FEATURES
PAGE 5 | MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011
Pride Week
Staff Writer bryn.goldberg@drake.edu
Be proud during DU’s Pride Week Monday
This week, April 4-7, is Pride Week on Drake University’s campus. This is a week filled with gay pride related activities, such as a Drag Show and a showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” For some, this is a week to embrace their sexual orientation, but for others, it is to show their support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community through the awareness events. “Pride week is about raising LGBT awareness on campus and allowing those individuals, who are a part of the LGBT community, to express themselves in a more accepting environment,” said first-year advertising student Kayli Mernka. There are four main events being held by the student organization Rainbow Union. Each event is aimed at raising LGBT awareness and a chance to get all of campus, regardless of their sexuality, involved with the gay community. The EXPOSED! Faculty Roundtable on Monday will be an opportunity for students to ask faculty members, including Joan McAlister and Sentwali Bakari, questions about queers in the media, sexuality, stereotyping or to just listen to their discussion about the community. This is a great opportunity for students to learn more about how gays are portrayed in the media and community as well as to ask the faculty and fellow students gay-related questions. Guest speaker Shane Windemeyer will be giving his “Time Is Now” speech on Tuesday. This is focused on how “time is working in the favor of the LGBT community.” He will be discussing the campus issues that members of this community may face, the different campus advocacy strategies to be conducted and the changes that are occurring throughout the country for the members of the gay community. “The importance of these events are that they allow the gay community to come out and enjoy life with little discrimination,” said sophomore Kylie Cin. “It gives them the freedom to be themselves and be with other people that have the same lifestyle as them.”
“EXPOSED!”
6 - 8 p.m. Medbury Lounge
Tuesday
“Time Is Now”
8 - 9 p.m. Bulldog Theater
Wednesday
Drag Show
9 p.m.- 12 a.m. Pomerantz Stage 12 - 3 a.m. Bulldog Theater
Rainbow Union aims to make every Drake student feel welcome by Bryn Goldberg
SCHEDULE
Friday
THE TIMES-DELPHIC
Midnight Showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
One form of expression is a Drag Show. Drag Show’s are typically seen as a transgender or gay man act, however, that is not always the case. There are performers who are straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, sexually confused and so on that perform. This year, there will be performers, professionals and a few surprise queens who will be strutting their stuff down Pomerantz Stage Wednesday night. It is a free event, but donations are highly recommended! Another form of expression is the midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This event will include pretzels, popcorn and pop. It is also highly encouraged that audience members dress-up, in very crazy and unique outfits or lingerie. For those “RHPS virgins,” this movie is very out there with its humor and catchy songs, and has audience involved moments throughout the film.
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During this week, I am able to see my friends that are a part of the gay community go out and have fun without fear. -Kylie Cin
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“During this week, I am able to see my friends that are a part of the gay community go out and have fun without fear,” said Cin. “It gives them hope that the future is going to be filled with acceptance and love compared to the current life they endure now in some parts of the country which are not so accepting.”
Don’t let the joke be on you this holiday season
The best and the worst pranks from April’s only holiday can be harmless or harmful if pursued improperly by Ben Levine
Staff Writer benjamin.levine@drake.edu
There are two types of people in the world: those who like April Fools’ Day and those who do not. The folks who enjoy April 1 usually do so because they are the ones pulling the jokes and getting the last laugh in. Understandably so, for those who are at the other end of the jokes, April 1 is a day of paranoia and constantly checking over your shoulder to make sure nobody is conspiring against you. But beyond the suspicion of the day, there are admittedly hilarious pranks that serve as classic examples of why April Fools’ Day continues to be the tradition it is. Although the history of April Fools’ Day is rather unclear, many people date it back to 16th century France when the French New Year was celebrated from March 25 to April 1. When Charles IX adopted a new calendar issued by the Pope, the New Year celebration moved to Jan. 1, but not everyone enjoyed the alteration; many kept on celebrating on April 1 and were subsequently pegged as fools by their peers who also pranked them to exemplify their stupidity.
What were some of the old pranks that they pulled? Well, we have 16th century Europe to thank for the “kick me” sign. Today’s pranks, though, are more intricate and clever than a simple sign. With technology improving constantly, our shenanigans not only grow larger, but also become Internet sensations overnight. A recent prank that created a lot of web buzz was pulled during College Humor’s latest prank war: the fake marriage proposal. It is a fairly simple prank, although it may be a bit pricy and rather destructive to a relationship—but, hey, it’s April Fools’ Day, right? The next time your friend takes his girlfriend on a date to a sporting event, buy one of those scoreboard messages that appear during intermission and propose to his girlfriend as him. The hilarity of it all: watching your friend explain that he actually is not proposing. Of course, this joke works best if your friend has been dating the girl for at least a few years; then the possibility of them getting married is much higher and the girl is undoubtedly thinking about it. Classic. But for those who wish not to end a relationship of a few years—a noble wish, I might add —have no fear. There are pranks that can be
Jokes on you.
performed in which no girl’s dream of marriage is deliberately crushed. Since we live in fairly close quarters at college, this is very easy. Simply waiting in a friend’s room until he or she returns and giving that person a scare will always work. Although, next to a fake marriage proposal, that admittedly seems
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It is hard to pull a really good prank in our dorms because we don’t want to get in trouble with Drake’s rules. You have to be creative. -Hayley Keil
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lame. “It is hard to pull a really good prank in our dorms because we don’t want to get in trouble with Drake’s rules. You have to be creative,” first-year Hayley Keil said. This April 1 was a bit different for freshman (April Fools’! We’re first-years, not freshman, because that’s more politically correct). Sure, there may be more opportunities to pull a prank on someone, but there are even more rules that get in the way of the fun, fire hazards being the largest obstacle to overcome on the road to a successful trick. So, if you’re still plotting to “get” one of your friends, just remember two things: There are university rules (like always) and there is also a little thing called karma. This year you may have been the person that spent April 1 keeled over in laughter, but next year may be different. And let me tell you, spending a whole day in paranoia gets exhausting. Happy Fools’ Day and I hope everyone enjoyed the pranking.
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