2018
Sesame Street takes a gay turn
Bert and Ernie are gay. Or at least that’s what Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman alluded to in an interview with the New York Post, igniting passionate comments from those in favor of this gay muppet couple and those opposed. Though members of the LGBT+ community and other enthusiastic fans have claimed this unconventional couple […]
Law School proves skeptics wrong
It never fails to astonish me how panic is so often exaggerated. The most recent example is USD’s law school. It was not long ago when the law school was mocked, even ridiculed for its performance. Declining bar passage rates caused concern among students and staff. There were murmurs the school would lose its accreditation. […]
Wellness Center refits racquetball room as functional training space
Escape Fitness has refit one of the Wellness Center’s racquetball rooms as a functional training space. New boot camp classes in the space started last week. Steve Mayer, the director of the Wellness Center, said that the feedback has been positive, and the change came out of looking at the growth in popularity for functional training and […]
Updates to fine arts facilities could total $30 million, search for funds continues
Students and faculty have seen issues with the outdated infrastructure of the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts (FA) for years, including the HVAC system, leaks in the ceiling highlighted by moldy ceiling tiles, acoustics and sound leakage, old water fountains and sinks that don’t drain. Faculty have begun to search for funds in […]
SGA discusses date change for upcoming elections
USD’s Student Government Association discussed five bills and one resolution at their weekly meeting on Tuesday night. Senators took a second look at Senate Bill 76, which was first introduced last week. This bill is to move SGA elections from Tuesday and Wednesday to Monday and Tuesday of election week. Senator Christian Skunk, the sponsor of […]
Theater department modernizes ‘Love’s Labor’s Lost’
Shakespeare in a frat house? The USD theater department has their opening show of the year, and it mixes classical Shakespeare and modern American culture. Tim Pyles, assistant professor said he chose the show Love’s Labor’s Lost because it connects with the college crowd and he feels it’s important for his students to learn. “I […]
Finding the right key; non-music majors fill up piano classes
No wonder people click for more info regarding music classes for non-music majors. Piano classes for non-music majors have been filling up fast, and the number of students enrolling in piano lessons are continuing to climb. A large amount of non-music majors’ interest in private piano music lessons is increasing the talk of personal growth […]
Students learn about the ‘survival of the species’ in sexual education course
One USD professor has been educating students on a taboo topic, sexuality, for more than 30 years. Cindy Struckman-Johnson teaches the course psychology of sexuality every fall and has even pushed off her retirement because she said she feels the class is too important to not be taught. Struckman-Johnson’s course covers a wide variety of […]
USD professor authors book, ‘Document Image Analysis’
One professor has authored a new book, “Document Image Analysis.” The book covers topics such as pattern recognition, image processing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. KC Santosh, assistant professor & graduate program coordinator for the computer science department said in an email interview with The Volante that his book is a document analysis project. “The book presents […]
Swim & Dive team finds new depth
Following last season’s successful campaign, 14th year coach Jason Mahowald and his swimming & diving squad are hungry for more. “There’s definitely a drive to be successful with this group,” Mahowald said. “And that’s not coming from anyone but our upperclassmen. They want this team to be good, and I think they expect it to be good.Our […]