March 10, 2021

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 140 | No. 14 | March 10, 2021

FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Drake has abandoned the original COVID-19 testing process using saliva tests and will now operate using selfadministered anterior nasal swab tests.

After two close wins against Valparaiso, the Drake women’s basketball team now heads to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Referees are often some of the most hated people in sports, but they play an essential role. One writer discusses the importance and power of referees.

Read more on page 3

Read more on page 5

Read more on page 8

timesdelphic.com

Des Moines journalist’s trial begins on Drake campus

JOURNALIST ANDREA SAHOURI’S trial is taking place at the Drake Legal Clinic, rather than the Polk County Courthouse. The legal clinic is designated as an official courtroom for the 5th Judicial District of Iowa. First-year law students will attend the trial as part of their practicum. PHOTO FROM THE TRIAL LIVE STREAM Sarah Bogaards Breaking News Manager sarah.bogaards@drake.edu

On May 31, 2020, Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri and her former boyfriend were arrested while she covered a demonstration in Des Moines protesting the police killing of George Floyd.

They each face two misdemeanor charges of interference with official acts and failure to disperse in their trial that started Monday.

Nearly a year after her arrest, Sahouri is one of 12 journalists arrested while covering protests whose charges are still pending, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.

The trial is being held at the Drake Legal Clinic as part of the first-year trial practicum at Drake law school.

Every year, a trial that all first-year law students attend is arranged to take place on Drake’s campus. Steve Foritano, director of the firstyear trial practicum, said trials can happen on campus because the legal clinic is designated as an official courtroom for the 5th Judicial District of Iowa.

Trial practicum cases are typically felony charges such as robbery or vehicular homicide, but Foritano said Sahouri’s misdemeanor case happened to

be coming up for trial.

“It’s a good case for our students because it’s got a lot of First Amendment implications, the protest implications, the Register reporter angle; so it’s a good case to really [bring up] a lot of constitutional issues,” Foritano said. “Even though it’s a simple misdemeanor and even though it’s a shorter trial, it’s still something that’s going to be really interesting and thought provoking for our students.”

As facts of the case emerged, Sahouri’s arrest prompted calls in and outside of court for the Polk County Attorney’s Office to drop the charges. Groups petitioning the county attorney include the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, Amnesty International and Sahouri’s alma mater, Columbia University.

On the evening of the protest at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines, Sahouri used Twitter to document the growing number of demonstrators, their encounters with police and vandalism to the mall.

Her then-boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, was at the protest with her for safety reasons.

The Des Moines Register reported that just before 8 p.m. police used tear gas and told the crowd to move away from the mall. Sahouri’s photo on Twitter showing clouds of tear

gas in the mall’s parking lot was her last update before she was arrested.

In a video she recorded following her arrest, the reporter said after the tear gas was dispersed she and Robnett moved with protesters across the street where Des Moines police pepper sprayed and arrested her. Sahouri said she and Robnett told police she was a member of the press multiple times prior to the arrest.

Des Moines Register Executive Editor Carol Hunter, said top editors and attorneys quickly contacted Des Moines police and the county prosecutor’s office to “make very clear she was a Register reporter and she was on assignment that evening.” Despite this, Sahouri was detained at Polk County Jail for about three hours and the misdemeanor charges were filed.

Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said he thinks confirmation that Sahouri was at the protest in an official capacity should have resulted in her release.

“I can understand being detained until they learn enough to make that determination,” Evans said. “But once they know that, then I don’t understand how there’s a legal basis for continuing the prosecution of

academic year, and current EIC Emma Stockman.

Stockman began working with DUiN in the second semester of her freshman year. As an environmental science major, Stockman discovered her passion for satirical writing through a couple friends who worked for DUiN. Brown began writing satirical work in high school while taking dual enrollment credits at a local community college in Minnesota.

After transferring to Drake University in the fall of 2018, Brown immediately gravitated towards the satirical magazine.

After Martin became aware of the prank, Brown took the brunt of the consequences. Martin scheduled a Microsoft Teams meeting with Brown for April 6 to discuss the incident. During the call, Martin questioned the justification for DUiN’s actions.

Brown explained that the tweets were intended as a joke.

This did not appease Martin, who then asked Brown what he intended to do to rectify the situation. Brown’s answer: nothing.

After twenty-four hours, DUiN’s Twitter account reverted

to its original state. The content that was posted, however, remained.

On May 6, 2020, President Martin once again emailed Brown about the incident.

“He emailed me again, asking me what DUiN was going to do to make it right,” Brown said. “No specific demand or instruction was made by him at that time.”

In a series of emails, Martin stated that he was very offended by the jokes that he felt qualified as “extremely profane and gross content” and demanded two specific tweets be deleted.

The staff of DUiN complied with Martin’s demands in May. However, at the end of November, the DUiN Twitter account was suspended.

“We were suspended on the grounds of impersonation,” Stockman said. “That was the official Twitter notification that we got from them.”

Social media is the life blood of DUiN, Brown said. The magazine has been around in some form since the late 1980s, but didn’t begin receiving traction until they began posting on the Twitter account in Sept. 2019.

DUiN staff began the long

these total charges against her.”

Prosecutors including Polk County Attorney John Sarcone have made few public comments about reasons for pursuing this case.

“We strongly disagree with how this matter has been characterized and will do our talking in the courtroom, which is the proper place to deal with this case,” Sarcone said Aug. 20 in a written statement to the Des Moines Register.

Coverage of Sahouri’s case from KCCI reported that the prosecution will argue the reporter did not wear press credentials and “appeared to be an active participant in an unlawful assembly.”

“When you’re a reporter at the scene, you’re mixed in with other people because you’re very close to be able to conduct interviews and see up close what’s happening,” Hunter, who is also a member of the Des Moines Register editorial board, said. “We do not believe there is any evidence that she willfully violated the dispersal order.”

Evans said the argument about a lack of press credentials at the trial would wade into a constitutional issue.

“It’ll be interesting to watch that unfold because the First Amendment doesn’t include any kind of requirement that the

free press has to be identified in any outward way,” he said.

Another issue Evans said he will watch during the trial is how the prosecution and defense each approach the fact that other journalists were “in very close proximity to Sahouri and were not arrested and were doing the same kinds of work.”

The Press Freedom Tracker documented 127 arrests of journalists in 2020, which is twice as many as the 58 arrests from the previous three years combined. Hunter said that having journalists on the scene during protests is vital.

“That is very troubling because journalists are at protests to be the eyes and ears of the public, to conduct interviews, to take photographs, to be eyewitnesses about what is actually unfolding with protesters and with the police,” Hunter said. “If you arrest journalists [and] remove them from the scene, who is there to write the history of what’s going on, who is there to be the eyes and ears of the community? [That is] depriving the community of its right to be informed.”

Sahouri’s trial is expected to end Tuesday, March 8. A story on the developments and details of the trial will follow in the next issue of the Times-Delphic.

drake duin discusses satire online, twitter ban Kolton Knapp Staff Writer kolton.knapp@drake.edu

There is a fine line between offensive humor and entertaining satire.

