The Times-Delphic (4.4.18)

THE TIMES-DELPHIC Wed.,April 4, 2018

Volume 137, No. 22

www.timesdelphic.com

PHOTO BY JAKE BULLINGTON | DIGITAL EDITOR

CAMPUS NEWS

Bumper cars, cotton candy and roller skating at Dogtown Tuma Haji Staff Writer Jessie Spangler Editor-In-Chief

Olmsted and the student parking lot bustled with the sounds of students laughing and talking amongst themselves on Friday, March 30 for the annual celebration of Dogtown After Hours.

The event was held from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Dogtown After Hours has been in the works since the beginning of the school year, headed by students Branden Christiansen and Emma Hasselhuhn.

Typically, their committee is made up of 10 students, but this year the co-chairs only had seven.

“This year our squad was a little bit smaller, but we’re mighty and powerful and we were so ready for this event tonight, and so far it’s gone off without a hitch,” Hasselhuhn said.

Dogtown was originally created in 2011 as an alcohol alternative event in response to three alcohol-related deaths on campus that spring.

“We’re just really encouraging them to come together in one place and enjoy a good time and enjoy each other’s company in a good, safe environment,” Hasselhuhn said.

“I hope that the individuals that come have a fun time and feel comfortabe in this environment with their peers, and being able to enjoy themselves and the different events that we have,” Christiansen said.

The first few weeks of meeting, the committee talks about ideas for events and food, and compile it all into an Excel spreadsheet.

“From there, we just start contacting, reaching out to different vendors and trying to figure who’s available, and what they’ll be able to do for us with the space available,” Christiansen said.

Turnout rates were booming at the start with registration lines extending past the doors.

Student volunteer members were in charge of making sure every attendee had signed a waiver of injury as well as received a stamp on the hand.

Lower Olmsted featured dessert and appetizers while the basement showcased Justice League, caricature drawings and massages.

The massages were given by local, self-employed masseuses.

Maleigha Williams went to the massage section to release tension from a stressful week of midterms. Her friend Kaylah Herrington expressed her love for massages. “Personally, when I see massages, I go without a second thought,” she said with a laugh.

Students who were upstairs

had the opportunity to roller skate, decorate their skin with henna designs or listen to a silent disco.

Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) sponsored the roller skating activities. ATO member Jerime Gendron said that it’s been a “very popular sponsored event.”

Students glided around, some gracefully and others less so, on a green and white glow in the dark floor with blaring music in the background. Even after the event was closing down, students returned to the makeshift rink to enjoy skating.

Local DJs Lee and Kat Aguilar-Smith from Shut Up and Dance provided the music and headphones for students to enjoy in a disco style room with red and green dots bouncing off the ceiling and walls.

A silent disco is a type of music event that originated in the UK a decade ago where attendees listen to music through headphones.

Some students seemed to enjoy the activity while others found the concept ridiculous.

“It’s a cool way to have three different genres of music to have the students enjoy the dancing, and as we say, party in demand for your own experience,” Lee claimed.

His wife expressed her appreciation for the concept of people being in different worlds while listening to different types of music. “People can let go, so

you’re in you’re kind of in your own world when you get into the headphones... you can find somebody who’s in their own world dancing by themselves and makes you curious about what channel they’re on,” she explained excitedly. “It’s a unique experience not seen in a regular nightclub.”

The lawn and parking lot behind Olmstead featured a metal bull as well as bumper cars where long lines of students excitedly awaiting their turns. The sounds of gentle thumps from the bumper car collisions combined with the cheers from the bull riding filled the outside air.

Drake’s men’s acapella group, Brocal Chord’s and the D+ Improv Troupe gave closing performances for the event on the Parent’s Hall Stage. Students sang along with the acapella group and expressed their appreciation for their ranging vocals. D+ Improv Troupe was met with applause and uproarious laughter from the audience, particularly in the parts where the audience members provided the improvositional scenarios.

A COTTON CANDY MACHINE, among other treats and activities, were offered to students at Dogtown After Hours this year. PHOTO BY TUMA HAJI | STAFF WRITER

CAMPUS EVENTS

Drake employee goes from a couch to a 5K marathon Christina Schallenkamp Contributing Writer christina.schallenkamp@drake.edu As the old saying goes, if your refrigerator is running you better go catch it. If someone were to say that today, a common response might be “no way the couch is way too comfortable.”

With that in mind wellness and recognition specialist at Drake University, Linda Feiden, came up with an idea that gets students and faculty off the couch and running a 5K in just nine weeks.

This is the second year Drake has done this program and it is open to anyone on campus. The program consists of a 30 minute workout three days a week.

“It truly is a couch to 5K,” Feiden said.

“There are individuals who, at the beginning say, there is no way that I would ever be able to run a 5k and then when they are done with the training program they not only complete the 5k but now have a great way to keep fit.”

This year, 20 people have signed up to go through this training program. This program started on Feb. 19 and ends April 22. Participants in the couch to 5K are then able to run in the road race during the week of Drake Relays.

The route starts on the opposite side of the Drake Stadium then turns right onto 25th Street then another right down Kingman Boulevard then runners make a U – turn and go

back down Kingman Boulevard and continue the way they came until they reach the finish line at Drake Stadium. Every participant receives a free quarter zip sweatshirt that says Drake Road Race.

In the beginning of this program, Feiden sits down with the group of individuals who have signed up and explains the overall workout plan in detail including their weekly workouts. She also connects them with a variety of different apps to download on their smart phone to help guide them through their workouts.

Every week Feiden sends out an email that contains some motivational advice and tips for their week of training.

“This program is typically a stepping stone for the

participants.

Oftentimes individuals will run this 5K, and in about a year or so, they will be running a 10K,” Feiden said.

Sofia Turnbull, administrative assistant at Drake, is a participant in the program this year. Turnbull has never run a 5K before nor did she ever imagine herself participating in one.

“The opportunity just came in the email and I just jumped at the challenge,” Turnbull said.

Turnbull also utilizes the different apps associated with this program. Specifically, the couch to 5K app which guides her through her workouts on the treadmill.

Brian Hardin, director of athletics at Drake, ran track all through college but has not been as involved since he graduated.

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Hardin said he likes that this program “takes someone who hasn’t really run in a long time or someone who is not anywhere near running shape and gradually brings them back without having any setbacks.”

While this program is challenging “(On a scale of one to 10) I would say it’s about a four,” Hardin said. “It’s manageable.”

02 | news

April 4, 2018

NEWS CAMPUS EVENTS

AUTHOR CASEY PLETT reads from a work of hers during the Susan Glaspell Writers and Critics Series on Thursday night. PHOTO BY KATHERINE BAUER | MANAGING EDITOR

Author talks transgender visibility in literary community Katherine Bauer Managing Editor katherine.bauer@drake.edu @bauer_katherine On Friday night in the Reading Room of Cowles Library, the Susan Glaspell Writers and Critics Series wrapped up its final lecture of the year. Author Casey Plett lectured on the significance of relatability in literature and encouraged young writers to value the work they’re doing right now.

“Writing and reading have

never even been close to separable things,” Plett said. “For me, writing has always been sort of like imagining myself discovering it myself as a reader. That’s the only way I’ve managed to move forward as a writer. I’ve been lucky enough where I can talk to people who have read my work and how they respond to it.”

Originally from Canada, Plett received the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction in 2015 and an Honour of Distinction for LGBT Emerging Writers in Canada from the Dayne Ogilvie Prize. She also wrote a

PEOPLE LISTEN as author Casey Plett reads from her book in the Writers and Critics Series. PHOTO BY KATHERINE BAUER | MANAGING EDITOR

column about transitioning for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

Plett began her lecture by reading from her book, “A Safe Girl to Love,” a collection of short stories about 11 transgender women. She discussed how literature can bring people from marginalized communities together without always having to worry about readability, something that resonated with some audience members.

“What I really took home was when she was talking about marginalized communities and I guess how those communities can come together and talk with one another without focusing on readability or relatability to people outside of their identity,” said Rai Ahmed-Green, a senior writing and law, politics and society double major. “One of the reasons that fiction is so powerful because when you’re writing something ... the more truth you put into it the more powerful it can be.”

Plett said it’s humbling to have readers come up to her or contact her to express how her stories touched their lives.

“It’s a really special thing,” Plett said. “Writing’s really hard.

When I hear that (from readers), it makes me feel like it’s fuel to go on. Obviously, I’ve written for a long period of time before anyone read anything, but I think writers need that kind of thing as well. If you can tell an artist that you like

their work you should do it.”

