Opinion

I really hate to be that guy, but I’m going to be that guy in defense of the university administering parking tickets. Last year I was notorious for parking illegally around North Complex or in the scattered ‘A’ parking lots on campus. If I had to guess, I would say I was given six or […]

Recently I received my first parking ticket from the University of South Dakota — which was more than $30. Now, I admit, I was parked in a visitor’s parking lot. However, I needed to be in that building for no more than 20 minutes to return heavy equipment to the university, after which I’d be […]

Last week on Election Day, Republicans took back the Senate and gained the majority in both houses of Congress. They needed six seats to have a majority in the Senate. The GOP was able to pick up Senate seats in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas, West Virginia and North Carolina. Not only did the GOP win control […]

Awhile back, I learned that if the fire department receives a call from a school and a house at the same time, the fire department will go to the school first because there are more people they have to help save as opposed to a house. Additionally, when these alarms go off, some students actually get scared and may fear […]

Nothing beats the early-November slump like a nice visit from your long-distance romantic interest. Although it made for a lovely weekend, I imagined no one really wanted to read about romantic strolls through Falls Park in Sioux Falls. So I squeezed in a more legitimate work-out before my deadline, and between it and the encouragement […]

It finally happened — I overdid it at the gym. This would almost be a point of pride if I could manage to walk more than 20 steps without one of my knees giving out. What could I have possibly done to obliterate my leg muscles in such spectacular fashion? I have just two words […]

About a month ago, I joined the Tinder train and downloaded the app because a friend of mine had found a guy and things were going well. Other friends had talked of nothing else but the success of the app. So I thought, why not? After 24 hours of “swiping left or right” and conversing […]

Michael Sam was drafted into the NFL twice — once by the St. Louis Rams and then by the Dallas Cowboys, being cut from the team both times. Sam is openly gay, a fact that has caused a huge storm of emotion in the football world — both good and bad. Of course, most people do not perceive football players as […]

What’s my confession? Well, OK, here it goes: I have a serious issue with the USD Confessions page. Why? After all, it is entertaining to peruse the page for hours, viewing students’ deep secrets and funny rants. It is funny to read about a vengeful roommate urinating on a toothbrush in an act of very, […]

This post was originally sent to the USD community in the spring semester and is now being resubmitted to begin the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusiveness monthly submitted column.  To the USD community: The mark of a leading university today is its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness and the formation of a campus community which […]