April 13, 2022

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 141 | No. 22 | April 13, 2022 FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

“Griff Gives Back” campaign leader Erin Bell hopes to collect 15,000 pounds of dog and cat food.

The United States women’s national soccer team defeated Uzbekistan 9-1 in Columbus, Ohio.

One writer considers the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s tendency to succeed by sticking with its formula.

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timesdelphic.com

Man dies from shooting a few houses down from Greek Street Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

Ruben Lee Porter Sr., a 36-year-old Des Moines resident, has died from a shooting at a Forest Avenue apartment complex down the road from 34th Street, according to the Des Moines Police Department. No Bulldog Alert was sent out to the Drake community.

Drake Public Safety director Scott Law said that based on a conversation with DMPD, “there was no reason to believe we had any type of threat to the campus” or Greek Street.

“If that shooting had occurred on 34th Street where the Greek houses were, we would have issued a Bulldog Alert,” Law said.

Law said that the shooting occurred at 3423 Forest Avenue and the victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a locked apartment.

Des Moines Police Department patrol officers and Des Moines Fire Rescue medics responded after receiving

notification at approximately 7:08 a.m., DMPD said. Officers initiated CPR and medics continued lifesaving measures on an unresponsive adult male with a gunshot injury and transported him to MercyOne Des Moines. This is the sixth homicide of 2022 in Des Moines, according to the press release.

“Basically, if you weren’t involved in this network, it wasn’t going to happen to you.”

DMPD public information officer Sgt. Paul Parizek said that evidence of illegal drug use was found in the apartment. He said that everyone in the apartment had been invited there, and that a dispute occurred between the victim and suspect.

“We all know that drugs, guns and violence go hand in hand, so we’re not surprised to find evidence of illegal drug use at a homicide scene,” Parizek

A POLICE LINE was set up to cordon off an area a few houses down from 34th Street. Police vehicles were present nearby on Thursday. PHOTO BY ANDREW KENNARD | NEWS EDITOR

said.

Parizek said that the crime was spontaneous, but not random.

“Basically, if you weren’t

involved in this network, it wasn’t going to happen to you,” Parizek said.

This is a developing story.

Parizek said that it is “fair to

say” that DMPD detectives are making good progress.

student senate grants rso status to four student organizations Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu Gannon Henry Student Senate Beat Writer gannon.henry@drake.edu Four of the five organizations applying for full registered student organization status were accepted by Drake Student Senate. Hockey Club, Badminton Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes were approved on March 31, and Drake NonProfit Consulting Group was approved on March 24. To read about the student senate’s denial of RSO status to Turning Point USA, visit timesdelphic.com.

The senate discussion for the applying groups consisted of a questions and open discussion section, during which senators were to determine whether the organization met the criteria for receiving full RSO status. The criteria are as follows: Is the organization sustainable? Would it provide a community for students? Could it successfully exist without RSO status? Does

it align with the Drake mission statement? And does the RSO pose a safety risk?

Drake Non-Profit Consulting Group Drake Non-Profit Consulting Group intends to give Drake students opportunities to work with nonprofit organizations in the Des Moines community.

Student senate unanimously voted to grant full RSO status to the organization, and discussion was limited to questions regarding the organization’s sustainability.

The group, which currently consists of 12 members, has worked with non-profit organizations including Urban Dreams, Iowa Center for Economic Success and Corn 4 a Cause, providing them with deliverables and performing analysis for the clients. At the end of each semester, members of the group are able to present their recommendations and work to the client organization. The group was seeking full RSO status in order to connect with more nonprofits through the official Drake name and increase their student recruitment efforts.

Badminton Club

Vice President of Student Organizations Joseph Owens said during the meeting that the club will meet around two times a week for up to two hours and hopes to compete against other schools.

Club Hockey Drake Club Hockey was unanimously approved for RSO status by student senate, with a number of senators voicing their support for the group. Currently, the team consists of 15-16 members and practices at the RecPlex, where they are coached by a Drake Law School alum.

