February 9, 2022

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 141 | No. 14 | Feb. 9, 2022 FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Drake Theater will present “Devising for the Future” on Feb. 17, a show about all types of love written by the actors themselves.

The Drake men’s basketball team beat Loyola University on Jan. 30.

The team is currently in third place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

A writer challenges the question “How could you be so stupid to believe that?” when opposing, strongly held beliefs collide.

Read more on page 3

Read more on page 5

Read more on page 7

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drake considers moving j-term to may Faculty senate weighs COVID, financial planning, mental health Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

Last Wednesday, the Drake University faculty senate considered the potential impact of the provost’s office’s proposal to replace January Term with a May Term.

“There was a little less trepidation from the people who are arguing against it, and there was a little less excitement from the people who are arguing for it than maybe I expected,” faculty senate president Matthew Zwier said. “And that’s actually again a good thing, because it means that we’re not going to rush into something that’s not wise. We’re going to have a solid discussion about this.”

In an interview and at the faculty senate meeting, Provost Sue Mattison outlined possible advantages of switching to May Term, including adapting to COVID-19, expanding opportunities for outdoor work and allowing first-year students to take travel seminars. She said the proposal would also allow all students to start summer work sooner and address financial planning problems related to students who take 18 credits in the spring semester and a J-Term course.

“And as someone who’s taught many J-Terms, I personally think I would prefer going spring term to May Term in terms of workload, just because that turnaround between J-Term and spring is just overwhelming,” Drake registrar Jennifer TranJohnson said in an interview.

Mattison, who is also an epidemiologist, said that

viral transmission would be decreased during some travel seminars in May Term because students could spend more time outside. Assuming COVID-19 follows a similar cyclic pattern to influenza, case numbers would generally increase in the winter and decrease in the summer months.

“Again, we don’t know everything about COVID,” Mattison said in an interview.

“But if it does follow that pattern, as well as students traveling over winter break and then coming back, it would hopefully reduce the number of positive cases on campus.”

At the meeting, faculty members raised points about how this choice would affect students’ mental health in the winter months, the ability to hold field courses during the spring and the quick transition from J-Term to spring semester.

Professor Rachel Paine Caufield noted that switching to May Term would prevent her J-Term class from attending the presidential inauguration or the swearing-in of a new Congress.

Amber Guzzo, Drake’s student senator for academic affairs, raised concerns about May Term’s potential impact on student burnout at the end of the semester. She also brought up the possibility that if students have the opportunity, they may choose not to attend May Term so they can end their lease early to save money on rent.

Guzzo said that she is working with other student senators to set up a forum and potentially a survey to get student feedback on the May Term proposal.

“I have some concerns,” Guzzo said. “But the problem

SOME DRAKE STUDENTS traveled to Ecuador for January Term. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLOR VROMAN

is, you know, I’m only one person, so I want to hear way more students’ [opinions] on this before I make my final opinion, because I personally loved J-Term, but maybe some students would appreciate the warmer weather.”

Zwier set the table for the discussion with three options: keeping J-Term as is, moving it to May or retaining it for some number of years before making the transition. The faculty senate did not vote on Wednesday, and the discussion will continue.

Tran-Johnson said she thinks that starting May Term next year could still be on the table; however, it would

be difficult because students’ financial aid packages would have to be modified if the dates of the spring semester change.

During the meeting, TranJohnson explained two possible ways that Drake could alter the 2023-2024 academic calendar to accommodate a May Term.

Under the first option, spring semester would start three weeks early, on Jan. 8, and end on April 26 with commencement on April 28. May Term would run from April 29 to May 17, and summer classes would start on May 20. The second option is essentially the same as the first, except the above dates occur approximately a week later.

Tran-Johnson said the first option would sometimes overlap between the Drake Relays and finals week, which “makes it not

as attractive for me.” This would also make it more difficult to utilize the Knapp Center and Bell Center for commencement activities, she said. The second option wouldn’t have the same overlap, but would still be close to Relays.

“If I was a betting person, I would say more people will be inclined to want to go with option two, solely because of — you know, that kind of Relays overlap is not super attractive,” Tran-Johnson said.

“And it gives still a decent break between the fall and the spring semester because I know that was a concern faculty had brought up for those that don’t teach J-Term.”

said.

“The court, not unlike the nation, is divided ideologically,” Schor said. “He was a consensus builder. He was able to build bridges to the other side.”

Many factors may have played into Breyer’s decision to retire. One of the main reasons for the timing of his resignation may have been a fear of repeating what happened in 2020 after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.

Trump’s nomination of Barrett created tension between Democrats and Republicans, as Barrett was confirmed just 27 days after her nomination, shortly before the 2020 presidential election. Often, nominations occur months before the confirmation of a justice. Caufield said Democrats hoped that the nomination would occur after the winner of the election was determined.

Trump, however, rushed to have Coney Barrett put on the bench.

Because the next presidential election is still two years away and Democrats have a 50-50 majority in the senate with Vice President Kamala Harris being the tie-breaking vote, Biden’s nomination will likely pass through the senate successfully.

“I don’t think this [nomination] will be as contentious,” Caufield said.

To uphold one of his major campaign promises, Biden has announced he will nominate a Black woman to the court. This was a big contributing factor to Biden’s victory in the primary elections in South Carolina, and ultimately led to his victory in the presidential election, Caufield said.

“African American women have been the backbone of the Democratic Party for a long time,” Schor said.

This is not the first time a president has made this decision based on specific demographics.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall, the first Black supreme court justice, to the court. President Ronald Reagan appointed the first woman, Sandra Day O’Connor, in 1981.

“You do want a court that represents a nation,” Schor said.

Gender and racial diversity aren’t the only ways the court is becoming more diverse.

Currently, eight of the nine justices are graduates of either Harvard or Yale Law Schools.

Coney Barrett received her degree from Notre Dame.

Potential nominee J. Michelle Childs is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Regardless of the future justice’s educational background, sending a Black woman to the Supreme Court

would be a landmark moment in American history.

“This would mark history for Black women,” said Olivia Plant, an executive board member of the Drake Coalition of Black Students. “Especially for Black History Month, it’s exciting for that to happen now.”

As a Black student, Plant said that seeing her racial demographic represented in the highest court in the country would be very meaningful to her.

“People will say things and not live up to what they say, and that’s how politics works,” Plant said. “But Biden is upholding a promise. This would be something that would be a very very big step for Black people.”

Though the next member nominated to the Supreme Court will not lead to any major changes in terms of court majority, this decision is a step toward representation and equity in political positions.

“Its biggest influence is symbolic,” Caufield said. “When people have looked at courts for generations, they have seen a group of white men. The diversification of the Supreme Court in particular is a really big symbolic step in signaling our social progress as a country, allowing lots and lots of people to see themselves as decision makers in our democracy.”

