The Times-Delphic (09.07.16)

PHOTO BY PRANEETH RAJSINGH | PHOTO EDITOR

Drake and Quincy University football players watch as a Quincy field goal attempt sails toward the uprights. Read more on page 11.

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University

Vol. 136 | No. 2 | Wed. Sept. 07, 2016 timesdelphic.com

OPINIONS

FEATURES

SPORTS

Brock Turner was released from prison this past week three months early for good behavior. He was behind bars for sexually assaulting an unconcious girl behind a dumpster. One student expresses their anger that he did not receive more time in jail. Read the story on page 4.

First-year seminars are designed to introduce first-year students to new ideas and new perspectives. One FYS this year is “Contextualizing Beyoncé”, which focuses on popular culture, social issues and feminism. Read more on page 7.

After an uncertain 2015, the new season finds the Drake women’s tennis team with a new leader in Mai-Ly Tran.

Tran played and coached at Cal State Fullerton. Read more on page 10.

Making the grade CAMPUS NEWS

Students see pluses and minuses to new grading scale Katherine Bauer News Editor katherine.bauer@drake.edu @bauer_katherine

Thousands of students recently completed the first week of school at Drake University commonly known as “syllabus week.” While going over these often-lengthy packets of paper, students saw some new characters in the “grading policy” section: plus signs and minus signs.

Fall 2016 marks the beginning of a new grading system at Drake that allows professors to decide to use an alternate grading scale that implements pluses and minuses.

“Ultimately, the decision became official in March of 2013 when Faculty Senate approved the motion that gives faculty the option of using plus/minus grades... beginning with fall 2016 classes,” said Kevin Moenkhaus, the director of the Office of Student Records and Academic Information.

In 2012, feedback was gathered from faculty and students about implementing a plus/minus grading system through two

Grade

Quality Points

A+

4.00

A

4.00

A-

3.70

B+

3.30

B

3.00

B-

2.70

C+

2.30

C

2.00

C-

1.70

D+

1.30

D

1.00

D-

1.00

F

0.00

x

a

During the April 2012 Faculty Senate meeting, Director of Library Instruction Bruce Gilbert presented an update on the faculty survey in which 70 percent of faculty participated. Faculty showed interest in continuing to explore the proposal. One Faculty Senator said the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences would be analyzing how students’ GPAs would change with the plus/ minus grading scale. Another Senator questioned if Drake students would be disadvantaged by the change when applying to graduate school.

Student Feedback

a

had to do with getting a grade to truly reflect students’ work.

For example, students who received a high B received the same grade as students who got low B grades. Plus/minus grading would better resemble a student’s performance in a class.

One supporter’s words were also summarized in the forum notes.

“If the student feedback wasn’t positive, then they were waiting for those students to graduate.”

Emma Clement

Senior Elementary Education Major

“When I work harder, I feel like I deserve a higher reward.”

The student survey on the subject was distributed shortly after this open forum. During a November 2012 Faculty Senate meeting, Bruce Gilbert reported on the results of the student survey. Summarized results indicated that students were opposed to the plus/minus grading system.

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

Faculty Feedback

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

a

d

c

b

different surveys according to Faculty Senate meeting minutes from 2012 and Spring 2013.

According to notes taken at the Open Forum on PlusMinus Grading held in October 2012, students supporting and opposing plus/minus grading voiced their opinions. Many concerns were brought forward during the forum. They included: • students will be less willing to take a subject outside of their area of expertise because of the risk of doing worse in the class • professors using different grading methods would confuse students • plus/minus grading would make it more difficult to get into graduate school • students may lose their scholarships because the range of grades that keep them above a certain GPA would decline.

Thoughts from one concerned student were summarized in the forum notes. “(The) Drake Mission Statement is key to why I came here. I don’t want to have to shift my experiences outside of the classroom in lieu of experiences inside the classroom. This initiative would move Drake away from Drake’s mission.”

A few students liked the idea but still had concerns. The argument for plus/minus grading

c

b

a

d

b

The Vote During the March 2013 Faculty Senate meeting, the plus/minus grading motion was up for a vote.

Stephen Slade, academic affairs liaison from Student Senate, asked the Senate to recall that 80 percent of students surveyed that fall were against or strongly against the motion. However, Slade noted later in the meeting that this percentage might be lower since “there is some apathy concerning the issue now.”

