Community piano brings music to downtown Vermillion

For the past month, The Spa at Wynie Mae’s in downtown Vermillion has been home to a new piece of public art. Under the awning out front of the salon is a community piano. The installation is part of an ongoing series in Vermillion called “Imagining Community.” Susan Heggestad, who painted the piano, said the […]

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SGA passes resolutions to support sexual assault prevention measures and COVID surveillance testing

Kate Fitzgerald, USD Director of Housing, spoke at the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting this Tuesday about the procedures around isolation and quarantine rooms for students living on campus. SGA also passed two resolutions and introduced a bill to restructure the Green Initiative Fund. Fitzgerald said students who choose to stay in isolation rooms on […]

3 mins read

Get Out the Yote registers students to vote in last weeks before election

In 23 states, the deadline to register to vote has already passed, but for South Dakota, that deadline is Oct. 19. Addison Miller, director of Get Out the Yote — a student organization encouraging USD students who can claim residence in Clay County to register in South Dakota — said the organization seeks to work […]

3 mins read

Environmental Law Society promotes sustainability

Law students at USD can get involved in sustainability projects through the Environmental Law Society (ELS), which seeks to raise awareness of environmental issues while also pointing them to environmental law as a potential career track. Berkley Fierro, ELS president, has been involved with the group for three years. Fierro said the group seeks to […]

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SGA promotes sexual violence awareness, approves funding for Cultural Wellness Coalition

The Student Government Association hosted Jordan Bonstrom of I CARE and Saeed Dabbour of the Center for Diversity and Community at Tuesday’s meeting. The organization also introduced three resolutions and passed a bill to approve special appropriations for the Cultural Wellness Coalition. Bonstrom said that the role of I CARE is split into two parts. […]

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I CARE kickoff promotes sexual violence prevention

USD’s I CARE — an organization dedicated to providing information about consent and sexual violence prevention — hosted a kickoff event on the Munster University Center west lawn Thursday, Oct. 1. I CARE was founded in 2017 with federal grant money. Its purpose is to direct students to information and resources on sexual violence prevention […]

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Mock trial team holds court online

USD’s mock trial team has continued to try cases in spite of the ongoing pandemic. To avoid spreading disease, the team has begun holding rounds over Zoom. When the COVID-19 pandemic began during the spring semester of 2020, mock trial’s season was cut short. Melody Beaulieu, co-captain of USD’s mock trial team, said the American […]

3 mins read

USD sets record retention rate, sees slight decline in new enrollment

USD saw growth in new graduate student enrollment and a record number of returning students, in addition to a small decline in total new student enrollment this semester. Total enrollment declined by 4.6%. Part-time students declined by 9.2% while full-time students declined by 1.9%. This means that USD’s core student population was largely unchanged. This […]

1 min read

Morse’s Farm Market brings local flavor to produce

Morse’s Farm Market, tucked away on Dakota St. on the outskirts of Vermillion, is a smaller operation than the competing Vermillion Area Farmer’s Market, but one that’s been a part of the community for generations. Mitchell Morse, the proprietor and sole operator of the market, has been working at the farmer’s market since he was […]

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SGA implements election transparency, debates ranked-choice voting

The Student Government Association hosted Kevin O’Kelley of the USD COVID-19 task force at Tuesday’s meeting. The body also passed a bill to implement election transparency and introduced a bill to implement ranked-choice voting in SGA presidential elections. O’Kelley said starting next week, USD will begin testing for asymptomatic COVID-19 cases by selecting a sample […]

2 mins read