Calendar Changes

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SCOTUS to lose voice of compromise, become more representative

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER will retire this summer. President Joe Biden has promised to appoint a Black and female justice. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Nate Eisenmann Contributing Writer nate.eisenmann@drake.edu

On Thursday, Jan. 27, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will retire from his position at the start of the summer recess, around June or July. President Joe Biden has promised to fill the position with a Black and female justice.

“This is not a resignation or a nomination that will change the ideological composition of the court,” said Rachel Paine Caufield, a professor of political science at Drake.

Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme

Court in 2020 meant that the conservative-leaning justices had a 6-3 majority. With Breyer being a moderate liberal and Biden being a liberal president, the nominee won’t cause a shift in the overall leaning of the Court.

“Judging is a nonpolitical application of law to the case,” Caufield said. “[Breyer] really thoughtfully and intentionally [was] uncomfortable with the presence of politics at the Supreme Court.”

Breyer leaves behind a 27year legacy of serving on the court. His moderate voice was often seen as pragmatic and sensible, Drake constitutional law professor Miguel Schor

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02 | News

Feb. 09, 2022

News

Maintaining J-Term as is may present financial issues >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Financial Fix-It According to Mattison, there are “hundreds of students who take three credits in J-Term and 18 credits in the semester,” which is the maximum credit load before students are charged an overload fee.

“But because of the glitch in the system, they have not been

[charged] up to this point,” Mattison said. “So now that it’s been discovered and they’re addressing it, that’s going to be an issue. That’s going to be a real issue.”

If Drake moves J-Term to May, Mattison said, it won’t be part of spring semester, allowing these students to avoid that fee.

“Some of these details like budgeting, what does it mean

for student credit load? Those were not fully rounded out when J-Term was first launched,” Zwier said in an interview. “And so the university could say, well, we’re just going to suddenly start charging everyone … It speaks a lot to how much the university cares about everyone involved that they’re not just doing that because the administrative side of the university, they have that power. They could just say,

‘Okay, starting this year, we’re no longer automatically waiving those overload fees. We’re just going to start charging them.’ ” According to Zwier, there are also logistical issues that factor into this decision, such as when different funding sources distribute funds.

“There’s a financial difficulty maintaining J-Term exactly as it currently is. There’s a logistical difficulty making it

its own academic term,” Zwier said. “And it’s enough of a logistical difficulty that with some of these other questions, like, what is COVID going to look like year over year? What are the impacts on student and faculty mental health? Those are enough to have us asking the question, well what if we did it this other way?”

January travel seminars face COVID difficulties

DRAKE SENIOR TAYLOR VROMAN’S positive COVID-19 test delayed her arrival in Ecuador for a travel seminar in January Term 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLOR VROMAN Mackenzie Swenson Staff Writer mackenzie.swenson@drake.edu

Dragging suitcases and bearing vaccination cards, January Term students departed for their destinations of Ecuador, Hungary, Costa Rica and many more. Because of COVID-related restrictions on international travel, one or two students would not be immediately joining the others on their originally planned flights, and one particular group of students was bound for Costa Rica rather than New Zealand.

Besides those few caveats, however, the students were set to spend a few safe and educational weeks abroad.

“Drake went into the programs knowing we had mitigated risks and prepared contingency plans to the best of our ability,” Executive Director of Global Engagement and International Affairs Annique Kiel said in an email.

“Ultimately, institutional leadership felt very confident the trips could proceed with minimal disruption even in the instance of positive COVID cases.”

For some of the students on Drake’s J-Term travel seminars, however, COVID had

other plans. Of the 122 students who participated in Drake’s travel seminars, three students tested positive prior to leaving the U.S., seven students tested positive during their programs and six tested positive while testing to re-enter the U.S. Combined, these figures amount to an overall positivity rate of 13.9 percent for students and program leaders.

Sophomore Tori Oliver tested positive a couple of days before her departure date from Hungary and was quarantined in her hotel room for five days.

Senior Taylor Vroman arrived in Ecuador three days after the rest of her group because she tested positive before her expected departure.

“You just have no control over anything,” Vroman said.

“It was a very weird time. I had never had COVID before that I knew of, and this was the most important time to test negative.”

Despite precautions, several students tested positive upon trying to either leave or return to the country. Of the three students who tested positive prior to departing the U.S., only one student was permitted to join the seminar group after testing negative, Kiel said.

Vroman was able to join her classmates on Jan. 7, three days after the rest of the

group. However, due to the last-minute flight rescheduling, Vroman paid more than $300 in additional fees.

“I was really lucky to test negative so soon and to be able to fly out and join them,” Vroman said.

Though her program was conducted through an external organization rather than Drake, Oliver was one of multiple students who were stranded abroad. Oliver had decided to register for the travel experience in Hungary after COVID restrictions forced Drake to switch the location of the seminar she had originally signed up for from New Zealand to Costa Rica. She said she and her roommate, who also tested positive, had groceries and medications delivered to their hotel room door for the duration of their quarantine.

“The hotel was very, very accommodating,” Oliver said.

“I’m not sure that the places in the U.S. would have done that. [The hotel] staff went out and ended up buying my cold medicine and bringing it back through an elaborate process of email and links and pictures.”

Some students and a program leader who participated in Drake’s theatre history seminar in London also had their departure plans derailed after

three students’ re-entry tests came back positive, Kiel said.

Following a five-day quarantine, students who tested positive were required to test negative twice within a 24-hour period in order to be released.

After testing positive again on the fifth day of quarantine, junior Jay Dichter spent an additional week in London past his expected departure. During part of this time, Dichter engaged in his classes virtually, despite time zone differences.

Oliver also attended online classes while quarantining in Hungary.

“I’m lucky [many classes] were 8 a.m. here, so it was about 3 p.m. there, but I do have a class that I got out of at 11 p.m.,” Oliver said. “[It] was a little tough to do stats at when I wanted to go to bed.”

In 2020 and 2021, Drake suspended all international J-Term travel seminars due to COVID concerns. With the virus still casting a shadow over travel opportunities— especially international travel opportunities—all participants in this year’s 10 international and domestic travel seminars were required to be fully vaccinated and boosted.

Additionally, participants needed to submit a negative COVID result prior to boarding

their flight.

“Drake’s decision to test all international participants was a risk mitigation effort, in part due to the fact that entry requirements for countries were changing daily and any country could add a negative test as a requirement for entry at the last minute,” Kiel said.

As the departure dates for the study abroad J-terms approached, Drake was closely monitoring the COVID situation in each respective country, Kiel said. So when a testing requirement was implemented on Dec. 6 for travelers in-bound to the U.S., Drake arranged for the students on all of the travel seminars to receive free testing while abroad.

“Drake covered the cost for testing it arranged and provided on behalf of the program participants,” Kiel said.

Despite multiple rounds of COVID testing and occasional delayed arrivals or extended stays, each of the students said they would recommend their travel seminar to interested students.

“It was an amazing trip,” Vroman said. “I mean, the Galapagos is any environmental scientist’s dream place to go.”

Maria Heath contributed reporting.