The team has received a significant amount of support from Drake alumni associated with the original Drake Hockey team, which was last active over 20 years ago. One donor has reportedly provided nearly $1,000 in funding for the team, with multiple smaller donors also contributing to the team’s overall funds. Receiving full RSO status allows the team to receive additional funding from student senate, and more notably, apply to join the American Collegiate Hockey Association now that they are a recognized group.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Student senate voted 18-1 to grant RSO status to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

When asked what distinctive services the organization would provide, FCA President Abigail Crupi said that FCA would give student athletes a place to talk about their faith.

FCA has reportedly been at Drake for 20-25 years and has more than 100 members. Smith and the organization’s president, Abigail Crupi, said at the senate meeting that FCA’s activities include weekly meetings and volunteerism at churches, schools and organizations such as Can Play Sports. Smith said that they want to fundraise for organizations that they care about and that attaching “Drake” to their name is important.

The presentation of the organization, discussion about the decision among senators, and dialogue between senators and FCA took roughly an hour.

The discussion included concerns over the national organization’s views on LGBTQ+ relationships and the chapter’s relationship

with the FCA’s statement of faith.

Two members on staff at the FCA also attended the meeting.

“I was reading a couple articles about different FCA groups, and statements of homophobia within it,” Equity and Inclusion Senator Ruwayda Egal said. “So how do you guys plan on including LGBT student athletes within your club?”

Smith said that they expect members of the organization to treat each other with love and respect.

“We don’t make anyone sign anything, you don’t have to say anything, you can just come and you’re welcome here,” Smith said.

Health and Safety Senator Andrew Klinke proposed the possibility of reassessing how Drake organizations associate with national counterparts.

Student Body Treasurer Hunter Hildebrand said he thought that FCA is a “completely different scenario” than Turning Point USA because TPUSA had a history of disrupting campus climate, culture and DEI issues.

SJMC Senator Madeleine Leigh was the sole vote against granting RSO status to FCA.

Drake to require safety trainings for golf cart, utility vehicle driving Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

Next semester, anyone that drives a golf cart or utility vehicle will be required to complete both an in-person safety training and an annual online training module before they can operate the vehicle on campus.

The Risk and Insurance Office, in partnership with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, released an article in the OnCampus newsletter on March 29 that outlined the details of a new campus vehicle safety program.

“This program will make navigating campus safer for drivers and pedestrians, while helping to ensure drivers are equipped with the information they need to operate these

vehicles effectively,” the newsletter said.

Along with the newlyrequired training and videos, the other important addition to the safety policy included the creation of a “Fleet Route” map, according to Drake Environmental Health and Safety director Chris Nickell.

Nickell said he hoped this map would encourage drivers to use his department’s preferred and safest routes of travel across campus.

“For example, driving carts on grass frequently or other areas with narrower sidewalks… can lead to damage of the grounds and extra work for our Grounds Crew,” Nickell said in an email. “While this is sometimes required to carry out job tasks, it shouldn’t be the default norm.”

According to Nickell, this

safety policy is not completely new. He said Drake has had a golf cart safety policy since 2010, but it needed revamping.

“This current policy will better articulate what is required and link back to other relevant policies,” Nickell said in an email.

According to Kelly Foster, a business and insurance manager at Drake, there are currently 35 golf carts and utility vehicles on campus.

Foster said in an email that the carts are assigned across several organizations, including Facilities Planning and Management, Athletics, Public Safety and Information Technology Services and Postal Operations. Additionally, some campus groups rent vehicles from outside vendors.

“Many people may not have driven a golf cart before and

might not know the dangers associated,” Foster said. “Our hope is to make awareness to faculty, staff and students that golf carts can be dangerous if not driven appropriately.”

First-year student Aubrey Williams, a member of the Student Alumni Association (SAA), said she is “definitely a proponent” of the new training policies.

