December 1, 2021

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 141 | No. 12 | Dec. 1, 2021 FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Drake Theatre People is putting on a play called “The Book Club,” which one cast member said is like NBC’s “The Office” in book club form.

Two athletes on Drake’s men’s cross country team competed in the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships on Nov. 20.

A writer contemplates the impact of going to a movie theater in a world of COVID-19, masks, social distancing and streaming services.

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SOIL 2021: Iowa’s water quality is an ‘us problem’ CJ Younger Contributing Writer catherine.younger@drake.edu Mack Swenson Staff Writer mack.swenson@drake.edu

They came from many walks of life. Farmers, professors, government employees, scientists, faith leaders and students of all majors, brought together by a common goal: improving soil and water quality in Iowa. They gathered at Drake University for the fifth annual SOIL 2021 conference on Nov. 17 to address the challenges Iowa’s water quality faces.

SOIL stands for “sustaining our Iowa land,” but the conference encompassed much more. It bounced from passionate speeches about environmental regulation to the intricacies of carbon capture, and at its heart were the people of Iowa.

“We have to make sure that we don’t look at this as just an agriculture or farming issue, a problem that needs to be solved,” said Jennifer Zwagerman, director of Drake’s agricultural law center. “It’s an us problem.”

Battered, beaten and bruised Iowa’s position as an agricultural powerhouse has battered its water systems for nearly 200 years. Excess nutrients and pesticides pollute everything from the Des Moines River to backyard streams, destabilizing ecosystems and threatening drinking water sources.

Chris Jones, a research engineer at the University of Iowa, has been waders-deep in Iowa rivers for decades. He specializes in water quality and monitoring and has seen the degradation of Iowa’s water firsthand.

“You may have heard Bloody Run Creek in Clayton County described as ‘pristine’ in the news media in recent months,” Jones said. “Here’s what qualifies as pristine in Iowa: E. coli levels at 1,400 colonies per hundred milliliters — six times the recreational standard — and an average nitrate concentration of seven milligrams per liter, which is higher than even the Racoon River.”

Despite these challenges, Jones argues that regulation can work—and have in the past. The 1985 Food Security Act introduced conservation compliance, which requires farmers on highly erodible ground to develop conservation systems and prohibits planting on converted wetlands. Farmers must adhere to the guidelines to participate in federal programs.

“We saw almost instantaneous improvement in the clarity of Iowa streams,” Jones said. “Yet, we have to get gaslighted about how regulation won’t work. It can work.”

The passing of the $50 million Polk County Water and Land Legacy Bond in late October suggests a changing tide in Iowa. The bond had 72 percent approval and will protect drinking water sources, help prevent flooding and improve the water quality of rivers, lakes and streams.

Zwagerman said the passing of the bill gave her hope.

“There is still a large part of our population, at least here in Polk County, that voted, that recognizes the value in that city and our natural resources.”

Iowa’s soil and water issues are mostly derived from agriculture

Understanding the connections between soil, water and people is the first step towards conserving Iowa’s natural resources. Humanity depends on agriculture for food, fuel and other commodities.

Because of this, agriculture is one primary way land and water resources are depleted.

“The bottom line is that we have to have the desire to consider waters as a resource to be properly managed for food security,” said Jerry Hatfield, former director of the U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Service.

Many traditional agricultural practices diminish soil and water quality across Iowa.

Tilling soil disrupts its natural structure, accelerating the erosion process and increasing runoff. Planting a single crop year-round depletes soil nutrients and leads to over application of fertilizers, which end up in the water systems.

“We have to make sure that we don’t look at this as just an agriculture or farming issue, a problem that needs to be solved. It’s an us problem.”

Agriculture relies on chemical fertilizers to provide crops with vital nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, hence increasing crop yields. However, excess amounts of these nutrients can pollute water systems and promote the growth of algae.

Algae blooms damage aquatic ecosystems by blocking sunlight from reaching underwater plants and decreasing the oxygen available for aquatic animals.

