with an 8-1 win Sunday afternoon at Nygaard Field. The game was originally scheduled for 11 a.m., but due to cold temperatures, the start time was pushed back to 1 p.m. With Edwards back in the circle for the Coyotes on Sunday, USD took control early and ran away with the 8-1 win and a 2-1 record
for the weekend. After neither team could rally an offense in the first inning, the Coyotes brought in four runs in the bottom of the second. Trailing 4-0 heading into the sixth inning, the Bison pushed across a run to try and start a late game rally. Edwards worked her way out of the jam, and the rest of the team stepped up offensively, tacking on four more runs to put the Coyotes ahead 8-1. With the 2-1 start to conference play, USD is tied with three other teams for the top spot in the conference after the first weekend. No team went undefeated, as USD, South Dakota State, Kansas City and St. Thomas each won two of their three games over the opening weekend. The Coyotes resume their conference schedule at home this weekend as they take on defending conference champion South Dakota State at Nygaard Field. The doubleheader Saturday starts at noon with a Sunday series finale scheduled for 11 a.m.
Stella Fairbanks back-to-back Summit League Champion Bennett Clary
Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu
Sophomore health sciences major Stella Fairbanks was named the Summit League Women’s Diving MVP of the Championships and secured a Summit League Championship for the second year in a row. Fairbanks also ended her second season at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships where she finished No. 32. Fairbanks was not always involved in diving, however she used to be a gymnast. After she stopped gymnastics, Fairbanks said she was eager to find a new sport she would love. “One of my old friends who I did gymnastics with, she told me about diving and how she really liked it after she quit gymnastics. I thought I would give it a try and it just turned out that I loved the sport, too,” Fairbanks said. Fairbanks said she enjoys diving because of her past in gymnastics and she loves being able to “fly through the air.” “I really like flipping and having that spatial awareness in the
air before I hit the water. It is pretty awesome. I would say that I definitely give credit to gymnastics and being able to have that background. (Gymnastics) really helped me keep on the love of flying through the air in the sport as well,” Fairbanks said. During Fairbanks’ first two years at USD, she said the NCAA Zone Diving Championships (Zones) was bigger than the other meets she had competed in and she was slightly overwhelmed. “I guess (NCAA Zone Diving Championship was) very different from Summit League, I was able to understand the pressure of a big meet sort of. From Summit League, I was able to change, not my attitude, but the feeling of like, let’s have some fun with it as well as stay focused,” Fairbanks said. Fairbanks has multiple accomplishments under her belt including Summit League honor roll and earning All-Summit League honors in both diving events at the Summit League Championships. Among her many accomplishments, Fairbanks has also been named Summit League women’s diver of the week five times. “It’s really great. I’m so appreciative of all the hard work that I put
into this sport is paying off and I get to see it,” Fairbanks said. “I’m very thankful for all of my coaches this year, last year and even in the past. How each coach has helped me achieve my success and helped me to this point. Fairbanks’ sister Isabel swims for the Coyotes and is Fairbanks’ biggest influence. She said they are able to share what they love together and encourage each other from the sidelines. “I love to look up to her and see how far she’s grown in swimming and to be able to share that with her at all of our past meets this year,” Fairbanks said. “It’s great to have someone that I’m so close to while I’m doing the sport that I love and share that with them in a way.” With the conclusion of the season, Fairbanks said she plans on working hard to learn newer and harder dives, increasing her degree of difficulty and having fun next season.
Sophomore Stella Fairbanks was named Summit League Diving MVP. She closed her season finishing No. 32 in the NCAA Zone Championships.
Aaron Packard | USD Athletics
Verve
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 THE VOLANTE
VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE
CHAMBER SINGERS SPREAD SONGS THROUGH SOUTH DAKOTA
Submitted photo | The Volante
Conducted by David Holdhusen, the Chamber Singers traveled around South Dakota and Iowa during Spring Break to perform. Rachael Cooper
Rachael.Cooper@coyotes.usd.edu
The Chamber Singers is a vocal ensemble at USD, and over spring break, this group traveled around South Dakota and Iowa.
