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news PARTYIN’ PARTYIN’ YEAH!
12:53 a.m. Oct. 1
Security responded to Crawford Residence Hall on a report of an intoxicated male Drake student. Security found the male vomiting in a trash can in the hallway. The underage-for-drinking male had just come back from a party at a fraternity house at Iowa State University. The student was escorted to his room and would be watched by a friend who had not been drinking. Residence life was advised.
5:25 p.m. Sept. 29 Security responded to Ross Residence Hall on a report that a glass plate to a fire extinguisher cabinet had been broken. The glass was cleaned up and a work order was placed to replace the glass.
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3:06 a.m. Oct. 1 Security and Des Moines Police were called to the Jewett Residence Hall’s third floor women’s restroom on a report of an intoxicated female who passed out. Security and police found a non-Drake affiliated underage-for-drinking female lying on the restroom floor vomiting. She could not stand up on her own power so Des Moines Fire Medics were called. The female was transported to a local hospital by fire medics. 3:06 a.m. Oct. 1 Security and Des Moines Police were called to the Jewett Residence Hall’s third floor women’s restroom on a report of an intoxicated female who passed out. Security and police found a non-Drake affiliated underage-for-drinking female lying on the restroom floor vomiting. She could not stand up on her own power so Des Moines Fire Medics were called. The female was transported to a local hospital by fire medics. 11:56 p.m. Oct. 1 Security responded to Crawford Residence Hall on a report of a fight. Security found two male Drake students on the south side of the building. One had the other in an arm lock. Security broke the two up. Both students stated they did not want to press charges.
Problems still abound for faculty, students Staff Writer jessica.ott@drake.edu
A month into the school year, students have probably heard of or have had issues with much of the technology at Drake. “I think the Wi-Fi sucks, but other than that it’s OK,” first-year Sara Brock said. Ann Kovalchick, Drake’s chief information technology officer, said that even though there are 300 different access points on campus, the points have three different sets of standards based on when they were made in 2005, 2007 or 2010. “My Internet keeps going out,” first-year Hannah Powers said. In an article she published for Drake’s Office of Information Technology blog, Kovalchick mentioned that there are multiple variables in wireless connectivity: speed, capacity, reliability and range, most of which are connected to how many students are using a certain access point, as well as what they’re using the Internet for. Another issue, according to the article, is that students who access the wireless networks while on the move
THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2011 | PAGE 2
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Boom. Roasted.
day Graduation isn’t just for the spring semester
Tapping into tech troubles by Jessica Ott
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THE TIMES-DELPHIC
encounter issues causes by moving out of an access point’s range or by moving near obstacles that block the signal. The result is an inconsistent signal. Another cause for issues is that Drake Wi-Fi can encounter interference from other wireless equipment, including Bluetooth, wireless printers, cameras, cordless phones and microwaves. Kovalchick said some solutions would be to bring access points to the latest standard or have people use the same devices. The latter is impractical because students have personal preferences, and different majors have different technological needs. Upgrades to the access points are, however, a possibility in the near future. “We will likely make a budget request for funds to upgrade the wireless network to bring all access points into compliance,” Kovalchick said. The major change that the OIT made between last year and this year was changing the email provider to blueSky. Upperclassmen have mixed feelings about this change. Senior Mindy Hiltabidle doesn’t like the new system because she is unable to access
the directory of student emails, while senior Abby Koehler hasn’t noticed a difference between the two email providers. According to Kovalchick, students experiencing issues accessing the directory should contact the support desk at Carnegie Hall for help or look at the blueSky website for more information. Another change that older students noticed is the addition of campus wide wireless printing. The system was added by Drake’s Office of Business and Finance. “If it works right, it’s a lot more convenient,” Koehler said. The wireless printing system isn’t quite bug-free at the moment. When printing through the PaperCuts website, the option of printing doublesided does not show up, and Powers said that her flash drive isn’t compatible with several of the campus printers. The OIT’s job is to manage the Drake network and enterprise applications and provide support for desktops and laptops to administrators and students. Students who need technology help can go to the support desk at Carnegie Hall.
