THE VOLANTE APRIL 2, 2014
TIMEFLIES TAKES OVER DAKOTADOME Read the full story on Page B4
REBECCA KROEGER I THE VOLANTE
THE STUDENTS' VOICE SINCE 1887 | MORE THAN 800 LIKES ON FACEBOOK.COM/VOLANTEONLINE | MORE THAN 1.3K FOLLOW @THEVOLANTE ON TWITTER | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TOMORROW,
Ex-inmate speaks on death sentence Megan Card
Course requirement changes in the works
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
July 19, 1996. This day would lead to a 6-by-9 foot prison cell, convictions of first degree murder and rape and a sentence of death for a then 22-yearold Damon Thibodeaux. B u t Tuesday, Thibodeaux sat a free man in a blue "Witness THIBODEAUX to Innocence" T-shirt on the Farber Hall stage. He was exonerated and released from prison Sept. 28, 2012 — more than 15 years after his initial trial. "You can't have a death sentence and 15 years of your life taken away and not be angry," he said. "But I've redirected it at as a driving force to put my life back SEE FORUM, PAGE A6
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Senior Jeff Mettler, a Spanish tutor, helps first year students Shelby Loffelmacher and Brianna Haugen at a peer learning session April 1 in Slagle Hall.
Josie Flatgard
Josie.Flatgard@coyotes.usd.edu
Changes for the 2014 Academic Catalog were approved by the curriculum instruction committee of the College of
Arts and Sciences after several discussion meetings over the past four years. Requirements for math, humanities and social sci-
ences for all students in Arts and Sciences and the language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts were proposed to be changed.
The committee that produced the proposal consisted of Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Arts and Sciences Emily Haddad along with six other faculty members. She said discussion about curricular issues, academics, what a liberal arts education should look like and what it looks like around the country led up to the consideration of the proposal in efforts to keep students in Vermillion. "We’re quite concerned about the fact that USD’s retention and graduation rates are not as good as they could be given the kinds of students we recruit and the quality of our faculty," Haddad said. Changes made to the catalog must still be approved by the Board of Regents. The proposal for changes was voted SEE CATALOG, PAGE A8
Wacipi draws crowds from across US Malachi Petersen
Malachi.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu
The University of South Dakota Tiospaye Student Council presented its 42nd Wacipi March 28, despite the difficulty of raising enough funds to host the $28,000 event. Jordan Catlett, Tiospaye president, said planning for the 2014 Wacipi started early in 2013, and that getting enough funds to put on the two-day event was among the biggest roadblocks in the planning process. "The price of Wacipi goes up every year," Catlett said. "We get some funding from the Student Government Association — they give us quite a bit, but not as much as they used to." SGA allocated $11,000 to Tiospaye in April 2013 from the General Activity Fund, but Tiospaye also received an additional $1,000 from SGA March 4 as part of a special appropriation to ensure "their event goes off without a hitch," said then senator Tyler
ONLINE ONLY Video of the 42nd annual Wacipi.
Photo gallery of the various events held during the Wacipi.
volante online. com Tordsen during the March 4 meeting. Because of fundraising shortfalls, Catlett said gathering the remaining funds elsewhere was a challenge. "That was kind of difficult for us to overcome and find other money sources," Catlett said. Aside from SGA, Tiospaye received funding from private donations, casinos and local tribes who helped sponsor Wacipi. Native American tribes from across the country came to the DakotaDome for the
Programs combat neglect Cristina Drey
Christina.Drey@coyotes.usd.edu
Most late-night ice cream runs made by University of South Dakota students don’t end with a coloring session at the Vermillion Police Department with three young children. Junior Kate Turner, who is also The Volante's advertising manager, had a “relatively strange” evening last October with a friend, who asked not to be identified. Shortly after midnight, Turner and her friend saw three girls walking alone, one without any shoes on, by the Lee Medical Building on the first cold night of the semester, Turner said. “We pulled around into the parking lot, I got out and walked over and they were all three crying,” Turner said. After Turner approached the girls, she bent down to hug the girl, a toddler, who wasn’t wearing shoes and was wrapped up in a blanket. “She was literally only in her underwear,” Turner said. “No shoes, no clothes — only underwear, wrapped in a blanket.” Turner gave her sweatshirt to the little girl. She said the other two children had on mismatching shoes with no coats and were wearing pajamas. Turner believed them to be early elementary age. “I asked them what they were doing and they were all crying, so we put them in the back of the car because it was warmer in there,” Turner said. “We drove around until they could calm down and tell us where they lived, but when we went back there were no lights on in the house.” Turner took the children to VPD after the children told the students they were walking to their mother's boyfriend’s house across town. “(We) stayed there with
SEE NEGLECT, PAGE A6
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MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Participants in the 42nd Wacipi dance in traditional regalia March 29 in the DakotaDome.
SEE WACIPI, PAGE A8
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CAMPUS & CITYDigest SD ranks low for Native American child well-being David Crarry Associated Press
A new report on child well-being, measured by state and race, has turned an unflattering spotlight on some places not used to being at the bottom of such lists, including Wisconsin, with a worst-in-the-nation ranking for its black children, and South Dakota, with abysmal results for its Native American youth. The report, released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, detailed nationwide racial disparities that put Asian and white children in a far more advantageous position than black, Latino and American Indian children. For some advocates for children, the state-specific results were stinging. The essence of the Casey report is a newly devised index based on 12 indicators measuring a child's
success from birth to adulthood. The indicators include reading and math proficiency, high school graduation data, teen birthrates, employment prospects, family income and education levels, and neighborhood poverty levels. Nationally, Asian children had the highest composite score at 776, followed by white children at 704. Then there was a sharp drop-off: the scores were 404 for Latino children, 387 for Native-American children and 345 for black children. In the Casey index for Native American children, the South Dakota score of 185 was the lowest of any racial group in any state — a result of the deep poverty that prevails on many of South Dakota's Indian reservations. Sherry Salway Black, a
tribal governance expert with the National Congress of American Indians, described the South Dakota score as "horrendous," but said she was impressed by initiatives on some of the reservations that could help children and families. In particular, she praised native-run community development financial institutions for seeking to improve youth employment and provide young people with financial literacy education. "It's a beacon of hope," she said. The Casey report cited several other initiatives around the United States that appeared to hold promise for improving the prospects of disadvantaged children. Among them: —An innovative school funding system in California, the Local Control Funding Formula, which enables
school districts to receive extra money based on such factors as child poverty and the number of children in the foster care system. —The Family and Child Education Program launched by Parents as Teachers, a St. Louis-based advocacy and outreach group, to improve reading and math proficiency among Native American children. Casey said the program is now offered in 45 Bureau of Indian Education Schools. —Volunteers of America's Look Up and Hope initiative, launched in 2009 to help support children with a mother in prison. It provides incarcerated mothers, their children and their children's caregivers with up to five years of comprehensive services, including home visits and individualized support from a case manager.
Corrections An earlier version of the March 26 story about Heikes Family Farm misreported the amount of food in a share. A share of food is five pounds, not two pounds. In an earlier version of the March 26 story about the Boss Miller and Dweezy James music video, Miller was incorrectly referred to as Ross Pennock instead of Ross Miller. An earlier version of the March 26 story about texting and driving bans misreported some technical information. Vermillion enacted a texting and driving ban in May 2013 and it is classified as a primary offense. To submit a correction, please email Emily.K.Niebrugge@usd. edu.
This week in Coyote History 1966
Vermillion police blotter >> March 26 - April 1
For more information about the crimes featured below or for an interactive map with all of their locations, go to
3
personal dispute
2
suspicious activity
March 27 Police arrested a man for simple assault on Center Street in the early morning of March 27. Reports said the accused knocked another man unconscious outside of bar. When officers responded to the call they stopped two men from fleeing and witnesses identified one of the men as the suspect.
2
property damage
1
March 28 An officer charged a driver with possession of revoked or altered license after the driver was pulled over for expired registration along East Clark Street Friday night. At the time, the driver was suspended and cited, but upon further investigation it was determined the driver had taken the license plate off another car and placed it on their own.
assault
1
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volanteonline com
public disorder
An underage person was charged with open container and underage consumption while walking along North Pine Street Friday night with an openly exposed Bud Light. March 29 Officers issued 45 underage consumption citations after police obtained a warrant to search a residence along Adams Street after receiving a
1
burglary
noise complaint and finding a large party at the residence. The renters were also cited for noise prohibition and disorderly house. Police arrested a man for ingestion and possession of paraphernalia just after midnight. An officer pulled over the man for having a brake light out, but noticed a strong marijuana smell.
Student Association, which was the equivalent of today's SGA, election voting participation increased from an estimated 33 percent 1965 to over 55 percent of the student body. The Volante did a poll the week before which showed 80 percent of those asked would vote, but not all made it to the booths. An error in the poll was seen in the number of people who crossed party lines. On the ballot, marking two squares in the same column which were separated by a horizontal line meant a person was voting for a president and Senate of opposing parties.
1997 A law librarian removed a photo a law student had in his carrel — it was of a nude woman whom he had friended in Brazil. The student said he had other photos of women hanging up but said they were not meant to harass anyone. The photo was returned to the owner since it was personal property, along with an attached note explaining the removal.
The Volante Volume 138, Number 22 April 2, 2014 The Volante Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 how to reach us Editor-in-chief 677-5494 Advertising manager 677-4253 Business manager 677-5493 News 677-6894 Opinion 677-6891 Verve / A&E 677-6890 Sports 677-5511 FAX 677-5105 Adviser Chuck Baldwin 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.
student Staff Emily Niebrugge editor-in-chief Austin Ashlock managing editor Kate Turner advertising manager Megan Card online content editor Michael Geheren online design editor Trent Opstedahl news editor Josie Flatgard asst. news editor Braley Dodson verve editor
Kristen Madsen verve designer Kayla Prasek sports editor Payton Randle sports designer Kelsey Kroger asst. sports editor Katie McGuire opinion editor Cristina Drey opinion designer Sam Sharpe asst. opinion editor Malachi Petersen photo editor
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NEWSBriefly STANDING YOUR GROUND
What's trending on our website? volanteonline.com 1. PHOTO GALLERY: STX Training 2. 'I just want to show you a good time:' USD alumna recounts sexual assault 16 years ago in Vermillion 3. Local musical duo produces music video 4. PHOTO GALLERY: USD vs. Stanford 5. VIDEO: Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach message to USD
STATE Vermillion United Way applications now open
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Juniors Erica Kuharski, Seryna Adams and Charlie Pap stage a sit-in on the "green" in front of the Muenster University Center March 31. The group wants the university to construct a student area outside of the MUC instead of only planting grass.
CAMPUS School of Medicine ranks No. 16 in report A report listed the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota No. 16 in the rankings of 2014 Best Medical Schools in Family Medicine. U.S. News and World Report came to the ranking after a look at two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. Medical school deans and faculty were polled by the publication to help determine rankings of the top programs in the nation. The report comes out annually to rank professional-school
programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. The University of Washington came in at No. 1. for family medicine training. Rankings for the report were part of the U.S. News Media Group 2015 "Best Graduate Schools. “Best Graduate Schools 2015” will publish highlights of the rankings, which will go on sale April 8.
Mock Trial team heads to national competition The University of South Dakota Mock Trial Team qualified for the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) national championships April 11-13 in Orlando, Fla. The mock trial team consists of Madeline
Breukelman, Austin Filips, Hannah Fullenkamp, Breanna Helland, Frederick, Dereck Hurt, Seth Lopour, Sam Sheffield, Katelyn Steffel, Nathaniel Steinlicht, and Jacquelyn Wilson. At the competition, USD will be among the top 48 teams in the country. Along with the advancement to nationals, the mock trial team has been honored with other awards. It received the Spirit of AMTA Award, given to the team who demonstrated the highest of collegiality, civility and professionalism and is awarded based on rankings. USD received 29 out of the 30 ranks possible. Sophomore Jacquelyn Wilson received Outstanding Attorney Award. Associate professor of political science Sandy McKeown is the coach of the mock trial team.
United Way funding applications for the year 2015 are now available. The Vermillion United Way applications will be accepted through April 30 on its website unitedwayofvermillion.org. Funding would be awarded in Clay County to non-profit human service programs working in education, health and income stability areas. A total of more than $128,000 was raised for 20 community programs for the 2014 campaign. Any questions about Vermillion United Way can be directed to Kelsey Collier-Wise, executive director of United Way of Vermillion, at director@ unitedwayofvermillion.org or 605-624-5354.
