2014
SD steps forward for animal rights, passes legislation
South Dakota has recently become the 50th state to enact animal protection legislation, making it a felony offense to engage in animal cruelty. Considered a victory by animal rights activists, the law would address many different issues, one of the most inflammatory being cases of dog fighting. Despite the recent measures our state has taken […]
Title IX has its drawbacks
The other day I decided to look at the athletics page for recent events to attend, and I noticed the men’s sports had fewer teams than the women’s. A question crossed my mind: why? The answer: Title IX. Mubarik Musa, a sophomore at USD who participates in both cross-country and track said “the school is trying […]
Searching for the original fool, the origin of April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day is one day out of the year when everyone has an excuse to play numerous pranks on their friends as long as the simple phrase, “April Fools” is uttered. However, most don’t realize that unveiling the root of this great holiday has been just as tricky as the day itself. The theories […]
Fraternity amends pledging process
The national Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity announced March 6 that the new member program and identification of the term “pledge” or “new member” would be eliminated from their procedures. The change came into effect March 9 and requires all 226 chapters and 15 colonies across the nation to apply the historic change. If any […]
Academic Affairs continue to weigh professor evaluation switch
A shorter professor evaluation form could be approved by Academic Affairs at the University of South Dakota by the end of the semester, interim Provost Kurt Hackemer said. The current diagnostic form of evaluations, which is 47 questions long, could potentially be replaced by a shortened 18 question evaluation, pending approval by Academic Affairs. “This […]
Musicians struggle with performance injuries
Partway through playing a three-hour piano accompaniment for the University of South Dakota’s production of “Les Miserables”, graduate student Chris Larson knew something was wrong. “It was a stabbing pain,” Larson said. Last semester, Larson had an MRI on his arm which revealed a genetic and benign tumor. Now the tumor is large enough for […]
Initial excitement leads to roadtrip
All through my college career I’ve dreamed of car ownership. The thrill of not having to bum a ride off my roommate to go to Walmart was my equivalent of the American dream. Two-and-a-half years of purgatory and my dream became a reality. I was inheriting my dad’s car after my folks bought electric cars […]
Staying single isn’t radical, it should be embraced
Once upon a time, I wrote a column on this exact same subject matter. It’s been over three years now. I’ve become a very different person since then. I think it would do me well to revisit this idea, given the circumstances I find myself in now. The issue at hand is the radical notion […]
A secret to ‘happiness’ would be helpful
Since some time last August, I’ve been on a quest for personal happiness. This is not a journey for the faint of heart. It involves a lot of failure, a lot of trial and error, and a whole lot of picking yourself up after you fall down. The key is to be painfully honest with […]