Plett also discussed her writing process, how she often thinks about her reader sitting in a room alone and how that person would relate and respond to what she’s writing. She had advice to writers who may be struggling to find their niche or their voice.

“Find someone you can make community with, try to find people who are interested in the same weird sh*t as you, who are coming from the same place you area,” she said. “I definitely do believe that. Also, that’s not always possible, and you have to figure out how to write anyway. I just go back to that reader in my mind… keeping that reader in my head, and I don’t know if anyone is going to like this (writing) now, but maybe someone who’s alone in their room will read something I’ve written alone in my room.

And they will like it and connect with it in some way, and I have to believe that’s possible. That kind of keeps me going.”

Yasmina Madden, assistant professor of English at Drake University, said it was great to hear Plett tell listeners how important their writing right now is.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 19 and you’ve had a bunch of ‘life experiences,’” she said. “The writing they’re doing right now is valid and important. And it’s nice to hear someone up there saying, ‘What you’re working on right

now, hold onto it because it could be something that ends up being really important to your work later.’ Just because it doesn’t resonate with you right now, or doesn’t seem finished enough or vivid enough, it doesn’t mean you have to throw it away.”

Madden, who helped organized the Writers and Critics Series, said Plett was a great way to end the year.

“It’s nice to have a guest at the semester whose work crosses disciplines and is talking to a diverse audience,” Madden said. “The Series this year has, I’m probably biased, but has been fantastic. We’ve had great turnouts for all of the folks who have come. We had a nice mix of genres.”

Madden said her team is already looking ahead to next year and is looking for another great year. “(The Series is) about supporting a diversity of voices and a diversity of experience and making sure that students at Drake and people form the community have access to a diversity of stories and artists and experiences,” she said.

news | 03

April 4, 2018

NEWS CAMPUS NEWS

Cowles Library celebrates the life of a Darling cartoonist Jacob Reynolds News Editor jacob.reynolds@drake.edu @jreyredsox96 From March 26 through May 31, the Cowles Library is hosting an exhibit to celebrate the life of cartoonist Jay N. “Ding” Darling.

The exhibit, titled, “When We Knew Him: An Exhibit on Jay N. Darling,” focuses on the work of a man, who was also an environmental conservationist and won two Pulitzer Prizes.

Darling was an editorial cartoonist in the 1900s, first for the Sioux City Journal

and later for The Des Moines Register. Through his work on conservation, he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934 to a federal position, where he implemented the Duck Stamp Act, designed the first duck stamp and also founded the Cooperative Research Unit Program, according to a Drake press release.

The exhibit was curated by documentary filmmaker Sam Koltinsky, who currently serves as the director of the Jay N. Darling Center in Des Moines.

Koltinsky said he originally became interested in Darling’s story after meeting Darling’s

grandson, “Kip,” and promising him to create a documentary movie about his grandfather.

After working in Des Moines to gather material for several years and once Koltinsky’s movie premiered he had seven pieces of artwork, where the exhibit “started.” Over the years the exhibit grew.

Koltinsky was introduced to the library by law professor Neil Hamilton, who introduced him to the dean of the library.

“I started looking at the Drake archives for (Darling material) at the Drake archives and looking at what I had and thought it could be a wonderful exhibit to bring

JAY N. “DING” DARLING was a notable cartoonist and conservationist from Des Moines. He is currently being honored in the upstairs region of the Cowles Library near the reading room. PHOTO BY JACOB REYNOLDS | NEWS EDITOR

out some of those treasures,” Koltinsky said.

“They told me it would be a wonderful idea as well ... In the meantime, over the next year I started collecting,” Koltinsky continued.

Materials that the library currently has in store includes sketchbooks from Darling’s college days, a series of unfinished etchings from Darling and historic materials from the Des Moines Register.

“I think I looked at the items as telling a story and connecting with the audience,” Koltinsky said. “We had people from high school to people in their 90s (at the grand opening). And so I always try to use things that I think have a powerful message.”

Claudia Frazer, the director of university archives and special collections at the library, expressed excitement for a speaker series that will go across across the many topics of Darling’s legacy.

“Because this exhibit is so wide-reaching topically (environmental science, biology, journalism, history, etc.), we’ve decided to tap into all those areas and bring out the experts to address those topics,” Frazer said.

After the exhibit opened, there were featured presentations on March 28 from Koltinsky, Iowa Natural Heritage Museum president Joe McGovern and Brian Duffy, a freelance cartoonist.

On April 5, there will be

presentations from Drake University professors titled “A Conversation with Nature.” The speakers will include history professor Amahia Mallea, environmental professor Peter Levi and biology professor Thomas Rosburg.

Mallea said she thought Darling’s legacy is important for Drake to recognize because of its ability to transcend political views.

“I think something that this historical story reveals to us that there are issues, like conservation, that go beyond politics,” Mallea said. “We’re living in time period where people feel very divided by ideology.”

Mallea will talk about Darling’s contributions in a historical context in her speech, such as his public services with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with other public duties, along with being a political cartoonist. Mallea also said she would examine “(w) hat’s going on in America in the 1910s that causes him to have this interest?,” along with his role in reflecting and possibly shaping how America saw the world through his political cartoon career.

There will also be speaking events on April 19 and May 3,, the latter of which will include a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

CAMPUS EVENTS

Drake to go ‘All In’ over weekend to help general fund Abbey Fouts Contributing Writer abbey.fouts@drake.edu

For the fifth year, Drake University will be hosting the All In event, a 24-hour giving campaign. This year’s event will take place from noon on April 5 to noon on April 6 online at the All In website.

“All In is something that you don’t even need to be in Des Moines to participate in,” said Mark Reiter, assistant director of alumni relations. “It’s a general campaign to raise an awareness for donating to Drake.”

Money donated during the event goes to the Drake Fund, which is responsible for allocating money to solving Drake’s most immediate needs. Donations can be specified to a particular section of the fund, such as facility or athletic needs, but most are donated to the general fund.

“It can be any donation from

$5 to $5,000,” Reiter said. “The idea is just raising awareness that you have the ability to give back to your university and that Drake relies on donations outside of tuition to operate.”

Like many other universities, the idea behind the event is that of a national day of giving bringing together as many Drake alums, students, faculty, staff and friends of Drake as possible, Reiter said.

To achieve this goal of togetherness, three social events will be taking place on and around the Drake campus to encourage participation in the event.

The first of the three socials, hosted by the Student Alumni Association, will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 5 at Helmick Commons if weather cooperates. If rainy or too cold, the event will be held at the Pomerantz stage.

This student directed event will feature Dip’n Dots, Jethros, yard games and activities. Maddie’s yellow slug bug will also make an

appearance. In addition to food and games, donation stations will be present.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and engage with the Drake community” Melanie King Drake first-year These stations feature a new technology called DIP jars, making the donation process easier for students. The jars are similar to old fashioned donation jars in which one simply places a dollar bill into the jar. However,

instead of placing a dollar bill into these jars, one will swipe their credit card into the jars with predisposed amounts of money written on each jar.

Melanie King, first year digital media productions major, plans on attending the student social.

Unlike other Drake events King has attended. King looks forward to being able to give back to her school.

“Not only is the event a great fundraiser for Drake’s needs, but it’s also a great opportunity to get out and engage with the Drake community,” King said. “I feel like it’s important for everyone to get the education they want and deserve.”

The second social directed toward staff and faculty will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 5 in the lower level of Collier-Scripps. Staff and faculty can expect to enjoy snacks and drinks while socializing with fellow colleagues.

The third and final social will

take place directly after the staff and faculty social, starting at 5 p.m. at Peggy’s Tavern, in which the alumni of central Iowa will be gathered. Staff and faculty are encouraged to attend this event, as it provides great insight on the lives of Drake alumni.

Last year’s All In event marked an all-time high raising a total of $150,885.66 from 852 donors. Meredith Ponder, digital communications specialist, is in charge of handling all of the social media, website and promotions for the All In event.

“We’ve had to work really hard on this so it’s great to see it all come together,” Ponder said. “At the end of it, you look at all the work you’ve put into it and how many people were touched by the work you did.”

CAMPUS EVENTS

Students able to show off to siblings life at Drake RHA hosting Siblings Weekend to develop familial bond for students Hallie Kemper Contributing Writer hallie.kemper@drake.edu Drake students will have the opportunity to host their siblings for a year, yet they only visit for one weekend.

