April 6, 2022

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 141 | No. 21 | April 6, 2022 FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Drake featured paintings and interviews by Drake students and inspired by Latin American stories in a gallery that closed on April 3.

Drake men’s tennis team player earned a Summit Player of the Week award. The team will play Denver this Friday at home.

The Drake Student Workers Organizing Committee encourages students to join them and advocate for higher wages and other benefits.

Read more on page 3

Read more on page 5

Read more on page 8

timesdelphic.com

Student senate announces executive election results Emma Brustkern Editor-in-Chief emma.brustkern@drake.edu

On Friday, the Drake University student senate announced the election results and vote counts of the student senate executive election.

Junior Connor Oetzmann and sophomore Ruwayda Egal were elected as student body president and vice president of student life, respectively.

Junior Kylie Ellis was elected as vice president of student activities. Sophomore Daniel Krey was elected as student body treasurer. Read on and check out this article to learn more about the senators-elect.

Furthermore, two candidates running for vice president of student organizations, Trinity Harris and Abigail Whittemore, are currently competing in a runoff election that ended on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Student Body President: Connor Oetzmann Junior Connor Oetzmann was elected student body president with 611 votes out of 641. His campaign platform prioritized engagement, community and continuation. At the student senate executive election forum, Oetzmann answered questions about how he would serve and promote underrepresented organizations, such as those in Unity Roundtable. As student body president, he noted that he plans to encourage senate members to attend multicultural events and promote such events on social media and in the “Senate This Week” email, which is received

by all members of student senate.

“I think it’s really important at a predominantly white institution, as a white man myself, that I continually educate myself, and that I push other people to educate themselves as well and to attend these [multicultural] events,” Oetzmann said at the forum.

“Arguably, the events put on by these underrepresented organizations and communities are arguably some of the best events that I’ve ever been a part of.”

Oetzmann, who currently serves as Vice President of Student Life, also responded to questions about engaging with individuals with differing viewpoints.

“I’ve always tried to keep the door open if anyone has any concerns within the student body . . .” Oetzmann said at the forum. “I think coming from a place of respect is really important, as long as the person that holds maybe a different viewpoint or ideas than me isn’t coming from a place of hate.”

Vice President of Student Life: Ruwayda Egal Sophomore Ruwayda Egal was elected as vice president of student life with 611 votes out of 648. Her platform centered around growing relationships, increasing transparency and following through on promises to the student body.

One idea Egal proposed was to regularly host a forum or Q&A for students to attend and bring up their concerns with senators.

“We are all voted in by the

AMIDST THE FESTIVITIES of the alcohol-alternative event Dogtown After Hours, Student Body President Morgan Coleman and Election Commissioner Dylan Engelbrecht announced the results of the election for next year’s executive board. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

student body, so it’s important for the student body to get to know us and hear us,” Egal said at the forum. “I’m thinking a cute little thing like this [forum], where everyone just asks us questions, and we answer them respectfully.”

Additionally, Egal suggested sending regular reports from senate to the student body and improving community among student senate members by providing opportunities to bond outside of normal senate meetings.

“I look forward to strengthening ties with senators and the student body,” Egal said in a statement to The Times-Delphic. “I believe that relationships, transparency and follow-through are so important in my position and I plan on diligently following through.

I will work as hard as I can for

this student body and hope to give everyone a great year.”

Vice President of Student Activities: Kylie Ellis Junior Kylie Ellis was elected as vice president of student activities (VPSA) with 586 votes out of 646. After serving on the Student Activities Board (SAB) for three years, Ellis made inclusion, collaboration and involvement the cornerstones of her campaign. As both the incoming VPSA and incoming president of SAB, she hopes to continue bridging the gap between the two organizations.

“With these two positions, I perceive my responsibility as wanting to keep student senate involved in what SAB is doing and bringing to them every event and activity we’re planning on doing,” Ellis said at the forum.

“I would also like to get their opinion on what they want SAB to do, so if they have some ideas on how SAB can improve on something or some ideas that they want SAB to promote, [I plan on] working with them to combine the two a little bit more and get their feedback on how SAB can plan activities for other organizations.”

As one of the largest organizations on campus, Ellis also emphasized SAB’s role in collaborating and supporting other organizations as VPSA. “I’d also just love to kind of be another voice for the student body as well as to continue to promote collaborative relationships with all the organizations,” Ellis said at the forum.

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Campus Suites at Dogtown to provide new housing opportunity for students Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

The Holiday Inn Express has provided visitors to Drake with easy access to campus. Starting this August, Drake anticipates that the inn will instead do the same for third-year students and above.

After the inn did not renew its lease with Drake, the University decided to offer a new housing opportunity called Campus Suites at Dogtown, according to residence life director Lorissa Sowden. Sowden answered questions about the new residence opportunity over email in coordination with chief student affairs officer Jerry Parker.

“Not only is Campus Suites at Dogtown a great option for our undergraduate population, including John D. Bright College students, but also our graduate and professional school students that are looking for an affordable and close option to campus,” Sowden said.

Students can purchase a lease for a calendar year (August-August) or an academic year (August-May).

Residents will pay $3,000 for each of the 2022-2023 spring and fall semesters and will also be required to purchase a residential or commuter meal plan for those terms. Students who have already stayed in

Drake’s residence halls for two years will have priority for the 45 private rooms.

Residents who choose to stay for the summer will pay $1,500, and those who stay for January Term will pay $59/day with a meal plan and $36/day without.

For comparison, a single room in one of Drake’s residence halls will cost $4,657 each semester and over $4,500 for summer term in the 20222023 year.

According to Natasha Borders from Drake West Village, one agreement for a 1 bed-1 bath apartment in Drake West Village is 10 installments of $912 for an academic year lease (August-May), for a total of $9,120. Another agreement, Borders said, is 12 installments of $892 for a full-year lease from August-July, for a total of $10,704.

Drake sophomore Munachi Okuagu is thinking of living in Drake West Village rather than Campus Suites at Dogtown. She said that there, she’d have her own amenities like a kitchen and would be closer to campus.

“Yeah, it feels a little bit more homey,” Okuagu said of Drake West Village. “Like, as homey as an apartment can be.”

Amenities at Campus Suites at Dogtown include a flatscreen television, personal bathroom, microwave, minifridge, floor lamp, full-length mirror, a workout room and laundry for no additional cost.

