HUNDREDS rally outside the Iowa State Capitol on Feb. 12 to demand Republican legislators to keep collective bargaining rights in place as they are.
PHOTO COURTESY JOSH HUGHES
THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University
Vol. 136 | No. 16 | Wed. Feb. 22, 2017 timesdelphic.com
LOCAL NEWS
STUDENT SENATE
Students make their voice heard in Des Moines Student Katherine Bauer News Editor katherine.bauer@drake.edu @bauer_katherine Most students on Drake’s campus are aware of being ‘Drake busy.’ But a handful of students are balancing and prioritizing their day to make it to the Iowa State Capitol quite frequently this semester. From teachers’ rallies to women’s marches, collective bargaining rallies and immigration ban protests, students have found plenty of ways to be engaged off Drake’s campus. “It’s important to me to have a position where I’m fighting for these issues,” said Grace Rogers, a senior public relations and political science double major. “Part of it is just making sure I’m staying up to date and getting the experience with these issues as they happen.” Rogers has attended subcommittee hearings at the Capitol on a bill looking to discourage sanctuary cities and campuses, as well as collective bargaining public hearings on changes to unions’ ability to negotiate pay, insurance and other benefits with state employers. She also advocates for Planned Parenthood; she started interning there in January. Rogers said she joins causes against legislation she feels targets specific groups of people. “It’s important that everybody has the same opportunities as everyone else,” Rogers said. “When you’re little they teach you the golden rule, ‘Treat others how you want to be treated.’ That’s part of my guiding value. As part of that, most of these bills are targeted at treating a subgroup of people differently from everyone else.” Josh Hughes is frequently found on Capitol Hill, as well. The sophomore is working as a clerk for representatives and splits his time between class and paperwork. Yet, he said he tries to make it to every protest and rally he can. Hughes has attended an Iowans for public education rally, the public hearing on collective bargaining, the subcommittee on the sanctuary city bill and hearings on defunding Planned Parenthood. “I’m from Iowa, so I have a really strong connection with this state,” Hughes said. “I’m deeply
invested in what goes on at the Capitol.” While Hughes’ roots are deep in Iowa soil, he said those from out of state also have an obligation to make Des Moines and the state better. “It’s really important to get off campus and into the community,” Hughes said. “Regardless of whether you’re going to stay in Iowa or not, or if you’re from
Iowa or not, when you’re at Drake you’re basically a citizen of Iowa for four years. It’s important that we as Drake students get out of that bubble and work to help this community that we’ve chosen to come inhabit for four years.” Rogers has taken this belief to heart. Originally from Lenexa, Kansas, Rogers said she thinks her advocacy work should take place in the middle of Iowa.
“I vote in Iowa, which is part of the reason why I think it’s important my activism happens here,” Rogers said. “These are people that I voted for, and these are people who are supposed to represent me.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
senate approves Libertarian student organization Jake Bullington Digital Editor jacob.bullington@drake.edu @jakebullington Student senate approved a total of six motions, including a motion approving Drake’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) as a recognized student group. The Libertarian advocacy group was founded by the party’s champion, Ron Paul in 2008, and claims more than 800 chapters have been established at college campuses across the country, according to their website. The proposal for organizational status reads that YAL “intends to spread Libertarianism in the greater Des Moines area and Drake campus.” President of Drake’s YAL chapter, first-year Jake Dorsch said that they currently have eight active members, but hope to expand the group through bringing elected officials and candidates to speak to students. “We had a state senator come by, a house candidate, a couple political activists, everything,” Dorsch said, citing some of the events Drake’s YAL chapter has put on thus far. Senator Grace Rogers asked Dorsch what he looked to gain from having YAL become an official organization on campus. “I think that I was kind of annoyed when I first came here, because there’s only Democrats and Republicans represented at Drake University and I believe we need to hear more voices,” Dorsch said. Dorsch also stated that there are YAL chapters at Iowa State, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Coe College. There was a consensus among senators about the desire to bring more political ideologies to campus. Senator AJ Treiber also supported approving YAL for Drake’s campus. “I think it’s a great idea to have more political discussion on campus,” Treiber said.
EDUCATORS and advocates protested changes to collective bargaining last week. PHOTO BY KATHERINE BAUER | NEWS EDITOR
twitter: @timesdelphic | instagram: @draketimesdelphic | facebook: Times-Delphic
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2