Dance marathons set to raise $1 million in April More than $1 million is set to be raised for the Children’s Miracle Network — a milestone for the state. Dance marathons held at South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota and Augustana College are set to raise more money if their goals are reached. USD has raised nearly $475,000 since 1994, SDSU has contributed nearly $342,000 since 2002 and Augustana has
raised nearly $40,000 since 2005. The money raised by the event, started in South Dakota by USD students in 1998, is put in endowments for Children’s Miracle Network at Sanford Children’s Hospital. Rooms at the Children’s Hospital are sponsored by the marathons and all of the money stays local. Life-saving pieces of equipment have been purchased with the money raised, and programs and services have been able to be enhanced with the help. Dakotathon, USD’s event, lasts 24 hours and will rotate to different locations which include the DakotaDome, the Muenster University Center and Vermillion High School. A glow-in-the-dark dance brought on by Sioux Glow 5K will be one of the activities of the day. SDSU’s State-A-Thon was held March 29 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., USD’s Dakotathon starts 9 a.m. April 5 and continues until April 6 at 9 a.m. and Augustana’s Dance Marathon is April 26 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
NATION Campus moves to ban recordings in classes After a video of a guest lecturer criticizing Republicans in a classroom
was obtained, the Faculty Senate of the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater is taking action to stop it from happening again. The Faculty Senate is hoping to bar students from recording and disseminating footages such as the video following the controversy. The policy would be a resolution to the existing university policy which prohibits students from recording classroom antics. In the new policy, language would be incorporated which would make sure recordings from cell phones would be in violation of the policy in place. Campus chancellor Richard J. Telfer has not signed the videotaping policy, but statements issued by him and a spokeswoman suggested he would approve it once the policy landed on his desk. "Faculty on this campus have the right to establish the policies for their individual classrooms," Telfer said in a written statement. The guest lecturer, Eyon Biddle, was former Milwaukee County, Wisc. supervisor. He made several controversial statements through the duration of the general education class. Once the first-year and political science student recorded the video of the lecture, he sent it to multiple social media outlets and Campus Reform was the first site to make it public.
{ { R U O Y AD E R E H Contact
Kate Turner
Advertising Manager Katherine.Turner@coyotes.usd.edu
HELP WANTED Riverfront Event Center Bartenders, Waiters, Cooks and Prep Cooks needed. Excellent pay and year end bonuses! Contact: riverfrontcenter@gmail.com 605.661.2509 121 W. 3rd Yankton, SD
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VOLANTE EDITORIAL
Shorter evaluations crucial to accuracy
The Volante asked students if they have ever seen or done a good April Fools’ prank. “Not yet, but I think mixing M&Ms and Skittles together and putting them outside my dorm would be funny.”
Kyle Amundson First-year
“In high school some friends and I got industrial saran wrap and saran-wrapped a friend’s car.”
Jordan Hins Sophomore
“One of my friends in high school put out a Facebook status that she was pregnant.”
Ashley Putzier Senior
“It would be funny to sit your little siblings down and tell them they are adopted. We used to do that to my little brother.”
Molly Schulte Senior
THE VOLANTE THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
EDITORIAL BOARD Emily Niebrugge, Editor-in-Chief
Kayla Prasek Sports Content Editor
Austin Ashlock, Managing Editor
Megan Card, Online Content Editor
Katie McGuire, Opinion Content Editor
Braley Dodson, Verve Content Editor
Sam Sharpe, Asst. Opinion Editor
CONTACT US The Volante welcomes letters to the editor in regards to campus, local, state and national issues. Letters will be edited for clarity and length and will be printed as space allows. Please limit letters to 300 words or fewer. The Volante reserves the right to hold letters for publication in a later issue. Submissions must include the author’s name, address, telephone number, year in school and major or job title. Letters must be exclusively for The Volante. We will not publish anonymous letters. Send letters to: Letters, The Volante Al Neuharth Media Center 555 Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069 Fax to: 605.677.5105 E-mail to: Volante@coyotes.usd.edu Via our Web site: VolanteOnline.com The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.
REBECCA KROEGER/ THE VOLANTE It’s the last week of scheduled classes, students file in and the professor systematically hands out the sheet with listed questions followed by a Scantron. The box of No. 2 pencil sits alone on a table in the front of the room. The professor exits the room, leaving the students to fill out the 47 question evaluation form. There are two types of students in the room. The first take their time and fill out the form honestly, giving grades ranging from 1-5 based on the professor’s ability to meet university standards and class’ ability to fulfill curriculum. The other half are flying through the forms, filling in bubbles at random, or giving all 1’s or 5’s. This misuse of professor evaluations not only damages the purpose they originally were designed to do, but they take the power out of the students’ hands. So, when the possibility of shortening the professor
THE RANT
evaluation arises amongst faculty at the University of South Dakota, that opportunity needs to be jumped on. By shortening the professor evaluations, the assumption could be made that shorter evaluations would result in a more shallow, less thorough analysis of the professor’s performance. However, the question then needs to be asked, if the long form evaluations are already being shoved off by an decent percentage of students, the results are already being skewed. While there is no way to determine what percentage of USD students fill out their professor evaluations honestly, it’s safe to say not all 10,000 undergraduates fill out all 40 plus questions accurately. This could be for several reasons, each of them solvable by losing the long format evaluations for the shorter format. Some students don’t see the value in filling out professor evaluations, not aware of what
the information is utilized for. The long format can also cause fatigue, the 40 plus questions get tiring and some begin to lose focus. The shorter format would not only help solve these problems, but it would save valuable class time. Taking 15-20 minutes out of class can be excessive, time that becomes more valuable later in the semester. Cutting the survey down to 18 questions would free up some of that lost class time. The other side of the argument vouches the shorter format will not allow administrators to properly analyze professor performance, but what is the use of a 40 questions form that does not paint the right picture? As the USD faculty senate makes its final decision on whether or not to amend evaluation format, they will be looking to these points and what is best for students, professors and the entire university is to make the change necessary.
been out of CAB’s control.
all of my professors col-
I didn’t exactly love the fact
laborate together and make
that the concert took place
everything due on either
on a Monday night.
Monday or Tuesday, leaving
Let me start out saying First of all, no one likes
the rest of the week pretty
how I really enjoyed CAB’s Mondays. They are the
empty.
choice for this year’s spring absolute worst days of the
Now, I realize this date
concert. Timeflies is an week. Trying to find motiva-
may have been one of the
tion to even get to classes
only times the band had
on time is sometimes an
open, but I know for sure
absolute struggle.
the concert would have
extremely talented group, and I’m sure I’m not the only student complementing the organization on all Additionally, my sched-
been so much better had it
of its hard work this year. ule is completely terrible at
been at the end of the week.
I merely had one small the beginning of the week.
Respectfully,
It always turns out that
Cristina Drey
Searching for the original fool; The origins of April Fools’ Day HANNAH NAGY is a sophomore majoring in English.
April Fools’ Day is one day out of the year when everyone has an excuse to play numerous pranks on their friends as long as the simple phrase, “April Fools” is uttered. However, most don’t realize that unveiling the root of this great holiday has been just as tricky as the day itself. The theories surrounding the origin of the holiday are numerous. Among the most popular is the “French Calendar Reform,” according to Hillary Marek, author of “Why is this a Holiday?” In 1564, French citizens who refused to reform to a calendar change which moved the New Year had jokes played on them. While that specific change took place over 500 years ago, there are other theories that revolve around different calendar changes, including Britain’s or the Julian Calendar, but these explanations seem to have more holes than the French Calendar theory. Another possible explanation dates back to Roman mythology. According to Marek, a celebration for the goddess of the harvest took place around April 1, the story behind it being Ceres’ fruitless search for her daughter, which was equivalent to a fool’s errand. I also discovered the “first” reference to April Fools’ Day dates back to 1392 in Geoffrey Chaucer’s revolutionary “The Canterbury Tales”. Within the twisted turns of the story, the adventure of “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” possibly reveals a secret knowing of April Fools’ Day. While the ever so “valiant” rooster, Chanteclere, outsmarts his natural enemy, the fox, Chaucer provides a line that questions the origins of April Fools’ Day: “When that the monthe in which the world bigan. That highte March, whan God first maked man, Was complet, and passed were also. Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two”. In case you don’t quite understand Middle English, Chaucer talks about the end of March being 32 days later than its beginning, which would place the date at April 1. It is ironic that a tale of tricks would mention April 1, but most scholars do not believe it is a reference to April Fools’ Day (joke’s on me, I read that Middle English for naught). I’m going to keep my fantasy that it is a reference to April Fools’ Day for the sake of my sanity. You, dear reader, are free to make your own decision. April Fools’ Day is the best day of the year. It’s a day to forget about the seriousness of school or life in general and get away with any pranks you have dreamt of enacting — maybe a little fun revenge on a friend — with a legitimate excuse! I take full advantage of pulling pranks. For example, I’ve frozen a friend’s clothes and thrown a pan of whip cream at another. The day of tricks is upon us; take advantage of the opportunity presented. Run through the hallways as a superhero, make the sink spray when someone turns it on, but remember, be funny, not mean, and afterward be prepared to help clean up the mess.
problem with the concert, though, and it may have
Follow Hannah Nagy on Twitter @aqua_nagy
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USD basketball player Kelly Stewart reflects on NCAA tournament
Now that the women’s basketball season has come to a close for USD, I’ve had some time to relax and really reflect on the year. Like any season, the memories made throughout the year will last a lifetime. However, this season was extra special. Of course, most people will remember our tournament run, the Summit League Championship and playing Stanford in the first-round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. They’ll flash to our pictures of us storming the court, the trophy ceremony and the trip to Ames, Iowa. That’s what I remember right away when I think about the season it’s fun to remember the good times. However, the road to get to those good times was a little bumpy. Adversity is always a part of the game. Bumps and bruises are natural in basketball, but losing Heidi Hoff to an ACL injury and having Nicole Seekamp out with a serious ankle injury going into conference were some major blows. Not coincidentally, we started off conference play 0-4. Though some of those first losses were in the single digits, two of the games had differences of 18 and 21 points. After our exciting championship game the prior year, this was not the “expected” start to conference play for the team. The fact was driven home early that the Summit League was not a conference where teams could have an off game and come out with a win. Every game is a battle in this league. So there we were, with four losses and zero wins. It was the perfect opportunity to crumble, point fingers and throw in the towel. Our team was tougher than that. We confided in each other and knew our potential. Most of all, we wanted to battle for each other…so we did. Our first win was over Omaha at home. From there, we kept building. We came to practice with the idea that every day was an opportunity to get better. Coach Williams and the staff emphasized that if we didn’t take a step forward as a team every day, another team would step ahead of us. We bought into that. With that mindset, we stormed through the rest of conference. We still had three losses after our first conference win, including two to South Dakota State, but we kept battling. Finally the Summit League Tournament was upon us. We
file photo I the volante
Junior guard Kelly Stewart drives to the hoop March 21 during the first round game of the NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament vs. Stanford in Ames, Iowa.
entered the tournament with a fourth seed and drew Western Illinois in the first-round. Our games with Western prior to the tournament could be described in one word—grind. They stole one from us at home, and we stole one from them at home. And, as expected, the tournament game was a grind as well. They were up almost 20 points on us at one point in the game, but we stuck together, battled, and thanks to a last-second three-pointer by Raeshel Contreras, we got the win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a “W”, and we were moving on. Unlike the year before, our win from the fourth seed spot drew us a match-up with South Dakota State in the second round of the tournament. We stuck to our game plan, battled and came out with a win in that game as well. It was no small task. On the third day of the tournament, we were set to play Denver in the championship game with a trip to the Big Dance on the line. They were the sixth seed, upsetting No. 3 IPFW and No. 2 IUPUI on their journey to the ‘ship. Needless to say, they were playing their best basketball at
the right time. Like all tournament games, the championship was a battle. Thankfully, we had wonderful fans to fuel our energy throughout the game. The buzzer sounded, we stormed the court and it was real. We had won the Summit, and we were going dancing. After an exciting selection Monday party, we found out we would be playing No. 2 Stanford in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Thankfully it was close to home Ames. A few practices later, we were on the bus to Iowa. Though the result of the game was less than ideal, our team continued to battle. We were not only inspired by our coaching staff and fans, but we wanted to play hard for our lone senior Polly Harrington. She was a huge key to our team, on and off the court, and though losing is never fun, going to the NCAA tournament was a nice send-off for her. This season was quite the ride, but now that we have a taste of the Big Dance, we want more. With that said, I’m looking forward to a fantastic off-season with my fellow ‘Yotes.
Music plays a big role in student life chris moser is a senior majoring in contemporary media and journalism.
