The Volante Summer Issue

The VolanTe

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

Tavin Carncross Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

Well… who would’ve thought that this is where we’d be today.

I think if many of our readers knew who I was, not many would’ve expected me to be in this position, but I am truly glad I applied in the first place.

One goal I knew I’d have if I was Editor-in-Chief was to surround myself with a great staff of amazing people. I can confidently say that I did that this semester. With an abundance of different perspectives and personalities, we all worked together to cover important stories for the community.

So to all my staff, thank you. I don’t think I could ever repay you for the sacrifice and hard work each and every

single one of you have given to The Volante. I never would have been able to do it without a single one of you. Another person that I truly want to thank is our adviser Tim. Going into the semester I had no clue how to successfully uphold my position as EIC, but thanks to Tim’s guidance and his sometimes brutal honesty, I can now say that I learned not only how to be an EIC but how to be a more well-rounded journalist. I know we couldn’t have made it through the last year without his mentorship. Now that he’s leaving, I feel sad, but also optimistic about how we can continue to use the knowledge we gained from him to make The Volante better. So Tim, thank you for everything. No one will ever be able to replace you! This semester was nothing short of a rollercoaster. Overall, I feel proud of each issue we produced regardless

if it didn’t come to fruition until mere seconds before our printing deadline, or our print night sailed by without a hitch. We covered hard hitting topics like sexual assault plaguing South Dakota and other weeks we celebrated our athletic teams’ success, but no matter what each cover showed, I think every issue that was put out by our team was perfect.

Lastly, to the readers, I am grateful that you picked up this issue in the first place. Whether you picked it up with the intention of reading the whole paper or maybe the bright cover caught your eye, I am grateful I was able to provide you with some news about our community.

Just thank you. To everyone who has helped me along the way. I am truly grateful and can’t wait to kick off another semester here at The Volante.

2023 Spring semester executive staff. Top Row (from left to right): Jozie Kumm, Emma Daggett, Charles Streeter, Tavin Carncross, Rachel Pechous, Trevan Rychlik. Bottom Row (from left to right): Bennett Clary, Sydney Johnson, Allison Horkey, Madison Martinez. Not Pictured: Brock Weidner, Maddi Kallsen, Kaitlyn Kumm.

Adam Pearson | The Volante

The VolanTe

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.

Photos by Adam Pearson, Sydney Johnson and

Best Moments in News

Some of what the editors think are the biggest moments in South Dakota news. It started with USD celebrating the growth of the Native Living Learning Community. Then the Beta band, Leila’s Rose, took the stage to open for 24K Goldn and language students presented at PanLingua. Photos by The Volante photographers Sydney Johnson, Maddie Martinez, Adam Pearson and submitted by sources.

Sept. 21

Native LLC

Grows

in its Second Year

Sept. 27

The Native Living Learning Community (LLC) grew in its second year from 18 students to 37 students. The community is made up of students mostly living on Mickelson’s second floor and originating from South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Iowa. There are 14 different tribal nations represented. Weiland

Oct. 06

Last year, Student Government Association (SGA) former president Caleb Weiland worked on a new university policy to propose to the President’s Executive Committee for what he called mental health misses. There were meetings in late fall, but nothing has been announced to the public.

Oct. 15

Nominated for Emmy

Students, faculty and staff around campus wear green bandanas on their bags as part of a mental health initiative. The Green Bandana Project is an organization to help spread awareness for mental health and stives to end the stigma placed on individuals struggling with mental health battles. Anyone wearing the bandana can be approached as someone to talk to or get resources from.

The USD Marketing team was nominated for an Upper Midwest Emmy award after submitting a 30 second commercial they wrote, filmed and edited in two days. Director Hailie Warren said the judges only pick the best handful to be nominated for an award from hundreds of pieces submitted. USD did not win the Midwest Emmy award.

Young Ae Kim returned to USD as a professor in the graphic design program after teaching at SDSU for five years. Kim worked for big companies such as Samsung and LG designing technology. She was successful in this field, but found her passion specifically in graphic design. She was a professor at USD for nine years before going to SDSU.

The Beta Theta Pi band, Leila’s Rose, performed at multiple venues and events throughout Vermillion including USD tailgates and Thursdays on the Platz. The band performed on their biggest stage for the 24KGoldn concert on Jan. 17. The band is unsure about their future as one performer graduated.

Jan. 17

Beta Band Performs for 24kGoldn

March 07

Award Winning Professor Back at USD

PanLingua, an undergraduate research conference for students to present their research papers or cultural experiences in a target language, returned to USD for a fourth time, celebrating their 10-year anniversary. There were 27 presentations this year: 24 paper and three posters presentations. The topics covered things such as history, creative writing and linguistics.

April 03

PanLingua Returns for 10-Year Anniversary

USD hosted its annual IdeaFest for two days in which the university was filled with educational presentations and speakers at the research symposium. IdeaFest is an opportunity for students to showcase their achievements and show others what they devote their time to outside of classes. Over the course of the two days, 375 students presented.

April 05-06

IdeaFest Celebrated 35 Years

April 11

The anthropology department at USD reintroduced the Museum Techniques course after a five-year hiatus. The course returned due to high demand from students. Although the class will not be offered every year, students can look for it in the spring of 2025.

Museum Class Takes Students Out of Class

News

SUMMER 2023 THE VOLANTE VOLANTEONLINE.COM

Student Counseling Center Experiences a Year of Growth

The Student Counseling Center at USD, located in the Cook House, has experienced yet another year of growth according to the center’s assistant director Wesley Bruce.

While statistics aren’t yet available, Bruce said that they have been able to see more students this year and are on track to hire another counselor. Additionally, they’ve also shifted the way that they fill appointments.

“We definitely have seen more people this year. One of the things that we’re pretty fortunate for is that Deb, the center director, had been given the budget to be able to hire a new counselor, which happened this past August,” Bruce said. The center also started filling in cancellations as they occur. “I also think that with where student services are at, that we’ll probably be able to have another fulltime counselor next year as well. We’re growing at a pretty consistent pace.”

One of the reasons for the increase in demand could be due to people becoming more comfortable engaging in counseling. Bruce said rather than just utilizing medications, primary care physicians seem to also be encouraging counseling services. Students now also tend to feel lonelier and more isolated than in the past.

“They’re in their dorms all the time by themselves with the dorm room door shut. That’s a different phenomenon than 20 years ago, where if you’d walked through college, the average dorm room was open because then you could see who’s going by [and] you tagged along on trips or events,” Bruce said.

Additionally, Bruce said that oftentimes forces surrounding students are designed to make them feel bad.

“You tend to be a good consumer when you feel bad,” Bruce said. “Sometimes just noticing all the forces that are designed to make you feel bad, to make you want to consume … being aware of those forces is very helpful.”

