More than 9,800 students attended this year’s homecoming game, and the Vermillion Police Department and the USD Department of Public Safety worked around the clock ensuring Dakota Days was both fun and safe.
Holly Mueller, student organization program coordinator, said there was a great turnout for all events sponsored by the Dakota Days Committee.
The most popular events included Coyote Idol, Singled Out, the coronation and pep rally. The numbers totaled around 180 to 250 students for each event, Mueller said.
Mueller said the turnout was similar to past years but noted a difference in the coronation and pep rally crowds on Tuesday.
“Between the coronation and pep rally, a lot of the crowd left and was replaced by practically a whole new crowd, which has never happened in past years, so that was something quite different,” Mueller said.
Another variation from past years involved the crowd for the parade along Main Street. Mueller attributes the small turnout to the cold temperatures. Saturdays morning temperature was about 32 degrees, about 10 degrees cooler than last year.
“The attendance for the parade this year was noticeably slimmer, but that probably has something to do with the chilly weather we had that morning,” Mueller added.
Junior Katie Douglas said that Dakota Days is a great time to come together as a school.
“D-Days is one of the only times of the year that all of USD can come together to celebrate the one thing we have in common,” Douglas said.
Dean of Students James Parker estimated that 300 students attended the tailgate this weekend and said it ran very smoothly.
“The students have provided positive feedback on the Student Tailgate Nation. The students’ participation and feedback is vital and will guide our future decisions,” Parker said.
Freshman Melissa Klootwyk, cheerleader for the USD football team, said the crowd for the game was fantastic.
“There was a really great turnout for the game and the crowd was really excited. I loved it,” Klootwyk said.
Student safety is a big issue during D-Days as well. The Vermillion Police Department and USD Department of Public Safety worked around the clock to ensure that all students were well looked after. Chief of Police Art Mabry said overall, things were not done differently from last year and seemed to have gone well.
“We pretty much did the same thing we do every year. The only difference was we didn’t need as many officers at the parade as we have in past years,” Mabry said.
Over the weekend, proceedings for the Volunteer Crisis Team also went smoothly, Mabry said.
“I was out on duty ‘til about 4 a.m. and didn’t hear too much complaint-wise involving the Crisis Team, so things seem to have gone well,” he said.
The Crisis Team “provides on-site crisis response service to students, guests and community members who experience a crisis” according to the Student Counseling Center.
Reach reporter Tessa Audet at Tessa.Audet@usd.edu.
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