Balancing delicately on this line, Drake University Independent News has served as a beacon of light-hearted, satirical humor in a dark time. But when DUiN began masquerading as a university official on social media, the line between satire and impersonation became muddled.

On April Fools Day of 2020, the staff at the independent magazine developed a joke that involved using DUiN’s Twitter account to impersonate Drake President Marty Martin. They changed the publication’s Twitter handle, profile picture and bio to make it seem as though the account belonged to Martin before tweeting things like “Need money for rent. $500 to get on the president’s list, cashapp me,” and “You know what, I’m just gonna say it: Jerry Parker’s kinda hot.”

The prank was executed after the idea was approved by Max Brown, who served as Editorin-Chief during the 2019-2020

DRAKE DUIN can be found on Twitter @DrakeDuin or online at duinmag.com. PHOTO BY BRADY LOVIG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

process of trying to contact Twitter. While Twitter ignored pleas to reinstate the account, DUiN suffered.

Stockman said DUiN staff member Luke Gentle contacted Twitter

twitter: @timesdelphic | instagram: draketimesdelphic | facebook: the times delphic

roughly thirty times in an attempt to get the account reinstated. His efforts eventually paid off when the account was reinstated on Jan. 14, 2021.

NEWS

News

March 10, 2021 | Page 2

Iowa legislature introduces 14 bills regarding transgender youth Lia Reichmann Staff Writer lia.reichmann@drake.edu Over the past few weeks, lawmakers in the Iowa Legislature have introduced 14 bills that would put restrictions on transgender youth and are viewed as discriminatory by LGBTQ+ advocates.

One of the bills includes House File 193 which would ban transgender children from receiving medical treatment, including hormone treatments.

The bill would punish doctors who perform gender-affirming treatments to those who are under 18 and transgender. If caught, doctors could lose their medical license and be fined $1,000.

Another bill, House File 184, would ban transgender youth from participating in school sports which has become a controversial issue about fairness. Lastly, Senate File 80 would require school districts to notify a student’s parents or guardians, without their permission, about their pronoun usage.

“The right has been picking on LGBTQ people for a long time I think we have seen the rise of anti-transgender bills as a reflection of that,” State Representative Liz Bennett, D-Cedar Rapids said. “I think they have endeavored this in a way that doesn’t necessarily seem hateful, but it’s confusing to people who may not be as educated on these issues as a way to scare the public. They’re picking on people, particularly transgender kids who they don’t think can fight back for a number of reasons.”

Sponsor of HF 193, Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said in the bill that children who feel a disconnect between their assigned sex at birth and their gender identity “will outgrow” these feelings “once they go through puberty.”

“Just let kids express themselves, it’s also not statistically proven that kids ‘outgrow’ these feelings,” firstyear Rachel Jalloway said.

Salmon outlined concerns in the bill. For kids that were “prepubertal,” or before

puberty, doctors administer “long-acting gonadotropinreleasing hormone, GnRH, agonists or puberty blockers.”

The bill goes on to say that these “interventions” are “unproven” and “poorly studied.” The bill ends with saying that “hormonal and surgical interventions” should not be presented to transgender children and parents “who are incapable of comprehending the negative implications and life-course difficulties resulting from these interventions.”

“Well, first off Sandy Salmon is not a doctor or psychologist and she has a long documented record of filing bills that are anti-gay, anti-LGBTQ, etc. Her motivations given her prior stances are not hard to guess at,” Bennett said. “My advice to her would be to look at the research, look at statements from medical professionals.”

Bennett said that she thinks this is a “clever strategy” by Salmon to claim that Salmon herself is concerned for the kids, but that in reality she and those who support her are “interested in preserving what I see to be an artificial gender binary and what they really want to do is they want to get these kids into conversion therapy.”

In Iowa, doctors do not treat transgender youth unless they have parental consent, and genital surgery will not be done on those who are under 18 years old, unless they are approved by an Ethics Committee.

Another bill that has caused some controversy is HF 187, which would ban transgender youth from using bathrooms at school that fit their gender identities.

Sen. Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City, sponsor of HF 187, said in a subcommittee meeting, when lawmakers first considered the bill, “the intention or purpose” behind the bill was to not be hateful “towards anybody in the LGBT community.”

“It’s important to note that the concern is not so much with transgender individuals likely to be sexual predators, but that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgender in order to gain access to women and girls,”

ANTI-LGBTQ+ BILLS have been introduced in at least fourteen state legislatures, including Iowa’s, since the beginning of 2021. PHOTO BY CHARLEIGH REINARDY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Carlin said.

Bennett said it was frustrating that Carlin defended the bill in this way.

“People in that party have resisted a number of different things that could hopefully reduce the instance of sexual assault, for example, teaching consent as part of human growth and development,” Bennett said. “I think that is a cleverly disguised way to say ‘we’re not being hateful’, what they are doing though they’re making it so trans people, it’s difficult for them to exist in society.”

Keenan Crow, policy and advocacy director for One Iowa, disagreed with Carlin’s statement during the

subcommittee meeting.

“Transgender Iowans have been able to use the restrooms that match their gender identity since 2007, and over that 14year period we haven’t seen any uptick in restroom-related safety incidents,” Crow said, via the Des Moines Register.

Bennett said that you can look at the national outrage and response by businesses after North Carolina passed its own bathroom bill in 2016 as an example of the effect HF 187 will have on Iowa’s economy.

“These kinds of bills send the message that Iowa is not a welcoming place, it’s not a welcoming place for diverse workers and it might not be a

welcoming place to raise kids,” Bennett said.

Bennett’s message to transgender kids who are worried about these bills passing is to know that are “plenty” of people who are “really working hard to stop those bills by educating people who just might not know much about the issue.”

“My work and the work of people who feel the same as me is to build a relationship, have conversations, hopefully dissuade leadership from running and passing these kinds of bills,” Bennett said.

“We have your back, we’re working on it.”

Constitutional amendment targets abortion rights Claire Mintus Contributing Writer claire.mintus@drake.edu

Recently, the Iowa House has passed a new amendment to the Iowa state constitution on the issue of abortion.

This amendment, titled House Joint Resolution Five, states “to defend and protect unborn children, we the people of the state of Iowa declare that this Constitution does not recognize, grant or secure a right to abortion or require the public funding of abortion.”

This bill has been claimed as a victory for the prolife movement prominent throughout the United States.

But state representatives have claimed that this bill is intended to neutralize Iowa’s stance on abortion, rather than push any specific organizational agenda.

“This [law] is not about outlawing abortion but rather about helping to protect reasonable laws already on the books that are endangered by the Planned Parenthood v.

Reynolds decision,” said Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison.

Students at Drake University have expressed their discontent over the passage of this bill.

“I do think that women should have the choice to have an abortion and should have the choice not to,”

sophomore Ethan Wagner said. “I think this new law is unconstitutional as it goes against Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It would be harmful to the right of a woman to have say over what happens with her body.”

The constitution protects a woman’s right to abortion under the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. This has long been considered a women’s rights issue. Many women in particular are concerned that this bill will impact women’s rights long term.