Fortunately, the center anticipates moving into a new space next year, allowing for more graduatelevel students to be supervised in supporting students with more common issues in addition to having the space to offer more group sessions.

Students who remain in Vermillion and are enrolled in courses will still be able to utilize the counseling services offered. For students off campus or not enrolled in summer courses, Bruce

said that research has shown three things to be incredibly helpful in improving mood: drinking less, exercising and being outside or with other people.

“The thing that they find that almost instantly makes people feel better is drinking less alcohol, getting about an hour of physical activity a day and then just being outside or with other people,” Bruce said. “Those three things in themselves will typically help people feel really good compared to being alone, being in a dark environment and then feeling achy because you’ve got a bunch of leftover booze or THC in your system.”

Jordan Grothe Jordan.Grothe@coyotes.usd.edu

Jordan Grothe | The Volante

The Student Counseling Center plans to move out of the Cook House this summer.

USD Housing Renovations over Summer Break

Samantha Hartje Samantha.Hartje@coyotes.usd.edu

The 2023 spring semester is coming to an end, which means summer renovations for USD housing will be underway. Three residence halls will be closed for the summer due to electrical work and plumbing lines. Director of Housing, Cody Burggraff, said there will be renovations starting in the residence halls.

“We will be doing some painting in Coyote Village and McFadden. We will also be updating the heating and cooling controls in Beede Hall. A drainpipe needs to be replaced in Burgess Hall also,” Burggraff said.

Renovations will be done before the fall semester and before students move back to campus.

“The painting projects will enhance the interior’s visible appeal. The heating and cooling updates will allow for more efficiency as well as give us the ability to monitor the heating and cooling systems remotely. The drainpipe will prevent leaks from happening in the future in Burgess Hall,” Burggraff said.

There will only be minor maintenance to Coyote Viallage this summer according to Burggraff.

“There are no large-scale renovations happening this summer, just minor preventative maintenance work,” Burggraff said.

Summer break allows more time for renovations to take place like last year when they remodeled parts of Richardson Hall along with a few different and similar renovations being completed.

“We were finishing up the Richardson Hall floor and restroom renovations, painted areas in Coyote Village, did some shower work in Burgess and Norton and did some HVAC work to be more efficient in Olson Hall,” Burggraff said. “This is very similar to what we are doing in Beede Hall this Summer.”

Although those are the main priorities, USD Housing checks everything that can be done before the start of a new semester.

“Besides these things, we always try to go through all rooms to fix the bigger things, such as hinges falling off the door, drawer not closing, etc.,” Burggraff said. Due to these renovations, summer camps will be moved into different halls on campus.

Students to Participate in Summer Research

them committing over 30 hours a week.

While most students head home for the summer, a handful can be found across campus doing research. Assistant Vice President for Research Kevin O’Kelley has been working hard this semester to consolidate all the research programs and looks forward to seeing what students do this summer. Across campus, over 40 students can be found this summer hard at work in labs and offices.

“We have a variety of programs across campus where we invite students to do something new, something on their own that is not in the textbook,” O’Kelley said. “We have students who work in every school on campus. We have students who are doing archaeology work … we have students doing choreography work, and there are students doing work on the Missouri River.”

Participation in some of these programs required an extensive selection process, complete with applications and interviews. These students will engage in research all summer long, with many of

“We support you over the summer, so we do expect you to work. There’s an interview process. It’s a commitment,” O’Kelley said. “It’s not 40 hours a week, but we pay enough that you don’t have to have a second job. We do expect you to be in the lab.”

While these students don’t get to experience the summer off like many do, summer research participants tend to be better applicants for graduate schools. Additionally, independent research can teach valuable skills that often aren’t taught in traditional classes.

“Virtually all of our medical school students have been engaged in research, and for law school students, many of them have done creative scholarship outside of the classroom,” O’Kelley said. “I’m not saying that it just pads the resume; I’m saying it teaches them to work on their own. They learned the scientific method or sometimes they learned failure.”

Students who did research last year really felt like the program made a difference in their lives.

“I want to continue doing research. I really liked it, and I learned a lot and felt like that was one aspect

where I can ‘put my stone in the edifice,’” student Hugo Morvan said.

Last summer, Morvan participated in the tenweek U.Discover program.

“I’m going to do a Master’s [program] and try to do another research project, and then maybe a Ph.D.” Students participating in many of the funded summer programs will start in the next few weeks, continuing until the end of July.

Submitted Photo | The VCDC

Students prepare for summer research employment as the end of the semester approaches.

Jordan Grothe Jordan.Grothe@coyotes.usd.edu

Tavin Carncross | The Volante Housing construction continues to advance with the warm months ahead.

The Future of Enrollment and Housing on Campus

Charles Streeter charles.streeter@coyotes.usd.edu

As the 2022 academic year wraps, USD has seen continued heavy enrollment trends coupled with limited housing options both on and off campus.

Mark Petty, the Dean of Enrollment at USD, expects another increase in freshman enrollment similar to Fall 2022.

“We’re pretty optimistic that our freshman class will be larger than it was last year,” Petty said. “All of our indicators are pointing to having another increase in freshman enrollment for fall of 2023.”

Petty said Fall 2022 freshmen increased 7% compared to Fall 2021, with confirmed 2023 freshmen up almost 2% year over year.

One factor affecting enrollment is that USD does not cap total enrollment. USD President Sheila Gestring says the university plans on reevaluating USD’s capacity.

“We haven’t had to talk about [enrollment caps], but we’re nearing that place now,” Gestring said. “We do, however, have programs that are capped.”

According to Gestring, around seven-to-10 years ago, a facilities consultant estimated that the university could admit around 1,500 freshmen per year based on campus capacities.

“It’s probably worth going back into doing that, we might be hitting somewhere near a cap here in the next few years,” Gestring said.

More students equals more beds, which provides additional challenges as university and off-campus housing try to accommodate students.

As a result, planned renovations on Olson Hall in North Complex will be delayed.

According to KC Santosh, Chair of the Computer

Science Department, the lack of housing heavily impacts international students.

Santosh is a driving force behind international student growth. When he became department chair in 2020, the computer science program had no more than 15 graduate students. Three years later, they have over 200 graduate students. 128 of those students were international in Fall 2022, compared to 29 in Fall 2021.

Patrick Morrison, Director of the Gallagher International Center, said there are many reasons for the drastic increase in students.

“We did quite a bit of recruitment last year for these programs in our key markets right before the pandemic (and since),” Morrison said.

Santosh estimates at least 90% of the increase in international students is due to the computer science program.