What is one thing in the world that we can all agree we like some form of? Some would answer ice cream. However, lactose intolerants and myself would disagree and tell you that it is music. Everyone who can hear music can learn to appreciate some genre or at least have liked one song in his/her lifetime. I personally would consider myself a music junkie always looking for new eargasms to fill the air waves around me. With that being said, it would also be obvious to admit that I try to keep up to date with music through the media. Rolling Stone, Spin and Pitchfork magazine are essential reads in my own library. They give me a general idea of what new albums I should give a spin or a look into my favorite artists lives and careers. So at age 23, I realized I should finally try and go to college and do something I love, which is music. Unfortunately I’m terrible at playing music, but I haven’t practiced much. In fact, I have never owned an instrument, but I can talk about music and how much I love it so I decided to pursue a career in radio and music journalism. I put time into 91.1 KAOR and was even the music director for two years. This year I thought I would get into writing about music and try doing album reviews to get some experience and hopefully feed back as well as maybe even building a fanbase or at least meet people who share similar music tastes. Unfortunately, The Volante, yes, the same paper you are currently holding in your hands has decided to take away album reviews from art section “Verve”. Instead, it will only feature columns, which trust me, is also essential. They do cover local art events which is crucial part of media, especially for music. It will give people the chance to get interviewing skills and also helps broaden ones horizon of all the talent in the world and will also help you meet new people and potentially make future connections that could help in a future career. Beside open-mic nights, strollers, the occasional play and getting terrible artists like Jerrod Niemann to per-
form here, there really aren’t many options to write about. Viewing The Volante website and going under the Verve tab>Reviews, you will see 3-4 reviews two of which are movie reviews and one is a review of how the Grammy had too many performances. The two movie films didn’t even have a rating system? Once again, I think the Volante could easily crank out a large some of reviews on a weekly bases. There is always new material being produced, and really, 200-300 word reviews with a rating would easily suffice for most media. Re-opening the option for the staff to express their views in a media outlet they love could give possibilities for not only the staff of The Volante but its readers to branch out and discover new ideas. Art is a opinionated media, but the option to express those opinions, good or bad, allows staff to gain experience in writing about things that do not resonate with in their tastes. It’s easy to communicate a judgment, but it is hard to do it without bias. College is so much more than getting an education in a particular field, but to be able to explore other passions that burn deep down inside all of us. For some it is playing sports, or volunteering to improve the college or town community or in my case, writing reviews for the never-ending sea of music. According to the article “Employment After College” which was posted on Scholarships.com, “Building a resume in college is even easier when you have a good idea of what you want to be doing after college. If you know you won’t be changing your mind any time soon on your intended filed of study. Befriend your college career counselors and other faculty and staff who may have tips to share on internships and volunteer experiences to apply for what would be a good fit for you and your future career. No matter what, experience is the most crucial for anyone pursuing a career in almost any field. I know I am not the only person at this school who wants to get into the music journalism business but are being denied a key element. Sure, people who want to write that kind of medium could easily start a blog, heck even a podcast or just do a radio show here at the college radio station, but people who try and start off as a music journalist aspire to be part of a large staff that come together to bring their audience the cream of the crop. Reach columnist Chris Moser at Christopher.Moser@coyotes.usd.edu
Nationwide standard testing presents more problems than solutions dee rife is a sophomore majoring in criminal justice and psychology.
As university students, the taking of standardized tests is nothing new to us. In order to graduate from high school, we needed to take exams to measure our proficiency. As potential college students, we needed to take an exam to determine if we were viable candidates for acceptance into various institutions. We cursed the weeks of studying during these periods of preparation, but it is no longer just students who suffer. Now teachers are beginning
to struggle with standardized tests and the time they sacrifice to prepare for them. As a simple example, a 20 year teaching veteran in Massachusetts has resigned from her position in a Cambridge Public School after she felt she could no longer continue to teach under the school’s emphasis for standardized testing. In the Today.com article “Teacher quits over emphasis on standardized tests: ‘It takes the joy out of learning,’” Susan Sluyter, the teacher in question, stated the joy she had experienced in teaching had been taken away as she was forced to sacrifice precious learning time to prepare students for exams. “I have seen my career transformed into a job that no longer fits my understanding of how children learn and what a teacher ought to do in the classroom to build a healthy, safe, developmentally appropri-
ate environment for learning,” Sluyter said. Sluyter is concerned students are not receiving the appropriate attention they need to succeed. Instead of giving each student the help they require, they are directed toward prepackaged learning which oftentimes does not account for their academic needs. In the year 2002, former president George W. Bush signed into law the “No Child Left Behind” act, which changed teaching methods nationwide. While at first seen as a positive, students and teachers alike have come to realize how teaching to the test can harm students by placing exam scores over actual learning. As a young adult, I can remember taking standardized exams frequently. I had three testing periods in both middle school and high school. I took the ACT exam to be admitted
into the University of South Dakota and recently, I had to take the CAAP exam to prove I had learned what the university believed I should have learned so far. Standardized testing often took up to a month of learning time from my classwork. Time that could have been spent learning viable concepts was dedicated toward exercises from expensive premade handbooks. I am certain my experience is not unique. Most, if not all, of the students at USD have experienced what I have experienced. Not only was time wasted toward preparing for these exams, but unnecessary stress and anxiety was also involved. For some of these exams, failing could mean losing your scholarship, your admission into a university or your ability to move on to the next semester. As college students, the added
stress is not something we need. I have never been a proponent of standardized testing. While I do not have the answers to the problem of education and the struggles American students face, I can, with some confidence, state that standardized testing is not the solution. We place too much emphasis on exam scores and not enough on a healthy learning environment. We waste classroom time preparing for them, and, in truth, they do not measure the extent or the quality of our learning. Standardized tests have affected every student in America, but not in a way which promotes success. We need to rethink our educational standards, and we need to do it soon. Reach columnist Dee Rife at Dee.Rife@coyotes.usd.edu
overheard Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.
“My butt is a great bone detector. Wait, that came out very wrong.” — I.D. Weeks Library
“The pizza sounds done.” — Adams Street
“Why can’t we just have one, year-round temperature?” — Plum Street
“Uncle Kracker — that’s the concert USD needs.” — Old Main
“Are you OK?” “Yeah, I just ran into the oven.” — Madison Street
“I think we deserved at least a month of spring break.” — Main Street
“Is that western South Dakota, or is that just you?” — Lincoln Street
Please Do & Please Don’t DO: Visit the Festival of Nations April 6 in the Muenster University Center. DON’T: Just go for the food (although it will be delicious). DO: Attend the Career and Internship Fair April 3. DON’T: Put off internships until it’s too late. They fill up faster than you would think. DO: Start thinking about finals. They’re only six weeks away. DON’T: Freak out too much. You’ll study better unstressed. DO: Donate to the Children’s Miracle Network in Sioux Falls for this year’s Dakotathon. DON’T: Pass up a chance to help out. Their fundraising minimum is $117, so every bit counts. DO: Drop any classes that you need to by April 7, the last day to drop classes with a “W.” DON’T: Drop any classes too hastily. There’s always time to improve your grade. DO: Pull on your shorts and T-shirts; spring is finally, officially here. DON’T: Pack up any of your winter clothes just yet. There’s probably one or two big cold snaps left. DO: Make an appointment with your advisor to set up next semester’s classes. DON’T: Be afraid to try out a cool new elective. You might just find yourself a new major.
SUBMIT OVERHEARDS AND IN-THE-KNOWS AND IN-THE-DARKS ON TWITTER @VolanteOpinion
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Magician, hypnotist meets USD students Rebecca Kroeger and Emily Niebrugge
Rebecca.Kroeger@coyotes.usd.edu Emily.K.Niebrugge@coyotes.usd.edu
Rebecca kroegerI the volante
Hypnotist Chris Jones (left) performs a magic trick with University of South Dakota sophomore Taron McFarland (right) in the Muenster University Center April 1.
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them, and we just colored,” Turner said. “We just sat in this little room, and the one little girl in my sweatshirt sat on my lap and we drew. It was about two in the morning by the time everything was resolved.” Neglect in Vermillion Jim Kallsen is the family services supervisor for Vermillion's Department of Social Services (DSS) office. The office includes Child Protection Services and covers Clay, Union and the southern portion of Lincoln County. Kallsen said the number of referrals, or reports, Vermillion's DSS office receives fluctuates and changes from year to year. "I would say that in a year we average right around 400 reports, just the Vermillion office," Kallsen said. On a statewide level, Kallsen put South Dakota at only two to three percent concerning national statistics. While neglect may be difficult to label, Kallsen said it is the most conspicuous out of the four maltreatments — neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment. "When you look at statistics, not only just statewide, but also nationwide, neglect is the most prominent," Kallsen said. VPD Lt. Crystal Brady said neglect is situational and has to be taken in a case-by-case manner. In order for a child to be classified as neglected, Brady said the caretaker is not providing basic needs such as food, clothes and shelter. To remove the child from the home, the police and DSS must prove the child is in imminent danger, Brady said. “If you’re living in a house that has exposed wires or we find a trailer that has holes in the floor or something where the child is in imminent danger that they could be injured if we left them in that place, then we would take them,” Brady said. “We have also gone to homes where they are absolutely filthy. That wasn’t enough for us to take them, but it was enough for Social Services to stay involved with the family and keep checking in with them week after week to make a plan to fix what was going on.” In general, the cases Brady said VPD and DSS receive come from a person contacting either departments and filing a report. After a report is filed, an officer will visit the house with a DSS worker to assess the situation and see
if the child or children are in imminent danger, Brady said. “If that happens, an officer can contact a judge and remove that child from the home,” Brady said. “Then the judge can grant custody of that child to the state and then we have to have a hearing within 48 hours where the parents get to come in, and then law enforcement and Social Services get to come in and testify.” From that point, Brady said the judge will determine whether to keep the child in the custody of the state or return them to the parents. If a child stays in state custody, they will either stay with a close family member or be placed in a foster home, and Brady said the DSS takes over from there. “They obviously work toward reuniting the child with the family, whether that’s having the family go through parenting classes or finding a new place to live or showing that they can correct the issues there were to get the child back,” Brady said. Brady said court dates will follow up after a certain amount of time to determine whether the parents are following through with what the DSS is requiring of them. “If they are, at some point they will get the child back,” Brady said. “If they’re not, it might go to the point of termination. Once the rights are terminated, that means that DSS has exhausted all avenues of trying to reunite the family and it just wasn’t working.” Over time, Kallsen noticed a deviation from the focus on criminal aspects to targeting the child and the situation. "The biggest shift that I've seen since I've worked in Child Protection Services is really more of that focus on safety, not necessarily what the parent did, but is this safe for that child to be in that home," Kallsen said. In Vermillion, Brady listed several opportunities for families to receive help if needed, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), housing, food stamps and medical assistance. Kallsen agreed, and said having a good relationship with USD was beneficial in involving professors and students at USD. "I think that Vermillion has a very good network of services for the community this size," Kallsen said. "We're fortunate to have the university here because there's a lot of services that are available in Vermillion for this community that I don't think that are necessarily available in all communities this size." Clay County has a Child Protection Team (CPT) which is made up of professionals
Chris Jones began performing magic tricks when he was in the third grade “I used magic as a way to make friends,” Jones, the magician who performed Monday night at Aalfs Auditorium said. Originally, Jones went to school for recreational therapy, but now performs at colleges across the country. “It’s probably the best thing for me right now,” he said. “Eventually I want to have a dog, a wife and adopt two kids, but for now — 25 and single — this is fantastic.” Jones spent the evening interacting with students in the Muenster University Center, performing magic tricks. Sophomore Jarod Debey said he wanted Jones to come over to his table. “We saw him going around, and I thought I could follow what he was doing, but once he got closer I just couldn’t,” he said. First-year Ana Helena Vujosevic liked the tricks. “He’s an interesting
“College people have a lot more energy. I do corporate shows and cruise ships, and they're too drunk at the comedy clubs and too old on the cruise ships.” -Chris Jones, hypnotist man,” she said. “I thought he was good, even though he was a stranger. His performance was really interesting and funny.” Jones said he enjoys performing on college campuses the most. “College people have a lot more energy,” he said. “I do corporate shows and cruise ships, and they’re too drunk at the comedy clubs and too old on the cruise ships.” Jones has noticed people attend his hypnotist performances for three reasons. “People go to be hypnotized, to watch their friends act a fool or because they don’t believe in it,” he said. “Either way it’s really fun for me.” During his stay at USD Jones said he had the chance to work out at the DakotaDome and meet students.
“I met some football players and some people from different countries on the tennis team,” he said. “People here are really friendly.” Jones will travel to Kansas today.
Follow reporter Emily Niebrugge on Twitter @ENiebrugge
Follow Rebecca Kroeger on Instagram @b3ccaj0
Tweet @thevolante Did you see Chris Jones in the MUC or during his performance in Aalfs Auditorium? What did you think?
ONLINE ONLY Photo Gallery
with photos of Chris Jones interacting with students in the MUC and his performance in Aalfs Auditorium.
National child abuse prevention month In 1983 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the month of April to be National Child Abuse Prevention Month, according to the Children's Bureau website.
Child maltreatment
Every decade the Department of Health and Human Services conducts a National Incidence Study (NIS) assessing child maltreatment in the United States.