“This bill is oppressive to women, and it will most certainly have an impact on women’s rights,” said firstyear Rachel Jalloway.

Some women are also concerned that this bill will limit women’s access to birth control. The language of the bill does not contain any information relating to birth control, but it will be worth monitoring whether or not this bill has a relative impact on birth control usage in Iowa.

Some experts have claimed that abortion in Iowa has declined since 2010, and that because of this, the new bill will not significantly harm women in Iowa. According to the Guttmacher Institute, there was a 15 percent decline in the abortion rate in Iowa between 2014 and

THE IOWA GOP party platform staunchly supports the idea that life begins at conception and has made it a legislative priority. GRAPHIC BY ALLYN BENKOWICH | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

2017, declining from 7.5 abortions to 6.3 abortions per 1,000 cisgender women of reproductive age.

However, this does not necessarily mean that abortion has occurred less in Iowa. The state is known for having a high level of abortion restrictions. Because of this, some women choose to travel out of state to receive an abortion, so it’s uncertain if the data is actually indicative of the abortion rate considering every woman of reproductive age in Iowa.

There are four restrictions on abortion cases in the state of Iowa. In cases involving a patient who’s a minor, a parent must be notified before

an abortion can be provided.

In every single case, patients are required to attend an ultrasound appointment before they can receive an abortion, though they are not required to view the image of the fetus at the appointment.

In addition, the patient is unable to use public funding for their abortion unless it’s a case of life endangerment, rape, incest, or fetal anomaly.

This is the case in many states, but doctors can only perform an abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy if the patient’s life or health is compromised.

South Carolina recently passed a similar measure in their state legislature. Titled

the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, their bill sought to ban abortion after a heartbeat could be detected – as early as six weeks into a woman’s pregnancy.

The lifespan of the measure was short-lived. A day after state governor Henry McMaster signed the bill into law, a federal court struck down the law, stating that the bill violates the privacy clause of the Ninth Amendment.

The following few weeks after the bill is signed into law will be an important time to monitor the success and lifespan of House Joint Resolution Five.

FEATURES

Features

March 10, 2021 | Page 3

From spit cup to nose swab Drake changes COVID testing method on campus Andrew Kennard Staff Writer andrew.kennard@drake.edu

Drake University has switched its COVID-19 testing method from a saliva test to a “self-administered anterior nasal swab test,” according to the university COVID-19 update released on March 1.

A graphic linked to the COVID update details how the tests are meant to be administered. Test-takers are supposed to insert the swab into the nose until they feel a little resistance, “rub the swab slowly in a circular motion around the inside wall of the nostril four times,” and repeat the process with the other nostril.

Erik Maki, the chair of the Clinical Sciences Department at Drake, said that the nasal swab tests are just as accurate as the saliva tests.

“So I guess in summary, we felt confident that this methodology would be just as accurate as our previous methodology but simpler for really everyone involved in the testing process,” Maki said. “It makes life easier for both the people helping administer the test and also the person who was having the test done.”

Chris Nickell, the director of environmental health and safety at Drake, said in an email that the nasal swab tests are safer than the saliva tests because they are self-

DRAKE HAS CHANGED the COVID testing method on campus from a saliva sample to a nasal swab, according to their latest COVID update email. This test is said to be safer as it minimizes contact. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF DRAKE COVID UPDATE EMAIL

administered.

“Again, this is safer because it minimizes contact between Drake staff with those being tested and eliminates potential for Drake staff to come directly into contact with the test samples,” Nickell said.

“This is safer because it minimizes contact between Drake staff with those being tested and eliminates potential for Drake staff to come directly into contact with the test samples.”

Maki and Nickell both said

that the new tests are also less expensive. Maki also said that only one volunteer is needed at the testing site with the nasal tests, while the saliva tests required three people.

“And so with this new testing methodology, we only need one person,” Maki said.

“Just to check somebody in. And then since it’s all self-administered, that’s all it takes. So it’s really cut labor and the number of volunteers that we need down significantly.”

According to Maki, the nasal and saliva tests used by the university are called PCR tests, and they take about 24 hours to yield results. Maki emphasized the sensitivity of these tests, saying that even a person who recently had COVID-19 but can no longer transmit the virus will still test positive. Maki said that PCR tests are more accurate than rapid tests offered around town that only take

about 15 or 20 minutes to run.

“And I know that I’ve had colleagues that have had symptoms of COVID, and friends, who’ve gone and got one of these rapid tests and it was negative, and then we did a PCR test and they came back positive,” Maki said.

“We still may do testing in the fall—I don’t know.

There’s a lot of time between now and then and a lot of things can change, but like I said, I feel pretty optimistic.”

Nickell stressed the importance of taking precautions and participating

in random testing.

“Wear an effective mask properly, wash your hands often, and stay distant from others where possible,” Nickell said. “If students are selected for surveillance testing, participation is vitally important to detect asymptomatic spread within our community.”

Maki called himself “COVID-optimistic,” and he said that he hopes that testing will not be necessary in the fall.

“We still may do testing in the fall—I don’t know. There’s a lot of time between now and then and a lot of things can change, but like I said, I feel pretty optimistic with the pace of immunizations and that the prevalence will be so low that we won’t even think we need to do it,” Maki said.

“We may still do testing, or have testing available to us, but I just think it’ll be much less of a concern in the fall.”

Alumnus spotlight: Adam Lathan Encourages students to “say yes to new opportunities” Charleigh Reinardy Staff Writer charleigh.reinardy@drake.edu

Drake University graduate Adam Lathan (‘20) encourages current students to say yes to new opportunities and try new things in order to grow.

Lathan grew up in Aurora, Ill. and after graduating high school hoped to continue his education in the Midwest.

Lathan decided to check out Drake somewhat late in the college applications process.

“I didn’t visit Drake until April, a couple weeks before decision day, for an impromptu music audition and it was ultimately the staff in the school of music that really made me seriously consider Drake as an option,” Lathan said. “I had been heavily involved in music during high school and was looking to continue that in university without necessarily majoring or minoring in music; seeing the multitude of options available to do so really helped me in my decision to attend Drake.”

Lathan started as an actuarial science major but changed his plans several times over the course of his tenure.

“In total, I probably changed my major five or

six times while at Drake,” Lathan said. “After bouncing around among data analytics, actuarial science, and information systems I changed my majors one final time, senior year, to data analytics and computer science which are what I graduated with.”

“Being involved at Drake helped me make connections to get involved in the Des Moines community, which led to opportunities for scholarships, networking and just meeting new people beyond Drake’s campus.”

During his time at Drake, Lathan had eight different internships through six different companies, including Principal, Humana and Farm Bureau Financial Services.

He found and secured these positions in a variety of ways.

Some Lathan applied for after finding them on the internet, three of which were thanks to departmental newsletters.

Another was through a scholarship awarded to

Lathan which included the opportunity to interview for a summer internship.

Spending the 2019 J-Term in Chile is one of Lathan’s favorite memories of his time at Drake. The trip gave him a chance to meet new students and learn in a new environment. He also spent a semester studying abroad in Argentina, where he worked for a local company.

