April 17, 2024 Issue

The Volante

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 2 4

Sports:

Tennis Duo Chasing Season Record

Page 7

Verve:

Theatre Hosts Bat Boy: The Last Performance of the Semester Page 11

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News: South Dakota

Student Union Opening Soon on Campus Page 2

See Page 6

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South Dakota Student Union Soon to Reopen for Psychology Department Jacob Peirce

Jacob.Peirce@coyotes.usd.edu

The South Dakota Union’s renovation is nearly complete after a year-long project.

The South Dakota Student Union is one of the oldest buildings on USD’s campus.

Since the building closed its doors as USD’s union in the 1960s, it has been the home of the psychology department.

Brian Muehlbeier, USD’s senior construction project manager, said the project has been free of delays and is months ahead of schedule.

“The walls of the second, third and fourth floors are painted with some of the cabinetry installed on the fourth floor,” Muehlbeier said. “The walls of the first floor are framed and nearly ready for finishes. The contractors are currently scheduled to be done during mid-July of this year.

Despite this project being one of his team’s main concerns

right now, there are several other projects in the works right now that he is excited for.

“Work will continue on the Wellness Center Expansion project until November of this year, and there will be many projects occurring this summer around campus including work in ID Weeks, School of Law, Fine Arts and several other projects across campus,” Muehlbeier said.

Muehlbeier stated he is excited for everyone to get to see the work that he and his team put into the project next fall.

“This project is a much needed improvement to that wonderful old building and we expect the effort put forth to last for decades to come,” Muehlbeier said.”

The finished building will not only house offices for psychology department faculty, but also have a separate entrance for counseling services for student and community members.

Jozi Kumm | The Volante

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How Graduation Affects More Than Just USD Students

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Jacob Peirce

Jacob.Peirce@coyotes.usd.edu

Graduation for USD students is quickly approaching and has the potential to be very beneficial for Vermillion’s businesses.

Miles Amende, a member of the Vermillion Area Chamber & Development Company (VCDC), said that an event such as graduation creates a great deal of revenue for the town of Vermillion.

“When hundreds of people suddenly show up and start spending their money at restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stores and gas stations, our businesses have a great couple of days,” Amende said. “Hotel stays are especially important because the city collects a small fee per room per night through what’s called a Business Improvement District, funds from which are used for special city

projects.”

The VCDC makes it their goal during times like these to help businesses take advantage of the large influx in visitation and profit as much as they can.

“The VCDC is Vermillion’s chamber of commerce, office of economic development and tourism bureau,” Amende said.

“So essentially, we work to support the business community, increase quality of life and promote the Vermillion area.

Amende stated that although graduation does not have the same effect as an event like D-Days, the increase in visitors is still very exciting for businesses’.

“I don’t have numbers for how many visitors we get compared to D-Days, but I do know that the Submitted | The Volante

Submitted | The Volante effect both events have on Vermillion is comparable,” Amende said.

“You know how there’s a vibe on campus during these times of year, like everyone’s full of energy all of a sudden and really excited that something big is happening?

The business community gets that too.

Other times in the year that Vermillion sees a large boom in visitors would include the Dakota Farm Show, Wacipi, Special Olympics State Summer Games, South Dakota Shakespeare Festival, South Dakota Open Pro-Am Golf Tournament, Clay County Fair, Ribs, Rods, & Rock n’ Roll

and the Standstill Parade of Lights. Vermillion also hosts high school sports championships like the South Dakota High School Football Championships and various Legion Baseball tournaments.

Amende says that the number of visitors typically skyrockets two or three days before graduation, and although it is still a little ways out, Amende says businesses are already getting ready.

Commencement will be Saturday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

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A Look at Which Orgs Garner More Funds Charles.Streeter

Charles.Streeter@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s Student Government Association voted which student organizations should be considered as “large organizations” for the upcoming year.

Large organization status means that an organization has access to a greater funding pool than most of the others organizations on campus.

This year, SGA voted to approve eight organizations as large organizations, which collectively have a budget of $181,898.95 for Fiscal Year 2025.

By contrast, small organizations have a total budget of $78,197.05 for FY25.

Six votes were unanimous: African Student Association, Dakotathon, Dakota Days, ASIA, International Club and Tiospaye received large organizations status

without a single no vote.

So how do SGA senators decide who will have access to more funds?