The motion passed during the meeting in a 12-6 vote.

Today Over three years after the Faculty Senate vote, the result has been implemented.

Advocates for the system believe it better reflects students’ work and rewards them more accurately for the efforts.

“I have always graded with pluses and minuses during the course of the semester,” the department chair of political science said. “We’ve never been allowed to submit plus or minus grades as final grades.”

Goldford reasons that a student doing B- work should not receive the same grade as a student doing B+ work.

Current students have mixed responses. Many can sympathize

twitter: @timesdelphic | instagram: @draketimesdelphic | facebook: Times-Delphic | snaptchat: drake-td

c

d

with the point Goldford makes. Others, however, feel it adds to an existing problem.

“I think studying and homework in general takes away your time to join clubs and activities,” junior public relations major Victoria Tramp said. “I think that already affects our grades, doing clubs and stuff.

I don’t know if I’ll particularly change. I think my grades will just suffer more. I don’t want them to. I’m still going to try in my classes.”

Other students questioned the motive behind implementing the option now when students who were surveyed on the matter have mostly graduated.

“If the student feedback wasn’t positive, then they were waiting for those students to graduate,” senior elementary education major Emma Clement said. “Most high schools do plus/ minus grading, so the incoming students aren’t going to know any different. I could see that reasoning behind it.”

Professors are not required to use plus/minus grading.

However, some departments have decided to make courses taught by multiple professors to use plus/minus grading for consistency.

02 | news

Sept. 07, 2016

NEWS STUDENT SENATE

STUDENT SENATE met last week in their first meeting of the academic year to pass one motion, one resolution and set aside another for later debate. PHOTO BY JAKE BULLINGTON | DIGITAL EDITOR

Student Senate approves committee members, discuss search committees Jake Bullington Digital Editor jacob.bullington@drake.edu @JakeBullington

Returning to school meant returning to the Student Senate table for Student Body President Thalia Anguiano and the senators.

Thursday night was the 30th session’s second meeting but first of the academic year.

During the hour long meeting, one motion was passed, one resolution was agreed upon and another motion tabled for further debate at the meeting tomorrow night.

The first motion Thursday was to amend the Student Senate rules and regulations. The new change is within the Student Body Treasurer role, currently held

by John Stehwien. The updated bylaws will change it to a paid position. The motion also read that the Treasurer will play “an integral role in student life and

the effective functioning of the Student Senate.” Stehwien’s role as Treasurer being a paid position will be debated and voted upon in tomorrow night’s meeting.

Stehwien, as Treasurer, was tasked with distributing applications before the school year began to find six students to be members of the Student Fees Allocation Committee (SFAC).

In the meeting, Dr. Jerry Parker asked for more information regarding how the application process worked, as it was different this year versus years prior.

“Last year, there were some approvals (for funding) made without having a committee… so we wanted to mitigate that and have a little bit more of the committee set up by the time motions started coming through,” Stehwien said.

Stehwien vetted the applicants via a telephone interview as well as reviewing their applications.

According to Vice President

of Student Life Kevin Kane, there were more applicants to SFAC than ever.

Stehwien stated later that he had received 12 applications.

“I have no doubt that they are qualified or that Treasurer Stehwien did his due diligence with this,” Kane said.

The six committee members Stehwien chose and that were approved unanimously by Senate last Thursday are Annelise Escher, Sam Klann, Lucas Poe, Max Raecker, Julie Schlichting and former Student Body Treasurer Trevor Matusik.

“We vetted them pretty well and these are six highly qualified applicants,” Stehwien said.

Stehwien stated in the meeting that he has left the remaining two spots on the committee open to first-year students.

In addition to these committee members, UNITY will be appointing their SFAC liaison in the coming weeks.

Dean Sentwali Bakari’s official

last day at Drake is September 15, having accepted a position in Colorado Springs. Dr. Jerry Parker will take over as interim Dean of Students for the second time, until the position is filled.

Drake is now working on putting together a search committee, which Student Body President Thalia Anguiano expects to begin this fall.

Another search committee at Drake has successfully found two possible replacements for Alysa Mozak, the former coordinator for the Office of Sexual Violence Response and Healthy Relationship Promotion.

Mozak left Drake over the summer, and the committee

now has two candidates that are visiting campus to meet with administrators and select students. By the time of publication, these meetings will have already occurred.