“One time, we were driving around campus to promote the SAA All-In fundraiser, and we unknowingly exceeded the capacity limit of two people,” Williams said. “We were actually stopped by a campus safety officer.”

Williams said the experience made her and her fellow SAA members feel terrible, even though they weren’t aware of the rules before they were reprimanded by Public Safety.

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“Knowing the rules and guidelines of driving a golf cart beforehand definitely would have prevented the whole incident from happening,” Williams said.

Foster said that, in the coming weeks, all previouslyregistered drivers will receive an email from durisk@drake. edu which will provide the information on how to gain access to the online training module.

She encouraged anyone who wants to use a golf cart on campus that is not already registered to submit an application to the Risk and Insurance Office before the end of the semester.

“We have many people visiting and walking on our campus on a daily basis, and… everyone’s safety is our priority,” Foster said.

02 | Features

Features

Annual Griff Gives Back campaign seeking cat and dog food donations Courtney Jackson Staff Writer courtney.jackson@drake.edu

“Griff Gives Back” is an annual campaign that is run

by Drake University and other local businesses, with this being the seventh year of taking donations of dog and cat food for a local pet food pantry.

Erin Bell, associate director of marketing in charge of the Live Mascot Program, is one of the leaders of this campaign, hoping to collect 15,000 pounds of dog and cat food.

“This campaign is so important to me because it’s Griff II’s chance to give back in a very measurable and quantifiable way to the community that has always been so good to him,” Bell said.

“He is fortunate to have a voice and platform to use for the good of others, and that’s exactly what this is about. He has never been hungry a day in his life, but many dogs and cats aren’t so fortunate. It is important to acknowledge this and to do something about it because he can. This is his chance to help less fortunate pets.”

This campaign is looking for any brand of adult cat and dog food, with donation sites all over the metro.

Some of these donation sites include the Olmsted breezeway on Drake University’s campus, Drake Diner, Iowa Realty’s office in Beaverdale, Canine Clean, Off the Rail Quilting, HyVee in Windsor Heights and Bone-A-Patreat. Orders can also be placed online via an Amazon wish list.

“Additionally, Bone-APatreat is a local store that is taking orders over the phone or online for Griff Gives Back, and they will deliver it to the storage

GRIFF GIVES BACK set a goal of 15,000 pounds of pet food donations this year. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF WRITER

facility for free,” Bell said.

“Bone-A-Patreat is also running a special offer on Fromm Classic dog food with an $11 discount on bags purchased for Griff Gives Back. We need help spreading the word, sharing this project with friends and families. It is really easy to make a donation and it makes a big difference to pets in our community.”

Maria Torres, a realtor at Iowa Realty and a board member of Pet Project Midwest, says this is a campaign that Griff raises money for, and it allows for pets to stay in their loving homes.

“My husband was the director of Meals on Wheels with Wesley Life and [learned] those participants would give a portion of the meal they were provided to their pets,” Torres said. “Pets are the only companionship they have. It is also devastating to think a family should choose between food on their table or keeping their pet. Children shouldn’t have to lose the love of a pet

so they can have a full belly.

The Pet Project Midwest now provides Meals on Wheels with food for their clients, so their clients can enjoy their meals and help keep food in a pet’s bowl, so a family doesn’t have to lose a loved companion.”

Torres has been involved in this organization for seven years, going from event committee member to board member. She encourages people to donate to this organization as this is a volunteer-run organization helping the animals of the Midwest.

“I would just ask that people please consider supporting this initiative,” Bell said.

“The Pet Project Midwest is an exceptional, volunteerrun organization that does really important work in our community to keep pets out of shelters. Every pound of food that is donated helps.”

For more information or to donate, visit https://alumni. drake.edu/griff-gives-back.

April 13, 2022

Metro cities working toward regional water utility service Courtney Jackson Staff Writer courtney.jackson@drake.edu

The cities of Waukee, West Des Moines, Des Moines and Urbandale have all announced their support for a regional water utility.

