Opinion
Editorial: How Old is Too Old for Halloween
Halloween approaches fast, just in time for some potential snow as the last vestiges of warm weather disappear. Downtown Vermillion will host a trick-or-treat for kids in the afternoon, but what about us? Are we too old to celebrate Halloween? To answer this question, we need to understand the history of Halloween. Many believe Halloween’s […]
Editorial: ChatGPT Hurts Our Writing Skills
The Volante staff aims to highlight the power of artificial intelligence (AI) generated content by using ChatGPT to write this week’s editorial on why using AI negatively impacts an individual’s writing capabilities. Relying solely on AI for writing comes with a set of limitations and concerns that should give pause to those considering it as […]
Positive Change Starts When Mediocrity Ends
Have you ever thought about why you exist? I know I have. I try to ask myself that question on a fairly regular basis. There was a time in each of our lives when we gained self-awareness, around the age of four or five. Clearly, we all know we exist. I don’t want to kickstart […]
Campus Dining Leaves Much to be Desired
Should we as students expect more from campus dining based on what we are paying for? A common grievance among many students is about the quality of meals on campus, in particular the residential dining cafeteria. Sodexo contracts as the catering company that serves all South Dakota public colleges, a decision made by the South […]
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 […]