OMICRON surges at USD, CDC guidelines change

As COVID-19 resurges through the community, USD is continuing to provide testing, even amidst the test shortage.  Testing is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Muenster University Center (MUC) in the Hoy room located in the northeast corner on the first floor. Kevin O’Kelley, head of the USD COVID-19 […]

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USD plans to continue monitoring COVID-19 levels

USD is still monitoring COVID-19 cases among students, faculty and the community as a whole.  Kevin O’Kelley, USD Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance and Director of Environmental Health and Safety, is the university’s point of contact for the South Dakota Department of Health. He will know about every COVID-19 case on campus and within […]

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New CARE Team collects research to aid in USD’s, South Dakota’s COVID-19 response

USD’s School of Health Sciences has created the Community Action Response Epidemiology (CARE) team to partner with the South Dakota Department of Health and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board to provide contact tracing, health promotion and comprehensive services to the state of South Dakota. Susan Puumala, the project director of the CARE team, […]

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New FAR appointed amid pandemic

Tucked away in Noteboom Hall, room 317, Jessica Messersmith — the newly appointed Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) — is deciding what the best course of action is to help all student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a normal year, Messersmith’s job would include keeping student-athletes on track while they balance their academics and athletics. She […]

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Local businesses feel financial pressure as pandemic continues

One downtown restaurant is on the cusp of closing its doors due to the slowdown of business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, while another two are finding new ways to combat the financial difficulties. Café Brulé, a Main Street restaurant, is struggling financially during the age of COVID-19. After celebrating being open for a little […]

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Physical therapy students on schedule to graduate after COVID-19

USD’s physical therapy program is making sure students learn the necessary skills while staying on track to graduate despite transitioning to online learning. USD’s physical therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The commission establishes the minimum standards and elements of knowledge PT students need to graduate. Patti […]

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Summer camps, conferences canceled in response to COVID-19

USD announced on Friday all summer camps are canceled— including American Legion Auxiliary South Dakota Girls State, originally scheduled for June 1 through 6, Despite the cancellation, all participants will receive a certificate of achievement and according to the press release, will be invited to the banquet scheduled for the fall. ALA South Dakota Girl […]

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Letter from the Editor: The importance of conversations

In a time when everything is online working remotely should be easy. It should be easy to put together a paper from your house — but it’s not.  While The Volante staff is lucky to have access to Adobe Indesign on our laptops, the ability to edit photos from our living rooms, access to the […]

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