SGA addresses concerns about CDC, Opportunity Center
At this week’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, the body received feedback on the university administration’s efforts to install an “Opportunity Center” at USD’s Center for Diversity and Community (CDC). SGA also considered two new bills, one to allocate special appropriations funds to the First-Generation Student Organization and a second to increase transparency on SGA’s […]
USD continues to monitor COVID-19 cases on campus
USD’s fall 2021 semester was promised as a “back to normal” semester for on-campus learning after the disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic. More than a month in, COVID-19 remains a consideration for the university. Kevin O’Kelley, assistant vice president of research compliance and the head of USD’s COVID-19 Task Force, said the difference in […]
USD ranks best in the Dakotas for second consecutive year
USD was ranked the highest of all universities in North and South Dakota for the second consecutive time in the latest U.S. News and World Report’s “Best National Universities” list early this month. USD ranked number 239, 10 spots higher than its place on last year’s list. USD has been ranked as one of the […]
South Dakota animal shelters help rehome pets displaced by Hurricane Ida
In the wake of Hurricane Ida sweeping the Gulf Coast, hundreds of shelter animals were left with nowhere to go. Operation Sunflower, a project run by Greater Good Charities, transported at-risk shelter pets in advance of and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida to animal shelters across the country. One such animal shelter was the […]
USD Libraries presents altered book exhibition
The University Libraries at USD is presenting “Bound and Unbound VI,” a biennial international altered book exhibition, juried by artist, professor and journalist Melissa Stern. The exhibition will be on display on the second floor of the I.D. Weeks Library and online through January 3, 2022. Stern has worked in sculpture, photography and drawing for […]
USD professor works to save chameleon species from extinction
USD Assistant Professor Chris Anderson took a leading role in a recently published study on the critically endangered Chapman’s pygmy chameleon. Anderson took part in a team that did an assessment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 2014. This assessment placed the chameleon in the category […]
COVID-19 on campus: looking back, looking forward
The tide may be turning on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, with a decline in new cases nationally and regionally and with South Dakota’s Board of Regents seeking a more “normal” fall semester on USD’s campus. In response to this, USD student organizations, Vermillion businesses and local government leaders are looking to bring […]
Derek Chauvin found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes until death. Floyd’s death last May set off a wave of protests for racial justice and police reform. The jury found Chauvin guilty after 10 hours of deliberation over two days. Chauvin was […]
Vermillion mayoral election sees five candidates
EDITORS NOTE: In a previous version of this article, Aaron Kerkhove’s name was mistakenly reported as Charles. This article has been updated to reflect the correct name. The Volante regrets this error. Vermillion’s Mayor Kelsey Collier-Wise will run in a special election to serve out the rest of Mayor Jack Powell’s term in June. Collier-Wise […]
SGA cuts organization budgets due to lower enrollment projections
In the Student Government Association’s (SGA) annual budgeting process, many student organizations have seen cuts to their requests. This comes as a decrease in enrollment following the pandemic caused reductions in USD’s General Activities Fund (GAF), which, in addition to SGA spending, includes athletics, student media and maintenance. One organization impacted by the reduction in […]