Drake Crew Scholars program to triple in size

THE CREW SCHOLARS PROGRAM is an academic, leadership and community group created for students of color to help each other succeed. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Nate Eisenmann Contributing Writer nate.eisenmann@drake.edu

For many students of color, attending a predominantly white institution (PWI) in the center of the Midwest can be challenging. Since its inception, Drake University’s Crew Scholars program has been tackling this issue. Now, Crew Scholars plans to expand from one cohort of 20 students to three cohorts, with a total of 6075 students.

Each cohort is made up of like-minded entering firstyear students from diverse backgrounds, and each student gets a staff or faculty member

mentor.

“It was really nice to have that support system of students who were equally concerned and could lean on each other for help,” said Aanika Pfister, a sophomore Crew member, about her first-year experience in the program.

These groups meet weekly for a one-credit course led by Director of Equity and Inclusion Jazlin Coley alongside a faculty member. The courses cover a multitude of topics, from assisting students adjusting to a PWI to simply struggling with homework in classes. The presence of Crew at Drake can be a deciding factor for many prospective students.

“As a Black person, I want to make sure my school at least has adequate representation and knows how to support students of color,” sophomore Crew member Munachi Okuagu said. “That was something that stood out [about Drake]. The other schools that I was looking at didn’t have a program of this caliber.”

Crew is designed to provide a robust support system for students of color at a PWI. Members of the program have said that it is effective.

“A lot of other schools want to advertise diversity but don’t do anything about it,” sophomore Areli Herrera said.

For Herrera, Crew is a safe place for discussion. “It’s mostly bonding and talking about what is bothering us.”

The expansion of Crew means that there will be up to three times as many members as there are now. In addition, three full-time faculty members will be hired to each facilitate one cohort of Crew alongside Coley, who will continue working with each cohort.

Also under the expansion will be more employment positions for junior and senior Crew members on campus to work in the Office of Equity and Inclusion and assist with each cohort. In order for the

program’s expansion to be successful, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion Jennifer Harvey said they need more faculty and staff mentors, and there is already a lot of interest.

She said that though success means more than keeping students at Drake, it’s clear that the program works wonders when it comes to retention.

“Retention numbers are incredible and graduation numbers are incredible,” Harvey said. “We know it’s effective.”

The 2021 three-year average retention rate is 88.5 percent for members of Crew compared to 74.8 percent for a comparison group of Black and Hispanic Drake first-year students not in Crew. By expanding Crew, more applicants will be accepted, and Harvey hopes more students of color will participate in the program.

“It has gotten more and more competitive. We have so many apply each year,” Harvey said.

“It’s just the right moment to [expand].”

One change made by Crew’s expansion is the removal of the Flight Program. This was a free program that allowed entering first-year students of color not involved in Crew to be a part of a cohort that doubled as a

First Year Seminar. Harvey said Flight was less successful in terms of retention.

“Instead of continuing Crew and Flight, we realized the resources were there to make [Crew] a three cohort program,” Harvey said.

Since the program has been successful, she now looks to share what Crew’s purpose is with more white students.

“It’s not about ‘there’s something wrong with students of color,’” Harvey said. “[We need to] undo some of the stereotypes of students of color in college that aren’t true.”

Harvey and Coley work together with Crew members and all Drake students to help create a stronger sense of unity between students of all backgrounds. Harvey said that the whole campus needs to be aware of Crew and its mission to help it succeed. According to Coley, Drake has set an example for other institutions through its development of Crew.

“With the announcement of the expansion, I’ve received a lot of messages and requests for conversation for starting similar programs at other universities,” Coley said. “The more people that you have behind this program provides more value for why we need these programs.”

03 | Features

Features

Feb. 09, 2022

Drake Theater to open with first devising theater show Courtney Jackson Staff Writer courtney.jackson@drake.edu

“Devising for the Future,” a collaborative piece created by its student cast, is set to open on Feb. 17, but there have been setbacks with the actors first getting together last week over Zoom.

Dina Perez, a senior studying musical theater with a music minor, is an assistant stage manager on this production.

She thinks that they are all in a good place despite the setbacks COVID-19 has presented.

“COVID has brought some setbacks in our process,” Perez said. “It really sucks to have to do a devised show online for the first week, considering it is very ensemble-based and even movement-based. This week, we started a hybrid rehearsal of some people in the space and some people online, and I think that’s really helped the ensemble feel more connected.”

This production was fully online for the first week of practice, having to rely on computer screens to communicate with each other.

Sa’daiveon Blanton-Newell, a sophomore majoring in theater acting and political science, is one of the actors involved in this production.

“Last week was by far the most interesting first week of rehearsal that I’ve ever had in my 12 years of doing theatre,” Blanton-Newell said. “We as a cast felt a bit stuck in the process as devised theatre is such a unique process compared to any other type of theatre.”

Blanton-Newell said that “tensions were high” due to the limited time to create a show.

“I am personally nervous looking towards opening because I feel that we are so behind in the process. In my opinion, having rehearsal over Zoom has hindered us quite a bit in this process.”

Devising theater is a collaboprative art form where the ensemble comes together to create a piece through the sharing of ideas improvisational work. In this show, there are 12 cast members.

“For a show of this nature, it is vital that we have a comfortable and dynamic culture amongst the cast,” Blanton-Newell said.

“It’s quite hard to do virtually, but I believe we’ve done a great job.”

While Blanton-Newell wasn’t the biggest fan of Zoom, he still felt that the cast and crew did everything to the best of their abilities, with Perez echoing those same praises.

“I think we are at a really good place, all things considered,” Perez said. “We have a really good cast who have been working very hard to stay on task, so we hit all our deadlines but don’t sacrifice their artistry by doing so. We of course do feel a little pressure since our other mainstage shows usually have longer rehearsal processes, but I’m confident this will be something great by opening night.”

This show will touch on all types of love and how it affects every one of us. The production is meant to spark endless conversation around the topic, and the cast hopes that everyone

THE CAST works with director John Graham to create a play. Collaboration and change can happen all the way up to opening night on Feb. 17. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA SCHOENE | FEATURES EDITOR

takes something away from it.

“The audience can expect a piece that all the cast members contributed to and care about,” Perez said. “These stories all really affect them personally,

and I think they’re excited to share their stories with others.”

“Devising for the Future” will be held virtually with the whole show being pre-recorded for audiences to enjoy. It will soon

be available to watch online with more information coming throughout the production process.

going home vs. staying on-campus: how students are handling second semester Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

While Drake University transitioned back to in-person classes this week, some students have chosen to stay remote.

The story begins and ends with COVID-19. With classes beginning in a virtual setting for these first two weeks, several students have decided to simply stay home rather than move back into their dormitories.

Grace Griffin, a firstyear student, said that she is staying home out of fear for an extension of our virtual period.

“I don’t want to move in with the off chance that we are sent home at the end of these two weeks,” Griffin said.