Maleah Wright, a freshman member of Chamber Singers, said
achieved and to show support for the wonderful students. It is
preparations have been happening since the beginning of the
our chance to say thank you to them as well. It is a truly special
school year.
performance that concludes a truly special week.”
The conductor of Chamber Singers David Holdhusen traveled
“Preparation started all the way back in August,” Wright said. “We
According to Wright, not only is this closing performance special
along with the choir. During an email interview with The Volante,
had our first retreat and we started to learn our pieces for the tour.
for the people of Vermillion, but also for the performers themselves.
Holdhusen said the whole tour was his favorite part.
Putting together a two-hour program takes the entire time from
“Being able to perform our tour for the people here is a different
“Really, just the tour, in general, is my favorite part,” Holdhusen said. “I love growing together as a group, performing, traveling and providing experiences to both the choir members and those who
August to March.”
type of fulfillment that you don’t get in many other places,” Wright
Even though the preparation is long and hard, Wright said it is worth it.
to remember that a lot of our support comes from right here in
“The preparation took lots of time inside and outside of class, but
hear us sing.” While the tour itself is a highlight for many of the members, this singing group still has a preparation process for this traveling event. “This year, we had 19 pieces and about 80 minutes of music to learn,” Holdhusen said. “It takes a lot of dedication and will from the students to practice and memorize the program.”
said. “While this tour is seen as a big recruiting tool, it is always nice
the end result was so worth it,” Wright said. At the end of the tour, the Chamber Singers made their way back to Vermillion to perform their finale at home. “The home concert is always special,” Holdhusen said. “They are there to hear what new levels of musicianship the group has
Vermillion.” The Chamber Singers Tour is an annual event and in 2023 they plan to travel to Italy to perform. “I am really looking forward to going on tour with the Chamber Singers a few more times during my college career here at USD,” Wright said.
Brodalisque: A look into traditional odalisque paintings Machaela Freeman
Machaela.Freeman@coyotes.usd.edu
Klaire A. Lockheart, who recently earned her MFA in painting at USD, displayed an exhibit in Gallery 110 at the Fine Arts Building. The exhibit was titled ‘Brodalisque,’ a term Lockheart coined herself, and focused on lounging male figures. “A Brodalisque is the character in these paintings and it’s a combination of a bro and then an odalisque, which comes from the French term odelek, meaning chambermaid,” Lockheart said. Lockheart enjoys tackling social themes in her work and oftentimes will take a satirical approach in doing so. She is also a known feminist and pushes the boundaries involving gender inequality. “For me, there’s a distinction between art and decoration. Art has a meaning. The artist
as artists during the Renaissance, when this form of painting was most popular. “It’s just this great combination for me in that I want to make sure women are represented in museums as artists,” Lockheart said. In addition to using a traditional medium in her art, Lockheart also attacks the concept of the male gaze in her works. She works to highlight how ridiculous the concept is in a humorous way. “This particular series has come out of years of research and seeing artwork and then finally being able to articulate that irritation you get when you go into a museum as a woman, you’re like, ‘Why are all the women lying down and naked?,’” Lockheart said. Lockheart received funding for this series
is communicating something and having that
through the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation.
distinction between something that’s decorative
This Foundation is awarded to young artists, under
and something that has meaning, is really
the age of 40, to produce works and then showcase
important to me,” Lockheart said.
them at the end of the allotted time.
Along with creating art, Lockheart also teaches Art History at Morningside University in Sioux City. Lockheart uses the traditional oil painting method to portray her subjects. This method is the same as was used in realistic oil paintings 200
“I doubled the amount of paintings last year because of that funding. It’s a really fantastic grant that I like telling young artists to look into after you graduate,” Lockheart said. The closing reception for Lockheart’s
years ago. Lockheart said she chose this technique
‘Brodalisque’ Exhibition was on March 25. She also
because it goes perfectly with her subject matter,
showed some works in the Alumni Art Exhibition
but also because women weren’t often recognized
at the John A. Day Gallery.
Machaela Freeman | The Volante Klaire A. Lockheart poses with one of her paintings from the exhibit where she focuses on using traditional oil painting methods.