What are the standards?
The Endangerment Standard includes "children who were not yet harmed by abuse or neglect if a sentinel thought that the maltreatment endangered the children or if a CPS investigation substantiated or indicated their maltreatment," the Executive Summary of the NIS-4 stated.
What are the numbers?
Between 2005 and 2006, the NIS-4 found nearly three million children, or one out of every 25 children in the United States, experienced maltreatment. Of those three million, 77 percent of children were neglected and 29 percent were abused. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
such as social workers, law enforcement and school staff members, and has monthly meetings. Kallsen said the team sponsors training such as parenting and babysitting classes, raises community awareness and discusses current cases involving children and their families. For the month of April, the DSS works with Vermillion's CPT and other county's chapters, to raise awareness by making buttons, magnets or drawing contests with children. Following up After talking with VPD officers, Turner found out this wasn’t the first time the girls had been found without a parent. “It just really bothered me that there was nothing we could do,” Turner said. “[We] looked into it the next couple of days for what we could do, and there’s honestly nothing we could have done.” Turner and her friend didn't follow up with VPD to see what came of the situation. She doesn't believe the situation should be classified as neglect, but rather a bizarre incident. Since the night they found the girls, Turner said she has seen them around town and each time they come up to her to give her a hug. “We kept the picture they drew us because it was cute,” Turner said. Follow reporter Cristina Drey on Twitter @CristinaDrey
Megan Card I the volante
Damon Thibodeaux (left) and Steve Kaplan (right) speak before a crowded Farber Hall Tuesday about Thibodeaux's exoneration and release from death row in 2012 during a Farber Forum event.
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together." Thibodeaux was joined at the University of South Dakota by Steve Kaplan, a senior of counsel to the Minneapolis law firm Fredrikson & Byron, for the Farber Forum event, "Lessons From Louisiana: The Damon Thibodeaux Story, Capital Punishment and Criminal Justice." Thibodeaux and Kaplan, who led the Texas native's postconviction legal team from 20012012, deconstructed what led to his false confession. They also tackled the pressure capital punishment puts on the legal system during the forum, which was hosted by the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership, Political Science League and Criminal Justice Club. The crime began with Thibodeaux's step-cousin Crystal Champagne, 14, who was found dead along a levee — badly beaten and with a piece of red extension cord around her neck. Thibodeaux had just gotten to town and was among the suspects brought in for questioning about her murder. Thibodeaux cannot talk specifics about his police interrogation because of two lawsuits he filed last September in Louisiana in response to his wrongful conviction. But Kaplan said that after a nine-hour interrogation and 30 hours with no sleep, Thibodeaux confessed to having consensual and non-consensual sex the victim, before beating and murdering her. This confession, Kaplan said, is false. It was inconsistent with numerous crime details, from the color and kind of cord used to strangle the victim to Champagne's body showing no signs of semen or other evidence indi-
cating rape. But he was still convicted by a jury, Thibodeaux said, that was practically falling asleep in their seats. "The (legal) system went off the rails with Damon's case," Kaplan said. Thibodeaux said there was a time in the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola that he doubted whether his innocence would ever be proven and he dropped his appeals. "(Prison) is designed to eat the hope out of you," Thibodeaux said. "(Prison guards) want you to realize the only way out is on that execution table." The 15 years he spent on death row was an "intense mental battle." "You can't lose your emotions. That tends to shut you off, to make you cold," he said. "Sadly, you have to feel all those emotions, but I don't know, you just feel helpless." In 2007, based on evidence of Thibodeaux’s innocence, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office began a joint reinvestigation with the Innocence Project and the rest of Thibodeaux’s legal team. The reinvestigation consisted of DNA and forensic evidence testing of the crime scene and other physical evidence and interviewed numerous fact witnesses — until his conviction was overturned in 2012. Thibodeaux became the 141st innocent death row inmate to be exonerated since the U.S. Congress reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Kaplan pointed to a culture he has witnessed from death penalty states in the deep South that leads to wrongful conviction cases like Thibodeaux's — an area of the country the former death row inmate even referred to as the nation's "death belt." "The question of who lives and dies is not a legal question," Kaplan said. "It is a moral, religious, cultural and many times,
racial question. A jury of 12, with no frame of reference to firstdegree murder, should not be able to make that call." The crowded Farber Hall audience engaged the two speakers with questions, one from a law student who asked Thibodeaux if it was accurate to assume he was against the death penalty, even after meeting men on death row who had performed heinous crimes. "I don't believe we as humans can allow ourselves to kill each other. In regard to the legal system — we get it wrong," Thibodeaux said. Thibodeaux also posed a question to the law students in attendance, asking them if they have any plans to be a prosecutor or defense lawyer. While a few raised their hands for each, his advice to all of them was always to seek for justice, because no matter the outcome, they will never fail. Sophomores Lauren Cass, Alex Eriksen and Kendra Dale all said they were enamored by Thibodeaux's story, and even more so, how he was ever convicted in the first place. "I'm a chemistry major, and I just don't know how he could get sentenced to death with like absolutely no forensic evidence," Cass said. "I had no idea how much politics plays into the courtroom, I feel so secluded from these issues in South Dakota, it's frustrating," Dale said. While each member of the audience had their own thoughts following the forum, Thibodeaux said he hopes the influence he has now on students is to make sure they do not take their lives for granted. "Most of these students are just coming into the world. I hope my story keeps them — keeps them on a moral path," he said.
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Academic probation rates declining Sophie Johnson
Sophie.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu
The number of University of South Dakota students placed on academic probation is on the decline, said Stephen Ward, director of the Academic and Career Planning Center. Ward said a mixture of different programs and changes to university layout are influencing this trend. "Freshmen make up the bulk of students on academic probation because it is a difficult transition coming from high school to college," Ward said. During the fall 2010 semester, 201 first-year students were placed on academic probation. In 2013, the total number fell by 53 students for a total of 148 students. There were 272 USD students on academic probation in the fall 2013 semester. According to the South Dakota Board of Regents policy, all six state universities follow this student GPA requirement. Other restrictions for students on academic probation include restraints on courses the student can enroll in. The student may be required to retake a course. The student may also be required to take a class in career development. Ward said if a student is suspended from the university because they did not meet the 2.0 GPA requirement, the student may go through an appeals process. "(The student) can write a letter of appeal to the dean of their school and explain the problem," Ward said. "The school dean may allow the student permission to return to school." If a student has not declared a major they are put into the College of Arts and Sciences. Ward is a member on the College of Arts and Sciences appeals board. Ward said just because an appeal is made, it does not necessarily mean it will be granted. "Most students are under the impression that they are guaranteed to come back. That is not the
by the numbers:
by the numbers:
201
348
first-years on academic probation
overall academic probation
Estimated number of first-year students placed on academic probation in the fall 2010.
Estimated number of USD students placed on academic probation in the fall 2010.
186
344
Estimated number of first-year students placed on academic probation in the fall 2011.
Estimated number of USD students placed on academic probation in the fall 2011.
169
304
Estimated number of first-year students placed on academic probation in the fall 2012.
Estimated number of USD students placed on academic probation in the fall 2012.
148
272
Estimated number of first-year students placed on academic probation in the fall 2013.
Estimated number of USD students placed on academic probation in the fall 2013.
SOURCE: Stephen Ward
SOURCE: Stephen Ward
WHAT IS ACADEMIC PROBATION?
"If a student's cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.0, they will be placed on 'Academic Probation.' Students who are placed on probation will receive a letter from their Dean."
malachi petersen I the volante
Sophomore Alexander Thompson works on homework in the Muenster University Center March 31. Thompson was placed on academic probation his first year at USD.
SOURCE: www.usd.edu
case," Ward said. Ward estimates about 50 percent of the students who write an appeal letter are actually allowed to return. Ward said first-years are primarily the students on academic probation because of having to adjust to college life. "Your educational culture is flipped upside-down when you come to college," Ward said. Sophomore Alexander Thompson was on academic probation his first-year at USD because he was not prepared for the rigorous coursework. "I thought that college was going to be like high school where you don't have to try hard to get good grades," said Thompson.
Thompson said high school can prepare students for college, but only if they already practice good study skills. "High school adequately prepares you for college only if you have the right attitude and are focused on your studies," Thompson said. In his second year of classes, Thompson is no longer on academic probation. Ward attributes Thompson's and other students' academic success to a variety of program additions and structural improvements. "We have expanded first year experience seminars for freshmen students. The library being connected with the MUC encourages students to stay in
one place," Ward said Other academic programs, like Supplemental Instruction (SI), have also contributed to the decrease of students on academic probation, Ward said. SI is a program that provides extra help to students outside the classroom. Students who have previously taken a course and done well in it may then apply to become a supplemental instructor. The supplemental instructor coordinates with the professor to provide additional aid to students. SI is free but is only held for select classes. SI are for larger classes or classes that have proved to be more challenging for students.
All-day Diversity Symposium hosts workshops for 'Voices of the Silenced'
Junior Tyler Fried was also on academic probation during his first year at USD. Like Thompson, Fried began to utilize SI after failing a few classes. "I thought I could skate by and not do my homework," Fried said. "I fell into old habits and it caught up with me." Fried said being placed on academic probation was a reality check which prompted him to make study changes. "Parental disappointment was a good motivator in getting off of academic probation," Fried said. "I also had a really great adviser get me back on track." Ward also attributes skilled advisers to the fewer number of students on academic probation.
"Advisers and faculty explaining their expectations along with Supplemental Instruction and tutoring has also helped," he said. Ward also attributes Starfish, a new program instituted by the university, to less students being placed on academic probation. The program allows faculty to select options like low scores or low attendance as reason why they are sending an early alert. Starfish replaces midterm deficiency warnings because it allows the professor to give the student more feedback. Although both Fried and Thompson have not heard of Starfish, they said new accommodations made by the university are helping them succeed academically. Thompson attributes his ability to get off academic probation to his support system and utilizing more academic resources. "My family helped me to get off academic probation," Thompson said. "I use SI way more now than my freshman year." Follow reporter Sophie Johnson on Twitter @SOPHAYY23
OUTANDABOUT The Volante asked students if probation is the best way to increase academic performance.
“No, it's caused a lot of issues with my financial aid.” Haile Kline Senior
“Yes, because it can get them motivated.” malachi petersen I the volante
Faculty members, students and community members participate in a fishbowl discussion on diversity issues March 27 in the Muenster University Center Ballroom.
Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
The nursery rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" may still be passed around the schoolyard, but at the third Diversity Symposium March 27, negative portrayals of race, gender and sexuality cannot just be brushed aside. "Well, it's the 21st century, and there is plenty of research showing that words and images can hurt people, both at the individual and at the social level," said Miglena Sternadori, coordinator of the Women and Gender Studies program at the University of South Dakota. Sternadori introduced the day's keynote speaker Andi Zeisler, editor of the magazine, “Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture." She kicked off the symposium's series of workshops and activities in the Muenster University Center with its theme, "We are the Voices of the Silenced." Since 1996, “Bitch” magazine has published critical essays that analyze and provide commentary on TV, film, music, advertising and more. With a readership of 80,000, it is one of
few publications available that mix reported pieces, reviews and interviews surrounding contemporary feminism discourse. In her keynote presentation at the Diversity Symposium, entitled “Don’t Just Change the Channel: Why Pop Culture Matters to Feminism, Activism and Social Justice,” Zeisler addressed how media and pop culture are inescapable. It is a matter of "not hating the media, but making the media" to present women as they are, three dimensional beings, she said. Zeisler is the cofounder of Bitch Media, the author of “Feminism and Pop Culture” and the coeditor of “BitchFest: Ten years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine.” “People think (Bitch Magazine) is about man bashing, and it’s something ugly — but it’s not,” Zeisler. Just “turning the channel” when someone witnesses sexism in pop culture is not the answer, she said. It is the sexualization of girls with dolls like scantily-clad Bratz that need to be talked about. People instead
need to capitalize, because these are the “opportunities to make media and pop culture a better, more diverse world are all around us.” “Feminism’s image problem was something we wanted to up-end (with Bitch magazine),” Zeisler said. The symposium's agenda also consisted of five workshops that ranged from "What Does it Mean to be Transgendered" to "Dangerous Dates and Relationship Deal Breakers." The final event was a "fishbowl" discussion facilitated by Associate Vice President for Diversity Jesús Treviño involving people representing all walks of life "to create greater intergroup understanding." The Diversity Symposium was founded by Tiospaye, the Native American Student Council, and has expanded its sponsors to include groups like Spectrum: Gender and Sexuality Alliance, the Association for the Advancement of Women's Rights and the Union of African American Students. University events like the Diversity Symposium or Voices of Discovery sessions are providing the platforms for open
discussions on difficult subjects about inclusivity, Treviño said. "We are in this society, and we struggle with language, we struggle at explaining our ideas. We need these kind of outlets as a community," Treviño said. A continuous showing of the film "Girl Rising" and follow-up discussion was also a highlight of the symposium, and was sponsored by AAWR, USD's women's group. The video focused on the inspirational stories of nine girls from around the world who fought for their education and freedom. AAWR President Mariah Bloom said by hosting the viewing and taking part in the symposium, she hopes students go back to their respective organizations and start open discussions with the tools to engage other students to respond and take part in talking about diversity. "I get frustrated at times because of a lack of awareness on campus. People hear diversity, and they immediately say they aren't prejudice and they haven't prejudice," Bloom said. "But if you are ignoring it, you aren't your part in making campus inclusive."