Lathan attributes much of his positive experience at Drake to his involvement with extracurricular organizations.

“Being involved at Drake helped me make connections to get involved in the Des Moines community, which led to opportunities for scholarships, networking and just meeting new people beyond Drake’s campus,” Lathan said. “Say yes to new opportunities. Especially if it’s something you’re nervous about and takes you out of your comfort zone. It’s a great way to grow, and also prepares you to continue doing so after your years at Drake are over.”

Upon graduation, Lathan was offered a position at the company he spent his senior year interning for–Principal Financial Group. He now works with the company fulltime as an Actuarial Assistant based out of Denver.

DRAKE ALUM ADAM LATHAN attributes his post-college success to his involvement in extracurriculars and internships at Drake. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM LATHAN

FEATURES

Features

March 10, 2021 | Page 4

Iowa Senate introduces ‘revenge porn’ bill Bill creates civil remedy for nonconsensual sharing of explicit images

Grace Altenhofen Features Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu

SF 324, a bill creating a civil remedy for individuals whose sexually explicit images were shared without their consent, was approved by the Iowa Senate Committee on Judiciary Feb. 10.

If the bill passes, individuals would be able to sue for damages up to $10,000, plus any monetary gain that the defendant had from sharing the plaintiff’s sexually explicit images.

“I think that there’s a lot of people who’ve been hurt by it.

It’s kind of, to me, like revenge porn,” Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen said.

“And I think, also, as far as law enforcement, I think they’re wanting states to have more significant legislation similar from state to state because oftentimes, this will be across state lines. So [it’s] just trying to help people seek justice.”

Petersen, who served on the subcommittee handling SF 324, said that the only change she would have liked to make to the bill was the statute of limitations.

“The one change that I was interested in seeing on the bill was the statute of limitations component, we did not get a change made to that,” Petersen said. “But I have a real concern with sex crimes having statute of limitations on them. And in particular, Iowa is rated one of the worst states in the country for protecting survivors of sex crimes, because of statute of limitations.”

“I think that there’s a lot of people who’ve been hurt by it. It’s kind of, to me, like revenge porn.”

The statute of limitations set forth by SF 324 would be four years, after which point an individual would no longer be able to bring a civil suit for unauthorized sharing of intimate images.

“Basically, [statute of limitations] put an arbitrary deadline on seeking justice,” Petersen said. “And those work to the advantage

of perpetrators and not survivors. So that was my one concern about the bill, that I thought the statute of limitations was too small.

Actually, I just don’t think we should have statute of limitations on these types of issues, when you think about how damaging these crimes can be to a person, really for the rest of their life.”

However, Jennifer Dorman, an associate at Carney Appleby Law who was registered as a lobbyist in favor of the bill, said that the proposed statute of limitations would make the bill consistent with legislation in other states.

“I know that Senator Petersen would have liked to see a longer statute of limitations, but we thought the bill was well written as is and obviously it’s vetted by attorneys from across the country in uniform law,” Dorman said. “A lot of times, state laws are different from state to state, so [uniform laws are] ensuring in the civil arena that whether or not this happened in Iowa to an Iowan, they can still receive a trial here.”

According to Dorman, the

proposed four year statute is also a longer timeframe than many civil statutes.

“For a civil lawsuit, four years is actually pretty lengthy,” Dorman said. “This is actually twice as long as defamation or slander. So I would say that it’s pretty broad. It seems like a pretty good length compared to other statutes.”

The Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, a statewide advocacy organization for sexual assault survivors, is currently registered as undecided on the bill.

“I just don’t think we should have statute of limitations on these types of issues, when you think about how damaging these crimes can be to a person, really for the rest of their life.”

“A lot of times when we are registered undecided,

it’s because we have some questions on the bill or that we are monitoring it to see like what amendments might be added or something like that,” Iowa CASA Public Affairs Coordinator MattyTate-Smith said. “I believe with this one, there was an issue of what to do in the case of young people sending explicit photos back and forth and whether or not parents would then be charged with that.”

Tate-Smith declined to comment on the statute of limitations set forth in the bill, but said that legislation is only part of helping survivors–the rest comes from societal change.

“Just because we’ve got things in law doesn’t necessarily mean that more people come forward,” TateSmith said. “I think really it comes down to destigmatizing what that looks like and making sure that if images are released without consent of the subject in them, that the person who is sharing them understands that what they’re doing is wrong and that that’s not OK and that they need to take responsibility for that.”

Drake students weigh in on Biden’s first month Cassandra Schoene Staff Writer cassandra.schoene@drake.edu

Democratic President Joe Biden has signed more executive orders during his first 100 days of office than any president since President Franklin Roosevelt.

“Biden was quick to use his power of executive order repeatedly within the first month of his presidency, signing almost 30 orders in three weeks,” said Drake University College Republican Communications Director Reagan Buehler. “I’m grateful for the Constitution’s dedication to balance the powers of the three branches of our government, and the executive orders go against the balance of powers. I know every president arrives in office with a first 100 days promise list, but I wish Biden wouldn’t have taken so much action in the hurried manner he did through executive order.”

Many of Biden’s executive orders undo former Republican President Donald Trump’s policies.

“I think Biden has done a pretty good job so far. It is still very early on in his presidency with a lot of time left for him to make a bigger difference.”

“Biden came into office with three priorities: raising the minimum wage, shutting down the Keystone pipeline, and forgiving student debt,” said the Drake University College Republican Political

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has signed more executive orders during his first 100 days of office than any president since Franklin Roosevelt. Students have mixed feelings on these measures. PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Director Ella Stafford.

“Trump would argue that raising the minimum wage hurts the economy, shutting down the Keystone pipeline hurts jobs, and student debt forgiveness burdens taxpayers.”

However, some Drake students are pleased with Biden’s choices.

“I think Biden has done a pretty good job so far. It is still very early on in his presidency with a lot of time left for him to make a bigger difference,” said Drake Dems Membership Director Ella Skaggs. “One thing that I really like is his cabinet choice.

I think choosing the most diverse cabinet will really make a difference when it comes to encouraging people from all backgrounds to run

for office or get involved in politics in general.”

Additionally, some Drake students feel it’s not just Biden’s policies, but the symbol of him that is important as well.

“Biden’s win symbolized a positive move back to a country with less division,” said the Drake Dems President Kody Craddick.

Other students focused on the Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman to hold this position.

“We have a female vice president who is a woman of color which is huge,” said sophomore Emma Brisbois.

However, even students who voted for Biden are not letting them off easy.

“Even though I voted for him it is still important to

hold him accountable,” said first-year Brooke Busch. “We vote for our elected officials because we trust them to put the policies the people want into action, so it is important to hold them accountable.”

Biden promised to fix conflicts with US-Iran relations, but has since ordered airstrikes in Syria towards Iran militants.

“I think that we have to give Biden time to step into his role as president, and overall some good things have been done.

However, he promised he wouldn’t do things to further problems in the middle east and yet has already dropped another airstrike on Syria,” Brisbois said. “The Biden administration is continually pulling the same stunts that past presidents have.”

