Excerpts From Recent South Dakota Editorials

Editors: Please note that The Associated Press welcomes editorial contributions from members for the weekly Editorial Roundup. Three editorials are selected every week. Contributions can be made by email at [email protected].

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The Daily Republic, Mitchell, April 27, 2015

We all need to be safe on the road

This is the time of year when we typically start seeing commercials that remind automobile drivers to watch out for motorcycles.

As the summer traveling season ramps up, more motorcycles hit the roads. And being South Dakota residents, we see an abundance of motorcycles throughout the summer on our roads as so many riders make the annual venture to Sturgis.

Over the weekend, there was an annual bike blessing at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchell. More than 100 riders gathered while Rev. Larry Regynski said a prayer and blessed each bike with holy water.

What a wonderful event.

It seems like each year we hear about tragic motorcycle crashes as bikers on their way to Sturgis, or ones who are just leisurely riding, are not seen and are struck by an automobile.

That’s why there’s a need for the “watch out for motorcycle” reminders and events such as Saturday’s bike blessing.

But while so many of these commercials remind people who drive cars and pickups to keep an eye out for motorcycles, we wonder why there’s a lack of commercials reminding motorcycle riders to look out for their own safety.

Far too many times we’ve seen motorcycle riders who feel they own the road. It seems some motorcycle riders don’t even consider people in other vehicles, and they expect that cars and pickups will watch out for the motorcycle.

There’s a definite lack of self-awareness for some motorcycle riders, and that’s frustrating.

It is especially frustrating when it seems like the people who drive cars and pickups are getting blamed for the majority of motorcycle accidents.

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, there were 470 total motorcycle accidents last year in South Dakota, 401 of which involved injuries to motorcycle riders. There were 17 motorcycle fatal crashes.

To be clear, we have nothing against motorcycling. The hobby attracts several people to our state each year and brings in thousands of tourism dollars.

For the people who enjoy the hobby and do it safely, we say, “Ride on.”

But we ask motorcyclists to have as much awareness for cars and pickups traveling as they’re asking from us.

We all need to be safe on the road.

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Aberdeen American News, Aberdeen, April 29, 2015

Getting the drop on pigeon problem

Another day, another dropping.

That’s what downtown shop owners, residents and visitors must think when they dance down Main Street, in a sort of pigeon-poop hopscotch.

It’s not a new problem. A simple search for “pigeons” and “downtown” in American News archives brings up this gem from December 2000, for instance:

“Former owners of the building next to Pauer Sound put up a decoy owl, hoping that might scare the birds away. But, ‘The first day it was up a pigeon sat on its head,’ (Scott) Sauer said.”

Last week, the Aberdeen City Council took the most recent first step in mitigating the pigeon problem from Aberdeen’s downtown. The council contracted with local home inspector Tom Black to trap pigeons, eliminate nests and move or dispose the birds as needed. Cost: $7,250 annually to Black.

While we applaud someone for taking on this job, this isn’t just a nest in the attic; we are talking thousands of birds in very high places.

But let’s hope it goes better than the last pigeon plan.

City Manager Lynn Lander said the Aberdeen Downtown Association has been contracting with someone to reduce the pigeon population. Lander also speculated that the population has grown from 1,500 to about 3,500 over the past several years.

So, exactly what was the unnamed remediation expert being paid for? Bringing crackers and mood music up to the pigeons’ nests?

Clearly, this is a significant problem without an easy answer — other than keeping downtown trash covered and not feeding the birds.

Until the problem is fixed, we’ll be keeping an eye in the sky. Covered with a hand, of course.

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The Volante, Vermillion, April 21, 2015

Filling out university surveys benefits students

Throughout the year, University of South Dakota administrators send out a plethora of surveys to students via email to get feedback on certain parts of the school. While it may seem like the surveys are annoying or overwhelming, they are important to the university and can ultimately change the environment and/or amenities available to students.

Take the most common survey about Internet, for example. Students receive at least one of these surveys a semester to get feedback about the university’s Wi-Fi connection. Although it is a common complaint that the Wi-Fi “sucks,” it should be noted the IT department has made several changes to improve Wi-Fi services.

Recently, the university updated its Wi-Fi connection capabilities to reach more devices. In our society, it is very common to have more than one device in use at a time — i.e. phone, tablet and computer — that needs a Wi-Fi connection for schoolwork and other activities. This update led to easier usage and directs the Wi-Fi to certain devices throughout the day. For example, during normal school hours, D2L can be accessed better, while at night Netflix works better than it would during the day.

This wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for student feedback. The university is trying to accommodate its students to the best of its abilities, and as students we need to meet them halfway. We have a chance to be heard, and there are changes being made to please the majority of the student body.

Between the flow of surveys that are sent out, students should have every opportunity to voice their opinion on things they want changed.

For university food and health services, there are comment cards available to fill out. For any academic complaints, students can talk to the heads of each department. For other complaints and concerns relating to the university, students can find comment drop boxes on the MyUportal.

Finally, at the end of each semester students are required to fill out an evaluation form about their professors and courses. While most students do not take this seriously or fill it out as best they can, this is a crucial time to present feedback and possibly help the department better its academic experience.

Students are here for nine months out of the year, and the university is aware there is always room for improvement. But students need to realize although there may seem to be a lot of surveys being sent out, it is because certain areas of the university can improve for the betterment of the student body.