Hannah Harnes First-year
“I don't really know, because I've never been on it.” E. Davis Senior
"Yes, it would help them out and make them realize college is important." Taylor Zueger First-year
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Fraternity amends pledging process Josie Flatgard
Josie.Flatgard@coyotes.usd.edu
The national Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity announced March 6 that the new member program and identification of the term "pledge" or "new member" would be eliminated from their procedures. The change came into effect March 9 and requires all 226 chapters and 15 colonies across the nation to apply the historic change. If any chapters choose not to comply, the national fraternity will mandate the closing of those chapters. The Supreme Council unanimously supported the change. "This change will strengthen our fraternity, create highly-positive opportunities to redefine membership, attract prospective members who otherwise might not join and lead the way among Greek-letter organizations as we recommit ourselves to our founding fathers’ original concepts and return to their intent for membership in the fraternity," the national SAE headquarters website said. According to the official SAE website, the change was made to protect the future of the frater-
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on and then officially approved by the curriculum instruction committee. After, the new curriculum request was sent to the office of the provost at the Academic Affairs office where it will go through a similar process. Approval at different levels of administration must be done before the implementation in time for it to be added to the 2014 catalog published in the summer, Haddad said. Part of the proposal is to remove the sequence requirement in science. In place of that, Haddad said students would be able to distribute their science classes differently. She said it is not likely chemistry students would switch since it may be necessary to take a full year with their field, but that there would be more of a change in the earth sciences. The earth science classes have moved to adjust the curriculum they offer so students can take them independently of one another and an adjustment for the courses to reflect the needs of the students better than before. Haddad said academic advisers would need to go through some training which may include workshops and meetings or reading through material to be prepared for meetings with students that would keep the focus on stu-
nity and remove the class structure between those who have just joined — new members — and those who have been initiated — active members. “This change will adopt a method, practice and policy that treat all members equally and fairly and strive for a continuous development of our members throughout their lives,” it said. A new program titled the "True Gentleman Experience" was created as a source for guidelines on the new change. The program had all members, along with alumni, in mind as it would “enhance the educational and leadership experience of our members and build upon their development during each year of their collegiate tenure," the SAE website said. Instead of using the terms "new-member" or "pledge," a complete educational period will occur. Members will learn about SAE's values, its mission, creed and history. The intention is designed to help students develop throughout their college career so when they graduate they will possess the skills necessary for life.
dents' majors and minors. "For a variety of reasons, we need to be quite intentional over the next several months about making sure that advisors are up to date," Haddad said. Haddad said the new requirements are simpler to understand and explain than what they would replace, which she hopes would lead to improved advising interactions. "Instead of having to work through a very complicated checklist, the checklist will be a little bit simpler and more time can be spent talking about other issues like, 'Are you going to do an internship,' or 'What are your plans after graduation,'" she said. Haddad said one of the biggest benefits of the proposal is flexibility in scheduling, but said the courses would still be as challenging as ever to keep the liberal arts tradition and values strong. If students wished to take part in the new changes, it would be their choice, but they would need to change catalogs altogether. Once moved to a different catalog, all the requirements apply. Sophomore Scotty Miller is a Political Science major taking a course in Spanish but he said if the proposal is fully approved, he would take advantage of the changes by switching catalogs. He said he can see the benefits as well as the downsides of the change in foreign language requirements and said it may
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
A member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon enters the fraternity house March 24. The national SAE organization announced all chapters across the country will be required to initiate pledges 96 hours after extending a bid to new members.
Prospective members will be recruited as they always have been, but when a student is extended a bid to join and accepts, he will become a collegiate member. It would be necessary for the student to accept SAE’s Scope of
Association Agreement and complete the Carson Starkey Membership Certification Program. Membership requirements and expectations must be met; otherwise, SAE Fraternity Laws could suspend or remove the membership.
associate it, but it is an issue that affects other organizations, citing the military as one of them. He said the leadership understands it would take time to be fully implemented and understood, but in the end would protect what they have and enhance the students' education. Weghorst said it is hard to say if this would lead to other changes among Greek organizations, but it has started a conversation as several of them have reached out to see how it worked. "At the end of the day, we're all values-based organizations," Weghorst said. "Our leadership believes this is a better path and a better direction." The historical change was broadcast widely and regional fraternity leaders followed up with their chapters, Weghorst said. Amber Groh, director of sorority and fraternity life and leadership at the University of South Dakota declined to comment. USD Sigma Alpha Epsilon president Marcus Mahlen also declined to comment on the change at time of print.
Factors like membership experience and leadership evaluations were taken into consideration. The announcement of the change was spread in the midst of SAE being called the “deadliest U.S. fraternity,” by Bloomberg, a source for business, financial and economic news, and stock quotes. An investigation by Bloomberg in December found the fraternity had at least nine deaths since 2006 associated with hazing, alcohol or drugs at their events. This number is more than any other fraternity. Since 2005, more than 60 deaths connected to fraternities across the nation have occurred, with SAE holding the highest number of deaths. Brandon Weghorst, associate executive director of communications for the national organization, said hazing is "not what SAE is about," and was not the only factor considered in making the decision. "We know all the good things that happen every day that get overshadowed," Weghorst said. He said hazing does not occur merely with fraternities as people
Follow reporter Josie Flatgard on Twitter @josie_jayne
be more beneficial to take four semesters of a language. "They’re probably just doing this because a lot of people don’t want to take Spanish but if you could come out of college speaking a different language halfway fluently, you’re going to be so much more marketable," Miller said. He said if he did better in Spanish, he would not mind taking the additional classes that are currently required. Sophomore David Hancock, Criminal Justice major, however, said he would not have taken any Spanish courses if there was no requirement, even though he took two years of the language in high school. He said the attitudes and grades of students would be better if only one year of a foreign language was required. "If you don’t want to take it, you’re already bored so you’re not going to pay attention so then you’re not going to do so well because you’re not interested," Hancock said. Haddad said with a range of coursework beyond the major and minor and general requirements remaining, new requirements would be more flexible and there would be somewhat fewer of them, overall. "We’re hoping that by adjusting the requirements, we’ll enable students to make more rapid and regular progress toward graduation," Haddad said. Follow reporter Josie Flatgard on Twitter @josie_jayne
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
During the opening ceremony of the 42nd annual Wacipi, a dancer dressed in traditional regalia dances to the music of the host drum, Elk Soldier.
“The song and dance is not just about what you see in front of your eyes. It it a connection to Mother Earth, it's a way of life, it's a way of practicing thanksgiving.” -Gabe Desroiers, member of the Anishinaabe tribe
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annual celebration, which featured drum circles, traditional regalia and dancing. Glenn Drapeau is a singer for the band Elk Soldier, which led many of the events during the Wacipi. Drapeau said the band is comprised of many singers and instrumentalists from across the country who first met each other at other powwows. According to Drapeau, the drum the band uses is considered another member of the band. "When each one of us hit the drum in unison, we are making the heartbeat of Mother Earth — with our songs, the music and our voices," he said. "Those combined are what send the voice of Elk Soldier." Elk Soldier, first formed
in 2004, recorded its fifth album during Saturday's Wacipi event. Damon Leader Charge, a USD alum and a singer in Elk Soldier, said before playing the drum, tobacco is placed on top of the drum and a blessing is recited. "It's like we're giving prayers to it so it can give us energy back," Leader Charge said. While Elk Soldier performed, dancers dressed in traditional regalia danced in a wide, open area. Gabe Desroiers, a lecturer of Native American studies at the University of Minnesota-Morris,was one of many dancers dressed in traditional regalia during the powwow. Desroiers said the dances featured at the event are — like the playing of the drum — "very spiritual in nature." "The song and dance is
not just about what you see in front of your eyes," Desroiers, a member of the Anishinaabe tribe, said. "It is a connection to Mother Earth, it's a way of life, it's a way of practicing thanksgiving." Desroiers said different tribes and different geological regions have specific dances they dance. At powwows such as the Wacipi, however, the dance is called an "Intertribal," which means the beat of the music is almost universal in nature. Tyler Tordsen, newlyelected SGA president, also attended the powwow. Tordsen said his favorite part of Wacipi was the turnout. "The dancers, the singers, the music, the environment(…)it's great to see so many people here and to be able to interact and have fun for a weekend," Tordsen said. Follow reporter Malachi Petersen on Twitter @Malachi111493
sports
Outdoor season begins The USD track and field teams kicked off their outdoor competition season with the Texas Relays and the Wildcat Classic.
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Coach resigns after six years with Coyotes Houk leaves university, takes assistant position at Minnesota Kelsey Kroger
Kelsey.Kroger@coyotes.usd.edu
It came as a surprising shock for the Coyotes as University of South Dakota Women’s Volleyball head coach Matt Houk resigned from USD to take an assistant coaching job at the University of Minnesota. The coaching job was not expected from Houk either, the opportunity arose and he chose to take it. “It was no plan at all, the opportunity was presented, we evaluated it and decided it was a good move,” Houk said. Houk spent six years as the head coach with the Coyotes and finished his career with a 97-85 record. Houk leaves USD with the best winning percentage at .533 and the second most wins by a coach in the program’s history. With Houk’s resignation, the Coyotes announced associate head coach Leanne Williamson as the interim head coach until a new head coach is named. Junior outside hitter Kendall Kritenbrink said it was a great move for Houk and his family and that she does not blame him for leaving, but it was tough to see him go. “He helped me through a lot of situations on and off the court so it is hard to see him go,” Kritenbrink said. Athletic Director David Herbster said the resignation of Coach Houk came as a complete surprise to him as he resigned USD’s during spring break. “Things happened fast, he called me and he contacted all his players individually and when he the girls came back from spring break he had the
chance to talk to the girls,” Herbster said. “I met with the team and then he was able to meet with the team as well.” Herbster also said the search for a new head coach comes at an odd time in the year and typically people are committed to their current programs. “Much like the basketball search, be quick, but do not hurry, make sure we get the best possible person that is going to be the right fit for South Dakota and really to pick up where Matt left off,” Herbster said. Herbster hopes the Coyotes continue their growth next year after staying undefeated at home this past season as well as winning a tournament and having one of the highest RPIs in the Summit League. “I want to have Kendall Kritenbrink have one amazing senior year and the rest of this team to have an amazing year and I think they can do it. I think the pieces are in place, now it’s just a matter of getting that coach, that system and that fit,” Herbster said. He also stated he wants to see the team win the Summit League Tournament and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Kritenbrink said she is also excited to see where the team goes next year. “This whole coaching situation makes me a little nervous, but I am excited to see what is going to happen to the program,” Kritenbrink said. “We have some really great team chemistry and have been together since last summer, we only are really losing Tori Kroll in the starting lineup and I’m sad to see her and the other seniors go.”
Baseball team begins year with new players Grant Bosiacki
Grant.Bosiacki@coyotes.usd.edu
When spring rolls around in Vermillion and the snow melts away, Prentis Park becomes the home of the University of South Dakota club baseball team. The school does not have baseball as a sanctioned sport, so the USD club baseball team allows numerous students with baseball roots to continue playing the game they’ve played most of their lives. Junior catcher Sam Parkinson said the opportunity to play baseball at a competitive level is something he truly enjoys. “Playing club baseball allows students who want to continue
to compete at a competitive level without a huge time commitment the ability to play,” Parkinson said. “I enjoy it because it’s a bunch of guys who want to get together and play a game they love. It’s a relaxing, fun atmosphere.” Despite not classifying it as a major time commitment, Parkinson said the team does practice routinely. “We practice a few days a week in the fall and three days a week inside the Dome during the winter,” Parkinson said. “During the spring we try to get on the field four times a week for a couple hours to make up for the
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Junior Chris Zimmer throws to home plate during practice March 28 at the baseball field.
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Former head volleyball coach Matt Houk coaches from the sidelines of a volleyball match Nov. 3 in the DakotaDome. Houk recently left his position to be the new assistant coach at Minnesota.
