EDITORIAL: USD legacy lives in student organizations

The theme for this year’s Dakota Days parade is “Celebrating 150 years of USD Legacy,” and it seeks to ask students, faculty, staff and alumni to look back to the history of this institution and what it is that has created the rich history we all now enjoy.

But what is a legacy, exactly, and what kind of one does USD indeed have? As leaders on campus, involved in a student organization, an integral part of USD’s legacy, past and present, has been its student organizations and the leaders those organizations have employed.

In addition to celebrating the university’s prestigious anniversary, The Volante is also celebrating an anniversary — 125 years as the students’ voice. The Volante is one of the oldest organizations on this campus, older even than the D-Days parade and celebration itself. But The Volante is just one of many organizations that have made their mark on USD’s history.

The students who populate the staff of The Volante, from reporters and photographers to editors and designers, work hard every week to produce an award-winning newspaper. The Volante earned a national Pacemaker award — the highest award a student newspaper can earn — last year, and is nominated once again for this prestigious award.

But it isn’t about the awards or the fanfare. The students on staff dedicate hours of each week to producing a paper, not for national awards, but for our classmates, our professors and our neighbors.

As a student, you can show your support for these students and their organizations by attending their events and respecting their efforts to make a presence on campus. Show your support for our Student Government Association by attending the meetings and events they hold on a regular basis. These events are intended for students — go to them.

Support The Volante by picking up a copy each Wednesday afternoon and browsing through the stories, columns, photos and designs that have taken hours to put together.

Seniors preparing to graduate and the alumni who will flood the campus and streets next week will tell you it isn’t the introductory-level classes you take or the labs you attend, but the organizations you put your time and dedication into that shape your time as a university student.