Griffin went on to explain that due to her theater major, she requires more space for her ballet practice — something her dorm cannot provide.

On the flip side, some students claim that the resources Drake offers, such as the Bell Center and the Olmsted Center, make on-campus life worth it even for the brief virtual period.

“One of the best positives to living on campus is access to the Bell Center because it

provides a free workout space in a nearby area,” said first-year Sydney Hermes. “I also enjoy Starbucks and Hubbell, as they provide readily available meals and coffee, which is essential to any study session.”

These students worry about what may come in the next month though, as several universities across the U.S. have already extended virtual periods deep into February. This would likely only occur if COVID case numbers on campus began to rise at an uncontrollable rate.

“I would be worried if our virtual time was extended … Using Zoom, much of our

discussion time is cut short, and these conversations would be more meaningful in a face-toface environment with room for student interaction,” said firstyear Ben Connolly.

In this unlikely scenario, students paint on-campus resources and relationships as their largest incentive to remain on university grounds. If these factors were hindered by future COVID-19 preventative measures, countless students may reconsider their choice to stay on campus.

“If this virtual period were extended, I would continue living on campus,” Hermes said.

“I want to make the most of the room and board payments that I’m making this spring along with continuing with the countless relationships I’ve built while on campus so far.”

For many, on-campus relationships are a major factor in deciding to stay in-person.

“If the virtual period was extended, I wouldn’t think twice about staying on campus for the duration of the period,” said Connolly. “I have so many social connections in the residence hall that are hard to keep when everyone is off-campus. I wouldn’t want to be separated from college friends.”

EVEN WHEN COOPED UP IN THEIR DORMS, Drake students seem drawn to the social atmosphere this campus has to offer. Despite spending two weeks in online classes with a lack of in-person activities, students are banking on their interpersonal connections as the end-all-be-all to their COVID-19 decisions. Despite the struggles thrown at Drake, the overwhelming sense of community built by its students stands immune. PHOTO BY RACHEL JALLOWAY | STAFF WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER

04 | Features

fsl enters JD Snover Staff Writer jd.snover@drake.edu

For the leaders of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) at Drake, the hustle keeps going when it comes to recruitment.

With a new semester rolling, the opportunities to get involved in FSL are bountiful. Assistant Dean of Students Rudy Trejo, who also directs FSL at Drake, said this spring is about making up ground.

“Without new members, we can not have a robust fraternity and sorority life,” Trejo said. “This past fall’s Formal Fall Recruitment was not as successful as years past, and so Spring Recruitment is important to make gains that were lost, not just this past fall but from the past couple of years.”

For each of the three divisions of FSL, this process looks a little different. Trejo said that it’s up to the sororities to plan their own Spring Recruitment.

“Our Panhellenic chapters each host Spring Recruitment differently,” Trejo said. “They participate in something they call continuous open bidding [COB].

This means that each of our five chapters can continuously recruit, and there isn’t a hard week and each chapter recruits in a manner that fits them best. At Drake, a chapter’s membership cannot exceed 100, so the number of bids each sorority can extend depends on what their current membership count is.”

For Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi), one of the five sororities on Drake’s campus, this semester’s goal is to continue to connect with the women on Drake’s campus.

For Vice President of Recruitment Katherine Bruening, it’s also about continuing to diversify her sorority’s membership.

“At ADPi, we pride ourselves on having a mix of members from different backgrounds, life experiences and majors,” Bruening said. “COB is a great opportunity for us to gain more members and increase our diversity even more.”

Bruening said for Alpha Delta Pi, this process consists of group events as well as one-onone meetings between potential new members and existing

Features

Feb. 09, 2022

2nd round of recruitment

members.

“Our recruitment team has been working hard to plan fun and unique events for potential new members, including a Galentines event and a Bob Ross painting party,” Bruening said. “We are also setting up coffee dates where anyone interested can have a one-onone conversation with one of our members. These are a great way to really get to know us as a chapter and talk about our values and what our chapter means to us.”

For the men, recruitment this spring will look a little different than it has in the past.

According to Trejo, this is due to the Interfraternity Council stepping up to help its chapters plan.

“This year, the Interfraternity Council is really taking the lead in coordinating a Spring Recruitment. Council leadership has stressed the importance of recruitment to the chapters and wants to extend as much help as possible,” Trejo said.” I’m glad the council is taking the lead in this, but, as the saying goes, ‘you can lead a horse to water, but, you cannot make it drink’ … IFC can do all it can, but recruitment and its success ultimately lies with our chapters.”

For Colin Rodine, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, recruitment is about the fraternity extending their reach on campus and continuing to make an impact in men’s lives.

“This is a time where we are able to reach out to the Drake community and expand our brotherhood,” Rodine said. “Drake’s campus is filled with exceptional people, and recruitment is our way of reaching those people. SigEp is nothing without the people within it, and every year, we look for the next group to build SigEp’s future, a future guided on becoming the best version of one’s self.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Vice President of Recruitment Jason May said that recruitment is not only about the chapter, but also about the potential new members.

“Recruitment is not just about growing our chapter, but it’s also about giving young men the opportunity to grow and develop in social and professional settings,” May

ALPHA DELTA PI SORORITY, as well as other Drake University sororities and fraternities, advertises the Continuous Open Recruitment through their instagram story, providing information and a Q&A session for potential new members. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ALPHA DELTA PI SORORITY

said.

Trejo said Drake’s National Panhellenic Conference, also known as the Divine Nine historically African American chapters, will also be recruiting early this semester. “[These] chapters are

completely autonomous and conduct what they call “intake” independently,” Trejo said.

Ultimately, Trejo wants to see effort and success from Drake FSL this spring.

“All our chapters have to understand that they need

to put effort and energy into Spring Recruitment and not put all their eggs in the Formal Fall Recruitment basket,” Trejo said.

Drake Relays traditions to make a full return in 2022 Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

In their first executive meeting of the semester on Jan. 31, the Drake Student Activities Board (SAB) announced that all Drake Relays campus traditions are scheduled to make a full return this spring.

After two years of the Relays festivities being canceled due to COVID-19, members of the SAB executive board said they are thrilled to be preparing for the activities to be fully in-person again.

“Following the University guidelines which are in place right now, it seems as though the Relays are going to be much closer to normal than we originally were expecting,” SAB President Maddie Haun said.

“Everyone is very excited for a quote/unquote “normal Relays” because we haven’t had that since 2019.”

Many of the specifics for the scheduled Relays activities are being kept secret by SAB to increase anticipation.

“Although we can’t share details quite yet, I think the

student body will be excited to see some traditional events coming back as well as a few new ones,” Relays co-chair Ashley Johnson said. “My cochair Anna George and I have been planning Relays since August and I am absolutely ecstatic to see everything come to life.”

“Everyone is very excited for a quote/ unquote “normal Relays” because we haven’t had that since 2019.”

SAB has also already booked the artist that will be headlining the annual Friday night concert.

