2 Broadcaster Press April 5, 2016 www.broadcasteronline.com Gaps Exist In Sexual Abuse Processes At South Dakota’s Public Universities BY BOB MERCER State Capitol Bureau RAPID CITY – Gaps exist at South Dakota’s public universities regarding sexual abuse, despite staff working hard on innovations and improvements, according to an outside report delivered Thursday to the state Board of Regents. Michael Webster from the Margolis Healy consulting firm said he looked at 19 types of documentation and visited the six campuses last fall during his review of the universities’ compliance with federal Title IX and 1990 Clery Act regulations. Institutions must provide specific information, options and resources to survivors in cases of sexual violence, and they must have “a prompt and equitable process for resolving complaints,” according to the national Clery Center for Security on Campus. Among Webster’s recommendations for South Dakota’s public universities was an emphasis that the Title IX coor- dinator at each campus shouldn’t act in a double role as an investigator. He also suggested that two investigators be used on a case. That could be accomplished with a campus investigator and a system investigator shared by more than one university. Webster found universities used different notices of non-discrimination. He said the notice should be uniform throughout the university system. Title IX coordinators are expected to have access to chief executives at each campus, and each campus should have a Title IX committee chaired by the Title IX coordinator, Webster said. He noted that sexual abuse reporting has been infrequent at the state universities and training exercises can be used to keep knowledge and skills fresh. Checklists can be developed to conform to federal requirements and to ensure matters are handled properly, Webster said. Kayla Bastian, the human resources director for the regents, said the Title IX coordinators would be brought together to work on checklists and templates and to discuss plans for the climate survey. Bastian said student training in Title IX regulations and practices would be conducted in fall semester, with the climate survey to commence in the spring semester. Regent Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls noted that Webster’s report contained “12 to 15” references about the value of separating the duties of the Title IX coordinator and an investigator. Schieffer asked whether never having a coordinator do any part of an investigation is a bright line. Webster said that is the hope. “It’s all gray and murky,” Schieffer replied. Webster said the Title IX regulations apply to all institutions regardless of size. Schieffer later added he would have a hard time seeing how to implement the Title IX protections within the resources of the state universities. USDA Seeks Applications For Loans And Grants To Help Grow Rural Businesses And Spur Economic Development HURON – Rural Business Cooperative-Service Administrator Sam Rikkers announced that USDA is seeking applications nationwide for loans and grants to help support the start-up or expansion of rural businesses. "Our small, rural businesses need financing to compete in the global economy," Rikkers said. "With this announcement, USDA is demonstrating its continued commitment to investing in small towns and rural communities. These loans and grants will spur entrepreneurship, create jobs and improve the quality of life in rural America." The funding is being provided through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program. Under this program, USDA provides zero-interest loans and grants to local utilities, which use the funding to create revolving funds for projects that will create or retain jobs in rural areas. USDA is making $37 million in loans and $11 million in grants available nationwide. These funds are competed for at a national level. A recipient may receive a loan of up to $1 million, and/or a grant of up to $300,000. Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $330 million in loans and grants through the REDLG program. From those funds, the state of South Dakota has received $4,660,000 in loan and $7,566,000 in grant. In 2015, West River Electric Association, Inc. received a $720,000 loan for West River Electric Association, Inc. to promote rural economic development. The funds will be lent at zero percent interest to the Wall School District to assist with the construction of an athletic complex and save 40 jobs within the school district. The new facility includes a synthetic turf field to accommodate football practice and home games as well as an all-weather track for practice and visit the event’s Facebook By Sarah Wetzel the annual November fair is want to be in there because page) to host competition meets. The school intends to continue For the Plain Talk still on as well. they don’t feel like they’re in According to Nielsen, peoto promote a healthy lifestyle by incorporating the use of the Nielsen, a vendor herself, the main event. So we’re still ple can expect a wide variety of wanted to create an opportunew facility for school sponsored functions and community The Vermillion and surkind of deciding. If we get products and prices. based activities such as youth football, cheer leading, AAU rounding area will be treated nity for vendors and crafters to enough we may add the side “We like to keep them difwrestling, youth gymnastics and girls scouts. to a