Feature
Understanding attraction, sexual and romantic orientations
University of South Dakota students are celebrating LGBTQ+ communities during this year’s Pride Week. USD’s LGBTQ+ group on campus, Spectrum: Gender and Sexuality Alliance, is hosting the events all throughout the week. The Volante compiled a quick guide about terminology and the different types of attraction and orientations, as you can feel attracted to different […]
USD alum Whitesock overcomes addiction, named a Bush Fellow
David Whitesock’s undergraduate experience at the University of South Dakota was a little bit different than the rest of the student body’s. “I lived in Brookman Hall, which as a 29-30 year old who lived in an apartment much of his life, living in that environment was tough,” Whitesock said. “But my whole day could […]
Speech and debate team to compete at national tournament
Five members of the University of South Dakota speech and debate team will travel to the University of Ohio in Athens, Ohio to compete in a nationwide tournament April 16-20. The team, which is affiliated with the American Forensics Association, currently competes in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, and attended eight regional tournaments this […]
Music majors perform recitals to graduate
To earn some degrees students have to submit a paper or project to graduate, but for music majors a special requirement must be fulfilled. Every year junior and senior music majors at the University of South Dakota perform at both vocal and instrumental music recitals to fulfill their graduation requirements. Rick Rognstad, professor of music at […]
Language department chair draws from West Point, ballet experiences to teach students
Three months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Laura Vidler couldn’t shake off the urge to serve her country in some way. She didn’t come from a military background and didn’t know if she had what it took to be in the military, but she knew she had to contribute to her devastated country one way […]
Computer science competition expands activities
A small, two-wheeled metallic robot scurries across the floor, its two sensors taking in information from its surroundings. The robot might look insignificant to the average observer, but for a select number of high school students it may offer a glimpse into a bright future. The University of South Dakota Computer Science Department will host […]
Published faculty write about array of topics, use books as learning tools
From reggae reference books to a cat memoir, professors at the University of South Dakota are publishing books on a variety of topics. USD professors are required to publish their own work, whether it be in the form of a scholarly article or a fiction novel. David Moskowitz, a music professor, has written four books […]
History museum a ‘hidden gem’ in Vermillion
Beyond the Wellness Center, next to the DakotaDome, is a nondescript brown building — the W.H. Over Museum. The museum contains oddities of local history, such as the bones of a circus elephant that escaped and was hunted down by the locals of the South Dakota territory. “(The museum is a) repository for the natural […]
Training exercise teaches ROTC cadets leadership, tactical skills
A two-way radio squawks in the distance. The platoon sergeant moves up and down the ambush line, checking his soldiers to make sure they’re in cover. Shots ring out, and someone shouts “Return fire!” The scene isn’t from some far away war zone, but from the Austin Training Area near Elk Point, S.D., where Reserve […]
USD women find empowerment through ROTC
Amber Hansen and Cassie Donahoe are not typical female college students at the University of South Dakota. They go to class every day just like other students, and they admit to having a hard time trying to balance their social lives with their school work. The only difference between them and the hundreds of other […]