It is hard for me to believe, but some students I’ve met recently do not know where Vermillion’s Main Street is. They have found their way around campus but are unaware of the workings of this town, its history or culture. Possibly, some will graduate from USD and not have a clue what Vermillion is all about. Why not? It is my opinion that as a student at USD, it is important for you to make the effort to understand the environment in which the university was founded, so that you can benefit from greater integration into the community and have a more meaningful experience during your time in Vermillion.
This certainly has helped me. When I moved to Vermillion in 2003, I was eager to explore the new environment and discover what opportunities the town had to offer for fun and work. I ventured out and accidentally discovered downtown Vermillion. I found a great thrift store where I purchased all my school supplies for a few bucks. Across the street was a coffee shop where I made new friends and somehow got signed up for a poetry slam (and placed second).
Eventually, I went a little further and enjoyed the view from the bluff, slipped down the path down the hill by Ron Turner Park and spent the rest of the evening wandering the trails of Cotton Park by the Vermillion River.
Of course, I did spend time on campus. I frequented the late Lacotah Hall and U.Brew, back when USD had a “center for students.” The U.Brew especially was nice: a dark, cozy coffee shop environment. This was unlike any part of the center we now have, which more closely resembles a parking garage, except it contains so much glass that it might not be safe to be in during the next hailstorm.
Gradually I realized that Vermillion was a very special small town that has cultivated a diverse, dynamic and somehow magical community. Even if I left Vermillion now, it would have been worth it to put down roots here, because balancing my activities between the campus and town allowed me to get more out of both and appreciate the strange relationship between the two that is sometimes tense, but ultimately essential to the community’s health.
Before I moved to Vermillion, I lived for several years in the great town of Dallas, S.D., which approximately 140 people call home. Although my early years were not spent in the state, I understand and appreciate what it is like to grow up in a rural setting. Contrary to the prejudiced notions of some city slickers I have encountered, it is not all that bad to live in the boondocks of these United States. In fact I find it preferable to the relentless busyness of the metropolis. Vermillion strikes a perfect balance. However, I have noticed that some people, having just left a life full of rural experiences for a degree at USD, are not inclined to venture outside their limited social or geographic environment.
In my columns this year, I want to share some of what I’ve experienced in Vermillion, but mostly I want to encourage students, especially those who have lived in South Dakota for their entire life, to develop an inquiring, investigative attitude. South Dakota is a great place and living here has many benefits.
In my opinion, students from small-town South Dakota and other rural areas have to make a special effort to become acquainted with new physical and social environments, because we are so wonderfully isolated, yet lack an experience of diversity, which is necessary for success in these times. It is a small step to leave campus and get to know the town, but such eagerness to explore new surroundings can pay off many times over. I challenge you to exit your comfort zone, wander off campus and find out what Vermillion has to offer.
Reach columnist Micah Wonnenberg at Micah.Wonnenberg@usd.edu.
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