—CATE O’DONNELL, COLUMNIST | PAGE 3
by Kensie Smith
Staff Writer mackensie.smith@drake.edu
It’s a picturesque moment. The caps are thrown in to the air with gusto as the cheers of “commencing” the next chapter are let loose. For some Drake University undergraduate students who choose to graduate in December, this scene is not the same as the traditional May ceremony. Approximately 290 students are expected to complete their degrees at the Fall Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 17. Students will still walk away with degrees, just like the Spring Commencement Ceremony, only the number of students is less. Nancy Geiger, Drake’s student records analyst, said that the numbers scheduled to graduate at the end of this semester is well within the average for the past few years. An invitation for the event was sent in the form of a survey. The questionnaire inquired as to whether students would participate in the December 2011 or May 2012 ceremonies, or if they would not participate
FROM FYS, PAGE 1 Sessions has thus been ineffective in accomplishing the goals layed (sic) out by the institution of Drake University.” To get signatures, Kochanski said he walked around the first-year residence halls and knocked on doors. Sanders said part of the evaluation process is to look at every comment that is more than just “end it (Friday sessions).” The petition was one of those. It also reads: “Though we do not necessarily call for the abolition of this program, the following complaints are ubiquitous throughout the student body, and it is imperative that we reach a consensus for proper action through open dialogue between the administration and the student collective.” After having 488 first-year signatures on the petition, Kochanski took the petition to the administration. He sent an email to Sanders and other members of the administration, and that is when a meeting was scheduled. Then he brought three friends with him and had a two-hour
in either one. Geiger said the December ceremony will be much like the May ceremony. “The December commencement is being currently planned as a streamlined version of the commencement held in May,” Geiger said. “It will include the students crossing the stage and being individually introduced.” LouAnn Simpson, professor of business law, will serve as the university marshal for commencement. Students choose to graduate for a number of different reasons including credits, job opportunities and money. Jon McDonald, a Drake advertising and marketing senior, will graduate in this December but will choose to walk in the commencement next May. “I came in with a semester of credits and wanted to get a head start on the job competition,” McDonald said. The 131st Commencement Ceremony for Undergraduate Degree Recipients will take place at 10 a.m. on May 13, 2012.
meeting with Sanders. Kochanski described the meeting as a “constructive talk.” “I think that after talking to Art Sanders, one of the major things he focused on was the idea of wrapping your mind around hard concepts,” Kochanski said. “The whole point of it was to shift into this collegiate mind-set and start thinking about more challenging things.” Sanders said in an email to The Times-Delphic that efforts were made to improve the sessions before cancelling them altogether. “We have been, since the beginning, working to make the sessions more effective,” Sanders said. “We got to off to an unfortunate bad start and since then have been trying to improve them, in light of feedback we have been receiving from students and faculty.” He said that during his latest rounds of discussions over the weekend and earlier this week, he proposed a conclusion. “While the sessions were improving, the rate of improvement was not enough to allow us to reach the goals we had,” Sanders said. “Under those circumstances, it did not make sense to continue the sessions.”
FROM SPEAKER, PAGE 1
>> CAMPUS CALENDAR>>> WHAT: DUSCI Science Colloquium Series WHERE: Olin 206 WHEN: Friday, Oct. 7, 12 p.m. WHAT: Anchor Splash WHERE: Bell Center WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. WHAT: Stay Up Late and Celebrate Drake WHERE: Olmsted Center WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 p.m. WHAT: Des Moines Community Orchestra WHERE: Sheslow Auditorium WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2 p.m. SEND YOUR STORY IDEAS TO TIMES.DELPHIC@DRAKE.EDU
eign policy to recent occurrences that will likely resonate in discussion of the Obama administration well after his presidency. Detailing the effects of the U.S. military’s killings of bin Laden in Afghanistan and Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, McCormick asserted that even though these events are of global importance, they did little to affect foreign policy and produced only a temporary increase in the president’s ratings, which now rest at a 42 percent approval from the American public. Likewise, McCormick said that Obama is more popular overseas than he is in his home nation, raising questions of how he will handle foreign policy during the remainder of his term in office. That term, according to McCormick, has resulted in less change than Americans hoped for. “The substance of policy has changed in a few limited areas, far less than promised,” McCormick said during the presentation. McCormick said another important aspect of foreign policy is image, an idea stemming from Obama’s attractive persona as a politician. “We don’t make policy on the basis of image,” McCormick said. “Image is not enough.” However, he added that policy is a reflection of American values. McCormick also questioned Obama’s proposal for the removal of all U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of 2011. McCormick also listed a number of Obama’s major triumphs as president, including the resurrection of relations with Russia, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in April 2010, the cap-and-trade legislation for global climate change and the country’s new nuclear use policy. Obama’s foreign policy aspirations, McCormick said, have proved far more challenging than expected, partially due to today’s economic agenda dominating the foreign policy agenda. The Fall 2011 Speaker and Film Series continues on Monday with a presentation by Brian Fishman called “Combatting Terrorism: Lessons
Stay connected on The Times-Delphic website for more info. Comment and express your thoughts concerning Friday sessions.
TAYLOR SOULE | staff photographer
JAMES MCCORMICK presents on Obama’s foreign policies on Monday.
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