“People come from a distance of hundreds of miles away: Minnesota, California, Mexico, France, Germany, Ghana, do you want to welcome them in a way that you have to have these people coming from a distance and stick six people in one apartment? Do you want to tell these people that this is how we live?” Santosh said.

Not every international student is able to attend USD. Santosh had to defer 25 students next semester because they cannot find housing. He believes this hurts the school’s reputation in the eyes of prospective students.

“This is jeopardizing our community reputation, not just [our] institutional reputation,” Santosh said. “They want to come to the program. They have friends, cousins, brothers and siblings. How long will it take to recover the reputation to where we are?”

Cody Burggraff, Director of Housing, said some rooms are held for international students.

“With the international office and the enrollment office, we kind of came to a number that we needed to kind of be prepared to hold back just in case,” Burggraff said. “Most students that have applied by this time, they’ve gotten a placement except for a couple that have trickled in…”

A common theme echoed among staff and faculty is that it’s difficult to accurately forecast future enrollment trends.

“If I had a crystal ball, I’d love to say that I would continue upon that trajectory. Our goal is to never look at decreasing enrollment,” Petty said.

According to Santosh, enrollment projections are only accurate when the data is properly analyzed.

“The projection should be based on coherent and consistent data. And if you don’t know what the data looks like, and you just present it based on the messy data, it is still a projection but it’s not going to be accurate,” Santosh said.

Looking toward long-term solutions for housing, Gestring says the university is working with the community to build more off-campus apartments.

“We’re thinking about doing a land lease with the foundation if they can find someone that’s willing to put up a larger community apartment complex that would be open to students as well as community members,” Gestring said.

The City of Vermillion also purchased a plot of land with the hopes of developing it in the future.

In the end, USD faculty and staff believe they can handle incoming students next fall. “We guarantee every incoming student will have a bed and we can do that,” Gestring said.

USD Parking Lot 23 Project Update

Samantha Hartje Samantha.Hartje@coyotes.usd.edu

Earlier this school year, USD demolished of Julian and Brookman Halls. In replacement of the campus halls is a new parking lot. The recent addition of the Health Sciences building created a need for more parking space at USD. Senior construction project manager, Brian Muehlbeier, gave updates on the progress of the Parking Lot 23 Project.

“The contractors are currently working to fill in and compact the excavations left from the Julian Hall, Julian Addition and Brookman Hall demolition project,” Muehlbeier said. ”Once the excavations have

passed compaction testing, the remainder of the site will be graded to the proper subgrade elevation and the cement stabilization process will begin.”

The parking lot will provide students with more options for parking next school year. Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management, Brian Limoges, stated the demand for the new lot has risen within the last few years.

“The new lot will provide much needed parking for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors,” Limoges said. “Parking in this part of campus is limited, especially with the recent building of Health Sciences.”

Muehlbeier said construction plans for this

summer have already been in place and that pavement will be installed soon.

“The actual concrete pavement will be installed mid to late June with the sidewalks being completed by early July,” Muehlbeier said.

Prior to the update, Limoges stated that the parking lot is set to be finished before fall semester with no delays.

“The project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of July so we can have it open before classes begin in the fall of 2023,” Muehlbeier said.

More updates about the parking lot will follow toward the end of summer break.

Graduation Brings New Opportunities

Commencement is approaching for seniors across campus. Some graduates plan to stay in Vermillion to further their education, while others are branching out and accepting positions in the workforce.

The University of South Dakota provides students with the ability to choose where they go and what they plan to do after graduation. Paige Krumm, a senior studying medical biology and history, is planning on continuing her work at the university through one of the research programs offered.

“USD has given me many opportunities to explore what I am passionate about,” Krumm said. “Without the wonderful staff and resources at USD, I would not be where I am today.”

As Krumm prepares for her next step after graduation, she encourages current students to explore their options while they’re available.

“These four years are your opportunity to take classes on anything that may interest you and pursue those interests through research and different organizations,” Krumm said. “By utilizing all the

knowledge around you, you can make yourself a wellrounded individual ready for life after USD.”

Another option that students may take is to further their education at a different university. Margaret Meierhenry, a senior studying Musical Arts, is planning to attend DePaul University in Chicago for a master’s in Vocal Performance.

“USD has given me the foundation to succeed in any field I choose,” Meierhenry said. “From opera to political science, this university has provided countless opportunities to help me find myself in stride, believing in me before I could believe in myself.”

Meierhenry said there are many opportunities USD offers that she encourages students to take advantage of.

“In order for a person to succeed there [are] going to [be] many failures on the way,” Meierhenry said. “By saying yes to yourself and letting others tell you no, you will find yourself in places you never would think possible.”

Some students choose to go straight into the workforce after graduation. Kyler Hagen, a senior, plans to move to Rapid City and work as a social

media marketing specialist for Strider Sports.

“I have been lucky with the amount of support from my professors, advisors and mentors throughout my USD experience,” Hagen said.

While offering courses, the university also provides many opportunities for students to gain experience in their desired fields. Hagen interned with the USD Marketing Office for over a year.

“I have been fortunate to gain hands-on, real-life experience in my career field,” Hagen said. “With that, I have been able to build a strong resume and portfolio.”

While taking classes and preparing for the future, Hagen said it’s also important to enjoy the experience because it goes by quickly.

“Enjoy every single moment you have,” Hagen said. Take advantage of all the opportunities USD has to offer and make meaningful connections.”

USD’s Commencement will take place on May 6 inside of the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Brooklynn Kahle Brooklynn.Kahle@coyotes.usd.edu

Submitted | Margaret Meierhenry

Submitted | Paige Krumm

Submitted | Kyler Hagen

Supposedly our college education has prepared us for our future, but now it’s about to be put to the test as the graduating class of 2023 enters the job market for their first post-college jobs.

Some of the more popular or well-known majors at the University of South Dakota include business, nursing and other healthcare professions, marketing and education.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment for healthcare occupations should grow 13% in the coming years, resulting in two million new jobs in the country. The business, financial and education occupations expect a 7% growth, with anywhere from 600,000-900,000 new jobs created for each section.

OpiniOn

These new jobs do not include openings made available from people leaving the fields for new opportunities or retirement.

What does this mean for the graduating class of 2023? Hopefully jobs, but projections of what is needed do not always result in more opportunities.

It’s going to be difficult. The labor market is tightening as some companies are looking for people with both experience and a degree.

Right now, the job search process is taking longer and longer. It is taking people anywhere from five-to-six months from application to hire. The interview process is going to be longer and more strenuous, most likely with more than one interview. This can lead

The VolanTe

to a lot of strain while trying to find a source of stable income.

The class of 2023 is going to be the first class to graduate that dealt with COVID-19 disruptions since freshman year, which generally led to fewer internships and more academic challenges than pre-COVID-19 graduates.

