The tide may be turning on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, with a decline in new cases nationally and regionally and with South Dakota’s Board of Regents seeking a more “normal” fall semester on USD’s campus. In response to this, USD student organizations, Vermillion businesses and local government leaders are looking to bring back what they said has been lost in the past year. The local response to the pandemic over the past year has been driven largely by the USD administration and the Vermillion City Council. Kevin O’Kelley, assistant vice president of research compliance at USD and member of USD’s COVID-19 Task Force, said the university’s response over the past year was guided by CDC guidelines and student health.