Behind the Scenes of Homecoming Week

With unusually warm October temperatures, the 110th annual celebration known as D-Days is well underway at USD.

     Tuesday morning, students gathered in the MUC for free bagels from Einstein’s and mocktails made from Bubblr and fruit juice.

With some jazz music in the background at nine in the morning, the Rise N Dine was unusually tranquil for D-Days standards. 

     Dakota Days Executive Team Co-President Libby Brust enjoys seeing the people this week. 

     “I think one of my favorite parts of D-Days is just seeing everybody come back, seeing the whole campus and Vermillion community come together to celebrate the Yotes,” Brust said. “The street dance is always a great time.”

     Others like to see who students pick as homecoming royalty.

     “I’m really excited to see royalty crowned, and it’s really fun to see everyone so excited and celebrating,” said Ellie Hart, Vice President of Parade.

     Sam Anderson, Vice President of Events, enjoys the parade.

     “I’m looking forward to the parade, I think especially on the weekend.” Anderson said. “Vermillion really comes alive.”

     While students are excited for the weekend, law enforcement also has their own preparations underway.

     Andy Howe, Clay County Sheriff, says operations at the Sheriff’s Department during D-Days weekend are down to a science.

     “We developed a procedure in case we had a mass arrest where maybe we have several inmates at once,” Howe said. We implement that every D-Days.”

     The garage used to book inmates closes and becomes a makeshift space for booking.

     “We create an assembly line booking process that we would use under a mass arrest situation. And it works very well for D-Days,” Howe said.

     Most people arrested are released after booking, and those who are not can only be held at the Clay County Jail for 72 hours before they must be transferred to a different facility.

     The Vermillion Police Department brings in other officers from neighboring police departments for the weekend. 

     Sheriff Howe says that a usual D-Days weekend from Thursday night to Sunday morning results in 50-70 arrests.

     Last year arrests were unusually low, with only 31 during that time frame.

     Those arrested this weekend can expect to experience first-hand the preparations of law enforcement personnel.