2022 Relays Edition by Times-Delphic

REDEFINE

Vol. 141 | No. 23 | April 25, 2022

Relays Edition 2022

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper of Drake University timesdelphic.com EMMA BRUSTKERN Editor-in-Chief emma.brustkern@drake.edu ANDREW KENNARD, News Editor GRACE ALTENHOFEN, Managing Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu grace.altenhofen@drake.edu LIA REICHMANN, Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

AUTUMN OSIA, Photo Editor autumn.osia@drake.edu

COLIN FRIER, Commentary Editor colin.frier@drake.edu

MAX BROWN, Digital Editor max.brown@drake.edu

MAKAYLA CASTILLO, Business Manager makayla.castillo@drake.edu LAURA WEBER, Distributor laura.weber@drake.edu

ABOVE: The Drake cheerleading squad performs at a football game at Drake Stadium. COVER: Senior Dina Perez performs as Jenny Steinberg in one of the main stage Drake theater productions of “It Shoulda Been You”. PHOTOS BY LIV KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

As a first-year student, I didn’t quite get the hype around Relays. Maybe it was the fact that I was still growing into myself, maybe it was the lack of a fake ID. Regardless, my most visceral memory of that week in 2019 is leaving the Relays concert to sit in my dorm room alone, eating Domino’s and watching rom-coms on Netflix. Little did I know, it would be two whole years until I would experience a “normal” Relays again. Now, as a senior, I think it’s safe to say that my Drake experience was not necessarily what I expected. From campus closures to mask mandates, we as a community have had to redefine what a college

experience looks like and what it means to be a Bulldog. Our theme for this Relays Edition, “redefine,” is meant to reflect the ways in which Drake continues to change and grow as an institution, even in times of struggle and uncertainty. This year, though, our theme goes beyond just the stories we have in the paper. You may have noticed this edition looks a little different than it did in years past. As journalists, we are constantly looking for ways to make our content more exciting and more reader friendly. In line with that mindset, we decided to take a risk and redefine what the Relays Edition could look like. In addition, we as a staff would like to encourage you to direct attention to our website and social media channels throughout Relays week to see exclusive digital content and

EMMA BRUSTKERN is the current editor-in-chief of The Times-Delphic at Drake. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA BRUSTKERN

more. Whether you’re an alum, a current student or just someone in town to catch a glimpse of a future Olympian, we hope you enjoy our Relays coverage. See you at the Blue Oval - or the Peggy’s Tent, if that’s more your speed.

ERIN DUENWALD, Copy Editor erin.duenwald@drake.edu

JEFF INMAN Faculty Advisor jeffrey.inman@drake.edu

Welcome to the 2022 Relays Edition Emma Brustkern Editor-in-Chief emma.brustkern@drake.edu

CAT FARRELL, Media Manager cat.farrell@drake.edu

Can’t get enough of the Relays Edition? Visit timesdelphic.com for more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS News

Sports

Features

COVID cases in decline

Griff II gears up for Relays

A year in student senate

Richardson to retire

ADA task force takes action

Meet the new SJMC dean

The state of sustainability

John, the Safe Ride Bus driver

Faculty pay sees increase

A year at Bright College

Meredith Hall renovations

Drake meme accounts

Dogtown developments

2022 seniors reflect

@draketimesdelphic

@timesdelphic

The Times-Delphic

timesdelphic.com

Commentary

2022 Relays schedule

Street paint stress

The Relays’ unlikely history

The saga of “The Slap”

Drake athletes at Relays

Relays week by zodiac sign

What’s new at Relays?

No more talking stages

USL comes to Des Moines

Step up for a free press

2022 NFL free agency

A guide to Des Moines

Hiking dos and don’ts

Your next TV binge is here

News

AS THE DRAKE RELAYS BEGIN, students must decide how cautious they will be in response to a lower risk of COVID-19. PHOTO BY LIV KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Concerns and cases of COVID decline as the Relays approaches Kolton Knapp Contributing Writer kolton.knapp@drake.edu

As the 2022 Drake Relays approach, the days of toilet paper shortages, weeks of solitude and the halting of everyday life seem to be in the past for the Drake community. The Relays will be in full swing by the end of the month, and restrictions at the events are lifted. Some students are anticipating the upcoming events without much concern for COVID-19. Alexis Cosatino, a current pharmacy student, acknowledged the potential that COVID may bounce back but seemed excited to celebrate Relays. “It’ll definitely be nice for things to feel like it’s actually Drake Relays again...I mean,

Relays are a huge draw for potential students, and it’s a staple in the community,” Cosatino said. Brian Gentry, a virologist at Drake, gave an optimistic view of the threat COVID-19 could pose to the upcoming Relays. “We don’t want to rule out the possibility, but if we’re talking about likelihood, my answer is no—there is very little chance of Relays becoming a superspreader,” Gentry said. Gentry said that COVID is not easily spread outdoors — with the wind, sunlight and the open air all hindering the spread of the respiratory virus. As the events will be hosted in the glow of sunlight, Gentry said there is little more that Drake students and faculty can do to protect themselves. “I don’t think a mask mandate at Relays is gonna

do much besides make people mad — with the events being outdoors, there is little chance of Relays becoming a super spreader.” Gentry said.

“We do not have restrictions in place but encourage all to participate and attend at their own comfort level.” On April 19, Drake had two confirmed cases of COVID-19 off campus, according to Drake Chief of Staff Nate Reagen. On April 15, Drake had five confirmed cases of COVID-19, Reagen said over email. On April 8, there were two cases, down from 11 cases on April 1,

according to Drake University’s reported COVID numbers. Reagan said in the email that 73 percent of all students and 89 percent of on campus students have reported their vaccination to the University. 27 percent of all students and 48 percent of on-campus students have reported their booster vaccinations, he said. The low COVID numbers have given Drake the confidence to let the restrictions fall and continue the Relays tradition. “We are continuing to monitor the situation closely,” Relays director Blake Boldon said over email. “The CDC considers Polk County as low risk for community spread. We do not have restrictions in place but encourage all to participate and attend at their own comfort level.” While restrictions have been

lifted, Public Safety director Scott Law encouraged students to protect themselves from the virus by washing their hands, wearing masks and maintaining distance when possible. Law recommended that anyone coming to campus get vaccinated for COVID-19 if they can, including a fourth vaccine for those who are eligible. In addition to the Test Iowa site in the Olmsted Center, Law said that Drake has rapid COVID-19 tests available. “We’re hoping that people are using their best judgment,” Law said. “As we approach the Relays this year, obviously we’re going to have a lot of visitors. Some of which are members of our community, some of which are not members of our campus community.” Andrew Kennard contributed reporting.

Relays Edition | 05

Drake University Student Senate: a year in review Gannon Henry Student Senate Beat Writer gannon.henry@drake.edu

On Sept. 2, 2021, the 35th session of the Drake University Student Senate met for the first time, and on April 18, 2022, they are scheduled to have their last meeting. Student Body President Morgan Coleman expressed pride over student senate’s accomplishments and the overall efforts of the senators in an email responding to questions. “Everyone entered this session with a desire to increase the visibility of student senate and promote a culture of accessibility between us and the student body,” Coleman wrote. “In addition to that, we all wanted to be transparent with one another and those whom we represented. With only one year and so much to be done, every idea couldn’t become a reality, but I believe we made an impact with the time that we had.” Notable events in student senate throughout the year included the approval of six

new full registered student organizations: the Finance Society, Drake Non-Profit Consulting Group, Badminton Club, Club Hockey, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the environmental science fraternity Epsilon Eta. They also granted annual funding to the Drake chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and, most recently, the hosting of the Self-Care Fair, a free event promoting student wellness. “We wanted to provide students with some giveaway items that promoted self-care while also connecting them with information about rec services and the counseling center,” Coleman wrote. “VIP and Prevention Ambassadors also provided sexual health items and information. It was nice to see the smiles on student’s faces, hear the positive feedback and create connections.” The fair was one of student senate’s efforts to improve the connection between senate and the student body, which was a point that many senators campaigned on in the 2021 elections and one many

continued to campaign on in the 2022 election. Other efforts included making senators more accessible to students through Starfish, live streaming every meeting through the student senate Facebook page and making senate materials available to the student body on their website. “I would like to think that students felt our presence on campus and saw student senate as a resource. We wanted to bridge the gap that existed, and I know that we made conscious steps toward that goal,” Coleman said. “I would hope that the sentiment regarding student senate changed in a much more positive way, and that students felt that we were transparent in our leadership.” Student Body Presidentelect Connor Oetzmann hopes to continue improving the relationship between student senate and the student body and heavily incorporated that into his campaign. “Over the past year, I, along with others, have worked hard to make Student Senate more accessible, transparent, and

THE STUDENT BODY recently elected the 2022-2023 student senate. PHOTO BY LIV KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

accountable,” reads one of Oetzmann’s campaign posts. “Moving forward, I plan to create a legislative form that will include all of the motions voted on around the Senate table. The form will also include the motions that passed and failed, in addition to the Senators voting record on each motion.” Oetzmann’s 2022 campaign focused on the ideas of transparency, representation and accountability with an emphasis on making sure all students feel as if they

are a member of the Drake community. “I think there’s a lot of work that we have to do on campus in terms of supporting Black students as well as other students of color and marginalized communities, so making sure that those voices are heard around the table is really important to me,” Oetzmann said in an interview for a late March Times-Delphic article.

Learn what’s next for Drake’s $225 million fundraising campaign Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

Since Drake announced its $225 million fundraising campaign, “The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave and Bold,” faculty and staff have continued to develop the campaign’s initiatives and raise funds for its goals. The campaign has raised more than $130 million as of April 19, according to vice president for advancement John Smith. An upcoming goal

is to reach $132 million by June 30. “The confidence and generosity among our alumni and friends have provided a strong start, positioning us slightly ahead of our target benchmarks,” Smith said in an April 19 email. In an interview, Smith said that a campaign report will come out over the summer or early fall. Following that, he said, Drake will be able to provide updates on the campaign closer to a monthly basis. Smith said that there are currently no future student

feedback sessions on the campaign planned. Although “there’s certainly no operational charge from the structure of the campaign to encourage [it],” faculty and staff champions will seek involvement from students and fellow faculty “just by the nature of this institution and the faculty and staff champions in those areas,” Smith said. He said that future scholarship winners will “help shape and define the activities” in their programming.

DUiN criticizes the campaign in public parody

On April Fools’ Day, Drake University Independent News (DUiN) held a satirical public announcement of “The Twos: Our Campaign for the Rich and the Old.” During the parody, DUiN assistant editor-in-chief Carl Yaeger and copy editor Max Brown presented plans for a skyscraper on Helmick Commons and other projects. “There are issues at Drake that I think these resources could be used to address before they jump into other initiatives,” Brown said in an interview. “Yeah, professors and especially a lot of student

workers are underpaid.” At the satirical event, Brown and Yaeger provided vague and buzzword-filled answers to members in the audience who were playing along with the joke. In the interview, Brown said that Drake should provide more detail about how campaign funds will be used to improve academics and programming, and Yaeger expressed frustration with the campaign’s “smug” marketing.

READ ABOUT CAMPAIGN INITIATIVES AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS ON PAGE 6 >>

News | April 25, 2022

Digital Proficiency Platform, Every Bulldog a Changemaker and Center for Public Democracy. “So instead of just, ‘fund a scholarship,’ there is a program that’s outlined and described as a cohort model that will bring these students to the spirit of these ideas but also build a community for them within that,” Smith said. “An that there will be experiential opportunities for those folks

who are scholars in those areas, and there will be an intentionality in the way in which they’re brought through their four years of experience.” The Center for Public Democracy initiative’s goals include investments in research, faculty and staff positions and renovated spaces, including speaking venues, according to campaign materials from the Office of Advancement. The initiative aims to support scholarship holders’ summer internships or research, travel seminars and post-graduate work or education in public democracy. Goals within the Digital Proficiency Platform (DPP) are designed to bolster learning in fields related to technology through facilities or programs, such as a consultancy where

“If you’re part of an institutional organization that is very accessible to accommodate people’s needs, you’re going to feel even more valued within the community,” Williams said. “I think if we continue to [take] those steps forward, we’re going to continue to be a welcoming campus for people.” Named after Sen. Tom Harkin’s signature legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the group consists of six students who are also executive board members of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). They meet every Friday to brainstorm future projects and initiatives to bring light to the administration. The RHA supports the task force in marketing events and provides a group of students to brainstorm new project ideas with, as well as connections to campus leadership. “Last April, we made a presentation to leadership of facilities and residence

life to present ideas for how we can make our residence hall, specifically, more accessible,” Williams said. “The administration is very responsive to these ideas and so it was a very productive discussion.” Take Morehouse Hall, an upper-class residence hall, for example. The building meets accessibility requirements as it has been “grandfathered in” to standards set prior to the passing of the ADA, according to Williams. However, it does not meet the ADA rules that were revised in 2010. With the lack of an elevator in the hall, students using wheelchairs would have difficulty navigating themselves between floors. “The installation of elevators for campus buildings are being prioritized with the other deferred maintenance projects,” said Kevin Moran, executive director of facilities. “All building renovation

“THE ONES” campaign is building a variety of new Drake programs. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Students will make an impact in and learn from campaign initiatives in scholarship programs This fall, first-year students will enter renewable $5,000 scholarship programs and begin work that is embedded in four of “The Ones” campaign’s seven initiatives. These initiatives are the Jay N. Darling Institute,

students would partner with businesses or nonprofits for pay. The DPP scholarship program would create a community for students from underrepresented backgrounds. “So [the students in the program] need 40 hours of community service for the entire year, basically,” said Meredith Moore, one of the professors working on the DPP. “And one of the ways to get that community service… is to act as a TA in the department. And that is really exciting to me, especially because one of the ways that the data has shown that has been successful in increasing the diversity in STEM fields is to have representation in the role models of the field.” The “Every Bulldog a Changemaker” initiative goals include creating programs

for funding student projects, assisting local entrepreneurs and helping start-ups become Certified B Corporations. The Darling Institute aims to engage Drake with projects that meet needs in rural America through community projects and investments in Darling faculty. This fall, Drake intends to offer five of these scholarships for the Darling, Changemaker and Public Democracy initiatives, and a full 20 under Digital Proficiency, according to Ryan Zantingh of student financial planning. Drake plans to eventually award at least 20 scholarships for each of these initiatives, according to the Drake Office of Advancement. Max Brown is The TimesDelphic’s Digital Editor.

ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion Sarah Jamil Contributing Writer sarah.jamil@drake.edu

Drake University’s ADA task force is driven to build a more inclusive campus for everyone, though particularly for those with disabilities. As they educate the campus community and make collective, conscious decisions about disability inclusion, the student group hasn’t always had it easy. Projects that increase accessibility can be high in capital, which makes them heavy in logistics and expense. Matthew Williams, the leader of the task force, said the administration has been responsive and acknowledges the need for change. According to Michelle Laughlin, Director of Access and Success, Drake has approximately 300 students with disabilities who have provided documentation and are registered with their office.

THE TASK FORCE is made up of six students who aim to improve accessibility. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

projects are following the ADA requirements.” This semester, the organization is holding a campus-wide survey of students regarding which areas of campus do and do not work well from an accessibility standpoint. The survey asks students to indicate whether they’ve experienced challenges using amenities within the

residence halls and the Hubbell Dining Hall. “That way we are able to identify it from someone who might not have a disability, but they see a problem,” Williams said. “If we’re getting a lot of hits in the area, that shows me that people are recognizing it more often as people with disabilities.”

Relays Edition | 07

state of sustainability at drake

What is Drake doing to fulfill its mission to decrease its environmental impact? Mackenzie Swenson Staff Writer mackenzie.swenson@drake.edu

The Times-Delphic spoke to three sustainability leaders on campus to explore this question. Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) president Jacob Lish said that the answers are of utmost relevance to Drake students and alumni, since they will be experiencing the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation for years to come. Realistically, the impact of all educational institutions achieving net-zero emissions would still be minimal on a global scale, according to David Courard-Hauri, Drake’s environmental science and sustainability department chair. However, universities are often large stakeholders in companies with large environmental footprints, and hence pull economic weight, Courard-Hauri said. Institutions of higher education also serve as ideological centers. “You need to have sectors who are experimenting, and often, universities are a place where that can happen,” Courard-Hauri said. “Part of it is that students want to be in a place where they can see their ideals in action, so universities have an incentive to do that.” The Present: Drake’s Climate Action Plan Drake’s sustainability framework is based upon the University’s 2013 Climate Action Plan. In the document, Drake commits to achieving

net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a goal the University plans to gradually achieve via 20 percent emissions reduction targets every 10 years or less. The plan outlines sectors in which Drake can reduce its emissions, such as building and energy use, HVAC equipment, lighting equipment, waste, transportation, electricity and natural gas use. Former sustainability coordinator Sophia Siegal said the Climate Action Plan more broadly outlines the University’s vision and focuses less on strategy. Plans addressing individual components of sustainability, such as the strategic sustainability plan and strategic energy plan, provide the University with more specific steps on how to carry out the goals in the Climate Action Plan. Even so, there have been calls for an updated, more strategic Climate Action Plan. “Getting a better Climate Action Plan, I think, would be useful for helping us to really think through what are we going to do and when do we need to do it,” Courard-Hauri said. Drake is on track to meet its 2023 10-year goal of reducing emissions by 10 percent. As noted by Courard-Hauri and Lish, however, these decadal goals will become increasingly difficult to achieve. “A lot of the changes that have been made are the really easy changes,” Lish said. “Going forward, the changes aren’t going to be as easy. It’s going to be harder for us to meet those goals. I think another big reason that Drake has met those goals is simply because MidAmerican Energy has been building a lot of renewable energy sources,

which allows us to say that our energy is acquired renewably even though Drake hasn’t done a single thing for that.” Drake has reduced its net emissions from 29,526 to 16,456 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent since 2007, when Drake began monitoring its emissions. According to the Climate Action Plan, Drake’s emissions fall into three universitydictated categories. Scope one emissions include sources owned and operated by Drake, such as combustion of equipment and leakage of refrigerants and other chemicals. Scope two emissions include the “purchase of power from sources not owned or controlled by Drake University,” such as power derived from MidAmerican Energy. Scope three emissions include emissions from students commuting to and from campus, events and other activities not directly controlled by the University. Reductions in scope two and scope three emissions are nearly twice that of scope one emissions. The Future: Campus Sustainability Leaders Voice Their Ideas The Climate Action Plan requires that Drake make “sustainability a part of the curriculum.” Central College, a private college of approximately 1,100 students in Pella, Iowa, requires that their students take a sustainability course, and Lish suggested Drake could do the same. “There’s a lot of classes within all sorts of departments

THE RESIDENCE HALL COMPOST COLLECTION PROGRAM allows students to collect food waste in yogurt tubs and deposit it in buckets in their hall kitchen, from where it will be taken to the Sprout Garden. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

that are tied to sustainability,” Lish said. “There’s really space for those classes to be taken by a wide variety of students, and I think having students think more consciously about that would enable us to be better global thinkers.” Drake can also pursue its equity and inclusion goals by making ethical and sustainable purchasing decisions, Siegal said. She referenced meat packers that foster safe working conditions, as well as growers who engage in environmentally ethical practices. “There’s ways that we can think about larger systems of inequity and how that incorporates and damages the environment,” Siegal said. Siegal also recommended hiring more interns to work on projects, providing more opportunities for students to work on sustainability projects and hiring an energy manager in addition to filling the currently vacant sustainability coordinator position. Lish and Siegal said that

Drake does not disincentivize students from using personal vehicles aside from the parking permit. “In regards to transportation habits of students, faculty and staff, I think there’s a better way we could be doing that in regards to who brings cars, where cars park, ways to incentivize people who live not that far off campus that like to drive to campus,” Siegal said. Courard-Hauri said that new buildings and renovated buildings should utilize an energy source other than the existing natural gas system. The Meredith renovation, however, will not involve switching the building off natural gas, Courard-Hauri told Lish. “We’re going to have to rethink the way we heat and cool buildings to meet that [Climate Action Plan] goal,” CourardHauri said. “We’re going to have to completely redo Drake’s physical infrastructure.” Read more at timesdelphic. com.

News | April 25, 2022

Drake initiatives seek to raise below-average faculty pay

Grace Altenhofen Managing Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu

Some Drake University faculty may see pay increases for the first time in years, after the board of trustees approved the use of a deficit budget for the 2022-23 academic year. Though the budget will not be finalized and formally approved until next school year, the deficit budget would allow for a pool for merit pay raises— raises given to employees based on work performance. Overall faculty pay is currently at less than 80 percent of the median target for each discipline, The Times-Delphic previously reported. “The issue was raised to the board, and they recognize the importance of salary increases,” Provost Sue Mattison said in an email on March 28.

Faculty senate president Matthew Zwier anticipates that long-term funding for pay increases will come as a result of initiatives Drake is working on, including The Ones campaign. “So [we] take action now to intervene and run with a deficit budget for one or two years while these projects come online,” Zwier said. “The major effort is The Ones campaign that is currently underway, which is the outgrowth of the Big Ideas initiatives that have been brewing over the last few years. Those are the efforts that are being undertaken to make Drake a more attractive option for students, provide sustainability for our budget, and from those two things, the first thing is fair and equitable pay for employees.” Zwier said student enrollment–which provides the revenue needed to give faculty

pay increases–has not been meeting expectations, in part due to the pandemic. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate enrollment in the US decreased 7.8 percent between fall of 2019 and fall of 2021. “Even if it looks like we’re coming in at 850 students, sometimes we don’t know until August or September, ‘Oops, it’s 775,’” Zwier said. “And that’s an enormous amount of money. It’s not that faculty and staff pay is the first thing to go, it’s that a 50 student fluctuation in enrollment is a multimillion dollar hit to the budget. So things like merit pools or just general across-the-board inflation adjustments, it’s not correct to say that they’re the first to go, but they go along with a whole bunch of other stuff when we don’t meet our

enrollment targets.” With student enrollment falling short of expectations, Zwier said it has been at least five years since Drake has had an across-the-board pay increase for faculty and staff. “So if possible, there will be an across-the-board increase,” Zwier said. “If the budget is not quite strong enough, then it would probably devolve into a merit pool, with the expectation that many, if not most, employees would qualify for a merit increase.” In an email to faculty last fall, Mattison laid out plans to increase overall faculty pay to “80 percent of the median target for their discipline” by making adjustments to the budget and curriculum, including cutting the number of courses offered in each school. “Where that 80 percent target came from was a

recognition of two things: one, we can’t get to where we want to get to immediately, and two, our comparison pool includes institutions that have much larger budgets and much larger endowments than we do,” Zwier said. “The hope is to get first to 80 percent, then to 85 percent, then to 92 percent.” With these plans in place, Zwier said faculty can expect to see pay increases in the near future. “I think a lot of faculty members are not aware of how principled the approach is,” Zwier said. “Yeah, it’s going to be a challenge in the next year or two to make a merit increase happen, and it might take a deficit budget, but if even half of the campaign goals that have been laid out are met, you’re going to be at a place in three years where you can get that raise with 90 percent certainty.”

next course student organization aims to reduce food waste Sarah Jamil Contributing Writer sarah.jamil@drake.edu

NEXT COURSE is a student organization that transports leftover food to community partners through a food recovery program. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF NEXT COURSE

After years of seeing abnormally large buffets served at networking events, Drake Law professor Ellen Yee’s curiosity was piqued. “I would always wonder to myself, what happens with all this stuff?” she said. The answer: it’s most probably thrown into the trash. According to ReFED, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending food waste, 35 percent of the food in America is wasted. That is equivalent to more than $400 billion worth of food that is tossed into the trash or left to rot in landfills in America alone. Globally, more than $1

trillion is wasted, according to the United Nations. “A lot of the food waste that happens is either plate wastes, so you put more on your plate than you could actually eat and people, instead of composting or doing something different, are just tossing it into the garbage,” Erin Price, Food Recovery Network program manager, said. It is with this in mind that Yee founded the Next Course food recovery program at Drake University with the support of the campus food service, Sodexo. “I just started investigating, and that’s when I started to find out that there was a lot of waste, that it was necessary to happen,” Yee said. The program aims to educate

the campus community on the importance of reducing food waste, and recruits student volunteers weekly to recover surplus food from the Hubbell Dining Hall. Since its start at the 2014 Drake Relays, Next Course has rescued and donated more than 33,000 pounds of leftover food to their local nonprofit partners: Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Children and Family Urban Movement, Hawthorn Hill, Hope Ministries, YMCA Supportive Housing and Harbor of Hope. That fall, Drake University had also become a chapter of the nationwide nonprofit food recovery program, Food Recovery Network. They are one of over 200 college campuses to do so.

Three times a week, Drake student volunteers will collect all surplus foods still in good condition from a cooler through the loading bay parking lot by the Stalnaker Residence Hall. Andrew Kennard, Next Course Food Recovery coordinator, stated that the organization is looking at holding a food drive at the end of the year. “That’s going to be a good goal for us, because we will be able to focus on rebuilding the organization, getting people involved with food recoveries while having a larger goal in mind,” Kennard said. Andrew Kennard is the news editor for The TimesDelphic. He was not the editor responsible for this article.

Relays Edition | 09

Meredith Hall to undergo renovations throughout 2022-2023 academic year

Carmon Baker Staff Writer carmon.baker@drake.edu

When School of Journalism and Mass Communication dean Kathleen Richardson took over her current position, she observed a pressing need for the electronic studios in the basement of Meredith Hall to be renovated. While working on these renovations, it occurred to her that the building itself had not been remodeled since it was originally built. The renovation project officially started in 2017 when the SJMC hired an architect. According to Richardson, everything needs to be cleared out of Meredith by the end of May. Remodeling will start during the summer, with major renovations starting closer towards the beginning of the fall semester. The project is on track to be completed by the end of the spring semester in 2023, Richardson said. “The project has been evolving,” Richardson said. “The pandemic hit, so with the supply chain issues and other kinds of issues, [those] have also impacted the project. At one point, we thought that the

building would only need to be closed for a semester, that all the work could be done within a semester. Now, it turns out that it’s going to have to be closed for the whole academic year.” According to Richardson, the construction on Meredith consists of two phases. The first is renovating the current building, and the second is adding an expansion onto the building. Currently, the university has not raised enough money to complete the addition. Drake is currently working with the State Historical Preservation Office to make the building eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places, Richardson said. If this application is approved, the university will receive more state funding to renovate the building. If added to the register, Drake will be reimbursed for up to 25 percent of qualified rehabilitation expenses. “When I started exploring that, I discovered that the architect who designed the building, Mies van der Rohe, he was a German architect—one of the most famous architects in the world in the 1950s and 60s,” Richardson said. “He

designed this building. It’s wellknown. Frequently, especially before the pandemic, we would have architectural tours going through the building, and so I knew that if we were going to do any kind of changes to the building, that we had to do it right and be very sensitive to the architectural history of the building.” There are many aspects of the building that cannot be changed because of their historical significance, according to Richardson. For example, there have been extensive conversations about what to do with the chairs in the lecture halls because they are an original part of the building’s design. Many of the renovations will be related to the infrastructure of the building, according to Richardson. In order to be more environmentally friendly, Meredith will be receiving a new heating and cooling system and LED lights. In addition, accessible and gender-neutral bathrooms will be renovated on the main floor. The Bright College space and much of the basement, which was renovated in 2019, will remain the same. A film-viewing room

MEREDITH HALL is the home of Drake’s journalism school and includes an innovation studio, a TV studio, computer labs and more. PHOTO BY JOSHUA BRUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

will also be installed in the basement, featuring theater seats purchased from Varsity Theater. “To some aspects, you will walk into the building afterwards, and it will look refreshed, but maybe not that different,” Richardson said. All of the SJMC professors, as well as student publications, will also be temporarily relocated to buildings on 25th Street, Richardson said. During renovations, one of Meredith’s computer labs will be moved into the Fine Arts Center, according to SJMC professor Sandy Henry. The other will be located in the former Great Clips on 25th Street.

There are other departments located in Meredith. During renovations, the John Dee Bright College will be moved to the Olmsted Center, and Arts and Sciences departments located in Meredith will be relocated to Howard Hall. “It’s not just people in journalism,” Henry said. “Every unit on campus uses this building for classes, so everybody is going to kind of be going, ‘What do we do without Meredith Hall?’ but it’ll be fine. Just check the schedule, ask people where they’re going to be, and it’ll all be good.” Read more at timesdelphic. com.

if it has not already ended. According to Nate Holdren, associate professor of law, politics and society at Drake, income inequality is a major factor in why workers are quitting. Holdren specializes in the relationship between law, class and capitalism and will be teaching a class titled “Why People Hate Their Jobs” during the Fall 2022 semester as an honors course. “The gap between good and bad jobs is increasing,” Holdren

said. “That’s partly due to flat or declining buying power from the paycheck. Conditions are getting worse in terms of safety and danger, in terms of steady work hours like part time versus full time and in terms of predictable work hours like ‘Am I going to be closing at Starbucks at midnight tonight and then opening tomorrow at six?’” Read more at timesdelphic. com.

the great resignation: what is it, and why is it happening?