“This is a very expeditious search, we want to get a candidate, a finalist named,” said Interim Dean of Students Jerry Parker. “We’re really excited about the finalists that the search committee has recommended, and we’ll go from there.”

Student Senate meets every Thursday evening at 9 p.m. in the Cowles Library fishbowl. Stay up to date with Student Senate stories on timesdelphic.com/ category/news/student-senate.

VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT LIFE Kevin Kane and Student Body President Thalia Anguiano (left) oversaw the proceedings at the first Senate meeting of the school year. Senators (right) approved six committee members to the Student Fees Allocation Committee, which decides whether or not organizations’ budget requests follow the Senate bylaws. PHOTO BY JAKE BULLINGTON | DIGITAL EDITOR

CAMPUS EVENT

Students prepare for fraternity, sorority recruitment Lauren Velasco Contributing Writer lauren.velasco@drake.edu @laurenvelasco7 Sorority and Fraternity Life at Drake accounts for 34 percent of Drake’s total population. With a total of eight social fraternities and five social sororities, many students involved in sorority and fraternity life have found their niche at Drake.

Current members of these organizations have been working in preparation for fall recruitment week, which takes place Sept. 6-11 for fraternities and Sept. 7-11 for sororities.

“It’s a very exciting process

to welcome new members into your chapter,” sophomore Claire Franksen said. “It’s the biggest event of the entire year.”

The recruitment process is different for sororities and fraternities, but both involve meeting with each chapter and, through a mutual selection process, comparing values and interests to find a compatible sisterhood or brotherhood.

“My biggest advice to potential new members is to have an open mind,” Franksen said. “Every chapter here at Drake is unique and amazing in its own way. So just be open and try to really get to know everyone you meet.”

Sorority and fraternity life is

a common way for people at any school to meet people with shared interests and become part of a historical sorority or fraternity.

“My biggest advice to potential new members is to have an open mind.

Every chapter here at Drake is unique and amazing in its own way.

So just be open and try to really get to know everyone you meet.”

Claire Franksen Sorority Member

“I decided to rush so that I could meet a cool group of girls who I could be 100 percent relaxed and myself around,” sophomore Madeline Cramer said. “It’s a great way to not only make social connections but it also opens the door to other opportunities down the road.”

Over 200 people are signed up for fall recruitment this year.

Many are first-year students who hope to find a new group of friends to spend their next four years at Drake with.

“I’m excited to see and experience each fraternity house,” first-year JD Pelegrino said. “I’m excited to meet all the guys and see what each fraternity’s about

and what they value. I’m excited to see where I end up, and that will set the tone of my future and where I will be for the next four years.”

Current members have good things to say about their experiences in Drake’s fraternity and sorority life and will be sharing those experiences with potential new members over the next few weeks.

“I’m looking forward to introducing new people to an experience that I’ve benefitted from a lot, both personally and professionally, during my time here at Drake,” said sophomore Jacob McKay.

03 | news

Sept. 07, 2016

NEWS CAMPUS NEWS

Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari leaving mid-September Molly Adamson Contributing Writer molly.adamson@drake.edu @somecallmemally

When walking across campus, Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari takes time to say hello to students.

However, his days making his way across Drake’s campus are coming to an end.

Come mid-September, Bakari will be moving on to the University of Colorado Springs as the Vice Chancellor for Student Success.

“I’m looking forward to enhancing student life there and being able to work closely with the students and getting to know that culture,” Bakari said. “I look forward to finding opportunity to be involved in the Colorado Springs community.”

Bakari has been working at Drake for 13 years and has 25 years of experience in higher education.

From starting as a professor who taught first-year seminars and taking African-American students to the Big 12 Leadership Conference to interact with other students like them, Bakari has been involved around campus.

Bakari has won multiple awards including the International Education Administrators Fulbright award in 2013. This recognition enabled him to travel

to England to learn how to better serve international students and promote multiculturalism and diversity on Drake’s campus. Last fall, Bakari was able to be the Dean at Sea for the Institute for Shipboard Education.

One of Bakari’s favorite things has been participating in the Noon Basketball Association. The group is made of Drake students, staff and faculty who play basketball regularly at 12 p.m.

“It was a chance for me to get to know people, like the faculty members who I would see on campus making our college

beautiful,” Bakari said.

