Vermillion Commission Seeks Student Representative

Vermillion’s Human Relation Commission is seeking a student appointee for the upcoming school year.

The Human Relations Commission was established six years ago, focusing on preventing discrimination and advocating for Vermillion residents who have experienced discrimination.

The commission works alongside the Vermillion City Council to settle cases where residents may have experienced discrimination related to housing and employment.

Commission member Mike Phelan believes the commission can be most effective with more visibility.

“The more that people are aware of this, hopefully this will prevent discrimination in the first place,” Phelan said.

Since the commission’s founding, students in Vermillion have remained a priority for the body. Six seats compose the commission, with one being reserved to a student attending the university for one-year terms.

“Students are a huge part of our community here. Since our founding, we wanted to make sure we had student representation,” Phelan said.

Students at USD come from many different backgrounds and may not be aware of their rights regarding housing or employment discrimination. According to Phelan, the commission works to fill those gaps. 

Although the commission focuses on the prevention of discrimination, the commission also aims to celebrate diversity in the community.

Recently, the commission has worked with the Cultural Wellness Coalition and the Tiospaye Student Council to promote their events within the Vermillion area.

“We want to have a presence this summer as students come back to town, to let them know we are a sounding board for any complaints you might have.”

The Human Relations Commission meets every first Thursday at 5:30 in City Hall. Meetings are open to the public, with time allotted for public comment.

The current student representative term ends in May, and interested students can apply to fill the position by visiting the City Council website.