There is always going to be uncertainty about the labor market and unforeseen things that affect it. The only guarantee for graduates is change. The biggest thing to understand is that how you prepare and present yourself to a potential employer is critical to the job search. Try to be prepared, if you are applying for jobs make sure to research the goals and objectives of a company.

Sydney Johnson | The Volante

Tavin Carncross, editor-in-chief Charles Streeter, managing editor Brock Weidner, sports editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

THESTUDENTS’VOICESINCE 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.

Fax to: 605.677.5105

Email to: volante@coyotes. usd.edu

Via our website: volanteonline.com

Trevan Rychlik, assistant sports editor Bennett Clary, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

“When ABBA gets turned on, it’s time to send the kids to bed.”

— FA

“Mickey Mouse is not part of the mafia.”

— MUC

“Please tell me you failed.”

— Beacom

“This is not a painting you would show your grandma.”

— FA

Send letters to: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 OVERHEARDS

The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

Ella Byers

is a senior majoring in secondary English education.

Project-Based Learning in Action

It is evident that every college student has reached their current position by a unique academic path, as learning styles differ drastically between individuals. Progress is assessed in multiple ways, but there are methods that stand out in efficiency.

One option is project-based learning, which is an instructional approach meant to engage students in modern problems in their communities. Project-based learning has been around since the 1960s, so it is not a new concept in the class-

room. However, it is reemerging in popularity as traditional American classrooms are beginning to evolve in response to educational reform.

The increased use of technology at home and in the classroom have created new problems with student interest, but the inevitability of techbased education calls for more hands-on work. Many students struggle with engagement and retention where conventional testing is concerned, as they are unable to connect its use to real-world issues and their per-

Was College Worth It?

employers you have the ability to commit yourself to something for an extended period of time. You have the ability to learn and adapt to different environments.

Getting a college degree has a lot of potential downsides. You have to prepare yourself for student debt. At this point college has become so expensive most students graduate with debt and have difficulty navigating financial independence. Even with financial aid, college expenses can be staggering.

A degree does not guarantee a high-paying job nor does it guarantee a career in the field of your degree.

sonal lives. Project-based learning alleviates this by allowing students to explore their own interests in real-world issues.

This is especially effective at the college level because, in a place where many students have proven they can handle traditional tests, individuals are enabled to develop soft skills for their future careers. Peer cooperation cultivates improved communication and critical thinking skills. These projects also allow students to see how their own biases might play out in the workplace, and they can

remedy this with the higher order thinking that project-based learning ultimately calls for to complete it successfully.

Lastly, this type of learning allows students to branch off into areas that they believe are relevant to modern society, making them much more likely to produce quality work that is indicative of their progress in the unit. Essentially, by utilizing this route, educators will create an atmosphere where learning is “played out” rather than passively completed.

As everyone knows, attending college and getting a degree is important for many different reasons. It can increase career stability, there are often more employment opportunities and there is value placed on people who earn a college degree.

A college education has become a necessary investment. A lot of jobs now require an advanced education for entry-level jobs. College degrees have become a requirement for much of today’s workforce. At this point, it feels like college has just become one more thing you need to do before joining the workforce. College is meant to be the place to improve your education, you go to college to learn and improve your skills and be a better participant in society. Now, it has become more of a necessity rather than a choice.

One way to think about college is that it is a means to an end. It is a way to show

There is also the issue of time. Not everyone graduates in four years. Some people graduate earlier and employers can be cautious about hiring someone so young. Other people might take more than four years which can lead to even more debt.

Many people succeed without a college degree. But now more than ever before, businesses are looking for employees that have some time of higher education.

Calculating the value of college is difficult, there are so many unknowns in life and having a degree can help. Not only that, earning a college degree is a major life achievement and hopefully its benefits will last a lifetime.

As of now, I don’t know if college was worth it. I don’t even know if I will find a job having anything to do with my degree, hopefully in a few years, I will be able to fully answer the question with a simple yes or no.

Emma Dagget is a senior majoring in English.

Best Moments in Sports

Here are what the editors thought were the biggest moments in USD sports this year. It started with securing a comeback Dakota Days victory with a second-string quarterback. Then volleyball defended their Summit League title and track and field won both the men’s and women’s championships. Photos by The Volante photographers: Sydney Johnson and Adam Pearson.

Oct.

The Coyotes hosted the Southern Illinois Salukis in the 105th Dakota Days’ game. With 2:43 left in the second quarter and down 21-7, USD benched starting sophomore quarterback Carson Camp and brought in redshirt freshman and Iowa State transfer Aidan Bouman who led the team to a field goal on his first possession. Bouman and the Coyotes rallied in the second half, winning the game 27-24 after a game winning field goal in the final minutes.

Nov. 07

On April 11, 2022, Kayla Karius was named as the next head coach of South Dakota’s women’s basketball team after the departure of Dawn Plitzuweit. Fast forward five months, Karius made her debut on the sidelines as the head coach of the Coyotes. The Coyotes won Karius’ first game at the helm, 106-41, over the Midland Warriors.

Nov.

Like Karius, head coach of the men’s basketball team Eric Peterson was also victorious in his coaching debut in Vermillion, as the Coyotes rallied in the second half to defeat the Lipscomb Bison 85-77. Redshirt sophomore A.J. Plitzuweit returned to the Sanford Coyotes Sports Center for the first time since his injury in 2021 and scored 33 points in the win. Nov.

After a 14-58 loss in the season finale to Northern Iowa and missing out on the playoffs, USD’s Athletic Director David Herbster immediately following the game, announced in the post-game press conference that football head coach Bob Nielson will remain the coach for the “foreseeable future.” As head coach of the Coyotes, Nielson has an overall record of 28-42.

Over Thanksgiving break, the Coyote volleyball team won their third straight Summit League Tournament Title in a championship rematch against the Omaha Mavericks. This was the Coyotes’ fourth title in the last five years. Three Coyotes were named on the all-tournament team: freshman setter Madi Wooden, sophomore outside hitter Kylen Sealock and tournament MVP junior outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke.

The win over the Mavericks sent the volleyball team dancing into the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament. South Dakota went on to play No. 23 Houston in the first round. After going down two sets early, the Coyotes railed back as they forced a fifth set but fell just short to end their 2022 season.

Nov. 26

Volleyball Claims

Fourth Title in Five Years

Dec. 02

Volleyball Wins

First Set in NCAA

Feb. 14

The Coyotes officially launched GoYotes TV as the men’s basketball team hosted the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. USD partnered with 13 cable providers across South Dakota to broadcast athletics and other events around campus.