Bakari’s last day at Drake is September 15. His new position becomes effective October 3.

Dr. Jerry Parker will act as the interim Dean of Students.

Drake is working to organize the search committee for Bakari’s replacement.

Student Body President Thalia Anguiano said at the Student Senate meeting last week that the search committee will hopefully be established in the coming months.

DEAN BAKARI received a flag signed by students and staff as a momento for his time at Drake. Bakari will return to the state of his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a PhD in higher education. LEFT PHOTO BY PRANEETH RAJSINGH | PHOTO EDITOR, RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE COMMUNICATIONS

NATIONAL NEWS

Mylan’s price hike of life saving EpiPens affects Drake community Cassandra Bauer Contributing Writer cassandra.bauer@drake.edu @avriece

Since early September, an EpiPen from GoodRx costs at least $614.07. This cost rose by 400 percent, while the CEO of Mylan, Heather Bresch, got a pay raise of 600 percent according to NBC News.

The EpiPen, according to its webpage, constricts blood vessels to increase blood pressure, relaxes muscles in the lungs to reduce wheezing and improves breathing while also stimulating the heart and working to reduce hives and swelling around the face and lips. These are all symptons an individual may face when they come into contact with allergens such as peanuts or dairy products.

Michelle Bottenberg is an associate professor of pharmacy at Drake University and a Drake alumna. Her 9-year-old son was diagnosed with peanut and tree nut allergies. For most of her son’s life, he has been prescribed the use of EpiPens.

“I get two filled every year, and then the third I take from the previous year that I carry with me,” Bottenberg said. “I’m banking on that this is still going to be enough active ingredient in case we had to use it, but I don’t

fill the (all) three, and I’m taking that risk.”

To some who experience the struggle of life-threatening allergies, the dramatic price increase has shown no just cause.

“It saddens me, because what are you doing that at the expense of?” Bottenberg said. “These are people’s lives, and these are people that in order to buy something like that, they don’t have insurance or a coupon card or anything like that. They will have to give up food or maybe eating or getting other necessities.

It just saddens me, but this is the way our system is set up.”

Dave Harrison, the 69-year-old grandfather of sophomore Noah Daniels and former mailman, relies heavily on EpiPens in case of emergencies.

Harrison has allergies to poppy seeds, macadamia nuts, bananas, curry and strawberries as well as bee stings and presumably many other things he does not know about. He believes that the only reason Mylan raised their price was to feed their greed.

“To me, it’s apparent they don’t care about anybody but the upper class,” Harrison said. “They don’t care about the working class, and that’s the people who suffer the most.”

While Bottenberg’s son and Harrison both have never used their EpiPens, they are aware of what could happen if they do not

have access to one.

Harrison recalls a time when he was at a dinner party with his wife and the hosts of the party served a cake with poppy seeds.

Before Harrison could realize it, he had already eaten some of the cake and immediately had swollen lips and trouble breathing.

“It’s scary… that’s the whole thing with the EpiPen,” Harrison said. “You might never need it,

but it’s comforting to have. But with the extreme rise of the price, a lot of people can’t afford it. I need to buy one right now but I won’t because of the price.”

Mylan plans to release a generic version of the EpiPen at half-price very soon. However, half-price is still more than triple what an EpiPen cost before the price increase.

However, according to the

FDA, when one generic product begins competing with a name brand product, it on average only cuts the price by six percent.

People with life-threatening allergies will need to make the choice to continuing buying EpiPens, switching to the generic brand or taking a risk by going without.

EPIPENS have skyrocketed in price over the years, leaving millions of Americans in a tough financial and health situation. Mylan will now offer a generic option priced at half of the original. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BAUER | DIGITAL EDITOR

04 | opinions

Sept. 07, 2016

OPINIONS NATIONAL HEADLINES

1 in 5 women & 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college

Brock Turner’s early release incites backlash

Mia Blondin Contributing Writer maria.blondin@drake.edu @mjblondin

As I’m writing this, Brock Turner is leaving jail after spending only three months in his cell.

Brock Turner sexually assaulted a woman after a night of drinking at a party on Stanford’s campus.

The woman was unconscious when he assaulted her and instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Turner decided that alcohol was the thing to blame.

Despite being found guilty, Brock Turner was sentenced to only six months in jail, a term that was cut in half for “good behavior” before he even arrived on the site.