Club lacrosse climbs the ladder Nathan Ellenbecker
Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu
Now that the University of South Dakota club lacrosse team has dipped its toes into the pool of competition, the team is ready to submerge itself in finding ways to get better and win games. Last weekend the team traveled to Omaha to take on Creighton. The Coyotes fell 18-1 to the Blue Jays – a tough score to swallow. But team leader senior Alex Peterson said the score has no indication of the actual game. He said his team has seen improvement it didn’t expect coming into the season. “We had many more shots on goal, and our defense stopped at least two-thirds of their total shots,” Peterson said. “Our downfall was time of possession as the defense gets exhausted and that is how we have been giving up goals. Being able to control the ball for longer periods of time will not only give our defense a breather.” The team came into its first season in five years, and most of the team has littleto-no lacrosse competition experience. The team knew there was going to be some hiccups to start. “Going into the game, we knew we would be major underdogs,” sophomore Brody Ryan said. “They have established themselves this year to be a very good team. We did, however, go into the game with more confidence as we noticed we have been improving quite a bit since we first started out.” First-year Ryan Sztapka said
he and a lot of guys have made personal strides, especially in some areas of lacrosse they didn’t expect. He said they’re starting to see it every time they hit the field to play. “Personally, the biggest thing I’ve improved on is learning that I’m not made of glass. I can take a hit and still keep playing,” Sztapka said. “Having some guys on the team that have never played before and to see them improve so much is a really great thing.” The Coyotes were crushed 19-0 at the hands of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln team in their first game. “Our first game against Nebraska in Lincoln was a major wake-up call for us,” Ryan said. “It was the first game for most of our players, and seeing how other teams operate showed our guys how much harder we need to work in order to be able to compete.” Peterson said he’s been encouraged with the improvement he’s seen from his teammates, simply from the exposure to real competition. The team only had five players with previous lacrosse experience before the game against Nebraska. “Our performance has been improving greatly after getting outside onto a real field,” Peterson said. “Every day of practice we see less balls hitting the ground and individual players getting better shots on goal.” After the Nebraska game, the team had a shot at the biggest rivals USD has — South Dakota State. “SDSU was a fun game for us,” Sztapka said. “Being rivals with them really fired us up. It was a great game that overall
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Sophomore midfielder Brandon Strozyk passes the ball during lacrosse practice Feb. 10 in the DakotaDome. The lacrosse team recently lost 81-1 to Creighton March 30 in Omaha, Neb.
ended in a fight.” It was only a scrimmage put together by the two teams, but the Coyotes put together a new defensive strategy that paid dividends in containing the Jackrabbits. “We have a new defense that really helped us in the game against SDSU,” Sztapka said.
“I have tried instilling in our players the mentality that we may not be the most skilled team with our offensive skills, but if we out run and play a physical game, we will always have a chance to win.” Follow reporter Nathan Ellenbecker on Twitter @NJE13
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COYOTEDigest TeamRecap
springing into action
Women’s Tennis Recap: The Coyote women traveled to Green Bay, Wisc. March 28-30 and finished the weekend 2-1. The Coyotes defeated Green Bay 5-2 March 28. In the singles competition USD finished 4-2, while doubles won all three matches. The Coyotes also won every singles and doubles match against UW-Stevens Point March 29 in a 9-0 win. The team fell short against UW-Milwaukee March 30 losing 4-3. In the singles competition USD finished 3-3 and in the doubles competition finished 1-2. Key Players: Junior Yamini Reddy finished 3-0 in the singles competition at Green Bay. Reddy is 16-7 in singles competition this season and currently on a five-game win streak. Reddy is also 10-14 in doubles competition this season. Sophomore Milica Pavolvic finished 2-0 in singles competition this weekend defeating players from UW-Stevens Point and UW-Milwaukee. Pavlovic also finished 2-1 in doubles competition as well. She is 12-16 in singles competition this season as well as 11-16 in doubles competition. Player to Watch: Junior Rymma Maslova finished the weekend 2-1 in singles competition as well as 3-0 in doubles competition with partner first year Yuliya Sidenko. Maslova is 11-16 in singles competition and 15-13 in doubles competition. She is also 10-6 in doubles play with Sidenko. Record: 8-8 overall Up Next: Coyotes travel to Fort Wayne April 4-5 where they will host Denver and South Dakota State.
Malachi petersen I the volante
USD quarterback Kevin Earl passes the ball as a defender rushes him during the first day of spring training March 29 on the practice football field.
Athlete of the Week McKelvey broke the state collegiate men’s outdoor shot put record at Wildcat Classic in Wayne, Neb. March 29.
Softball Recap: The Coyote women’s softball team traveled to Fort Wayne March 28-29 where they faced the Mastadons. The teams had three games scheduled, but because of weather the March 29 game was not played. The Coyotes played a double header March 28 won the first game 5-2 and lost the second game 5-1. In the first game, four Coyotes scored runs and five of them had hits as well. Senior short stop Christine Broders was the only Coyote to score in the second game and one of three Coyotes to get a hit in the game. Key Players: Junior Matley Jones had two hits, two runs, a hit and an RBI in the route to the Coyotes 5-2 win. Jones averages a .251 batting average Broders had two hits, two RBIs and a run in the first game as well as a run, hit and RBI in the second game. Player to Watch: Sophomore Katie Cochran had two RBIs and a hit in the first game against the Mastadons. Cochran also had a hit in the second game. She averages .176 at bat and has 13 runs and 12 RBIs on the season. Record: 19-13 overall, 2-3 conference Up Next: Coyotes host Western Illinois April 11-12.
Men’s Golf Recap: The Coyote men traveled to Macomb, Ill. March 31-April 1, where they competed in the Western Illinois Beu Mussatto Invite. The team finished in second place ahead of conference foes South Dakota State, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, North Dakota State and Western Illinois. Junior Samuel Matthew finished in second place at seven over par. Sophomore Jordan Rykal and red-shirt sophomore Dakota Clark tied for 15th place at 16 over par. Up Next: Tennessee State Big Blue Intercollegiate April 14-15.
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Name: Sydney Dimke Year: Sophomore “It was a bit of a surprise that we didn’t see it coming, but I’m confident administration will give us the right coach and we’ll be in good shape.”
Name: Haley Jorgensen Year: Sophomore “It was definitely a shock, but I think the administration will take it in good hands. I hope for the best.”
Year: Junior Hometown: Beresford, S.D. Season Statistics
Kyle McKelvey
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Won shot put at Wildcat Classic with
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59-5 1/2 Recorded Summit League season best shot put mark with 57-1/2 mark Placed second in shot put at Tulsa Relays March 23
Career Achievements •
2013 All-Summit League honoree both indoor and outdoor seasons
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2013 set school outdoor shot put record while winning Summit League Outdoor Championships with a throw of 59-4 ¼ Qualified for NCAA West Preliminaries in shot put and placed 34th
Club sports offer more than athletic experience Emily Niebrugge is a junior majoring in contemporary media and journalism. When I was a kid, my grandmother always told me there was one thing she hoped to pass down to me: the love of baseball. Ever since I can remember, my family has always put baseball as a top priority, whether it was watching major league on TV or heading out to the local games. To my grandmother’s relief, baseball stuck with me, even years later. It is still my favorite sport to watch, and it’s so great to see support for the game even at The University of South Dakota. This year the USD club baseball team has gone 0-4, but is remaining hopeful for the rest of the season.
Something good for the team this year is the addition of 12 players. After only graduating four members last season, this is a huge step in the right direction. Although being a young team brings its own drawbacks, the addition can only benefit the program for future years. I have spent the last two years reporting sports coverage for the The Volante and The Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan, so I’ve had the chance to watch many teams grow and progress. I can’t wait to watch the progression of club baseball, but also the other club sports here at USD. Props to all of the clubs that manage to thrive on their own and give students the opportunity to participate in something bigger than themselves. Not every student has the time needed to commit to a school-sanctioned sport, so it’s great when they can get the chance to participate in
ATHLETES OF USD The Volante asked volleyball players how they felt about Matt Houk’s resignation.
any way possible. Lacrosse also began their season recently, and despite a rough start to their season, the team members are remaining hopeful for the rest of the season. Few of the members have much experience, but that’s only another benefit club sports provides. Students have the chance to simply go out and have fun — no pressure. Not only is participating a great way to have fun, students can gain real skills from working with a team: time management, organization, leadership, problem-solving and communications skills just to name a few. Support the students involved in club sports. Attend a game if you can, give them a shout-out in between classes or even join one yourself. There are numerous benefits waiting.
USD CLUB SPORTS Baseball Cycling Fencing Ice Hockey Paintball Men’s Rugby Women’s Rugby Soccer Tennis Ultimate Frisbee Lacrosse SOURCE: Wellness Center
Follow reporter Emily Niebrugge on Twitter @ENiebrugge
Name: Melissa Firtko Year: Junior “It’s a great opportunity for him and for us to have played for him and to see who else can come in and keep us on the same track but have a different influence.”
Name: Riley Haug Year: Junior “I knew something was going on. I could feel it, but it was still a shock. I feel the administration will get the best coach they can for the program.”
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Women head into conference competition Kayla Prasek
Kayla.M.Prasek@coyotes.usd.edu
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
First-year Ana Vujosevic rushes toward the net to return a volley during tennis practice March 20 outside the DakotaDome.
After going 2-1 in Wisconsin over the weekend, the University of South Dakota women’s tennis team (8-8) will head to Fort Wayne, Ind., April 4-5 to start conference play. The women beat Wisconsin-Green Bay 5-2 March 28 and Wisconsin-Stevens Point 9-0 March 29 before losing 4-3 to Wisconsin-Milwaukee March 30. “We did really well as a team, winning two of the three matches,” junior Yamini Reddy said. “They were definitely good wins. We’re that much closer to being prepared for the next month of Summit League play.” Head coach Malcolm Gilreath said the loss to Milwaukee was a competitive match. “We fought well against them,” Gilreath said. “That’s what we wanted going into the conference season.”
McKelvey beats record, Janovy throws for first
As the team heads into the conference portion of the season, senior Michelle Elkin said the team will take the final tune-up in Wisconsin and use it to get into a more competitive mindset for the matches against Denver and South Dakota State this weekend. “I expect both teams to be really difficult and competitive,” Elkin said. “It’ll be a good fight, and all of our hard work from the first part of the season will show.” Reddy said the team will spend the week working on its doubles play to make sure it’ll be competitive against Denver and SDSU. “We’re good but that click needs to be there,” Reddy said. “We’re a singles strong team, but the doubles point makes it crucial to be good at doubles.” The team has never played Denver, but the nationallyranked team is expected to be tough competition, Reddy said.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 the spring we try to get on the field four times a week for a couple hours to make up for the time we’ve lost in the winter.” The team kicked off its season this past weekend with three games and one exhibition match against the Iowa State Cyclones. Although the Coyotes lost all three games, they showed improvement in the third game, blowing a three run lead in the final two innings. Senior pitcher Steven Blom said they have too many games ahead to worry about the losses. “It’s been awhile since our
“It’s going to be one of the toughest teams we’ll see all season,” she said. “The level of play is going to be different for us.” As for SDSU, the Jackrabbits were ranked third in the pre-season coaches’ poll, while USD was ranked fourth. “We expect that to be a very strong match,” Gilreath said. “Of course the rivalry is there, so we’re looking forward to that.” The rivalry stands at 1-1 with SDSU, with USD winning in 2011 and SDSU winning in 2012, so this match will be a big one for both teams, Elkin said. Reddy said the team is looking forward to playing SDSU. “SDSU has improved a lot since my freshman year,” she said. “It’s a steady rivalry so it’ll be interesting to see how we match up.” While the women have seen a variety of Division I and II teams in the first half of the
season, the focus now is on beating their Summit League foes for a bid to the NCAA tournament, Gilreath said. “These matches are a little more personal,” Gilreath said. “When you play other teams, standings aren’t involved.” Reddy said USD will see both Denver and SDSU again in the Summit League tournament, so these matches are important to helping the women get a feel for how each team plays. While all matches are important to helping the players improve, now is the time to win, Elkin said. “This has to do with our seeding for the Summit League tournament,” she said. “There are no easy matches and every point counts.” The Coyotes will play Denver April 4 and SDSU April 5 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
team had seen live baseball,” Blom said. “We’re not going to get caught up with losing to a team that spent all of spring break playing in Florida.” One of the biggest adjustments for the team is all the new faces around the diamond. The team had four players from last year’s team graduate and added 12 new players this year. Parkinson said being able to bond with the new guys is good for the team. “We’re younger this year,” Parkinson said. “Bringing guys together who have different backgrounds in baseball leads to a good mixture with good new perspectives about the game.” Iowa State is some of the toughest competition the team will face all year. Blom said the Cyclones’ level of talent
will help them prepare for its upcoming games. “Seeing one of the best teams in the conference right away can only help us in being prepared for the other teams,” Blom said. USD has another set of back-to-back doubleheaders this weekend against Northern Iowa. Senior first baseman Trevor Doyle said UNI is another talented team. “Northern Iowa is a team we’ve had some success over the past few years, but they are a very different team this year,” Doyle said. “If we come out and throw strikes, cut down on our errors and put the ball in play, we should see more things go our way this weekend.”