Siblings Weekend, one of Drake’s many traditions, has the theme ‘A Year with Your Sibs,’ showcasing events that represent many holidays and parts of the year that many students are not able to share with their siblings after leaving for college. The event is open to all students for the weekend of April 6 through April 8.

Mariana Martens, a lead coordinator of the event, praises

this affordable and fun weekend.

“I think it’s really important for students to include their siblings in their educational experience,” Martens said. “It’s a great way for them to show their siblings around Drake, show their siblings around Des Moines and just enjoy a weekend with them before the craziness of the end of the year starts.”

Around 30 siblings of Drake students are registered for the weekend, though Martens said that, on average, Drake hosts anywhere from 40-60 siblings and will always welcome more.

Siblings Weekend is also open to siblings of all ages, though most are younger than their siblings at Drake. One student, first-year Anna Gabalski, believes

that these younger siblings are who the event is designed for.

“Siblings weekend is for all ages, but I feel like we’re gonna target it more towards younger siblings,” Gabalski said. “I think, though, that it’s also cool for older siblings to come back too because it’s like they can revisit college.”

Gabalski has a twin brother who attends Iowa State University. Though he is near enough to make the trip, Gabalski noted the difficulty of bringing a sibling to campus who is also enrolled in college full-time.

“I mean he’s a really busy dude, and he’s got a lot going on,” she said. “It just would be hard.”

Gabalski did note, however, that this event is unique because her brother’s university does not

offer any similar events, besides some family weekends through specific sororities or fraternities.

For students who are able to bring their sibling to campus for the event, Martens said that it is very affordable and simple to do so.

“It costs just $20 a sibling, and that pays for their meal tickets so they can eat the whole weekend, tickets for the (Carbondale) softball game, as well as a free t-shirt for them and their sibling,” she said.

All activities put on by RHA for the event are free for the students and their sibling(s) as well, with a D+ improv show, various residence hall activities and the movie Coco at Free Movie Friday as some of the weekend’s

event highlights. Transportation is not provided.

For more information on Siblings Weekend, visit Drake University RHA on Facebook.

04 | opinions

Apr. 4, 2018

OPINIONS OPEN LETTER

Dear Jerry Parker: reconsider actions in response to underage drinking Editor’s Note: This is a letter addressed to Drake Dean of Students Jerry Parker from two students who wish to stay anonymous. It is in response to reported efforts by his office to reduce underage drinking, including public safety officers outside area bars and potentially preventing fraternities and sororities from hosting events.

Jerry Parker has expressed a deep concern for the culture of excessive drinking among undergraduates at Drake.

Perhaps his concerns are valid.

Maybe undergraduates do drink too much. Maybe they lack a fundamental understanding of the consequences of using false identification. Certainly, if these concerns are grounded in reality, we need to do something as a community.

Drake students drink to excess in off campus locations because they are unable to consume alcohol within the safe parameters of campus and fraternity properties.

Drake students purchase false identification documents from online retailers as a means to drink because, again, they are unable to drink in safer locations.

Now, he is concerned with students going to local businesses as a means to an end. So, as it seems to students, that he has taken matters into his own hands to derail these local businesses. In this process he has put students more at risk of hurting themselves and others, especially community members.

Barring Greek organizations from hosting events encourages students to drink at unregulated houses that are outside of Drake Public Safety’s jurisdiction.

Preventing students from drinking at surrounding businesses enables students to make the decision to drink at bars downtown instead of familiar spaces within walking distance from campus. Having students go around campus allows them to be in a safer situation. Downtown bars contain people students do not know and bartenders who do not care about them, only their money. At surrounding bars, they are our classmates and friends.

People we see and interact with every day on campus.

Unregulated house parties do not contain a familiar face serving you, and able to cut you off.

Forcing only fraternity

and sorority organizations to go through intensive alcohol awareness trainings and education seminars doesn’t make campus as a whole better.

It creates a divide that, we as students have continuously been trying to break down. Along with intense education, fraternity and sorority organizations have more regulations and bureaucracy to go through compared to actual problematic organizations. Those organizations seem to fall under the administrations radar, yet cause many problems for students health. The regulations often put in place only affect those of legal age, barring them from doing something that is legal.

Changing the rules to curb the effects of underage drinking does not make Drake a safer campus.

In fact, it endangers students, undermines businesses, and further engrains the common knowledge that Drake University regularly acts against the wishes and best interest of students.

We are not only here to criticize the Drake administration as a whole. We want our community to be safe for all students, and want students to have the ability to succeed and engage with each

other as a student body. We have to agree on the premise that college students do and will drink. Barring them from certain places will not make them stop.

They will move to other areas.

This is not a Drake situation, an Iowa situation, nor a generation situation; but a reality of life as an undergraduate. This does not mean that all undergraduate students have to participate in drinking, but simply acknowledging that this is the reality in which we live in.

First, leave local businesses alone. It is not the job of anyone at Drake to hurt our community.

Business around Drake have been around for decades, and have contributed to the University and are a part of Drake traditions.

As a university, we always talk about respecting and building up the community around us, yet if our own Dean of Students cannot follow this; why should students? However, as a student this kind of hypocrisy from the administration isn’t surprising.

Second, take student opinions and actually listen. There are hundreds of students on this campus who would participate in discussions about reevaluating

Drake’s alcohol policies, but they feel that their voice won’t be heard. Students have been told many times their opinion is wanted and “heard”, to only have their voices and interest ignored for the benefit of Drake administration.

Students are ready to talk and have a conversation. These students are not a part of a specific segment of campus, in a certain school or even of a certain age. So that means, specific organizations should be not targeted due to the negative connotations created by campuses. We want campus, and our friends, to feel safe.

We want to be a part of the conversation and a part of the solution. Continuously student voices are shut out or ignored in these conversations on campus. The policies students have heard about are not going to fix the problem, but create a more dangerous and secretive situation on campus, and in our community. For the university to continue on the great path it is on, the university administration and students must be able to work together.

CAMPUS LIFE

Relays 2018: trying to determine the best Relays concert

Parker Klyn Opinions Editor parker.klyn@drake.edu @parkerklyn No offense to the fine people at Drake’s Student Activities Board (SAB), who work as hard as any student organization on campus, but the Drake Relays concert has become a bit of a running joke. Year after year, it seems the concerts are underwhelming.

Hoodie Allen put on a good show (but the weather was terrible), 3OH!3 failed at coasting along on nostalgia, and nobody even knew who Skizzy Mars was. Even Lil Yachty, whose announcement had the Drake student body buzzing with excitement, disappointed with minute-long songs and a reliance on crowd call-and-response.

Even SAB themselves seem to be in on the joke. Last weekend, for April Fools’ Day, the organization released a humor blog post “announcing” the Relays artist to be none other than comedy rhythm trio Blue Man Group. “3OH!3, Skizzy Mars, and

Lil Yachty all let concert-goers down,” they state; even though it’s an April Fools’ joke, it’s hard not to see it as a bit of sardonic reality. (The Blue Man Group would be awesome, by the way.

They’re great performers.)

So, in a week, we will find out who will perform at the Relays concert. Last year, I outlined two possible musical genres that the bands committee will explore: “alternative” rock (really just slightly off-kilter pop), and poprap. We know that last year the bands committee had a budget of $30,000; I’m going to be operating under the assumption that this year’s budget is similar, if not a bit less.

First, let’s look at these alternative rock artists that have consistent popularity among Drake students.

Bands like We The Kings, Say Anything, and Saint Motel fall within Drake’s budget; their pleasant, poppy versions of rock and emo music work really well on college campuses (even if I’m not personally a fan). I’d love a straight pop artist like Gallant or Jorja Smith, or even some offkilter pop like the Dirty Projectors or Kero Kero Bonito, but those artists aren’t for everyone, and the bands I originally listed have more widespread audiences.

To be honest, though, I generally think these pop artists would be inferior to a hip-hop act. Hip-hop is the most popular sound of our age; it permeates every gathering, from a few people playing video games to the largest of frat parties. But for

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the Relays concert, we don’t need some heady rap wordplay – we need bangers. And, surprisingly, lots of well-known hip-hop artists fall within the Relays’ price range.

There are loads of hungry, popular up-and-comers that the bands committee could afford.

Denzel Curry and Joey Purp immediately come to mind; both have ultra-popular signature party singles (“Ultimate” for the former, “Girls @” for the latter), and their loud, booming music would be great for the Relays atmosphere. If they wanted to get fun with it, the bands committee could go for somebody like

Chief Keef or RiFF RaFF or Lil B; they’d at least provide people with some memories. Finally, we have rappers who don’t really make bangers but are great artists nonetheless; rappers like Earl Sweatshirt, E-40, and (my personal pick) Big K.R.I.T. They all flirt with party singles and are more conventionally talented than the aforementioned artists.

