COVID-19
New COVID-19 Strain Emerges
A new COVID-19 variant called XBB.1.5 surges on the east coast. According to the World Health Organization, the variant is likely to be more transmissible than the previous variants due to its immune evasiveness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the new variant accounts for 43% of new cases, with most […]
COVID-19 Pandemic Has Made College Students Lazy
Pushing off assignments until the last minute has always been a part of college life. We all know procrastination will never help us, most of the time pushing something off until later will make the situation worse, and the lockdown just added fuel to the fire. Procrastination can be caused by several things like stress, […]
I’m not sure I want to return to “normal”
I graduated high school in what felt like peak COVID-19 in May of 2020. Before graduation, I spent two months taking online classes or the infamous digital learning. Despite not being able to experience senior year to its fullest, it wasn’t so bad. Neither my teachers, friends or I knew how to make an online […]
COVID-19 not hindering study abroad opportunities
The Study Abroad Expo was held Feb. 3 and allowed students to learn more about study abroad programs at USD through the Gallagher Center. The expo consisted of tables advertising faculty-led programs, financial assistance help and a student ambassador booth where study abroad alumni discussed their previous trips. There was also a virtual reality (VR) […]
SGA hears from Unite for USD
At Student Government Association’s (SGA) meeting, Nate Popp gave a presentation on Unite for USD and the Senate discussed the possibility of another mask mandate. Unite for USD is an annual online fundraiser that lasts 1,862 minutes. This will be the fourth year of the fundraiser. There are over 20 initiatives this year. “This year, […]
Men’s basketball finds season interruptions due to COVID-19
Prior to entering Summit League play, the Coyotes finished their non-conference schedule with a winning record of 8-4. Their last four games against Waldorf, Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona, and Bellarmine all took place in the beginning of December and set the men’s basketball team up for their first conference game. During the Waldorf game on […]
No COVID-19 changes anticipation for spring semester
As students prepare for the close of the fall semester and are scheduling their trips home, USD doesn’t anticipate having to make any adjustments for COVID-19 come the spring semester. Kevin O’Kelley, head of the COVID-19 Taskforce, said while numbers are lower than the university anticipated, it’s important to remember that these cases are not […]
COVID-19 Taskforce encourages testing before Thanksgiving break
Last fall, the University of South Dakota’s COVID-19 cases peaked at 243 according to the USD COVID-19 Dashboard. This year, the highest peak has been 24 in early September. South Dakota has a total of 5,961 cases overall, according to the South Dakota Department of Health website. Kevin O’Kelley, the head of USD’s COVID-19 Taskforce, […]
Cases stay low, on-campus COVID-19 testing remains available
There are currently six active cases of COVID-19 at USD as of Oct. 19, but COVID-19 testing is still available daily as the virus remains on campus. USD had a peak of 25 cases in early September, but hasn’t seen the case total climb above 15 since Sept. 8. There are currently nine individuals in […]
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 […]