Some feel it is their duty to push the president to fulfill his promises.

“We, as Democrats, need to support President Biden and the Democratic Congress, but we also need to push on them to ensure that the goals promised on the campaign trail are being taken care of or at least part of the national conversation,” Craddick said.

Whether praising or criticizing, some are still hopeful for the future of the United States of America.

“As the president of the United States, I have full respect for him,” Stafford said. “I hope he has a successful term that unifies our nation and helps America prosper.”

SPORTS

Sports

March 10, 2021 | Page 5

Women’s basketball sweeps Valparaiso University Kyle Keegan Contributing Writer kyle.keegan@drake.edu

The Drake Women’s basketball team will be heading into the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on a three-game winning streak, as the Bulldogs picked up two close home wins on March 5 and 6 against the tough Valparaiso University.

While the conference’s second-ranked Bulldogs did not expect to receive such a strong fight out of the seventh-ranked Valparaiso, the two home wins represented what graduate forward Monica Burich called “perseverance.”

“If you were around to watch, you would see that we were not one hundred percent ourselves,” Burich said. “We just made mistakes that we usually don’t make. However, what these wins showed me is our willingness to win.”

The mistakes Burich referred to were the consistent turnovers from the Bulldogs, where they displayed a 50:24 ratio to Valpo between the two games. Head coach Jennie Baranczyk addressed the mistakes.

“The way Valpo plays defense, they do a great job,” Baranczyk said. “We just have to take care of the ball and make better decisions. We’ll add some more variety to our offense.”

The March 5 contest showed the usual flashes of Drake’s dominance, with Burich, Maggie Bair, Grace Berg, and

Allie Wooldridge helping the Bulldogs out-rebound Valpo 41-22 and outscore them 77-67.

Berg and Bair proved to be a powerful duo, as Berg recorded a career-high nine assists while complimenting 15 points to Bair’s 16.

However, Valparaiso continued to try and chip away at Drake’s lead throughout the game, with guard Shay Frederick going 4-9 for three and scoring 16 points in the process. Baranczyk accredited Frederick’s performance.

“She’s one of the best in the conference,” Baranczyk said.

“She’s crafty, so you got to key in on her. We needed to guard her a bit better.”

In the end though, Drake’s bench proved to be the deciding factor in the win, as guard Sara Beth Gueldner drained 13 points, most of them from the three-point line, during crucial moments of the game.

Heading into March 6, Valparaiso proved to be even more of a formidable opponent, as forwards Caitlin Morrison and Carie Weinman added a combined 27 points to Frederick’s 23 total. Add the continued turnovers and a slow offensive start for the Bulldogs, and the stage was set for a thrilling overtime in the Knapp Center.

However, Drake starting forward Maddie Monahan helped the Bulldogs persevere and win with an impressive 17 points while going 5-9 from three. Monahan explained the confidence she was feeling with her three ball.

“You know, once you hit a

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CELEBRATES SENIOR NIGHT DURING GAME AGAINST VALPARAISO Not only did the team sweep Valparaiso in a successful stretch of home games, the girls also had a moment to celebrate their senior night. PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE KEEGAN spent my life with,” Burich team. couple shots, your confidence said. “She’s done so much for “It’s truly just the tipping kind of goes up,“ Monahan me, and I’m just so grateful for point,” Burich said. “They said. “If the ball comes into my her - for her giving me my love totally bought into the culture, hands and I get an open shot, I for the game, on and off the in everything we do and stand gotta take that.” court.” for. I just can’t wait to follow The clutch overtime win Monahan addressed the along and see them grow and was a touching tribute to the impact Burich and Mertz had flourish.” last regular seasons games of on the team.

But it’s not the end just departing players Burich and “They come in every single yet. The Women’s basketball Mya Mertz. Baranczyk and day, wanting to get better,” team will be heading to the Monahan expressed the impact Monahan said. “They bring a TaxSlayer Center in Moline, the ladies had on the program. lot of communication to this Iowa to face off in the Missouri “Monica and Mya are the team, so I think that’s what Valley Conference tournament, heart and soul of the team,” we’re going to miss. They’re “Hoops in the Heartland,” from Baranczyk said. “They are great really great people off the court March 11 to 14. Tip off for the leaders for us.” as well.” tournament begins at 4:30 p.m.

Burich touched on Burich mentioned how CST. The game will feature no Baranczyk’s impact herself. excited she was to see where the fans, but streaming can be “She’s one of the most future lies with the Women’s found on ESPN+. outstanding women I’ve ever

Women’s tennis can’t be stopped against Grand Canyon University

WOMEN’S TENNIS CONTINUES TO IMPRESS AS THEY ADD ANOTHER WIN TO THEIR SEASON. The team, supported by Ines Stephani’s undefeated record, has been unstoppable their last few matches. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

Darinka Stepan Contributing Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

After a second 7-0 win against the University of Nebraska Omaha on Friday, Feb. 26, Drake Women’s Tennis competed against Grand Canyon University at 10:00 a.m on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Drake earned a doubles point right away. Doubles One featured seniors Maria Tatarnikova and Liza Petushkova, who won their set 6-0. Doubles Three included first-year Darinka Stepan and Ines Stephani, who won

their match 6-1. Stepan and Stephani clinched a doubles point, starting the team off with a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

Stephani was the first Bulldog to win her singles match.

Stephani played singles four and won her match 6-2, 6-1, bringing the Bulldogs up to 2-1.

“I think I played well this match and throughout the whole weekend,” Stephani said. “I really enjoyed being able to have two matches at home this weekend.”

Stephani’s undefeated record for home matches continues in both singles and doubles.

At Singles One, Petushkova won her singles match 6-3, 6-3, bringing Drake’s lead to 3-1.

“Being able to win both singles and doubles today was great,” Petushkova said. “I’m glad that I was able to help contribute to the team’s win today.”

The Bulldogs lost some tight matches on courts three and six. Unfortunately, due to an injury from one of the players, Drake had to pull out from a match. The team’s final score was 4-3, resulting in a home record of 4-1 and overall record as 4-3.

Fourth-year player Megan Webb felt positive about the

results.

“I’m really happy with how the team did this past weekend,” Webb said. “Being able to win 7-0 in our match on Friday and then coming back on Sunday morning to get another win was awesome.

I’m really looking forward to using this momentum in all of our future matches.”

So far this season, Drake Women’s Tennis has won five straight doubles points at home.

“Winning the doubles point is really important in the dual matches, being able to go into singles with one point helps momentum,” Tatarnikova said. “Personally,

I really enjoy playing doubles, the energy is great, and everyone is so competitive since both teams want that point.”

Junior Kelsey Neville loves competing on campus.

“Being at home is definitely a great feeling,” Neville said.

“I love being able to compete on our home courts and take down lots of other schools.”

Drake Women’s Tennis will play at University of Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. next Friday, March 12. For live score updates, visit godrakebulldogs.com or follow @drakewtennis on Instagram.