Though no official contract has been signed, bands co-chair Emy Hayes said plans will be finalized once they have found an individual student or band to be the concert’s opening act.

In addition to preparations for Relays Week, SAB’s first meeting involved discussion about the other activities they have chosen to host this

semester. These events include a collaborative drag show with Drake’s Rainbow Union sometime in March, a campus Earth Day celebration during Drake’s Earth Week, and a mental health speaker series scheduled for early April.

“I think something that we did well last semester was our intention, as in, being intentional about having quality programming rather than having a large quantity of events we aren’t as passionate about,” said President Haun.

“Passion and intention are going to be key for the SAB in this upcoming semester, too.”

The last action item in SAB’s Jan. 31 meeting was the induction of two executive board members: Maria Husting as the new entertainment cochair and Maddi Cave as the new digital media co-chair.

“My role is basically to plan events that boost school morale and spirit,” Husting said of her new position. “I feel this board is a way I can start to really feel connected in this school, all while helping others love Drake University the way I do.”

05 | Sports

Feb. 09, 2022

Sports

Men’s basketball:77-68 victory against Loyola, loses to UNI

THE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM beat Loyola University 77-68 on Sunday, Jan. 30, with a current record of 8-3 in the MVC. Libby Helverson Contributing Writer libby.helverson@drake.edu

Drake’s men’s basketball team took on Loyola University in the Knapp center Sunday, Jan. 30. The Bulldogs beat Loyola 77-68, which tied them for first place in the Missouri Valley standings.

Drake is 8-3 and in third place in the Missouri Valley Conference as of Monday, Feb. 7.

D.J. Wilkins led Drake with 20 points. Tucker DeVries and Garrett Sturtz had 13 each.

ShanQuan Hemphill, also known as “Tank,” added 10 points. Finally, Darnell Brodie had nine points and 10 boards for the Bulldogs.

“The whole team bought into

our strategy of play tonight,” DeVries said. “The goal was to outplay them and work harder than they did.”

Conor Enright didn’t play, as he has decided to take a redshirt year his freshman season. That doesn’t stop him from having an impact on the team and knowing his role.

“I help the team prepare and focus on the little details during scout team,” Enright said. “I bring high levels of energy and competitiveness to the team every day.”

The top two teams play again on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Bulldogs head to Loyola before the MVC tournament.

“The local support is amazing,” DeVries said.

“Especially being from here and seeing all the fans come

to support us is cool. The atmosphere was a lot of fun and played a big part in the game. I feed off the crowd and use it for energy and excitement to find that extra gear.”

If Drake continues trending in this direction and stays healthy, they could compete in March Madness.

“To get to March Madness, we must keep doing the little things that win us games in practice, on and off the court,” said Jonah Jackson, senior guard. “Continue with our good habits and take it one game at a time.”

DeVries wasn’t active on the team when they made it to March Madness, but he said he enjoyed watching the team make it into the tournament.

“It was a cool and exciting

PHOTOS BY PAIGE JANSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

experience to watch from the bench and see first-hand what I have been dreaming of my whole life,” DeVries said.

After the Loyola game, Drake also played Indiana State on Feb. 2 and the University of Northern Iowa on Feb. 5. Drake beat Indiana 85-67, but lost to UNI 74-69.

In the Indiana State game the starting five players for Drake scored in the double digits.

Senior guard Roman Penn moved into third in assists in program history with 380 after nabbing a season high of six assists in the game.

Drake was able to tie up the UNI game in the last 40 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime. However, the Bulldogs missed their first nine shots in extra time, leading to

Preview of Super Bowl LVI: Rams vs Bengals

UNI winning at home.

DeVries led Drake with 15 points in the overtime loss to UNI and Wilkins trailed with 13 points. This game was also the sixth time this season Drake had five players score in double figures.

Drake’s season high fourgame winning streak was snapped in this loss as well.

Drake was 12-of-17 from the free throw line, while UNI was 24-of-26.

The Bulldogs will next play Missouri State on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Roger Knapp Center.

Lia Reichmann contributed to reporting this story.

Sports Results Men’s Basketball Feb. 5 vs UNI Drake loses 69-74 Feb. 2 at Indiana State Drake wins 85-67 Jan. 30 vs Loyola Drake wins 77-68

Women’s Basketball Feb. 6 vs Loyola Drake wins 84-76 Feb. 4 vs Valparaiso Postponed SUPER BOWL LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium, the home for the L.A. Rams and Chargers. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

It’s that time of year. The Super Bowl is upon us and I’ve never been more excited for it. Although my Packers unfortunately lost in heartbreaking fashion during the Divisional round, I can put aside that pain and look towards this year’s Super Bowl.

Just looking at this year’s playoffs, I can honestly say they were the most competitive games I have seen in a few years. The two top seeded teams, the Titans and Packers, lost in the Divisional round, multiple game-winning field goals, and a game decided by a coin toss (Bills vs Chiefs).

Because of these results on playoff weekend, I think this Super Bowl matchup of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, while slightly unexpected, will be thrilling.

The Bengals had such an

impressive run in the playoffs, knocking off the No. 1 seed in the Tennessee Titans and then going on the road again to beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. This team is the epitome of calm and collected, ignoring those that call them underdogs and trying to prove them wrong. I’ve never seen a young quarterback be so unfazeable and Burrows is just what Cincinnati needed in a franchise quarterback.

Before the playoffs, the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game in three decades and had five straight losing seasons before this year. They knew when they should heat up and really hit their stride, which many teams strive for come playoff time. This team doesn’t feel like a fluke and whether or not they win next Sunday, I think Bengals fans should have a lot of optimism in future years.

The ceiling and possibilities are limitless as long as the Bengals have Burrows and Ja’Marr

Chase on their team.

As someone who has seen Matthew Stafford play in Detroit for 13 years, I feel like he deserves all of the success he has gotten in L.A. He’s suffered years of ineptitude in head-coaching (i.e. Matt Patricia), ownership and with the lack of talent around him.

I’m happy that he has an opportunity to show people that he’s a genuinely good football player. I thought people were underestimating him because he played in Detroit. This Rams team on paper looks elite. They have one of the best defenses with Aaron Donald eating up offensive lines and Jalen Ramsey patrolling the secondary, but they have a highpowered offense with Stafford and Cooper Kupp creating an explosive duo. Not only that, but the Rams have picked up some big name free agents during the season, most notably Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. who is showing maybe it is

Baker’s fault for Cleveland’s lack of success.

Cincinnati DC Lou Anarumo surprised me when he showed off his football IQ. The Bengals defense was able to befuddle Andy Reid and the Chiefs by not rushing Mahomes and prioritizing the pass defense. If they are able to figure out how to stop Sean Mcvay and force Stafford into making mistakes, the Rams can lose. Between these two teams, it seems like the Rams have less weaknesses and their defensive line is crazy good. They have a good chance to dominate the Bengals O-line, which allowed nine sacks against the Titans.