free-admission vendor and enhance their trades but with a room. If there’s enough comThe REDLG program has also been successful in Strikecraft fair next Saturday, April 9 ferent so we don’t have like generous spin. motion in the main room then four people selling tutus and Force counties. The StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opat the Vermillion Armory. “Me and my co-organizer people would be more than homemade burp cloths,” she The event, rescheduled thought we would partner up happy to go in there. They can portunity Initiative is part of the Obama Administration's said. “Some have homemade commitment to address persistent poverty across America. from November due to weathwith someone,” she said. “We definitely contact me because and some have different price As areas of persistent poverty are identified, USDA staff work er, will give the community a always wanted a cause to go we’ll decide on how many we points. We try to be selective with state, local and community officials to increase awarelittle springtime holiday feel with it so we’re doing a little want added in shortly. If we because we only have so much bit of good. The organization ness of USDA programs and help build program participation by benefitting the Vermillion can’t get them into this year room for a variety of vendors. Giving Tree. we partner with is the Theta we can definitely get them into through intensive community outreach and technical assistance. In 2014, Traverse Electric Cooperative, Inc. received a Those who participated or The vendors I get excited for Omega chapter of Epsilon November.” are those newer direct sale attended the event last year, Sigma Alpha in Vermillion. It’s Table fees are $25 plus tax if $300,000 grant to assist the Rosholt School District in making its first annual, will know what companies that are out and the same organization that’s in- the vendor provides their own improvements such as installing heating/cooling, ventilaabout. A lot of the homemade tion, and lighting to the older part of the Rosholt High School to expect. volved with giving trees around tables or $40 if the organizers crafters also come in and bring town where you walk up to a “Essentially it’s for the provide tables. building. their stuff. With Pinterest and same cause and all of the tree at WalMart or HyVee and According to Nielsen no For information on how to apply for REDLG loans or everything out there there same reasons,” said event cotake an ornament off, but the profit is made on table fees grants, contact your Rural Development state office or see organizer Jill Nielsen. “It’s just are a lot of really good ideas gift and give it to customer ser- which go toward the building page 14415 of the March 17 Federal Register. The first round circling around. I know from a different name.” vice who pass it on to ESA.” rental, ads and flyers. of applications is due March 31, 2016, and the second round personal experience doing a Pushing 40 vendors, the Last year about $600 was For more information visit of applications is due June 30, 2016. event will have a raffle auction Pinterest project it just doesn’t raised. This year Nielsen hopes the ‘Giving Tree Spring Fling President Obama's historic investments in rural America always turn out like it’s supto raise money for families to raise $1000 for the Giving Vendor/Crafter Show’ Facehave made our rural communities stronger. Under his leaderwho cannot afford gifts during posed to. So it’s nice to see Tree. book page or contact Nielsen ship, these investments in housing, community facilities, busipeople doing those crafts and the holidays. “The first year not many directly at magilly10@hotmail. nesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to sewing projects and seeing “Every vendor gives a people know about the event,” com. continue leading the way – strengthening America's economy, them for sale and having it look she said. “This time I hope we donation, it could be big or small towns and rural communities. small,” Nielsen said. “It’s up to exactly like it’s supposed to have a greater response be- Better Late Than Never: Spring Fling Vendor/Craft Fair Is On the vendor and what they feel comfortable giving. With those donations we have a raffle auction. People who come in can buy a ticket or a pack of tickets. They put their name on their ticket and put it with what prize they might want to win. With all that prize money we give it to the Giving Tree of Vermillion.” Products for sale will come from both crafters and direct-sale companies as well as lunch also available for purchase. (For a full list of vendors look. ” Because of the variety, Nielsen hopes to create a onestop shop. Judging by the responses received last year, Nielsen considered it a success. “The people in the community said it was nice because it was something different,” she said. “They could go out, do some shopping, pick up lunch at a one-stop shop and get it all done.” Though the event had to be postponed this past holiday season, they’ll be that much farther for the coming year as cause people have heard about it and want to come.” The organizers are also open to new vendors signing up possibly up to the day before the event. “We know how many we have right now and we would like to have more,” Nielsen said. “We just don’t know if we can accept more because we don’t want people pushed together. I don’t want it to be all crunched. I know in the armory there is a side room that we could use. Sometimes when we do a side room vendors don’t March 31, 2016 Brule Township Landowners and Farm Operators: The Brule Township Board of Supervisors will again be addressing three items of roadway maintenance in 2016: maintaining the width of legal right-of-ways, ditch cleaning, and clearing ditches of obstacles such as weeds, trees, rocks, and junk. I. Right-of-ways Thank you to those who have not farmed into the right-of-way, and to those who pulled back from the right-of-way last year. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. South Dakota Codified Law sets the width of public roadways at sixty-six feet and requires maintaining the full width – including the ditches. Failure to do so exposes the landowner and local government to liability in case of an accident. State law also forbids filling or farming into ditches, and prescribes both criminal and civil penalties for doing so (31-32-7 & 8). There has been an increasing emphasis by state and county governments to enforce right-of-way widths. The Township Board of Supervisors is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the township roads and right-of-ways and will act as necessary to protect the integrity of the roadways and ditches within the right-of-way and to maintain the right-of-way width. Costs for willful encroachment may be recovered from the landowner. The Board of Supervisors is asking all landowners and farm operators to be sure the right-of-way is not being encroached upon along their properties. Following the spring 2016 planting, the Board will be reviewing the right-ofways and will take action to preserve the right-of-way in accordance with state law. Violations of the right-of-way may result in criminal and/or civil penalties. II. Ditch Cleaning Ditches along the roads were built and are maintained for the purpose of keeping water from standing near the road and softening the roadbed, which can lead to damaged roads that can be both dangerous and expensive to repair. The Board will be setting the priority areas for ditch cleaning in the coming year and communicating with adjacent landowners. Landowners will receive written communication and will have the opportunity for feedback prior to work starting. The cost of cleaning ditches is the responsibility of the adjacent landowner. In some cases, Brule Township may share the cost of cleaning, depending on the circumstances of each ditch. III. Clearing Ditches of Weeds, Trees, Brush and Other Obstacles SDCL 31-32-3.1 prohibits dumping any material or cargo in the right-of-way, including rocks and other debris. SDCL 31-31-2 assigns land owners the responsibility to remove weeds, trees, brush, and other debris from the rightof-way (ditches). Failure to do so could result in the township hiring the work done and assessing the cost to taxes of the adjacent land. Please help keep the township roadways in good shape by respecting the right-of-way and keeping the ditches clear of obstructions. Doing so will make the roads safer for the motoring public, reduce maintenance costs, and make winter snow removal easier and quicker. As a landowner in Brule Township, the responsibility for these items is yours. If someone else is farming your ground or residing on your property, it is your responsibility to inform them of the contents of this letter. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation. If you have questions, please feel free to contact one of the supervisors. Sincerely, Steve Hofland, Supervisor – Chairman Nathan Laferrier, Supervisor Brian McInerney, Supervisor Regents approve $100,000 for new economic reports asked for: Executive summaries as much as possible so average person “can get to the RAPID CITY – The University of South heart of it,” he said; More use of charts and Dakota business school would get $100,000 graphs. “Make a picture story. That jumps to assemble two new reports on the effects out,” he said; document the sources of the of the state universities in the economy and data. “So it’s beyond refute like our fact the impacts from research and commerciali- book is,” Baloun said; and make a hand-out, zation projects involving the campuses. a few pages long, for legislators and others. The state Board of Regents approved the Regent Harvey Jewett of Aberdeen added a spending Friday. An economic report was suggestion. “It would be a good thing to take last prepared for the regents in 2010. Regent to your local newspaper.” Terry Baloun of Sioux Falls said it is imporBro the significance of andMonte Kramer, vice president of finance tant to show the publicadca steron said l .c administration,2x1 the regents did a the universities. “It’s a good time, after thatinetour last time, holding meetings on univerom period of time, to refresh the numbers,” sity campuses to release the information. “It Baloun said. won’t be done for a number of years again,” A retired banker, he asked the regents Baloun said. Campus presidents will be to consider suggestions to make the new asked for suggestions too, Kramer said. report easier for citizens to understand. He BY BOB MERCER State Capitol Bureau Broadcasteronline.c om IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS FOR YOUR FEET. Consider it... 3x1 Broadcasteronline.c Sold! om FREE SOCKS SALE! Boston 3rd • Yankton • to Boots Shoes 665-9092 312 W. In stock. 6” & 8” styles. Up to 4E wide & size 15 in stock. Available in Safety & Non-Safety Toe. 4x1 Classifieds