TASTY TREATS Local bakery La Mie offers students a close escape to Paris through its French-inspired cuisine and coffee grinds. PAGE 4 FEATURES
THE TIMES-DELPHIC THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Des Moines, Iowa • Thursday, September 9, 2010 • Vol. 129, No. 1 • www.timesdelphic.com
photo courtesy of Facebook
‘Drake Advantage’ marketing campaign fails to impress by Lizzie Pine
Editor-in-Chief editor@timesdelphic.com
“Drake advantage –the way we see it.” The way students see it? D+. In a direct mail marketing campaign to prospective students, the Drake University Marketing and Communications department and the Admissions department partnered to approve the Drake Advantage campaign created by Stamats Higher Education Marketing. Launched in July, this promotion was sent to high school juniors and seniors to inform them about Drake. Debra Lukehart, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for Drake, said the main purpose of
admission advertising is to catch the prospective student’s attention amidst the clutter of other college and university mail. “We didn’t just want students to understand the irony, we wanted them to turn the page,” she said. “For schools that aren’t in the Ivy League, it’s a real challenge to get noticed in any way. The strategy is to get people not just to notice, but to want to learn more and engage in the material.” Furthermore, she said “the headlines have judged the campaign before measuring the effectiveness.” The department had 921 high school students participate in online concept testing to see if the material would be successful, Lukehart said. Most of the respondents were from the Midwest, and the results were positive. Over 75
percent indicated the cover grabbed their attention either “a little or a lot.” Almost 90 percent felt it was unique compared to other institutions’ materials. More than two-thirds affirmed attending Drake would give them an advantage, Lukehart said. More than 60 percent of respondents said a Drake Advantage brochure would make them want more information about Drake, with 3 percent less likely to want more information, Lukehart said. The online concept testing was chosen over focus groups to prevent bias from group dynamics. Since Drake Advantage’s launch, inquiries—consisting of calls, e-mails, information cards and other reques
SEE PLUS, PAGE 2
Drake team to play first American-style football game in Africa this May A climb up Mount Kilimanjaro and volunteering will conclude the trip by Matt Moran
Sports Content Editor sports@timesdelphic.com
Drake will make a historic leap for sports when it travels to Tanzania to play the first-ever American football game on African soil. The Bulldogs will face the CONADEIP All-Stars from Mexico in the inaugural Global Kilimanjaro Bowl on May 21, 2011, in Moshi, Tanzania, with Mount Kilimanjaro filling the horizon in the backdrop of the stadium. Both teams will partake in community service projects during their two-week stay. Both will host a youth clinic open to all children in the area, and then work at the Kitaa Hope Orphanage in Moshi, which houses children between four- and 12-years-old. The squads will also build an addition to the orphanage.
photo courtesy of KADIE DAHLGREN
THE DRAKE FOOTBALL TEAM will travel to Tanzania, a country in Africa, on May 17 to make history by participating in the first ever American-style football game in Africa. After three days of volunteering at the orphanage, both sides will climb the massive Mount Kilimanjaro. Africa’s tallest mountain reaches 19,340 feet, and each team will take different routes to the top. The six-day expedition will result in both teams hoisting their respective university and na-
Student Senate broadcasts its first podcast by Ann Schnoebelen
Staff Writer ann.schnoebelen@drake.edu
The first podcast of this year’s Senate recorded mostly routine business measures. Over 150 committee applications have been distributed, and the Student Activities board has publicized its fall schedule of events.
tional flags at the summit. “This has all come together in an amazing way,” said Drake Head Coach Chris Creighton, whose Bulldogs dropped a 28-14 decision to Lehigh last Saturday. “I cannot tell you how excited I am to do this with our football team and our new friends down in
Listeners making it through the first few minutes, however, will also hear a candid conversation over the nationwide stir Drake University’s “D+” recruitment campaign logo has caused. Vice President of Student Life Byron Spears opened the discussion by addressing Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari. Vice President Spear said he’d been contacted to comment on the campaign by organizations such as the Des Moines Register. Dean Bakari said that at a meeting he’d attended with provosts and Tom Delahunt, vice president of admission and financial aid, and Deb Lukehart, executive director of marketing and communications, the “D+” had drawn mixed reviews. “The feedback was all over the place,” he said. “There were those that said it was really
Mexico.” Global Football, a Texas-based football events organization, will coordinate the trip. Global Football President Patrick Steenberge has produced football events in 18 different countries since 1996.
SEE AFRICA, PAGE 8
great and those who voiced some concerns.” When the issue was brought up for open discussion, a long list of senators indicated a desire to express their opinion.
Most were less than impressed, but few gave the entire “Drake Advantage” campaign a bad
SENIOR RYAN T. HENDERSON, from Lenexa, Kan., passed away this weekend unexpectedly. Officals have yet to release cause of death.
Student found dead early Sunday morning by Lizzie Pine
Editor-in-Chief editor@timesdelphic.com
Drake University senior Ryan T. Henderson was found dead in his car Sunday morning. He had visited his friend’s 27th Street apartment for approximately an hour the night before. Henderson wasn’t seen until 6 a.m., when he was found in his car at the apartment’s parking area slumped over in the drivers’ seat, according to the police report. Police found a small bag of marijuana in his pocket. The university is cooperating with the Des Moines police in the investigation. In an e-mail message sent to students and staff Sunday morning, President Maxwell shared the passing of Henderson, a senior from Lenexa, Kan. “It is my painfully sad duty to inform you that at approximately 6:30 a.m. today Ryan T. Henderson, a senior from Lenexa, Kan., was found deceased at an off-campus location. On behalf of all of us at Drake, I want to express our deepest sympathies to Ryan’s family, friends and the Drake Family as a whole, and offer all possible support as we absorb this tragedy. It is at times like these that we must be able to rely on one another for solace and comfort; if there is anything at all that Maddy and I can do to be of help, please do not hesitate to let us know. Drake University is cooperating with the Des Moines Police Department in their investigation of the death, and we are told by the authorities that at this point there are no signs of foul play or any threat to the campus community. I will share additional information regarding the investigation and plans for services as we learn more. Student Life staff members are prepared to provide all necessary support to students and connect them to available resources for counseling services.”
>>PRAYER VIGIL Intervarsity Christian Fellowship will be hosting a prayer vigil for Ryan Henderson at 7 p.m. tonight in the Morehouse Ballroom. review. “It’s just that cover. Once you open it, you can see it and understand,” said Sen. Seejo Valacheril. “It’s just that initial reaction.” Vice President of Student Activities Greg Larson said he thought too much clarification was needed in order to send the right message after students saw the D+ logo. “If you have to explain it that way, maybe it’s not working as well as it should be,” he said. Others, such as Sen. Megan Hutcheson, questioned why the university hadn’t used the resources already available in its students at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication to design the website and brochures. “I don’t understand why they don’t reach out
SEE SENATE, PAGE 2