“Statewide, we are very likely applying 20-30 percent more nitrogen than what our crops need,” Jones said.

“Why? Because the taxpayer shoulders the burden for the environmental consequences caused by the excess.”

Some farmers use animal manure as an alternative

LEVELS OF NITRATE in Eastern Iowa narrowly surpass the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) of 10 mg/L, while levels of phosphorus in both Eastern Iowa and the Corn Belt exceed the EPA’s MCLG of 0.1 mg/L phosphorus in flowing waters. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

to chemical fertilizers.

According to the EPA, manure also contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, and stormwater carries the excess nutrients from the soil to nearby bodies of water.

To improve the quality of Iowa soil and water, speakers at the conference advocated alternative farming practices such as no tillage, crop rotation, and non-chemical pest control methods.

Although alternative fertilizers such as livestock manure and domestic organic waste can still contribute to nutrient pollution, the speakers touted them as a more natural method of fertilizing crops.

These methods would support the integrity of the soil, helping it retain more nutrients and decrease runoff to nearby water systems.

Some may dismiss these water quality problems as a matter for big institutions like the government or agriculture

companies. However, through citizen science programs, people can make an impact at a community level.

The IOWATER program, started by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in 1998, brought over 5,000 volunteers together to collect thousands of samples of nitrate levels, phosphorus levels, bacteria and water clarity.

“Just through the act of collecting water samples, the volunteers started to spread their wings,” Skopec said. “They started to feel their power, their knowledge and their competence.”

Participating in citizen science gives everyday people, no matter their day job, the information to come to their own conclusions about Iowa’s water quality.

To participate in Polk County Conservation’s water quality monitoring program, visit www.polkcountyiowa.gov/ conservation/water-quality.

Jay N. Darling Institute to partner Drake with rural communities

THE JAY N. DARLING INSTITUTE will address issues like water quality and economic development within rural communities.

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, LOGO BY DRAKE UNIVERSITY, PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Carmon Baker Staff Writer carmon.baker@drake.edu

One of the initiatives within Drake University’s “The Ones” fundraising campaign is the Jay N. Darling Institute, named after a journalist and conservation activist. According to the campaign website for The Ones, this initiative will involve “partnering with rural communities to bolster their economic, social and cultural vibrancy.”

“We’ve had rural communities across the Midwest already approach us about watershed management

plans, so think water quality, water quantity, greenspace improvement, mural and art installation in city squares, providing support services for things like Girls Who Code, where the teacher resources and the district resources might be a little limiting,” said Keith Summerville, the director of the institute and an environmental science and sustainability professor at Drake.

“And then we’ve had a community approach us about working to help implement part of their economic development plan,” Summerville continued.

“So I think the nature of the projects are going to vary based

on community to community and need to need.”

According to the Drake Agricultural Law Center director and assistant professor of law Jennifer Zwagerman, one of the main goals is to connect Drake and rural Iowa in a way that supports both parties.

The Darling Institute is one of four initiatives in the campaign that includes $5,000 renewable scholarships for five students involved with the institute, according to Drake President Marty Martin and Vice President for Advancement John Smith.

Summerville said that students selected for the program will receive scholarship offers in the spring.

These students will be known as the Darling Corps.

“It’s modeled quite closely on what an AmeriCorps or an extension or a Peace Corps model might look like,” Summerville said.

According to Zwagerman, many of the specific details of this initiative are still up in the air. However, the Agricultural Law Center has previously done work involving rural food security, rural justice, rural

development and issues of data privacy in regards to farming and agriculture. This initiative would continue similar work.

“Basically, we’re going to continue to do the work that we do and work together to try and have a stronger reach,” Zwagerman said. “And that’s going to be done through classes, and what we offer in the classroom to students, opportunities for internships and different projects they can work on, but also in a lot of different public education programs.”

According to Zwagerman, collaboration between departments and areas of study at Drake was present in the development of the initiative.