Luke Clausen Staff Writer luke.clausen@drake.edu

America’s economy has been unstable for the past couple of years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has caused many economic, social, cultural and political phenomena, one of which is what has been termed the “Great Resignation”. “It is this mass exodus of workers across the globe. We

definitely felt it in the US, and we definitely felt it here in Iowa,” said Kara Matheson, senior director of workforce development for the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. There are many factors that produced the Great Resignation. The most basic is a tight labor market, according to economics professor William Boal, who specializes in labor economics. “When labor markets are tight—when jobs are plentiful

and very few people are being laid off, then people have a choice. They can quit,” Boal said. “So turnover is pretty high as you’d expect, with unemployment being so low and vacancies being quite a bit higher than the unemployment right now. There are more jobs than there are workers looking for jobs, which is unusual.” Boal said that the Great Resignation is a part of the business cycle and should not last more than a year from now,

News | April 25, 2022

Dogtown District to see major developments this fall

THE VARSITY CINEMA renovation project is supported by several community donors, including Drake alumni, according to Godar. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF DES MOINES FILM SOCIETY

Mackenzie Swenson Staff Writer mackenzie.swenson@drake.edu

Drake students and the surrounding community will see their beloved Dogtown district get a facelift within the coming year. Through two independent development projects, Merge Urban Development Group and Varsity Cinema hope to further establish Dogtown as a community-building space featuring a variety of unique local businesses. Once completed, the two five-story mixed commercial and residential buildings on Carpenter St. between 24th and 25th Streets and the art house cinema will each provide value to the neighborhood, leaders of both projects said. The new buildings will include spaces conducive to start-up businesses as well as affordable housing, while the Varsity Cinema will show programming not typically available at commercial movie theaters. “You would think a restaurant would see another restaurant as competition but

that’s not how it’s viewed. It creates an economic node, a destination for people that don’t live in the area to come to,” community engagement director Ryan Arnold said. “People in Waukee or Ankeny, whenever they say, ‘Oh, let’s go to Des Moines tonight.’ It’s not just ‘Let’s go to the East Village.’ ‘Let’s go check out Dogtown.’ ‘Let’s go and grab some Gursha before we go to xBk’ — that’s what I hope is being created through these opportunities.” The buildings’ lower levels will consist of micro-retail bays, which are spaces designed for start-up businesses or businesses that previously operated online. Merge CEO Brent Dahlstrom said microretail bays allow for a lower cost of entry because they provide bathrooms, which can cost a new business up to $50,000. “We love those kinds of businesses,” Dahlstrom said. “They make a neighborhood feel special and different [rather] than just having another large corporation in there, and that’s really the types of businesses that we’re trying to continue to

add to Dogtown, which already exist.” Additionally, the buildings’ upper levels will consist of 116 residential units, 20 percent of which are considered by the city of Des Moines to meet affordability standards. Arnold said that ten percent of the units are considered affordable for those making 80 percent of Des Moines’ average median income, while 10 percent will be considered affordable for those making 65 percent of average median income, based on income data compiled by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Arnold said that students will not be eligible for the reduced rent due to state laws, which are “not meant to subsidize student housing.”

“You would think a restaurant would see another restaurant as competition but that’s not how it’s viewed.”

Even so, Arnold and Dahlstrom agreed that the economic diversity encouraged by affordable housing is an asset to both Drake University and the broader neighborhood. Arnold also noted that economic diversity is representative of Des Moines’ racial diversity due to racial wealth inequalities. “It’s in the best interest of Drake as an institution that these projects are mixedincome because that retains diversity in the neighborhood, and that is an asset to this University,” Arnold said. “It’s

a value that the community reflects a diversity of people.” The planned site includes a building that was once occupied by Gazali’s Mediterranean Restaurant, an empty lot and a parking lot, the Des Moines Register reported, and a building that used to house Drake’s public safety and marketing and communications departments will be demolished. Construction of the buildings is planned to commence in the fall, Dahlstrom said, although supply chain delays are expected. By then, Varsity Cinema hopes to have its doors open and be offering a wide range of non-mainstream programming. “[If] people want to go see a movie, they’re going to go to a movie theater. They’re gonna stop at the coffee shop, the restaurant, the bar nearby, so we’re excited to be able to contribute to the Drake neighborhood by being that entertainment destination,” said Ben Godar, Director of the Des Moines Film Society. Godar said that the art house cinema will specialize in American films, international films and classic films. He said

that the cinema’s late-night programming could be of particular interest to students. “Our mission is to grow the culture and to highlight film voices that might not be highlighted otherwise and bring films to Des Moines that would not play here otherwise,” Godar said. The Varsity renovation includes adding an extra theater, expanding the lobby space to allow for conversation after movies, accessibility features and giving the building a facelift while preserving its historic integrity, Godar said. Renovation work began in 2017 and is planned to finish by the end of the year, although Godar said he is unsure about an exact date. That “vibrant Dogtown” is about to gain a new brand and logo, according to Arnold, but the details and release date are uncertain. For now, Dogtown will continue to develop. “There’s a number of exciting projects that are going on in the neighborhood, and so it’s exciting to be a part of this neighborhood that’s seeing so much development and really starting to thrive,” Godar said.

MERGE’S Dogtown project is bordered by University Avenue, 24th Street, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF MERGE URBAN DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Features LIVE MASCOT GRIFF II, A.K.A George, has many responsibilities in his role–including greeting students at events. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Griff II prepares for second Relays as live mascot Courtney Jackson Staff Writer courtney.jackson@drake.edu

Drake University is represented not only by their students and staff, but also by the live mascot Griff II who attends all the events around Des Moines. Erin Bell is the associate director of marketing in charge of the live mascot program and the owner of Griff II, or George, as her family calls him. The journey of having a live mascot began in 2009 with the first-ever Beautiful Bulldog Contest, which Bell won with her dog Porterhouse. There was no live mascot at this time at Drake, so Porterhouse was uniquely embraced by the community during Relays week. Typically, the winners of the Beautiful Bulldog Contest get around a week of fame and then

head back to their normal lives, but that wasn’t the case for Porterhouse and his family. Bell was asked to bring Porterhouse to events such as basketball games and athletic events as a mascot, and he did his job up until his death in 2013. “When he died, the big hole left in the community in his absence was recognized quickly,” Bell said. “The university worked internally to set things up for an official live mascot program to be established. Once they were ready, I was approached and asked to start the program, working as an employee for Drake. I agreed, and in October of 2015, the first official live mascot, Griff I, was introduced.” Drake University has seen two official live mascots, Griff I and the current mascot, Griff II. Griff I retired in 2019 after four years of representing the

University and is currently enjoying his life as a couch potato.

“As soon as Griff II started in the role, I was 100 percent confident with the way everything was decided and handled. He has made me incredibly proud, and I know with every fiber of my being that he is meant to be doing this.” “It was a time of a lot of different emotions; very bittersweet,” Bell said of the transition from Griff I to Griff II. “I have great pride in Griff I and all he did for the University

and the way he represented it in everything he did during his time as the mascot. But I also knew it was the right time for him to retire so that he could enjoy life as a couch potato at home. I had no regrets in the decision and the timing of it all. As soon as Griff II started in the role, I was 100 percent confident with the way everything was decided and handled. He has made me incredibly proud, and I know with every fiber of my being that he is meant to be doing this.” Drake students are known for their love of both Griff I and Griff II, often relaying memories with their favorite live mascot. Kay Awonaike, a sophomore majoring in digital media production and public relations, says it is nice to be able to recognize Griff whenever he walks around campus. “I got a chance to pet him at

the start of last semester and he licked my hand,” Awonaike said. “It was a really cute moment and made my day. Griff gives me a sense of pride as a Drake University student, being able to have a life mascot.” Sarah Greiver, a freshman majoring in public relations with minors in graphic design and writing, first got to meet Griff at the beginning of the school year. “Every FYS class went and got a picture with Griff,” Greiver said. “I asked if I could get a solo picture with him, and I ended up on his Instagram. It is just really cool to have a live mascot; it sets us apart [from] the crowd, and plus, he’s so cute.” Whether it’s attending sporting events, charity events or taking a stroll around campus, Griff II brings a smile to the face of most everyone he meets.

Features | April 25, 2022

SJMC Dean Kathleen Richardson bids farewell to Drake Luke Clausen Staff Writer luke.clausen@drake.edu

Dr. Kathleen Richardson, dean of Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is retiring after eight years as dean and more than two decades as a faculty member. Associate Professor Catherine Staub will be succeeding her as dean after June 2022. “Dean Richardson will leave an unforgettable mark on Drake University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication,” said Drake Provost Sue Mattison in a press release. “She is a role model of ethical journalism and an educational innovator. Her passion for inspiring academic excellence has led to the school being one of the top and most reputable in the country. Before becoming dean in 2014, Richardson was director of the SJMC from 2007 through 2014 and has been a faculty member since 1997. From 1997 to 1999, Richardson was a freelance magazine and book editor and served from 20002015 as executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit organization that focuses on open government issues. She was also a founding member of the Iowa Public Information Board, a state agency that helps enforce the open-government laws. Richardson has received the Iowa Newspaper Association Distinguished Service Award and the Governor’s Volunteer Award, honored by the state judicial branch for her service to the state legal system, and named an Iowa Watch Free Press Champion and Iowa State

University Greenlee School Friend of the First Amendment, according to Drake’s website. Richardson’s blood runs blue, having received three degrees from Drake. She has earned a B.A. and M.A. in journalism and a J.D. from the Drake Law School. “I was a journalism student here in the 1970s and worked on The Times-Delphic the whole time I was here,” Richardson said. “I was editor when I was in my junior year and then I had an internship at The Des Moines Register and ended up working there for 20 years.”

“I feel like I’m in a similar place as many of our seniors are in, that I’m launching myself out in the world again, to reinvent myself again.” In between her undergraduate work at Drake and coming back to work on the faculty side, Richardson worked at the Des Moines Register as a copy editor and copy desk chief, wire editor, news editor, features editor, book reviewer and columnist, according to a Drake press release. Richardson fell in love with journalism while she was writing for her high school newspaper in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. “I liked being with a group of people who were creating something. I loved to write, and this was a good way to employ those skills in a valuable way,” Richardson said. “My Drake experience was characterized by really close relationships with

my faculty.” In the words of former associate dean and multimedia professor David Wright, Richardson was a “disciple” of one particular faculty member, Professor Bob Woodward. “I had a faculty advisor, Professor Bob Woodward, who had been a professional and journalist in Washington, DC before he came to Drake. This was in the days of Watergate, and so we were all very much wrapped up in the whole idea of journalism and the role that journalism could play in society as being a force for good,” Richardson said. Richardson’s expertise in the First Amendment and media law is incomparable, according to Wright. “Richardson comes from the law and newspaper side. She is a First Amendment guru,” Wright said. “In terms of the press rights and getting access to things once again, I don’t think there’s anybody like her in the state and she’s so good at that and her sense of news and proportion. She taught Communications and Law, JMC 104, for years, and I used to literally sit outside the classroom to listen to her because I just found it so cool.” Richardson has accomplished much in her eight years as dean of the SJMC, creating and nurturing a culture and home for journalism at Drake. “I like to think that I have helped work with the faculty and the staff at the school of journalism, who are very, very student-centered, to create and sustain an environment that is student centered and that is focused, that is current and supportive of our students,” Richardson said. “I feel proud

DEAN KATHLEEN RICHARDSON is set to retire at the end of the academic year. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHLEEN RICHARDSON

of the fact that the school is an accredited school of journalism, one of the few that’s in a private school. We’ve been able to maintain that at a high standard during the time that I’ve been here…The final accomplishment is that I’ve gotten the ball rolling on remodeling the building and making sure that in the School of Journalism the future generations of faculty, staff and students are well positioned to be able to thrive in a remodeled space.” Richardson has three adult children and is married to fellow Drake SJMC alumnus Doug Wells, a retired photojournalist. She plans to reinvent herself in her retirement, a feat she has easily accomplished previously when she earned her law degree

and simultaneously began her teaching career. “I feel like I’m in a similar place as many of our seniors are in, that I’m launching myself out in the world again, to reinvent myself again,” Richardson said. “[Drake] helped me reestablish myself in my second career as a lawyer and educator, and now I’m stepping off into yet another adventure. I’m not quite sure what it is yet, but I’m looking forward to finding out. As we all know, there’s so many needs out in the world right now, for people who have the kind of skills that the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication prepares you to have. It’s just trying to figure out, ‘Okay, where are their needs that I can help meet?’”

Relays Edition | 13

Catherine Staub to be welcomed as next dean of SJMC obsessed with downhill skiing. It is my favorite thing in the entire world,” Staub said. “I’m also training for a sprint triathlon. I’ve run a few marathons and a bunch of half marathons.” She is the founder and former CEO of Lexicon Content Marketing, a Des Moines brand media marketing agency that provides its clients with communications, marketing, public relations, photography, graphic design and more. Before that, she was a learning and development manager and national implementation team consultant for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, an associate editor at Meredith Corporation (now Dotdash Meredith) and a high school English teacher.

“A lot of people think of SJMC as a big family of sorts.” ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR CATHERINE STAUB will serve as the new dean of the SJMC. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE STAUB Luke Clausen Staff Writer luke.clausen@drake.edu

In November 2021, associate professor Dr. Catherine Staub was named the new dean of the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), succeeding current dean Kathleen Richardson after June 2022. “The Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a nationally recognized school with a commitment to excellence and innovation,” Staub said in a Drake press release. “I am honored and excited to serve our students, my colleagues, Drake University, our alumni, our donors and our community

as the next dean.” Staub has been an SJMC faculty member since 2015, teaching primarily in Drake’s magazine media and master of communication leadership programs. She holds the Peggy Fisher and Larry Stelter Chair of Magazine Journalism and is the director of the E. T. Meredith Center for Magazine Studies. Staub also held a position as a member of the Drake SJMC’s National Advisory Council. Staub grew up in Wisconsin, a first-generation college student and the only child from a blue-collar family. She is married with two college-age children and enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, especially in the snow. “People will roll their eyes, but I will say this — I am

“[Lexicon] gave me an opportunity to kind of pull all of these things together — my passion for journalism and storytelling and all of that, plus content marketing as we called it at the time,” Staub said. “We had interns from Drake over the years and I hired almost all [of my entry-level employees] from Drake.” Staub serves as a judge for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Ellie Awards and is the former head of the AEJMC Magazine Division. She also serves as the current president of the Rotary Club of Des Moines, the oldest and largest such club in the area, and will be president and a member of the club’s foundation board. As Drake University President Marty Martin said

in his introduction of Staub during the 42nd Annual Bucksbaum Lecture, “Staub is a Bulldog many times over.” She has earned a B.S.E. in English and education, an M.A. in journalism, an Ed.S. in education and Ed.D. in educational leadership, all at Drake. “Every experience I’ve had professionally, personally and throughout my time as a student, informs and influences what I bring to my current role as a faculty member and what I anticipate bringing to my new role as dean of the SJMC. Obviously, from my list of degrees, I’m a Bulldog through and through,” Staub said. “In my role as dean, I will continue to share my enthusiasm for Drake and the SJMC with prospective students, current students, alums, faculty, staff, industry professionals and the Des Moines community.” David Wright, former electronic media professor and associate dean, was a part of the committee that hired Staub. Wright said Staub is a great choice for the position. “First off, her business roots in this town are so strong,” Wright said. “She’s run media businesses, and she’s got an incredible grasp of that. And her savvy with business in journalism, I don’t think there’s anyone in the state you can come close to what she has with that. She also has a really keen eye for where the industry is going, which is like alchemy, you know, trying to figure out where the industry is going to go.” Staub’s priorities as the new dean include reaccreditation, which includes large reports and a site visit as well as fundraising, promotion and student connection.