The idea of a regional water utility was first discussed four years ago, when three Water Works companies got together to determine if producing and treating water as a regional entity had advantages or disadvantages.

Rudy Koester, a public works director at the City of Waukee, talked about how this will help to ensure safe and reliable drinking water today and in the future.

“Waukee is currently a wholesale customer of Des Moines Water Works and continuing to be a part of a regional effort to produce and distribute safe and reliable drinking water to our community is the least costly path for our customers,” Koester said. “I want to be clear, a regional water utility will not necessarily lower water costs today for everyone, however, it will allow for improved cost management resulting in less costs in the future.”

This collaborative project allows customers to get more bang for their buck, with cities all over the Des Moines metro working together on this project.

Christina Murphy, the general manager at the West Des Moines Water Works, agreed with Koester’s statements, saying it would better help the general public including Drake University students.

“Regionalization allows for the best management of available water resources. It does so in a way that can help

support growth in many of the metro communities,” Murphy said. “It helps keep water rates lower than not cooperating together and ensures that everyone is sharing in the risk and reward of owning and operating a regional water production utility. By having multiple water treatment plants and redundant system infrastructure, as a metro, we can face and respond to these challenges and continue to meet our customer’s needs. Specifically for college students at Drake, they can feel confident that the regional water utility will be focused on being sustainable, while fiscally prudent, in ensuring safe, reliable drinking water.”

“The regional water utility will be focused on being sustainable, while fiscally prudent, in ensuring safe, reliable drinking water.”

Regionalization and working together to support economic development and growth needs can help to provide work for Drake University students and graduates, allowing for them to continue to stay in the metro as they start their professional careers.

Only regional water production will be affected by the regionalization, not distribution. People will still be able to call their local city or water works for assistance with billing or drinking water related issues.

For more information and updates on this regional water utility visit www.dmww.com/ alert_detail.php.

bulldog highlights: emma bertrand learns while teaching others Maia Songer Staff Writer maia.songer@drake.edu

While many Drake University students are beginning to get acquainted with professional opportunities in their prospective fields, Emma Bertrand is on the final stretch before entering the ‘real world.’

Bertrand, a senior studying secondary education with endorsements in all social sciences and K-12 talented and gifted, is student teaching in a government course at East High School.

Bertrand said that she has always had a passion for education.

“There’s nothing that has appealed to me as much as education has,” Bertrand said. “I had a rough upbringing growing up and so for me, school was the thing that kept me on the right track. A lot of the time, when I wasn’t safe at home, I was safe at school. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my education and I want to be able to give that back to other people who may be needing that safe space in school as well.”

Bertrand is qualified in all social sciences, which encompasses seven different topic areas. These areas are U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, Geography, Economics, Psychology and Sociology. Of these seven subjects, Bertrand’s favorite subject to teach is U.S. Government.

“I think social studies are really important because that is

what makes you a good member of society and a good citizen,” Bertrand said. “You don’t know how to contribute to your government or your community unless you know how your government works. You can’t be a good citizen if you don’t have a good civic education.

We can’t progress as a society if we haven’t looked at where our society started and the failings of that society. It’s important to look back on our history and the history of the world that we live in and see what we have done wrong, what mistakes we have made and what we can do better.”

Bertrand was placed in Randi Fitzgerald’s classroom at East High School. Fitzgerald, a certified teacher with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in teaching from Simpson College, explains why she brought a student teacher into her classroom.

“We need teachers,” Fitzgerald said. “Everywhere needs teachers. A little bit of it was selfish too because I feel like [Emma] is just as valuable for me, to teach me stuff. Anytime there is another adult in the room there is an opportunity to learn from them. I love East and if I can make someone else love East, then that is great too.”

Bertrand makes the distinction between practicum and student teaching, both of which are required of future educators. Bertrand said that a practicum is a shorter time commitment that may require that you make observations or

teach a singular lesson, while in student teaching you do everything that a teacher does, including taking attendance, grading and lesson planning.