My dream artist for this year’s Relays (and I’m not alone in this selection), falling within the budget, would be Los Angeles-based rap “boy band” Brockhampton. They released three fantastic albums last year,

and are solidly the fastest-rising stars in hip-hop today. I’m telling you, these guys are going to be superstars, and if they were amenable to performing, I would’ve implored the committee to pull the trigger on it. A guy can dream.

Regardless, the bands committee has a lot of pressure.

There isn’t a single undergraduate Drake student who can safely say they’ve seen a capital-g Great Relays concert yet; many will graduate this year. Here’s hoping they can have some fun on their way out.

LIL YACHTY was last year’s Drake Relays concert artist. Aside from the Relays themselves, the concert is the most popular function of Relays week. PHOTO FROM DRAKE SAB

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opinions | 05

Apr. 4, 2018

OPINIONS FILM REVIEW

“Love, Simon” is a “wonderful story” that’s culturally relevant

Natalie Larimer Contributing Writer natalie.larimer@drake.edu

Last week I was able to go see Love, Simon with some of my friends, and it ended up quickly becoming one of my favorite movies. The story is about a high school senior named Simon who is gay, but has been in the closet since eighth grade. He finds out that there is another person in his high school who is in the closet and they anonymously email each other throughout the school year.

This other person goes by Blue and Simon goes by Jacques.

While Simon is talking with Blue and trying to find out who it really is, he accidentally leaves his email open for his annoying classmate Martin to find in the library. Martin takes screenshots of the emails and uses them to

blackmail Simon into helping him get a date with Simon’s friend Abby. This causes Simon to sabotage the budding relationship between Abby and one of his best friends Nick, fearing that Simon will be outed to the whole school and scaring off Blue.

The whole movie is about the relationships between Simon and his three friends, Abby, Nick, and Leah, while also trying to balance the threat of Martin and not ruining his relationship with Blue. He suspects three guys at school as being Blue, but each one is proven wrong by various events. We see Simon trying to live a normal life with his friends and family, and his reasons for not coming out are that he is bitter that only gay people have to reveal their sexuality to the world and straight people don’t. As he talks to Blue, he gains courage to be able to come out, which is such an inspiring thing to see on screen.

This movie is really important, especially for people in the same situation as Simon. A huge problem with our society is that we assume that being straight is the default, causing LGBTQ+ kids to miss out on all the defining moments of love in their childhoods. Because of movies like this, people in the closet will find themselves represented on screen as being normal and that

can encourage them to come out or simply begin expressing themselves as straight people can do without any stigma.

Not only was the message of Love, Simon wonderful, but it was actually a really well done movie. The characters were three dimensional, the plot was intricate and alluring, and the soundtrack was incredible. I have not read the book it is based off of, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda”, but it is high on my reading list.

The soundtrack is one of the best that I’ve ever heard as well. Jack Antonoff from Fun. and Bleachers wrote a ton of amazing songs for the movie and Troye Sivan wrote “Strawberries and Cigarettes” for it as well.

Whenever you get LGBTQ+ icon Troye Sivan on a soundtrack, you basically guarantee that it will be the best soundtrack in the universe.

I highly recommend that each and every one of you go see Love, Simon, not just for the representation that is so crucial to American films, but because it is a genuinely wonderful story and movie. Please go see it while it is in theaters so we can show Hollywood that movies like these are important and we want more of them.

LOVE, SIMON is director Greg Barlanti’s third film. It stars Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, and Jennifer Garner. PHOTO FROM 20TH CENTURY FOX

POLITICS

Gun violence: something has to change for our safety’s sake

Haley Hodges Contributing Writer haley.hodges@drake.edu

I’m studying abroad this semester in Dublin, Ireland. That doesn’t mean school shootings in America no longer affect me.

On February 15, my media studies class watched a documentary which at one point had very sudden and realistic sounding gunshots. I jumped. The documentary didn’t introduce that it was coming and, maybe I was spacing out a little in the dark classroom for the 9 a.m. class, but the sound was disturbing and for Americans right now, unexpected gunshots are too real.

A couple of weeks later, I was walking the streets of Berlin with a friend of mine also from the United States when we heard what we’ve since decided was probably a balloon popping and both of us froze and frantically

looked around to see if we were at risk of being shot in an unfamiliar city, an ocean away from our families and health insurance providers.

I’m not even in the county and I’m living in fear of being another forgotten name on a ledger of victims of gun violence because if I was killed that day by the balloon pop, my name would be buried by thousands of others by now. And I guess I just can’t see why we’re okay with that.

We know the numbers, we know the stats, and we know the risks. But something else is fundamentally wrong in the gun control argument. No one can dispute that on Feb. 14th, a kid only two years younger than me shot and killed seventeen teenagers at their former high school. It’s fact. It’s history.

It’s horrible. And yet it’s not changing.

I grew up in post-Columbine Colorado, too young to have known what happened but aware through how my teachers and schools handled themselves. In middle school, the parents of a girl I used to be locker partners with were shot and killed by a disgruntled employee, sometime while she was in class. In high school, I was home baking cookies the morning after the Aurora theater shooting and was greeted by news coverage on every channel when I switched on the TV and I didn’t turn it off again for another

5 hours. A few months later, the shooting at Sandy Hook took the lives of 20 completely defenseless elementary schoolers. Later in high school, a girl was shot in killed at a Denver high school and people I knew had known her.

It was around then that I became terrified of guns, when the news only showed gun violence after gun violence. And when I saw how one gun could orphan a thirteen-year-old I had class with every day.

Sometimes at Drake, I look around the classrooms and realize I’m screwed if there’s an active shooter on campus. As a journalism student, I spend a lot of my time in Meredith, where most of the classrooms have at least one full wall of windows and getting somewhere that doesn’t means darting across the hall to another classroom with limited cover. Walking to and from class or just around campus, I’m exposed. I know the safety protocol at Drake is to lock down all the buildings with the press of one switch so if anyone is left outside, it’s going to be a jolt to the nearest safe place.

I like to believe that Drake is safe. That we haven’t had an incident with guns and students so far and the occasional lockdown due to a shooting at the Kum and Go is okay. No one has targeted Drake. But maybe they just haven’t targeted it yet.

My general philosophy in life

is not to tell anyone how to live their lives. You can take that in whatever way you want but when we apply to it gun control, I’m conflicted. I would personally like to see a world where guns are no longer in the hands of regular citizens. In an incredibly ideal world, no one would need them and we’d actually have the beauty pageant goal of world peace but I know that’s not happening just like I know that a complete ban on guns isn’t happening either.

The thing is, that’s my fantasy but I don’t think I could actually support a total ban on guns. The only reason to tell someone how to live their life is if they pose a threat to themselves or others and I’m sure many gun owners don’t.

But guys, too many do. Even if it’s a fraction of the number of gun owners, there are people out there exploiting their rights and killing people.

Banning assault-style weapons or increasing background checks or whatever else we can do to have less death would be awesome. I know people can still get guns or kill people in other ways but making it harder for people to kill other people should be a priority.

And yes, it’s the person behind the gun that’s the real problem but if the shooter in Florida had a knife instead, sure he might have been able to hurt two or three people and that’s not good, but at least it’s not massacring seventeen kids.

GUN VIOLENCE is one of the most debated issues of our time, especially after mass shootings at high schools, churches, and concerts.

Because the government shouldn’t tell anyone how to live their lives, you can still own a gun. But maybe not if you have a history of violence or severe mental illness. And maybe it won’t be an AR-15 because you don’t really need that for hunting or recreation. But we’ve gotta compromise.

For my own part, this is a crucial issue to take into account when voting, both this November and for the 2020 election. And it may just be worth putting aside other political issues as well, for anyone on the fence. Do you really want to live through school shootings every couple of weeks and know that maybe there was something you could do to stop it? Maybe your vote will help save a life.

I will also personally never own a gun and I will never live in a home with one. Not because I don’t trust my future roommates or myself but because it’s safer for me, and the people around me, without having one around. And I’m proud that that means there’ll be one less gun in the world.

Being out of the country, I missed the March for Our Lives but for everyone who was able to participate or has taken this issue to heart, know that I’m standing alongside you in every other way because enough is enough.

06 | opinions

Apr. 4, 2018

OPINIONS MUSIC REVIEW

The Weeknd fails to evolve on new EP “My Dear Melancholy”

THE WEEKND, real name Abel Tesfaye, is a singer-songwriter from Toronto. “My Dear Melancholy” is his first major-label EP. It features production from Skrillex, Frank Dukes, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Gesaffelstein. PHOTO FROM REPUBLIC RECORDS

Parker Klyn Opinions Editor parker.klyn@drake.edu @parkerklyn Half the time I think The Weeknd is a generational talent, and the other half I think he’s one of the biggest buffoons in modern music. The Toronto singer-songwriter, real name Abel Tesfaye, has completed his meteoric rise from underground focus of intrigue to worldbeating pop star, yet his music has barely changed. It’s always been atmospheric, cacophonous R&B with synthetic beats and little in the way of musical color.

But the star of the show is always

Tesfaye’s absolute stunner of a voice – a lilting, effortless falsetto that can switch between sensual, pained, or charismatic at a moment’s notice.

The Weeknd has yet to release a full project that I have thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. His early “Trilogy” mixtapes were too ethereal to hit me hard – they didn’t have well-developed songs at their core. His first couple major label releases, “Kiss Land” and “Beauty Behind The Madness”, had some decent songs but in turn gave up the ethereal atmospherics of his early anonymous work. 2016’s “Starboy” is the closest thing to a solid album that The Weeknd has, but even that record was over-stuffed with uninteresting filler.

What really sells me on The Weeknd’s talents are his features and collaborations. His guest appearances on massively popular mainstream hip-hop and pop albums consistently steal the show. “Love Me Harder” with Ariana Grande, “FML” with Kanye West, and “Pray 4 Love” with Travis Scott are all showstealing performances on truly

great records. And his best songs as a lead artist even come with popular collaborators – “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming,” both with Daft Punk, are among the best pop songs to come out of that year.

But when he’s solo, The Weeknd doesn’t really establish himself with that same seductive charisma. Instead, his “I’m gonna steal your girl” charisma turns into whiny boorishness and his production starts to blend together. With his latest release, the EP/mini-album “My Dear Melancholy,” The Weeknd won’t blow you away. But for the first time in years it sounds like his eyes and ears are set on something other than pop radio.

“My Dear Melancholy,” with its six tracks, is an awkward length for a release. But a look at the collaborators and songwriters reveals that The Weeknd pulled no punches gathering the best possible people to explore his sounds. Frank Dukes, who has essentially become synonymous with spacious, Toronto trap&B, has credits on every track here. Songwriters include the chameleonic electronic producer

Nicholas Jaar, rapper Belly, industry mainstays Starrah and Cirkut, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk.

Mike WiLL Made-It, Skrillex, and a visibily credited Gesaffelstein provide their services behind the boards.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any pop gold on “My Dear Melancholy”. Instead of shooting for the stars, The Weeknd has opted for some low-stakes experiments and pleasant sounds that are better than his previous filler but don’t quite hit as hard as his best singles and features.

Opener “Call Out My Name” is the most Weeknd song here. It’s a slow-jam torch song, with slicing guitars and an absolutely massive chorus. Tesfaye is still able to make his music sound huge, even if the sophomoric lyrics don’t match the musical weight.

Speaking of, like most Weeknd projects, the lyrics and songwriting on “My Dear Melancholy” leave a lot to be desired. “Wasted Time” could have been a nice, classy dubstep jam, but it’s weighed down by horny, self-mythologizing latenight texts like “I know right now

we’re not talking/ But you know this d*** is still an option” and “I don’t wanna wake up if you ain’t laying next to me.” “Hurt You” has blissfully sweet backing synths and vocal melodies, but “If it’s love you want, don’t waste your time/ If you call me up, I’m f***ing you on sight” is gross. He doesn’t hit the sensual high notes he’s going for, unlike R&B pop contemporaries The-Dream and dvsn, and instead just sounds like someone you’d want to ignore.

The-Dream and dvsn, in fact, are the two artists I kept coming back to when listening to this project. Both have been prolific in the style of music that The Weeknd makes over the last couple years, and neither have the same incredible vocal talents. What they do, in fact, have are great songs. And that, more than anything, matters in pop music. Abel Tesfaye might still be sad and horny, but that’s not an excuse for ignoring great songwriting. If he doesn’t figure that out, he’ll go down as one of the biggest musical what-ifs in modern pop.

features | 07

Apr. 4, 2018

FEATURES FACULTY NEWS

Drake Journalism professor runs for seat in Iowa House of Representatives Maddie Topliff Staff Writer maddie.topliff@drake.edu Drake University Assistant Professor of Journalism Jennifer Konfrst’s passion for education extends far beyond her classes in Meredith Hall. In addition to teaching at Drake, Konfrst is a member of the PTA and a debate team parent/volunteer at her children’s high school here in Des Moines. “Investing in education and safe local schools” is also the first priority listed on her campaign website.

The mixing of red and blue creates purple, which is also heavily featured on Konfrst’s website, signifying both her sheer love of the color and bipartisanship: red for the Republican party and blue for the Democratic party.

It is election year for Konfrst and all of the other candidates hoping to be elected into the Iowa House of Representatives in November. Konfrst is no stranger to the Iowa legislature. When she was a child, Konfrst would travel with her reporter father to the capitol building every spring break as he would report on the inner happenings of the legislative process.

Education, along with job benefits, healthcare and the environment, make up her platform of issues and were decided on the grounds of what

she wants to address if elected.

For instance, her health care vision includes addressing access to mental healthcare, which is, according to her, currently at a dismal level in the state of Iowa.

“When I knock on doors, when I talk to students, I see first-hand the lack of access,” Konfrst said.

“I want to make sure that we are prioritizing care over sort of just housing people who have mental illness ... in other words, giving them an opportunity to get better or be treated rather than sending them to prison.”

Her decision to run for Iowa House hasn’t come as a shock to Layne Burdette, a first-year advisee of Konfrst’s.

“Konfrst is the kind of teacher who will go above and beyond to help her students and to help them make connections,” Burdette said. When I heard she was running for the Iowa House of Representatives, I was super excited, but it also did not surprise me.”

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have surfaced as primary campaign tools especially since the 2016 election, which lends Konfrst a basis of knowledge advantage given her public relations expertise. She has used both sites this campaign cycle in order to talk to voters and conduct smallscale fundraising. The hashtag #TeamKonfrst is featured on her website in order to promote the usage of the platforms. Although

She prefers in-person interaction, she believes social media has become necessary, especially in the general scheme of the field.

Konfrst is a woman of many hats, and even though she demonstrates an ardent natural drive, she gets some of her energy from her favorite drink: Diet Dr. Pepper. The soda is her preferred choice of caffeine intake, passing on both coffee and tea.

“I drink (Diet Dr. Pepper) all the time, in fact I went to a Texas Rangers game once–I was in Texas for something–and they had Diet Dr. Pepper on the fountain, and I was like ‘Oh my god!’” she said through a laugh.

In contrast to the Texas-based soft drink, Konfrst is incredibly familiar with Iowa, having lived in the state almost her entire life.

“I took my first steps in Fort Dodge…(Iowa) is home,” Konfrst said.

After graduating from Johnston High School, Konfrst moved a whopping 20 minutes away in order to attend Drake and even stuck around to obtain her master’s degree. Some of her favorite Drake memories include getting engaged to her husband in the basement of Goodwin-Kirk Residence Hall and the age-old tradition of Hubbelling, a winter sledding event that features old dining hall trays.

For the past five years, Konfrst has been an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, returning

JENNIFER KONFRST is a professor of journalism at Drake and also running for the Iowa House of Representatives. PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER KONFRST after 12 years at Iowa Public Television.

“I loved my work at Iowa Public Television, and I said I would never leave unless I got the

chance to teach at Drake,” Konfrst said. “It’s really a dream job.”

CAMPUS EVENTS

Panelists discuss community access to healthy, culturally-diverse foods Caitlin Clement Staff Writer caitlin.clement@drake.edu

Food for All, discussed the issues of the lack of healthy and culturally diverse foods available within the food pantry industry this past week on Drake’s campus.

Each panelist came from a different section of the food pantry industry. There were representatives of the Des Moines Area Religious Council, Proteus, Impact and Crooked Creek Farm.

The panelists agreed some of the biggest problems facing the lower income communities are malnutrition, obesity and diabetes due to the lack of access to fresh produce and healthy foods provided at food pantries and within their income level.

They are three times as likely to become diabetic compared to the

general population “Healthy food is expensive food,” said Luke Elzinga of the Des Moines Area Religious Council.

Zoami Calles, a farmer at Crooked Creek Farms, said those whose job it is to pick the food can’t even afford the food they pick. The wages they are paid are not enough to live off of.

The dabate to increase minimum wage in Iowa was brought up during the discussion as a possible solution to more financial stability.

Plans for changes in the type of food provided to those at local Iowa food pantries are being made. More produce is being incorporated via donations from farmers or collaborations with corporations such as Hy-Vee. Di Daniels, member of the organization Salud, said they receive donations of leftover produce given by farmers at

farmers markets in an attempt to incorporate more health foods.

This also allows them a chance to procure more culturally diverse foods that they otherwise have limited access to.

This leads into another topic approached in this discussion around the need for more culturally diverse foods within pantries. The panelists referred to the foods usually provided as predominately “white people” food.

Calles said those in the Latino, Sudanese and Laotian cultures in Iowa don’t know or have the taste for most of the food provided and as a result will leave the food pantries empty handed.

“The mentality of ‘they’re hungry, they’ll eat it’ needs to be done with,” Daniels said.

Some attempts to rectify the situation are being made.

Elzinga said the Des Moines Area Religious Council has just opened

a food pantry for the growing Sudanese population in Des Moines. It will feature culturally appropriate foods within the Sudanese culture.

Many of the panelists said the need exists for more of an educational angle for food pantries. Although the attempt to procure more culturally appropriate food is in action, the food pantry industry wants to help teach those who use it how to cook with what’s there.

Patty Sneddon, representing Impact, worked with Drake students to make recipe cards using ingredients that can be found on their shelves. They would make the meals and let those who came taste them and show them what can be created with food that is more foreign to them.

Those who helped facilitate the event wanted to bring an issue not normally discussed at Drake

into the “Drake bubble.” The event started the conversation that is to continue in the next two weeks.

“We felt that it was important to really provide an educational aspect with the help of these fantastic panelists … to start to understand where food insecurities stem from and what we can do on a campus such as Drake’s,” said Carley Prejna, a coordinator for the event.

The Food for All Drive will be donating what they raised and the donations given off of a preapproved list of foods to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s 13 food pantries in Des Moines.

To become more educated about this topic or if you wish to contribute to the drive, tabling for this event will be going on in the Olmsted Breezeway from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the first week of April. They accept both Venmo and cash donation at the tables.

REPRESENTATIVES of the food pantry industry discussed in a panel last week buying and choosing healthy foods, specifically as a refugee or an immigrant. PHOTO BY ELLIE DETWEILER | STAFF WRITER

features | 08

Apr. 4, 2018

FEATURES

SCIENCE NEWS

A peek into Iowa’s bioscience industry

Milk thistles,

Lórien MacEnulty Features Editor lorien.macenulty@drake.edu @LorienMacenulty

The cell culture lab at Kemin Industries is the home turf of bioscientist Farrah Phillips. She spends several hours a day looking for naturally sourced products, like oregano and extract from the seeds of milk thistles, that might cause a change in an animal’s innate immune response.

In that same building, Animal Nutrition and Health Product Manager Jennifer Ducray studies the efficacy of a trace element in strengthening cellular energy production in animals.

Ducray’s aunt and uncle own a 5,000-acre farm in Greensfield, Iowa. They employ advanced agricultural equipment such as drones to apply fertilizer and manage weeds.

These are the people, methods and equipment one might find entwined in Iowa’s bioscience industry, maybe not so different from those Drake biology majors.

Much like the engineered plants this industry produces, this business is growing rapidly, and Iowa’s economy is fighting to keep up.

The bioscience industry relies on the fusion of what Phillips calls basic laboratory research and the commercialization of the bioscientific discoveries that follow. “[We do] really fundamental discovery,” Phillips said.

“Identifying new molecules, isolating them, characterizing them, understanding the cellular mechanisms that they generate.

We do that. We do the very basic discovery, and then we develop it into a product that farmers can use, that can benefit their bottom lines.”

Employment in the U.S .bioscience sector grew 9.7 percent between 2001-2014, according to a 2016 TEConomy study assessing the economic value of the industry. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) hired TEConomy to examine Iowa’s own role in the biosciences.

The analysis found that Iowa now quarters 1,266 bioscience business establishments employing about 25,000 people as of 2014. This represents 36 percent higher bioscience-related employment than the national average.

The report also identified four platforms of the industry that offered the most potential for growth and investment: precision and digital agriculture, bio-based chemicals, vaccines and medical devices. TEConomy advised the IEDA to adopt four investment strategies for each platform to augment Iowa’s standing in the national and international industries.

livestock &

drones “One of them is an Iowa Bio Development Center,” said Gail Kotval, innovation team leader at the IEDA. “It’s really a focused effort to implement this plan and the strategy. This is not something (where) we want to do a plan to put it on the shelf.

You’ve got to have a dedicated entity where basically this is their role and responsibility to drive implementation over a time period of these particular strategies.”

The report also encourages legislative support of research and development programs, as well as collaboration between stakeholders and bioscience companies. These types of conversations are facilitated by groups like the Iowa Biotech Association (IBA), which seeks to connect emerging companies with potential investors. Executive director of the IBA John Hrdlicker said that the completion of the

KEMIN INDUSTRIES is a Des Moines based company involved heavily in the bioscience industry. PHOTOS BY LÓRIEN MACENULTY | FEATURES EDITOR

TEConomy report reflects that which the state of Iowa has found important in past years.

“Iowa’s very deliberate in its economic development efforts to support the industries that are key to the state, and I think bioscience has demonstrated that very clearly with the number of facilities, the number of people, the innovation that’s come forward in this arena,” Hrdlicker said.

In terms of financing, TEConomy also advocated for the creation of a private seed capital.

This strategy would eventually translate into a larger pool of funding available for innovative, bioscience-related programs in universities.

“The goal is obviously to commercialize those technologies coming out of the universities for start-ups,” Kotval said. “But also, there are opportunities for existing industry. We looked to that as well when we developed those recommendations. What kind of existing industry do we have in the state is also a cornerstone and for each one of those platforms. That was the impetus for this kind of set up, recommendations.”

For Phillips and Ducray, the IEDA’s proposal encourages the company they work for, Kemin Industries, to invest in biosciencerelated activities concordant with the report-identified platforms at local universities. Kemin may seek further collaboration with stakeholders through organizations like the IBA. Lauren Burt, worldwide communications manager for Kemin Industries,

said that Kemin will benefit in the most general way anytime the state takes the initiative to put money in this industry, “As far as the state incentives, I think anything that keeps

business in Iowa and growing, Kemin is one hundred percent supportive of that,” Burt said.

“Anything that puts the focus on Iowa sciences is fantastic.”

features | 09

Apr. 4, 2018

FEATURES IOWA NEWS

STUDENT LIFE

New bill addresses Iowa water quality

PHOTO BY HALLIE O’NEILL | DIGITAL EDITOR

Algae growth rampant due to phosphorous runoff Samantha Ohlson Copy Editor samantha.ohlson@drake.edu

Humans of

This week: Derek Fridley Hallie O’Neill Digital Editor hallie.oneill@drake.edu Senior Derrick Fridley, a finance and economics double major, loves “Bee Movie.”

For him, it’s “an emotional rollercoaster of animation and fun.” He said he’s seen it 37 times.

“The Bee Movie is a movie about Barry B. Benson,” Fridley said. “It’s a coming-to-life story about how he determines what he really wants in life, and what he really wants is to be a pollen jock, a successful pollen jock, and enjoy life both inside and outside the hive.”

Besides “Bee Movie” commentary, he’s a man of few words, but Fridley has learned quite a few life lessons from his favorite movie.

“Life’s an adventure. You have to venture outside the hive, or outside your comfort zone, to enjoy and find what you like.”

Derrick Fridley Senior

“Life’s an adventure,” Fridley said. “You have to venture outside the hive, or outside your comfort zone, to enjoy and find what you like.”

In true Barry B. Benson fashion, Fridley once took a risk by auditioning as a drum player for a band. He said he wasn’t good enough, but then he decided to learn the bass guitar and the band chose him to play just three weeks after he picked it up.

Unfortunately, the band’s stint was brief—two weeks, to be exact.

“It was when I was a freshman in college,” Fridley said. “We started the week before spring break, and we broke up during spring break because our lead guitarist never showed up to our one practice we had. And that’s it.”

Now, Fridley is fine with just listening to music, but unlike

many Midwesterners, he’s not a fan of country music.

“I try to avoid it as much as possible,” he said.

Instead, he enjoys alternative rock, specifically that of Cage the Elephant and Car Seat Headrest.

The best concert he’s ever been to was a Mountain Goats show, but they’re not alternative, they’re “kind of folk-y,” he confirmed.

As a finance student, he’s a fan of money-related work. His reasoning behind his career path of choice was a bit of a wisecrack.

“I like looking at numbers and staring at spreadsheets and being bored all day,” Fridley said.

Nonetheless, he’s all set to start working as a Wells Fargo analytics specialist when he graduates. Numbers and data are the areas in which he excels.

If he ever won the lottery, though, he’d give most of the money away.

“I’d probably buy retirement for my father,” Fridley said. “He’s worked hard his whole life, and I feel like he deserves to retire and be happy, and if a little bit of money that I happen to win by random chance would give that to him…he’s done a lot for me with helping pay for college and raising me.”

When he’s not staring at numbers or watching “Bee Movie” for the umpteenth time, he’s playing computer games, attending Drake Poker Club or playing intramural soccer.

Now, just seven weeks from graduation, Fridley is thinking about what’s ahead. He has no problem summing up the last four years he spent here at Drake, which he calls, “an adventure worth $40,000 a year.”

This begs the question: Was it worth it?

“I would say it was,” Fridley said. “I met some great people, learned a bunch of things. I learned who I am as a person and got a lot of lifelong lessons and opportunities from it that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

It’s safe to say that Barry B. Benson would concur.

A bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in January could help reduce phosphorus pollution in Iowa.

The bill, SF 512, appropriates funds expected to total $282 million from an infrastructure fund and a water tax to allocate money towards projects designed to improve water quality.

Phosphorus is an element that is essential to life and is used as an important fertilizer for crops, but it can also be toxic and cause algae blooms detrimental to freshwater sources.

According to a recent study published in the journal Water Resources Research, nearly 38 percent of Earth’s freshwater bodies are overloaded with phosphorus. In Iowa, most lakes and streams have two to ten times the level of phosphorus they should have, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2005, the last available data.

The algae blooms caused by phosphorus can cause freshwater bodies to turn green.

“Lots of people are using our rivers and lakes and whatnot for recreation, and it’s not as fun to recreate in water … full of algae,” said Jeremy Klatt, an environmental specialist at the DNR. Iowa phosphorus use affects the environment more broadly as well, as the streams in Iowa lead to the Mississippi River, which dumps the excess phosphorus into the Gulf of Mexico.

“Nitrogen and phosphorus getting in the Gulf are a concern,” said Matthew Helmers, a professor and extension agricultural engineer at Iowa State University. Helmers said

that algae can consume so much of the oxygen in the water that the Gulf can no longer support aquatic life.

In Iowa, as in other parts of the world, the problem is largely caused by sewage and surface water runoff.

“All cities have a discharge pipe (for sewage treatment plants), most likely, and that will have phosphorus in it,” Klatt said.

Klatt said surface water runoff is a major contributor in Iowa because of the state’s focus on agriculture. When soil erodes, it takes nutrients like phosphorus, which have been applied to the soil through fertilizer and manure, with it.

Antonio Mallarino, professor of soil fertility and nutrient management and extension specialist at Iowa State University, said controlling phosphorus in the soil gets tricky in Iowa because of the humid climate and dependency on animal production.

“We need to do something with the animal manures, and the best way is utilizing animal manures is to (apply it) to the soils,” he said.

Iowa has been working to control phosphorus loss for some time, implementing both the Iowa Phosphorus Index and Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy in the last 20 years, with the new voluntary water quality bill being the latest legislative step.

Strategies for controlling phosphorus loss include terrace farming, no till farming and cover crops for farmers. Buffer strips along rivers, or anything that increases vegetation before the water to allow sediment to settle out, is helpful. Wastewater treatment plants are also working to filter out as much phosphorus as possible before dumping sewage into rivers.

Despite the increased funding for these projects from SF 512, critics argue the bill does not do as much as it needs to, as it lacks benchmark improvement goals and does not mandate water quality monitoring.

Mallarino said patience is needed to see results. “It may be years before we can see a dramatic impact in the reduction of problems in streams or some lakes,” he said.

ARTISTIC representation of water quality. PHOTO COURTESY OF AMY GOLDEN

10 | sports

Apr. 3, 2018

SPORTS DRAKE SOFTBALL

Strong week leads to a big lead in MVC standings for Drake

SCORING IN BUNCHES was the theme this week for Drake softball, as they scored a combined 25 runs in their three-game home series against Bradley, which they swept. PHOTO TAKEN FROM DRAKE ATHLETICS

Josh Cook Sports Editor joshua.cook@drake.edu @jcook_25 The Drake Softball team, coming off of a 4-0 week (including a win against in-state Iowa), now sit at 25-9 on the season.

The Bulldogs are 8-0 in

conference and sitting atop the conference table. With other MVC teams struggling to hold their head above water, Drake will look to run away with the conference championship as the season progresses.

While they’ve had a few games cancelled in the last couple weeks due to weather, the Bulldogs have not lost since March 10, when they lost to St. Francis in the Hall

of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Approaching two months without a loss, it may be an understatement to say the Drake has really hit their stride. With five series left in the season, the Bulldogs have the opportunity to capitalize on a weaker conference schedule and set themselves up for a relaxed home stretch for their season.

This week, Drake beat Bradley in all three games of a home series (10-2, 9-8 & 6-3) in addition to beating Iowa 3-1.

After another strong week, which included two players being named MVC players of the week, the Bulldogs will look to continue their momentum and keep rolling through their conference schedule.

Catch their games April 14 against Valparaiso at 12 and 2 p.m. on Buel Field

Nicole Newman Season Stats

Taryn Pena Season Stats

DRAKE SOFTBALL

Newman & Pena both earn MVC POTW honors

Record 11-2

Batting Average (BA)

ERA 0.66

At-Bats 88

Innings Pithed

74.0

Runs 10

Hits Allowed

38

Hits 26

Runs Allowed

10

RBIs 13

Walks Allowed

14

Strikeouts 122 Opponent BA

.150

Batting Average (BA)

.188

Runs Scored

2

Runs Batted In (RBI)

4

Fielding %

1.000

.295

Home Runs

1

Total Bases

36

Slugging %

.409

Walks Taken

8

Stolen Bases

3

Hit by Pitch

6

Strikeouts 13 Fielding %

.919

TWO JUNIORS led the way for Drake this week. Nicole Newman (left) took home pitcher of the week for her 4th time this season; Taryn Pena (right) earned player of the week for the first time. PHOTOS TAKEN FROM DRAKE ATHELTICS Josh Cook Sports Editor joshua.cook@drake.edu @jcook_25 Redshirt Junior Nicole Newman has been named MVC pitcher of the week for the second week in a row, and fourth time already this season. Last week, the Bulldogs went 4-0, with Newman earning a win in two of those games. She now sits at 11-2 on the season.

Last week Newman pitched twice against Bradley, giving up two runs total in the two games.

However, none of those runs were earned. She also contributed to her own cause, going 3-3 at the dish in the first game, a 10-2

victory, in which she had a double and her first home run of the season.

Notably, Newman also moved into third all-time on Drake’s career strikeout list. She now sits just three sit-downs away from moving into second. With a full year of eligibility left after this season, Newman could solidify her place as one of the best Drake pitchers in program history.

Junior utility infielder Taryn Pena also nabbed the MVC player of the week honors for the first time in her career. Pena, who hit just .182 last season, exploded at the plate last week, going 6-11 (.545) with 6 RBI, 2 doubles, 2 runs and 2 stolen bases. Pena is now on a five-game hitting streak, coming off two consecutive 2-for-

3 performances.

Compared to last year, Pena has stepped up considerably.

She is hitting .295 on the season, over .100 points better than last season, and has already nearly matched her RBI total from a year ago.

Newman and Pena have been instrumental for Drake this year.

The Bulldogs are off to a hot 8-0 start in conference to go along with an aesthetically pleasing 25-9 record.