“We want to make sure we are known for being really studentfocused, student-centered. A lot of people think of SJMC as a big family of sorts,” Staub said. “[I’ll be] working as a liaison with organizations that may hire our students [or] already do hire our students [as well as] making sure that our curriculum is at the edge of what students need to be doing and how we retain those core skills [students need] yet prepare students to be really nimble with whatever is new.” Staub hopes to continue to foster a diverse student body, staff and faculty in her new role. “Journalism functions best when the journalists are reflective of the audiences to which they are trying to communicate,” Staub said. Meredith Hall’s renovation could potentially complicate Staub’s first year as SJMC dean, but she said that the transition would be challenging, renovation or not, because of the transition into her new leadership position alone and the difficult task of filling current dean Kathleen Richardson’s legacy of leadership. “Dean Richardson has been here for a very long time. She is well established, well known. She is recognized as a really innovative leader who makes things happen. So no matter what, those were big shoes to fill, to be cliché,” Staub said. “There are lots of things that the SJMC is absolutely doing right and that we want to continue. There’s that balance of how much of being successful [is] by simply continuing a great trajectory that we’re on and how much of being successful is new initiatives, new vision, new goals and accomplishments.”

Features | April 25, 2022

Meet John, the Safe Ride Bus driver

Shifting from Drake Busy to a healthier Drake Balanced Maria Heath Staff Writer maria.heath@drake.edu

JOHN LAHVIC has formed many connections with students through his role as the main driver of the Safe Ride Bus at Drake University. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Paige Jansen College Avenue. The bus also “I think our first video got Contributing Writer only operates at certain hours of over 1,000 views,” Kahler said. paige.jansen@drake.edu the week, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. “It was just insane. It blew up

515-343-6719. This number is well known by students across campus. It belongs to John Lahvic, the Drake Safe Ride driver. Known simply as “John” around campus, Lahvic can be found driving students around the Drake community almost every night of the week, creating a safe environment for students to partake in activities of their choosing. “I want you guys to have that college experience and not have to worry about something happening,” Lahvic said. “I want you to have fun and not get yourself hurt or in trouble by any means.” The Safe Ride program has been working hard to keep students safe since its start in the fall of 2015. Lahvic joined the Department of Public Safety staff that same year and has been the main driver of the Safe Ride since. The Safe Ride bus can only travel around campus, staying in between Cottage Grove and

Sunday through Wednesday and from 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. The times will expand to 7 p.m. through 3 a.m. during Drake Relays week to help keep students safe. On weekends, Lahvic has an average of 225 riders a night. During Relays week, as well as holidays such as Halloween, that number grows significantly. Because of the number of students Lahvic interacts with weekly and the relationships he has created with them, Lahvic has become somewhat of a campus celebrity. Junior Kiley Kahler and sophomore Brian Orellána, created the @DrakeSaferide Instagram account earlier this spring to keep students updated on the program. The Instagram account started as a joke, with Kahler and Orellána calling themselves the Safe Ride “interns” after developing a close relationship with Lahvic. However, the account quickly became popular with students on campus.

in a way we never thought it would.” The Safe Ride Instagram also promotes safety while riding the bus and has collected testimonies from students on campus about how much the Safe Ride program means to the Drake community. “I am really proud of that relationship that the community has with Drake Public Safety,” Orellána said. For Lahvic, safety on the bus is his highest priority. Throughout his nearly seven years of driving, he has never had to call other public safety officers to deal with an issue. “First of all, to make sure that this is actually a safe ride, I treat you guys as adults,” Lahvic said. “But at the same time, I give you guys customer service.” Though he has been doing this for seven years, Lahvic believes he is nowhere near the end of his time at Safe Ride. “I can see myself doing this forever,” Lahvic said.

Anybody who has spent time on Drake University’s campus has heard the term Drake Busy. Drake Busy is a phenomenon affecting Drake students who find themselves over involved in campus organizations, sometimes to the extent that it impacts their mental health. “I feel like I’m doing more extra credit stuff than I am school stuff sometimes,” firstyear Zoe Zillgitt said. Zillgitt is a Division I athlete on the Drake rowing team, a member of the social sorority Delta Gamma and the professional women’s music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, and a trumpet player in Drake’s marching, pep and concert bands. Zillgitt said she never thought she would get to the point where her life became the epitome of Drake Busy, but she found several activities she can’t imagine life without. “There’s nothing I want to drop because I love all the things I’m doing,” Zillgitt said. Senior Dylan Gadberry said he had similar sentiments when he began at Drake but has learned the importance of setting boundaries and being willing to cut some things out. “Be conscious of your capacity,” Gadberry said. “Prioritize what you find important.” Gadberry is part of Campus Fellowship and the male acapella group the Brocal Chords in addition to being a tutor in the actuarial science lab and a resident assistant. He said he first heard about

Drake Busy before he even enrolled at the University. “I feel like it was a thing people talked about a lot when I was visiting Drake and probably when I first got here,” Gadberry said. “It was something my tour guides talked about.” Former student ambassador and current admissions fellow Amina Marquart said the Drake Busy culture comes up often during tours and student visits. “When [prospective] students are coming to Drake, the people showing them around are telling them right off the bat [about] all [the] different things [they’re] involved in. The shortest [list] I’ve heard is three things,” Marquart said. Marquart said potential students’ interest in Drake Busy is mixed. Some are thrilled by the prospect of continuing to do the things they did in high school, but others are apprehensive about the pressure to join things right away. Parents share their students’ feelings. “We have parents who are like, ‘That seems like a lot. How do people get into these things? How soon are they doing it?’” Marquart said. The admissions office is following the University’s attempts to shift the culture from Drake Busy to Drake Balanced. “[Drake Busy] is obviously still said a lot just because it’s part of Drake culture, but a big focus has been put on how you manage [it] all,” Marquart said. Students say the key to maintaining Drake Balanced is finding little pockets of time for yourself. “Sometimes, a little speedy quick nap gets you through [the day],” Zillgitt said.

Relays Edition | 15

Bright College: Year One

Candace Carr Staff Writer candace.carr@drake.edu

Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, Meredith Room 104 has served as a place of candid conversations about everything from feminist literature to athome bread baking. These topics are all in a day’s work for students enrolled in John Dee Bright College, which will soon complete its inaugural year at Drake University. Bright College was named in honor of John Dee Bright, Drake football alumnus who gained national recognition for his athletic talent and an on-field racial assault by an opposing player. After his time at Drake, Bright went on to serve as an athlete, educator and a coach. His legacy is shown through Drake’s new two-year program, which is designed to “[create] a new pathway into Drake University that will be uniquely tailored to meet the educational needs of a diverse array of students,” according to the program’s website. “It is an experience like no other that I’ve ever had in life or in an educational setting,” said Bright College student DeShana Taylor. Drake English professor Craig Owens serves as the first dean of Bright College this academic year. “This group of students represents perspectives, life experiences, points of view, even values at times that I think are underrepresented in American higher education generally,” Owens said. “They bring new voices, a new kind of energy to the University.” The inaugural cohort is composed of 28 students who come from a diverse set

of ethnic, generational and socioeconomic backgrounds. “Everyone is so supportive of each other, and each time we have a chance to meet a new instructor or professor ahead of when we have them, they are welcomed into our team,” firstyear Delaney Douglass said. Part of the uniqueness of Bright College is the cohortbased structure: students are grouped together in a learning cohort from day one, enabling them to work, problem-solve and engage with the same people throughout their time at Bright. “I feel very lucky, because the instructors that I have encountered are extremely vested and invest in me as an individual including all my peers as a collective, and that investment — that special, extra touch and love that we give — makes it that much easier to learn,” Taylor said. Students enrolled in Bright College can pursue one of two Associate of Arts degree pathways: Business, Organization and Professional Studies or Integrated Arts, Sciences and Humanities. “We owe our students — all our students, in every corner of the University — at minimum these two things: the autonomy to chart their own paths and the navigational tools to do so,” Owens said. “Those tools include knowledge and learning, to be sure, but they also include courage, confidence and perseverance to take on and overcome challenges, whether those come from big, complex, difficult ideas and bodies of knowledge or from places and circumstances beyond the classroom.”

bulldogs compete for crown Julia Cash Contributing Writer julia.cash@drake.edu

Imagine being a dog: free food and cuddles, belly rubs whenever you want and all the attention in the world. What could be better than that? Being crowned the Beautiful Bulldog winner in a pageant for dogs. This became a reality for Myrtle Mae, a 5-year-old female rescue bulldog, in the 42nd Beautiful Bulldog contest in 2021.

“Moose was very excited and confused when I told him he’s a finalist.” This year, Drake University will host the 43rd annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest on Monday, April 25 at 6 p.m. 30 bulldogs and five alternates will compete in this year’s pageant. “Moose was very excited and confused when I told him he’s a finalist,” said Shae Ashley from West Des Moines, Iowa, the owner of one of the bulldogs selected for this year’s contest. The Beautiful Bulldog Contest began as an attempt to get more Des Moines alumni involved at Drake. The winner of the contest traditionally serves as the mascot for that year’s Relays. The judges will choose a bulldog who exemplifies the image of Drake’s legendary sports symbol, the bulldog. Although there is only one “Most Beautiful” prize, there will be many other awards that the bulldogs can win, such as the “Best Dressed” award. But the event isn’t just about crowning a champion; it also

helps dog rescue organizations. In 2021, Drake collaborated with the dog toy brand KONG to promote a few organizations, such as the Animal Rescue League and the Animal Lifeline of Iowa. In conjunction with the Beautiful Bulldog contest, the Griff Gives Back Campaign is a pet food drive that pet lovers can contribute to. Since starting the Griff Gives Back Campaign, Drake has raised over 71,000 pounds of food for The Pet Project Midwest. The goal for the 2022 campaign is 15,000 pounds of dog and cat food. “There are many ways pet lovers can participate,” said Steve Barry, Master of Ceremonies for the contest. “You can mail your donation to Drake University, call or order online with a local pet store, order from our Amazon wish list, drop off at one of our collection sites or bring it with you to the contest.” This will be the first time since the 2019 Drake Relays that the Beautiful Bulldog Contest will be held without any restrictions. In 2020, Drake University held a virtual Beautiful Bulldog contest, with voting taking place via Facebook to decide the winner. The 2021 contest was again held at the Knapp Center with some precautions such as face masks and social distancing. As the official mascot and arguably most beloved bulldog at Drake, Griff II expressed excitement on his Instagram page, run by his owner Erin Bell. He said via Instagram that the drawing of the contestants was a big night. “Don’t worry though, I’m still your #1,” Griff said.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Moose, Polie, Ricky Bobby and Maverick are four of the bulldogs competing for the title of Most Beautiful Bulldog. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BEAUTIFUL BULLDOG CONTEST

Features | April 25, 2022

dbs prepares for Students create Drake-themed meme accounts relays broadcast Maggie Collum Contributing Writer maggie.collum@drake.edu

JD Snover Contributing Writer jd.snover@drake.edu

For members of Drake Broadcasting System (DBS), the term Drake Busy is taken to a whole new level during the annual Drake Relays. From providing livestreams on campus during one of the country’s largest track and field events to recording highlight tapes and producing packages, DBS is in charge of bringing the Drake Relays to the masses. DBS President Savanna Bous said that the event poses a whole new challenge for members of the student-led program, especially when they weren’t able to cover the event for the past two years. “Traditionally, Drake Relays and DBS have gone hand in hand, and that’s something we’re trying to get back to,” Bous said. “The pandemic made it really challenging for DBS to make content or have a very cohesive team atmosphere that was productive and yielded content being produced.” Bous said that for the past two years, DBS was left in the dark by Relays due to COVID restrictions, which forced them more onto the entertainment side of broadcasting rather than the news side. “It was pretty strict on who was allowed to go to the events or be a part of it,” Bous said. “So, last year they did around a 27 minute broadcast that featured multiple packages and that was pre-recorded and it definitely fell on more of the entertainment side.” Natalie Novak, the vice president of DBS and executive director of the DBS relays team,

said they’re ready to get back to a good mix of both. “I’m planning on going back to the format of three live shows,” Novak said. “We’re going to put together packages like we used to. Basically what that means is instead of doing 100 percent live shows, all three shows, we put together video packages to play in the live shows. Not everything in the live show will necessarily be live.” Novak said that in the past, DBS has used a live reporter, and she is hoping to get back to that this year. “I’m hoping, this year, to do a toss to a reporter live,” Novak said. “So we’d have a reporter live in the stadium and we’d have the technology to be able to do it.” Bous said that she feels the pressure, but she’s hoping her team can make the most out of the experience. “That pressure of doing something meaningful [that] emulates the way that Relays were wasn’t there last year,” Bous said. “We definitely feel the pressure to deliver something that is good and takes advantage of what’s going on around us.” Bous said that while DBS’ role of delivering the only broadcast of the Relays has diminished with the Relays striking deals with ESPN and now CBS, the dynamic has changed, but their mindset hasn’t. “The centennial celebration is happening, and there will be a lot of alumni around. We want to show them that DBS is still what it was,” Bous said. “The dynamic has changed, but I think, at our core, we still want to deliver our best work.”

