Center for Diversity & Community

Center for Diversity & Community

Striving to uphold the excellence of our communities.

Striving for Excellence

The Center for Diversity and Community (CDC) is here to serve the diversity and inclusiveness needs of the USD student body and in particular, support communities that have historically been marginalized. Our office utilizes a broad and inclusive definition of diversity that includes disability,Center for Diversity & Community Mosaic logo gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, race/ethnicity, nationality, veteran status and other social identities that are part of the campus community.

Services & Programming

Our office offers a wide variety of services and programming to meet the needs of our students:

  • Cultural, social and retention support programming
  • Student leadership engagement, development and training
  • Advisement and support for student organizations
  • Celebration, education and recruitment activities to support diversity
  • Educational opportunities to enrich and support the USD academic mission
Name Department & Office Contact
Laura Chandler
  • CDC Director
 STUDENT SERVICES
Muenster University Center 219E

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Diversity and Inclusiveness at USD

The University of South Dakota is committed to diversity and inclusiveness at every level of our community.

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Diversity & Community Events More Events

September 16, 2019

La hora de la fiesta (Spanish Conversation Table)

The Department of Modern Languages & Linguistics presents La hora de la fiesta, an informal get together to practice Spanish, play games, watch a short film, listen to music, have snacks and learn about the cultures of Spanish America and Spain. This event repeats. Location: Slagle Hall Room 310 - Language Lab

September 16, 2019

Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-off

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes contributions, diverse cultures, heritages and extensive histories of the Latino and Hispanic population in The United States. Contact: Latino and Hispanic Student Organization (LaHSO)

September 18, 2019

Native Voices Lecture Discussion Series

Beth Boyd, Ph.D., (Seneca), will discuss historical trauma and how it has affected the lives, health and mental health of Native people in the present day. Historical trauma will be defined, experiences of historical trauma will be presented, and possibilities for healing from historical trauma will be discussed. Boyd is the director or the USD Clinical Psychology Program and is a member of the USD Disaster Mental Health Institute. She has provided psychological services for Native children in emergency care at the Winnebago Youth Facility for 20 years. This is part 4 of a 4-part Native Voices Lecture and Discussion Series coinciding with the Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness exhibition, produced by the National Library of Medicine and is on display on the 2nd floor of the I.D. Weeks Library until Sept. 25. To learn more and view content from the exhibition, visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices.

September 19, 2019

Celebrating Vermillion's New Community Mural EúÅ‹kičhetupi: Come Back to Life

The Vermillion Community Mural Project is hosting a dedication event celebrating the completion of EúÅ‹kičhetupi: Come Back to Life, the first installation of a two-part mural, designed and created by Reyna Hernandez, Elizabeth Skye, Inkpa Mani and assisted by Amber Hansen, Jenae Porter and members of the community. The dedication will be held by the north-facing wall of the Coyote Twin Theater located at 10 East Main Street in Vermillion. Food will be provided, and the artists will share information about the process and inspirations behind the design. In addition, fundraising efforts will begin to raise money to complete the second half of the mural design.