Overall, this matchup is going to be a difference of which team can create mistakes and which team can capitalize on it. Games like this are won and lost on the smallest of margins so every detail is critical.

Super Bowl LVI will take place on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. Central.

Jan. 29 at Illinois State Drake loses 58-70

Men’s Tennis Feb. 6 at Wisconsin Drake loses 3-4 Feb. 4 at Vanderbilt Drake loses 14-21 Jan. 29 at Nebraska Drake loses 3-4 Jan. 28 vs Northern Illinois Postponed

Women’s Tennis Feb. 5 vs Nebraska Kearney Drake wins 4-3 Jan. 29 vs Wichita State Drake wins 4-2

06 | Sports

Sports

Feb. 9, 2022

Brian Flores lawsuit highlights how nothing has changed in NFL Lia Reichmann Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu

Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three other teams–the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins–citing racial discrimination in hiring practices in a class action lawsuit.

The lawsuit is 58-pages and was filed in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 1 Flores was fired by the Dolphins at the end of the season despite going 8-1 in the final nine games and leading the Dolphins to consecutive winning seasons. They finished the season 9-8, and last year 106. This was the Dolphins’ first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003.

Yes, his record in three seasons was only 24-25, but he was loved by his players and brought leadership to a franchise that has been pretty mediocre. His firing was definitely surprising to many people as it seemed the Dolphins were making some progress. Even though his record wasn’t great, finishing a season so strong is encouraging to the fanbase, players and normally the organization.

In the suit, he said he was “humiliated in the process as the New York Giants subjected him to a sham interview in an

attempt to appear to provide a Black candidate with a legitimate chance at obtaining the job.”

He also alleges that in 2019 Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to incentivize him with $100,000 for every loss that season. Basically, he wanted him to tank in order to get a higher draft pick.

Ross also allegedly pressured Flores at the end of the 2019 season into recruiting a “prominent quarterback”.

Flores refused to do so as doing this would violate the NFL’s tampering rules. According to the suit, Ross invited Flores onto a yacht for lunch the next year and had that quarterback there for an unplanned meeting.

Flores said he refused to go with the meeting and left.

One of the bigger allegations in the suit is about the New York Giants. Flores interviewed with the Giants last month for their head coach position. He alleges that the interview was a sham and was only done to comply with the Rooney Rule.

The Rooney Rules went into effect in 2003 and requires teams to interview candidates of color for coaching and senior operation vacancies.

Flores even gave receipts to this alleged sham interview, sharing screenshots of a text conversation with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. In the screenshot, Belichick is texting

SCREENSHOTS OF A CONVERSATION between Bill Belichick and Flores seemed to confirm Flores’ accusation of undergoing sham coaching interviews. PHOTO FROM FLORES’ LAWSUIT

with Flores and congratulates him on getting the Giants job. However, Flores was still traveling for the interview that was going to take place later, and he realized that Belichick accidentally texted him instead of Brian Daboll, the person who would get the Giants headcoaching job.

The NFL has, unsurprisingly, vehemently denied all of the charges.

A league that is overwhelmingly made up of African American/POC athletes should not have such a lack of diversity in coaching and positions of leadership.

However, the NFL is an ownerrun league and only Shad Khan, the Jacksonville Jaguars owner, is the only majority owner that is not white. There are a lot of black assistant coaches that are long-overdue in getting a shot at being a head coach, yet never do. Names like Eric Bieniemy and Byron Leftwhich are constantly circulated every year, have a resume better than many coaches, yet never get hired. There really is no other reason than them being black that has left them on the sidelines during the coachinghiring cycle.

When the Rooney Rule was first established, there were three black head coaches. Now there is only one, the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin. Although this rule was created with good intentions, it’s clear that many teams overlook it and interview a few minority coaches just to not raise suspicions. Owners use the rule to make it seem like they care about diversity and inclusion It’s hard to argue against Flores’ allegations. Let’s look at one team, the Detroit Lions.

Their head coaching practices in recent years are a little headscratching to me. In 2017, the Lions fired Jim Caldwell after four years (2014-2017) of being their head coach. While there the Lions accumulated a 3628 record, a winning record in three of his four seasons and had two playoff appearances.

His last two seasons he went 9-7, which is actually quite

BRIAN FLORES, former Dolphin’s head coach sued the NFL and three teams for racial discrimination in their hiring practices on Tuesday, Feb. 2. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

impressive considering the talent in Detroit. His winning percentage is the best of any Lions coach since the 1950s.

Since his firing, the Lions have gone 17-46 and have had only white coaches. The coach that came a month after him was “defensive guru” Matt Patricia.

Patricia came in as first-time head coach and left three years later with a lovely record of 13-29-1. This man was so bad that he has the fourth worst winning percentage in Lions franchise history in the Super Bowl Era. How can a coach this bad keep his job, yet another one who happens to be black loses his job after back-to-back winning seasons? It’s genuinely mind-boggling and overt how the Ford family did this. It always seems that not only are black head coaches not getting the support they need or are rightfully allowed to ask for, but they lose their job at the drop of the hat while awful white head coaches can continue with years of ineptitude.

Look at the Texans as well.

Although they hired Lovie Smith on February 7, they seriously considered hiring Josh McCown, who I have nothing against and think he’s a nice guy, who spent 16 years rotating through the league mainly as a

backup quarterback. McCown since retiring has never had a coaching position at any level.

I mean I know the Texans as an organization sucks, but it’s like they were trying to do everything in their power to avoid hiring a competent black head coach. Thankfully Smith, although mildly surprising, has a pretty good resume and is capable of being a head coach in the NFL, will they turn the Texans around? Who knows.

Flores’ lawsuit is opening up the NFL and its’ owners to scrutiny like never before. This lawsuit and the subsequent information we get could change the NFL and shake the foundation of this league, hopefully for the better. The NFL needs to get rid of the Rooney Rule as it is not doing anything, and is actually hurting hiring purposes, and needs to really investigate how to fix things. They need to do better than giving empty promises, which seems like the case every time something controversial happens.

Transparency is needed and there needs to be more oversight, whether from a newly formed diversity and inclusion team or some other organization.

Introducing the new women’s tennis assistant coach

JAMES MCMANUS was recently hired as an assistant coach for the women’s tennis team. He previously coached at Harvard. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Darinka Stepan Staff Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

Kristina Lott became the new head coach for Drake’s women’s tennis team after Mai-ly Tran left to coach Colorado State’s women’s tennis team.

With this new head coaching change came other recent hires including new assistant coach, James McManus. McManus started with the Bulldogs in early January of this year.

Prior to coming to Drake, McManus was a volunteer coach at Harvard University with their women’s tennis team as well as being a head coach for the tennis team at Waterloo West in their spring season for 2019.

McManus also played college tennis for both Coe College and the University of Nebraska-

Omaha. While at Coe College, McManus had a singles record of 18-4.

“My favorite part of college tennis was competing each weekend and traveling with my team,” McManus said. “I met lifetime friends who I still talk to daily.”