Sen. Sam Markley spoke with The Volante on how he discerns which organizations are worthy of large organization status.

“We look for stability, finance utilization, and then a good solid plan going forward,” Markley said.

“One of the main questions I was asked is concerning the money we’ve given them this year, and if they’ve utilized it, how much they’ve used. We really only want to give money to the people who have used what we’ve given them already.”

Sen. Mohamed Mohamed echoed similar themes, stating he has three criteria in his decision-making: membership, events

and mission alignment.

Two large organization did not have unanimous support of the senators. Sen. Mickelson voted no on Charlie’s Cupboard, while Sen. Connelly and Sen. Mohamed voted no on the Campus Activity Board (CAB).

Mohamed said fiscal responsibility played a role in his decision to vote against CAB’s large organization status.

“Following that [24kGoldn] concert, SGA asked what they were doing to have some budget responsibilities when it comes to their funding,” Mohamed said.

“And to me, I personally did not get any reassurances that there were rules established for them to take responsibility with their budget.”

The Indian Student Associa-

tion and Spectrum did not garner the votes to become large orgs this year.

Markley, the lone yea vote for Spectrum’s large organization request, thought their budget warranted large organization status.

“You need to be a large org to request money above a certain threshold, around $8,000,” Markley said. “And so I figured, okay, however much money they’re going to get, it’s going to be around that barrier.

Even though no other senator voted with him, he’s not upset with his fellow senators.

“I think I agree with the decision that was made by SGA because of the split sums of money,’ Markley said. “If we did grant them [large organization status], that’d be $1,000 that wouldn’t be

going to Tiospaye or Asian American Students Association.”

The Indian Student Association received three yes votes for large organization status.

Mohamed pointed to their relative recency and collaboration with other organizations for justification.

“They’re really good with their events and they can do [more events] through collaborations with other student orgs,” said Mohamed. “I personally think it’s not the time yet, but at some point, I think their status should be looked at.”

Small student organizations will request budgets for the following school year at the beginning of Fall Semester 2024.

USD Student Rebecca Kelley Premieres Solo Piano Performance Stella Lewis

Stella.Lewis@coyotes.usd.edu

Rebecca Kelley, junior music performance major, showcased her piano skills at her solo recital on Friday, April 12.

She played the recital individually, but had one collaborative piece where she performed with a violinist and a cellist.

Kelley’s selections included Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 17 in D minor (Tempest), Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and others.

Kelley’s journey with piano began when she was just four years old.

She had an older brother who played, who inspired her to start playing, which then would lead to her making a career out of it.

It was in highschool that she decided that being a music major was what she wanted to do in college.

Now, Kelley performs recitals every week, and has her own

piano studio where she teaches lessons.

Kelley stays busy with putting in hours of practice time between recitals and teaching lessons.

“Everyday, the goal is three hours of practice time,” Kelley said.

However, since she plays new music for each performance, and almost everything is memorized, it is common for her to put in up to six hours of practice time in a day, especially before recitals.

Most of the music Kelley plays comes from different composers, her favorite being Ravel.

She plays a lot of classical repertoire, and some jazz, but every once in a while, she will perform an original work.

“Most of the music I write isn’t classical, so I don’t typically play them,” Kelley said. “But if there’s an encore and the audience calls for more, then sometimes I’ll play them, along with other works that

I want to play.”

Kelley shares her original music online. She can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora.

She already has an album out called When I Say Goodnight and her artist name is Polar-Piano.

This solo recital was not Kelley’s last performance. She also has other coming up, one almost everyday until the end of the year, so she will continue to stay busy.

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Our Staff Editor-In-Chief Charles Streeter Managing Editor Juliana Oltmanns News Editor Marissa Brunkhorst Assistant News Editor Jacob Peirce Verve Editor Nathan DeGreef Sports Editor Trevan Rychlik

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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.

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Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

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USD Climate Survey to Assess Campus Life Juliana Oltmanns

Juliana.Oltmanns@coyotes.usd.edu

On Monday April 8, the University of South Dakota sent out the Skyfactor climate survey to gain feedback on students’ experiences and concerns regarding campus life. Multiple organizations and departments on campus utilize this survey to identify different concerns and issues taking place across campus amongst the student body.

“The ability of USD to track responses over time is powerful in that it will help us to evaluate structural or programming changes that we might make,” said USD Assistant Provost Lisa Bonneau. “For example, USD would be able to use survey results to modify aspects of Title IX training, determine the success of activities provided through Student Services, and address student accessibility needs across campus.

