Campus
SGA executive teams participate in first debate
Two teams of SGA executive hopefuls faced off in a debate Thursday night in the Al Neuharth Media Center. About 50 people attended the event, hosted by the Cross Media Council. The debate started off with opening statements from each team, and both laid out their platforms. The team of presidential candidate Sadie Swier and vice presidential candidate Lucas Lund […]
SGA passes gender inclusive facilities resolution
The Student Government Association passed a resolution Tuesday night that will change all signs on single-stall restrooms that have locks on their doors to include the phrase “all-gender restroom.” The resolution clears up any confusion non-binary and intersex students may have regarding their ability to use single-stall restrooms, and recommends the university have at least one all-gender restroom in each building […]
USD community reacts to secretary of education nomination
Trump’s recent secretary of education pick, Betsy DeVos, has many educators, both future and present, sitting on the edge of their classroom chairs. One major concern is DeVos’s previous work experience and her support for charter schools as a member of the Michigan Republican Party. Donald Easton-Brooks, USD’s dean of education, said the new change in administration […]
Students and faculty react to SGA sanctuary campus resolution
USD’s Student Government Association has recently been debating a resolution that, as it was originally written, supported making USD a ‘sanctuary campus,’ which wouldn’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officers in deportation proceedings. The resolution, which is currently in the SGA state and local committee, has since had its sanctuary campus language removed, and currently is […]
Recycling pilot programs to start this month
Clara Kirkvold, a first-year earth science major, was assigned a project in her sustainability class this fall. When looking around her North Complex dorm, she realized there weren’t resources for recycling on individual floors, so she decided to set a recycling bin in her kitchen. When it gets full, about once a week, she hauls it to the recycling center. […]
Former USD football player charged with bank robbery
A former USD student-athlete is under indictment for robbing a bank. David Giese, a 26-year-old former USD football player, was charged in federal court in Sioux Falls last week with bank robbery, according to court documents. The documents show that Giese was charged by a grand jury in a July 2016 robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Yankton. Giese, […]
Student-athletes benefitting from coming a semester early
High school student-athletes that are committed to athletic programs are increasingly graduating a semester early in order to get a head start on practicing with their college teams. Two such athletes are on USD’s volleyball team. Freshman Makenzie Hesse, an outside hitter, started classes at the beginning of the spring semester. Hesse said she committed […]
USD professors denounce recent science bill
A bill that allows school teachers to teach the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories in classrooms, titled “An Act to protect the teaching of certain scientific information,” passed in the South Dakota Senate last month. The bill, which hasn’t yet been enacted into law, has sparked controversy as a possible defense of teaching creationism in public schools. […]
Update: SGA president vetoes election reform bill
A bill that was passed Tuesday night by the Student Government Association has been vetoed. The bill would have clarified the authority the election steering committee has over senators and executive team nominees. Twenty senators voted in favor of the bill. President Nathaniel Steinlicht said in an email to senators that it doesn’t make sense […]
Past SGA presidents reflect on their time in office
The Student Government Association has a long history, with a list of past presidents that dates back to 1890. With the 2017 election coming up later this month, The Volante decided to reach out to a few alumni presidents for their memories, lessons learned and insights for this year’s candidates. 1975-76 Gerry Oligmueller, president in 1975-76, has […]