In the fall of 2021, after more than a year of remote learning, two students thought Drake University needed a little more light-hearted humor on campus. They both created anonymous accounts on Instagram, gaining a campus-wide fan base within a few months while managing to remain unknown to all except their closest friends. @drakeuniversityaffirmations first posted to Instagram on Oct. 1, 2021. @griffsdrool launched roughly a month later. Together, they are a part of a growing number of Drake meme accounts popping up on social media, particularly on Instagram. While @drake. duin, the Instagram account for the Drake satire magazine, DUiN, is the largest and only university-sanctioned account, others like @martymartini64, @drakesquirrels and the quickly defunct @ drakebathroomreviews have also gathered followings. Professor Chris Snider teaches several courses on social media in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. He says that the Drake meme accounts are fostering a sense of community among students. “Anytime someone is being creative and creating content, I am generally for it.” Snider said. “These accounts are meant to be funny, and people recognize it as such, so I don’t see a lot of harm.” @griffsdrool took her inspiration to launch her account from a bigger, semisimilar page run at a university located in her home state. She posts text memes, photoshop edits of pictures and figures

DRAKE-THEME MEME ACCOUNTS run by anonymous students are providing relatable entertainment for the student body of Drake. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

around campus and other memes with text edited to be more relatable to what’s happening on campus. “Usually my ideas come from memes I’ve seen on my explore page. I will just edit them to fit something that involves the university. Otherwise, I also post about my own personal experiences and what I think could possibly be universal,” she said. @drakeuniversityaffirmations shares a similar beginning to their Instagram page. He seized an opportunity to create the account when affirmations accounts began to gain popularity on the social media app and saw potential in Drake having one of its own. His content mostly comes from his own original ideas, with occasional input from others. “I normally ask some of my friends to gauge if they find it funny before posting,” he said. “Some of the affirmations also come from submissions by

followers and/or people who know I run the account.” For both pages, the campus response has been positive. “I thought that a lot of people were really receptive to my content and that made me pretty happy,” @griffsdrool said. “I honestly just post to post, and don’t pay attention to likes.” When the two pages struck a friendship over their content, they saw an opportunity to collaborate on posts together. Both accounts began working together shortly after the shoutout. “I’ve only done collab posts with @ drakeuniversityaffirmations, but they were fun!” @griffsdrool said. “It brought us way closer together and we ended up becoming friends because of it. It’s also a lot of fun interacting with the other anonymous accounts because they are all super funny people that are able to create such good content.”

Relays Edition | 17

Seniors reflect on college in a pandemic, look forward to the future Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

With graduation fastapproaching, the last class of Bulldogs who remember a college year without COVID are preparing to leave Drake and become members of the real world. After surviving the worst of the pandemic — being sent home mid-semester in 2020, navigating online classes throughout 2021, quarantining, isolating and more — the class of 2022 has finally made it out the other side of both their time at Drake and the pandemic itself. How do these senior Bulldogs feel looking back on all the craziness of their college experience?

abroad was canceled during her junior year. “At that time I was living off campus, so I felt pretty disconnected from Drake,” Walsh said. “Luckily, being in the school of education, I had some classes in person to bring me back to campus.” Her favorite memories include her time spent working with the Peer Advisory Board and living in the campus dormitories, where she met some of her best friends. Looking forward, Walsh said she is excited to be taking the next step in her career but is sad to be leaving Drake. “Thankfully, my senior year has been great so far, and that is making it very hard to say goodbye,” she said.

feels weird, like I have been here forever at this point,” Tekautz said. “I’m ready for what’s next.” Although Tekautz has already started working at his soonto-be-full-time position as an international communications specialist at Best Buy, right now he plans to focus on soaking up as much time with friends as he can. “There is never gonna be another time when you and all of your best friends are going to be together in one place,” he said. “I am really going to miss that.”

clothes,” she said. From Farmer’s memory of the pandemic, the most difficult part was missing out on social interactions with various school friends and acquaintances. She was grateful for the interactions she got through her classes and on-campus job. “I couldn’t be more grateful for a normal senior year,” she said. “It feels like things have come full circle, and I’m so glad I get to end my experience with all of the traditional Drake experiences.”

do feel it is “unfortunate” that so many important in-person opportunities like Drake Relays, choir concerts and choir tours were heavily affected by COVID. “I missed them horribly throughout the pandemic,” they said. Looking forward, Fish couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming “normal” Relays, for graduation and for the beginning of her next chapter.

Peyton Braun Jane Farmer

Allison Walsh “My class was lucky enough to have a completely normal first year, which I am so grateful for,” said Allison Walsh, an elementary education major. Despite the many challenges COVID brought to her time at Drake, Walsh said she feels “proud” to have attended an institution that took the safety of its community seriously. Walsh said looking back on her time at Drake fills her with happiness, even considering the opportunities she missed out on. She remembered feeling disappointed when her semester

Kyle Tekautz Kyle Tekautz, a double major in strategic political communication and public relations, said he, too, feels thankful for the memories he has made at Drake. “I’m getting a little more sentimental now post-springbreak,” he said. “I keep remembering these are the last few moments I have as an undergrad.” Tekautz said that, despite his strong love for Drake, COVID has certainly heightened his eagerness to move on to the next chapter. “Especially with COVID, it

One Bulldog who is headed to a new place after graduation is Jane Farmer, a marketing and entrepreneurial management double-major. “I’m moving to Austin, Texas, which is going to be a blast for me,” she said. Farmer said she feels emotional about leaving Drake, especially since she is moving away from all of her friends. “It’s cliche, but it’s a bittersweet experience,” she said. Like Tekautz, Farmer said some of her fondest memories revolve around her time living in the underclassmen dorms. “There is nothing like being able to run downstairs to your friends’ room every single time you are bored or want to borrow

Halle Fish Other Bulldogs, including vocal performance major Halle Fish, are moving straight into further education once they graduate. “I plan on attending graduate school in the fall, although I am not sure where yet,” she said. “I am excited and ready to continue my education and propel my career.” Throughout her time at Drake, Fish said her most treasured memories came from her involvement in the Drake Choir and Chamber Choir, where she has made some of her “greatest” friends. “I am also so thankful to all my professors and mentors, especially those who were there for me throughout the pandemic,” she said. Looking back, Fish said they

Not to be forgotten, many Drake seniors aren’t leaving quite yet because they are in a six-year program — one such student is Peyton Braun, a pharmacy major. “I feel lucky to get more time than my fellow graduating seniors,” he said. Braun said COVID had a strong impact on him as a pharmacy student. “I can also speak for the rest of my colleagues in saying we were so burnt out from giving vaccines,” he said. With many restrictions being lifted, Braun said he has never been more thankful for his family and friends. “The pandemic has made me exponentially more grateful for the connections I’ve been able to make at Drake,” he said. “I will try my best to not take the extra time I have been given for granted.”

Sports THE DRAKE RELAYS is one of the biggest track and field events in the country and will be hosted at Drake Stadium. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Drake Relays schedule announced tuesday,

April 26, 2022

Downtown 6:00 p.m. Grand Blue Mile 7:15 p.m. USATF 1-Mile Championships

wednesday, april 11:30 a.m. Men’s Decathlon 12:30 p.m. Women’s Heptathlon

thursday, april

27, 2022

28, 2022

10:00 a.m. Men’s Decathlon 11:00 a.m. Women’s Heptathlon

Distance Carnival 5:00 p.m. 5:08 p.m. 5:16 p.m. 5:28 p.m. 5:42 p.m. 5:55 p.m. 6:10 p.m. 6:27 p.m. 6:37 p.m. 6:49 p.m. 7:11 p.m. 7:33 p.m. 7:55 p.m. 8:17 p.m. 8:57 p.m.

800m (Unseeded) 800m (Unseeded) 1500m (Unseeded) 1500m (Unseeded) 240 Yard Shuttle 3200m 3000m 3000m Steeple 3000m Steeple 5000m (Unseeded) 5000m (Seeded) 5000m (Unseeded) 5000m (Seeded) 10000m 10000m

Field Events 4:00 p.m. Discus 4:30 p.m. High Jump 4:30 p.m. Shot Put 5:00 p.m. Long Jump

UD/CD, Women,Final UD/CD, Men, Final UD/CD, Women, Final UD/CD, Men, Final ES, Youth, Final HS, Boys, Final HS, Girls, Final Open, Women, Final Open, Men, Final Open, Women, Final Open, Women, Final Open, Men, Final Open, Men, Final Open, Women, Final Open, Men, Final HS, Boys, Final HS, Girls, Final HS, Girls, Final HS, Boys, Final

friday, april

29, 2022

8:50 a.m. 4x800m CD, Women, Final 9:04 a.m. 4x800m CD, Men, Final 9:48 a.m. 800m Medley HS, Girls, Final 10:02 a.m. 1600m Medley HS, Boys, Final 12:39 p.m. 400 Wheelchair Paralympic, Women, Final 12:44 p.m. 400m Wheelchair Paralympic, Men, Final 1:15 p.m. 4x100m Special Olympics, Coed, Final 2:00 p.m. 800m UD/CD, Men, Final 2:08 p.m. 400mH UD/CD, Women, Final 2:21 p.m. 400mH UD/CS, Men, Final 2:34 p.m. 100m HS, GIrls, Final 3:46 p.m. Session Ends- Clear the Stadium 5:14 p.m. 400m HS, Girls, Final 5:20 p.m. 400m HS, Boys, Final 5:26 p.m. 200m UD/CD, Women, Final 5:31 p.m. 200m UD/CD, Men, Final 6:22 p.m. Sprint Medley CD, Women, Final 6:41 p.m. Sprint Medley CD, Men, Final 7:00 p.m. 4x800m UD, Women, Final 7:10 p.m. 4x800m UD, Men, Final 7:36 p.m. 100m Paralympic, Women, Final 7:41 p.m. 100m Paralympic, Men, Final 7:48 p.m. 4x200m UD/CD,Women, Final 7:58 p.m. 4x200m UD/CD, Men, Final Field Events 9:00 a.m. Discus HS, Girls, Final 9:30 a.m. Shot Put HS, Boys, Final 10:00 a.m. High Jump HS, Boys, Final 1:45 p.m. Long Jump UD/CD, Men, Final 1:45 p.m. Shot Put UD/CD, Men, Final 5:15 p.m. Pole Vault UD/CD, Men, Final 5:30 p.m. Shot Put UD/CD, Women, Final 6:00 p.m. High Jump UD/CD, Men, Final 6:15 p.m. Long Jump UD/CD, Women, Final

saturday, april

30, 2022

10:10 a.m. 4x800m HS, Girls, Final 10:25 a.m. 4x800m HS, Boys, Final 12:14 p.m. Distance Medley UD, Women, Final 12:28 p.m. Distance Medley UD, Men, Final 12:40 p.m. Sprint Medley UD, Women, Final 12:55 p.m. Sprint Medley UD, Men, Final 1:08 p.m. 400mH Invitational, Women, Final 1:13 p.m. 400mH Invitational, Men, Final 1:19 p.m. Elite Special Invitational, Men, Final 1:26 p.m. 100m UD/CD, Women, Final 1:31 p.m. 100m UD/CD, Men, Final 1:43 p.m. 100mH Invitational, Women, Final 1:53 p.m. 110mH Invitational, Men, Final 2:10 p.m. 4x100m UD, Women, Final 2:15 p.m. 4x100m UD, Men, Final 2:20 p.m. Elite Special Invitational, Men, Final 2:30 p.m. Elite Special Invitational, Women, Final 2:37 p.m. Invitational 4x400m UD, Women, Final 2:44 p.m. Invitational 4x400m UD, Men, Final 3:31 p.m. 4x100m HS, Girls, Final 3:36 p.m. 4x100m HS, Boys, Final 3:41 p.m. 200m Paralympic, Women, Final 3:46 p.m. 200m Paralympic, Men, Final 4:07 p.m 800m Wheelchair Paralympic, Women, Final 4:17 p.m. 800m Wheelchair Paralympic, Men, Final Field Events 12:15 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 12:45 p.m. 1:45 p.m.

Elite Special Elite Special Elite Special Shot Put

Relay Cup Events Xtream Sprint Series Elite-Invitational

Invitational, Women, Final Invitational, Women, Final Invitational, Men, Final Invitational, Men, Final

HS- High School UD-University CD- College Masters-Age 40+

Relays Edition | 19

The unlikely history of the Drake Relays

Justin Miller Contributing Writer justin.miller@drake.edu

It was never supposed to work, but in the matter of a few years, a simple track and field competition in the middle of Iowa became a tradition like nothing else. The Drake Relays have been around for 112 years. Fans have come from all across the country to see the elite competition of high school, college and professional athletes on the famous blue oval track. In the Relays’ 112 year history, athletes have set multiple world records, American records and collegiate records at the event. The Relays have also seen racial and gender barriers broken along with the countless records. The Dream Drake University’s athletic director, John L. Griffin, came up with the idea of hosting a track and field event. The first Relays would be held on April 23, 1910, and included Drake students as well as athletes from other Des Moines colleges such as Simpson, Earlham Academy and Highland Park colleges. The first meet would also include local high school boys. The inaugural Relays would not come without its own adversity, though. A late season

blizzard hit Iowa the day of the competition. Orin Dahl’s 1980 book In Celebration of a Century: Drake University describes the event as drawing “less than 100 faithful boosters” who “cheered the victors as everyone stood shivering around hastily built bonfires”. According to Dahl, the next year was more successful. “The following year in April 1911 fifteen schools sent 300 runners and 78 teams to the meet,” Dahl wrote. “The tradition of the Drake Relays was established.” Jesse Owens takes over A name synonymous with track and the Drake Relays is Jesse Owens, the then-Ohio State sophomore who would go on to be decorated as one of the top athletes of all time and an Olympic icon. Owens raced in the Relays in 1935. Owens dominated the blue oval and was named Drake Relays Athlete of the Half Century in 1959. Through the halls of Drake University’s Archives, there is a photograph of Owens presenting awards to the Nash Middle School Relay team in 1959. In the Relays 100th edition program, Owens is quoted as saying, “there is something special about the Drake Relays. To me, it’s the bigness and the smallness”.