Zwagerman said she believes that the program will be beneficial to both students who are from rural areas and those who want to live there postgraduation.

“At Drake and in the university, we don’t have to silo issues in one college or one department,” Zwagerman said.

Summerville said that Drake is fundraising for the institute’s scholarships and the Fund for Rural America. The fund aims

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to “provide faculty support and offset 100 percent of the logistical cost of implementing a project” and has a $5 million fundraising goal, Summerville said. He added that the initiatve would provide funding for faculty research.

“And so, as there are faculty that are interested in being engaged in rural America, we will try to match funds from that pool to meet their needs,” Summerville said. “So obviously, we’ve got to populate that fund with dollars.”

Ultimately, Zwagerman stressed the importance of a strong rural community in other areas of success, including counteracting climate change.

“It’s important for people to recognize that having a strong rural community is something that is important to everyone because of what they contribute,” Zwagerman said. “...When it comes to things about areas where we can work on climate change, [that] involves rural communities and land use and all those things that it’s important for all of us to be involved in, even if you’re not living in that rural community yourself.”

02 | Features

Features

Dec. 01, 2021

Crew Scholars, FSL stay strong as first-year retention declines

THE #PAINTITBLACK movement lives on at Drake University, memorialized by a black circle in front of Painted Street. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA SCHOENE | FEATURES EDITOR Andrew Kennard While the number of students who were first-years first-year students who receive Sturm-Smith said that the News Editor returning sophomores in 2021 in 2018 dropped significantly Pell Grant funding increased by peer and faculty mentorship andrew.kennard@drake.edu was the lowest Drake has seen from the previous year, from 0.8 percent from 2019, it is 6.5 built into these programs has

In August of 2020, a new class of Drake students moved to a campus where many classes were held virtually and student organizations moved their events online. How many of those students decided to stay at Drake for another year?

For the first-year class that started at Drake in 2020, 83.9 percent of the students returned to Drake the following year, according to a report provided by Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success Melissa SturmSmith. That’s down 2.2 percent from the previous year’s rate.

“I don’t want to use COVID as an excuse, but I think we have to recognize the impacts of being in a global pandemic,” Sturm-Smith said. “And some of the things that really support what have been our traditionally high retention rates is the oncampus experience for firstyear students.”

in over a decade, the University has experienced larger swings in first-year retention rates in the past. The five-year average for first-year retention is 86 percent.

“Our next lowest was in the fall of 2018, and that was at 84.1, so it’s really only like [0.2] percent difference … So fall of 2018 was a really tough year,” Sturm-Smith said. “That was the year of Paint It Black, when that was founded, and there was a lot of stuff happening on campus, so that was a really rough year.”

Paint It Black was a movement on campus to paint Painted Street black in solidarity with students of color.

The movement rose in response to a series of anonymous racist notes, as well as a robocall with racist language by a white supremacist hate group called Road to Power that was made to Drake’s landlines on Nov. 8, 2018.

Drake’s retention of Black

86.4 to 62.5 percent. This rate has climbed back up to 81.6 percent over the past two years, for the 49 Black students who started at Drake in 2020.

“I think it’s important to mention that many students wouldn’t have come to Drake had Crew not existed. I can state unequivocally that I would not be here if I didn’t have Crew.”

“We still have work to do, but we have made huge progress on that front for working with students of color on retention,” Sturm-Smith said.

There’s also work to be done to better support current students who receive Pell Grant funding, Sturm-Smith said.

While the retention rate for

percent below the overall rate of 83.9 percent.

“I’ve seen at other institutions, for example, just more support around financial aid, financial aid processes, loans, those kinds of things, so doing some more proactive outreach to student populations,” Sturm-Smith said.

Drake’s fraternities and sororities and the Crew Scholars program, an academic and leadership-focused program for Drake students of color, stand out with retention rates of 92.4 percent and 90.5 percent, respectively.

