Condom dispensers to be placed in select residence halls in trial run

In an attempt to address the rising cases of STIs in the state, USD housing, the Student Health Advisory Board and Sanford Health are working together on an initiative to provide free condoms and safe sex education to USD students. Starting in January, North Complex will have four condom dispensers and Burgess-Norton will have two. […]

3 mins read

Vermillion candlelight vigil held to show city is safe, accepting of all people

Underneath the glow of the downtown Christmas lights, songs such as “Imagine,” “Where is the Love” and “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother” played as part of Vermillion’s candlelight vigil Sunday night. A crowd of about 100 community members gathered on the Platz to show their support and acceptance for all Vermillion residents. Teri Bellis, one of the […]

3 mins read

Sexual assault update: No continued threat suspected

Though Matt Betzen, Chief of the Vermillion Police Department, couldn’t provide any more details regarding the investigation of a reported sexual assault that happened on-campus last week, he was able to confirm that there is no ongoing threat to the community. “The investigators have no reason to believe there’s a continuing danger to the public,” […]

2 mins read

Recent protest incidents elicit strong reactions among students

Students who participated in a supply drive earlier this year to support the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline say recent actions at the North Dakota site don’t reflect the character of the majority of people gathered there and that the media is misportraying the group. First-year Ingrid Cho, first-year Mickayla Armell and junior Jessi Bean […]

4 mins read

Graduate students working to improve food security in Vermillion

One graduate course is enlisting the ideas of students from across the country to combat food insecurity in Clay County. Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health, a required course in the Master of Public Health Program (MPH), is an online course that studies how social determinants of health influence health outcomes, USD instructor Chelsea Wesner […]

6 mins read

Out of sight but not out of mind: Community works to curb increasing area poverty

Vermillion, a town of about 11,000 and home to the state’s flagship university, is similar to most small towns in South Dakota. It has bars, a business district and a slew of community events. But, as a small town with little diversity in its employment opportunities, there’s a growing population of residents experiencing a very different […]

12 mins read

New TRIO program offers extra support for undergraduate students  

A new federal program hopes to make a difference at USD, 144 students at a time. Student Support Services is one of three TRIO programs on campus. The program started last semester and will soon be at full capacity. It offers individual meetings with advisers and free tutoring for at-need students. Through a $1.1 million grant received by the university last year, […]

5 mins read