JESSE OWENS, one of the most famous track athletes in sports history, ran in the 1935 Drake Relays for Ohio State. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

“Drake Stadium, so uniquely right for track, and the closeness of the people, all 18,000 of them. You know they’re with you,” Owens would continue saying. “For me, Drake Stadium is where I really got my start nationally.” Wilma Rudolph paves the way for women For nearly 40 years, the Drake Relays did not host any women’s events. That would all change on April 28, 1961, as this day would mark the first time the Relays would allow women to compete at the Blue Oval. The races would be headlined by Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph. Racing for Tennessee State University, Rudolph won the 100 meter race by .9 seconds, becoming the first woman to ever win a race at the Relays. Rudolph added to an already stellar resume that included being the first woman to ever win three gold medals in one Olympics which earned her the title “the fastest woman in the world.” After her run in the Olympics, Rudolph made sure that she

would only attend integrated events. Rudolph was vocal about her accomplishments and what they meant to women’s and African-American rights. For track star Sydney Milani, those who have come before her have inspired her into becoming the athlete she is today. Milani is a senior at Southeast Polk High School, earning state records in the 200m and 400m races. “Being a high level athlete is incredible, but it is far from easy and I think that having an understanding of those who came before me and those who will come after me is very humbling in ways I can’t express,” Milani said. Michael Johnson arrives in style The Drake Relays have seen historical performances, but one can argue that no athlete has ever had the attention gravitate to them quite like fans did to Michael Johnson. The thousands of spectators that filled Drake Stadium saw Johnson grow into a spectacle. Johnson was running for the Baylor track team at the time and then he went pro before

running for the Nike Track team. Fans gathered to watch Johnson dominate the blue oval in college, but once he turned pro things changed. Johnson would return to Des Moines in a limousine after becoming the first male to win both the 200 and 400 in the Olympics. Chuck Schoffner, who has covered the Relays since 2006, looks back at that moment fondly. “The guy could barely move anywhere,” Schoffner said. “In fact, he even had, you didn’t call him a bodyguard, he called him like an assistant. But this was the former Baylor lineman just because just to help him get through the crowds.” Johnson is responsible for six individual Drake Relays titles and contributed to Baylor University winning four Drake Relays titles. In 2009 Johnson was awarded the honor of the Drake Relays Male Athlete of the Century. History to be made The 2022 Relays will be held on April 27 through April 30, with more history to come.

Sports | April 25, 2022

Bulldogs take on Drake Relays

Track and Field team prepares to accomplish greatness at this year’s Relays

DRAKE UNIVERSITY’S 2021 400-METER RELAY TEAM poses in front of a Relays’ sign. From left to the right are track and field athletes: law student Ellie Mendlik, junior Busiwa Asinga, sophomore Briandrias Rhodes and graduate student Yinka Ajayi. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRIE LAWAL Carrie Lawal 2020 as well as pandemic safety Head coach Asha Gibson and said. “I think that’s where we repeating positive mantras or Contributing Writer precautions limiting attendees assistant sprint coach Mike start to continue to revisit the being a team player, the Drake carrie.lawal@drake.edu in 2021, junior hurdler Asinga Cunningham don’t fret from tradition of it, when people track and field team prepares

Busiwa Asinga walks to a start line carrying the anticipation of the crowd on her shoulders. The blue rubber underneath her track spikes echoes stories from the greats that came before. Laborious hours spent by selfless individuals in order to create an atmosphere filled with joy and excitement have all come down to this one eventful week. And as the aroma of popcorn and hot dogs fills the stands, spectators grab their loved ones and watch as the Drake Relays commence. April 27, 2022 will mark the kickoff of more than a centuryold track and field event, the Drake Relays. With COVID-19 effectively aiding in the cancellation of Drake Relays in

awaits a normal Relays competition experience. “I’m excited for all these really good schools to come, but with that comes a lot of insecurities. These big schools like University of Kentucky and USC have really good hurdlers. It’s easy to think that I’m not good enough,” Asinga said. “I guess it’s just realizing that we’re all going to be on the same track, and we all trained really hard to be here. Those who do well have been preparing, and it’s going to show. I feel like it’s just getting out of my head.” Standout performances at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships from Drake track and field athletes like Asinga foreshadow the success of this year’s Relays.

healthy competition. Both collaborate to ensure the overall well-being and success of the team. “I look at every kid that I’ve ever coached as one of my own …I would never put anybody in a situation that they weren’t 100 percent prepared for,” Cunningham said. “I just want everybody to do the very best that they can.” As they head into Relays week, a mighty spirit is presented in the determination of the Bulldogs. A combined coaching experience of 47 years allows Coaches Gibson and Cunningham to prepare accordingly for an event like no other. “We are here to compete and not just host Relays,” Gibson

come back and try to protect their titles.” Placing first in the 400-meter-hurdles in last year’s Relays, Asinga practices nailing steps in between hurdles to reclaim the gold. Even on hard days, Asinga does not quit on herself; she instead instills a positive mindset to power through the finish. “I’m not going to let my mood be changed or let certain things bring me down. I’m going to work really hard,” Asinga said. “On the start line I tell myself, ‘I’m going to go kill it, I’m going to do a good job.’ Then, I go and run my own race.” Whether it’s by showing up to two-hour practices and liftings, staying on top of homework,

for the Relays knowing that any given day could be their time to shine. Sophomore long sprinter Bria Rhodes has conditioned this thinking into her everyday approach, her goal being to place in an individual event at this year’s Drake Relays. “I run because it makes me feel strong,” Rhodes said. “It just shows me I can do things my mind didn’t think I could. When my body’s strong, mentally I can do anything that I set out to conquer in life.” Collegiate athletes compete April 28 through April 30. A combination of distance, sprint and field events will be displayed in Drake’s very own blue oval.

Relays Edition | 21

The 112th Drake Relays: what is it and what’s new?

Darinka Stepan Staff Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

It’s almost that time of year again, and this year marks the 112th year that the Drake Relays have occurred. Unlike last year, though, the Relays are back at full capacity. Last year, due COVID-19, only 25 percent of the available tickets were allowed to be sold last year. Low ticket sales were due to social distancing, allowing Drake to safely host the event. The Drake Relays are a fourday event where track and field athletes from all ages get to compete. Participants include high schoolers, collegiate athletes and professional athletes, including the occasional Olympian. The Relays take place right here on campus, at the Drake stadium. This year, the event will start on Wednesday, April 27 and go until Saturday, April 30. Each day of the event will be packed with different events

that are happening on the track. This year’s Relays is even bigger for some people because this will be their first time being able to attend the event due to COVID. Junior Kendall Hunt will be one of those people. “I’m super excited for the chance to be able to attend Relays this year,” Hunt said. “My freshman year, the event was canceled due to everyone going home and having to quarantine because that was the start of the pandemic. As for last year, [the women’s tennis team] had our conference tournament, so we were gone for the weekend that Relays were held on.” There are three things to look out for at this year’s Relays. First, there will be Olympians running the invitational women’s 100-meter hurdles as well as the 400-meter hurdles. Olympians will also participate in the invitational men’s 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. There will be collegiate athletes running in the men’s and women’s 100-meter dash.

Women’s Tennis April 15-16 at Missouri State Drake wins 7-0 Earned Regular Season Champion Title

Men’s Tennis

THE 2022 DRAKE RELAYS will look different in comparison to last year’s, when COVID-19 restrictions drastically limited attendance. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Some events are coming back this year that were not at the 2021 Relays, including the elementary shuttle, middle school distance medley and master 800-meter. Finally, there will be the Grand Blue Mile Challenge. Student athlete Mady Klebenow said she is excited for the Relays. “I am excited to be in the presence of elite athletes, some

SPORTS RESULTS Softball April 15-16 at Terre Haute, IN Drake loses 3-4 at Indiana State Drake wins 12-6 Drake wins 5-3

April 16 at North Dakota

April 10 vs Bradley

Drake wins 6-1

Drake wins 9-6

of whom are even Olympians,” Klebenow said. There are other events that are not happening on the track, including the Drake Road Races. This year there will be both in-person and virtual options available to people who want to participate in the event. “I have not had the chance to attend Relays yet, so this will be a great experience to have here at Drake,” sophomore

Men’s Golf April 16-17 at Hawkeye Invitational Finkbine Golf Course (Iowa City, Iowa) Drake places 13th of 14 teams April 11-12 at MU Tiger Invitational The Club at Old Hawthorne (Columbia, MO.) Drake places 11th of 17 teams

Ines Stephani said. “I’m looking forward to seeing some of the top athletes compete against one and other.” The schedules for the high school, university and college meets will be available on the Drake Bulldogs website. Drake University students who are currently enrolled will be able to attend the Drake Relays in the general admissions seating.

Sports | April 25, 2022

Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

PICTURED ABOVE are 3-D designs of the stadium and district–Krause+ wants to invest over $500 million in the area . PHOTO COURTESY OF CAIT SUTTIE| KRAUSE GROUP Lia Reichmann Des Moines already has a In September of 2019, Krause Naomi Hamlett, the state of Iowa.” Sports Editor League Two team, the Menace, started working with the USL economic development The as-yet-unnamed team lia.reichmann@drake.edu which is owned by the Krause to add a team in Des Moines. coordinator for the city of Des is planning to start playing in

Kyle Krause, whose family owns the convenience store chain Kum & Go, announced on Jan. 27, 2022 that he had signed a franchise agreement with the United Soccer League (USL). USL is America’s tier-two men’s soccer league, just under Major League Soccer. The team will compete in the USL Championship level. “We’re thrilled to bring a new professional soccer club here” Krause said in a press release. “This is a great opportunity to add another enticing benefit to living in central Iowa.” The USL is the governing body for several leagues in the country, including the tier-two men’s league USL Championship league, the tierthree USL League One, the tier-four pre-professional USL League Two and the USL Super League — the tier-two women’s soccer league.

Group, the Kum & Go parent company that also owns Italian soccer team Parma Calico 1913. The Menace are the reigning League Two champions, and they play at Valley High School in West Des Moines. “I was not expecting a USL team to come to Iowa,” said Bradan Allen, a men’s soccer player at Drake University. “With the success of the Des Moines Menace throughout the years it was bound to happen. There are so many youth soccer players, and having a professional team for those players to aspire to be like is massive.” Krause said in the press release they could not have brought a team to Des Moines “without the foundation laid by Iowa’s soccer community.” He said the support and success the Menace had was a “key factor” in creating the environment to “support a USL Championship club.”

The deal was contingent upon the development of a home stadium, though. In three years, Krause raised $50 million of the targeted $75 million through donations and government support, which supported the franchise agreement finalization. The 6,300-seat stadium will be at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy and SW 14th St, on the demolished Dico Superfund site. The surrounding area will be known as the Stadium District and include housing, restaurants, offices and retail. Dan Jansen, the development’s initiative manager, said the project will cost about $5 million and take 20 years, but they have been incentivized to finish sooner. Jansen said the project has been slow because they have had to work with the EPA and the city to remove “polluted buildings” on the site.

Moines, said that while the city and Krause Group have agreed on the “general outline,” the final development plan has not been agreed upon, and the land is still owned by the city. According to a 2019 feasibility study conducted by Johnson Consulting and paid for by Pro Iowa, a booster group for the USL project, the stadium would generate $10 million in spending and $3 million in increased earnings annually. The study also claims the stadium is expected to economically pay for itself in the first five years. “The new Pro Iowa Stadium will be a crown jewel not just for the USL, but for soccer in the United States,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis in a press release. “Krause Group’s experience operating soccer clubs here and in Europe will help this new franchise become a source of great pride for the people of Des Moines and the

spring of 2024. Cait Suttie, the communications director for Krause Group, talked about the fan events. “The public is [going to] watch this team get built from nothing,” Suttie said. “Every time we hire people, as we start to get players, those kinds of things, coaching staff, whatever, that will all be new and extended.” Pro Iowa is creating excitement and a fan base by hosting watch parties for the U.S. men’s national team, helping build mini soccer pitches, giving out fan gear and allowing fans to help pick the team’s name and logo. “Des Moines has always been supportive of the teams it has had, the [Iowa Cubs] and our various hockey teams … it is really exciting to see a new sport and a high level professional sport be played in Des Moines,” Suttie said.

Relays Edition | 23

The top moves of 2022 NFL free agency

Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

Analysts have been quick to call the 2022 NFL offseason one of the most influential in history with reshuffles of the league’s best talent leaving some teams with little hope and others with a brighter future than they’ve seen in decades. The 2022 offseason opened with the retirement of Tom Brady following the Buccaneers playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion the Los Angeles Rams. Without Brady in the building, Tampa Bay was quickly preparing for a clean house in free agency. Many of their stars were set to find big pay-days elsewhere as without Brady, there wasn’t much to convince them that a Super Bowl could still be on the horizon. Then, just two months later, the 44-year-old quarterback

announced his unretirement, confirming that he would be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the foreseeable future. This surprise move immediately put Tampa Bay back on the map, once again ranked as one of the top teams in the league. In an immediate chain reaction, the Buccaneers were then able to extend star receiver Chris Godwin, star running back Leonard Fournette and star center Ryan Jenson as well as signing wide receiver Russell Gage and making a plethora of other moves to build yet another Super Bowl roster. Following the three-year, $150-million extension of Aaron Rodgers, the team lost easily its best receiving threat, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Packers didn’t make any headlining free agency splashes in the following weeks, and thus, the Packers offense only got worse in the wake of Rogers’

resignation. Similarly to the Buccaneers, the promise of a champion-level team and stellar quarterback play from Mathew Stafford led the reigning champion Rams to several newfound stars. The biggest of the bunch came in the form of former Bears lead receiver Allen Robinson along with longtime Seahawk star defender Bobby Wagner. Some teams were left in dire straits at the quarterback position though, with longtime Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson heading to Denver and longtime Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan making his way to Indianapolis. Both of these moves came at the birth of sumo-rebuilding eras for both Seattle and Atlanta, with their then-quarterbacks still proving worthy of a Super Bowl roster. Other teams made splashy moves outside of the quarterback position, with the

Cincinnati Bengals bolstering their infamously poor offensive line and the Miami Dolphins creating one of the fastest offenses in NFL history with the additions of Raheem Mostert and Tyreek Hill. Jacksonville and Pittsburgh have found themselves in awkward outlooks, with the Jaguars spending much of their cap space on relatively unproven players while the Steelers pulled in Mitchell Trubisky, a quarterback many label as a 1st round draft bust, to follow Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. With several star players yet to be locked into future contracts such as Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and former Patriots corner Stephon Gilmore, there are still many splashes to be made in the coming weeks.

QUARTERBACK RUSSELL WILSON was picked by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Former Drake basketball player wins National Championship Tommy Williams Contributing Writer tommy.williams@drake.edu

Joseph Yesufu, former star player for Drake’s men’s basketball, became a 2022 NCAA national champion after transferring to the University of Kansas earlier that season. Yesufu is a guard from Bolingbrook, Illinois. He transferred to Kansas for the 2021-2022 season, in which Kansas made a successful run through March Madness to make it to the national championship game. The national championship game occurred on April 4, 2022

between the Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tarheels. With a No. 1 ranking, KU had high expectations for their performance against No. 8 UNC. “I am from Kansas City and a lot of my friends go to KU, so I was definitely rooting for the Jayhawks, and it was awesome to also have a [former] Drake player that I was rooting for,” said Oliver Bihuniak, a graduate student from Kansas City. With a strong start, Kansas and head coach Bill Self seemed confident in the early minutes of the game before falling behind to UNC by 16 points.

