“Never Forget the Names,” Students March for Missing Indigenous People

On Thursday, February 16, USD students, faculty and staff joined the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) and the Native American Cultural Center for a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person march.  There are 132 missing people listed on South Dakota’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse. 71 of the persons listed are Native American or Alaskan Native.  Attendees […]

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HOW DRAG AFFIRMS IDENTITY FOR USD STUDENTS

Finding your stride as a queer person in South Dakota can come with challenges, but for Pollie Esther, it happened by accident.   Since stumbling across RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2019, Pollie Esther has been developing herself and her identity in her parents’ basement.  “When I found [RuPaul’s] Drag Race, I got inspired and wanted to […]

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Union of African American Students Celebrates Black History Month

February is Black History Month for the United States, and the Union of African American Students (UAAS) has begun celebrating the month with various events. UAAS is an organization on USD’s campus that focuses on creating a comfortable and educational environment for all members of USD’s campus. “We’re here to be a safe space and […]

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MSA set to host Ramadan celebration Thursday

On Thursday, April 14, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) is hosting its first event of the year, a celebration for Ramadan, the holy month in Islam. The event will consist of an informative presentation, a traditional meal and a quiz. The event is at 7:30 pm in the Muenster University Center (MUC) pit. The president […]

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International Club hosts Festival of Nations 

The Festival of Nations was held by USD’s International Club on Sunday evening in the Muenster University Center (MUC) ballroom and welcomed students and Vermillion residents. The event included food, music, games and the opportunity to experience new cultures from around the world.  Over 30 countries were represented by individuals who prepared dishes from their […]

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Dispatches from the CDC: Community in all colors

This is the third installment of a series recording the experiences of students and faculty involved with the Center for Diversity and Community (CDC). The series seeks to highlight why this organization was so impactful on the USD community and why the CDC was more than the sum of its parts. “When I was (in […]

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Native American student athletes recognized at basketball game

Native American Heritage Day was held in recognition of the nine South Dakota tribal nations with the 11 native athletes on campus at the Dakota Dome on Saturday, Feb. 19, during the men’s basketball game against Western Illinois.  The director of native student services Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and director of native recruitment and alumni engagement […]

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USD’s International Club hosts International Mother Language Day

The International Club hosted an event in the MUC in celebration of International Mother Language Day to not only teach students about the holiday but also to promote it as well. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language day also known as Matribhasha Diwas was an initiative by Bangladesh and was promoted by the United […]

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Black achievements being recognized during Black History Month at USD

Since 1976, February has been recognized as Black History Month. This month is to celebrate the achievements of Black people in the U.S.   According to History.com, the month originated from Negro History week, which was sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in 1926. Eventually the week […]

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Weekly prayer led by USD Muslim Student Association

The Muslim Student association was founded by a group of undergraduate and graduate students with the help of Jesus Trevino and Lamont Sellers in 2014. Trevino and Sellers designed the organization to be solely student-driven that resembles Islamic views of community and service for college students.  Currently, the USD Muslim Student Association has roughly 70 […]

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