Prior to playing at the collegiate level, McManus won a state single championship title in the 1A class in the state of Iowa.

McManus said his favorite collegiate memory was taking a spring break trip, traveling with his team to Florida during his senior year.

Last season, the Drake women’s tennis team had a great season, making history by earning a spot in the NCAA after winning their conference tournament for the first time in 20 years.

McManus was drawn to Drake by more than just the team’s positive results from last season.

“I chose to coach at Drake because I have family that lives in Des Moines and growing up in the state, Drake has always had a great reputation for both academics and athletics,” McManus said. “Once I saw the head coach’s impressive resume, I was sold that I was getting myself into a great opportunity.”

After having a solid collegiate career, McManus decided to stay with collegiate athletics for the team atmosphere.

“I became a college coach because winning as a team is very rewarding as opposed to having one of your junior academy players winning a tournament individually,” McManus said.

“Fantasy football is my favorite hobby, and building a college

tennis team isn’t a ton different.

I’ve always had a team first mentality growing up playing other sports.”

Even though the Bulldogs have had just a couple of matches so far this season and about two months of practice, McManus has some great goals for the Bulldogs to accomplish this season as well as a couple of seasons into the future.

“We have a very talented group of girls this year on our team, and I see us having a great chance to make it back to NCAA’s this year, and potentially reaching a top 50 national ranking in the next few years,” McManus said.

McManus said he has enjoyed his time working with the women’s tennis team due to their positivity every day to improve as well as how they handle themselves in matches.

“My favorite part of working with the team is coaching the girls during big points at dual matches and trying my best to coach the best play for the situation,” McManus said.

Senior Kelsey Neville said she is grateful that McManus has joined the coaching staff for the women’s team.

“It’s great to have James as our assistant coach; he shows up to practice every day with a great plan to help us improve,” Neville said. “He also brings great energy to our dual matches. I’m excited to see what the rest of the season looks like for us.”

The Bulldogs are currently 4-2 and will next play against Iowa State University on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.

07 | Commentary

Commentary

Feb. 09, 2022

Coarse discourse: civility gone way of the dodo bird Chris Veninga Staff Writer chris.veninga@drake.edu

What’s the most shocking belief a person you know holds?

Think about it for a second. Do they believe the moon landing was fake? That reptilian aliens are living on Earth in the form of the Queen of England or Mark Zuckerberg? That 5G towers cause COVID? I can’t help but think of all the crazy things people I know have said to me regarding their beliefs. Some of it is conspiracy theories, some of it is political, some of it is superficial and some of it is just outright weird.

For example, I know a person who is likely reading this article who believes “The Last Jedi” is a good movie, which I think is a pretty strange belief. Then again, I think “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is pretty awful, so maybe I’m the weird one.

We live in a world where each person holds at least one belief very dear to their heart.

Have you ever engaged in an argument with someone over their beliefs? Was it political?

Social? Religious? What movies are good and what movies are bad?

When I was in high school I got into some pretty spirited debates over morality, religion, politics, social systems and pop culture. If it’s a valid topic, I probably got into an argument with someone over it.

Philosophy and beliefs were big at the Christian school I went to. But the one thing that sticks with me to this day is the phrase that I heard not only in high school but just about anywhere: “How could you be so stupid to believe that?”

Now, there are some genuinely stupid and immoral beliefs out there, don’t get me wrong. Some beliefs that extremists hold have caused untold amounts of damage and tragedy over the millenia. But in our world, especially with its interconnectedness and the tense days we live in, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people call each other stupid,

CHICKENS SQUABBLING OVER A KERNEL OF CORN... to think the Socratic debates of yore will return is sanguine. Today’s debates have devolved into ad hominem catfighting, the participants slinging invectives at each other like a barbaric game of dodgeball.

One pacifist writer exhorts his peers to follow the Principle of Charity, pouring oil on troubled waters. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR

awful, or other terrible names.

Whenever I go on social media platforms or any other type of media, people are genuinely surprised that someone dares to have an opposing belief.

Whether that be sports, movies, social justice, or politics, we as humans become baffled when we are exposed to opposing viewpoints. This has caused so much screaming, fighting and tension among communities and families that lives have been ruined and families torn apart merely because of different beliefs.

For example, I’m sure you have had at least one dispute

with either a pro- or anti-COVID vaccine person. Maybe it was a perfectly normal conversation.

Or maybe it got ugly and heated.

I’ve had both. I’ve noticed so many pro-vaxxers call antivaxxers stupid and vice-versa. If there’s anything these vaccines have taught us, we Americans certainly like getting up in a fuss about things, no matter which side you are on.

But, if I was able to say one thing on all media platforms for all the world to see, it would be, “Have you ever considered that the other side believes their belief just as hard as you do yours?” Yelling and screaming

at someone isn’t going to change their minds. Hearing them out and respecting them and their opinions while leaving room for healthy debate (sometimes) can.

I’m not saying I’m perfect.

I’ve gotten into some pretty heated arguments and walked away going “Man, that person’s an idiot.” And you know what?

I’m sure they thought the same thing about me. But I’m so tired of this yelling and screaming that doesn’t seem to solve or resolve anything. Both people just walk away angry and nothing positive was gained by having the conversation in the

first place.

I was eating lunch with my buddy who thinks “The Last Jedi” is a good movie. We got into a discussion about COVID and how it should be handled, and I specifically remember him saying when we disagreed on something “Hey, it’s a conversation. That’s how conversations work.” I truly do feel if we had that mindset, we’d be a lot further in this world, and frankly, there would probably be a lot fewer hurt feelings and broken communities.

Yik Yak back: forum for slander and attack?

Olivia Klassen Staff Writer olivia.klassen@drake.edu

On a Sunday night, one of my close friends had asked me if I remembered or heard of Yik Yak, to which I answered “no” and asked them what it was. It was that night that I had taken a deep dive into the addiction hole of Yik Yak, which leads me to consider myself somewhat of a Yakspert (Yik Yak Expert.)

If you haven’t heard, Yik Yak has reanimated and found itself rampaging through Drake.

Some students are in favor of it, some can’t even download it and from what it seems, faculty and administration reach for a bottle of ibuprofen when the “yak” is mentioned.

For android users, or those unaware, Yik Yak functions very closely to an “anonymous” Twitter. The only thing you have to identify yourself is an assigned emoji with a colored background, that can be changed at any time. The original poster (OP) makes a post and sends it out to the herd, which is anywhere within a five mile radius of your location, and then other users in the five mile radius can read, comment, upvote, or downvote it.

Retweeting and liking the yak are combined in the upvote button and the more upvotes the yak gets, the more Yakarma the OP gets. I have no clue what Yakarma does other than measure my addiction to the app. The real kicker is the downvote button; once a Yak gets five downvotes, it is removed.