Both have had retention rates that were the same or higher than the university as a whole since the 2009 first-year class or the Crew Scholars program’s inception in 2012. After the Crew Scholars program was introduced, retention rates for first-year students of color increased by over 20 percent for 2012 and 2013.

drake theatre people present Candace Carr Staff Writer candace.carr@drake.edu

Drake Theatre People will present “The Book Club” on Dec. 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. The show was written by Karen Zacarias and will be performed in the William S.E. Coleman Studio Theatre in Harmon Fine Arts Center.

Drake Theatre People is a registered student organization with the goal of facilitating student-created theatrical arts with community building at the core.

Many members of “The Book Club” cast are a part of the firstyear class of 2025.

First-year cast member Mylo Bissell said the play’s content is like NBC’s “The Office”, but in book club form.

“The idea is that there is

this wonderful Danish director whose whole thing is that he watches people go about their lives by filming them constantly,” Bissell said.

The comedy surrounds a group of friends and a described “provocative” newcomer that challenges the dynamics of their friendships and the club itself, all while being filmed.

The show is sprinkled with references to famous novels like “Age of Innocence” and “Moby Dick” alongside cult classics like Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga.

“This book club is a mod podge of old college friends and their connections and this random out-of-place 20-yearold just looking to start a new come together and read books and it’s both more and less than everything they’ve dreamed it would be,” Bissell said.

Bissell plays 20-year-old

Black Akron-native, Lily Louise Jackson, who they said was extremely patient.

“There are a lot of little microaggressions that are funny because the show is written with the nuance and understanding that a lot of writers of color bring to plays nowadays.”

Maintaining a similar patience, first-year director Diamond Metcalfe said her experience thus far has been “awesome”.

“I have directed a few showcases and films, but this

helped their members thrive and stay at Drake. Crew Scholar Victoria Soliz said the Crew Scholars program has created a safe space for students of color with “people in our corner” on a predominantly white campus.

“I think that many Crew students can relate to considering leaving Drake, as most students of color have probably experienced similar sentiments,” Student Body President and Crew Scholar Morgan Coleman said via email. “I’ve heard that theme throughout my entire time at Drake and can honestly say that there have been points where I have wanted to leave and considered doing so.

However, I think it’s important to mention that many students wouldn’t have come to Drake had Crew not existed. I can state unequivocally that I would not be here if I didn’t have Crew.”

“the book club”

is my very first in-person fulllength play,” Metcalfe said.

“The transition between film and onstage has been a task, but I have had a lot of help and support from Drake Theatre People as a whole.”

First-year cast member Addie Kuehn said the atmosphere of rehearsal has been fun and far more comfortable. She said this comfort comes from her new experience of having a student director in her years of solely having adult theatre directors.

“I play Ana in the show,” Kuehn said. “She started the book club and is this selfobsessed controller of it.”

Along with mentions of contemporary works of literature, playwright Zacarias tapped into the much of the unspoken and laughable social discomfort in multicultural friendships.

“There are a lot of little

microaggressions that are funny because the show is written with the nuance and understanding that a lot of writers of color bring to plays nowadays,” said Bissell.

This semester, DTP has hosted dance labs, auditions and performances for members of the Drake community.

In October, the organization hosted a POC Cabaret, a talent showcase highlighting Drake students of color.

Earlier this month, DTP performed an in-person staged reading of “Alternative Text Send”, a play written by junior Emma Grace Bradley.

In the spring semester, DTP is scheduled to perform the musical, “Ordinary Days” directed by senior Morgan Erwin. Dates for the show are to be determined.

FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT “THE BOOK CLUB” and other past Drake Theatre People performances, as well as ways to get involved, on their Instagram account @draketheatrepeople or on the Drake Theatre page on the Drake University website at https://www.drake.edu/theatre/. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE THEATRE PEOPLE

03 | Sports

Sports

Dec. 01, 2021

NCAA Cross Country Championship ends Drake fall season

AFTER FINISHING IN FOURTH PLACE at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, junior Adam Fogg placed in 139th place at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, meaning the collegiate cross country season is over, and Fogg and co. will look towards the indoor track season. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

Two of Drake’s men’s cross country athletes qualified for the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships, which took place on Nov. 20 in Tallahassee, Fla. Junior Adam Fogg finished in 139th with a time of 30:30.7.