The climate survey is administered nationally by universities every other spring semester, along with the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory. Both of these surveys are catered to gain students feedback on the university’s performance in a variety of campus and office services.

Some of the main departments that utilize information provided by student feedback surveys as a way to implement new areas of development are the University Police Department, USD’s Title IX services as well as the Student Government Association (SGA).

“When we look at sexual assault prevention, interpersonal violence prevention and just any crime prevention in general, we at USD really

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believe in a more holistic approach,” said USD Police Chief Bryant Jackson. “I think that the more we can collaborate on sharing this type of information, is the best means to address some of those issues towards prevention education.

Then looking at the campus climate survey and anytime we can get feedback from the community as a whole, I think it really helps bridge the gap between perception and then sometimes reality.”

UPD, Title IX and SGA have all heavily focused efforts on sexual assault prevention on campus.

“Student feedback is critical to our process.

Trust is number one when it comes to dealing with highly sensitive and personal information,” said USD Director of EEO and Title IX Coordinator Jean Merkle. “This year I have been prioritizing working with PAVE in disseminating information about what to do in a crisis, what/ where resources are available, and how to intervene in social settings.”

As of April 11, 2024 the climate survey had received a total of 441 student responses, a response rate of 6.1%.

“If we want to improve the university experience for students, we need to provide the opportunity for feedback in a systematic, reliable and measurable way,” said Lisa Bonneau. “The more student participation, the higher the quality of the results, and thus, the more likely we are able to make substantive changes across campus.”

The survey officially closed on Friday, April 12th, making this the last Skyforce Climate Survey to be released until the spring of 2026.

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SPORTS

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Tennis Stars Seek Title Over Chasing Record Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyote women’s tennis team is on the horizon of the Summit League Championship on April 19.

Junior Grace Chadick and sophomore Anna Medvyedyeva have already had a record season, but could be looking at breaking more at the Summit League Championships.

Chadick and Medvyedyeva are tied for the single-season record in doubles wins at 21. They had the chance to break the record in the last meet of the season against North Dakota leading 5-4 but the match went unfinished.

Coming so far away from South Dakota, Chadick and Medvedyeva think that getting the record would

be very rewarding. Chadick is from Edmond, Oklahoma and Medvyedyeva is from Lviv, Ukraine.

“Pretty cool considering we are both not from anywhere near here, so like people remembering our names in the future is pretty cool considering we are only here for a short period of time and we can do so well together,” Chadick said.

Being at school for only four years, having people know and remember your name is a great experience for Chadick.

Medvyedyeva would also be ecstatic to break the record.

“We didn’t expect to be there,” Medvyedyeva said, “It would be really cool, I think personally I would be hyped to break the record.”

While the record will have Chadick’s and Medvyedyeva’s names on it, they thank their teammates for

where they are today.

“The team is really important here,” Medvyedyeva said.

The record would be important, but both players want to focus on winning the Summit League Championships even more.

“We are mainly focused on winning the next match, then trying to win the conference by beating Denver,” Chadick said.

Chadick and Medvyedyeva both fully believe that they can beat 10time straight Summit League regular season champions Denver.

“We can definitely win it,” Medvyedyeva said.

“We can win it,” Chadick said, “Especially [considering] the way we played Denver in the regular season, knowing that we have that chance and we are right there, and being at sea level it’ll be a lot easier and we can beat them.”

Trevan Rychlik | The Volante Junior Grace Chadick defeated Aziza Aubin of North Dakota in her final home singles match of the season.

Women’s Golf Prepares for Championships Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

The South Dakota women’s golf team approaches the Summit League Championships on April 21-23 in Mayetta, Kansas.

Sophomore Catie Nekola and the rest of the team are prepared to take on an entirely new course as they carry some momentum into the meet. “[We’re taking] our momentum into the Championships,” Nekola

said. “[We have] never played this course before so kind of studying it a lot during our practice round.”

Head Coach Brett Bennett always makes sure that his team focuses on planning ahead by studying each of the courses they will be swinging on.

“The biggest thing is just doing their homework,” Bennett said.

Nekola did her homework earlier this year when she broke the record for a single-day score with a 67 on day three of the Rio Verde Invite, but she is challenging her-

self and her teammates to do better.