The purchase of a parking pass

THE HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, located near Drake Diner off University Avenue, will begin operating as a residence opportunity instead of a hotel. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

will be required to park at the former hotel. Wireless internet will be provided, but Sowden said that Drake is still working with its ITS department to determine what WiFi will be offered.

Drake enters agreement to explore the possibility of selling Ross Hall Drake President Marty Martin said that Drake has approved a Memorandum of Understanding with an unknown party to explore selling Ross Hall and the Norman and McCoy Apartment

Buildings, according to minutes from the January 26 faculty senate meeting. Martin said in the meeting that Ross has an excess of $6 million in deferred maintenance costs and renovating it would only make 110 beds available.

“The University is exploring what might be possible in the future, but no final decisions have been made,” Sowden said.

“We will continue to evaluate our residence hall portfolio, the preferences of students, and the needs of our surrounding community in assessing what is next for Ross Hall.”

The Holiday Inn has served

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as a backup for isolation housing of students with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the event that Ross Hall had reached capacity, according to a Feb. 18 interview with Drake provost Sue Mattison. As of Drake’s COVID-19 update on April 1, there were 11 students with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“We anticipate that Ross Hall will remain available for [COVID-19 isolation housing],” Sowden said. “Should that change, we will ensure alternatives are available for this important purpose.​”

02 | News

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Student Body Treasurer: Daniel Krey Sophomore Daniel Krey was elected as student body treasurer with 589 votes out of 648. As a member of the Student Fees Allocation Council (SFAC), Krey believes he has a good idea of how to proceed in his new role.

“Serving on SFAC really opened my eyes to the roles and responsibilities of this position,” Krey said at the forum. “I think it’s important also to realize that we are a very diverse set of students here at Drake University. It’s important to acknowledge that, in this

role of student body treasurer, some forms of diversity are less seen. We have race and gender, but there’s also socioeconomic status. [Part of this role] is making sure that some people that are in those lower socioeconomic statuses have the availability to get funds for their clubs and organizations.”

Krey also acknowledged the importance of incorporating a diverse group of individuals when creating SFAC. “One thing I talked about in building the SFAC committee is to make sure that I have members that have different experiences, and not only have those different experiences but are willing to stand up and share them,” Krey said. “Even if the

News

rest of the committee is leaning one way, they’re willing to stand up, put their feet on the ground and say, ‘This is truly what I believe from my experiences.’

The whole board can learn from that and make the best decision based on those experiences that the members have had.”

Vice President of Student Organizations: Runoff Election Harris and Whittemore received 227 and 279 votes respectively during their run for VPSO in the executive election.

A third candidate, Sa’Daiveon Blanton-Newell, received only 109 votes and did not advance to the run-off. 29 voters abstained.

April 6, 2022

Whittemore, who currently serves as the Arts and Sciences academic senator, ran on a platform of transparency and accessibility, communication and collaboration and equity and inclusion.

“Fostering a diverse set of perspectives of students on this council is super important because we all need to represent the student body in the best way that we can and come from different perspectives,” Whittemore said at the forum.

At the forum, Harris faced a question on how she plans to take on the VPSO role despite not having previously served on student senate. In response, Harris highlighted her experience on the organizational

council, as well as her time serving as current VPSO Joseph Owens’ proxy.

“With this organizational council experience, I already know the ins and outs of how temporary student organizations become [Registered Student Organizations],” Harris said.

“Being able to communicate that. . . is one of my platform points.”

Run-off voting began on Monday at 8 a.m. and ended on April 5 at 8 p.m. As of the time this paper was printed, the winner had yet to be announced.

Visit timesdelphic.com to learn more.

Meet your 2022 student senate executive board daniel krey, student body treasurer

STUDENT BODY TREASURER-ELECT DANIEL KREY emphasized patience and persistency while discussing his goals. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL KREY Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

Sophomore Daniel Krey was elected Student Body Treasurer after running unopposed.

The Student Body Treasurer’s duties include overseeing the budgets of annually-funded student organizations and ensuring that the Student Activity Fee paid by students will meet their needs. The treasurer also represents students on the Stewardship Committee of the Drake Board of Trustees and chairs the Student Fees Allocation Council (SFAC), which makes recommendations to the student senate about groups seeking funding. The treasurer will hold

eight office hours a week.

One of Krey’s goals is to patiently develop a team of SFAC members.

Krey said he thinks he will be the only returning member of that council.

“At the end of the day, I want people that may have differing viewpoints, [and] that are not only having those differing viewpoints but willing to share them,” Krey said.

Krey said he wants to be transparent on the process to request funds. He also wants to send “detailed follow-ups” to clubs about why their funding request succeeded or failed.

“So if they did not receive funds the next time, they can continue to make improvements that would give them funds,” Krey said.

Krey said he would also continue a current initiative to educate students about personal finance. He wants to bring in speakers and poll students to determine what topics should be covered.

“I do think it’d be important to try to increase financial literacy among all Drake students, and not just trying to keep that within the business school,” Krey said.

Krey grew up learning about the finances of his family’s real estate business. He also has experience working at the real estate agency SVN Create, where he has built budgets and found areas of improvement for properties. On the finance committee of Sigma Phi Epsilon, he said members felt comfortable paying their dues because he helped them see where the money was being spent.

kylie ellis, vp of student activities

VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES-ELECT KYLIE ELLIS discussed ways in which SAB could assist other student organizations.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLIE ELLIS

Junior Kylie Ellis was elected Vice President of Student Activities after running unopposed. The VPSA is responsible for running the Student Activities Board and must hold at least 10 office hours each week.

Ellis said she would like to send out a monthly survey to the student body to learn what events students want SAB to plan. She also intends to maintain a current policy that allows anyone to attend and speak at SAB meetings.

“But then, outside of that, I also want to try to do what would essentially be an event planning panel put on by the SAB board where it’s mostly targeted to organizations but also just the student

body in general to come ask us questions about how we plan events, how we market them and what we do to make our events successful,” Ellis said. “I feel like we’ve gotten a lot of experience of how to do that.”

Ellis said she would like to bring back SAB’s Saturday Showcases on a monthly basis, which would feature other student organizations. She discussed using the power of SAB’s budget and platform to benefit other organizations.

“I think [collaborations are] a really good way especially because with the student activity fee, SAB gets a large portion of that, and that’s something that the entire student body pays for,” Ellis said. “So, helping reallocate those funds to go into meaningful collaborations with the other organizations on campus so that everyone is benefiting from that funding and not just us.”

