Opinion
Editorial: Combat Suicide with Meaning
September marks National Suicide Awareness month since its inception 15 years ago. Mental health has continued to make an impact on not only certain groups but entire generations. Mental health arguably ranks as one of the most important issues for Gen-Z. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lists South Dakota as having the fifth-highest suicide […]
Should USD Bring Back Paper Towels?
When I transferred to USD last year, one of the first things I noticed was the complete absence of paper towels in the restrooms. Instead, USD has hand dryers installed in every restroom. Should the school bring paper towels as an option to dry your hands? In order to answer that question, we need to […]
It’s Time for Gen-Ed Requirements to Go
Have you ever spaced out in that English or math class you didn’t want to take and thought to yourself, “why am I taking this course even though I’m a _____ major?” You’re not alone. The South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) is the leading culprit behind these requirements. In order to graduate from a […]
Halloween Will Always be the Best Holiday
Halloween is one of the greatest holidays. There are activities for people of all ages to enjoy and nothing is required if you do not want to participate. It’s the time of monsters, large amounts of sugar and scary movies. It’s fun to dress up, but it’s never a requirement. The best costumes are definitely […]
What Education is Worth
In today’s world, telling people you are seeking a degree in education elicits a similar response to telling them that you are pursuing a degree in underwater basket weaving. Even those who are less vocal seem confused about the choice of career. Obviously, there are multiple (and sadly justifiable) reasons behind this reaction. A couple […]
Tipping is essential, quit acting like it isn’t
In South Dakota, the minimum wage was recently increased to $9.30 an hour, just over two dollars more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. $9.30 still isn’t high enough but compared to other Midwest states, it’s not bad. But that’s not the point here. Employees deemed as “tipped employees” can be paid as little […]
Show up for Black Lives Matter
The United States is going through a lot right now. A tight presidential race, a spiraling out of control pandemic that is averaging 945 deaths per day, and boiling over racial tensions. On top of that, many students across the country are going back to school, sports are cautiously starting up again and it feels […]
Don’t cancel the environment too
Cancel culture is still in full swing and no one seems to be safe from the wrath of the TikTok teens. I think although many spent their summer waking up to the injustices in the world, we continue to find reasons to call ourselves and others out on mistakes that, for a celebrity, could be career-ending. We are all learning and growing. Many […]
Editorial: Welcome back from The Volante
To all students, faculty and staff, The Volante would like to formally welcome everyone back. Though it may not be under the circumstances anyone predicted, it is great to see everyone on campus. And to the class of 2024, we would like to introduce ourselves. We are The Volante; the student voice at USD since […]
The real heroes: healthcare workers
There is a group of people consistently at the front lines of this pandemic, day and night, risking their lives to help those afflicted with COVID-19. Those people are healthcare workers — people in hospitals and clinics working hard to care for COVID-19 patients. The past couple of weeks multiple videos have circulated social media, […]