SPORTS

Sports

March 10, 2021 | Page 6

Men’s tennis finds their footing on court Darinka Stepan Contributing Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

Drake men’s tennis won a dual home match against Illinois State on Feb. 28 with a score of 5-2.

Prior to this match, the Bulldogs lost two close dual matches, both 3-4. One of the matches was against Utah University and the other against Northern Illinois.

So far this season, the men’s tennis team has competed against both Utah University and Northern Illinois, losing both matches 3-4.

Starting off, Drake’s line up for doubles included redshirt first-year Olivier Johansson and first-year Benedek Herman at Doubles One along with redshirt firstyear Matija Matic and firstyear Markus Bolin at Doubles Two. Also featured were redshirt sophomore Evan Fragistas and redshirt junior Freddie Powell on Doubles Three. Doubles One won 7-5, Doubles Two won 6-1 and Doubles Three won 7-5.

Doubles Two was the first doubles team to finish. Then Doubles One clinched another point, bringing the Bulldog’s score up to 1-0 heading into singles.

Johansson was the first to get another point for the Bulldogs at Singles One. Johansson won his match

MEN’S TENNIS FIGHTS THROUGH LOSSES AND DIFFICULT MATCHES AS THEY ATTEMPT TO FIND THEIR FORM. Drake’s team has been experiencing highs and lows on the court this season, but they continue to be resilient and fight through every match. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

6-4, 6-3. Next Fragistas won his match 6-1, 6-0 bringing the Bulldog’s total score to 3-0. Fragistas played Singles Three. Bolin won Singles Five 6-3, 6-1, clinching a total score of 4-0.

“Overall, the match went well, I felt like I was able to find my form,” Bolin said.

“It was interesting to be able to play someone that I know from my home country, Sweden. I’m glad I was able

to get the job done and get a win for my team as well as clinching the match.”

After a tough fight, Matic lost his match 6-3, 6-0. Powell had a tough three-setter at Singles Six after losing the first set 2-6. Powell came back to win the second set 6-4.

Since the match was already clinched, the Bulldogs had to play a tie-break instead of a full third set. Unfortunately, Powell lost the tiebreaker

5-10.

After a battle at Singles Two, Herman pulled a win.

After losing the first match 6-7 (4), Herman came back to win the second set 6-0 as well as the tiebreaker 10-8.

“After a tough first set I was able to figure out how to play my opponent,” Herman said. “I made a couple of adjustments in the second set that allowed me to win the second set 6-0. I used that

moment to help me with the tie-breaker as well.”

“It was great to see the boys out there. There was a lot of fight, and competitive spirit across all of the courts.

I am really looking forward to the upcoming matches that we will have,” said first-year men’s tennis player Gaberial Sardo.

For more information on upcoming matches, visit godrakebulldogs.com.

Track and field season ends after championships

FOLLOWING ADAM FOG’S HISTORICAL RUN, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD SOUGHT TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING. The men’s team was able to secure 4th place overall at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, while the women’s team came in 8th. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

Darinka Stepan Contributing Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

Drake men’s and women’s track and fields wrapped up their indoor season by competing at the Missouri valley conference indoor championships at the University of Northern Iowa.

Drake’s season started in January with a few competitions, and this past weekend was their final event of the season. The event was over the span of three days with the men and women competing at different times of the day due to covid precautions. This event was

the first event where they were allowed to have fans.

The event allowed up to 15 percent of the normal capacity for fans. The event was also broadcasted on ESPN 3. There were quite a few Bulldogs that brought home some individual titles.

Isaac Basten got first place in the 5200, Basten’s time for this event was 15:31.29.

Yinka Mary Ajayi won the Women’s 400 with a time of 55.66. Adam Fog came in first place in the 3000. Fog ran the 3000 in 8:06.09. Fog will also be advancing to the NCAA indoor championships.

The indoor championship will be held at the University of Arkansas. Prior to this

event Fog broke the school record for the 1 mile. Cloud Masibheraj came in first place for the men’s Triple Jump with a distance of 15.16m.

The men’s track and field team got 4th place overall as a team. The women got 8th place overall.

The Bulldogs now have a few weeks of training, before the season begins. The team that came in first place overall for the men was University of Northern Iowa. The women’s team that won first place overall was Illinois State University.

Due to Covid, their spring season was not as long as it should have been resulting in an extra year of eligibility for

the runners for indoor season.

First-year Dyer Jarabek competed in his first indoor championship this weekend and had a great experience.

“It was great to compete again and be together as one team,” Jarabek said.

“Honestly, I think it was a great experience overall, there was a lot to learn for this season. I can’t wait for the outdoor season to begin.”

Bria Rhodes also competed in the indoor championships for the first time in her collegiate career. According to Rhodes she believes that the 4 x 4 was the best event that she ran at the championships.

“I felt like this was a great first experience to be able

to see how people compete at a higher level, running alongside my teammates was great, it’s an amazing feeling to be surrounded that people who are so supportive,” Rhodes said. “I am looking forward to competing in the outdoor season. I’m ready to use the moments that we built up from this season into this upcoming outdoor season.”

The Bulldogs have quite a few meets planned for the spring season.

So far Drake will be competing in four events and then their outdoor championships. Three of those events will be here on campus, while the other events are away.

Commentary

COMMENTARY

March 10, 2021 | Page 7

Women belong in the kitchen?

International Women’s Day Phrases and other missteps Emily Hanna Business Manager emily.hanna@drake.edu

This past Tuesday, March 8th, was International Women’s Day. Many people celebrated women and their accomplishments while also fighting for the future of gender equality.

As a woman, that is pretty cool. Although, we still have a long way to go before there is equitable and just gender equality, any day to celebrate women is a good day in my book.

Many companies and individuals used social media as an outlet to support and celebrate women on this day. One of these companies was Burger King who had good intentions, but a poor outcome.

Burger King wanted to hype up their employees, but just happened to miss the mark. The company tweeted “Women belong in the

kitchen.”

This quote was meant to empower women to become chefs or to support Burger King’s women employees who are working in the kitchen, but they used a saying that has been signified as sexist.

Personally, I love hanging out in the kitchen, stress baking cookies or making a delicious dinner though would be offended if someone told me I belonged in a kitchen.

So, as someone who believes we should have more women in the kitchen, becoming chefs and bakers, and working in kitchens in general how do we rephrase the saying women belong in the kitchen? How do we rephrase other sexist sayings and re-signify their meaning?

This tweet got me thinking, what are other phrases that could have double meanings?

Listed below are some phrases (and for all *legal* reasons, this is for fun).

“Women belong in the

BURGER KING SERVES AS A CASE STUDY of a well-meaning statement (but one that needed serious editing) falling short. Other times, we have seen traditionally sexist phrases reclaimed to serve as empowerment. PHOTO FROM BURGER KING TWITTER ACCOUNT

house.” This can be seen the same as the Burger King tweet or as a sign to elect women to the House of Representatives to make decisions and support citizens.

“Women belong in the home” Well, it is a pandemic!

My goodness, everyone should be working from home including women!

“Smile!” This is a word used way too often when directed at females but there can be sometimes when it is more empowering. When women are accomplishing their personal or professional

goals might be asked to smile for a photo or maybe have some fans, who knows?!

“Nevertheless she persisted” This quote by Senator Mitch McConnell was meant to comment on the remarks that Senator Elizabeth Warren made earlier in a session.

This has now become a phenomenon for women as they have used this saying to inspire each other and let their voices be heard.

“Don’t be so bossy” This quote recommends that women take the subservient

position and not use their leadership in a team position.

Though, it is actually complimenting the woman for being assertive and showing leader qualities!

As people, we can change the meanings and signifiers of certain phrases and words, just as they were historically created to have sexist meanings.

It is our job to be aware of these phrases and words that we still might use in our everyday lives and to combat the implicit bias that comes with it.

Erase Your Tech Troubles Looking for a safe working with Drake ITS Services environment, a flexible schedule – and a terrific discount?

Paid Advertisement:

Holly Santman Contributing Writer holly.santman@drake.edu

Come join the Burlington team at our new store at 10201 University Ave in Clive!

Part-time associates may also be eligible for paid time off, paid holidays and a 401(k) plan.

You will enjoy a safe working environment, a competitive wage, flexible hours, and an associate discount.

We are a rapidly growing brand, and provide a variety of training and development opportunities so our associates can grow with us. Our store teams work hard and have fun together!

Burlington associates make a difference in the lives of customers, colleagues, and the communities where we live and work every day.

Part-time associates, based on hours worked, may be eligible for Burlington’s benefits package which includes dental and vision coverage, and including life insurance.

Apply today by texting Retail to 97211.

When was the last time you called tech support? What problems were you experiencing?

How did you feel? Perhaps you felt frustrated or relieved that your problem was taken care of.

Maybe you’re one of those people who wants to leave their reviews with requests for changes or new services related to the tech you’re using.

Believe it or not, Drake has a similar service for campus-wide resources!

Drake ITS Services offers much of the same support as a traditional helpline – perhaps without the feeling of dread you get when being put on hold by the Geek Squad.

Maybe at this moment you’re thinking: “I had no idea I could talk to Drake ITS!” Well, don’t feel bad because you’re not alone. It seems many people do not know how Drake ITS operates or the extent of the services they offer.

According to the Drake website, Drake ITS “supports the innovative use of technology to enhance the experience for students, faculty, and staff in support of Drake’s mission.”

Essentially, this means they can offer support when it comes to tech issues, but also encourage the learning of new technological skills and increased awareness about potential tech dangers, such as phishing emails.

One of the easiest ways to access any of these services is through the Drake ITS Service Portal which can be found at service.drake.edu/its. Once you get to the homepage, you have a couple different options depending on what you need.

If you are having trouble or need to request something, Services is the place to go! Once you’re on the Services page, you can search for what you need or look through the categories to find the correct service.

On the individual service page, click on “Report Issue” to describe what you’re encountering, or “Request Service” to gain access to a new system.

The “Request Service” function is more often used by faculty or staff.

You’ll have to sign into the system with your Drake email to have your request linked to your account so you can stay up to date on the progress of the issue or request.

The other part of the Service Portal is the Knowledge Base, also found at service.drake.edu/its. The Knowledge Base can be used to learn something new or to troubleshoot a problem on your own using step by step guides.

If you find yourself referencing an article often, feel free to favorite it!

That way it will be more accessible next time you visit the Service Portal.

A quick overview like this is only the tip of the Service Portal iceberg, so my suggestion is to go to service. drake.edu/its and look around for yourself!

I know I personally have learned various tips and tricks from the Knowledge Base about Blackboard Learn and other Drake services I use all the time.

And of course, for any of your technology needs, Drake ITS is always there: online at service.drake.edu/ its, at 515-271-3001 or by following @ DrakeITSServices on Twitter!

This article was written in conjunction with IT services as a promotional for the service portal and Drake ITS service

Commentary

COMMENTARY

March 10, 2021 | Page 8

What’s the Defense of Refereeing?

Colin Frier Staff Writer colin.frier@drake.edu

“Good calls, sir.”

“Great game, ref.”

“Mr. Referee, I just wanted to thank you for being the most impartial arbiter I have seen in my lifetime.” ...Sir Thomas More’s Utopia: Even More Utopian out on shelves now.

In other words, never in my lifetime have I heard those idyllic, pacifying, honeycoated words uttered out of a spectator’s mouth. Ever.

Want the truth? Here’s a naturalistic observation of the soccer sports complex done

by Colin Frier, PhD (pseudodoctor): Referee calls fouls.

“Let them play!”

Referee doesn’t call fouls.

“You better get a handle on this game, sir, or else things are gonna start to get violent!”

Very uplifting stuff, I know. Per the wise words of Bob Dylan, “You can’t win with a losing hand.”

And for referees, blowing the whistle is essentially like having no better than a high card in poker. At every sound of the whistle, spectators and players alike scream some iteration of “WhAT?!?”, minds boggled, as if the call is puzzling beyond comprehension, as if they just watched Donnie Darko, took an advanced course in astrophysics, or listened to The Beatles’ “Revolution 9” on repeat.

Understatements aside, the blast of the whistle is treated like the trumpets in the book of Joshua, its vibration strong enough to bring down the walls of Jericho. Yes, the world will collapse if the referee even slightly touches his lips to that damned whistle.

If it isn’t evident already, spectators, ripe with indignation, prefer to use their sweet petunia’s soccer match as a Ten Minutes Hate session from 1984.

Or better yet, a Mike Pence press conference. Something about watching a referee make calls contrary to the general populace’s likings inexplicably brings out the absolute worst in people.

Truly, their emotions are more tender than Joe Biden’s ankle.

As a soccer referee myself, one of the poor, unfortunate souls belonging to Ursula the sea witch in The Little Mermaid, I certainly fit the bill of a part-time zookeeper tasked with a job most undesirable: overseeing the ape exhibit.

Every time I mediate

a U13 boys soccer game, it’s like being placed on the death machine in The Princess Bride. To quote Jim Morrison, not a game goes by that there’s not “blood on the streets, up to my ankles.”

In fact, I’m convinced that the sign at the entrance of the soccer pitch reads like the one in Dante’s Hell via invisible ink: “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” Or, for a more striking example, the chant from Mad Max: “Two men enter, one man leaves.”

I’ve been a soccer referee for seven-odd years now.

As Frank Sinatra said, “The record shows, I took the blows.” I’ve endured freezing rain, Death Valley-hot summers, Sharknados, the whole works. Per the words of Farmers Insurance, I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two. I’ve been to the ice planet Hoth and back again. I’ve lived through the entire book of Exodus, battling locust plagues and the like.

“Like it or not, referees, these war heroes, these dauntless umpires, benefit society in a multitude of ways. ” I’ve weathered more than Russell Crowe and Elijah Wood combined in their respective movies, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

So, aside from first responders, referees are the true heroes. They’ve seen hell and then some. They’ve looked the Devil in the eyes.

They’ve experienced torture only rivaled by Inquisition methods.