For her platform point of inclusion, Ellis said she would like to continue working on creating and promoting more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) events. She also wants to hold a campus forum for students to talk about issues on campus.

Ellis currently serves as SAB public relations chair and has previously served as Free Movie Friday chair. She said that talking with the SAB vice presidents of marketing and programming has helped her understand what they need from the SAB president.

To learn more about other senatorselect, check out last week’s edition or visit timesdelphic.com.

Snookies Malt Shop opens for the season with some precautions Candace Carr Staff Writer candace.carr@drake.edu

Snookies Malt Shop celebrated its 2022 seasonopening on March 26 in the Beaverdale neighborhood.

The small, family-owned business opened its drivethru and walk-up windows to an excited public that braved the breezy and cold opening afternoon.

The afternoon featured Des Moines residents of all ages, family selfies in front of the neon Snookies sign and a host of four-legged friends equally excited to receive their free “pup cones.”

Snookies manager Leslie Hunter said that Snookies has always had a family atmosphere.

The crowd of diverse ages was not the only representation of this.

“My husband Chris and three daughters all work together here at Snookies,” Hunter said.

While founded in 1986, the Hunter family bought Snookies Malt Shop in 2019, just a year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While drive-thru and spaced outdoor areas have proved successful in the shop staying open, COVID measures remain in place.

“We are still maintaining safety precautions for our staff and customers,” Hunter said.

According to Hunter, Snookies’ dining room is still closed to the public, staff members are fully vaccinated and mask-wearing remains in

effect for all employees.

Roosevelt High School seniors Julia, Nora, Ellen and Anika came as a group to celebrate the opening.

“Coming to Snookies today was really a break from all of the stressful senior stuff,” Ellen said.

The quartet said that they have classmates who work at Snookies, and the shop’s reopening was a common conversation topic at school all week. They said both Snookies’ atmosphere and the shop’s frozen treats give off a certain “childhood nostalgia.”

Des Moines native Michael Thompson brought his family to the afternoon’s event. While celebrating with Snookies’ signature crunch cone, he said that he used to come to Snookies with his high school sweetheart and now wife.

Despite another unprecedented year, the Snookies menu remains the same.

“Snookies is known for our shakes, malts, Arctic Blasts, ice cream, classic banana splits, and signature cookies on cones,” Hunter said.

Thompson said a trip to Snookies is not complete without a crunch cone: a vanilla cone topped with peanuts, sprinkles and the signature Snookies cookie on top.

With family visiting from Pleasant Hill, Thompson and his family said that the trip Saturday afternoon was necessary.

“It’s a little bit of a drive, but worth every precious amount of

SNOOKIES MALT SHOP is located at 1810 Beaver Avenue. PHOTO BY ANDREW KENNARD | NEWS EDITOR

gas,” Thompson said.

John Dee Bright College student Delaney Douglass grew up in Beaverdale and is now in her third season working at Snookies.

“As someone who has grown up right around the corner from Snookies just about my whole life, it’s a lot of fun as well,” Douglass said. “When I was little, I would look forward to getting ice cream in the summer and now I get to serve it to people and hopefully brighten their day.”

Douglass said one of her favorite things to order is a Peanut-Butter Oreo shake, but she recommended the Oreo,

cookie dough or peanut butter cup Arctic Blasts.

“I dipped from my usual and got a Heath Arctic Blast,” Ellen said.

Like Hunter’s children, Douglass also works with her siblings and enjoys something fun, productive and fun in their community.

“More Drake students should stop by Snookies because it might be a ways off campus, but we are a neighborhood landmark and it’s always loads of fun meeting new people and seeing familiar faces from school and the community,” Douglass said.

Hunter said that, contrary

to popular belief, there are no rivalries between other ice cream shops.

“We are one big ice cream community that works together,” Hunter said.

The 2022 Snookies season spans six months, ending in late September.

According to Hunter, the vintage shop used to be cashonly but now takes cash, card and check.

Snookies is open Monday through Friday from 4-9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-9 p.m.

03 | Features

Features

April 6, 2022

Drake art exhibit highlighted Latin American storytelling Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

Drake University showcased an art gallery featuring the Latin American paintings and research of Drake students, both of which were inspired by the storytelling of Latin American community members.

The gallery itself showcased the paintings of Drake art students coupled with transcribed interviews about the Latin American legend each painting is based on.

Professor Inbal Mazar, one of the professors who organized the event, explained that her Spanish students have been collaborating with Drake art students to create unique learning experiences for multiple years.

“This is the third collaboration–our first was in 2017,” Mazar said. “Growing up in Central America, I got to listen to many legends and gain an interest in this tradition. I wanted to provide our students with a learning experience that goes beyond textbooks and connects them with first-hand access to this tradition as well.”

One of the artists, Chloe Lazuire, explained her painting “The Frog Named Kuartam” along with its Latin American origins.

“The ‘Legends’ show was built around the idea of visually

responding to South American legends told by people in the area as translated by Drake students,” Lazuire said. “I received the legend of Kuartam translated by Emily Smith — a story that warned people to respect legends and cultural history.”

“Growing up in Central America, I got to listen to many legends and gain an interest in this tradition. I wanted to provide our students with a learning experience that goes beyond textbooks and connects them with first-hand access to this tradition as well.”

Lazuire went on to explain that this event allowed her to create some of her best artistry, and that she would jump on any opportunity to be involved in such an event again.

“I would say it is one of my best pieces because it merges my love of illustration and humor with my love of realism and colorful lighting,” said Lazuire. “I hope to create more

AFTER SENIOR KATIE LAJOIE (LEFT) learned the legend of the Five White Eagles from a Venezualan woman named Martha, junior Micah Ferin (right) went to work creating an artistic representation of the tale for The Legends art exhibit at Drake. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE LAJOIE

narrative illustrations like this in my future work. I had a great time.”

One of Professor Mazar’s students, Grace Robinson, spoke on what Mazar’s students contributed to the project along with her own contributions to “The Frog Named Kuartam.”

“We did an interview with a woman named María Elena from Ecuador and asked her about any legends/lore she had from her home culture, and she

shared with us the legend of Kuartam the Frog,” Robinson said.

Robinson said that the painting was based on an essay she and her partner wrote about the legend of Kuartam the Frog following their interview.

Professor Mazar noted the event’s importance to the Des Moines community, as it works as a key bridge connecting Drake’s community to the rest of Des Moines.

“The University spaces should feel inviting to the communities where they are located,” Mazar said. “We would like to welcome community members to our galleries and events. What better way to do so than to invite them to participate as well?”

The gallery was open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until the April 3 closing session from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Students and professors share favorite ways to waste time Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

The transition from high school to college can be intense to navigate, as students suddenly find themselves with several more hours of free time than they ever had before.

As Drake students are now well into their spring semester, however, it can be assumed everyone has learned to use their free time wisely for a perfect balance of work, study, and personal growth. … Just kidding.

More likely, since getting to college, Drake students have discovered brand new ways to waste their time and have fun doing so.

What would these Bulldogs say are their favorite ways to waste time?

“Obviously, TikTok is my number one time-waster,” senior Kyle Tekautz said. “With the pandemic, my screen time has gone way up.”

However, Tekautz said his phone was only one of the many ways he preferred to waste time.

“I’m old, I’m jaded,” he said.

“Sleeping is a big one, too.”

Tekautz said that, since turning 21, he and his other 21-year-old friends enjoy wasting time going to various happy hours.

As many Drake students are not 21, however, that sends other Bulldogs back to the drawing board.

First-year Christa Fabel said she likes to waste her time doing activities where she can “shut her brain off,” including scrolling on social media, listening to music and playing musical instruments.

Fabel also finds cleaning her dorm room to be a good way to “waste” time.

“It is still productive, yet a shift from the things that I should really be focused on,” Fabel said.

Junior Whittaker Freidman said he also likes to “waste” time by doing more productive activities.

“I just start on the next thing that is important but not urgent,” he said. “Whether that’s assignments or improvements to the fraternity house that need

FIRST-YEAR CHRISTA FABEL said she cleans her dorm room as a productive way to waste time. PHOTO BY MADDI CAVE | STAFF WRITER

to be made, that’s what I’ll do.”

When Freidman wants to relax, though, he said he likes to watch movies and scroll on social media.

“I just start on the next thing that is important but not urgent. Whether that’s assignments or improvements to the fraternity house that need to be made, that’s what I’ll do.”

“The endless scrolling or swiping will take up a lot of time, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, it does indeed waste the time away,” Freidman said.

Sophomore Ashley Johnson

listed reading as her favorite way to waste time, followed closely by listening to music.

When she is feeling ambitious, though, Johnson said she enjoys taking long, “pointless” walks around campus.

“I know those are all stereotypical, but I really like them all,” Johnson said.

One group of individuals at Drake whose procrastination preferences are certainly not stereotypical are those of Drake professors.

“My wife makes fun of me about this, but I really like to watch mixed martial arts,” Economics professor Heath Henderson said.

Henderson said that he not only watches all the UFC fights, but also all the “backstory videos” the fighters post throughout the week.

When Henderson is not keeping up on MMA fighters,

however, he said he “wastes” time by reading nonfiction.

His favorite things to read include other economists’ posts on Twitter and textbooks about physics and quantum mechanics.

“The endless scrolling or swiping will take up a lot of time, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, it does indeed waste the time away.”

“It’s so weird, but I can’t help but be fascinated by it,” Henderson said.

History professor Susan Garneau said her favorite ways to waste time were watching Netflix, spending time with her family and playing video games.

Her favorite game to play

is “Stardew Valley,” followed closely by the Zelda game “Breath of the Wild.”

“It’s a game where you have your little farm and you do your little daily activities, kind of like ‘Animal Crossing,’ ” Garneau said.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Chris Snider also enjoys wasting time playing video games on his phone.

“I play this game ‘Collect Em All.’ I’m on Level 651,” he said.

Snider also said he enjoys wasting time on his fantasy football and watching “trashy” Bravo shows with his wife.

“We just finished ‘Southern Charm’ and started ‘Below Deck,’” he said. “I assure you, neither of them are worth even your wasted time.”

04 | Features

Features

April 6, 2022

Working from home: the way of the future?

Drake professor’s research shows virtual setting does not impact work performance

young people,” Purvanova said.

“I don’t know that we’ll see the undergraduate population move online, and to be honest, I hope we don’t because I think that college is such an important developmental opportunity for young people.”

PROFESSOR INA PURVANOVA has published research showing that a virtual setting does not affect team performance, contrary to the popular belief that a work-from-home setting makes employees less productive. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

Drake professor Ina Purvanova has published research contradicting the popular belief that virtual work environments decrease productivity, adding credibility to the ever-growing belief that virtual work and learning environments can be extremely beneficial.

Purvanova has been conducting research on the topic since the early 2000s, her inspiration to do so being born from a previous position as a human resource assistant at a local hospital.

“These transcriptionists all worked at home, and I was so shocked to learn that,” said Purvanova. “I’m like, ‘What?

People are working from home?

How is that even happening, and how can they complete their work without a supervisor nearby?’”

Initially beginning her research on the topic as part of her masters thesis, Purvanova went on to publish countless research articles on the topic.

Her most recent work, titled “The impact of virtuality on team effectiveness in organizational and nonorganizational teams: A metaanalysis,” used over 170 global studies to determine whether

virtuality would negatively affect team outcomes.

“The research has always shown, and continues to show, that productivity of teams and performance of teams does not actually suffer when they go virtual.”

“Long story short, what this meta-analysis found — which is what I expected it would find based on my previous work —

des moines playhouse presents Addie Kuehn Contributing Writer addie.kuehn@drake.edu

The Des Moines Playhouse opened its musical “Singin’ in the Rain” on Friday, two years after the show closed early in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were really bummed out when it got shut down,” said Erin Horst, director of the musical at the playhouse and head of the musical theater department at Drake. The show premiered originally on March 13, 2020, ran for two performances, and then closed for what was thought to be a two-week delay.

“It’s a really weird thing to like, completely just redo a show that you’ve done quite recently, so that [has] been a really special and honestly just kind of healing and cathartic experience.”

Two years later, the show will open again, giving many cast and crew members a chance to do it over.

“It’s a really weird thing to like, completely just redo a show that you’ve done quite recently, so that [has] been a really special and honestly just kind of healing and cathartic experience,” Horst said.

For Brynn Kelly, a Drake student in the ensemble, the show allowed her to perform despite the pandemic.

“Theatre has not quite been the same, and so getting the chance to do it again, it’s been very special to me,” she said.

The cast will be unmasked

is that virtuality at the end of the day doesn’t impact team outcomes,” said Purvanova.

Purvanova went on to explain that while there does not stand any direct correlation between virtuality and productivity, the ability to build relationships in an in-person environment is difficult to achieve virtually.

Due to this, Purvanova does not see undergraduate programs at colleges like Drake moving to a completely virtual environment any time soon.

“I don’t know that we’ll see the undergraduate population move online, and to be honest, I hope we don’t because I think that college is such an important developmental opportunity for

Drake students tend to agree, with first-year Havyn Fish also pointing out relationshipbuilding as the key reason why she disliked virtual learning over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was extremely difficult to form connections with my teachers and peers when our only interaction was through a screen,” Fish said.

While Purvanova sees issues arising from a relationshipbuilding standpoint in virtual transitions, her findings surrounding productivity in virtual environments cannot be ignored.

“The research has always shown, and continues to show, that productivity of teams and performance of teams does not actually suffer when they go virtual,” said Purvanova.

This conclusion seems to be rising in popularity, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing workplaces to reconsider the norms of doing business.

“Now with this metaanalysis, when you put it all together and look at things like productivity in a team setting, it basically shows what every company learned during the pandemic–virtuality didn’t kill it,” said Purvanova.

“singin’ in the rain”

“This is live theatre coming back from a pandemic, there’s some things that you forget that you missed.”

during the performance, which was strange to cast members at first.

“This is live theatre coming back from a pandemic, there’s some things that you forget that you missed,” Kelly said.

Another Drake student in the ensemble, Bethany Woemmel, said she enjoyed the week leading up to opening night when all the elements of the show came together.

“Nothing is lacking,” Woemmel said. “The acting, the singing is all brilliant — the set is amazing. I think everyone needs to see the magical moment of rain inside.”

Horst agreed completely.

“Come see ‘Singin in the Rain’ because it’s a breath of fresh air,” Horst said. “Come for the theatre magic.”

The show runs Wednesdays through Sundays through April 10.

THE DES MOINES PLAYHOUSE has brought back “Singin’ in the Rain”, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the production to close early. PLAYBILL COURTESY OF THE DES MOINES PLAYHOUSE

05 | Sports

Sports

April 6, 2022

Men’s tennis sees recent success on the court

THE MEN’S TENNIS TEAM has had two members win consecutive Summit Player of the Week awards, Matic won most recently. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Darinka Stepan Staff Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

The Drake men’s tennis team earned another Summit Player of the Week award after having a successful weekend with two home match wins.

This week redshirtsophomore Matija Matic was given the player of the week award after he had a 3-0 weekend. Matic started his weekend off with a 6-4,6-2 win at singles two and a 6-2 doubles win against Oral Roberts.

In the second match of the weekend, against Marquette, Matic played at court one in the singles matches for the first time this season. Matic was able to get yet another win for Drake.

Matic also played in the doubles one match against Marquette and had a triple match point.

The doubles point had been clinched already and Matic and his doubles partner redshirt-

junior Evan Fragistas were unable to finish the match.

“Matija puts in a lot of work during practice each day and it shows off in all of his matches. Matija had a great weekend, getting some great wins for the team and we are proud of how he has been performing this season, he definitely earned the award.”

Matic has definitely shown that he was worthy of this award from this week as well as the strong season that he has had so far. Matic and Fragistas are currently undefeated in doubles

dual matches for the spring 2022 season.

The Bulldog have also gone undefeated in singles matches that have been played at home for this spring season, with one of those wins being a conference win. According to assistant coach Aaron Forsberg, Matic has most definitely earned this award.

“Matija puts in a lot of work during practice each day and it shows off in all of his matches,” Forsberg said. “Matija had a great weekend, getting some great wins for the team and we are proud of how he has been performing this season, he definitely earned the award. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Matija is going to do this season, since he’s had a strong season so far in both singles and doubles.”

Matic has picked up some strong wins this season against power five schools such as Vanderbilt, as well as having

some close set matches with some other big schools.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what else Matija is going to do this season, since he’s had a strong season so far in both singles and doubles.”

In doubles, Matic was able to get some wins from some power five schools as well.

Starting his season off with a win against Cornell university, Matic followed that by some wins against Vanderbilt, and Alabama.

Matic explained how he felt about being given the player of the week award.

“I was not expecting to get the award. Last weekend, I was

USMNT qualifies for Qatar 2022 World Cup

very focused on being able to get some wins in singles and doubles for my team to help us maintain our perfect home record. Getting the award on top of that is just a bonus.”

Matic still has a lot of tennis to play this season with many more opportunities to get more player of the week awards, as well as continue to help the Bulldogs get more team wins this season.

This is the second consecutive week that Drake was given player of the week award. Prior to this week Fragistas had gotten the award after having a successful weekend. Drake collected wins against Illinois State University, winning 6-1 and the University of Omaha, Nebraska, 7-0.

The Bulldogs stay at home this weekend in the Roger Knapp Center to compete against the University of Denver on Friday, April 8 at 11 a.m.

Sports Results Women’s Tennis April 2 at Valparaiso Drake wins 4-3 March 27 at Creighton Drake wins 4-3 at Omaha Drake wins 7-0

Softball April 2 vs SIU Drake loses 1-8 Drake wins 5-4 April 3 vs SIU March 29 vs South Dakota Drake loses 5-13 March 29 vs South Dakota Drake loses 3-5 Drake wins 14-3

Men’s Tennis March 25 vs Oral Roberts MORE AND MORE USMNT players play in European leagues including star Christian Pulisic. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

The U.S. Men’s National Team ​​(USMNT) has been drawn in Group B for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Group B consists of England, Iran and the winner of the final European spot which could be Ukraine, Wales or Scotland.

Their first game will be on Nov. 21 and will be against whoever wins the European spot. They will then play England on Nov. 25 and Iran on Nov. 29. If the U.S. qualifies

from Group B they will either play the winner or runner-up of Group A (Qatar, Senegal, Ecuador and Netherlands) in the round of 16.

“The boys are going to be buzzing, hopefully some of the roster spots that were taken

by MLS players, but will be used by European Americans, won’t have a language barrier,” said Quinn Millerd, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper for Drake’s men’s soccer team.

This will be the first world cup for USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter who was hired in December of 2018.

“We think it’s a good group --

we know every opponent in the World Cup is difficult, but with England you get an exciting matchup, with Iran it’s a diverse opponent and they’ve done well in qualifying, and then we’ll have to wait to see who the third opponent is,” said Berhalter to the BBC. The team won one of the three CONCACAF automatic qualifications despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica. Costa Rica needed to have scored six goals and Mexico to win/draw against El Salvador in order to qualify for the World Cup. Because the team will play on opening day that means the

team needs to be prepared right away. A pre-tournament camp in Dubai was canceled because the team has to be in Qatar five days prior to their first game and players will only be released from their club teams a week before the start of the tournament.

The World Cup will run from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 and will be the first time the World Cup will be held in the Middle East. Qatar has been a controversial venue as concerns have risen from the poor working conditions, lack of soccer culture within the country, and the temperature that players will be playing in.

Drake wins 5-2 March 27 at Marquette Drake wins 5-2 April 1 at Illinois State Drake wins 6-1 April 2 at Omaha Drake wins 7-0

Men’s Golf March 22 at Twin Oaks Intercollegiate Drake places 7th of 16 teams

06 | Sports

Sports

April 6, 2022

Packers need to replace Davante Adams

THE PACKERS should look towards the draft and free agent market to build a supporting cast around QB Aaron Rodgers. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

When the news broke that the Packers had traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, I was flabbergasted.

Adams has been one of the best, if not the best wide receivers in the NFL for the last five years. He was our super star player who we knew we could always count on for a clutch play. I had been singing his praises for years, not just for having the best release in the game, but for his uncanny connection with Aaron Rodgers.

The news that he left the Packers, who were reportedly offering him the same amount of money, to Las Vegas was heart-breaking. Even to this day I am still unsure how I feel about the trade.

Part of me, mainly the sad and bitter part, says good riddance. If Adams didn’t want to play for our team, just so he could play with his pal from college and not with a HOF quarterback, then I say we didn’t need him. But, the other part of me is devastated not only because of his on-field talent,

but everything he has given to the Packers and fans.

I definitely think this relationship was not going to work out, especially after the Packers franchise-tagged him.

He didn’t want to play for the Packers anymore.

I just wish, like other fans that saw the inevitable, that we could’ve gotten more draft capital from the trade. A player of that caliber should warrant more than just two picks, a first and a second rounder. Getting more than two picks would’ve made the trade less painful.

There are some positives that came from the Adams trade. You never see a team win a Super Bowl when they have two of the highest paid players in their position on the same team. That just doesn’t really happen because that means you sacrifice the surrounding cast for those two players.

With the money we saved from having to pay Adams, who has a monster five-year $141.25 million deal, we were able to give cornerback Rasul Douglas an extension. We resigned Robert Tonyan, a personal favorite of mine, and signed defensive tackle Jarran Reed.

The Packers also still have some money to spend on a free agent.

This brings me to what steps the Packers need to take in order to replace Adams.

This won’t come in the form of one player, because he is so talented, but must come from a multitude of different steps.

Our current wide receiver corps has Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Malik Taylor, Juwann Winfree and Chris Blair. Definitely not the most intimidating wide receiver room we’ve had.

Based on comments from Packers President Mark Murphy it seems clear that the team will use the draft as a way to supplement talent we lost.

We currently have the 22nd pick and the 28th pick which should still allow us to draft a talented receiver.

Some names I’ve seen floated around are Christian Watson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams. To get Olave and even Williams we would probably have to trade our first round picks to move up the draft. Both would be good options, but Williams will probably not be ready for the beginning of the season because of his ACL tear.

Watson is from NDSU and has decent size at 6’ 4”. He would need to add strength as he is only 205 pounds. Another thing is that he has to improve his route running and using his size against defenders.

However, what is really intriguing about Watson is his athleticism and his blazing speed. He ran the 40-yarddash in 4.36 seconds which is quite good. Ever since we lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Chiefs, we need to replace our deep threat. Watson could be the answer to this with his ability to take the top off of defenses.

Another thing the Packers should look into is trying to pick up a veteran wide receiver who can make an immediate impact.

Our team is built to make another Super Bowl run, we are “reloading” on talent. Rodgers came back because we weren’t going into full rebuild mode.

This veteran wide receiver can also help anyone we draft and show them the ropes. I really thought the Packers should try to sign DeVante Parker, but he has been signed by the Patriots.

Now that he is off the table the Packers should look towards

other players. Will Fuller would be a good replacement for MVS as well. My only concern with him is his injury history Another standout player available is Jarvis Landry. Now that the Browns have Deshaun Watson, maybe Landry will stay in Cleveland. But, if he still wants to leave we should inquire about him.

However, we should not sign him if he is still asking for the reported $20 million deal. We don’t want to waste our money on him and not be able to sign more players in free agency.

There are other options that are cheaper and still just as good like Tyler Lockett, Brandin Cooks and Odell Beckham Jr. Overall, there are a ton of options that the Packers need to take to improve our wide receiver corps. If we don’t, then I highly doubt we will be able to make a genuine run for the Super Bowl. However, Packers fans need to relax and trust Brian Gutekunst and the rest of the front office. They have done a pretty good job in creating a competitive team and with a weaker NFC now is the chance for us to actually win a Lombardi Trophy.

South Carolina wins 2022 NCAA women’s basketball championship Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

The South Carolina Gamecocks are national champions once against, after a 64-49 victory over UConn on Sunday, April 3 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Gamecocks won their first NCAA basketball national title in a win against Mississippi State in 2017. Head Coach Dawn Staley has become the first black coach to win multiple Division I basketball nationals titles.

“Our path was divinely ordered,” Staley told fans after the game while waiting to accept the championship trophy.

A year ago South Carolina faced a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four of the March Madness tournament against eventual winners, Stanford.

Now, they are two-time champions going 2-0 in the two trips to national title games. This was also the first championship loss for UConn coach Geno Auriemma who had won the previous 11 he coached with the Huskies.

South Carolina came into the game with some impressive stats going 14-0 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

They are also the eighth team

to win more than one national championship in NCAA women’s basketball history, UConn has the most at 11. South Carolina went 35-2 through the whole season and stayed at the No. 1 AP ranking since the preseason.

The game was in hand for the Gamecocks who held a lead throughout the whole game.

They never let the Huskies within six points to their lead, starting the game off strong going on a 13-2 run. By the end of the first quarter South Carolina was dominating UConn not only in the score, 22-8, but also in rebounding with a 12-3 advantage.

Early in the second quarter of the game the Gamecocks extended their lead to 30-12.

This meant that in order to comeback, the Huskies needed to have an historic rally, which never materialized. Notre Dame overcame the largest point deficit in a championship game in 2018 with 15 points.

Behind National Player of the Year, Aliyah Boston, South Carolina dominated in the rebounding game. Despite as a team only shooting 22 of 60 (36.7%) from the field and only hitting 3 of 15 (18.8%) on 3-point attempts the Gamecocks were able to comfortably win the game. Because they were able to capitalize on their rebounds, the misses didn’t matter in the

end.

At 17.1 per game South Carolina was the third-best offensive rebounding team in the country. By the end of the game they had a 21-6 advantage in offensive rebounding and 4924 in total rebounds.

Boston herself had 16 rebounds, five on the offensive side. After failing to score a putback at the buzzer in the semifinal against Stanford, Boston saw some redemption winning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award.

Senior guard Destanni Henderson had a career high26 points, with four assists and two rebounds.

Henderson was also tasked with guarding UConn star and 2020-2021 National Player of the Year Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers started the game off slow and was kept in check, finishing with 14 points. Fellow UConn teammates Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd remained scoreless in the first three quarters of the game.

Both had combined for an average 27.1 points per game, before the championship. Fudd, a top-ranked 2021 recruit, only played 17 minutes in the game, five in the first half, after dealing with a stomach bug beforehand.

As for next year’s goal, Boston told ESPN “same as this year”.

ALIYAH BOSTON helped the Gamecocks beat UConn, 64-49, with 16 rebounds, 11 points and three assists to win their second national championship. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

07 | Commentary

Commentary

April 06, 2022

The fresh menace of the Os-cars Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

Somebody needs to send this man back to his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air… Cause he’s apparently got a lot more growing up to do.

For those who somehow missed the major scandal of the Oscars two Sundays ago, actor Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face for making a joke about Jada Smith’s (Will’s wife’s) bald head.

You could say Smith got himself in quite the entanglement.

And sure, Rock calling a woman with alopecia “GI Jane 2” was in poor taste. I don’t believe, though, that Rock meant Jada any harm by the comment. As he is a comedian, Rock was making jokes at the expense of everyone that night.

What makes the situation even better, though, is that WILL SMITH INITIALLY LAUGHED AT THE JOKE. It was only after he saw his wife rolling her eyes angrily that he decided to jump on stage and tussle.

To his credit, Rock took the slap like an absolute champ.

He didn’t react physically, just stood there stunned and said, “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”

In response, Will yelled out for all to hear: “KEEP MY WIFE’S NAME OUT YOUR F**KING MOUTH.” Twice.

This situation is so funny to me for several reasons.

Firstly, I don’t care how inappropriate and immature you think Rock’s joke was.

Slapping someone and yelling at them on live television is even more inappropriate and immature behavior for a 50+ year-old man to be engaging in.

You can’t both condemn Rock’s comment and condone Will’s behavior. There was an appropriate and mature way the Smiths could have addressed the ignorance of Rock’s comment… but “slapping the s**t out of him” wasn’t it.

Secondly, I don’t know how closely anyone has been

LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DO CRAZY THINGS... like throw a haymaker at the hapless jester of an emcee during a red-carpet event. Will Smith’s mercurial about-face was so raw and moving; just about the only thing the show’s producers could write in order to save the Oscars from dropping lower in ratings than CNN... unfortunately, however, it was real. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

following the Smiths’ personal drama over the past decade, but knowing that background adds to the hilariousness of Will defending the honor of his socalled “wife.”

In 2013, after years of rumors that Jada had been cheating on Will, Jada kinda-sorta told reporters the Smiths had an open marriage.

Well actually, she specifically said the pair DIDN’T have an open marriage… just a marriage where they “both can do whatever they want, because they trust each other to do so.”

Whatever THAT means.

From 2013 up until 2020, Will and Jada had all kinds of drama surrounding their

“marriage.” Anytime reporters asked them about if they were married, divorced, separated or what, the answer they gave never made sense and often left fans more confused.

Then, a year or so before the 2020 “entanglement” fiasco, Will told reporters that the two didn’t even refer to themselves as “married.” They referred to themselves as “life partners.”

Okay?

THEN came the infamous 2020, when it was discovered that Jada had been full on dating R&B singer August Alsina while she and Will were still married. Alsina told reporters the relationship had Will’s “blessing.”

Jada initially denied the fact she ever dated the singer… but when she and Will eventually appeared to discuss the issue on their family talk show “Red Table Talk,” Jada did admit to having an “entanglement” with the singer.

Fans had no doubt that Alsina and Jada got entangled alright, but it was still funny that Jada was trying to evade accusations of cheating by simply calling it by a different name.

Since then, tabloids have reported that the couple hasn’t been doing well, even living in separate houses for a while.

Until, of course, Will ran up on stage and got himself entangled with Chris Rock to

defend his wife (wife?) on live television.

All-in-all, assuming this wasn’t just some wildly outof-hand publicity stunt, I will be interested to see if Smith is allowed to keep the Oscar he won for Best Actor of 2022.

According to the New York Post, the Academy has a strict code of conduct that Smith’s assault definitely broke.

But at the time of writing, I suppose all’s well that ends well for the Fresh Prince of street fighting, flawed marriages and highly publicized entanglements.

Jujustu Kaisen 0 review (spoiler alert) Rachel Jalloway Staff Writer rachel.jalloway@drake.edu

In the past, anime has never been seen in theaters. They have created movies as a side story, but never as a “required” watch to understand the plot.

Now, however, that narrative seems to be changing in the movie realm. Something that a lot of different animes are doing is releasing movies in theaters.

This is something that they are doing to help push the stories they are trying to tell without sacrificing half of a season to do so. Or, they do so in order to provide more background on a character who is important to the story, but is not the main character.

The most recent “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” movie falls into the latter category. The movie in question follows the story of Yuta Okkotsu, a student at the school the anime follows, and how he got pulled into the world of curses and dangers.

The movie also follows Yuta’s mentorship with Satoru Gojo, who is known as one of the most powerful characters in the anime’s universe.

We then also get to hear the background between Gojo and Suguro Geto, one of the main villains in the anime. This movie also goes into the background of the class above the main character from the first season, which is where the story picks up.

The movie is based on the prequel of the “Jujutsu Kaisen” manga. The movie is very action-based, with fights in each part of the movie and several good emotional scenes.

From this point on, there will be spoilers, so please be aware of that!

Overall, I would give this movie a 4/5. There were really good moments in the movie, but there were a few unnecessary scenes as well. However, the unnecessary scenes did not detract from the good, hence why there is not a lower score.

The art of the movie was beautiful — you can tell the artist put their all into animating this movie. It really does show, especially in the scene right before Yuta’s childhood friend dies. The colors and effects in that scene are still things that I think about — even a week after seeing the movie.

The voice actors really did their best with the characters, and it goes the extra mile to make the movie fantastic. The actors really put the emotions of each character into their voices, and it compliments the animation very well.

As mentioned previously, there were a few moments in the movie that I felt like could have been taken out, and the plot would still have been good.

Additionally, I thought that the big fight scene was a bit underwhelming. While it was a good scene, the series and other big anime movie’s big fight

FOR ANIME NEOPHYTES, “Jujutsu Kaisen” is the perfect selection. One writer waxes about its manifold merits, concluding that it deserves a 4/5 score. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

scenes have been better. These things can greatly impact an action anime, and they do here.

However, these things did

not take away too much from the film overall, which explains the 4/5 review it received. If you are looking to get into anime, I

think that this movie is a good start to the “Jujutsu Kaisen” franchise.

08 | Commentary

Commentary

April 06, 2022

serf no more: join the student workers union Drake Student Workers Organizing Committee @drake_swoc

Drake couldn’t run without student workers. We touch every aspect of the University, and we’re a large part of the reason academics, sports, dining, residence halls, student media, university fundraising and events don’t grind to a halt.

But we sure aren’t compensated like it. We’re paid far less than our counterparts at entry-level jobs in Des Moines ($12-$14). Most of us get $7.25 per hour, paid monthly. This is simply unacceptable, and it is insulting to be paid so little for doing so much to keep Drake running. It has become clear: our needs will not be met by hoping into the void for improvement. We need a union.

Why? Employment without a union is an unfair deal — employers have huge leverage over their workers because they pay them (however little it may be), while workers who aren’t organized have very little to counterbalance their employer’s interest.

That’s where a union comes in. A union is nothing more than a group of workers acting together to get the things they deserve, like better wages and working conditions. A union exists and a union works for us the moment we act like it, regardless of its recognition by the university. A union does what Drake has not: guarantees that our wages and conditions continually improve. If the Drake administration could be trusted to do this, they already would have.

The average Des Moines hourly wage is $16 per hour according to ZipRecruiter, almost ten dollars above what many students are paid. Though this number takes all reported Des Moines jobs together, a quick look through Indeed. com’s listings shows wages starting at $10, $12 or more for entry-level jobs like ones offered at Drake.

Plus, student workers don’t get time-and-a-half night pay like at many other workplaces, which means that residence hall front desk workers, many of whom are up as late as 4 a.m. on a school night, are still only paid a measly $7.25 per hour.

Nearby Grinnell College has a student union, and their unionized workers are guaranteed at least $10.40 per hour (which will increase to $10.75 per hour in the fall), breaks during shifts, a bonus system and a grievance procedure.

Their student workers collectively bargain for these things, which means they are in a process of continual betterment. All of this is without any mandatory dues.

Change does not come from above; workers improve their own conditions by organizing together.

Our goal at Drake Student Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) is to do similar things for us.

In a recent Times-Delphic

BAD SPELLERS, UNTIE! I mean... student workers, unite! While Drake administration is riding the gravy train, student workers are toiling in the coal mines. As ABBA sang, “money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world...” invoking Blair Mountain and the Lays potato chips strike of this previous summer, students clamor for higher wages. PHOTO BY COLIN FRIER | COMMENTARY EDITOR

article on the topic, HR director Maureen De Armond said that “Drake Human Resources initiated an assessment of student wages last fall,” but despite this alleged assessment, wages and conditions have not changed. It is insulting for working- and middle-class students to be told that the money they earn in their campus jobs is “spending money,” when they likely earned much more in their jobs back home.

Dignity is lost or gained based on how much someone is paid — dignity that Drake is denying its student workers.

The price of everything is rising, driven both by companies price-gouging their products and services as well as record inflation, and the minimum wage has not increased in almost fifteen years.

But even without the inflation, $7.25 would not be enough, and it never has been in our lifetimes. Our problems

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

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

CAT FARRELL, Media Manager cat.farrell@drake.edu ERIN DUENWALD, Copy Editor erin.duenwald@drake.edu

JEFF INMAN Faculty Advisor jeffrey.inman@drake.edu

will not be solved by a mere one-time raise in response to inflation, but by a union that can guarantee continuous negotiation and improvement.

Drake’s “core values” (per the University’s website) include “promot[ing] social equity and encourag[ing] economic vitality.” For over two hundred years, unions have been a vital part of increasing America’s social equity and economic vitality.

We encourage Marty Martin and the Drake administration to voluntarily recognize and negotiate with the student union as a part of fulfilling Drake’s mission and values. But even if they are not willing, we are not done. We are prepared to do what it takes to get workers what they need and deserve.

De Armond also said that Drake, as a non-profit, “may not always be able to offer the same wages as for-profit businesses.”

Frankly, we know this isn’t true,

and non-profit status does not give an organization license to underpay its workers.

We know that the university administration can afford to treat us better. Drake has a multimillion-dollar budget and a strong, generous alumni donor network. “The Ones” campaign demonstrated the capacity to raise over two hundred million dollars for a variety of campus-wide efforts including an expanded Olmsted Center.

So, we are sure that a student workers union will help them to even more vigorously pursue the fulfillment of a large part of their core values: promoting social equity and economic vitality within their student body. We are the brave and the bold who Drake talks about.

We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from students, alumni, faculty and others at Drake over the past several months. We are

also inspired by the nationwide wave of organization and unionization efforts which have gained steam over the past year.

Though at this point our union is geared toward student workers, we also encourage Drake faculty and staff to unionize because you all deserve so much more. Students, in the coming months, there will be an increasing number of opportunities to get involved.

Soon, we intend to hold our first general meeting for student workers.

To get information about that, visit our social media profiles on Instagram and Twitter (@drake.swoc on both sites) and fill out the Google form in the bio to get on our email list (we promise we won’t send very many). For now, please show your support by encouraging the student workers in your life, including yourself. You deserve more, and more is coming.

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