With student teaching, there is a point where you are in control of everything,” Bertrand said. “The classroom becomes yours.”

Fitzgerald is especially proud of Bertrand’s growth in her confidence as she has progressed through her student teaching.

“She has grown much more comfortable in the teaching profession,” Fitzgerald said. “I have seen her become much more comfortable in the dayto-day, and that allows her to spend more time building relationships with students” Bertrand’s favorite part of student teaching is being able to connect with her students.

“Because I’m in the classroom every single day, I am able to build those relationships with students,” Bertrand said. “There is nothing more rewarding. As a teacher, you’re in it for the kids. Being able to connect with students on a personal level has probably been the most rewarding part of student teaching.”

Bertrand is excited for the next step in her career as she is applying for social studies jobs in the state of Iowa–however, there is a challenge that comes with being in the social studies field.

“A lot of people might think that it’s easier than the reality because a lot of people have heard of the teacher shortage,” Bertrand said. “There’s no

SENIOR EMMA BERTRAND is student-teaching in the field of social studies at East High School before she graduates with a secondary education major. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA BERTRAND

teacher shortage in social studies. It’s a much harder industry to get into. There’s a lot more saturation in the social studies job market as opposed to science and math.”

As Bertrand continues to explore opportunities, she is grateful for the additional ones that Fitzgerald has provided her with.

“She’s created a lot of opportunities for me to develop that I don’t think I would have if I was with someone else,” Bertrand said. “Randi made it so that I talk to an instructional coach here at East. So I’ve been able to work on some areas where I struggle with an instructional coach which is usually not an opportunity

teachers have until they are employees.”

Before Bertrand exits the world of student teaching and walks the stage, Fitzgerald leaves her and other educators with a word of advice.

“One thing my grandma told me, my grandma was an elementary teacher, is remember that ‘this too shall pass,’” Fitzgerald said. “You can have a great group, but you only have them for nine months, so enjoy it. Or you might have a really terrible group, but you only have them for nine months, so you’ll get through it. The students might not remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.”

03 | Sports

April 13, 2022

Sports

In a 9-1 win, the USWNT show off potential for future

MANY VETERANS, including Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Alex Morgan pictured above, were missing from the April training camp roster and subsequent Uzbekistan games, potentially ushering in a new era for the team under Vlatko Andonovski filled with newcomers. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) defeated Uzbekistan 9-1 on Saturday, April 9 at Lower.com field in Columbus, OH. Uzbekistan came into the game as the 48th ranked team in the world in comparison to the number one ranking the USWNT had. After the game, this wide margin was clearly seen as Uzbekistan was outmatched physically, skillwise and tactically.

Sophia Smith, who came in with only one goal in her international career, scored a hat trick and showed off her dynamic playmaking abilities. Both Jaelin Howell and Ashley Sanchez picked up their first goals in international competition.

Initially, the defenses of Uzbekistan held up. Although they were getting a lot of pressure on them, they didn’t concede until the 26th minute.

Andi Sullivan started off the scoring in the 26th minute with a header.

After a Catarina Macario corner kick was headed towards goal by Lindsey Horan, Alana Cook then headed it back to the middle of the box where Sullivan finished it off. This impressive three-way combo was the start of the dominating play we would see during the match. In less than a minute, Mallory Pugh scored another goal for the U.S. Smith scored the first of her three goals in the 33rd minute and scored another just two minutes later.

Going into the half, the score was 4-0 with the USWNT getting many opportunities to increase their lead. The team wasted no time to score another goal coming out of the half. Macario finally got her deserved goal in the 46th minute. A beautiful through ball from Rose Lavelle set it up after knocking on the doorstep a few times.

In the 56th minute, Smith got her hat trick after Kristie Mewis connected with Pugh with a long ball over the top and into open space. From there, Pugh quickly dribbled to the right side of the field, drawing the keeper out of position, and passed the ball to Smith who

was making a run in the box for an easy tap-in. Howell scored her first goal in the 64th minute off of another great header from Cook.