“It means a lot. Me and Ella (Greenberg) both agree that we can break that record by our senior years, so that’s the goal: to keep breaking it but it’s really cool, no words,” Nekola said.

Bennett knew that Nekola had the ability to break records when he recruited her.

“When I recruited her, I felt like she was gonna be one of the best players to come through USD,” Bennett said.

Bennett has been training a very young team with three sophomores and four freshmen this season, but like Nekola, Bennett knows they have talent. He has kept his expectations in check this season but looks forward to the future.

“It’s been a learning experience, we kind of started the year with not much expectations of them,” Bennett said.

He knows that with the young team, all the athletes have learned a lot. Nekola knows that she has

learned a lot, too.

“I think it’s been big for me to focus on the good rounds that I’ve had and learn from those as well as the rounds of struggled on,” Nekola said.

What Nekola and Bennett both agree on is having a good focus and mentality on the course.

South Dakota will be swing at the Firekeeper Golf Course as they hope to take their first women’s golf Summit League title.

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Mogensen and Harms take Athlete of the Year Awards at the 2024 Charlie’s Trevan Rychlik

Trevan.Rychlik@coyotes.usd.edu

South Dakota hosted the annual Charlie’s Award Show for Coyote Athletics on April 14, where 28 people were presented with awards.

Many athletes, coaches and staff were in attendance as many different student athletes and teams were recognized for their many achievements this year.

Sixth-year senior football linebacker Brock Mogensen won the Dr. John Van Why Award, also known as the Male Student Athlete of the Year.

Fifth-year senior volleyball middle blocker Madison Harms won the Catie Tobin Award, also known as the Female Student Athlete of the Year.

Swimming and diving senior Caleb Swanson and cross country seventh-year senior Abby Ripperda were the male and female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Women’s track and field senior sprinter Erin Kinney won the Colonel Wales Award, or Most Outstanding Athlete from South Dakota.

Men’s basketball junior guard Kaleb Stewart and Women’s cross country freshman Madison Brouwer won male and female Rookie of the Year.

Men’s track and field redshirt sophomore Tristan Gray and Abby Ripperda won the Courage Award.

Tavin Carncross | The Volante Brock Mogensen won the Dr. John Van Why Award following his 113 tackle season.

The women’s cross country team won the Outstanding Team of the Year after winning the Summit League Championships on October 28 for the sixth time, the first time since 2018.

Bob Nielson won Coach of the Year for football after leading the program to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed after a 9-2 regular season record, making it all the way to the FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

The men’s track and field tream, and swimming and diving junior Emily Kahn tied for the Performance of the Year.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Natalie Portwod won the Student Athlete Choice Award.

Men’s golf and women’s volleyball won the Dr. Jack Powell and Dr. Tina Keller Leader of the Pack Award for Academic Excellence in men’s and women’s sports for the highest team GPA. Women’s track and field also took home the Coyote Cup. Max Burchill, Morgan Hansen, Jarek Glenn, McKenna Herrmann, Mogensen, Nick LaMotte, Ella Greenberg, Janaina Zanin, Alivia Conte, Zachary Kopp, Katherine Roberson, Paige Alter, Ethan Heitman, Tre Young, Ella Byers, Madison Jochum, Franziska Neck and Madison Harms were selected for Coyote Character Awards in their individual sports.

Sydney Kolln | The Volante Junior Grace Chadick defeated Aziza Aubin of North Dakota in her final home singles match of the season.

OPINION

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ISA: Successful Semester Despite Budget

Kunjan Dodani

is a USD Economics major.

Tejas Budharamu is a USD Computer Science & Economics major

The Indian Student Association (ISA) was formed a year ago with the aim of offering Indian students access to an international community of support, encouragement for diversity and inclusivity amidst India’s diverse backgrounds in religion and culture.

ISA’s main aim is to offer its members a taste of home through offering a diverse array of activities, traditional dances and mouth-watering Indian food.

ISA has recently found itself in an essential standing, requiring an application for large organization status.

The significant increase in Indian student enrollments at USD between the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters served as the catalyst for this decision.

Managing the sudden rise in demand proved difficult because, in addition to the large number of Indian students attending the events, there were also students from other diverse communities on the USD campus, the majority of whom were from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, countries with similar food and cultures. Because of ISA’s inclusive culture, all events are free and available to anybody with an interest, allowing all students to participate in a multicultural environment of cultural exchanges and shared experiences.