GoYotes TV Goes

Live Against North Dakota

For the first time in program history, South Dakota swept the Indoor Track and Field men’s and women’s Championships. Sophomore distance runner Abirelle Jirele was named as the Summit League Track MVP as she scored 21 points through three events. Junior sprinter Dylan Kautz tied for the men’s MVP but lost the tiebreaker.

Feb. 25-26

Track and Field Sweeps Championships

Following the Summit League Championship victory, South Dakota sent four athletes to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Summit League Champion, sophomore Marleen Mulla, led with a third place finish in polevault, followed by junior Gen Hirata finished in eighth and sophomore Cassidy Mooneyhan placed 14 in the event. Sophomore Danii Anglin finished in 14 in the women’s high jump. Mulla and Girata received All-American honors as Mooneyhan and Anglin were named second-team All-Americans.

March 10-11

Coyotes Head to NCAA Championships

SportS

SUMMER 2023 THE VOLANTE VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS

Williamson’s Contract Extended Through 2027

Coming off a historic 2022 season in which the Coyotes volleyball team went 29-4 and even broke the Sanford Coyote Sports Center attendance record with 2,774 people, South Dakota’s volleyball head coach Leanne Williamson has inked a five-year contract extension through the fall of 2027.

“I enjoy USD. I like the community and obviously the program means a lot to me. (The contract extension) is another reason for my family and I to stay here and continue to love Vermillion,” Williamson said. “I think we have made some giant strides, obviously as a program from when I first got here 14 years ago as a graduate assistant to where we are now. I’m excited to continue that progress in the upcoming years.”

Williamson, a native of Hartland, Wisconsin, came to South Dakota in 2009 as an assistant coach under Matt Houk. Williamson said what she learned most from the former head coach was to maintain balance within her life and volleyball.

“I think balance is huge for me as I have my own family and three little kids and a husband that I want to be around for as well,” Williamson said. “To have someone in the coaching profession that can show that and reinstate that was huge for me.”

In 2014, Williamson took over the coaching job and went 19-12 overall with a 12-4 Summit League record. In Williamson’s first Summit League Tournament game, she led her team over Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1. In their second game, the Coyotes were swept by eventual runner-ups, IUPUI.

Williamson said that her first season was a “blur” but she would tell her first-year coaching self that what they’re doing is special.

“I think, in a lot of ways, I would just reiterate the fact that the culture that we were trying to create at that time, was worth it. The people continue to be the reason why this program is special,” Williamson said. “I think in some other ways is to breathe. Be patient. And that what we’re doing is worth it in the end.”

Fast forward four years, Williamson hoisted her first Summit League Tournament trophy as her team defeated the top seed in the tournament in Denver. This was the only time the Coyotes had defeated the Pioneers all season.

“I think it is one of those things that gets put into perspective. All the hard work, recruiting, working through our culture and developing really what we wanted to see with that,” Williamson said. “(The championship) was something that I’ll fully never forget.”

From then on, the Coyotes captured two regular season titles in 2019 and 2022, and three Summit League Championship titles in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The Coyotes, now, are coming off a regular season championship season as the Coyotes went 29-4. USD would double up for the first time under Williamson as they also captured the Summit League Championship title.

“One of my favorite moments is probably the conference tournament because we obviously dealt with a lot of adversary with Brooklyn Schram getting hurt in the middle of the season and having to figure out the team and how to play to our capabilities with a new setter,” Williamson said. “To see our team going into the conference tournament and sweep both opponents, that just brought everything full circle.”

Another moment that Williamson spoke about was their loss in the NCAA D-I Volleyball Tournament

where the Coyotes fell to No. 23 Houston in five sets. In the match, the Coyotes lost the first two sets then rallied to win the first sets in school history, as they claimed the third and fourth. In the fourth set, junior outside hitter, Elizabeth Juhnke, went down with a leg injury.

The Coyotes did not let this injury to the Summit League Volleyball Player of the Year stop them from claiming the fourth set. In the fifth set, the Coyotes and Cougars were tied at 10 each, however, Houston would outlast the Coyotes.

“The aftermath of the injury and how the team responded and how much passion they played with,” Williamson said. “Just how they went out there and played fearlessly and supported each other through (the injury). That was a remarkable moment.”

With the upcoming season, Williamson urges new and incoming students to come to the games in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

“It makes a difference for us and I’d urge them to come out and see why volleyball is so much fun to be a part of,” Williamson said.

Tavin Carncross Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

Sydney Johnson | The Volante Head volleyball coach Leanne Williamson receives a contract extension with USD after a historic 2022 season.

Nielson, USD Football Hoping to Bounce Back

Spencer Buley Spencer.Buley@coyotes.usd.edu

It’s been an eventful year for Coyotes football. Most notably in the acquisition of offensive coordinator Josh Davis from South Dakota State and a new starting quarterback in redshirt sophomore Aidan Bouman.

But with the spring game complete, all eyes are set on the upcoming fall for USD football.

The 2023 season kicks off Sept. 2 at the University of Missouri. Sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman said the opportunity to compete against Power Five competition is always exciting but that simplifying the game is key.

“Everybody’s a dude, everybody’s just a guy out there,” Bouman said. “We’re playing football. You can’t overthink it and you have to enjoy it. It’s a great opportunity for us, and we get to go showcase what we can do as a team.”

The Coyotes will return home to host St. Thomas and Lamar University for the first two home games out of six on the schedule. Getting to play at home six times is a first for head coach Bob Nielson at USD.

“We play great at home,” Nielson said. “From that standpoint, I’m really excited about our schedule and the opportunity that our fans are going to have to see our football team.”

Conference play will kick off for the Coyotes on Sept. 30 in Fargo, North Dakota where they’ll face FCS National Championship runner-up North Dakota State. The Coyotes haven’t beat the Bison in six seasons but led the matchup at half last year, and Bouman said after seeing their new offensive

system in action in the spring game, the team is confident in competing with anyone.

“We put in a new offense 15 practices ago, and truthfully, for some of the stuff we did today, you wouldn’t know that,” Bouman said. “I think we executed at a really high level, and we have a quality defense across from us right now. I’m pretty confident in what we’re going to be able to do next year.”

Following the trip to Fargo, the Coyotes host a home stretch against Missouri Valley Conference newcomer Murray State and Youngstown State. They then travel to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on the Indiana State Sycamores.

SDSU will return to the DakotaDome on Oct. 28 for the first time since “The Catch” from 2021. Junior wide receiver Carter Bell said the “chip on the shoulder” is a little bit bigger having the reigning FCS National Champions in Vermillion.

“They’re always a good team and they always have a good plan for us, but I think it’s better to be at home this year,” Bell said. “It’s always exciting to play in front of your fans, but especially against SDSU.”

The schedule wraps up with the Coyotes playing at Southern Illinois, hosting North Dakota then closing the season at Western Illinois.

