The future of the CDC and Opportunity Center

On Jan. 1, 2022, the new Opportunity Center will be implemented on USD’s campus. Along with the change, the Center for Diversity and Community (CDC) will be reimagined. The space will have a Multicultural Affairs office and will be open for all student organizations. Vice President of Student Services and Dean of Students Kim Grieve […]

4 mins read

The CDC: leaving an impact on diversity at USD

The Center for Diversity and Community (CDC) was created back in November 2014 shortly after Lamont Sellers, the current director of intercultural student affairs at Appalachian State University, was hired at USD as the inaugural director of the CDC. Sellers, Dean of Students Kim Grieve and others worked on a proposal that called for an intergroup space. Sellers said the space wouldn’t be dedicated […]

4 mins read

Opportunity Center stakeholder meetings held, planning for Opportunity Center continues

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Volante’s Bennett Clary and Miles Amende contributed for this article. The third and final Opportunity Center stakeholder meeting was held Oct. 25, in which members of the Opportunity Center Task Force met with the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Environmental Club to gather input on how the center should operate.  Laura McNaughton, university President Sheila Gestring’s chief of staff, said the plan is for the […]

3 mins read

SGA hears student concerns about CDC, requests formal plans for the Opportunity Center

The Student Government Association (SGA) heard concerns from students involved in Spectrum about the Opportunity Center at Tuesday’s meeting. SGA also passed Senate Bill 68, Senate Resolution Eight and Senate Resolution 11 as an emergency resolution. SGA introduced Senate Resolutions 10 and tabled Senate Resolution Nine. Isabel Young, the president of Spectrum, expressed concerns about […]

4 mins read

SB 55 Task Force meets, gets questioned on Opportunity Center initiative

The South Dakota Board of Regents’ (SDBOR) Senate Bill 55 (SB 55) Task Force came to USD Oct. 14 to present the BOR’s strategies for addressing the bill’s charges to students and faculty.  SB 55 is “An Act to require the Board of Regents to assemble a task force to study the operations and functions […]

3 mins read

USD students, faculty voice CDC concerns at “Opportunity for All” listening session

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Volante’s Verve Editor Bennett Clary and Managing Editor Miles Amende contributed to this story. The USD committee working on the South Dakota Board of Regents’ (SDBOR) “Opportunity for All” action plan held a listening session Sept. 28 to report on the committee’s progress and receive feedback from USD students and faculty. The […]

6 mins read

Campus Activity Board lights up Welcome Week

USD Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted a Glow Party for welcome week on Aug. 27. Senior marketing and management major and CAB President Kate Solberg said the Glow Party was originally supposed to take place on the outside lawn between Old Main and Slagle Hall, but due to rain it was moved to the Muenster […]

2 mins read

Brief: USD vaccination event switches to Moderna after Johnson & Johnson FDA approval paused

A vaccination event on the USD campus substituted Moderna’s first dose for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccination after the FDA announced a temporary pause on Johnson & Johnson’s approval. Both the CDC and FDA are investigating blood clots developed by six women after vaccination. 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been […]

1 min read

Eats with Ashley brings African food to Vermillion

Beginning in January, a USD student used her personal cultural knowledge to bring diverse eating options to the Vermillion community once a week. Junior exercise science major Ashley Charlie started Eats with Ashley when she noticed that there was a lack of cultural foods in Vermillion.  When Charlie came to USD, she made connections within […]

2 mins read

Vermillion Walmart to administer COVID-19 vaccines

Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines through the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program on Feb. 12. One of the more than 1,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in 22 states participating in this program will be the Walmart on Princeton St. in Vermillion, South Dakota. The company worked with the Centers […]

1 min read