Despite this deficit, the Jayhawks made a quick change to create a comeback to win the game 72-69, making this comeback the largest in national championship history. First-year student Irvan Abarca watched the game in his dorm with friends. “We were watching the game and we saw [Yesufu] on the bench, and it was crazy realizing he was from Drake,” Abarca said. “It was pretty exciting to see a Drake player be at such a top school.” Although Yesufu did not play any minutes in the national championship game, he, alongside his teammates

and coaches, became a 2022 national champion after the difficult win. As a 3-star recruit, Yesufu joined the Drake Bulldogs as a first-year in 2019. He began as a bench player gaining sufficient game time and quickly made his way into the starting five. He had an average of 10 points per game. As his talent grew alongside his playing time, Yesufu gained attention from top basketball schools, including Texas and Kansas. In April of 2021, Yesufu announced his transfer to the University of Kansas to play under Self. During his 2021-2022

season, Yesufu averaged 10 minutes per game. Although he was not a starter for KU, nor did he play in the championship game, he had an impact on KU’s success in the tournament as he played in several March Madness games. “I follow the basketball team pretty closely, so I remember his first few games with Drake, and he was a huge difference maker,” said sophomore Evan Carlson. “Obviously, I wish he was still at Drake, but it was honestly really cool to see a Bulldog on the national championship team.”

Sports | April 25, 2022

The dos and don’ts for beginner hikers

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK is a great park to visit as there are many different hikes for different skill levels. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIA REICHMANN | SPORTS EDITOR Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

As someone who has hiked and backpacked at six national parks and numerous state parks, I would say I definitely have learned enough in my time to give advice. So, here are my top five dos and don’ts when it comes to hiking. 1. Always do your research Hiking, depending on what you do, can be very dangerous. It is really important to do your research on the park you want to go to. Find the best time of the year to go to that park. For example, you probably don’t want to go up to Zion National Park in the middle of the winter if you are inexperienced. By doing your research on your park, you can also find the sweet spot when the weather is still pleasant at a park, but it isn’t too crowded.

2. You don’t need the most expensive gear Hiking and especially camping gear is really expensive. However, that doesn’t mean you have to get the most expensive gear, as there are plenty of cheaper options available. Do your research on where you can cut a few corners to stay within your budget. Some things I would spend good money on are hiking shoes and rain jackets. For me, shoes and a rain jacket are an investment — and one you can’t skimp on. You want to be comfortable hiking, and it is more dangerous if you don’t have the proper quality gear. Presumably, you are going to get a lot of use from your shoes, so you don’t want to get ones that will fall apart. Also, if you aren’t sure you want to camp, don’t go out and buy all that backpacking gear. Make sure you have spent enough time hiking to decide if you want to take that step.

3. Start off with day hikes and car camping As I said earlier, if you aren’t sure if hiking and camping are your thing, start off small. Day hikes and car camping are a great way to see if hiking is your jam. I wouldn’t immediately jump into doing a 20+ mile hike and intense backcountry camping. Not only is that incredibly dangerous, but you will likely hate that experience. You are adding unnecessary stress to yourself that could turn you off of hiking. There is no shame in doing just day hikes and car camping. You aren’t any less of a hiker than those who do some crazy long hike; we all have our preferences. Honestly, at times, I really prefer car camping as I like showers and the knowledge that you can always head into town if you need an actual meal. Once I tried both, I am now able to decide what kind of hiking experience I want when I visit a park.

4. Practice setting up your tent before you go camping One of the worst things that can happen to you after an exhausting day of hiking is realizing you still have to set up your unused tent. The light is fading quickly and the swarm of insects descend onto you while you struggle with figuring out which pole goes where. This is an awful situation, and one I have unfortunately been in before. Learn from my mistakes, and practice setting up your tent before you actually go camping. You want to make sure you are proficient enough that you can set up the tent without too much thinking or looking at the instructions. 5. Learn hiking etiquette Don’t be that person on the trail who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Regular hikers are usually pretty chill people, but just to make everyone’s life easier, learn hiking etiquette.

Trust me, once you are a more seasoned hiker, you’ll be appreciative of those who learn it. Hiking etiquette is all about respect — respecting your fellow hikers and respecting the nature around you. Give those who are going uphill the right of way, go off to the side and let them pass you as their trek is harder than yours at that moment. If you are camping around other people, whether in a shelter or in the backcountry, be mindful of the waste you leave behind. Don’t spread out all your gear and leave trash behind. Not only can this be dangerous because of animals, but it is disrespectful. Lastly, don’t be judgmental towards others. Everyone is hiking their own hike and how many miles or much weight they have in their pack is their own business. There’s no room in the community for gatekeepers who are judging what is right and wrong.

Commentary HAPPY LITTLE ACCIDENTS are what Drake’s administration calls holes in the budget for street painting. The big wigs use cash as Kleenex, while students are forced to shell out half their paltry student-worker salary and stroke the concrete through gritted teeth, says one writer. PHOTO BY JOSHUA BRUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Painted street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped Rachel Jalloway Staff Writer rachel.jalloway@drake.edu

Painted Street is one of the most beloved traditions at Drake. It is something that I have participated in and thought was amazing. Getting to do something completely different from what our club does is so much fun and is something that should be experienced at least once in your Drake experience. However, not everything about Painted Street is golden. There are a few things that hold the event back from being the best experience at Drake — and an experience that everyone can participate in. The main elephant in the room is the impact that the event has on student’s wallets. We are college students who are paying a hefty bill to attend Drake. We want to be able to attend these events, but the fact that students have to pay for expensive materials

to make it possible is hard. It becomes more stressful when organizations cannot bring money together to make a square, even if they are passionate about painting a square. From my experience, I know that organizations are unable to use funding requests from Drake, and they have to provide funding through member pockets. This is something that can quickly become problematic, especially when considering the fact that these are students paying for materials. Most of the time we are unable to properly buy groceries, so what makes those in charge think that we can afford to buy expensive paints? Additionally, those who do work on campus do not make good pay, and do not get paid in time to buy the paints that are needed for this event. If there was decent student pay, this might be a different narrative.

However, that is not the case here. Student workers have to pay for other things that matter more in their day-to-day lives. Paying for paint should not be a requirement.

“There are a few things that hold the event back from being the best experience at Drake — and an experience that everyone can participate in. ”

Perhaps a solution to this issue can be to have students split the cost of paint, but that is not the most reliable solution either. Those students might not be able to afford paints, even when splitting the cost with one another. Additionally, there are

instances when students do not pay each other back for things. This happens more often than one would think- especially when it is a “pay if you want” sort of thing. This is something that is not the best for those who are involved, and it is something that can easily be fixed by those in charge. Another solution to this issue could be the inclusion of splitting the cost between SAB, who is in charge of organizing Painted Street festivities, and the respective organizations. This way, it lessens the burden on students, but it also allows them to finance some of the square. Another smaller solution that seems to be the most simple is allowing students to request funding for the materials for Painted Street. These are all solutions for organizations that do get a square. Some organizations get a square, while others do not. While this makes sense as there

are more RSOs than squares, this is a solution. There are ways that the squares can be expanded upon by simply moving the black barriers a little further down the street. Additionally, by moving the Paint it Black Project to the center of the crossroads between Meredith, Morehouse, Cowles and Jewett, you are able to get at least a few more squares for organizations to be included. This might not be an end-all solution, but it is something that is worth looking into. There is something to be said for the inclusion of organizations that are unable to get a square. They deserve to be represented in this tradition of Painted Street, and if there is a simple solution to the issue, it should be implemented. It would save a lot of heartbreak, and it is something that can make the lives of those involved a whole lot easier.

Commentary | April 25, 2022

glitz and glam: hollywood is a sham Chris Veninga Staff Writer chris.veninga@drake.edu

Will Smith will likely not be remembered for winning best actor for his role as Richard Williams, father of the two tennis legends Serena and Venus, in “King Richard.” No, he’s going to be remembered for slapping comedian Chris Rock in the face and cursing him out on national television in front of millions 40 minutes before he won the coveted award. Rock had made a joke about Smith’s wife that clearly didn’t fly with him. “The Slap” as it was coined, received countless impressions on all social media platforms within seconds; people who hadn’t seen it live watched videos that garnered millions of views within hours, including one by Jomboy Media that received 5.4 million views in the span of 14 hours, which analyzed the entire situation. During his “best actor” speech, Smith apologized for his behavior but did not specifically apologize to Chris Rock. After the ceremony was over, he apparently refused to leave. Celebrities and regular folks alike have given their perspective on the event, and as you can imagine, the differing opinions were numerous. Some defended Rock, some Smith, and some made it about race, toxic masculinity and relationships. Most people believe it’s real, but others believe it was staged. But one thing is for certain– the American public is just as shocked as Chris Rock appeared to be. However, what “The Slap” reveals to me is that Hollywood is no longer a place where, in the words of Jim Carrey,

CROCODILE TEARS AND LIP SERVICE... a Hollywood specialty. Illustrious celebrities sheen with superficiality. One writer inveighs against this Potemkin facade, claiming that “The Slap” was the tip of the iceberg. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

the “cool” people live. In the last few years, we have seen Alec Baldwin accidentally kill someone, Jussie Smollet stage a hate crime, Will Smith assault a man on national television and James Franco exposed for sexual misconduct. On a less serious note, director Ridley Scott blamed the failure of his movie, “The Last Duel,” on millennials not being able to look up from their phones. Or, do you remember when Gal Gadot gathered all of those celebrities to sing John Lennon’s “Imagine” like a week into the pandemic? Or Sam Smith (who, in fairness, isn’t

an actor) crying outside of their mansion after the first few days of quarantine? And despite all of this, many of these celebrities will preach to the general populace about values and morals; I’ve seen many of them do this on Twitter and have watched so many award acceptance speeches where this is the case. And though most of these values and morals they talk about are inherently good things to support, it seems incredibly hypocritical to come from the mouths of people who make millions of dollars and who fly around in private jets.

I love movies, and I always will. And there are really great and upstanding people in Hollywood who really love their craft and what they do. There are so many people in high places who want to create and make art, and they’re fortunate enough to have a platform to do so; everyone can probably name one person in the film industry they would like to sit down and have lunch with. But many regular people who aren’t instantly recognizable and live everyday lives are tired of seeing celebrities talk down to them while those same celebrities are doing illegal or immoral things.

Though this will be old news by the time this article comes out, “The Slap” exemplifies a much broader lesson that Hollywood is just as flawed as everyone else and every other industry. People will always vie to watch a movie and the film industry will never die. However, the hypocrisy and the preaching that comes from the same industry that hosted a slap on national television will also likely never die until the stars of Hollywood look at themselves in the mirror and realize what their platform is for.

Relays Edition | 27

Hip astrology: Relays horoscope Liv Klassen Assistant Photo Editor liv.klassen@drake.edu

Aries (March 21–April 19) Yes, we know you both relate to and are in love with Louisa from “Encanto”, but there are actual strong people here on campus to compete, so like, maybe ask a few to give you their number? You might think you have to be the strong one all the time, but you and I both know that you like to be the little spoon as a strong person cuddles you to sleep. Watch out for birds this week, they’ll be your enemy. Taurus (April 20–May 20) Taurus, I know you’re on that grind. I appreciate the effort, but lighten up–go celebrate in some way. You deserve to enjoy something during your college experience. Break the pattern of class, Hubbell, dorm, sleep and go enjoy life - and Relays. I don’t foresee anything bad happening if you leave your dorm this week, but if you stay in, I see your blinds not working. Gemini (May 21–June 20) What are you really doing this week, Geminis? You’ve told everyone a different story — Relays when you’re going to classes, downtown when you’re staying close to campus, and more. Is this because you like to remain mysterious, or is it because you’re afraid to let anyone in? Try making plans you’ll actually commit to this week. Watch out for any event that occurs between 11 and 1, I see unlucky events occurring at those times.

Cancer (June 21–July 22) Yes, Cancer, we know that all the athletes winning the races and all the athletes losing the races are tear-inducing, but if you cry at every event we’re never gonna fully enjoy the festivities. If you’re feeling alone, maybe leave your room and go to an event. Dress cute, throw some paint, pound some lemonade and enjoy this week. School work is forever, Relays are temporary. Leo (July 23–Aug. 22) Unless you’re one of the athletes, this week is NOT about you, dear Leos. You can’t control the Relays schedule or who wins the races, but you CAN bet money on who’s gonna win (EDIT: I have been made aware that you actually cannot bet money on who wins, The Times-Delphic does not endorse illegal sports betting). One place I can see you being able to steal the show is West End, but do so responsibly. I can see you falling for someone who’s already committed to a relationship this week, beware of your own green-eyed monster. Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Let loose this week! We know you’re Captain No-Fun, but you can still enjoy Relays. I know that you’re not a fan of running, but you’re the one watching the running, not actually doing it. I see you forgetting the Relays even exist this week, so go ahead and put it on your Google calendar right now. Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) To go to Relays, or to go to class? That is the question. You’ve been weighing whether or not to skip for weeks, so let me make this easy for you: If

you’ve missed two or more classes this semester, go to Relays. If you haven’t missed a class at all, go to Relays. This Relays is special because it’s everyone’s first or last regular Relays, so go ahead and enjoy it. Just be honest when you do inevitably skip–I foresee a lie being found out this week. Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov.21) Hello my little Scorpios, there are a lot of beautiful strangers in town. For fun, you should keep a little card of how many people you flirt with this week. The highest scoring Scorpio gets bragging rights as the most in-tune with their zodiac sign. If you feel like you should be doing something (or someone), trust your intuition. I have a feeling that you’ll miss turning in an assignment this week, so stay on top of your schoolwork. Sagittarius (Nov. 22– Dec. 21) Sagittarians, you’ve been in the Relays spirit(s) since your professor canceled class for them. You’re free, so why are you only going to Peggy’s and West End? Get out there, try another bar, and try to get something done academically this week. I don’t recommend showing up to the races drunk, but hey, I’m not your mother, and I’m also a fellow Sagittarius; I know how we think. Be wary of the time; it’ll fly away from you this week. Maybe actually wear your watch, and if you find yourself being walked home by a handsome stranger, ask if they want to spend the night. Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) For my overachieving Capricorns, you don’t have to go to EVERY Relays event. You’re

IGNORE PREVIOUS COOKIE... reads your Hy-Vee fortune cookie. Astrology is a tad more useful than that. Look to nature, says the great sage Laozi. Look to the stars, says one nostradamic writer. GRAPHIC EDITED BY LIV KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

going for a bingo, not a blackout. Speaking of blacking out, go enjoy the Peggy’s Tent! I’m sure at least one of your professors canceled class, so go ahead and book it for a hangover. Watch your step at Relays, I foresee you ruining your favorite pair of shoes. Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) Yes, Aquarians, it is in fact Relays week! You can put down the book and attend one (count it, one) event to show your Drake spirit. We know you can hear the Peggy’s Tent and see some of the Relays events from the Science Connector Building, but it’s one thing to exist in close proximity to the Relays; it’s another to actually go and enjoy it. Use this time as an excuse to get a little messy, turn

in an assignment late, and live it up a little. Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20) Take a break from manipulating Tinder dates to manipulate someone at a race! Just kidding (unless you’re my ex … you know who you are). Pisces, either you’re all over this Relays or you’re over it, and I can’t tell. No one can ever tell if you choose to remain closed off like this. I know your animal is a fish, but there’s more to Drake than the reflection pool. Have fun, allow yourself to smile and enjoy relays. Beware the bathrooms this week—you might run into an ex on the way there. I’ll be waiting outside of one.