“I think a lot of guys have bought into being a team as one,” Bouman said. “It’s tough and you never want to have a season like last year, but we have a lot of motivation from that and a huge chip on our shoulder.”

Sydney Johnson | The Volante Redshirt sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman made his debut as a Coyote during the Dakota Days game versus Southern Illinois. Bouman will be the starting quarterback entering the 2023 season after former quarterback Carson Camp announced his placement in the transfer portal.

The Transfer Portal Creates New Opportunities for Incoming and Outgoing Coyote Athletes

Brock Weidner Brock.Weidner@coyotes.usd.edu

The Transfer Portal has become the new normal for college athletics with more players entering it the last couple of seasons. Let’s take a look at the outgoing and incoming transfers for the football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as of this issue.

Football

Ten players exit the Coyotes football team, seven of which were offensive players including two quarterbacks.

Andrew Jacobs. Grade: Redshirt Freshman. Position: Wide Receiver. New Team: Charlotte.

Jacobs played in two games as a freshman and recorded one catch for five yards against Kansas State before redshirting for the season.

Carson Camp. Grade: Junior. Position: Quarterback. New Team: Sacramento State.

Camp made an instant impact at USD as he was the first true freshman to start a season opener. In his second season, Camp made everyone know his name after throwing the game-winning hail mary versus South Dakota State with one second on the clock. He started in seven games last season before being benched in the Dakota Days’ game versus Southern Illinois. Camp threw for 4,123 yards, 24 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and rushed for three more touchdowns in his three seasons at USD.

Cole Stenstrom. Grade: Sophomore. Position: Quarterback. New Team: Winona State.

In 2021, Stenstrom worked as Camp’s backup and played in five games that year completing 13 of his 27 throws for 146 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while also picking up 68 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Last year he converted to running back and recorded 27 rushing yards and seven receiving yards. Stenstrom will switch back to playing quarterback for the Warriors.

Corey Hollinger. Grade: Redshirt Freshman. Position: Tight End. New Team: Wayne State.

Hollinger redshirted last season and now will return back to his home state of Nebraska to play for the Wildcats.

Da’Raun McKinney. Grade: Junior. Position: De-

fensive Back. New Team: Undecided.

McKinney started his collegiate career at Iowa for two years before spending two seasons at USD where he played in 17 games making 13 starts at cornerback. He recorded 91 tackles, one interception and 12 pass breakups. McKinney is the newest addition to the portal and has yet to make his decision as he 13 holds offers from Prairie View A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Miami (OH), Central Michigan, Illinois State, Samford, Austin Peay ,Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Texas Southern and East Tennessee State.

Jakari Starling. Grade: Redshirt Junior. Position: Linebacker. New Team: Western Carolina.

Starling was on the MVFC All-Newcomer team in 2019 as he recorded 70 tackles and a sack. The last two seasons have been injury riddled for Starling as he’s only played in eight games the last two years with only one appearance last season.

Jason Samec. Grade: Junior. Position: Tight End. New Team: Southwest Minnesota State.

Samec came to USD as a defensive lineman. After redshirting and two years of no appearances he switched positions to tight end last year. Samec will go back to playing defensive line for the Mustangs. Shomari Lawerence. Grade: Redshirt Sophomore. Position: Running Back. New Team: Florida International (FIU).

Lawrence exploded onto the scene last year after not playing much the previous two years due to a COVID-19-shortened season and an injury that led him to redshirting. He was named on the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) all-Newcomer Team after compiling 597 yards and three touchdowns on the ground paired with 14 catches for 135 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Tre Thomas. Grade: Grad Student. Position: Linebacker. New Team: Idaho.

Thomas made 12 starts in his 30 games as a Coyote. He recorded 78 tackles, six for a loss, two sacks and one interception in his career.

Wesley Eliodor. Grade: Fifth Year. Position: Wide Receiver. New Team: North Dakota.

Eliodor was known for his kick returning ability as he returned four kicks for touchdowns in highschool. In his first kick return at USD, he took it for 69 yards in a Dakota Days win against No. 24

Missouri State. He is coming off his best offensive year with 30 catches for 482 yards and six touchdowns.

With ten players transferring out for the Coyotes, they have brought in five players from the portal three of which played at the FBS level and two of which played at the Power Five level.

Cannon Blauser. Grade: Junior. Position: Linebacker. Previous Team: Ohio.

Spending four years at Ohio, Blauser had a breakout season in 2021 where he made 86 tackles which was second best on the Bobcats. Last season recorded 33 tackles, 3.5 for a loss.

Mosai Newsom. Grade: Junior. Position: Defensive Line. Previous Team: Nebraska.

After redshirting his first season at Nebraska, Newsom did not see the field the next two years until last season where he played in nine games recording three tackles all against No. 17 Illinois.

Okey Egbuziem. Grade: Junior. Position: Defensive Line. Previous Team: Fresno City College.

In two seasons at Fresno City College Egbuziem recorded 22 tackles and a sack in 15 games for the Rams.

Tim White. Grade: Redshirt Sophomore. Position: Defensive Back. Previous Team: Robert Morris.

In his first season in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, White recorded nine tackles and two pass breakups. Last season, White picked up his first interception and tallied six more tackles in four games, he later redshirted.

Tristan Michaud. Grade: Sophomore. Position: Wide Receiver. Previous Team: Iowa State.

The 6-foot-6-inch receiver from Canada comes in from Iowa State after redshirting for the Cyclones after appearing in one game. Michaud is the next former Cyclone to become a Coyote and will join redshirt sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman who transferred in last season.

Continued: Transfer Portal Recap

Men’s Basketball

The Coyotes lost their entire starting lineup from last season: two to graduation (Damani Hayes and Mason Archambault), one playing overseas (Kruz Perrott-Hunt) and the other two to the transfer portal (A.J. Plitzuweit and Tasos Kamateros).

A.J. Plitzuweit. Grade: Redshirt Junior. Position: Guard. New Team: Undecided.

The son of former women’s basketball head coach Dawn Plitzuweit started his collegiate career at Augustana where he won the NSIC Freshman of the Year and was a conference honorable mention after averaging 14.6 points. In his first season at USD, Plitzuweit earned Summit League Newcomer of the Year and First Team honors.

Ty Walker. Grade: Redshirt Sophomore. Position: Guard. New Team: Undecided.

Walker redshirted in his first season in Vermillion and battled injuries this year which kept him sidelined for the entire season.

Keaton Kutcher. Grade: Junior. Position: Guard. New Team: Illinois.

Kutcher exited highschool as a premier 3-point shooter and that stuck at the college level as he went 15-31 from the 3-point line in his two seasons where he averaged 2.5 points per game in his 25 games played. He will now head to Illinois as a priority walk on for the Illini.

