Drake Women’s Basketball finished its perfect conference season with a 105-89 victory over Wichita State on March 4.
THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University
PHOTO BY ADAM ROGAN | MANAGING EDITOR
Vol. 136 | No. 18 | Wed. March 08, 2016 timesdelphic.com
OPINIONS Two editors look at housing options for sophomores, Morehouse and Ross. Morehouse is seen as a better option for upperclassmen than Ross because of distance from classes and better upkeep in general. Read more on page 6.
ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS
Dean of Students candidates appeal to campus Ivy Beckenholdt Copy Editor ivy.beckenholdt@drake.edu @pinkyisstinky98 The search is on for the new Dean of Students. The search committee has selected three finalists. All three have come to speak to students, faculty and staff throughout the past week. Dr. Khalilah T. Doss, Dr. Brandon Barile-Swain and Dr. Jerry Parker are the three finalists up for the position. Doss presented on Feb. 24, Barile-Swain presented on Feb. 28 and Parker presented Tuesday.
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SPORTS
FEATURES Second year law student, Logan Shine recounts his journey from the friend zone, to the first date, to the proposal to marriage with his high school sweetheart in this week’s Humans of Drake. Read more on page 8.
Bulldogs succeed in historic season: remaining undefeated, 18-0, in the MVC. They will face either Indiana State or Illinois State in the second round of the MVC tournament on March 10. Read more on page 12.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Former board member sues university
Jessica Lynk Editor-in-Chief jessica.lynk@drake.edu @jessmlynk A former Drake trustee is suing the university, alleging he was kicked off the board after he repeatedly complained about how Drake investigated a sexual assault allegation against his son. Trustee Tom Rossley was removed from the board last July after serving 23 years. He sued in U.S. District Court on Feb. 17. Rossley’s son, a former Drake student, was accused by a female Drake student of sexual assault in October 2015. The university investigated the complaint, as required by Title IX. Title IX is a federal law that says that students “are protected from sex-based discrimination, harassment, or violence, whether it occurs on or off campus,” according to Drake’s Title IX website. This law requires Drake to respond to and restrain sexual harassment or violence. Because Rossley’s son was the son of a board member, Drake brought in an outside
investigator, Mary Howell Sirna, the Title IX Coordinator at Iowa State University. Drake Assistant Director of Campus Public Safety Tricia McKinney helped conduct the investigation. The university then expelled Rossley’s son in spring 2016 for violating Drake’s student code of conduct. Rossley alleges that Drake mishandled the investigation by overlooking his son’s accusation that he was sexually assaulted by the female student, earlier in the evening. He also alleges that the university didn’t accommodate his son’s disabilities throughout the investigation. “While engaging in a biased and unlawful Title IX investigation of Mr. Rossley’s disabled son, the officials at Drake University purposefully ignored and failed to investigate the student’s numerous pleas for help after he was sexually assaulted by a female student,” said Andrew Miltenberg, Rossley’s lawyer who is from New York, in an email. “My client made numerous efforts to address the heinous violations
of his disabled son’s rights to school officials and the Board of Trustees. Instead of remedying the school’s numerous unlawful actions, they instead instituted an immediate attack on Mr. Rossley and effectively silenced and covered up his complaints, to the direct detriment of his family, career, and Drake University’s students.” Rossley’s lawsuit says his son has ADHD, language-based learning disabilities and anxiety. The investigators, Sirna and McKinney, discriminated against him by not giving him “any of the necessary and legally mandated accommodations” for his disabilities, the lawsuit says. Rossley said he informed Acting Dean of Students Jerry Parker of his son’s disabilities in December 2015, but Parker seemed “disinterested,” according to the lawsuit. In February 2016, the university investigation concluded that Rossley’s son committed misconduct, and he was expelled from Drake. According to the lawsuit, Rossley’s son appealed the decision, but was not successful.
Drake’s director of public relations, Jarad Bernstein, issued a statement on behalf of the university: “Drake University takes seriously its commitment to provide a safe and productive educational environment for all of its students. This case is no exception. After an initial review of the complaint filed by former trustee Tom Rossley, Sr., the University disagrees with the plaintiff’s depictions of the alleged actions of the parties involved. There are clear differences of opinion about how this situation evolved, and we look forward to presenting a vigorous defense in court. In recognition of the University’s obligations under federal law and out of respect for the privacy of those individuals involved, no further comment will be offered.” In the fall of 2015, a female student alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Rossley’s son, who was identified in the lawsuit as a member of the Class of 2016. Drake’s Title IX investigation led to the expulsion of Rossley’s son.
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POLITICS
O’Malley talks voting rights, denounces proposed voter ID law Lórien MacEnulty Staff Writer lorien.macenulty@drake.edu @lorienmacenulty In an address likening political strategies to plays in a football game, former presidential candidate Martin O’Malley called on Drake students to take both offensive and defensive action against measures in the Iowa state Senate that would restrict voting rights. A crowd of about 40 people welcomed the former governor of Maryland to Pomerantz Stage last Saturday, ready to discuss the implications of a proposed bill. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate proposed the Election Integrity Act in early February, which would require voters to show a photo ID from the Iowa Department of Transportation at election booths. Assistant Iowa Attorney General Nathan Blake, who also spoke at the event, said signature verification has little to no evidential backing as a potential means of targeting voter impersonation fraud. “What we see is that state after state, particularly states with republican majorities, have been pushing for voter ID requirements and laws that, under the guise of securing the right to vote, actually
discourage people from voting and make it harder for people to vote,” O’Malley said. Blake said that the measure is a strategic initiative to reduce voter turnout in students who tend to be more politically progressive. Jordan Sabine, who helped organize the event, said it would especially affect out-of -state students. “It’s going to really limit Drake students because so many of us are from out-of-state,” said Jordan Sabine, senior strategic political communications major. “We may not have an Iowa ID or driver’s license and we would have to make the effort to go get one of those in order to vote.” O’Malley urged people to voice their disapproval of the Election Integrity Act as a defensive operation against “encroachment on voting rights.” The offensive tactic, O’Malley said, is to establish a fundamental constitutional right to vote. “I think most Americans are surprised to hear that there isn’t a constitutional right to vote,” O’Malley said. “If there were a constitutional right to vote in the U.S. Constitution, then there would be a much higher level of scrutiny that would be applied to these laws and many would probably be found unconstitutional.”
O’Malley has long been an advocate of accessible voting. Under his jurisdiction, over 50,000 felons in Maryland had their right to vote restored. He also expanded early voting periods and made same-day registration available. “Fundamental to our system of government is the belief that we are all in this together, that we need each other, that, in fact, democracy only works when more people participate, not fewer,” O’Malley said. O’Malley said that the key to gaining back a Democratic Congress lies with “tapping into this wellspring of younger candidates and getting them to run for state and local office.” This involves removing obstacles that impede the votes of the younger generation, including the addition of multiple days for voting, expanding early voting, easy access to absentee ballots, and extending hours on voting day. “History has shown that dissidence only succeeds when citizens check out of the process,” O’Malley said, “when parties become weak, when the press become weak, when other institutions fail to provide the checks against the trampling of our constitutional rights.”
MARTIN O’MALLEY asks students to oppose the Election Integrity Act, which would require certain IDs to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said it would prevent voter fraud. PHOTO BY LÓRIEN MACENULTY | STAFF WRITER
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