The USWNT finished the game with two goals: one from Ashley Hatch in the 86th minute and one from Sanchez in the 90th minute.

Uzbekistan couldn’t keep up with the U.S. throughout the game, but Aziza Norboeva was able to score a goal off of a set piece corner kick. This goal ended the USWNT’s 17-game and over two-year shutout streak on home soil. Though it may be nitpicking a little bit, letting in a goal from a clearly inferior team is a learning moment for a young team.

It doesn’t matter the opponent, the team needs to keep its focus up. Norboeva was left unmarked, and that goal will definitely annoy Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski, who will go over that in film and practice.

This USWNT is pretty young, with some inexperienced squad members in comparison to past iterations. Coming into the match, only two players, Kelley

O’Hara and Horan, have more than 100 caps. The average age of the squad is 26.8 years old.

The 2020 Olympic team had an average age of 30.8 with the front three players on the other side of their 30’s.

Despite this, there were many good things on display from the USWNT. Because Uzbekistan was committed to playing a high line, the USWNT was easily able to exploit this.

Initially this high line worked as U.S. players were caught offside numerous times, but after 25 minutes, the team was able to figure out how to avoid the offside trap. Most teams that play against the U.S. and are overmatched sit in low blocks. They avoid the pressure the team gives, use their numbers to their advantage when defending, and force the USWNT to play on the ground more.

The high line from Uzbekistan meant that there were literally 20+ yards of free pitch behind them and the goalkeeper. The Uzbeks weren’t athletic enough to catch up to the physically superior Americans when they got behind them, especially as

the game wore on.

Goalkeeper Tilovova Laylo, who I thought made some good saves, was forced to play aggressively and come out of the box more. Sometimes it worked out–most times she was punished for this.

The game plan from Uzbekistan head coach Midori Honda was bad, and what was worse was that she didn’t adjust whatsoever after the first half or throughout the game. The team couldn’t keep up with the U.S. or hold possession, yet Honda didn’t change any plan.

Hopefully by the next game, plan adjustments will be made.

This game was one of the two friendlies scheduled against Uzbekistan, the next one being on April 12 in Chester, PA. After that game, there is only one FIFA window left. It is in June, before the CONCACAF qualifying tournament in July.

The qualifying tournament will be for next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, a first for the USWNT having to qualify for these events in the same tournament.

Men’s and women’s tennis celebrate recent wins

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRIP, the men’s and women’s tennis team will return to the Roger Knapp Center at Drake University.

Darinka Stepan Staff Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

Both the men’s and women’s Drake tennis teams were on the road to start the last month of games.

The women’s team traveled to Valparaiso, Indiana, to compete against Valparaiso University. The Bulldogs took to the courts on Saturday, April 2 at 3 p.m.

The women were able to get the doubles point after picking up wins from doubles two and three courts. Heading into the singles matches, the Bulldogs had a 1-0 lead over Valparaiso.

Senior Liza Petushkova was the first Bulldog to get a singles point for Drake after getting a

quick 6-2, 6-3 win. Sophomore Darinka Stepan picked up the next point after getting a win at the singles five position. Firstyear Mille Haagensen clinched the game for Drake after winning her match 6-4, 6-1. The team now has an overall record of 10-6 with a three game win streak.

“We came out with great energy from the beginning, which helped us get the doubles point,” Haagensen said. “We just used that momentum in singles to get the other three points that we needed to be able to get a team win.”

Drake’s men’s tennis team had two away matches at the beginning of April. First, the Bulldogs took on Illinois State on Friday, April 1. They were

able to get the doubles point against the Redbirds after a win from doubles two and three courts.

At doubles two, redshirt sophomore Matija Matic and redshirt junior Evan Fragistas won their set with a score of 6-3. At doubles three, redshirt sophomore Reid Jarvis and junior Matt Clegg won their set 7-6(2). Heading into the singles matches, Drake got five out of the six singles points available after picking up wins from singles positions two through six.