Sophomore Issac Basten placed 217th in 31:33.8.

Fogg and Basten were the first Drake cross country runners to compete at the Championship since Reed Fischer in 2016.

“It felt great for me and my teammate Isaac to be the first NCAA Cross Country qualifiers from Drake since 2016,” Fogg said. “In saying that though, based on our track seasons last year and our fitness levels, I would have definitely considered it a disappointing season if we missed out on qualifying. We’ve now definitely shown that we’re amongst the best runners in the country and it was great to make it to

the national stage for my third NCAA Championships.”

The Bulldogs competed on a 10,000-meter course at the Apalachee Regional Park.

Although it was warmer than what he was used to in Des Moines, Fogg said that the course itself was a bigger factor on his race.

“The course was meant to be pretty suited to track runners which sounded ideal for me and Isaac, but it turned out to be quite the opposite,” Fogg said. “I tried to get out pretty hard, and I knew on a good day I could be in the top 40 to become a Cross Country DI All-American, but a couple of miles in I knew I was in for a tough day.”

Fogg explained that because there was “one monster hill” for each of the four laps, everyone performed differently than expected.

“Cooper Teare, who is the current NCAA 5000m champion from Oregon had to crawl over the line, and Yared Nuguse who is a USA 1500m Olympian, missed out

on finishing in the top 150 runners,” Fogg said. “I was 139th - nowhere near the result I wanted, but based on how it turned out for a lot of guys, it could have been a lot worse. I know I definitely didn’t get to show my true racing potential, but track season is just around the corner and I’m very excited for it.”

Fogg trained for the fall season by doing three months of “90-105” miles per week over the summer in England, as well as workouts once at Drake.

Fogg explained the NCAA championship in Florida means the collegiate season is over and the indoor track season will begin.

Sophomore Jack Burns, Fogg’s cross country and track and field teammate, said after the cross country season ended he trained with lower mileage and his workouts were shorter to prepare for the indoor season.

“I’m more focused on track than cross country, so I had more of a lowkey season,” Burns said. “I ran at two meets

this fall and I think both went pretty well and were a lot of fun.

It was also my first time racing cross country in college since we didn’t have a true season last year, and [I’ve] honestly been having more fun with it than I thought I would.”

When asked how he felt about Fogg and Basten going to the NCAA Championship, Burns said he was happy for them.

“I see how hard they work everyday at practice and it was great to see the duo qualify during their final cross country season together,” Burns said.

Fogg said he will either be focusing on competing in the mile or the 3000m for indoor track, but hasn’t decided yet.

“I’ll hopefully open up my season with a 3000m before winter break, and then when we come back in January we really get rolling with it,” Fogg said.

“I’ll be hoping to replicate (or better) my 2021 indoor season where I came 4th at NCAAs in the indoor mile in a school record of 3:57.32 - I’m excited

by the thought of it and can’t wait to be racing again soon.”

Burns said this year was better in comparison to last year as last fall they weren’t able to have any races because of COVID-19. The team just had practices together and did a few time trials during the fall season. They were able to have some competitions for the indoor and outdoor track season, but had to wear masks unless they were racing and had to report everyday if they had any COVID symptoms.

“The highlight of the season has got to be winning conference as a team - something that hasn’t happened at Drake since 1999,” Fogg said. “It was a very special day and it was great for us to be able to celebrate it as a team.

Again, it demonstrated our hard work, and the hard work of our coach - Jay Koloseus, paying dividends. Jay has been a great leader and coach throughout my time at Drake and he is a major asset to us as individuals and as a team.”

Stafford loses to GB in Detroit, goes to LA—still loses to the Packers

AARON RODGERS was 28-of-45 for 307 passing yards with three total touchdowns in a 36-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

The Green Bay Packers vs the Los Angeles Rams. What a matchup between two Super Bowl favorites that will affect NFC playoff seedings.