Tasos Kamateros. Grade: Senior. Position: Forward. New Team: Undecided.

The last two seasons Kamateros was an All-Summit Honorable Mention averaging over 11 points per game in those years. He played in 100 games making starts, scored 989 points and brought down 497 rebounds as a Coyote. Kama-

teros entered the portal but is also considering playing overseas like his teammate Kruz Perrott-Hunt decided to do.

South Dakota has been active in the portal being reported to have reached out to quite a few athletes to fill their roster, so far only signing two.

Kaleb Stewart. Grade: Junior. Position: Guard. Previous Team: Louisiana Tech.

In the 2021-2022 season Stewart was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team after coming off the bench in 31 games scoring 3.2 points per game. Last season, Steward started in four of his 18 appearances where he scored 5.2 points per game.

Mayoum Buom. Grade: Redshirt Junior. Position: Center. Previous Team: Emporia State.

The 6-10 center from Lincoln, Nebraska was named to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) All-Defensive Team in his redshirt freshman season after recording 25 rebounds. Last season Buomom bettered his block total as he tallied 36 and paired it with 7.1 points per game.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team remains pretty much the same as no players have entered the portal and have only signed one as of April 25, 2023.

Tori DePerry. Grade: Senior. Position: Forward. Previous Team: Saginaw Valley State.

Coming in with over 1,100 points at the Division III level, DePerry is coming off a year where she averaged 17 points and recorded eight rebounds per game and was named to the First Team of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Sydney Johnson | The Volante (Top): Senior forward Tasos Kamateros is still deciding between transferring to another university or making the transition to playing overseas like his teammate Kruz PerrottHunt. (Middle): Coyote football had an abundance of transfers leaving and coming to play in the DakotaDome. (Bottom): Redshirt junior A.J. Plitzuweit decided to enter the transfer portal after being back on the court after suffering a serious knee injury.

Best Moments in Verve

Here are what the editors thought were the biggest moments in entertainment this year. It started with Spectrum gathering students for a march for reproductive rights. Then spaces to explore art were made and new clubs began on USD’s campus. Photos by The Volante photographers: Thomas Pemrick, Keeley Thomas, Sara Moir, Allison Horkey and Sydney Johnson

Sept. 08

Students March for Reproductive Rights

Oct. 02

Third Annual Music is Alive Festival

Students for Reproductive Rights and Spectrum held a protest Sept. 8 against the overturning of Roe versus Wade. The march went from the DakotaDome through campus to Aalf Auditorium in Slagle Hall. Protestors carried signs, chanted and signed petitions.

Oct. 04

Intramurals

The annual Big Pink Volleyball Fundraiser returned for its eighth year at the Wellness Center. The event was organized by Connor Singhisen, assistant director of intramurals and clubs, and the money raised was donated to the Vucurevich’s Children’s Center on campus. In previous years, they raised money for a young girl battling Leukemia, paid off student lunch debt at both elementary schools and covered the costs of two adult tricycles for Sesdac clients.

Nov. 04

USD’s Music Department hosted its third annual Music is Alive Festival and partnered with Vermillion High School. The eight ensembles played a variety of music that included selections from Star Wars. Parts of the event were conducted by a graduate student.

On Nov. 4, several artists were brought together to create two related exhibitions, “Sitting Down Together” and “Amanda Boeger: Matresence.” These exhibitions highlighted concepts like domesticity and the changes of motherhood and family.

The Indian Student Association was started this school year with the hopes of connecting Indian students across campus and bringing more Indian culture to USD. The group hopes to be a resource for incoming students who may have challenges finding an apartment or adjusting to the weather. Prior to the club existing, many Indian students formed informal communities but now the club hopes to reach more members by creating an official organization.

Former USD art students Tyson Schultz and Levi Sternburg created a platform called Untitled.10 for upcoming artists to share their work. They said the goal of the social media platform is to create an opportunity for young artists to show their work in art shows. Schultz and Sternburg run pop-up shows through the fall, winter and spring mostly in Sioux Falls. On Nov. 26, the group showcased their artwork at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls.

Nov. 26

Alumni Create Space for New Artists

Dec. 02

New Club

Celebrating Indian Culture

The Union of African American Students hosted their fifth annual Ruby Ball in February to end the celebration of Black History Month. Over 100 people attended the event. A live performance by Kobe Jordan started the night of music, food and dancing.

Feb. 25

Ruby Ball Closes Out Black History Month

Activists for Equality is a new student organization that hosted their first event during Women’s History Month. The organization hosted a trivia night to inform people about the impact women have had on history. The organization focuses on different issues such as advocating for healthy relationships and reproductive justice.

March 06

Women’s History Month Triva Held by New Group

Spectrum hosted the Lavender Graduation event for graduating students who are members of the LGBTQ+ community and their guests. The Lavender Graduation celebrated the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community and honored graduates with a rainbow stole at USD’s graduation.

April 29

Spectrum Hosts Lavender Graduation

VerVe

SUMMER 2023 THE VOLANTE VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

1971 Cold Case from VPD Perspective

The disappearance of Pamela “Pam” Jackson and Cheryl “Sherri” Miller in 1971 which confused Vermillion police for 50 years until 2013 when the girls’ bodies were found in their car at the bottom of a creek.

KARE 11 reporter, Lou Raguse, wrote the book, “Vanished in Vermillion,” in response to Pam’s brother-in-law asking for one article for them to find all the facts, to which Raguse wrote a book instead.

Vermillion police chief Crystal Brady was a detective during the search for the girls in 2004. She has also read the book and enjoyed what Raguse had to give the public. Brady said she appreciated the information that Raguse wrote, but said the book was limited to the perspective of the family for obvious reasons.

“I know that probably a portion of that is because of some of law enforcement not necessarily wanting to be interviewed for the book, which kind of makes sense,” Brady said. “And if you don’t give your side, the people who do give their side their information ends up in the book.”

Brady said she had several different in-

terpretations of different police interactions with the families. Throughout the cold case in the late 1990s and early 2000s, police had been following one lead that a neighbor, David Lykken, had killed the girls. Lykken was in prison for different reasons during the time police were investigating him, so that added to their belief that he could be a suspect.

Lykken turned out not to be the killer when the girls were found in Brule Creek still buckled into their car. Although many people had believed Lykken was the killer based on witness reports, the police were scrutinized because they had not searched the other side of the bridge the girls had driven off, but thoroughly searched Lykken’s past, his farm and his family’s history.

“In hindsight right now you can look back at it and say, ‘well, you should have looked here or you should have done this.’ It’s easy to say that when you known the answer to what’s happened now. At the time, I think they would have been criticized if they had information and they had not looked into that,” Brady said.