Verve
B4 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The Volante | volanteonline.com
USD hosts Coyote Jazz Festival for high schools Madeline Knau
department, it’s always good to get students on
Travis Walker, a choir director at Thomas
I wanted to keep them warm for our performance.
USD hosted the Coyote Jazz Festival, a
campus. Hopefully they’ll come and visit and
Jefferson High School from Council Bluffs,
We warmed up on the stage which was nice to hear
competition which features high schools from
like it and maybe be a student here someday.”
Iowa, who competed in the 4A division said it
Kocher said there aren’t many festivals
was frantic at first and they had the event on
that include show choirs, jazz choirs and jazz
their calendar since the beginning of the school
ensembles and it’s a big deal for some schools
year and some complications along the way.
to be able to provide that. He said it’s one of
Walker said two weeks before the competition,
the components of the festival that it allows
he had not received anything and panicked.
schools to bring multiple groups all to one place.
“I found out that I wasn’t registered. I
Abraham Lincoln High School’s Lincoln Volume,
“If they had a jazz band, a show choir and
asked if there was any way they could fit
said it was a fun experience and was unique
a vocal jazz group they could just take one trip
us in. They were able to fit the show choir in
on one day and not be missing three different
but not the jazz choir. I was relieved that
days. That’s kind of one good thing about it, is
we got at least one group in,” Walker said
that they can all come to one place and do lots
Jefferson Edition competed in the 4A
a chance for groups to perform and get better
of different things. And I think for the students in
division and Walker said the day of the
from getting feedback from these experienced
those multiple groups that can kind of be a need.
competition was a blur while trying to get
adjudicators,” Kocher said. “Of course, from
They’re all over campus and getting multiple
his students ready for their performance.
was one of the few events where we get to travel
the standpoint of the college in the music
performances and that’s kind of neat,” Kocher said.
“I told the kids not to sleep on the bus because
further out of the state than normal,” Cannon said.
Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu
South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Festival showcases show choirs, jazz choirs and jazz bands.
the acoustics,” Walker said. “We got changed and came back to support the other high school from Council Bluffs. Overall I was pleasantly surprised
The Festival was an all day event on March 22nd. Christopher Kocher, the director of the
we received first place in the 4A division.” Keller Cannon, a student who performed in
festival, said the event has been going on since 1975 but due to COVID-19 they haven’t been able to host the festival since 2019. “We wanted an opportunity to bring groups to the campus. And by having the judges
to most of the events they’ve done this year. “It wasn’t overcrowded, and it wasn’t mentally or physically exhausting. It was also nice to be able
listen to the groups and give feedback, kind of
to go perform quickly and then be able to watch and listen right afterwards. I also liked it since it
Ioana Galu feels like ‘mother’ at Annual Violin and Viola Studio Concert Danielle Konechne
Danielle.Konechne@coyotes.usd.edu
On March 27, the annual Violin and Viola Studio performance took place in Colton Hall. The event was in-person but also available over livestream. There were 16 students who showcased their skills during the event. Ioana Galu, the assistant professor of violin and viola, hosted this event. Galu is also part of the Rawlins Piano Trio that is a group comprised of performers, teachers and scholars. Some
students
performed
solos
with
a
piano
accompanying them while others performed in groups. Galu said this event gives students the chance to show off the skills they have been working on throughout the semester and year. Many students performed solos while others performed in groups. This concert was mostly made up of undergraduate students at the studio, but it also featured a few graduate students. “I had a graduate assistant on viola and he performed a duet with another student and then he performed in the Graduate String Quartet and he performed a solo,” Galu said. “I currently have three graduate students in the studio. One of them is on the viola and two are on the violin.” Students take a long time to prepare for this event to show what they have learned throughout the semester and year. Galu said most of the students spend months practicing and preparing for this event. Each year students can improve from the previous year and reflect on their past performance. “I feel like a mother looking at their kids that just are all grown up and this whole process of learning and having rehearsed so much and then performing for each other in studio classes. Then they go on stage, and they just bare their souls and give it all and it touches me to the core. I give them everything and they give it all to the music,” Galu said. The Violin and Viola Studio looks forward to hosting another performance in 2023. They will be expecting some of the same students and plan to have new students perform as well. Netflix