Guest submission: Fall 2012 already off to a great start
Editors note: Guest submission is a section dedicated to people on and off campus to send in columns to The Volante. The Volante reserves the right to decide if the submission will be printed or found online at our website.
For many of us, it’s been almost three weeks since we packed our lives into an obnoxious amount of boxes and bags and relocated to the city we call home for nine months of the year.
I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun! Move-in day was an incredible success. I was so thrilled to see such a fabulous freshmen class making their home at the University of South Dakota. The talent and focus of this new class is definitely a testament to the hard work of the USD Admissions staff.
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Like so many departments on campus, the Office of Admissions has yet again gone above and beyond in recruiting the best students to walk the halls of campus. It is clear that we are in the very best of hands.
At the same time, making the physical move is only one aspect of settling in for another year. The harder part is still to come. We’re now faced with the task of finding the organizations, friends and academic interests that will guide us through another school year. Through these discoveries, we will also identify the passions and goals that will drive us to success. The more seriously we take these tasks, the better off we’ll be come graduation.
Perhaps the easiest way to set yourself up for success is to truly focus on what you want to achieve while at USD. A diploma may be the most obvious achievement sought, but it is certainly not the only prize one can take away from college. Throughout our time at USD we will learn skills. We will learn how to effectively communicate with each other, how to work as a team, how to write a resume and interview for a job, how to prioritize and how to manage our time (give or take a couple cram sessions)! These are the attributes that cannot be found within a textbook. They can only be found through relationships and experiences. Yes, 8 a.m. class is quite possibly the worst thing in the world, but by getting up and walking into the classroom, you will become a stronger student and a more productive individual. This is just as true for every class time, organization meetings, group projects and other social events. As Woody Allen would say, 80 percent of life is showing up. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to learn simply because you didn’t feel like it.
The remaining 20 percent is up to you to earn. It is up to you to make your presence count and your voice heard. The Student Government Association will always be here to support you in your endeavors, and I encourage you to take advantage of the services we can and will provide. When you chose to remain silent, you lose what might have come had you expressed your opinions and concerns. If you ever need assistance, direction, or information about anything on campus or within your classes, please come talk to us. It is your right and responsibility to make your voice heard; it is our job to make it louder.
On behalf of the student body, let me welcome the newest students to the Coyote family. We are so thrilled to have you on campus and cannot wait to work with you throughout this next stage of your lives. To the veterans, welcome back! We are all beginning another year and another opportunity to makes something of ourselves. This is the 150th year of the University of South Dakota; let’s make it big!
-Alissa VanMeeteren,
Student Government Association President