Follow reporter Kayla Prasek on Twitter @kprasek
Follow reporter Grant Bosiacki on Twitter @GBos2
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First-year Kara Homandberd jumps hurdles during practice March 31 in the DakotaDome.
Payton Randle
Payton.Randle@coyotes.usd.edu
The men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Austin, Texas and Wayne, Neb. to compete in the Texas Relays and the Wildcat Classic over the weekend. The Coyotes kicked off the second half of their season with the outdoor competition portion. Assistant coach Tyler Custis said the talented, young group performed well in the non-ideal conditions. “We had a school record throw in the men’s discus and we won the women’s discus,” he said. “Danielle (Waldner) was second in the shot put. She’s one of the leading freshmen in the country.” Waldner said she was disappointed in herself because she thought she would do better. “It was kind of a struggle in those conditions,” she said. “It was difficult to get throws out with the wind.” Waldner said the first few meets of the outdoor season have been consistent so far. Senior Breanna Janovy took the women’s discus title with a career-best mark of 156-8, which ranks as the best mark in the Summit League so far this outdoor season, while junior Kyle McKelvey set a new state collegiate men’s outdoor shot put record. McKelvey won the shot
"All-in-all we were in the top of every event in the throws, and that’s where we want to be." - Tyler Custis, assistant track coach put with a mark of 59-5 1/2, breaking the previous state record of 59-4¼ he set at the Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships last May. McKelvey said it was a great start to the outdoor season. “I’m just hoping to build off of that each week,” he said. “I want to bump that (mark) up each week.” In preparation for the meet, McKelvey said he cut down on his training a bit and will continue to work on consistency for the next meet. “The main goal is to make it to the second round of the national championship and that will take about a foot further than what I threw last week,” he said. Senior Alex Hohenthaner placed first in the men’s 5000-meter run with a time of 15:29.89, while sophomore Isaac Allen placed second with 15:31.31 at the March 29 meet. Sophomore Teivaskie Lewin placed first in men’s 110 hurdles with a time of 14.26 in the finals and firstyear Tyler Frank received second place in the men’s
high jump with a distance of 2.00 meters. On the women’s side, junior Amber Ewers came in second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.17 and third in the 200 meter dash with 25.97. Senior Megan Hilson placed second in the 1500meter run with a time of 4:50.30, while senior Tansha Clarke came in second in the 100-meter hurdles with a final time of 14.94. Head women’s coach Lucky Huber said the group performed well despite the poor weather. “This is the time of the year that we get a chance to go out and get a little competition in to get ready for the championship,” Huber said. Custis said the athletes are progressing. “All-in-all we were in the top of every event in the throws, and that’s where we want to be,” he said. The teams will be in action again for the Dakota Duals in Yankton April 4-5. Follow reporter Payton Randle on Twitter @paytiemarie
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Members of the University of South Dakota club baseball team practice scenerios March 28 at the baseball field. The team is set to compete in back-to-back double headers against Northern Iowa this weekend.
verve
USD Idol Winner
Singer speaks on what winning the competitions means for her future.
Verve, B6
volanteverve@usd.edu | @volanteverve
volantesports@usd.edu | @volantesports
THE VOLANTe
Wednesday, april 2, 2014
Volanteonline.com
Musicians struggle with performance injuries Braley Dodson
Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu
Partway through playing a three-hour piano accompaniment for the University of South Dakota’s production of “Les Miserables”, graduate student Chris Larson knew something was wrong. “It was a stabbing pain,” Larson said. Last semester, Larson had an MRI on his arm which revealed a genetic and benign tumor. Now the tumor is large enough for Larson to feel when he touches his arm. “They thought it was a cyst,” Larson said. “That would be preferable.” Larson attempted remedies for the pain in his left arm, including stretching his arm and alternating heat and cold. “I was just trying to get through it,” Larson said. “I was just hoping my hand would work.” Although Larson was born with the tumor, it wasn’t until intense piano work it became inflamed and began causing intense pain. At times, the tumor pinches the muscles in his hand and causes his fingers to involuntarily twitch. “That would be bad if I start playing a song and I twitch and hit the wrong note,” Larson said. Larson has since cut back on the time he spends playing the piano until he has surgery to remove the tumor over the summer. The delicate surgery involves peeling away layers of the tumor until it is removed from the nerve. Larson will be unable to use his hand for two weeks, and it could take three months for him to regain total feeling in his hand. “It’ll be kind of interesting to see what my hand can do,” Larson said. Richard Rognstad, a music professor at USD, said he has seen five promising high school students have to discontinue music careers due to carpal tunnel or other related injuries. “Musicians like to practice,” Rognstad said. “We hate to quit playing.”
Malachi Petersen I the volante
Graduate student Chris Larson practices the piano in Aalfs Auditorium. Larson will have surgery this summer to remove a tumor from his arm that has impacted his ability to play the piano.
However, the drive to continue playing music can lead to more serious injuries. Repetitive motions and unchanging posture can contribute to fatigue and lead to an injury. At times, musicians may have trouble understanding if something hurts due to fatigue or an injury. “In the case of the students, all of them started having pain and kept playing through it,” Rognstad said. To help combat the issue of musical related injuries, Rognstad had Kory Zimney,
assistant professor of physical therapy, spoke to high school students during the Spring Orchestra Concert March 7. Zimney spoke to students about taking frequent breaks during practices to change position or posture. “Prolonged sitting with anything is unhealthy as a whole,” Zimney said. In addition to taking breaks, Zimney said applying general health principles such as getting enough sleep and eating healthy foods can help prevent injuries. Musicians
can also strengthen muscles through training to help decrease muscle fatigue. Zimney said the arms and hands are the primary risk areas for music-related injuries. Zimney said some injuries can be overcome through a gradual return to the musical activity. “Your body always heals itself given appropriate time,” Zimney said. Follow Braley Dodson on Twitter @BraleyDodson
Alexander Tehnique 101 The Alexander Technique was one of the strategies taught to high school musicians during the Spring Orchestra Concert. Musicians such as graduate student and pianist Chris Larson have recently utilized the technique in an attempt to prevent injuries while playing music.
Benefits of the Alexander Technique: Used by many musicians to prevent injuries Aims to prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries Releases tension in the body Aims to reduce back pain Focuses on relaxation SOURCE: AlexanderTechnique.com
Timeflies concert draws 1,800 TKE puts on fight night for St. Jude’s Braley Dodson
Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu
Rebecca Kroeger I the volante
University of South Dakota students cheer as Timeflies performs Monday in the DakotaDome.
Austin Ashlock
Austin.Ashlock@coyotes.usd.edu
Almost 30 months after the last major musical artist came to the University of South Dakota, the crowd at the DakotaDome greeted hip-hop duo Timeflies with a proper welcome Monday night.
Organized by the USD Campus Activities Board, the concert sold over 1,800 tickets, CAB member Arianne Wunder said. “So far, I’ve only heard good things,” Wunder said. “Even so, there’s always going to be a couple people that aren’t pleased with what we bring regardless.
However, in this case I am getting the feeling that all of the positive feedback will wholeheartedly drown out any negatives.” The 1,800 tickets sold for Monday’s concert outsold CAB’s Mac Miller concert in Oct. 2011 by nearly 700. Wunder said the success of the Timeflies concert rais-
es the bar for the organization. “It definitely holds the expectations high for future years,” Wunder said. “As far as this opening up future acts for USD, that’s quite unpredictable. It all depends on our schedule, the artist’s SEE SHOW, PAGE B6
Tau Kappa Epsilon’s annual Fight Night charity event sent fighting contestants head to head Thursday night to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The event brought in $3,614.33 and drew 250 people for the event’s 30 year. “No one else does anything like this,” TKE Philanthropy Chair Jordan Hermanson said. “It appeals to a wide variety of people.” Hermanson said the fighting event draws audience members who like to see action along with others who want a heartwarming, charity related experience. The event paired 18 fighters in nine fights. Volunteers from the community underwent training to receive certification to participate in the event. In addition, the volunteer fighters had to attend multiple practices, including about 30 hours of training, to participate in the event. Members from the fraternity tabled in the Muenster University Center to recruit fighters, including two female fighters matched up in a fight, for the event. Members of TKE began setting up for the event at 7:30 a.m. the morning of the fights. Five judges and a time
keeper oversaw the event that had been in the planning for more than two months. “A lot of the unexpected has been expected,” Hermanson said. Hermanson said the members of the fraternity were looking forward to the event. “Everyone is excited for it to happen,” Hermanson said. “It’s nervous excitement.” Sophomore Anshu Chandra, the co-coordinator of the event, said the event’s goal was to raise $4,000, double the goal of last year. “We set the bar quite higher this year,” Chandra said. Chandra said last year, an anonymous donor matched TKE’s donation to St. Jude’s. The organization doubled the goal in case the anonymous donor decided to match the funds again. To increase the amount raised this year, Chandra said the organization utilized technology that allowed credit cards to be accepted this year. “That helped quite a bit,” Chandra said. Each fighter received a medal of appreciation for their involvement in the event, and trophies were given for Best Fight an Best Team.
Follow Braley Dodson on Twitter @BraleyDodson
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THE VOLANTE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
VOLANTEONLINE.COM
MediaSketch APRIL 2
CampusEvents 10 a.m.
Exploring pronouns rhetorically and crosslinguistically: Implications for L2 writing and TESOL Location: Farber Hall
10 a.m.
11 a.m.
Spring Career and Internship Fair Location: MUC Ballroom 225
2 p.m.
APRIL 4
“Why Innocent People are Sentenced to Death” Location: Farber Hall
12 p.m.
APRIL 5
APRIL 3
Career Week Workshops Location: Muenster University Center
All Day
Crop tops in for this spring JOSIE FLATGARD is a first-year majoring in contemporary media and journalism.
Transitioning into the spring season, the hot trend on the runway is the crop top. Crop tops are available in all sorts of styles and prints in countless magazines and stores across the United States. Tops come in a more flowy style as well as form-fitted. There are solid-colored, patterned, crocheted, laced, hal-
tered, strapless, long-sleeved, bedazzled and fringed crop tops. The list goes on. Basically, if a person can name it, it can be found in the form of a crop top. Before the look was popular among the young and trendy, crop tops could be seen at summer music festivals and may have been labeled as ‘totally hipster.’ With the emergence of so many styles, bohemian does not have to be the only term to describe someone wearing an outfit that featured a crop top since almost any form of look can be created with the item. Although models can be seen showing off toned midsections, really any body shape or size is able to pull this look off. Even if not entirely comfort-
able with exposing the midriff, wearing a longer top and trying a high-waisted bottom would make the look work. That way, less skin is shown, but the bottom would come in at the smallest part of the waist. One of my favorite looks is the ensemble of a solid top with a floral-printed maxi skirt for a casual day. As an ode to the lovely Carrie Bradshaw, a fun top and a longer ballerina-inspired tulle skirt can be worn for a more formal affair. Paired with a skirt — pencil, maxi or flowy, shorter or longer — or pants, it is possible to look like someone who just walked off a runway and onto the sidewalks of Vermillion. Heels or wedges can be worn to create an elongated look.
Keeping it simple with accessories as the top is a pretty big statement in itself. Depending on the occasion, topping off a crop top look with either a jean jacket or blazer can quickly transform an outfit. If feeling daring and willing to make an even bolder statement, a matching top and bottom duo of print or the same color can prove to be a smash outfit. Hair can be tossed up into a chic top knot or let down in those beachy waves of a long bob women so often envy. Try out these crop top styles for a real summer feeling.
Follow fashion columnist Josie Flatgard on Twitter @Josie_Jayne
NMM Live! Free Noon Music Series Location: National Music Museum
8:30 p.m.
Movies at the MUC Location: Muenster University Center
Dakotathon Location: Muenster University Center
7:30 p.m.
Midwest Dueling Pianos Location: Aalf’s Auditorium
8:30
APRIL 6
Movies at the MUC Location: Muenster University Center
2 p.m.
Guest Artist Recital: Jun Watabe, Saxophone Location: Colton Recital Hall
6 p.m.
Festival of Nations Location: MUC Ballroom 225 BRALEY DODSON I THE VOLANTE
APRIL 8
APRIL 7
Sophomore Gretchen McLaughlin models a fresh spring hairdo and delicate accessories paired with a laced top.
2 p.m.
The Lavender Law Symposium Location: Law School Court Room
7 p.m.
‘White Rose’ Film Showing Location: Al Neuharth Media Center Conference Room
All Day
IdeaFest Location: Muenster University Center
7 p.m.