Commentary | April 25, 2022

“Talking” in dating: innuendo or crescendo? Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

“. . . We’re just talking.” If you have tried your hand at dating in the past few years, this is a phrase you’re likely well-acquainted with. What specifically is “talking,” though? Of course, the “talking” stage describes the part of the courting process that happens before two individuals “officially” start dating. The confusing part, though, is that two people who are “talking” can be doing all the same things dating couples do … Just without the commitment or the labels that signify commitment. To me, one of the most confusing facets of the talking stage is that many people see no problem “talking” to multiple people at once. I can understand casually flirting with multiple people over social media or dating apps when you’re trying to feel out romantic connections, but the idea that I could be on a literal date with someone and afterwards they’re off to hook up with Lady #2 on their roster? Absolutely not. When you’re in the anything-goes talking stage, though, something like that is considered perfectly acceptable. The concept of talking is so interesting to me, especially considering it in relation to the definition of the word “dating.” The definition of dating is “the stage of romantic relationships whereby two people meet socially with the aim of each assessing the other’s suitability as a prospective partner in a future intimate relationship.” In other words, dating is hanging out with someone

TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP... sing the Romantics. Talk is cheap, because supply exceeds demand, says John Mason. Is “talking” tantamount to “dating?” Or does it merely consist of “ttyl,” “lmfao” and “cu l8ter?” GRAPHIC BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

repeatedly to figure out if they’re someone you want to commit yourself more deeply to in the future. OH WAIT…isn’t that also what talking is? To me, therein lies the difficulty with defining “talking” — people use it to describe all different kinds of relationships that, in my opinion, have no business being labeled as such. To me, the only scenario that should ever be labeled as “the talking stage” is when you’ve JUST met someone, you barely know them and you’ve only hung out with them a few times.

After a couple dates though, I think the only reason people don’t start officially “dating” is so one (or both, see below*) can continue to date or sleep around. Someone keeps “talking” with someone when they want all the more fun aspects of a relationship but they don’t want to accept the responsibility of NOT “talking to” or hooking up with other people at the same time. *Now, for clarification, if it’s a scenario where both parties enjoy dating around, maybe hooking up, but NEITHER has any intention of pursuing

a relationship with the other person, I’d categorize that under a “friends with benefits” type of deal … not so much a talking stage. However, in scenarios where one person is begging the other to commit to them after they already talk 24/7, hook up often and say “I love you” every night before they fall asleep? I think it would be equally crazy to label that scenario as “talking.” At that point, it’s just dating, except one person doesn’t want to be a 100 percent loyal partner. Of course, these are all just

my opinions, but I’d like to end this article with one thing about “talking” I do know for sure — if you’re currently getting strung along by someone who seems less than enthusiastic to make you a priority in their life, DROP THEM, BABE. It can seem difficult at the moment to walk away from someone you’ve poured so much time, energy and emotion into, but I promise there is someone out there who will not only “talk” to you, but be drawn to you for the fabulous individual you are.

Relays Edition | 29

student press freedom: journalists hot under the collar Rachel Jalloway Staff Writer rachel.jalloway@drake.edu

Student freedom is something that is necessary for universities to recognize. One of the most prevalent examples of this can be seen with student journalism. This is something that I hold dear to me. I write and take photos for The TimesDelphic, but I also write and help coordinate social media for Drake University Independent News (DUiN).

“I love Drake. I really do. I have had nothing but support from my peers, friends and teachers. As a student journalist, I want to feel that same support from those in charge of the university.”

As someone who does various things for various types of journalism, I have found a few consistencies within them. Mainly, student journalism is not the most supported medium at Drake. From this point on, I am purely talking about my opinion on the matter. I am not talking on behalf of the TD or DUiN. If there are comments or concerns regarding this article, come to me directly. Student journalism is something that is not terribly supported by those who are in charge of the university. Just a few small examples are the recent backlash regarding the TD article about wages, backlash over a commentary

THESE ARE NOT PUFF PIECES, say student journalists. Journalism is all about splitting hairs and finding out where the bodies are buried; do not take this as an affront. Instead, do your part to foster an environment of free speech and ideas. And as Kierkegaard said, people demand free speech for the freedom of thought they seldom use. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

article in the TD talking about the lack of vegetarian options in Hubbell or the DUiN backlash a few years ago over a joke. The way in which some higher-ups at Drake react to the little criticism that they receive is sad and maddening. Students have the right to talk about the place that they live and study at, even when it is not the best feedback. We are the ones who are living and studying here, there is some merit to listening and reflecting on the things that we have to say. Whether or not the feedback is well done is another issue itself, but that does not dismiss what we are trying to say. I want others to love and

enjoy Drake as much as I do, and one way to do so is to fix the things that we, the students, are saying. Not only do we have that right morally, but we also legally have it. The First Amendment is something that promises people the right to talk about what they want, even when it is not the popular opinion. By stomping on student journalism, there creates a precedent that there are no such rights here at Drake. This is not the truth, and I want to be able to talk about the things that I love — and the things that I am disappointed in — at the university that I love and live at. Student journalism is an outlet for me to do so, and it creates a conversation about

the things that I care about at Drake. While “serious” news is one thing, satire is a whole other thing. There is something to be said about comedy in the news world. As someone who loves satire and comedy in general, the lack of support from Drake is disheartening. I am not demanding that DUiN get special treatment, but I would like for us to be looked at without disdain from those in power. As teased about earlier, there was massive backlash a few years ago from the University over an April Fool’s joke. It was harmless and something that was obviously a joke. Not

looking at the event in question as such is harmful for both the university’s image and for those involved. It shows that the university cannot take a joke, and it causes unnecessary harm to those who are involved in the incident. I love Drake. I really do. I have had nothing but support from my peers, friends and teachers. As a student journalist, I want to feel that same support from those in charge of the university. I understand not everything is going to be received well, but there is something to be said about how the commentary from those in charge is done.

Commentary | April 25, 2022

Oh, the places you’ll go: Des Moines sites to see Rachel Jalloway Staff Writer rachel.jalloway@drake.edu

Welcome to Des Moines! While it might be a small city in relation to others, it does not mean that you should count it out. There is so much that you can do in the Des Moines area. Des Moines is the fastest growing city in the Midwest, and one look at the city itself can tell you why. In no particular order, here are my recommendations for places to visit and places to eat in Des Moines and Dogtown. One of the best places to eat in Downtown Des Moines is Akebono 515. When it comes to sushi, I have not had anything better in Des Moines than Akebono 515. The most impressive thing to me is the fact that they offer vegetarian sushi. This is always hard to come by when it comes to sushi, so the fact that it is an option is great. But, their non-vegetarian food is great as well. I am a big fan of their Iowa roll. Their tofu fries are amazing as well! Their ramen is good too, even though they only offer two kinds. Another classic food spot for those in the area is Jethro’s BBQ. They have some other locations in the Iowa area, but there is one right near campus. They have a great variety of meat options! I quite enjoy their pulled pork sandwich. Non-food related, there is so much to do in the Des Moines area. If you are in the mood to shop around, Jordan Creek Mall is the spot for you. They offer a wide variety of stores, ranging from clothing to home goods. No matter what you are looking for, there is a store in Jordan Creek that has it. Another fun fact about the mall is that it is

PERAMBULATE THE CAPITOL, watch monkeys throw feces at the zoo and participate in the Emmenecker Challenge at Jethro’s. As the fastest growing city in the Midwest, Des Moines is worth a visit. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

the fourth largest mall in the Midwest. If you’re looking for something in the downtown area, then you can go to the State Capitol building. It is a beautiful structure, and something that is really magnificent. I suggest going at night, due to the fact that the golden-dome really illuminates the sky like none other. It looks so beautiful when

it is lit! Additionally, just getting to see where laws are passed is something that everyone should get the chance to do at least once in their lives. Another thing that looks amazing at night is the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in the downtown area. The amazing art that has been created for the park is something that is really cool, and it is something

that should be seen when in Des Moines. A cool thing about it is that it is free — and outside! Another fun thing to do if you like animals is visit Blank Park Zoo. They offer a wide variety of animals to see, and they are all adorable! Also, their zoo is a lovely place to visit. However, if you are into history as much as I am, then Living History Farms is a must-

stop place. They are a museum that offers a walk-through of Iowa history, all with real actors talking about what life was like back in the eras they cover. No matter what you choose to do in the Des Moines area, there is always something to do. Welcome once again to Des Moines, and enjoy your stay!

Relays Edition | 31

“Abbott Elementary” is a hit Icelandic Adventures Candace Carr Staff Writer candace.carr@drake.edu

Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

The Office needs to step aside; there’s a new queen in town. ABC’s new mockumentary sitcom “Abbott Elementary” is shaping up to be one of 2022’s best new shows. “Abbott Elementary” follows the day-to-day lives of a group of dedicated, multi-generational teachers at an underfunded Philadelphia public school. Leading character and secondgrade teacher Janine Teagues is played by Quinta Brunson, who also created the series. Brunson is best known for her viral Vine “Ooh He Got Money,” season one of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” on HBO and her work on BuzzFeed. On a visit to New York City during spring break, Drake firstyear Nathan Carter attended a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers where Brunson was the one of the guests. “One of the main things I remember was her talking about how it was based on her mom who was a teacher. I think it’s really cool that “Abbott Elementary” is a successful network show that has a specific airing time, and in our digital era, it’s super hard to come by,” Carter said. Janine is an overzealous, painfully awkward, yet passionate second-year teacher who has an endless desire to “make a difference” in her students’ lives. Her constant quest to prove herself to her older coworkers is always wellintentioned, yet falls so short every time. Some of my favorite Janine moments include her regularly calling her wise, 20+ year teaching veteran coworker “Mom,” inviting her

The potent mixture of salty air and volcanic ash hits like a train within seconds of getting off the airliner. Observing the surrounding area, one finds the small airport rather quaint and inviting. No bustling crowds, no distracting PA’s, just a few pedestrians making their way home from a trip abroad. Slightly above the designated gate stand the tips of misty mountains, slowly fading in and out of view with the weather patterns this moonscape has to offer. These weather patterns play into the slightly moisturefilled air, with rain coming in 20-minute stints accompanied by dark clouds rolling off the towering plateaus south towards the northern Atlantic Ocean. In the moments where weather stays friendly and the misty mountains lose their mist, one finds that countless waterfalls staple them like an overdue book report. These waterfalls are jagged, disorganized, rushed. Whichever god you follow undoubtedly procrastinated their creation. After the awe settles in, you make your way towards the designated gate. The first steps on the rather unworn asphalt breath adventure. The desolate land separated from you by the empty terminal is some of the most beautiful land home to planet earth. After exiting the terminal, one is greeted by a rather elderly city. The buildings stand just tall enough to symbolize a human presence without being ignorant enough to challenge nature’s dominance in this land. The city smells of grass, sheep

WATCH ABBOTT ELEMENTARY Tuesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. and streaming on Hulu. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

SoundCloud rapper boyfriend (played by comedian and rapper Zach Fox) to give an anti-drug concert to the likes of the D.A.R.E. program and crashing the school’s power grid trying to change a lightbulb in the school’s infamous “spooky hallway.” While Janine’s awkwardness could fill an entire episode, her coworkers and the “Abbott” cast as a collective are truly the heart of the series. The hilarious cast of characters includes a Philly native that always “has a guy for that,” an insanely tone-deaf and unqualified principal, an outlandish yet loveable janitor and new teachers who are just trying to carve out their path in this new profession. One thing I really enjoy about “Abbott Elementary” is that it does not pride itself on speaking on the issues. The show uses humor and authentic experience to illustrate teacher burnout rates, lack of funding, issues with gifted programming and the laughable incompetence of school administrators without making the entire show about these issues. In that same breath, “Abbott” regularly pokes fun at the horrible timing of modern-day “wokeness”. For example, second-year teacher and self-proclaimed ally Mr. Jacob regularly name-

drops famous Black authors in casual conversation, tries to connect with students through slang and cosigns on Janine’s impulsive decisions as: “It was the chance to support a strong Black woman.” First-year Mylo Bissell has been an avid watcher of “Abbott Elementary” since its release in December 2021. “I just enjoy TV that allows for Black women and Black people in general to be painfully mediocre,” Bissell said. “In other ABC shows led by Black creators, our main protagonists simply couldn’t slip up, the second they [do], they are vilified almost immediately. ‘Abbott Elementary’ isn’t just following a model, it’s redefining it for the people it has always been meant to serve.” Maybe I’m just obsessed with dramatic camera glances and comedically timed confessionals, but “Abbott Elementary” is ushering an era of authentically representative TV that simply checks all the boxes. The show is comedically timely, socially conscious, sentimental in all the right places and will make you laugh out loud. Tune in to “Abbott Elementary” Tuesdays on ABC 8 p.m. central time and next day streaming on Hulu.

and ocean, again symbolizing mankind’s insignificant impact on one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

“These waterfalls are jagged, disorganized, rushed. Whichever god you follow undoubtedly procrastinated their creation.”

Immediately after leaving the city, there is no imprint of mankind’s footprint besides an 800-mile, two-lane highway that eventually returns right back to wherever you started. Driving along this highway, one is greeted by countless fjords, waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic algae fields, black sand beaches, crippling valleys and monstrous cliffs. The highway bends just to the right of a several-hundred-mile cliffside that extends across the southern coast of the country. At every curve, the driver is greeted by another unbelievably distinct cliffside. To his right stands a never-ending coastline, always accompanied by black sand beaches. Every hour or so, the driver finds another glacier with size enough to carve a mountain range bordering its sides. These glaciers often span several square miles, sometimes upwards of 10. No matter the size, the impact is the same. When standing upon a glacier, with a towering mountain range to your back, a lasting algae field born on volcanic rock just in front and the Atlantic Coast just miles beyond that, the land truly showcases its undying beauty.

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