The goal of creating a vibrant tapestry of diversity and cultural richness throughout the USD campus is at the heart of ISA’s activities. ISA conducted many exciting

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events this year which contributed to bring this vision into reality, activities such as the Welcome Party, Social Soiree, collaborative events like Diwali with ASIA, collaboration with Anime Club captivating screening of the Ramayana and the muchloved event Chai Time.

ISA is nevertheless determined to plan one last event as the semester comes to an end to conclude a year of significant relationships and shared experiences. The journey has not been without challenges thus far.

Budgetary challenges were faced by ISA, especially when attendance at events exceeded budgets by an unanticipated amount. Despite these obstacles, the executive leadership of ISA has proven incredibly resilient and

committed, going above and beyond to win praise from the community.

Although ISA did not get the large organization status, ISA has had a significant impact on USD’s campus. The Senate’s decision to increase funding is a demonstration of support for the goals and accomplishments of ISA. With a view toward the years to come, ISA is prepared to carry on its creative purpose, working to create a warm and dynamic environment for every student on the USD campus. ISA is committed to fostering a dynamic and lively community with an inclusive atmosphere and strong dedication. GO YOTES!

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OVERHEARDS

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

“Why did you send a picture of my toes to your boyfriend?”

- Norton

“I will LAUNCH you across campus if you say another word about my grandpa.”

-Slagle Hall

“I’m starting to feel like Pennywise living in the sewage drain with this weather, someone get me a red balloon.”

- Downtown Vermillion

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Movie Review: Civil War: A Country Splintered Quinn Gienapp

Quinn.Gienapp@coyotes.usd.edu

The 2010s saw the release of several hypothetical films where the American government falls to a foreign threat. This trend mainly focused on how the strength of the American spirit overcomes any adversity and how we can push back any threat no matter how big it may be.

Alex Garland’s Civil War serves as the antithesis of these films and their mentality making it one of the more interesting films released

so far this year.

Civil War takes place in the near future where the country is embroiled in an all-out war against each other.

The movie never specifically states what the setup for this conflict is, or why there are specific states banded together.

The major background that the story provides is that several state factions are banding together to assassinate the president.

The story of the film follows journalists as they make their way across the country in the hopes of getting a scoop on the president.

The movie’s plot is set up like

a road trip,with the characters driving 800 miles across a war-torn United States.

Along the way, the main characters of the film, Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura) and Jesse (Cailee Spaney) encounter different pockets of America that contain a range of scenarios from bloody battles to towns that hold some sense of normalcy.

What fascinated me most about this film is that even with its very politically charged subject matter there is very little mention of actual politcs.

Instead, it focuses on the adversities of war journalism and what

life in America would be like if a civil war were to break out.

I was fully expecting the film to tell a “this type of government and politics are evil” story and with how volatile the current political climate is, it was probably for the best the writers didn’t go that route when filming.

The main message Civil War preaches is the senselessness of war and how people sometimes don’t even know what they are fighting for.

Some of the best scenes in this film display this message through very tense and well-acted situations. One of the scenes in

question has the characters held at gunpoint by an U.S. soldier asking what type of “American” they are, with the wrong answer resulting in death.

Civil War is a great watch especially if you’re itching to see how a hypothetical modern American Civil War would unfold.

It didn’t say as much about its very politically charged story as I would have liked, but the action and solid acting make up for the faults in its plot. I recommend this film to any action or war movie fans and I think it’s one of the best movies of the year so far.

Theatre Hosts Last Spring Performance: Bat Boy Sydney Kolln

Sydney.Kolln@coyotes.usd.edu

This weekend, audiences will be transported back to the 1960s when they see Bat Boy: The Musical. Jamie Lennon, a junior theatre studies major, plays the leading role of Bat Boy. “Bat Boy is a half-human half-bat hybrid,” Lennon said. “He goes through a journey throughout the show of what it’s like to be a human.”

Meg Cook, a junior musical theatre major, plays a variety of roles in Bat Boy. She plays the roles of Mrs. Taylor, Roy and Reverend Billie Hightower.

“I’ve never played three characters before,” Cook said. “It’s not necessarily hard switching back and forth between characters. Just prepping myself for the different mindsets, different physicality and how each character carries themselves compared to another one is something new.”