Many thought that the new addition of Matthew Stafford to the Rams would finally lead them to a Super Bowl win and after an off-season of drama MVP Aaron Rodgers could finally win the much coveted Lombardi Trophy.

The green and gold were in control of the game right from the start. Although the Packers should’ve beaten the Rams by more points, they comfortably won 36-28 going into the bye with a 9-3 record. Not too shabby, I’ve gotta say.

Even though our defense

took a bit of a stumble against the Vikings, they bounced back when it counted and came up with some big plays.

Considering we are still missing major players on both sides of the ball, with a patchwork offensive line which is missing three starters, our record is very impressive. But, I and many fans always expect as much when you have number 12 on the field.

I don’t know how Rodgers is able to play like he has at the age of 37, doing the most impossible throws.

Maybe it’s because he is truly a once-in-a-lifetime talent or maybe that Ivermectin he took over the summer is giving him a boost of horsepower.

Some of the throws in the game were astounding especially considering he is playing with a fractured toe.

That throw to wide-receiver Randall Cobb was crazy. Cobb had three defensive players around him and with pressure in his face Rodgers was able to throw the perfect ball, a tight spiral that just went over the fingertip of a Rams linebacker while Cobb was in stride was something that no other quarterback can do.

Rodgers’ unique ability to throw dimes without having his feet set or with the “perfect” throwing motion is something that few other quarterbacks can do. His ability to do a quick three-step throw with a flick of the wrist, or a deeper drop to throw a bomb down the field is unmatched, he’s a gunslinger without interceptions which makes him particularly lethal.

I will give a special shout out to AJ Dillion, A.K.A. the quadzilla or the quadfather.

When he was first drafted many people were shocked and understandably mad as we had all seen the Packers questionably draft quarterback Jordan Love. But every time you see him run the ball you realize how much of a beast this man is and how quietly good of a draft pick this was. He is a great compliment to Aaron Jones and we have seen he is able to carry the workload by himself.

Although the stat sheet from the game wasn’t mind-blowing, 69 yards on 20 carries and a 3.5 average, Dillion was able to extend drives and make sure the defense not only focused on the passing game. He enabled the team to not abandon the running game. His yards after contact is amazing, people just seem to bounce off of him.

Dillion and Jones provide a good one-two punch that will be

vital come the playoffs.

There are things of course that we need to improve on (i.e.

Mason Crosby’s inconsistent kicking), but the bye week should help the team out and allow us to self-evaluate before a playoff push.

This season feels special.

Different from the previous two seasons where we went to the NFC Championship. We aren’t squeaking out wins or starting off red hot in a game, just to barely hold on to the lead by the time the final whistle blows.

This year it feels like our team is more balanced than it has been in a very long time.

Maybe I’ll be eating my words when we lose in heart-breaking fashion again in the playoffs, but like I’ve said in my previous Packer columns I can’t help being optimistic about my Packers.

04 | Commentary

Commentary

Dec. 01, 2021

COVID cinemas: not worth the effort?

Chris Veninga Staff Writer chris.veninga@drake.edu

“Before the pandemic, I would anticipate a movie coming out. Now, I see a trailer for a movie and then all of a sudden it’s in theaters. It’s like… what just happened?”

My brother made this comment over Thanksgiving break when I brought up the new “Ghostbusters” movie being released. And though that fact hadn’t hit me beforehand, when he mentioned it, it made total and complete sense.

New movies coming out just don’t hit the same as they once did.

If COVID wasn’t a thing, I guarantee you I would be first in line to see “Shang-Chi,” “Eternals,” “Tenet,” “Cherry” or literally any other movie that piqued my interest. Now, I’m weighing if I even want to see a movie in theaters in the first place.