Brady said her interpretations were different based on her police work. She said

there was no way the police could give the public all the information they had when they believed there could be a killer involved. If the killer had known everything the police knew, Brady said it could have tipped the killer off to know if he was close to being convicted or not.

“When law enforcement collects items, we don’t know what those items have as what significance those items have. So, we collect them and then that’s when they’re tested or we determine whether or not they have any significance,” Brady said.

Brady said although the media wants to give the public a story, it’s not always in the best interest of the police to give the public all the information they have. Forms are filled out by the police on what items were collected and sometimes the media is able to access those forms during the investigation. However, not all the information can be given to the media and that can lead to the public being upset with the police.

“We want to have a case that’s done correctly and giving people a story isn’t our first priority,” Brady said. “Our first priority is to make sure that we have a good solid case and that we’re doing things correctly.”

Overall, Brady said she enjoyed “Vanished in Vermillion” because it gave the public a sense of closure on the cold case of Miller and Jackson. She said this cold case would have been different in the 21st century based on all the technology we possess and how quickly police react when there is a missing person.

A Milestone for the USD Symphony Orchestra

Alexis Johnson Alexis.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

The University of South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, directed by Luis Viquez, was nominated for the Latin Grammys.

Partnering with Eddie Mora, a classical composer from Costa Rica, USD was ranked among four other orchestras for the best classical album of the year.

Eddie Mora wrote the song, “El Ruido del Agua” specifically for the USD orchestra. The album is also titled “El Ruido del Agua,” and it

features artists from Costa Rica, Cuba and the United States.

The orchestra spent two years recording the song for the album, which was released in 2022. They worked hand-in-hand with Mora throughout the process of recording the song for his album.

Luis Viquez, the orchestral director, said there were a lot of obstacles to overcome during the recording process of this song.

“The long distance between Mora and the orchestra was the biggest because Mora lives in Costa

Rica,” Viquez said.

Viquez said the orchestra did not let this hold them back. After two years their hard work has paid off.

“It is not about the number of resources, it is how you utilize those resources to do a great job,” Viquez said.

Viquez also said this album isn’t just representing the orchestra or the fine arts school but also the university. This nomination is one of the highest-ranked awards in the music industry.

The Latin Grammys have a bigger pull than the American Grammys because it is all of South America, Central America and Spain.

Viquez had directly worked with Mora for four years before moving to the United States. Their friendship is what started this entire journey for the orchestra. Viquez picked Mora to compose a song for the symphony orchestra because he loves his music.

“The way he writes is like painting an orchestral canvas,” Viquez said. “There are so many colors and

textures that he uses to create his artwork.”

The Latin Grammys were in Las Vegas in Nov. 2022. Viquez went there to represent the college and the orchestra.

This is not the first award for the orchestra, earlier in 2022, they won second in the American Prize for Orchestral Performance.

The orchestra put together another album in the spring called “Observations On…” Both of these albums are available on Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.

Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

Submitted | The Volante Chief Brady joined VPD in 2000 and has served as chief since last August.

Ping Pong Club Finds Their Missing Piece

Sydney Johnson Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

The Volante published an article in the Feb. 15 issue titled “Ping Pong Club Awaiting One Crucial Thing.” Since its publication, one of The Volante’s readers, Ted Thomas contacted the paper with the news that he had a ping-pong table he wanted to donate to the club.

On April 9, Blake Brown, a graduate student in charge of the creation of the Ping Pong Club, reached out to The Volante letting the paper know that he had picked up a table that Thomas had been sitting in his basement unused and decided it would be put to better use with Brown’s new club.

Now, with one less obstacle in the way, Brown is a step closer to making the Ping Pong Club operational.

Brown said they are currently working with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Charlie’s Cupboard to find storage space for the ping-pong table. They are also hoping that the CTL will allow them to host meetings and tournaments there.

Once they are able to secure a space for the club to hold meetings, Brown is confident they will have a full house due to the large response from interested students in a Google form he created in January.

Submitted | The Volante

Blake Brown received a ping pong table as a donation from a reader of The Volante. Now they need to secure a permanent space to host tournaments and their meetings.

Junior at USD Explores Future in Writing

Many students have hobbies outside of class, but few have hobbies that get their writing published. Junior Josh Ellerbeck, a communication studies major, held his third book signing for his most recent book “Streetlights.”

Ellerbeck’s 400-page novel, “Streetlights,” was published Aug. 30, 2022, to not only raise awareness for Huntington’s disease, but also raise money for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA). This book required heavy research from Ellerbeck to portray the scenes accurately.

Ellerbeck’s previous novels have includ-

ed conversations about eating disorders and school shootings. Ellerbeck said he’s open to the idea of writing about more medical conditions in the future and knows that even though it requires a lot of research, it could help people.

“I want to encourage people with that, but also just to reach out to people to encourage them with whatever mental health struggles they’re going through or with anything they might be struggling with, in general, just to have a little bit of encouragement for the people that I’m talking to,” Ellerbeck said.

Ellerbeck keeps track of all his story ideas and feels that the concepts that stick with him are the ones that are worth writ-

ing. “Streetlights” was one concept that came to fruition from that long list. Currently, Ellerbeck has no plans to write about medical health issues but wants to continue exploring through research.

“I think it’d be interesting to write more about different medical conditions in the future,” Ellerbeck said. “Right now, I don’t know what that looks like since this is more of just a very different genre for me, writing medical fiction. It was taking a shot in the dark and seeing where it led me. So it’s definitely something I want to keep exploring in the future. But you never know, I might be led to write something else.”

In the future, Ellerbeck said it’s possible he will move to children’s stories because he thinks it would be fun to work with an illustrator and write fun stories to diversify the things he publishes. Although he does well with chapter books, Ellerbeck said other authors also write different kinds of books on the side for kids and teens if that’s not their main audience.

“I think the biggest thing is just diversifying who I am as an author and who I’m writing to, because there are a lot of different kinds of readers out there of different age groups. And I just find it interesting and inspiring how authors can cater to those different age groups by writing such different things for different people,” Ellerbeck said.

One of Ellerbeck’s goals for his children’s books is to encourage young readers to continue reading and writing, but to also face things that make them uncomfortable.

“That book will talk about overcoming fears, but also…you’re not doing it alone when you’re overcoming fears. You have people by your side, people who want to be by your side, and you can’t expect yourself to get any better without those pushes of encouragement from other people,” Ellerbeck said.

All of Ellerbeck’s books are available on Amazon, including “Streetlights.” The sequel to “Streetlights” is tentatively planned to be published in September.

Bennett Clary | The Volante

Outside of a Dog Books & Games hosted Ellerbeck’s third book signing for “Streetlights,” which was released in August. Ellerbeck has written three books and is currently working on his fourth.

Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu