February 13, 2019

The Times-Delphic

Perspectives:

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019

How to prepare for caucus season at Drake

Volume 138, No. 17

PAGE 6

Love songs from Griff Drake choir sings for Valentines Day as a fundraiser Charlie Pingel Contributing Writer charlie.pingel@drake.edu

The Valentines season of early February is a time for music; at least that’s what any member of the Drake choir would say.

Many of them will be taking to neighborhoods and communities of the Des Moines metro area for their annual Singing Valentines fundraiser, a twenty year old tradition and collaborative effort that involves Griff, The Music Man and a whole lot of roses.

Every year on Valentine’s Day, the members of the choir head out into the Drake neighborhood and surrounding Des Moines area to deliver personalized messages of love, ordered and dispatched to various students, alumni and regular members of the community.

A few of the more personalized order options allow for a halfdozen roses, a full dozen or even Griff along for the ride. Each order is accompanied by two students from the choir singing a special, alumni-composed duet of “‘Til There Was You” from the famed, aforementioned Iowa-based musical, The Music Man. For choir members, the fundraiser remains an enjoyable annual staple that allows them to connect with their community while bringing in money for their upcoming Regional and International tours.

“It’s just a really fun way to spread the love on Valentine’s day, and it also really helps the choral program with what we make off of it,” said senior choral assistant Brianna Dompke. When asked about her thoughts on it, Professor

Aimee Beckmann-Collier, the architect of the fundraiser, said: “I always describe it to the students as both a friend-raiser and a fundraiser.

Indeed, it does raise money, but I also think of it as an opportunity for people in the community to meet Drake people … We have so many fabulous students, and they should meet them.”

The fundraiser marks a big step in a very important lesson Beckmann-Collier has really pushed to teach her students about the arts and the necessity of funding.

“If this is a value for us, then our job is to figure out how we can make it happen,” said ABC. One of the ways BeckmannCollier fights to make this happen is with her fair-share program, a system that lets students choose how much they can pay out of pocket and fundraise the leftover cost.

The program was developed by Beckmann-Collier due to her own personal experience as a student choir member at Notre Dame.

When her choir planned to travel to Russia on tour, she could not come up with the money, having spent the entire year earlier pulling together funds for a prior trip.

“It felt to me as if I were sitting a corner of the rehearsal room all year long, because [the choir] was preparing for something that I wasn’t going to be a part of,” Beckmann-Collier said of her own travails, “I thought, if I’m ever in a teaching situation, I don’t want that to be the case.”

A total coming in at around $6000 per student ends up being taken on entirely by the choir itself.

This means making a hard push for fundraising from each participant

alike.

For many of the choir members, fundraising is seen as an opportunity to not only raise money for the choir, but to raise awareness for the arts as a whole.

“The arts are important and enriching,” said sophomore member Thomas Riordan, “and

everyone should be paying attention to them.” Beckmann-Collier had her own larger thoughts on the matter stating, “The arts focus on great truths about humanity and the human experience across time and space,” Beckmann-Collier said.

Drake students and community members can check out the choir’s

further fundraising efforts this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium as they hold their annual benefit concert to further raise money and arts awareness for their international tour later this May. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students.

Drake academic program helps children with autism Taryn Ripple Staff Writer taryn.ripple@drake.edu

Drake University offers an academic program that allows participating students to further their scholastic credibility while simultaneously working to enhance other lives. Those who study applied behavior analytics

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use their knowledge of behavioral tendencies to help people who struggle with various types of mental disorders.

Drake’s applied behavior analysis known as ABA program was implemented by Professor Maria Valdovinos of the psychology department.

Although the program didn’t fully come into effect until 2012, Valdovinos explained that she wanted to see an ABA curriculum since she first came to Drake in 2005.

Valdovinos noted that applied behavior analysis is particularly effective when applied to individuals with autism. Many psychologists use ABA methods to promote the independence and success of autistic people.

“The reason I wanted to start this program is because there are so few services available to families who need it,” Valdovinos said in regard to the rather meager number of disability services at the disposal of residents of Iowa and other regions in the Midwest.

Valdovinos said that the biggest part of behavior analytic training is the hands-on experience. Of course, students in the program attend classes and complete typical assignments, but a lot of the learning experience lies in first hand involvement.

Students in the ABA program have the opportunity to work directly with and apply their skills to children with autism or other behavioral complications. Many students complete this training at Blank Children’s Hospital of Des Moines.

Sacha Pence has been the director of Drake’s ABA program since 2017.

Pence, who holds a Doctorate in behavior analysis, has an

impressive background in the field and has worked with children who struggle with behavioral issues such as autism. She has experience working in environments such as treatment centers, schools and clinics. Some of Pence’s responsibilities as the director of the program include teaching ABA courses and supervising students who carry out their training in hospitals and other clinics.

Prior to her work at Drake, Pence was employed at Auburn University, where she was an assistant professor of psychology.

Pence said that she was eager to begin working on the program when she learned that she was hired as the director for Drake.

“I was excited about the prospect to start a new program,” Pence said. “There was a need for services and some really great opportunities to work with other people in the community.”

Second-year graduate student Sam Thurn is currently enrolled in the Drake ABA program. wwThurn explained that she originally came to Drake to pursue a master’s degree in special education, an aspiration that stemmed from her desire to be a teacher and a love of working with children. From there, she heard about and became involved in the ABA program.

As an ABA student, Thurn works with clients at Blank Children’s Hospital and uses her knowledge of applied behavior analytics to help children gain a better understanding of their emotions and to facilitate their behavioral processes.

“I’m very blessed because now I’ve found something that is really inspiring to me,” Thurn said of discovering the program.

PROFESSOR MARIA VALDOVINOS leads the applied behavior analysis program, this can help those with autism. PHOTO BY TINA INTARAPANONT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Get involved in ABA: If you are interested in getting involved, talk to Professor Valdovinos

Feb. 13, 2019

02 | Features

Features

All you need isn’t just love

Different ways toxic relationships may take a toll on you

VIP AND TITLE IX COORDINATORS provide an in-depth look into the development of toxic relationships. Many dating violence incident reports come from friends or roommates who notice red-flags in a relationship. PHOTO BY TINA INTARAPONONT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ashley DeLarm Staff Writer ashley.delarm@drake.edu @ashleymd161

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which marks the season of gift-giving to loved ones.

Relationships are often displayed in a positive light; however, this may not be the case for all relationships.

Often, people don’t recognize their self-worth and settle for someone who doesn’t treat them right because they have become attached to that person.

Toxic relationships can hinder a student’s academic performance and social health.

Many universities offer resources to help students feel safe where they’re getting their education, but many feel society doesn’t talk about relationships enough. Often times, this can prevent people from recognizing when they’re in a toxic relationship, explained Drake University’s Violence Prevention Coordinator Lynne Cornelius.

“Part of the confusion is that

abusive relationships start off very normal, and then there’s something in that relationship that changes and shifts, and somebody then takes over that power and control,” Cornelius said.

Cornelius went on to explain that often times, toxic relationships develop from a progression of behaviors, getting people into dangerous situations only after the trust has been built up and walls have been broken down.

“It’s really hard to tell when you’re in a toxic situation, and it’s hard to get yourself out of one, especially when you’re in a new relationship or with people that you don’t know very well,” said a firstyear student at Drake, who asked to remain anonymous.

This student shared that she spent a majority of her first semester dealing with the aftermath of a toxic situation and explained how hard it was to cope with what had happened, and how much of an impact it had not only on her academics, but her day to day life as well.

“It was really hard because I never knew where I would see him, and it would bring back all of the memories,” the student said.

She said she stopped eating at the dining halls to avoid conflict and had trouble going to some of her classes when she knew he would be in the same building at that time.

She filed an informal complaint through Drake University’s Title IX office to make her feel more safe and secure on campus. Katie Overberg, the Title IX coordinator at Drake, is responsible for making it known what resources the university has to assist people who are potentially stuck in a toxic situation, through personal outreach and the Title IX webpage.

“Most reports of dating violence come from a friend or roommate who are witnessing things, and the person in the relationship hasn’t yet come to the conclusion that they’re in an unhealthy relationship,” Overberg said.

As the Title IX coordinator, Overberg can contact faculty,

residence life administration and outside resources to help the student feel safe during their time at Drake.

“I don’t think you can see things when they’re happening so close to you,” Overberg said, “That’s the hard part when we’re in a relationship with someone when there was once positive feelings, thinking maybe the positive can outweigh the negative until they’re at a point where they can’t make that balance anymore.”

Both Overberg and Cornelius explained how vital it is to stand by friends in these situations, even if they’re not ready to take action yet.

Victims in these relationships can get caught up in a toxic cycle, and it can be emotionally exhausting on their friends as well. Explaining that walking away is often a form of protection for a friend’s heart, Cornelius said, “that just only further isolates that person to then only be able to rely on that potentially harmful relationship for support.”

Toxic relationships can leave

people questioning themselves, feeling less than they are and doubting their self-worth. College campuses are no exception to these situations, and although we are officially in the season of love, everyone may not be loved in the way they deserve.

There are different resources for students to go if they witness or experience any case of sexual misconduct. Students could go to a Title IX coordinator, which is not a confidential resource. Once a sexual harassment or violence situation is filed through Title IX, Drake is obligated to take reasonable steps to eliminate the behavior and prevent any further complication. For confidential help, one can seek out the help of a Violence Intervention Partner student advocate or a professional advocate. The professional advocates’ office hours are Wednesdays from 3 p.m.

- 4:30p.m. in Cowles Library 209.

Students could also reach out to Polk County Crisis and Advocacy for confidential support.

Feb. 13, 2019

03 | Features

Features Postive MENtality discusses masculinity

STUDENT-LED DISCUSSIONS were set out for students to have genuine conversations about masculinity. Understanding the definition of their own masculinity can help men be more understanding of the fight for women’s rights . PHOTO BY CAMERON BOLTON | STAFF WRITER Cameron Bolton Staff Writer cameron.bolton@drake.edu @CameronBolton

Positive MENtality was a large group discussion on Feb. 4 in the upper halls of Olmsted at Drake University. According to Lynne Cornelius, the violence prevention coordinator at Drake, the event grew from an idea had between Kevin Kelly, Andrew Blalock and Ben Mawdsley.

“Their main goal is to create space for students to be having authentic, genuine conversations and finding space to be just who they are,” Cornelius said. “Kind of getting away from the confinement of social structures and the, you

know, the pressures that life puts on us and say ‘this is the man I am, this is the man I want to be, not the man society is telling me to be.’”

Speakers at the event included Kelly, Blalock and Mawdsley, who each spoke about an incident concerning masculinity in their lives before inviting those in attendance to discuss what they heard amongst themselves.

Also in attendance was Cornelius and Jerrid Kruse, an associate professor of education who facilitated the event.

Topics discussed ranged from discrimination to having an acquaintance be accused of sexual assault to being sexually assaulted yourself.

“I went to the Positive

MENtality event in part because I knew one of the people, one of the co-founders of Positive MENtality, and he’s been sort of bugging me to go do it, but also because I knew a lot of people who were attending and also because it’s an important conversation for men to be having,” Runal A. Patel, a politics and economics major, said. “Because masculinity is certainly something that is sort of ill-defined in our society, very narrowly defined, so I was really interested in seeking out other people who maybe felt uncomfortable with what we sort of suppose men should be in the society.”

While some might assume that Positive MENtality would only be for men, as the word men was

literally in the group’s name, that was not necessarily the case. A number of female Drake students attended the event. Commenting on that, Cornelius said that she thought that was the case because women are invested in having this conversation.

“Women have been fighting this fight for a really long time, and so they were here to help lift up the guys,” Cornelius said. “You know, not to be judgmental or not to put down their voices, but to help the guys see things from other perspectives and help them along in their way in their journey towards understanding that while these are women’s issues, they’re very much men’s issues.”

Furthermore, a Drake female

student told her story about the first time that she had been cat-called on campus. She said that she went up to her male friends to talk to them about it, but tried to do so in a manner that didn’t sound like an accusation.

She stated that she felt like she should be able to talk about such a subject with them.

Patel also stated that he felt inspired by the event. According to him, it was quite cool to see very different groups of people from all parts of life and Drake come together and talk about something that’s both fundamentally important and often not discussed.

Positive MENtality meets every Thursday night at 8 p.m. in lower Olmsted.

can lower their metabolism to combat the stress of the cold. If they have enough fat and calories to combat the stress, they can make it through the short-term challenges.”

In general, like us, animals can stay alive during the harsh cold of the polar vortex. Though,

as said before, most animals can’t go inside. That means that if the extreme cold lasts for too long, some animals might not be able to live through it.

“After about a week, small animals would experience increasing amounts of stress,”

Summerville said. This may lead to the death of many of them.

Larger animals would be able to last longer as “they have a smaller surface area in reference to their volume, [as opposed] to smaller animals that have a larger surface area compared to their volume.”

Science behind polar vortexes Julie LaFranzo Contributing Writer julie.lafranzo@drake.edu @JulieLafranzo

The first week of the semester Drake went through something called a Polar Vortex. A Polar Vortex is actually not seasonal but is happening throughout the entire year, just not where people live. At both the north and south poles, there is a polar vortex of all the cold air in that region, known as the polar regions. The Polar Vortex is a jet stream of wind that holds that air close to their polar regions based on the difference in temperature between the temperate regions, where we are, and the polar regions , where it is very cold.

“The larger the temperature difference between the Arctic and temperate regions, the stronger the winds become and the more isolated the pole is,” Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability David CourardHauri said.

The temperature difference between the polar regions and the temperate regions keeps that cold air inside the polar vortex and away from the temperate regions.

What causes extreme cold, that we call a polar vortex, is when the temperature between the polar regions and the temperate regions are not as far apart in temperature as they usually are. Note that that is still a great distance apart in temperature as the arctic is very cold. The wind barrier between

them “bends and moves down into the temperate and tropical regions,” said Courard-Hauri. That bend in the wind barrier brings the polar vortex into the temperate regions making it cold.

“That wind barrier bends and moves down into the temperate and tropical regions,” Courard-Hauri said. This happens because “[the] difference in temperature between the temperate and polar regions are not as great. [This] makes the jet stream weaker and more likely to bend.”

Even though this happens, as we saw, it didn’t last very long: only two days. In theory, it could last close to a week or two.

Part of what gets the temperature back up is that “there is” nothing to anchor the [cold air] here and hold it in place. It mixes with warm air,” Courard-Hauri said.

This allows the temperature to start warming back up again so we don’t stay as cold as the arctic. If there was something to keep that cold air here, the polar vortexes would be colder and last longer.

When the temperature drops, the majority of us stay inside, but most animals can not do that. “[It is] hard for livestock owners in Iowa [because] they are trying to get their animals out of the wind and try to bring them into indoor facilities to keep out of the wind,” Professor Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability Keith Summerville said Summerville said that “animals

04 | Features

Feb. 13, 2019

Features Inclusivity questioned at Drake

PHOTO BY CARSON REICHARDT

Students , faculty of color discuss microaggressions

Humans of

Carson Reichardt Online Content Editor carson.reichardt@drake.edu @carsonjsr1998

Moving between states to come to college is a challenge that many students face, and Drake University has many students fighting this battle. However, crossing an entire ocean in order to reach a new school? That’s a bit less common and, for the students who go through it, can be much more difficult.

Jaehyeok Choi—“Jay,” to his friends—is currently facing this reality. He came to Drake from South Korea, and he’s currently studying computer science, data analytics and physics.

“I really like computers,” Choi said. “I’m from South Korea, where we have a lot of electronics companies, like Samsung and LG. I desired to come to the US, learn how to help my country out a little bit.”

Coming to Drake wasn’t Choi’s first thought when it was

Fraternities, I believe, are very American; I have never heard of one in Asia, and most people there don’t even know what one is. time to choose a college. A high school counselor who was a Drake alum encouraged him to apply to pursue scholarships the university offered, and he soon found himself enrolling. However, past experiences with the United States caused his expectations to be quite different from reality.

“Before I lived in Korea, I lived in San Diego, so when I think of America, I think of San Diego, not Iowa,” Choi said. “Iowa’s a place I came to learn, not where I came to live. I love Drake, and that’s really

STUDENTS OF COLOR at Drake talked about the hardships of attending a predominantly white institution. Members of administration and faculty have encouraged students to have respectful conversations on their differences. PHOTO

BY GRACE HULIN | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

all I can say about Iowa.”

Once on campus, Choi hit the American life running with a heavy course load keeping him busy. In addition, he’s worked with friends on programming robots assembled with Lego bricks. But one of his more unique experiences as an international students was getting involved with Fraternity-Sorority Life at Drake, and he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. This came with its own set of surprises.

“I was drawn to the chill, TKE vibe,” Choi said. “When people think of frats, they think of big state schools and negative news, but Drake frats, it’s more about helping each other.”

Choi have never faced those problems at Drake before.

“Fraternities, I believe, are very American; I’ve never heard about one in Asia, and most people there don’t even know what one is,” Choi said. It was something new to the international student, as he never thought of joining one before.

“It’s something you can only experience in America, in my perspective as a Korean,” Choi said.

On the other hand, that same perspective has given Choi experiences that his fellow American students haven’t shared.

One such example was a different cultural view of alcohol.

“One big thing in Korea is that the drinking age is 18, not 21,” Choi said. “In my culture, you learn to drink respectful with parents and other adults.”

Choi said when you first learn to drink in Korea, the adults teach you about your limits, and they’re there if something happens, right next to you.

“Whereas here, if you’re at a party and you get totally hammered, no one is going to guarantee your safety because people didn’t learn it the right way,” Choi said.

Other cultural differences included the public perception of smoking, which Choi said was much more destigmatized in Korea, and vehicle ownership among college students, which was a rarity in his previous home country.

But those differences didn’t mean much when confronted by school pride, as Choi’s final words when interviewed were “Drake’s a great college, guys! Drake’s great!”

What it means to be a Bulldog truly has no borders.

Ivy Beckenholdt Managing Editor ivy.beckenholdt@drake.edu @IvyBeck29

According to Drake University’s website the university “creates a culture of inclusion;” however, many question the reality of inclusion at Drake.

Senior Anika Boyert said that she feels the perspective of people of color, intentional or not, is missing at Drake. Boyert and other students of color have experienced microaggressions on campus.

Microaggressions are offenses made toward any group through one’s actions or words. While some microaggressions may be unintentional, they can create an impact that communicates a fundamentally disparaging insult to a certain group.

Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Godfried Asante said that there is likely a lack of communication between faculty and students regarding microaggressions because they are difficult to define and discuss.

“Microaggressions are very difficult to pinpoint and to bring up because it’s not like, for instance, the KKK or someone clearly discriminating against you, but they are very micro -acts, that even sometimes when you’re acting in good conscience, it inadvertently reproduces this subjugation of another person,” Asante said.

“Microaggressions are difficult because to someone else they may think ‘I’m trying really hard here. I was at a rally, I was doing this. So why are you now telling me that this instance is somehow a microaggression?’ So, because of that it’s difficult to talk about or to bring up. It creates tensions because typically it’s something so subtle and minute but if you have 10 minute things eventually they become daily acts of violence.”

These subtle acts can add up to create a negative experience for students of color.

“In terms of my experiences with microaggressions, when you have a class talking about something that has to do with black populations and you have a professor who looks at you directly when you’re the only person of color in the room, and so they ask

you as if you are the representative.

That’s difficult,” Boyert said.

Boyert had a classmate touch her hair when she changed styles, which she said invaded her space and made her feel uncomfortable.

For some, it can be difficult to see the impact of microaggressions.

For minorities, researchers from Columbia University say microaggressions can lead to long term stress and depression.

“It’s hard enough to be a college student, let alone a student of color and on top of that to be a student of color at a PWI [predominantly white institution],” Boyert said.

“You go from not only just the everyday struggles of deadlines, expectations, jobs and a busy routine, but then you have the student of color perspective. We have all that going on, and just the regular social issues that happen being a person of color. Having all these fears about the way that the world is going right now and whether or not the social climate is going to change to accept you or cast you out even more than you already feel. But when you’re that student at a PWI you have all those worries on top of sitting in a room surrounded by people who don’t look like you and feeling alone, or feeling as though you have to speak up all the time for people who do look like you but aren’t present in the room at the moment.”

Asante said that the historical segregation in classrooms has made him passionate about social justice work at Drake.

“Issues of social justice are very close to my heart because historically, institutions like Drake or universities in general, have been spaces that were created without black people in mind,” Asante said. “So, this means that our involvement in education pushes against a particular grain.

We’re going against a current by being here, teaching and being in classrooms, contributing to knowledge that historically we have not had a chance to contribute to.”

With this historical lack of inclusion, Asante said it is important to continuously open up spaces for conversation regarding race, class, gender and sexual orientation.

There have been several efforts made by Drake University to increase acceptance among

students.

“Since I’ve been here, Drake has done tremendously in terms of institutionally they have hired Erin Laine and Tony Tyler’s office has also been giving a lot of resources to help students of color,” Asante said. “In terms of what could be done, in another area they could hire more faculty of color on campus, not just faculty of color who maybe teach chemistry or physics, but those who teach social sciences, those who teach African American course studies.”

Several members of the administration and faculty have encouraged students to have a respectful discourse with others who are different than them to create a more inclusive campus.

Boyert said that in order to share the idea of having pleasant discourse, a significant member of campus spoke to her class and used a quote from a former president and slave owner, as their model for respect.

“President or not, they still owned slaves and they used that to tell me that that’s their model for respect,” Boyert said. “I don’t feel right about that, but then again I’m the only person of color in the room. So, then it’s like okay am I just overly sensitive or is it something to be upset about?”

Furthermore, Boyert said that the class was shown a video of two people who had different beliefs but have a respectful discussion.

According to Boyert, the significant member of campus stated that if they can get along, anyone can.

“One party is disagreeing with someone based on their set of beliefs,” Boyert said. “You chose your beliefs, but I can’t chose whether or not I’m black and I can’t try to help someone understand my identity as a black woman and my existence as a black woman when they fundamentally disagree with my humanity and the validity of my race or my sex.”

In order to further the discussion on inclusiveness at Drake there will be a town hall on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. in Sussman Theater.

According to Tony Tyler, Director of Student Engagement, Equity & Inclusion, “Associate Provost Erin Lain will be going over follow-up to #paintitblack, including student initiatives, faculty efforts and administrative programs.”

Feb. 13, 2019

05 | Sports

Sports Kevin Kelly breaks Drake mile record

DRAKE SENIOR middle distance runner Kevin Kelly breaks the Drake mile record that stood for 38 years. Kelly ran his record-breaking mile in 4:01:47. Kelly broke the record at the Husker Invite. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

Drake Lohse Staff Writer drake.lohse@drake.edu

The Kilcock, Ireland native sat down with The Times-Delphic this past week in the Quad Creek Cafe.

His nails were painted blue and white. One arm was coated in a red suede jacket and draped over the back of his chair. He spoke slowly and deliberately. Kevin Kelly is unapologetically Kevin Kelly.

“I reached a point last season where I was really putting too much on my shoulders,” Kelly said. “Worrying more about the well-being of the team than my own well-being. I needed to be a

bit selfish.”

This past summer, Kelly says he took some much needed time away, a mental break. He spent time with friends, relaxing and enjoying the warm weather before his final season at Drake. But when the summer started to come to a close, and with the new season on the horizon, Kelly was ready to shift back in gear. He sat down and made a list of goals for the upcoming season. One of those goals? To break a record, a very old one.

“I truthfully had no idea how long that record had stood,” Kelly said. “Not until someone had told me back at the hotel that night.”

4:01:47. That’s the time Kevin Kelly needed to forever cement

his name in Drake lore. His time shatters the previous record for the mile, held for nearly 38 years. The feat came at the Husker Invite in Nebraska. But ask Kevin how he felt the moment he knew he would break the record, and he’ll tell you the truth.

“I really was just pissed that I didn’t get under four minutes,” Kelly said. “That was was what I wanted more than anything, for me it wasn’t a monumental, emotional thing. It’s been a goal of mine all season, but that morning at the hotel, it was just like, ready to go break the record?”

Kevin’s confidence is unconventional, but genuine, and he balances it with a genuine sense of modesty and understanding of

how he accomplished what he has.

He’s aware of the support from his team. He said it couldn’t have been possible without the months of hard work. the clean eating, the long hours of training.

“Since meeting Kevin, his tenacity and passion for Track is more than apparent,” Drake assistant distance coach Jay Koloseus said. “He approaches the sport with confidence in his abilities and a desire to always grow as an athlete. Kevin definitely brings a new level of focus and talent to the distance group.”

Kevin’s charisma may be representative of a Drake Athletic body that is experiencing a renaissance. The success of men and women’s basketball, coupled

with the near-stunner against Iowa State back in football season, shows the Bulldogs alive with new, resilient, selfless blood.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel when I wake up in the morning, what kind of day I’ve had,” Kelly said. “Good or bad, I still have to go out and perform.”

And what’s next on the list of goals for Kevin Kelly?

“I want to break the record again. This time under four minutes, for sure.”

Kevin will have the opportunity to do so the day after Valentine’s Day, when the Bulldogs travel back to Nebraska for the Nebraska Tune-Up.

Drake’s Gillespie is one of the team’s most versitile players Erin O’Boyle Staff Writer erin.o’boyle@drake.edu @erin_oboyle1

After coming off a two-week hiatus, the Drake men’s tennis team is ready to get back out on the courts. The last we heard from the Bulldogs was a tough loss to Vanderbilt during the ITA Kick-off weekend tournament in Norman, Oklahoma. Returning back to the Roger Knapp Tennis Center, the Men’s tennis team will host eight different teams over the course of two weeks. The first of those eight matches was against Dartmouth College on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 11 a.m.

Dartmouth faced the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Gophers two days prior to making the trip to Drake. They were defeated by the Gophers in a bad loss of 7-0.

Although the Dartmouth men’s tennis team lost, there is still something to be said for the fact that they have played a match in the last two weeks. Due to scheduling, the Drake men’s tennis team has yet to face an opponent since Jan. 27.

Regarding the team’s physical and mental preparation after such a long break, senior Vincent Gillespie said. “The team spirit is very high and after a couple of tough defeats in Oklahoma and some time off, the boys are ready to get back into the Roger Knapp center.” The Bulldog’s hold a 4-2

record going into the match against Dartmouth, who have a 2-2 record as of now.

Singles player Charlie Broom and doubles players Dan Martin and John Speicher were the big players to watch on Sunday.

Although Drake is not ranked in the singles category, they are ranked in the doubles category with Vincent Gillespie and Barnaby Thorold at the 27th spot, whereas the Dartmouth doubles team is at the 52nd spot.

One half of Drake’s all-star doubles team, Vinny Gillespie, who also plays at No. 1 singles as well as No. 1 doubles with Thorold, commented on this ranking.

“I have started off the season playing at the No. 1 spots,” Vinny Gillespie said. “I feel a lot of pressure at this position, but it only makes me play better. I hope this gives the other guys confidence to play well at their spots too.”

As one of five seniors on the team, Gillespie is not only Drake’s No. 1 player, but also a mentor for the five underclassmen who look up to him and the other seniors on the team. Especially since four out of the five underclassmen are international students just like Gillespie, who is originally from Scotland.

“We have five seniors on the team this year and so they all give the team a lot of experience, which of course helps us out,” junior Barnaby Thorold said. “The lower classmen, including myself, can learn a lot from them.”

SENIOR ON THE DRAKE MEN’S TENNIS TEAM Vinny Gillespie during practice in 2017. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

With only 11 men on the roaster, it’s no surprise that with all the time they spend together the Drake men’s tennis team is close.

“The program really makes us become a great team,” Gillespie said. “We are a very close knit group of guys and I feel like this

helps us significantly on the court.”

In the coming weeks, the Bulldogs are scheduled to play matches against big schools such as Utah State University, Indiana University, University of Oregon, the University of Nebraska and many more. One can stop by the

Roger Knapp Tennis Center to support the Drake men’s tennis team or stream live videos of their matches on their YouTube channel.

06 | News

Feb. 13, 2019

Feb. 13, 2019

Perspectives

07 | News

Perspectives

Campaigning starts with one year until Iowa Caucuses

Campus organizations react to recent political events and prepare for the coming election season Rachel James News Editor rachel.james@drake.edu @kindisgroovy

Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris visited Drake on Jan 28.

CNN hosted a town hall where Harris answered questions from Des Moines citizens and Drake students in the Sheslow Auditorium. This town hall is just one of many political events expected to be at Drake’s campus.

Drake has hosted a number of political events through the years, the campus has seen presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz visiting in 2015 to the CNN Democratic Presidential Candidate in 2016. Drake’s Olin Hall is the caucus site for four Republican and one Democratic precinct; there is a history of political involvement at Drake.

With caucus season beginning in less than a year, many around campus and nationwide have begun gearing up.

Student organizations such as Drake Democrats and the College Republicans have started to plan and prepare for this surge in political involvement.

Press Assistant for the College Republicans, John Hirl, said that while the organization does not support Senator Harris’ bid for the presidency, they appreciated the opportunity it gave those in the community to get involved in such a high profile political event. As for the College Republicans, they are currently waiting to see who puts their name in the hat.

“College Republicans have nothing planned in terms of a Town Hall for a Republican candidate

because no major 2020 Republican candidates have announced plans to come to Drake,” Hirl said.

“Should President Trump or a Republican challenger make a stop at Drake, we would welcome the opportunity.”

The Drake Democrats hosted a mixer after the town hall event at Papa Keno’s, a local pizza restaurant.

Hannah McCoy, president of the Drake Dems, said that despite the short notice, they were able to put it together.

“We planned the entire thing within one meeting,” McCoy said.

“Most of the work just entailed inviting students and getting some awesome officials to come, such as state legislator Liz Mathis.”

The organization has more events planned as the year continues. McCoy said campaigns have reached out already.

“This is going to be a huge semester and year for Drake Democrats,” McCoy said. “ I can’t officially confirm anything for certain for the time being, but aside from candidates coming to campus, Drake Dems is going to have some very exciting events to look forward to this spring.”

As for the College Republicans planning for caucus season, it all depends on if a challenger will emerge.

“It is hard to speculate about caucus season because it is still unclear if a major Republican challenger will emerge to primary President Trump,” Hirl said. “If anyone is interested in getting involved with College Republicans during caucus season, please message our Facebook page and we can send you details on meeting times and events.”

Addressing mental illness: Speaker discusses the importance of mental health Max Brown Staff Writer max.brown@drake.edu @maxbrown

On Thursday night the Drake chapter of Active Minds, working with the Student Activities Board and To Write Love on Her Arms, hosted speaker Stacy Pershall for a discussion in Sussman Theater. Pershall, who is involved with the national Active Minds organization, visits many college campuses, giving her perspective on life with borderline personality disorder, sharing her personal advice for overcoming mental illness and addressing the audiences’ questions on mental health.

Pershall was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in college. She describes the disorder as superficially similar to the more well-known bipolar disorder but notes that a key difference between the two is that bipolar disorder makes is extremely difficult to build and maintain relationships of any kind.

“The scariest thing about BDP, from the inside and the outside, is the anger,” Pershall said. She says this anger, often directed toward herself, prevented her from holding a job for a long period of time and forced her to drop out of college after her first semester. She says that BPD made her extremely dependent on the affection of others, and that the end of any relationship would trigger a breakdown.

Pershall traces the roots of her disorder to an eating disorder during her teen years that was the result of bullying.

“Telling someone who’s being bullied to ‘just fight back’ is just about the least validating thing you can do to that person,” Pershall said.

Pershall attempted to cope with her BPD by withdrawing, spending

most of her time in her dorm, not attending class and isolating herself from others.

“There’s this vicious cycle with retreating, that the more you do it the more addictive it becomes” Pershall said.

She said that a gradual, unexplained withdrawal from people and activities is the biggest warning sign that someone may be struggling with an undiagnosed mental health disorder. After recognizing that someone is withdrawing, she said, it is critical to reach out.

“Bullies take lives, friends save them,” Pershall said. “It might be that you have to say to someone, over and over, ‘I’m here, I’m here, I love you, I love you.’” Pershall said that it was her frien ds who made her seek help for her disorder, by telling her that they couldn’t watch her hurt herself anymore.

Despite stressing the importance of helping friends struggling with mental health, Pershall stated that it is important for people to look after their own mental health as a priority.

“You have to take care of yourself always,” Pershall said.

“You can’t save your friend’s life until you’ve saved your own.”

Pershall claimed that one in four people between the ages of 18 and 22, regardless of whether they are in college or not, has a diagnosable mental health disorder.

Pershall was invited to speak by the Drake chapter of Active Minds.

Active Minds is a nationwide movement founded in 2001 by then-University of Pennsylvania junior Alison Malmon after her brother took his life. The organization strives to reduce the stigma and create conversation around mental illness. The group has over 450 chapters, one of which is now at Drake. Avery Malinski, president of the Drake chapter, hopes that Pershall’s visit

After the town hall, Harris stopped by the watch party being held in Olmsted and told the audience about the importance of Iowa and coming to Drake.

“I’m going to be here a lot, you’re going to be sick of me,” Harris said.

Many presidential candidates come to Iowa because it is one of the first signs of how the rest of the country will react to the candidate.

Drake sees a lot of action on and around the campus of primary hopefuls trying to sway voters to caucus for them.

“It’s important to be here for so many reasons but I wanted to do this town hall to kick start the process,” Harris said.

The process behind hosting these large events and having a smooth transition when a candidate arrives is something Drake has a lot of practice in as according to Director for Campus Public Safety, Scott Law. With about a month to plan the most recent event, the town hall with Harris, public safety partners with organizations such as CNN to ensure a smooth transition.

“CNN was great to work with, very easy going,” Law said.

“Things went very smoothly. We set the event up that happened with CNN over the last month.”

Drake has worked with CNN before and plans to continue partnering with them in the future.

“Drake University is definitely going to be the hub and central location for candidates hoping to reach an audience in the state of Iowa,” McCoy said. “We have an amazing campus full of students passionate about politics, plus a great location for candidates to reach the Des Moines metro. Drake has always been an important stop on many congressional and presidential campaigns, and this coming caucus season is going to be no different.”

PEOPLE GATHER TO CAUCUS during the 2016 election at an Alaska caucus station. PHOTO RETRIEVED FROM FLICKER ACCOUNT JAMES BROOKS.

Lorien Macenulty contributed to the reporting of this story.

We have an amazing campus full of students passionate about politics, plus a great location for candidates to reach the Des Moines metro.

MENTAL HEALTH SPEAKER. Stacy Pershall discusses mental disorders and living with borderline personality disorder.

The event was hosted by Active Minds and To Write Love on Her Arms. PHOTO BY TINA INTARAPANONT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

will help the organization’s aims of reducing stigma and generating conversation.

“We thought that Stacy would be a good fit because her story is interesting and both unique,but universally applicable in the sense that it helps us to better understand mental health as a whole,” Malinski said. “I think that simply having speakers like Stacy on campus helps us to improve the conversations that are had about mental health and to reduce the stigma surrounding it.”

Malinski hopes that the new Active Minds chapter can help

facilitate the development of improved mental health services on campus.

“Drake has long provided services like counseling to students, but I think it has been more clearly emphasized recently, which is absolutely critical,” Malinski said. “That being said, there is still so much work that needs to be done on this campus regarding mental health and Active Minds is hoping to start working to create that change necessary to create a campus that is more understanding of mental health, and that has the resources necessary for students to

live safely, happily and healthily.”

She also highlights the importance of Student Activities Board and To Write Love on Her Arms in organizing the event.

“This was a collaborative event that would not have been at all possible without SAB or TWLOHA, we are a new organization that is actively looking to add members, so if anyone is interested, I would love for them to reach out to me” Malinski said.

“We hope to continue to work however we can to bridge the gap between students and the resources they need.”

PHOTO RETRIEVED FROM FLICKER ACCOUNT DONKEYHOTEY

08 | Sports

Feb. 13, 2019

Sports Drake athletics responds to government shutdown Drake Lohse Staff Writer drake.lohse@drake.edu

Drake athletics has always implored a local and friendly atmosphere for fans. The connections formed at Drake sporting events are one’s that the university has prided itself on over the years. With the government shutdown just a few weeks ago, Drake made it a point to demonstrate the atmosphere they have fostered for years.

“Drake athletics is on an upward trajectory,” Drake assistant track coach Jay Koloseus said. “Under the new direction of Brian Hardin, with Kevin’s record, the success across multiple programs, it is a surely a great time to be a Bulldog.”

With all the positive momentum, the university is looking to spread that energy out into Des Moines in anyway they can. There seems to be no better time for the Bulldogs to be out in and serving the community.

The United States government took a breather. Whatever side of the aisle anyone sits on, no one can argue, government employees were affected, people’s livelihoods interrupted. From the Post Office to the T.S.A and all the way up into the White House, federal workers went without pay. Many looked to show their appreciation however possible.

George W. Bush even delivered Pizza Hut to the Secret Service.

Soon enough Drake Athletics was doing it’s part. In a press release, second year Athletic Director Brian Hardin announced that Drake would be giving away free Bulldog basketball tickets to furloughed government employees.

SPIKE LEADS DRAKE CHEERLEADERS in efforts to hype up the Drake fans during the Drake men’s basketball game vs. McKendree earlier this season. Members of the federal government were given by Drake athletics a choice of four games to attend for free. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS “There were a couple of schools out in the D.C. area that were doing the same thing,” Hardin said. “So as a staff we talked about it and kicked around ideas.

The ticket is really only one part of it. We wanted to take it a step further. At every game there’s an experience that goes along with it, and we want to make sure we provide that experience.”

While the concept of extending helping hands to furloughed employees isn’t an original one

by Drake. The act of generosity has been seen throughout Iowa.

Just a few days prior to Drake’s announcement, the University of Northern Iowa announced they, too, would be offering tickets to select games for government employees affected by the shutdown. Hardin wants to ensure that the sense of community is felt in Des Moines.

“At Drake we really pride ourselves on being Des Moines’ hometown team, but that’s a

two-way street,” Hardin said.

“We receive a lot of support from the community, and we want to make sure that we’re returning that support any way we can.

We try to take advantage of any opportunity we have to do so, and this certainly was an easy way to provide a sense of entertainment not just for Des Moines, but for key members of our community, in a time when they probably needed it most.”

Employees who choose to

take Drake up on their offer can do so by providing a government I.D. at the Knapp Center. Each individual can claim four tickets, to either a men’s basketball or women’s basketball game.

Despite the shutdown ending, the offer will continue to be honored by the university.

The inside look at the men’s tennis team

THE 2018-2019 DRAKE MEN’S TENNIS TEAM poses for a their beginning of the season team photo. The men’s team is 4-3 right now, but in first place in the Summit League where they are 1-0. The team started the season 4-0 before losing their last three matches. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS Drake Lohse Staff Writer drake.lohse@drake.edu

The Maas Brothers come from Belgium. Finley Hall hails from New Zealand. All in all Drake men’s tennis features only two players who aren’t from overseas.

You might not know it, but Drake men’s tennis has put together one of the most consistently successful programs in the midwest. In 2017, Head Coach Davidson Kozslowski, a Florida native, led Drake to their 10th MVC championship, and their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

In 2016, Davidson led a young Drake squad through one of the

toughest schedules in team history.

The schedule that season featured 17 nationally ranked teams. Eleven of those 17 ranked in the top-40. At the end of that grueling schedule, the Bulldogs came away with a 1712 record and ranked 49th in the country. Two of their wins came against No. 26 Oregon and No. 23 Minnesota.

But talk to the racketeers of Drake tennis and they aren’t bothered by any lack of noise.

With the success of the basketball programs and the rebirth of Drake football, men’s tennis sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. According to some Drake men’s tennis players, that may play to their advantage.

“We just focus on winning matches,” Texas native Bayo

Phillips said. “That’s all we like to do. It’s easier at times just knuckling down, keeping our own thing consistent, when there’s a lot less noise around.”

If a quiet swagger is their staple, than their unique roster formula is their foundation. Phillips and freshman Reid Jarvis from Missouri are the only United-States born players on the team. The men’s tennis roster is the only one at Drake University not to enlist any Iowans.

Bulldog Tennis is patched together with talent from all over the world. Senior Vinny Gillespie, the 2017 MVC Player of The Year, comes from Scotland. With the exception of Phillips, all five seniors, Gillespie, England-born

Tom Hands and Ben Clark, and Scotland native Calum McGeoch are from overseas.

But the Frankenstein approach may be at the root of Drake Tennis’ long-term success.

“It is transition, to come to a new place from so far away and go to school, live,” McGeogh said. “Having a group of guys who understand the challenge that it is, even having guys that are from the same place that you are, it’s huge.”

Show up, win, go home. No sideshows or bright lights required.

A simple approach for Drake tennis, with their facilities tucked away behind the Bell Center and free from distraction, has become what’s lead them to a 4-2 record already on the season.

The Bulldogs won their first four matches on the year, before dropping two in a row against Vanderbilt and No. 13 Oklahoma.

“The goal is what it’s always been, what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past,” Phillips said. “The MVC Championship.

The Conference Tournament is a must. Getting past the second round has been the goal for a while, we’re always looking to make strides.”

The men’s tennis team hosts Utah State on Feb. 15 at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

Feb. 13, 2019

09 | Sports

Sports Women’s Basketball wins third-straight against Loyola Hannah Cohen Staff Writer hannah.cohen@drake.edu @seamammals

Drake women’s basketball added two more wins to their MVC record (10-1) this weekend on the road versus Valparaiso (MVC 2-8) and Loyola (MVC 4-7) dominating both teams with leads of over at least 25 points. The Bulldogs first traveled to Indiana and got an 8862 dub and led the whole game getting at least 21 points per quarter on Friday, Feb. 8.

Becca Hittner, guard, and Sara Rhine, forward, topped the stats yet again for Drake with Nicole Miller, guard, and Brenni Rose, guard/ forward, providing the assists.

Miller also registered a career high of eight assists in this matchup.

“For us and the system we play, assists are really important,” Hittner said. “The way we shared the ball was really fun.”

As MVC Player of the Week,

Even though I can’t play yet, seeing everyone else get playing time and chances to score showed the amount of solid players we have.

Hittner stood up to her role in both matches scoring 23 against Valpo and 19 against the Ramblers. On top of that, in the game versus the Crusaders, all 12 of Drake’s able bench played at least six minutes, a first in the season thus far.

“It’s a cool honor,” Hittner said.

MEMBERS OF DRAKE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (front to back) sophomore guard Maddie Monahan, senior guard Sammie Bachrodt and redshirt-junior forward Sara Rhine prepare to guard members of the Missouri State Bears on Feb. 1. The Bulldogs lost 79-85 in what was their first conference loss in two years. PHOTO

BY HANNAH COHEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“Again, it’s more of just focusing on the team and getting better every day as the season progresses [so I don’t pay too much attention to the titles].”

Ally Wooldridge, forward, added a layup to the Bulldog’s points and registered her high of 17 minutes playing time and one of the 10 players to score of all 12 that played.

“It was awesome to see everyone play who was able,” Grace Berg, forward, said. “Even though I can’t play yet, seeing everyone else get playing time and chances to score showed the amount of solid players we have.”

After the win in Indiana, Drake went to Chicago to face the Ramblers on Sunday, Feb. 10. The team crushed Loyola as Rhine made

all shots out of eight attempted including three 3-pointers for the afternoon and Sammie Bachrodt, guard, landed two more 3-pointers making her record for the weekend just over .555.

“Sara and Sam performed really well against Valpo but especially Loyola,” Berg said. “It’s not often you see players have perfect games, and Sara did just that.”

Rhine’s flawless 1.000 performance against Loyola put an even stronger emphasis on her play and earning six MVC Player of the Week titles so far this season. She also collected eight rebounds on top of her team leading 23 points.

Other leaders in the game versus the Ramblers included Maddy Dean, guard, who put in three for seven of her 3-pointers and

Bachrodt put up eight. The team altogether completed the game with 29 assists, a season record and tied their season best with 13 threepointers, ending with a strong 8355 win.

These two games were the last of Drake’s final road games in February. This Friday they take on third place University of Northern Iowa (MVC 8-3) in the Knapp at 6 p.m. to start the three-game season long homestand.

“Seeing everyone play strongly this weekend put an emphasis on how we play Drake basketball,” Berg said. “We want everyone to come support us this weekend and fill the Knapp to keep our momentum going.”

How the rest of the MVC is doing: Team

Conf.

Ovr.

1. Missouri St.

10-0

14-7

2. Drake

10-1

18-5

3. UNI

8-3

15-8

4. Bradley

7-4

17-5

5. Illinois St.

6-5

13-9

6. Indiana St.

4-7

10-12

7. Loyola

4-7

10-12

8. Southern Ill. 3-7

10-11

9. Valparaiso

2-9

6-17

10. Evansville

0-11

2-20

Record-breaking season for Eagles tight end Zach Ertz JD Pelegrino Sports Editor john.pelegrino@drake.edu @jddontdrop

In 2018, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz established himself early on in the season as one of the league’s top talents, especially at the TE position.

Ertz entered his sixth NFL season in 2018 out of Stanford. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, Ertz was known as one of the most dominant TE’s in the league. He tallied 74 receptions, 110 targets, 824 yards, eight touchdowns and a career-high at the time 46 catches for first downs. Ertz set out on a journey during OTA’s and the pre-season to set a new mark for himself but more importantly to bring his team to another Super Bowl and win.

The Eagles fell just short of that mark, but Ertz’s journey along the way won; his ticket to the Pro Bowl, an Eagles playoff win, the attention of players and fans all around the NFL, and a new NFL record for the most receptions by a tight end in a single season, beating Jason Witten’s mark of 110 in 2010.

What Ertz’s helped Philly accomplish this season and his marks as an individual were nothing short of one of the greatest seasons a tight end has ever had.

Below find some of Ertz’s most impressive stats from the 2018 season:

1. 116 receptions (2nd in NFL) Only Pro Bowl receivers: J. Jones, D. Adams, A. Brown, J. Smith-Schuster, D. Hopkins had more With a young, mobile quarterback in Carson Wentz who

can also put a ball right on the money, Pederson and offensive coordinator Mike Groh leaned heavily on the pass game this season. The running game was not the Eagles strength this season, especially with the injury to Jay Ajayi. With Ertz’s 6-foot-5inch frame, crisp route-running, quickness, and hands it only makes sense that No. 86 would earn a position in the top-three for receptions in the entire NFL.

2. 156 targets (6th in NFL) 56 targets his rookie year in 2013 Ertz hauled in 74 percent of the passes that went his way this season. Compared to his rookie year, he was looked to for his elite services through the air 100 more times. Even last year, Ertz was targeted a healthy 110 times, this season was something even Zach couldn’t have predicted.

3.

1,163 receiving yards (16th in NFL)

Zach maximized his 116 receptions converting them into big-time yards. He accumulated 1,163 receiving yards in Groh’s offense earning his first 1,000yard season. No. 86 shattered the 1,000-yard mark comfortably earning himself 16th in the NFL in receiving yards.

4. 8 TDs (T-13th in NFL) 21 TDs in first five seasons (2013: 4, 2014: 3, 2015: 2, 2016: 4, 2017: 8) For the second straight season, No. 86 caught eight touchdown passes. He scored 13 TDs in his first two seasons, but in the last two has scored 16. Zach’s relationship on and off the field has improved with quarterback Carson Wentz

and is paying dividends on the field.

5. 10.0 yards-per-catch this season Zach’s average yards-perreception in 2018 was the lowest of his career thus far, but did not stop him from topping his previous records in almost every other category. Last year, Ertz averaged 11.1 yards-per-catch, but when they ball is coming your way every few plays, what are you going to do?

6. 732.8 yards-per-season in previous 5 seasons (1,163 this season) The value of the Philly tight end continues to rise year after year. In Zach’s first five seasons, he earned 732.8 yards-per-season.

After this season, his new average will be 804.5. Ertz’s production in the Eagles’ offense became more of a focal point this season and Doug Pederson and Mike Groh will be looking to use him big time next season.

7. 42 more catches this season than last With an increase of targets comes an increase of catches.

There are many tight ends and receivers who only managed 42 catches all season long. Ertz had himself a season inside of a season.

In 2017, he caught 74 passes.

8. 46 more targets this year than last (110 targets) No. 86 caught almost all of his additional targets. He has mentioned time and time again that he wants to be out on the field all the time doing whatever can help his team win. Through the passing game, Ertz played

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES tight end Zach Ertz in 2017 during the Eagles vs.

Redskins game. PHOTO BY KEITH ALLISON | PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

the biggest role. He was targeted more than any other receiver, accumulated more yards and more receptions than any other Eagle.

9. 66 catches for first downs 46 last season (2017) Ertz was the safety blanket of the Eagles’ offense this year. It only makes sense that he fits that role because during Jason Witten’s tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, he was Tony Romo’s safety blanket.

Witten was no Ertz though; Ertz broke Witten’s single-season receptions record by a tight end this season. Zach’s productivity stretched especially in converting

late downs into first downs.

10. T-3rd in NFL in receptions inside opponents’ 20-yard line with 16 (Kelce & James White) With Zach’s big frame, this poses a mismatch to defenders.

No. 86 has always been bigger and stronger than his opponents, mix in his other attributes and he is very hard to cover. He ranks at the top of the chart of receptions inside opponents’ 20-yard line. He caught eight of those many passes for touchdowns and only trailed the Saints’ Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara on the list.

10 | Commentary

Feb. 13, 2019

Commentary

Podcasts: What’s the hype?

Drake students are following the podcast trend by making their own

Taylor Vos Contributing Writer taylor.vos@drake.edu @taylorvos

One of the internet’s biggest podcasts, My Favorite Murder, is coming to Des Moines in March as a part of their spring tour. While true crime may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the idea that podcasts are big enough to tour surprises me.

I started listening to podcasts back in 2012. Way back then, the biggest podcast was the classic, Stuff You Should Know and I only listened in every few months.

Whenever I brought it up, I was given a look of “why would anyone want to listen to talk-radio willingly?” Nowadays, there are podcasts from religious readings of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons playthroughs or five hour

deep dives into history.

To me, the reason podcasts are so big is because they are so accessible. Most of them are free to listen to, if you don’t mind a few ads. Not only that, they are available anywhere you can listen to music, so you don’t even have to download a new app.

Why would anyone want to listen to talk-radio willingly?

Plus you can listen to them while you are doing things that take a bit of time. Many people listen

to them on their drive to work, while folding laundry or even doing homework-task permitting of course.

But the other reason is that there is a podcast for everyone. Much like YouTube, if you can’t find a podcast you’re interested in, you can make it yourself. For around $100 and a few hours of your time, almost anyone can make a podcast about anything you want. There are even websites that help upload podcasts to all of the different platforms, along with connecting podcasts with advertisers.

In fact, a few Drake students even made their own. Here are three podcasts Drake students produced themselves:

Corner Talk created by Cheyann Neades and Megan Bohall: Corner Talk is a very informal podcast. Two college girls chat

about lifestyle, pop culture and relevant news and topics. Cheyann said that they want listeners to feel like they’re just having coffee or chilling with their friends when they listen to it. You can find it on SoundCloud now, and hopefully Spotify and Apple Music in the near future.

The Tea with P by Peyton Johnson: The show is about pop culture.

Peyton invites a guest on, usually an artist, and they talk about their passions, what’s going on in the entertainment world, and play games that have a Jimmy Fallon vibe. While they occasionally get into some darker topics, Peyton tries to keep it light and fun.

Peyton also gets listeners involved in the show through Twitter and Instagram. As she says, “Instagram is a podcaster’s best friend.” You can find The Tea with P on Spotify,

iTunes or anywhere else you find podcasts.

Drake Sports Recap by Noah Manderfield and JD Pelegrino: A ten-minute weekly recap of most things sports at Drake.

Listening to this podcast can keep you completely caught up on all of Drake’s sports and leave you with a sense of school pride. Commit 10 minutes of your week to this.

You can find this one on the TimesDelphic Soundcloud.

If you are interested in starting your own podcast, all of these students say to start now while you have Drake’s resources.

All students have access to the recording studios, equipment and editing software that makes producing a podcast free. All you need is an idea, some time and a little motivation to get started.

Ranking of popular podcasts in the media The Last Podcast on the Left A dark comedy podcast that “covers all the horrors our world has to offer, both imagined and real.”

They have covered everything from alien abductions to serial killers to infamous cults. Their most recent series covered Josef Mengele and their most impressive being fivepart series on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. This podcast is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. However, LPOTL is definitely one the most wellresearched, true-crime podcasts that tries to show that these are real people doing terrible things and not crazy monsters, without taking themselves too seriously.

99% Invisible It’s a well-produced podcast covering all of the design in our lives, especially the design choices that we never notice. One of my favorite episodes is about purposely bad design that deters people from sleeping on benches or teens from loitering around gas stations. If you have ever watched the TedTalk by Roman Mars about terrible flags, you have already gotten a taste of the full podcast.

Lore This history podcast tells the folklore and tales that lead to some of our modern superstitions.

I call it well-researched campfire stories. Each episode covers one topic from the myth of the Mothman to our tendency to collect things. Aaron Mahnke has such a unique speaking style that keeps your attention with piano music composed for the show.

If you like this, he has two other podcasts. Cabinet of Curiosities is full of short, interesting stories that wouldn’t make a full episode of Lore. On the other end, he makes Unobscured that are season long

deep dives into a single topic. The full first season is out, covering the Salem Witch Trials.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text If you are a Harry Potter fan, definitely check this one out.

Vanessa and Casper go chapter by chapter through the novels, reading them as though they are religious texts that can teach us about the world around us and help us answer some of our life’s biggest questions. They explore each chapter through a new theme, such as honesty, curiosity or privilege.

I love it because it not only brings a new light to the books but it is a weekly half-hour of calm and thoughtfulness I don’t really get anywhere else.

Up First If you like NPR, you’ll love this podcast. It’s a short, daily podcast that covers the most important stories you will need to know. It’s perfect to listen to for when you are getting ready as it’s up by 6:00AM every morning.

Welcome to Night Vale You have probably seen screenshots from their Twitter.

This is one of those classic and iconic podcasts any true podcastlistener should subscribe to. It is also one of the most unique and weird ones. Welcome to Night Vale are 30-minute radio news updates about a small desert town called Night Vale. In this town, every conspiracy theory is true. From the angels that don’t exist, the dog park you should never go to and never aging 19-year-olds that run the pawnshop, Welcome to Night Vale has a strange charm that makes you love it. If you get into this one, definitely read the book of the same name.

Podcast Listeners

Feb. 13, 2019

11 | Commentary

Commentary

The great Spongebob controversy Maroon 5 offers a rather strange tribute to Spongebob creator Stephen Hillenburg

ADAM LEVINE performed with his band Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Atlanta, Georgia. Travis Scott and Big Boi also made appearances. PHOTO RETRIEVED FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Max Brown Staff Writer max.brown@drake.edu @maxbrown

If you’ve spent any time on the internet at all in the past week, you’ve probably heard about the great “Sweet Victory” controversy.

The video for the NFL halftime show, which featured performances from The Adam Levine Band Maroon 5 and Travis Scott, has received a monumental number of dislikes on YouTube, with a ratio of 115,000 likes to 789,000 dislikes.

Following the storm of dislikes are calls from platforms like Reddit to boycott everything touching the halftime show, from the MercedesBenz stadium to the NFL itself.

Admittedly this Super Bowl had a lot going against it. Tepid, low-scoring gameplay, another Super Bowl ring for the growingly unpopular Tom Brady and Co. and Levine’s lethargic performance set

it up to be far from the competition of the century. But why is everyone so angry?

In November 2018, Stephen Hillenburg, marine biologist and creator of the beloved cartoon “Spongebob Squarepants,” passed away after a brief battle with ALS. In response to his passing, a petition was created on change.org to have the song “Sweet Victory” played during the Halftime Show.

“Sweet Victory” is a power ballad written and recorded by arena rock veterans David Glen Eisley and Bob Kulick.

The song appeared in the 2001 Spongebob episode “Band Geeks,” in which character Squidward Tentacles directs a band made up of the show’s main cast in performing the song at a sports arena on the surface. Fans felt that having the song, known for its appearance in a fictional game, played during perhaps the most watched competition in the world would be a fitting tribute for Hillenburg.

The petition amassed 1.2 million signatures, but like most petitions of its kind, not many thought much would come of it.

Which made it all the more shocking when a clip from the episode was shown in Maroon 5’s Super Bowl hype video.

Over the coming weeks, rumors kept flying. Rodger Bumpass, Squidward’s voice actor, reportedly announced on a private Facebook post that Squidward would be introducing the halftime entertainment. The hype was rolling, and it wasn’t gonna stop until it got its “Sweet Victory.”

The halftime show began. After a few songs by Maroon 5, a clip from Band Geeks just before the start of Sweet Victory played on the jumbotron. The trumpet fanfare preceding the start of the song played... ...and Travis Scott started performing “SICKO MODE” with Levine. No “Sweet Victory” today, kids. What followed were a series

of boring, half-assed numbers by Levine and rapper Big Boi. Levine even took off his shirt during “Moves Like Jagger,” showing a set of chest ink that would make Jared Leto’s Joker proud.

So, they didn’t play Sweet Victory, but Maroon 5 did take a bit of time out of their show for the clip. While it wasn’t the whole song like people had hoped, it did include Spongebob and it was introduced by Squidward; that much was true to the rumors. Thus, the counterargument to the dislikes and boycotts. Maroon 5 did pay respects to Hillenburg, and this whole thing is just a case of the internet putting too much stock in rumors and complaining when they get burned for it. It could be believable that the clip was shown in an act of good faith, except for one thing. The stadium did play Sweet Victory.

Several hours before the game started, and long before people were even in their seats, the

Mercedes-Benz stadium posted a tweet reading “okay, everyone, let’s get this over with,” followed by a video of the whole “Sweet Victory” clip playing to an empty stadium.

The venue obviously had the capability to play the song then, but they didn’t. Even the wording of the Tweet, “let’s get this over with,” makes their “tribute” seem like a burden and an imposition.

If it’s that burdensome to throw Spongebob fans a bone, then why bother? Why give us the copout that we had? This makes the whole thing seem very superficial and insincere: trying to have a predictable, generic halftime show and giving the “Sweet Victory” movement as little of a nod as possible while still being able to say “I care.” Stephen Hillenburg deserved better for his work, and this felt very unauthentic.

Oh well, time to go back to pretending Maroon 5 broke up after “Songs About Jane.”

How candy helped change my world Spreading kindness, one small step at a time

Savannah Kluesner Staff Writer savannah.kluesner@drake.edu @savannahkluesner

The week before I graduated high school, I was given one of the most unique and insightful gifts that I have ever received. I had been mentoring middle schoolers in my school district the second semester of my senior year, and in that time, I had grown closer to the teacher with whom I had worked, Ms. Johnson. As a future teacher myself, the two of us had bonded over dreams, aspirations and where we had gone to or were going to go to college. We formed a really great relationship, and I was sad to be graduating and leaving it all behind. My final day in the classroom had been bittersweet, especially after Ms. Johnson handed me a brown paper bag and stated self-consciously that she had “a silly little gift” for me. I was so touched that I could not think of what to say–especially when I looked in the bag later.

The idea was not complex, but it was tremendously thoughtful. On the outside of the bag, Ms. Johnson had written “College Success is ‘In the Bag.’” On the inside, there was an assortment of candy. However, it was not the candy itself that truly made the difference but the meaning behind it. Each king-

size candy bar had a sticky note attached with a clever, encouraging message inscribed upon it. The bubble gum commanded that I “stick with it, even when things get tough.” The KitKat encouraged me to “give myself a break now and then.” And the Payday bar assured me that “all my hard work will pay off!” I had never received such a thoughtful gift before, and it truly made an impact on me. It may have been a small thing, but it gave me the courage to continue into my college career.

To this day, I have my bag of college success, and, although most of the candy has been eaten, I still have the sticky notes that went with it. In her own small way, Ms. Johnson changed a piece of the world–something that we can all do with just a few sticky notes and an inspirational message or two. I felt so inspired by Ms. Johnson’s gift that it has pushed me to start spreading kindness in my own way in life. I want to make a difference in any way that I can.

Often, when we think about making a difference, we think that we have to do so in hugely creative, elaborate and complex ways. We forget that we can make a world of difference simply by showing someone that we care. Since Ms. Johnson gave me that gift, I have seen many people share the love in similar ways, whether it be through friendly, inspirational sticky notes

on bathroom mirrors or messages of kindness and love on dry-erase boards and dorm room doors.

These all have an impact on people.

If you want to change the world but aren’t sure how, start by holding the door open for someone

or giving someone a compliment.

Paying it forward, writing a message for the solidarity wall in Cowles, even simply asking someone how their day has been, all of these tiny gestures can make a huge difference in a person’s life.

Changing someone’s world can be as simple as picking up a pen and a pack of Post-It notes and showing that, no matter what, you are going to stick around. You never know, these little things could change a life.

12 | Commentary

Feb. 13, 2019

Commentary Kingdom Hearts III offers satisfying conlusion for series veterans Sora and his keyblade guide players through nostalgiafilled cut scenes and combat sequences

KINGDOM HEARTS 3 was released on Jan. 25, 2019 and is the final chapter in the Dark Seeker saga. The story follows Sora and his trusty Keyblade as he works with popular Disney characters such as Donald Duck and Goofy to complete missions and stop an evil force known as the Heartless from taking over the world. PHOTO RETRIEVED FROM AMAZON Carson J.S. Reichardt Online Content Manager carson.reichardt@drake.edu @CarsonJSR1998

Disney movies have dominated pop culture for decades because of one simple magic trick—they appeal to children and adults alike in different ways. The recentlyreleased Kingdom Hearts III casts a similar spell on players. For casual players, simply getting to explore fantastical Disney settings such as the world of Toy Story is a treat in and of itself. However, for series veterans, there’s an entire other layer to work with, where questions that have been asked throughout the series are finally answered in the finale.

To put a long and complicated story very simply, the Kingdom Hearts series follows hero character Sora as he explores various levels themed after Disney movies, fighting the forces of evil with his trusty Keyblade. Along the way, he enlists help from characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and

Wreck-It Ralph, and that’s still just scratching the surface. Kingdom Hearts III is absolutely packed with these familiar faces, and for some, the chance to fight alongside these iconic characters may be worth the price of admission by itself.

And speaking of fighting, the combat in Kingdom Hearts III is as involved and in-depth as the series has ever offered. Sora can hit enemies with Keyblade combos or magic spells, as usual, but there’s many more options beyond those. The Keyblade can now transform into a wide variety of other weapons, such as laser pistols and giant hammers, and each one changes its properties, making experimenting with the transformations a treat. There’s also Shotlocks, which allow Sore to fire off a barrage of projectiles at enemies from range. Attractions offer the ability to summon Disney rides such as a looping pirate ship or the spinning tea cups and run into enemies with them. All of these moves are visually incredible to watch, although watching their summoning animations over and over does grow a little stale—

thankfully, the game offers you the opportunity to skip them. It speaks well of the game’s design that all of these options presented together rarely felt overwhelming to use in tandem. Beating down the forces of darkness has never been this satisfying.

The enemies you’ll fight are largely consistent between worlds, but different gameplay mechanics in each one prevents encounters from feeling stale.

For example, the Toy Story world allows players to pilot mechs to take down enemies, while a level set in the world of Big Hero 6 has Sora and friends spend most of their time flying around the skies of San Fransokyo, providing a very different approach. Then there’s sledding in the world of Frozen and high-seas battles in Pirates of the Caribbean. These differences may seem minor on paper, but they go a long way towards making each one feel distinct when playing through them.

The main issue with the worlds and Kingdom Hearts III as a whole is its pacing. The introduction does a good job throwing players

right into the action, but this grinds to a halt quickly. Battles and exploration are frequently interrupted by very long cutscenes, which quickly wears thin. There are over 10 hours of these in the entire experience, which clocks in slightly over 30 hours.

To be fair, the cutscenes look as if they came straight out of the Disney movies the worlds are based on, and there are some genuinely touching, heartfelt moments throughout the story, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the pacing just feels uneven, especially when most of the series’ story is concentrated in the last few hours, making the previous levels feel like they don’t have any real stakes.

This ongoing story, as interesting as it can be to those invested in the overall series, will likely be almost incomprehensible to newcomers. Despite the name, Kingdom Hearts III is the 13th game in the series. Almost all of the lingering plot threads from those games are answered here, leading to an overall satisfying conclusion, but to be completely frank, Kingdom Hearts III is not

a good place to jump in for most newcomers. The main menu offers a collection of cutscenes briefly summarizing important past events, but it’s woefully inadequate.

Pacing issues aside, Kingdom Hearts III is an overall joy to watch and play. It’s impossible to explore the flawlessly-realized movie settings without smiling.

The time commitment may be a bit of an issue for prospective players with tight schedules, but those who choose to make the investment will experience timeless Disney movie magic in video game form.

Final score: 8/10

GRAPHIC RETRIEVED FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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