Yes, I have seen a few here and there. I’ve seen “Venom 2,” “No Time to Die,” “Last Night in Soho” and “Antlers” all within the span of a few months (I would highly recommend all of them, by the way). And though it was nice to sit back and be in a theater again, just something feels off, or not quite right.

In one of my previous

articles, I wrote how being at a concert I went to this summer was super fun, but also super weird and almost like a “this isn’t right” kind of feeling. If the all-clear was given, I probably would have felt differently. But it wasn’t. We’re still in the thick of this thing.

The same thing is applying to movie theaters nowadays.

Maybe it’s because COVID has sucked the joy out of things that once seemed completely joyful. Maybe it’s because when we see these characters on screen, they are interacting in a world that we yearn to return to: a world free of masks, social distancing, vaccine wars and constant COVID tests.

Plus, blockbuster movies such as “Dune” have gone straight to streaming services.

Though I think that this is in some cases a smart move for movie studios, it’s also a strange feeling. It used to be that if I wanted to go see a movie, I would get a bunch of my friends together and we’d go to the theater - surrounded by people who wanted to take in the same experience we were. Now, I’m either watching it at home by myself or with a few friends.

I love movies. I always have.

But like many, many other things, COVID has stripped away part of that experience.

And I think that the part

CATCH THE ROCK’S NEW MOVIE... streaming only on Disney Plus. With the majority of movies being relegated to avaricious streaming services like Hulu, Netflix and Tubi, as well as the perennial fear of this enigmatic plague infecting in-person viewership, one writer confronts the newly-disagreeable movie-going experience. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

stripped away was the simplicity of it. As I mentioned, I could ask a friend if they wanted to go to a theater. Now, we have to take in the risks of seeing a movie in a crowded theater. The same applies to any crowded event - whether that be parties, trips, shopping, concerts, whatever. We simply can’t go to

these events anymore without thinking; we are worried that we may catch this dreaded virus.

So as I look back, not only am I not as hyped up for movies as I once was (with a few exceptions; I’m going to be first in line for the new “Spider-Man” movie if I have to camp outside two days beforehand), the same applies to

other crowded events. Not that I don’t love them or not want to experience them, but it’s just so mentally complicated. But hopefully, as we edge to the two year mark of this pandemic, we won’t have to have the thought of “will I catch COVID?” in the back of our minds next time we go see a movie in theaters.

Callous administrative pyramid: Drake cheerleaders get the shaft Cassie Schoene Features Editor cassie.schoene@drake.edu

Drake relies on the cheer team to put on a positive face for the school. We are expected to be at every football and basketball game, to attend events and to present ourselves in the Drake-approved image.

For example, cheerleaders are not allowed to dye their hair unnatural colors or have visible tattoos.

Drake holds immense pride for its basketball team, football team, pep band, other sports and other clubs. It gives so much pride for its extracurriculars in fact, that it seems to have none left for the only squad that’s supposed to emit pride to the University: cheerleading.

Now I know that might sound dramatic, but let me explain.

First, there’s the small things. Little bits here and there that don’t seem like much. Just slight annoyances that add up.

All Drake sports teams are given gear that represents the university and promotes their sport. This is usually given out within the first week of the team starting practices. Cheerleaders do not have most of the gear yet.

All Drake sports teams are rewarded an athletic scholarship that allows them to get their textbooks for free.

Simply hand in a list of your textbooks and they are provided for you. Drake cheerleaders struggle to get their books in time for classes, and haven’t

had them on time yet for the past three semesters.

The athletic gym is a gym in the Knapp Center that is specifically for athletes only. Other sports teams are allowed scheduled time there.

Cheerleaders, however, are not allowed to use the athletic gym this year despite having mandatory workouts.

Scholarships.

Drake sports tend to hand out bigger scholarships (besides the athletic textbook one) to its players to help pay for the school’s expensive tuition. Cheerleaders are not given scholarships, purely volunteering their time for a sport they love so much. That said, cheerleaders are told that even with classes and other extracurriculars (that will help them in their future and/or give them scholarships) to make cheer a top priority.

