The history of The Volante

Years before it became the student newspaper of the University of South Dakota, The Volante was being published over 500 miles away at the “Old” University of Chicago.

In 1872, the “Old” University of Chicago published the first edition of what is now The University of South Dakota’s newspaper, The Volante. 

The Volante (pronounced vuh-LONT) was a student-run publication of the “Old” University of Chicago, which operated from 1857 until 1886. 

In 1887, Dr. Edward Olson left Chicago for Dakota to serve as the fourth president of the University of South Dakota. Olson brought with him seven or eight students who became known as the “Chicago Boys,” including Herbert S. Houston, the first editor of The Volante.

According to “The University of South Dakota, 1862-1966” by Cedric Cummins, the name Volante is derived from a French word signifying “flying.” Olson and the former Chicago students chose the name for nostalgic reasons, as the publication had not been revived when the university reopened.

“The university in the far-off Dakota would have a unique, orphaned title for its paper,” Cummins wrote.

Houston was succeeded as editor by Agnes True; the two later married. True was the daughter of Charles H. True, who established the Dakota Republican, a Vermillion newspaper that later merged with Vermillion Plain Talk.

For decades, The Volante was published in the Dakota Republican offices.

Throughout its history, The Volante has reported on nearly every significant event to affect campus, including one of the university’s earliest disasters, the infamous Old Main fire in 1893.

In its original coverage, The Volante reported: “The total destruction of the University Hall by fire on the morning of Sunday, the 15th together with almost everything it contained, lays upon us a strain, the character and extent of which we have not yet measured.”

In 1937, The Volante celebrated its 50th anniversary. Editor Kenneth Olds reached out to former editors to gather information about the newspaper’s history and what had become of those who had helped shape it.

In a letter, Olds wrote: “We are interested in hearing from all the past editors of the Volante and are writing to all of those whose addresses can be found. We hope that you will write to us concerning your present work, position, any interesting information about the period when you were editor of the Volante and anything else of interest.”

The University Archives & Special Collections houses Olds’ original letter, responses from former editors and the 50th anniversary edition, which featured several articles celebrating the newspaper’s first half-century.

One of those former editors was Herbert B. Rudolph, who went on to serve as a South Dakota Supreme Court justice from 1931 to 1957.

In his response to the newspaper, Rudolph recalled how his time as editor may have saved his and his roommate Gene Vidal’s lives.

In 1915, Rudolph had to wake up at 6 a.m. to meet the printers. The night before, he and Vidal had fallen asleep with a coal heater running, and Rudolph had forgotten to open the windows.

“We had both received an overdose of hard coal stove gas, and it took the doctors and much fresh air to finally revive Gene… Gene and I have always said, that were it not for the fact that I was editor of the Volante and had to be at the printing office at six o’clock we both would still be asleep there in Rinnie’s room,” Rudolph wrote. 

Decades later, another Volante editor would go on to have a major impact on American journalism.

Allen H. Neuharth became the paper’s editor in 1949. After his death in 2013 The Volante published an article over Neuharth’s legacy in which they reported:

“A 1950 graduate of USD, Neuharth began his journalism studies after returning from a World War II tour overseas. Originally interested in radio, the South Dakota native was influenced by then-Volante Editor-in-Chief Marilyn Haggerty to consider a career in the newspaper business, telling him “he didn’t have the stuff for radio.” 

Neuharth went on to become the founder of USA Today and remained connected to his alma mater throughout his career. In 1988, he created the Al Neuharth Excellence in Journalism Scholarship, which is awarded to USD students pursuing careers in media.

In 2003, the Al Neuharth Media Center opened as the hub for the Department of Media & Journalism and USD’s student media outlets: The Volante newspaper, Coyote Radio KAOR-FM and KYOT-TV.

Before the media center opened, The Volante had been housed in the Coyote Student Center.

As journalism entered the 21st century, The Volante continued to evolve with changing technology.

Throughout its history, the paper has used a variety of nameplates, often reflecting the design trends of their respective eras. Around 2002, The Volante began using the current nameplate and logo. Nearly 25 years later, the design remains unchanged.

Around the same time, the paper also began using the “Verve” section. Originally focused primarily on pop culture and entertainment, Verve has evolved into a broader section that combines traditional lifestyle coverage with entertainment.

One of the biggest changes in The Volante’s history came with the incorporation of the internet. As newspapers across the country began moving online in the mid-to-late 1990s, The Volante was not far behind. In 1997, The Volante published a personal ad promoting its new website. The original URL was www.usd.edu/volante.

The URL VolanteOnline.com, which is still used today, launched in 2001.

Reminders of the website’s earliest iterations can still be found through resources such as the Wayback Machine.

Both the website and physical newspaper continued to receive recognition. In 2019, The Volante was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame and named to the Pacemaker 100, a list recognizing the top 100 student publications of all time.

Through all of these changes, one thing has remained constant: The Volante is a publication created by students, for students.

As the demand for physical newspapers has declined and digital media has become increasingly important, The Volante has continued to adapt to the ways students consume news, expanding its presence through its website and social media while maintaining its print publication.

Next November will mark the newspaper’s 140th anniversary.

With encouragement, creativity, passion and vision, the Volante will remain students’ voice for another 140. 

Archived Volante newspapers and information courtesy of USD Archives & Special Collections.