For Kaeli Vondra, a freshman musical theatre major, this is her first time in a production at the University of South Dakota. She plays the role of Meredith Parker, the mother of Shelly. Performing at a college level has been a new experience for Vondra.

“This is a very special and

caring experience than all of the other productions that I’ve been in throughout my career,” Vondra said. “I am super grateful to be given a large role in my first production in college. It’s semi-similar to doing theater in high school with going to class and then having four hours of rehearsals. While it can be super draining, it’s so rewarding.”

Like Vondra pointed out, rehearsals for shows usually take hours. Junior musical theatre major Vivien Klein plays Shelly Parker in Bat Boy and agrees with Vondra’s point.

“We rehearse 20 hours a week on top of a full class schedule, so it’s tough to find free time,” Klein said. “This is also a very physically and vocally demanding show.”

Lennon also deals with the physical challenges in his role as Bat Boy. “The role is physically demanding, with doing a lot of work embodying Bat Boy’s origin to grow more and more like a human,” Lennon said. “Starting with a journey of going from bat to human and starting to find the nuances of Bat Boy has been rewarding, but also challenging. I am giving my entire body and mind to the role itself, and it’s been such a rewarding experience.”

While the show does have its challenges, the actors still find ways to create memories and have fun while rehearsing.

“My favorite memory would have to be the first readthrough of the show,” Lennon said. “I’ve worked with all of these talented members of the cast to see the show come to life just when reading through the script. From that moment, it keeps getting more and more of what the show is

like today, and I couldn’t be more grateful to work with the entire cast and crew of Bat Boy.” Through all of the challenges of rehearsal and memories that these actors and actresses have made, these students are proud of their work and want audiences to come see the show.

“This show seems crazy at first, but it is truly a must-see,” Klein said. “It will make you laugh until you’ve just got to cry and it will

Sydney Kolln | The Volante make you cry until you’ve just got to laugh. The lights and scenery look so amazing and the music rocks. This show has something for everyone.”

Bat Boy will take place on April 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. in the Knutson Theatre at the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Tickets are free for students with their ID and $15 for the general public.

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Celebrating National Stress Awareness Month Addison Sporleder

Addison.Sporleder@coyotes.usd.edu

The month of April is nationally recognized as Stress Awareness Month.

As the school year comes to an end, it is common for students to be stressed with finals and the process of moving out of their dorms.

Due to the stress prevalent among many students, it is important for them to be aware of both the healthy ways to manage stress, and the mental health resources available on campus.

One resource available to

students is the Student Counseling Center, which is free of charge to any and all students attending USD. There is an option of “Same Day Appointments.” These can be made online by going to usd.edu/ scc. Counselors are available from 1-4 p.m. every day.

In addition to the Student Counseling Center, USD has a 24/7 support/crisis line called Coyote Care. This service connects students with mental health professionals at any time. The support line provides emergency responses, therapy connections, and more. Students can access this on or off campus, and even abroad.

The number for Coyote Care is

833-569-1686.

The Wellness Center will have its Wellness Wednesday theme on April 17th as “stress relief.” This day includes advice from the counseling center, the campus PETE group putting on an activity and HyVee providing snacks too help with stress relief and relaxation.

Dottie Kerkman, Fitness and Special Events Coordinator at the Wellness Center, shared events that are going on for students to relieve stress and healthy food options for stress.

“Students can take 5-10 minutes to meditate. There are apps, and I know Spotify has a playlist for meditations,” Kerkman said. “They

can write down 5 positive things about themselves when having a good day and read them every day to remind themselves of their worth. Counting sometimes calms a person when really stressed or taking a walk.”

When asked about healthy food options when stressed, Kerman stated, “Our bodies tend to want sweet or salty foods when stressed.

I recommend keeping healthier options on hand. Hummus and pretzel crisps, fruits and yogurt, celery and peanut butter, mini rice cakes, etc. are all great options that would satisfy salty and sweet.”

Freshman Alivia Morten shared her thoughts on stress and

ways she copes with stress.

“I do think social media impacts my mental health because what you see on social media is considered the “norm,” so you try to do the same thing and that may not fit in with your lifestyle,” said Kerkman. “To relieve my stress, I like to go outside if it is nice and take a walk and listen to music to clear my mind, and maybe hangout with friends. I also like to go to the gym and workout.”

All of these resources on campus are beneficial for students and are encouraged to be used. Be sure to check out the Wellness Center on April 17th!