Fragistas won his match 6-2, 6-3. Despite dropping a close first set, 5-7, redshirt sophomore Oliver Johansson won his match 6-3, 6-2. Jarvis got a 7-5, 6-4 win at singles

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENDALL HUNT

four. Clegg won his match 7-6, 7-5 at singles five.

Sophomore Markus Bolin got a win for Drake at the singles six position after winning his match 6-2, 7-6(5). The Bulldogs took to the courts again the next day to play the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Drake swept Omaha 7-0 and improved their conference record to 3-0.

Drake was able to get the doubles point and all six singles points. At singles one, Matic won his match in straight sets.

At singles two, sophomore Jeremy Schifris won his match in a well-fought three set match.

Schifris won the first set 6-2, lost the second set 1-6 and bounced back to win the third set 6-3.

At singles three, Fragistas won his match 6-1, 6-4.

Johansson played at the singles four spot and got an easy 6-4, 6-1 win.

Jarvis got a quick 6-2, 6-1 win at singles five, and Bolin was able to win his match in straight sets at six singles.

“I think we competed well both days,” Matic said. “We got off to a good start in both matches after getting the doubles point and were able to get some quick singles wins to help the team score.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams returned home to compete against conference schools. The men played against Creighton University on Saturday, April 9 at 3 p.m. The women took on Illinois State University also on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m.

04 | Commentary

Commentary

April 13, 2022

MCU: formulaic dreck or timeless cinema?

Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

With the completion of their Infinity Saga, a 23-film storyline stretching from the release of “Iron Man” in 2008 to the release of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) lifespan has come into question.

The MCU is both the largest and most popular film franchise in modern history. With the release of “Spiderman: No Way Home,” the MCU officially expanded to include 27 total films.

The longevity of the MCU is no doubt impressive, but skeptics are questioning just how long the MCU can soldier on for.

Creative bankruptcy is an obvious candidate for the MCU’s kryptonite, but a plethora of comic book source material that some estimate could hold up the franchise for multiple decades further says otherwise.

On the other hand, some critics argue that the repetitive nature of the MCU formula — quick & safe superhero action flicks — will eventually tire out the MCU’s fanbase. While new fans continue to flock to the MCU, these critics are quick to point out that the MCU is making life for new fans.

The ever-growing count of Disney+ series and feature length films needed to understand the context of their films have steered some moviegoers away from Marvel, as watching 27 films for context purposes is a disinterest for many.

Even with this, the MCU’s continuously record-breaking box-office receipts are currently proving these concerns blatantly wrong, and they’re not alone.

Take a franchise like “Mission Impossible” for reference. The

WITH GREAT REPUTATION COMES GREAT EXPECTATIONS... these affluent avengers have ruled the film industry with an iron fist (or man) for a healthy majority of the 21st century. But, as the saying goes, complacency kills. Will this Roman Empire of a franchise preserve its juggernaut sovereignty, or will it be toppled by a stone-throwing David? PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

franchise only has six films in its catalog, but they date back to the mid-‘90s. Despite their longevity and objectively repetitive base formula, they continue to increase their boxoffice returns and audience ratings at an impressive rate.

The release of “Mission: Impossible” in 1996 garnered over $450-million in box office returns and a 66 percent rotten tomatoes score. Their

most recent release, 2018’s “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” garnered over 750-million and a 97 percent rotten tomatoes score, proving that longevity does not always lead to creative bankruptcy.

A film franchise like “Fast and Furious” tells a different story, with many critics calling the franchise’s latest installment the worst yet.

The difference between

the two, and also the reason the MCU and “Mission Impossible” franchises aren’t going anywhere any time soon, is a brilliant combination of reliability and uniqueness.

The MCU has access to arguably the greatest gold-mine of action film source material known to man, whilst the “Mission Impossible” franchise has Tom Cruise.