Pay. The wonderful Pep Band (and I mean that sincerely) doesn’t get scholarships either.

But you know what they do get, along with other certain sport teams? Paid per game, along with free meals. What do the cheerleaders get? Granola bars and fruit if we’re lucky.

Early registration. Many sports team members are allowed to register early for classes. Guess what?

Cheerleaders can’t.

And now for the necessities.

The big things that prove Drake doesn’t give a crap about its cheerleaders.

This year, there were not enough uniforms for every member on the squad. Team

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper for Drake University since 1884 EMMA BRUSTKERN Editor-in-Chief emma.brustkern@drake.edu JEFF INMAN, Faculty Advisor jeffrey.inman@drake.edu

GRACE ALTENHOFEN, Managing Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu

ANDREW KENNARD, News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

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

CASSANDRA SCHOENE, Features Editor cassie.schoene@drake.edu

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

LIA REICHMANN, Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu COLIN FRIER, Commentary Editor colin.frier@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 MAKAYLA CASTILLO, Business Manager makayla.castillo@drake.edu

members had to rotate who could be at games just so that everyone at the games could wear a uniform. Not to mention, the uniforms came in late so the first game was performed in a t-shirt and shorts.

Oh, and the cheer shoes haven’t come in at all; returning cheerleaders use ones from previous years and we just had to hope that new members had cheer shoes from the past that still fit. If the Drake football team didn’t have their uniform and their shoes, we all know that all hell would have broken loose to make sure they were accommodated for.

“If the Drake football team didn’t have their uniform and their shoes, we all know that all hell would have broken loose to make sure they were accommodated for.”

Lastly, the mess that is the Drake Cheer coaching situation. In three months, the cheerleading program has had three different coaches. There was even a time period where the cheerleading program was run by the cheerleaders while the athletic staff tried to find a coach.

The first coach quit because her education was being moved elsewhere. A second coach was quickly hired and worked

with the first coach on her final practice to make the transition smoother. The only problem was that this new coach was a Drake graduate of only two years ago. She had friends, past roommates and past teammates still on the team; but apparently this conflict of interest was not a problem to Drake. They weren’t even shaken by the fact that she had no coaching experience or qualifications that made it safe for her to spot dangerous stunts or tumbling. And apparently, they didn’t care to make sure she was reliable, because she quit after three weeks because she said the time commitment was too much.

At this point, cheerleading was run by team-appointed captains, while monitored by an athletic staff member (at least they attempted to seem to care about our safety). This time, the cheer team was promised transparency during the second hunt for a new coach.

That transparency lasted a total of zero days, when it was suddenly announced that a cheer coach had been chosen and we had a mandatory meeting to meet her the night before our next practice. The lying was annoying, but the team was hopeful of this new coach who said she was a certified coach and coached competitively. She had never taught college cheer before, but she seemed excited to work with us and we were excited to work with her and teach her about college cheerleading.

Now since it’s mid-semester, there were only two football

games left, and the basketball season was just about to start.

The coaching situation may have been a mess, but the team was well established at this point.

Stunt groups had been made, stunt pyramids were created, chants and cheers learned with specific motions, etc. Because of this, the new coach promised to not change much, but did let us know that she would be making small changes and would be making the program her own next year. It seemed reasonable.

It was an empty promise. So many changes have been made that it would be too long and boring to list them all. This new certified coach also recently dropped a cheerleader while spotting her during tumbling.

The cheerleader now has to go through physical therapy.

The coach also is pretty unwilling to listen to the team’s advice and knowledge on college cheer, along with making inappropriate comments. To avoid libel, the most I will say is that there has been some hostility between the current coach and the cheer team.

Many Drake cheerleaders and their parents have brought this up, and all of the other grievances about the current cheer program, with athletic staff and even went all the way up to President Marty. All of their efforts have seemingly gone to waste, since nothing is being done.

We are supposed to have the ultimate pep for the school, and yet, the school has zero pep in its step for us.

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