Initial excitement leads to roadtrip JACKIE HENDRY is a junior majoring in contemporary media and journalism and Native Studies.
IdeaFest Keynote Speaker: Dr. Richard Sayre Location: MUC Ballroom 225
Want an event added to the calendar?
Email Braley Dodson at Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu
BRALEY DODSON I THE VOLANTE
Sophomore Amanda Salazar’s floral shoes hinted that spring was coming even though the temperature was still brisk outside.
All through my college career I’ve dreamed of car ownership. The thrill of not having to bum a ride off my roommate to go to Walmart was my equivalent of the American dream. Two-and-a-half years of purgatory and my dream became a reality.
I was inheriting my dad’s car after my folks bought a new one. Just one trial stood between me and as many trips to Walmart as gas money could buy — the nine hour drive back to school after spring break, all by myself. I’d witnessed the drive between campus and home at least a dozen times, but I’d never driven it on my own. In fact, I’d never driven more than half an hour by myself, but I couldn’t imagine the trip could be that difficult. I’ve been known to willingly spend days with Netflix as my only companion, I enjoy driving and I knew the route. How bad could it be? The first hour was a dream. The open road, blue sky and good music on the radio. Then the songs started getting repetitive until I lost that station all
together. Then I realized my eyes were getting tired. I fidgeted my way through Wisconsin and half of Minnesota. I was groaning in a stir-crazed agony to keep myself awake until I stopped at the halfway point for lunch. It was the same McDonald’s my dad and I frequented every time he drove me to and from school. I sat down, alone with my cheeseburger, and listened to a little boy talk to his daddy about his Happy Meal in the booth behind me. After lunch and a five minute cry break in the car, I was back on the road. Just me and I-90 for hundreds of miles, “Talk Dirty to Me” by Jason Derulo marking the hours, until finally Minnesota ended and South Dakota mercifully marked the last leg of the
journey. When I finally reached Vermillion just as the sun was setting, I felt as if I’d reached the promised land. I parked outside my apartment and saw my reflection in the window: haggard but proud. I did it, and now the world was my oyster. In the week’s since, I’ve used the car twice. I’m living my American dream.
ONLINE ONLY Other Columns not included in this week’s edition, along with past columns.
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Reach columnist Jackie Hendry at Jacqueline.Hendry@coyotes.usd.edu
This Week in Entertainment: Best and Worst of Music, Movies and More Best of:
Worst of:
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Series Finale
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Series Finale
Viewers got to see the ending they’ve been waiting for since the first episode. Ted met the Mother, the name of the Mother was revealed and the future lives of every character was wrapped up. Ted finally revealed why he was telling the story of how he met their mother to his children, Barney recognized his true love and travelled the globe for a few years with his new wife and the creators of the show were able to leave audiences with a message of hope and the extreme power of storytelling.
This is one event that falls into both categories this week. The series finale has been hotly debated on Twitter, with most reviews falling into the negative category. Fan theories were confirmed. The constant flashes forward felt jerky and rushed, with most lasting only a few minutes. When it took nine years for a narrator to explain how he met a woman, it was a little extreme to pack more than 10 years into a single hour of television. Many fans have taken to social media to complain that the finale took several steps back from the character and plot development it spent nine seasons perfecting. Future Robin’s hair deserves a “worst of” mention of its own, there weren’t nearly enough laughs in the second half of the hour and to top it all off, the pineapple will always remain a mystery.
‘Psych’ Series Finale The finale kept the overall tone of the series, right down to the final pineapple. There was an extremely sweet moment, even if it was a little creepy, and everyone drove off into the sunset in a driver’s education vehicle. The bromance lives on, keeping the possibility open for the series to continue in the future, either on television or through a movie.
Timeflies Concert The University of South Dakota had its own pop of culture Monday night when hip-hop duo Timeflies took to the stage in the DakotaDome, drawing a crowd of almost 2,000. The acoustics were perfect in the DakotaDome, and the hip-hop duo had the crowd on its feet for the entire concert.
‘The Walking Dead’ Season Finale The highly anticipated season finale left viewers with more questions than answers. The group made it to Terminus, but viewers know just as much about the mysterious colony that promises sanctuary than they did episodes ago. Most characters made an appearance in the episode, but a good portion of the cast remains uncounted for. The finale had plenty of blood and even a suspicious looking pile of bones, but lacked in comparison to previous finales. The episode wound up ending in a tricky situation, with a cliffhanger and a promise. Until October, fans of the show will just have to look at the flowers.
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THE VOLANTE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
VOLANTEONLINE.COM
USD Idol winner makes music a priority Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
Elizabeth Daniel said she has been singing “for what feels like forever,” belting out Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” for anyone who would listen growing up. For the past two years, her vocals took a back seat to other pursuits. “I’ve been running from (singing) for a few years,” she said. It would be hard to know this watching the sophomore onstage in Aalfs Auditorium, especially after she commanded hits like Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” to win the firstever University of South Dakota Idol competition March 25. USD Idol featured 10 competitors performing over the course of three nights, all vying for the top three spots for cash prizes. The event was hosted by the Campus Activities Board, and CAB coordinator Lindsey Herbert said the competition was all about the providing students the spotlight. “Students know we are put-
ting these events on for them, so they can have a good time here at USD,” Herbert said. “They have more things to get involved with (on campus), more to do.” Daniel said inning USD Idol and the $300 cash prize has helped bring her back to her vocal roots, to the point where she is in the process of changing her major from psychology to music education. “One day I sat there thinking why am I avoiding (singing), this is what I love,” she said. Aside from giving her direction in her career choices, music has also played a part in how Daniel deals with the “rough patches” in life. Her selection of Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper” for her final song in the USD Idol competition stemmed from her own reliance on its message with her own problems, like more than a month ago, when she was terminated from her sorority. Daniel said at the time of the termination, she found herself completely lost. “I lost a lot of money and friends, but with it I also realized
the true meaning of loyalty and learned that life is definitely not fair,” Daniel said. “Since then, I’ve found that I’m better off on my own, but my true friends were by my side the whole time and continue to be still.” Daniel said severing ties with the sorority was a huge curveball and recovering from it was difficult, but said she came out of it stronger and with a new level of self-respect. This new level of determination for her singing career, especially with the validation she feels from winning USD Idol, is something she mirrors from her favorite artists, like Miley Cyrus. “I know people give Miley a hard time, but can you blame her for being genuine. She puts on the kind of performance she wants, and I think that is amazing,” Daniel said.
ONLINE ONLY Go online for video and a list of Elizabeth Daniel’s top five songs.
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Student pens book on Romanian orphans
MALACHI PETERSEN I THE VOLANTE
Graduate student Holly Baker poses for a photo in her office Tuesday, April 1 in Dakota Hall. Baker is currently writing a novel on orphans in Romania.
Nathan Ellenbecker
Nathan.Ellenbecker@coyotes.usd.edu
When Holly Baker took 10 minutes to watch a video on Romanian orphanages in early 2013, she did not imagine what the video would inspire. In fact, the video — which highlighted the struggles of Romanian orphans and orphanage homes following the country’s release from communism — was just an interesting video, until she shared it. “This was the first time I became aware of the situation,” Baker said. “I was sharing the story to my colleague Phil McKenzie, about the plight of these orphans, and he said that would make a pretty good story. “I thought to myself ‘Well, it kind of would.’” Now, after almost a year of planning, researching and writing, Baker has turned Romanian orphanages and the trauma surrounding their sufferers into the subject of her doctoral dissertation and plans to have her work published as a novel. She hasn’t decided on a title but is calling the novel “Stealing Them Away” for now. “As far as I have found, it has never been fictionalized,” she said. “I’m making an attempt to explore the world from a narrative perspective, sort of tracing the trauma.” For Baker, the process of writing the novel hasn’t been easy. She decided on the dissertation subject and presented it to her dissertation committee last February, but wasn’t able to truly begin work until September because of her doctoral
exams. “I haven’t had as streamlined a path of writing as I wish I could have,” she said. All Baker has left is the dissertation before she can receive her degree: a doctorite in literary studies with an emphasis in fiction writing. Until then, she’ll be focusing solely on the story of those children and families. “It’s sort of a balance,” she said. “I need to do this research, and I need to do the subject justice and treat it with a great amount of respect.” John Dudley, chair of the English Department at the University of South Dakota and member of Baker’s dissertation committee, said Baker is a doing a great job of covering the respects of the subject and the fictional novel writing. “What is most striking to me about her novel is the balance it maintains between historical research and creative imagination,” Dudley said. “Her writing works on both an intellectual and emotional level.” As far as tackling the subject of the Romanian orphanages in the right way, Lee Roripaugh, Baker’s dissertation committee chair, said she believes Baker has the skills necessary to put the novel together. “Holly is particularly suited to writing this novel since she has a very strong background in writing creative nonfiction, and this project relies on extensive research — a skill that creative nonfiction writers learn to hone,” Roripaugh said. The novel will center on two sibling girls, their adoptive parents and their birth mother. Baker plans to have
her novel be broken into four parts, shedding light on a variety of travesties that surround the country’s break from communism and poor care of orphaned children. “Baker’s dissertation project is going to be a particularly interesting novel due to its timely and powerful themes regarding global adoption, cultural identity and national trauma,” Roripaugh said. Baker said she wants to tell the story that keeps on going. “Even though the children have been adopted, it doesn’t mean they are rescued,” Baker said. “It has effected hundreds of American families both in positive and negative ways.” The video that inspired Baker was a TED Talk ‘The tragedy of orphanage’ by Georgette Mulheir, CEO of Lumos, an international organization helping children in need of health, education and social care. In the video, Mulheir speaks about the dangers and living conditions in orphanages that still persist in the country: the western world knew little of the problems in the country until the Romanian president was executed on Christmas Day 1989 and the country was more open to visitors. When visitors arrived, Baker said they saw a different world. “All around the country, hundreds of orphanages, thousands of children were found shoved together with very little care. There would be rooms full of cribs, full of children 6-7 years old and one person to take care of them,” she said. Roripaugh said she understand the challenges Baker has faced in attacking the novel and handling the difficult Romanian conflict that still persists. “With its exploration of the Romanian orphan crisis of the 1980s, the novel reveals unsettling histories taking place in Eastern Europe and the ways in which these histories ripple outward in significant ways,” Roripaugh said. Roripaugh said the perspective Baker is bringing is the right one, blending historical events with fictional flavor. “It’s going to be a terrific novel,” Roripaugh said. Baker said she just wants it to reveal the story of those affected. “Even though the crisis began decades and decades ago, it has not been resolved,” Baker said. “There are still a lot of orphans over there, families that can’t take Follow reporter Nathan Ellenbecker on Twitter @NJE13
MEGAN CARD I THE VOLANTE
USD Idol winner Elizabeth Daniel performs Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper” during the finale. After winning, Daniel has since changed her major from psychology to music education.
>> SHOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE B3
schedule and our budget. (CAB) is definitely going to try to continue to bring a variety of acts that will entertain the student body, including another big name concert.” Monday also marked the first time CAB has hosted a concert inside the DakotaDome since 2003, when Incubus was brought on campus. Questions of sound quality were risen prior to the Timeflies concert, but Wunder said the concert was for naught. “Usually the DakotaDome isn’t the best option for concerts due to the acoustics,” she said. “Incubus was brought in a few years back, and the echo wasn’t exactly in favor of them. Fortunately, Timeflies was using roughly 500,000 watts of sound. Once you get to a certain wattage, the specific acoustics don’t matter.” Proper sound or not, attendees of the concert like junior Katie Staley walked out of the DakotaDome pleased. “I loved it — they were very entertaining,” she said. “The freestyle rap with USD in it was awesome. I’m looking forward to anyone else CAB brings. Hopefully it’s as good as Timeflies.” From an organizer and fan standpoint, Wunder said the Timeflies experience was a great one. “I knew of Timeflies before, but had never seen them live,” Wunder said. “Needless to say, my mind was blown.”
Wunder said the highlight of the show was being on stage, handing Timeflies member Cal Shapiro a list of words and topics made up by CAB for him to freestyle rap. Even longtime fans like senior Caitlin Heyl said the concert was one to remember at USD. “As soon as I heard it was Timeflies I was super excited because I’ve listened to them forever and I love (Shapiro),”
Heyl said. “They didn’t disappoint. I loved every second of it.”
ONLINE ONLY Photo Gallery from Monday’s concert.
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REBECCA KROEGER I THE VOLANTE
Cal Shapiro from Timeflies performs in the DakotaDome Monday, March 31.
REBECCA KROEGER I THE VOLANTE
On Monday, the band Timeflies performed in the DakotaDome. The Campus Activities Board sold over 1,800 tickets to the concert.
Dakotathon Coverage ONLINE ONLY All Day Coverage of Dakotathon starting Saturday at 8 a.m. Use #Dakotathon to share your photos.
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