Now, you might be thinking that Yik Yak sounds like a fun place to speak your mind or that it’s a fertile breeding ground for chaos, and the answer to that is, yes it is. Giving a bunch of “young adults” an anonymous app that takes three seconds to send anything and everything that comes from their brain, and then allowing them to interact with each other on it in comments is the recipe for creating an environment that’s decently close to the meme with the dog sitting at the coffee table saying “this is fine.”

Drake Yik Yak has been used so much in the few months that it has lore, and if you don’t know what lore is, ask Urban Dictionary. The lore has gone from Andrew Garfield being on campus to name-dropping Drake students and faculty.

The thing that keeps Drake Faculty and administration in a constant state of headache is the negative elements of the app.

Name dropping of students with misinformation, the rumors of ALL the places students may or may not have engaged in sexual activities on campus and flat out lies about the university and faculty are only a few of the incidents that I’ve caught in my time on the app.

People don’t think that the things they Yak have real-life effects (and if they know, they just don’t care) and it could end up hurting the fellow app users. I know that I, for one, have noticed that I can get quite aggressive when my name isn’t attached to the words that I’m typing. People can hate on an emoji that has the same ideas as

A MODERN-DAY STANLEY MILGRAM EXPERIMENT, this contentious social media platform has percolated into the Drake milieu. With only a crumb of accountability for its users, Yik Yak wields virtually unchecked sovereignty over opinion. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

me without hating me, Liv, the person.

It’s a perpetual hell of everyone on the app simultaneously hating and liking everything. Yik Yak also satisfies a craving to be agreed with and liked by a crowd of people. Even if one of your Yaks got downvoted enough to be removed, another might have 37 upvotes, and they have no clue that it’s you who created both.

Yik Yak content isn’t always negative and chaotic, sometimes it can be useful. Someone Yaks the weather every morning, people ask questions on Yik Yak

they may be too shy to ask with their name attached to it and for the most part get good answers to it, and another user yaks the Wordle answers in emojis.

The few good things that come from Yik Yak are enough to keep some people, but I personally stay for, and I’ll admit, create (a very small amount of) chaos. It’s fun to read some of the otherworldly rumors of Drake Yak, and it’s even more fun to imagine the administration reading it.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the name dropping and professor dissing is a little too far, but you can’t help but laugh

when you read, “Is Howard even a real building here on campus?

I feel like it’s as real as Marty Martin”(anon.)

It’ll be interesting to see how Yik Yak continues to work its way into Drake culture in its time, is it just one short resurgence, or is it here to stay? How many other people will download it because their friends asked if they had yet and fall down the addiction hole like myself? Will there be any changes in the way Drake is run because of the complaints of the students on the Yak? I suppose only time will tell.

08 | Commentary

Commentary

Feb. 09, 2022

in defense of chardonnay

SEEN AS THE ANIMA OF SUAVE MEN, this libation is regnant in circles of bacchanalia; however, its reputation is equivocal. Is it the social lubricant of glib cads, or is it deserving of its veneration? One intrepid contrarian seeks to vindicate the drink with a Britannica of backstory. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS David Wang Contributing Writer ruoshi.wang@drake.edu

Without, the night was ruthless and cold, but in the inviting ambience of Django at 1420 Locust St., the lights were dimmed, and the artificial candle flickered brightly.

Smitten by my company’s stunning look and wallowing in my crapulence from the night before, I had set out my mind on something refreshing. After a brief tête-à-tête with the server to showcase my boundless wine knowledge, I nominated a good ole Californian oaked Chardonnay to be the antidote to my crippling indecision.

“I never took you for a Chard guy,” she quipped dismissively.

Although my snobbish obsession with matching wine and food has deteriorated for good, her remarks still sent me into sobbing disintegration: am I so out of touch with reality?

And more importantly, what is the stigma behind guys drinking chardonnay? Troubled with the lingering thought for God-know-how-many sleepless nights, I decided to take my fight to pen down my defense

for Chardonnay.

Originated in a small village of Chardonnay in France, the name Chardonnay meant “place of thistles” – thistle has been Scotland’s national emblem for many centuries and is one of the most well-known symbols of Scotland, among the likes of Harry Potter and deep-fried Mars bar.

Jingoistic sentiment aside, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, sparkling Blanc de Blanc to rich, buttery creamy glassful of white aged in oak barrels. Brought across the Atlantic by the Wente family, Chardonnay is now the most widely planted white grape variety and the most celebrated in Bridget Jones’ Diaries.

Following her disappointments in her arduous quest for love, Jones took refuge in a disastrous amount of wine, often Chardonnay.

“Chardonnay has made some of the world’s greatest wines.

Everyone appreciated it – until Bridget Jones.” Said renowned wine ponce Oz Clarke.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Jones did not do much for early 2000s feminism. She did even less for Chardonnay.

As it became increasingly

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

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associated with heartbreaks and semi-alcoholic binges, the untrendiness of Chardonnay persisted.

“Unlike the French who raved about their terroir and soil in which someone’s grandfather was buried, American winemakers have been taking on a more scientific and industrious attempt to paint Chard in a new light.”

Back to the land of the free, unlike the overly intellectual French with their silly Appellations and communist tendencies, liberated Californian wine makers A.K.A billionaires took a different approach to wine making.

Capitalizing on big screen and marketing, they were able to confer those sipping a sense of sophistication and culture.

Not the most pressing social conundrums we are facing today, the marketing efforts

did stoke consumer interests, and as young wine drinkers went off Chardonnay en masse, those evil conglomerates followed. The likes of 2-buckChuck saturated the market with cheap, disposable bottles of sugary juice to pander to a generation of youth that salt their wines with tears while deciding all men are awful. The profits raked in so high even Donald Trump has a winery in Virginia producing some of the most hideous chardie, which might have prevented taking John Denver home.

The outlook of wine drinking among younger guys presents a less sanguine picture that was faced with resistance from a class of recalcitrant flannelwearers sloshing on name brand lagers, which was turned into mindless disdain, forged into blissfully ignorant stigma that masculinity is insoluble in a glass of Chardonnay.

Frankly speaking, I do not blame them. With the didactic and dogmatic format of wine tasting along a sea of wine ponces on YouTube preaching what to do and not to do, wine tasting turned into pontificating about wines and terroir on some chalky soil, where one awaits to

one up another.

With the wine experts lamenting the plethora of cheap Chardie, which was the very existence that introduced more people to drink and establish a culture of wine drinking that allows the arty farty stuff to exist, it plagues those vulnerable minds scouring for answers on the internet.

Unlike the French who raved about their terroir and soil in which someone’s grandfather was buried, American winemakers have been taking on a more scientific and industrious attempt to paint Chard in a new light. From Paso Robles California to Long Island, New York, Chardonnay shines in sensuous vanilla creaminess as much as flintier fruity elegance. It should be drunk rather than articulated upon, and I believe it has a purpose and place especially amongst youth – whether or not you impress the girl you met on tinder by self-inflicting to be the next wine connoisseur.

Or you can simply and proudly say that you are the Chard guy.

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