Presumably, the reason the majority of onlookers hate referees to no end is because of the referee’s role as a quasi-doctor, able to provide a diagnosis, absent of a solution. Referees call fouls, but they can’t appease the crowd, a similar scenario to Ricky Gervais’ speech at the 2020 Golden Globes.

These stewards of justice, the valiant referees, deserve mounds more credit than they’re receiving right now.

Whether motivated by their love of the game or the prospect at picking up some more pocket change, referees are on the clock in every corner of the world.

REFEREES are a crucial element of avoiding bias during any sporting match; however, the refs are often viewed unkindly by fans. PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHAN SHIVELY ON UNSPLASH

The universality of refereeing is actually, much to the chagrin of the naysayers, largely unmatched. This wide-ranging nature can be summed up in a simple aphorism: no refereeing, no sports. At least, simple enough for Lindsay Lohan.

Referees are needed all over the world for a plethora of sports: soccer, basketball, football, toe wrestling…

And the fact of the matter is, regardless of high demand, organizations are constantly hurting for referees. This crisis is understandable, of course; signing up to referee is like being sworn into the presidency.

Perks aside, taking up residence in the Oval Office is just about the worst thing a human can do to themselves. In a year alone, the amount of stress that taxes a president’s immune system is enough to build up knots so unmassagable that even the nation’s most lauded masseuse wouldn’t be able to work them out.

Nevertheless, despite having a death warrant attached to its job description, sport commissions around the world are begging for the bravest of souls to step up to home plate and become a referee.

After all, as with anything, third parties are a necessity in order to adjudicate a dispute.

Referees make objective decisions.

They don’t champion for a particular team. Spectators, naturally, tend to argue the opposite, assuming that all referees are involved in Tim Donaghyesque scandals, accepting bribes on the side like a city councilman (as noted, once again, by the venerable Bob Dylan). The plain truth is, referees call what they see.

They aren’t beholden to special interest groups.

To do their job right, least ways adequately, referees

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper for Drake University since 1884 RACHEL JAMES, Editor-in-Chief rachel.james@drake.edu JEFF INMAN, Faculty Advisor jeffrey.inman@drake.edu

TARYN RIPPLE, Managing Editor taryn.ripple@drake.edu

EMMA BRUSTKERN, News Editor emma.brustkern@drake.edu

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

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

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

EMILY GODSEY, Sports Editor emily.godsey@drake.edu NALA GAUVIN, Commentary Editor nala.gauvin@drake.edu EMILY HANNA, Business Manager emily.hanna@drake.edu

OLIVIA HECKER, Media Manager olivia.hecker@drake.edu TRISH RICHARDS, Copy Editor patricia.richards@drake.edu SARAH BOGAARDS, Breaking News sarah.bogaards@drake.edu

have got to have the same biological makeup as Mr. Waternoose in Monsters Inc.; that is, donning five eyes.

Critics would like to think, rather, that referees are Mike Wazowskis, possessing the same amount of auditory skill as Beethoven. Referees are simply products of the blind school, puttering aimlessly around the field like the three blind mice in Shrek. Yes, referees are expected to have eyes on their hands like the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth in order to catch all the minutiae in the match.

During a game, the referee’s brain is like a hamster wheel, or, for a more elaborate description, like one of those DVD BluRay ellipses that bounce from corner to corner on the screen when the movie is paused; only in this case, that ellipse is flying at mach speed. When Pink Floyd sings, “The lunatic is on the grass,” they’re really referring to referees.

Like it or not, referees, these war heroes, these dauntless umpires, benefit society in a multitude of ways. A, coaches can’t be left to arbitrate their own games, just like Trump and Biden can’t be left to run their own debate. Nonpartisan arbiters are an undeniable must. And B, the sports industry is a cash cow, and without referees, the lucrative monolith would crash and burn. Someone has to be the intrepid impartial, even if ABC News won’t do it.

Yet, in spite of the referee’s extensive upsides, the majority of spectators still have it out for them, as if these equitable mediators exposed them in public or mercilessly murdered their newborn.

These rubberneckers subscribe to the idea that, even if a referee is staring directly at the play along with everyone else, somehow they are “watching another game,” somehow staring into the

ether.

Therefore, naturally, if the referees left the premise, the rewards of such impeachment would be reaped almost instantaneously; everything would harmoniously come together like a Joe Biden unity project and gospel singers would come floating down from the heavens on brazen wings singing “Oh Happy Day.” Yes, if the referee vanished from existence, it’d be like the end of The Return of the Jedi, everyone clapping and dancing to some Ewok tune, celebrating the death of the Devil. ...This perspective is criminally untrue, of course, as we have seen thanks to considerable evidence for the contrary. While I must admit there exists a select few genuinely incompetent persons in yellow, it’s humanly impossible to be Doctor Manhattan, incapable of error.

Competent or not, referees are a net positive for the world.

Referees are ambassadors, skilled in negotiating with either side. They have skins as thick as rhinos. They are friends, and they are enemies.

They are gravediggers, they are priests. They are doctors, they are counselors.

Without a doubt, the referee is the “man in the arena,” per the words of Theodore Roosevelt.

He whose “face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.” He who “strives valiantly.” He who expends every last breath in the name of the game he loves, for no other reason than to serve the community, to keep the competition honorable, and to leave an indelible legacy for the future’s bold judges.

The referee is the world’s policeman, yes, but police are friends.

Treat him as such.

The Times-Delphic is a student newspaper published weekly during the regular academic year and is produced by undergraduate students at Drake University. The opinions of staff editorials reflect the institutional opinion of the newspaper based on current staff opinions and the newspaper’s traditions. These opinions do not necessarily reflect those of individual employees of the paper, Drake University or members of the student body. All other opinions appearing throughout the paper are those of the author or artist named within the column or cartoon. The newsroom and business office of The Times-Delphic are located in Meredith Hall, Room 124. The Times-Delphic is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The editor-in-chief sits on the Board of Student Communications.

LETTERS & SUBMISSION POLICY The Times-Delphic strives to represent student views as accurately and honestly as possible. We rely on readers to provide us with criticism, comments and new ideas so that we can continue to serve the interests of the students in the fairest possible way. We encourage interested readers to submit letters to the editor.

Letters must include the author’s name and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Deadlines for guest submissions are noon Sunday for the Wednesday edition. The Times-Delphic reserves the right to edit letters and submissions for space and in the interest of taste. Letters and submissions reflect only the opinions of the authors and should be limited to 250 words.

Emailed letters can be sent to rachel.james@drake.edu.

ADVERTISING POLICY

The Times-Delphic’s business office is located at 2507 University Avenue, 124 Meredith Hall, Des Moines, IA 50311. The Times-Delphic is published on Wednesdays during the university’s fall and spring academic terms. The newspaper is distributed for free around the Drake University campus. All advertising information is to be submitted noon Sunday for the Wednesday edition. Advertisements can be designed by The TimesDelphic or submitted via e-mail. We accept cash and check. A 10 percent discount is offered for prepayment on advertisements. The business office can be contacted at 515-271-2020.