Missouri Valley Conference Softbal Standings Team

MVC Record

Ovr. Record

1. Drake

8-0

25-9

2. Southern Illinois

4-3

19-12

3. Missouri St.

5-4

20-14

4. Indiana St.

4-4

16-14

5. Evansville

4-4

11-19

6. Bradley

2-5

13-18

7. Loyola-Chicago

3-5

16-14

8. Northern Iowa

3-4

18-14

9. Valparaiso

3-5

15-14

3-5

12-23

10. Illinois St.

sports | 11

Apr. 4, 2018

SPORTS RELAYS UPDATES

Jenny Simpson looking to break American record at Relays

SIMPSON has put on a show every time she has stepped onto the Blue Oval. After five championships at the Drake Relays, Simpson is coming back again this year with a new goal; set an American record in the two-mile event. PHOTO BY JENNIFER BARRINGER Josh Cook Sports Editor joshua.cook@drake.edu @jcook_25 Blake Boldon, Drake Relays Director, announced yesterday that five-time Relays champion Jenny Simpson will return again

Elite Relays Event Schedule Elite Women’s 3000m Friday, Apr. 27 Finals 8:08 p.m.

Elite Men’s Pole Vault Friday, Apr. 27 Finals 6:00 p.m.

Elite Women’s High Jump Friday, Apr. 27 Finals 6:30 p.m.

Elite Men’s 400m Hurdles Saturday, Apr. 28 Finals 2:01 p.m.

Elite Women’s 400m Hurdles Saturday, Apr. 28 Finals 2:17 p.m.

Elite Women’s 100m Hurdles Saturday, Apr. 28 Finals 2:37 p.m.

Elitre Men’s 110m Hurdles Saturday, Apr. 28 Finals 2:49 p.m.

this year.

Simpson has dominated the relays in her tenure at the event, returning this year as the defending champion in the 1,500-meter run. This year, however, Simpson has her eyes on another lofty goal: breaking an American record.

9:20:55; that’s the current

American record for the 2-mile race. On Friday April 27, Simpson will attempt to best this record, set by Shannon Rowbury in 2014.

“I’ve had so many special runs on the Blue Oval, including collegiate and stadium records, and this year records are on my mind again,” Simpson said. “I’ll be returning to the Drake Relays

to challenge the outdoor 2-mile American record. Runs like this are never easy or predictable, but I’m excited to face the challenge in front of fans who have cheered me on to great runs in the past.”

Running-rival, Brenda Martinez, will also be returning this year to compete with Simpson as well as Alexa Efraimson, who

owns the American Jr. record in the 1,500-meter run according to Drake Athletic Communications.

The 1,500-meter and two-mile runs look to be great events again this year. Keep an eye out for an American record. It’s just another chance to see records broken on the Blue Oval.

Olympian Sam Kendricks will headline pole vault event Josh Cook Sports Editor joshua.cook@drake.edu @jcook_25 Olympic medalist Sam Kendricks will be the main attraction to this year’s pole-vault events.

Kendricks, a past Relays champion and Olympic gold medalist, is one of just 22 male competitors in history to clear a vault of at least six meters, according to Drake Athletic Communications.

Kendricks earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics and was the 2017 World Champion.

He will be pushed by competitor Shawn Barber, one of the other 22 athletes with a six-meter pole vault.

“I love to start the year off on home soil! Drake Stadium will bring out the best in all of us,” Kendricks said.

Pole vault looks to be an allaround exciting event this year, as the women’s field is impressive as well. Vashti Cunningham, daughter of NFL QB Randall Cunningham (Eagle’s legend), will headline the event, coming in with four USA championships at the age of just 20 years old. Her main competition in the event will come from Levern Spencer, who won the Drake Relays pole vault in 2017.

The pole vault events will take place inside Drake Stadium this

KENDRICKS has already had success at the Drake Relays. However, he has also shown incredible talent outside of this event, earning bronze at the 2016 Olympics. PHOTO BY U.S. ARMY year. After hosting the pole vault events indoors the past few years, the typical weather of the Drake Relays could bring a new element to the table.

Kendricks, who has won at the Relays before, will look to improve his resume and get some practice in during the Relays, which provide him with an

opportunity to knock some rust off in his first event of the spring.

Blake Boldon has generated a great field this year to compete with Kendricks, which could push him to an incredilbe performance to open the year.

Drake Relays Pole Vault Saturday April 27th 6 p.m.

Drake Stadium

12 | sports

Apr. 4, 2018

SPORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL

Drake makes quick work of finding new coach; Darian DeVries

DARIEN DEVRIES has earned a ton of credibility over his years at Creighton as an assistant coach. Now, he’ll have the chance to lead his own program here at Drake University. PHOTO FROM COACHES DATABASE

Josh Cook Sports Editor joshua.cook@drake.edu @jcook_25 This week, Drake made quick work of finding a replacement for recently departed men’s basketball coach Niko Medved, who left to coach at Colorado State.

Darian DeVries, a long-time assistant at Creighton University, has answered that call.

According to President Martin, DeVries texted him shortly after the announced departure of Medved to let him know he was interested in the job.

DeVries was also a candidate this time last year, when Drake opted to hire Medved over him.

Only a week after DeVries texted President Martin to say, “I’m all-in,” he was announced as the next coach of Drake Men’s Basketball.

Martin noted that it would have been easy for DeVries to give up on becoming the Drake coach, after being rejected in two previous applications, but that DeVries commitment to trying again and again showed he really wants to coach here.

“He still had that confidence that he was the right person for this job,” President Martin said.

“That text was actually very short, but very powerful.”

DeVries was rejected for Ray Giacoletti in 2013 and Medved last year before finally getting his chance this week.

His persistence seems to have earned the hearts of Drake administration, who seem eager to move on from the inconsistency in the men’s program over the last handful of years.

“It’s not like anything changed with why I wanted to be here,” DeVries said in his introductory press conference.

“Just because I came up short

the previous times, it didn’t change the way I felt about it. So there was no reason for me to feel any ill will.”

Just a couple weeks ago, when AD Brian Hardin had to hold a press conference to announce Medved’s departure, he placed a lot of emphasis on finding a coach who wanted to be at Drake; DeVries surely fulfills that hope.

Darian DeVries was an assistant at Creighton for 17 years, with 20 total years on their staff. In his time there, Creighton built an incredibly attractive program which made the NCAA tournament 12 times in his tenure.

Under Dana Altman and Greg McDermott, DeVries has amassed a career record of 460211, a record Drake hopes will be indicative of future success in Des Moines.

DeVries has an excellent reputation coming out of Creighton, and will look to

continue that with strong recruiting and mentoring skills.

He has been attributed with playing a major role in some key recruitments while at Creighton; and draftee Doug McDermott has spoken to the impact DeVries had on his game while he was in the Blue Jays’ program.

DeVries will return home to Iowa, where he grew up as a standout athlete at AplingtonParkersburg.

DeVries comes from a family of athletic success; all three of his brothers played college football (two of them at Iowa, one of those playing for the Detroit Lions) and his sister, Jodi, was an All-MVC volleyball player at Northern Iowa.

The hope that DeVries can pick up where Medved left off and shape the Drake program into a winner will surely put extra pressure on the new coach to fulfill the prophecy of the coach who just wants to be here.

Coming off a 17-17 record this year, DeVries should look to retain the commits Drake acquired and put a winning product on the court of the Knapp next season.

Some Drake alumni have even already reached out or tweeted support for the hiring decision.

Zach Johnson, a PGA tour golfer who is a Drake grad, tweeted this week that DeVries was a great hire.

“I’m ecstatic,” Johnson said.

“Here come the Dogs...”

Only time will tell if DeVries will be the coach to turn around the program, or if he’ll be added to the ongoing list of coaches in and out the door before they have a chance to see their own recruits graduate.

Hopefully, this time next year, discussion will be about how great of a hire it was, and not how Drake needs to find their 5th basketball coach in as many years.

Coaches have come and gone; will DeVries finally answers the Bulldog call?

Mark Phelps Phelps’ Tenure: April 2008-March 2013 Reason for Leaving: Contract not renewed

Ray Giacoletti Giacoletti’s Tenure: March 2013-Dec. 2016 Reason for Leaving: Left for new job

Current Position: Assistant coach for University of Arizona Men’s Basketball

Current Position: Sports analyst in St. Louis

Replaced by: Ray Giacoletti

Replaced by: Jeff Rutter (Interim)

Jeff Rutter Rutter’s Tenure: Dec. 2016-March 2017 (Interim), assistant 2013-’16 Reason for Leaving: Not rehired

Niko Medved Medved’s Tenure: March 2017-March 2018 Reason for Leaving: Left for new job

Current Position: Assistant coach at the University of Miami (Ohio)

Current Position: Head Coach at Colorado State

Replaced by: Niko Medved

Replaced by: Darian DeVries