These franchises know who they are,

and they don’t try to fly outside of that airspace.

This leads to loyal, returning fan bases who constantly race to buy tickets at the sound of a new release.

Why? Because they know exactly what they’ll be getting, and they absolutely love it.

that have not been treated with this kind of response. Roman Polanski, Casey Affleck, and Harvey Weinstein have public and traceable histories of violence and they have never been banned from the Oscars.

It’s never even been a thought.

John Wayne had to be physically restrained from harming Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American woman who accepted Marlon Brando’s oscar on his behalf in an act of protest over the treatment of Native Americans.

These people have never had their careers impacted by their history of violence–in fact they made their violence industry standard.

And yes, none of them actually hit someone in the middle of the Oscars, but that isn’t what matters. What matters is the conversation we have about these incidents. Will Smith walked up and slapped a man his own age, who he had known for years, for talking about his wife. Will Smith did something portrayed in rom-

coms and sitcoms alike as romantic and noble and I have no doubt in my mind if a George Clooney, an Andrew Garfield or a Tom Hiddleston had felt so moved to protect the woman he loved at that moment, to send a message home with enough finality he could for a moment know his wife felt that her insecurities mattered to him, they would be praised as romantic and protective. These men, these white sex symbols, would not be villainized for their acts but praised for them.

The fan edits and fanfics would pour in. The late-night show appearances and leading man roles where he channeled this brutish and passionate love into box office success would surely follow.

Smith isn’t a white sex symbol, though, and Jada Pinkett-Smith isn’t the lilywhite damsel in distress we feel deserves this kind of protection.

Black women are martyrs, or at least that is how they are portrayed in the media. In the early days of the pandemic, there

were countless articles written about the way Black women experience burnout from taking on the emotional and physical labors of others while having to avoid showing the toll that burden takes. Pinkett-Smith strives to ensure we know that she is human, that this does take a toll on her. Red Table Talk is a sometimes shockingly honest look into her life and her world and as a couple, the two offer transparency we don’t necessarily earn. This allows us to know of her “entanglements”, of the moments things are hard for them, of the times they struggle expressing and enforcing boundaries.

As a couple, we know they are like any other couple married for 25 years: in all their love they find flaws that they work through together. They are by no means perfect and we know that because they tell us that and make the work they do public so people know they aren’t alone and it is possible.

This incident, however, spoke to something we have only barely

heard about: Jada’s journey with alopecia. Hair is never just hair. It is a source of power and liberation, it contributes to our sexuality and helps us present in a space. It is personal and political and never just hair.

In sharing her diagnosis and the choice to shave her head to the public, she attempted to take back her power in a painfully powerless situation.

Will Smith has never missed a beat in supporting her in public because he gets her in private too. In the moments before she reclaimed what it meant to be bald, in the moments when the weight of hair being more than hair crashed down into Jada Pinkett-Smith, Will Smith experienced that.

I won’t express my opinion on if I think the slap was justified or appropriate because I don’t know where I stand, but I do know that this was not Smith’s response to one singular transgression. This was a man, who so loved his wife, he wanted her to feel supported in being unstoppable.

I am villain: Smith’s punch wasn’t the problem Mylo Bissell Staff Writer mylo.bissell@drake.edu

I have been trying to wrap my head around exactly why the criticism of Will Smith bothers me so much. From the source of the critique to the things being said and the only thing I come back to is that y’all aren’t actually mad about violence.

We as consumers love violence. We watch videos of fights, we love true crime and we are consistently and always going to superhero movies or playing new video games.

Violence isn’t an issue–in fact, if it was, more than just Will Smith would have been gone from the Oscars, but there is a reason we don’t like Will Smith being violent.

Will Smith is a black man, who we have always seen as friendly and non-threatening and Jada is the kind of black woman we are told to think shouldn’t need protection.

There are plenty of examples of violent acts at the Oscars

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper for Drake University since 1884 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

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