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking about how crazy it is that a person can sexually assault someone and receive such a short sentence.

But let’s consider the following: Brock Turner is a white male who was a member of the swim team and had dreams of being an Olympian.

But wait, should his dreams of going to Rio cause us to overlook the fact that he sexually assaulted an unconscious woman on the ground behind a frat house dumpster? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious woman and only stopped when two bikers noticed. He was convicted of this crime and faced up to 14 years in a prison cell with the minimum recommendation for his convictions being two years.

Judge Aaron Persky handed down an even shorter sentence

because of his fear of a “significant impact” on Turner, but it kind of seems like that’s just what Turner and his family needed.

Part of the reasoning behind Turner’s embarrassingly short sentence was the character statements made by his friends and family. When reading those statements, I became even more enraged.

Turner’s father referred to the sexual assault as “20 minutes of action” and talked about how, because of the chaos surrounding the case, Turner couldn’t eat his favorite foods anymore. Excuse me if I don’t pity the boy for not being able to keep his steak down.

Thankfully, I’m not the only person I know who is genuinely upset. Thousands of people signed a petition for the judge who handed down the ridiculously short sentence to resign. I think it’s worth noting that the judge was a Stanford athlete himself.

Luckily, Persky has since asked to stop receiving criminal cases, a move I’m hopeful will put an end to his light sentences.

I was raised on the phrase, “If you do the crime, you should do the time,” which was mostly applied to time-outs when I was four but is still something that affects how I look at the legal system today.

Bottom line: Brock Turner did the crime, but he didn’t do the time. He spent three months in a cell, but the woman he attacked will have to spend the rest of her life thinking about his horrible actions. If one in five woman are assaulted on college campuses but little to nothing is done about the assaulters, what will stop them? Persky could have sent a message, and he did, but he sent the wrong one.

By giving Brock Turner such a short sentence, Persky sent the message that you can get away with very little time even if the crime you commit will impact someone for the rest of his or her life, and that just isn’t okay. The court system is supposed to be a place where justice is served, but it seems like the scales were unjustly tipped in Brock Turner’s favor.

Women are 3x more likely than men to be sexually assaulted while in college

More than 90% of sexual assaults on college campuses go unreported

Statistics from National Sexual Violence Resource Center • Info & Stats For Journalists || http://bit.ly/1NOaEVC

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Black lives matter continues to spread important message

Jacob McKay Contributing Writer jacob.mckay@drake.edu @montueworldwide

Perhaps no three words have been as controversial in recent years than Black Lives Matter.

The movement has come to define much of the waning years of my adolescence, not to mention my peers. I’ve fallen out with friends over the issue many a time.

With despair, I’ve seen the hidden divisions in my community surface. The points of no return have come and gone with so many of my acquaintances that it’s hard not to become cynical about the issue.

Like many, I came from a high school that had much to be desired in terms of diversity.

I never realized how much of a

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper for Drake University since 1884

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problem that was until Ferguson happened during my senior year.

White suburban youths couldn’t stop complaining about the thugs that were running rampant in Ferguson. That was when I realized that many of the fundamental differences on this issue stem from the upbringing and education that people have had.

The All Lives Matter movement has gained popularity in recent months. The White Lives Matter movement has grown as well, both on the coattails of the Trump campaign.

I understand the profound division that exists in American

society.

I understand the confusion that the term Black Lives Matter has somehow created. As a society, we are drastically lacking in compassion.

Our mainstream media has only stoked the fires of ignorance and self-interest more aggressively since the creation of the cable news era.

People exist in whatever little boxes they want and only care about those who have erected similar structures. Black Lives Matter is a cry to society for compassion. Our youth are slaughtered and imprisoned at outsized rates, and we simply want to not have to be afraid.

If you do not understand this fear, you cannot simply put yourself in the shoes of Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner. To understand their deaths, and the Black Lives Matter movement, you must not stop at understanding the incidents that caused their deaths. You must understand the circumstances of their lives that led to the possibility of such untimely deaths.

Black lives should matter to you if you consider yourself compassionate in any capacity.

If not, then maybe you need to crawl out from the box that you have constructed for yourself.

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

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05 | opinions

Sept. 07, 2016

OPINIONS MUSIC REVIEW

Travis Scott releases new album, ‘Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight’ Scott does not leave impression after delays, has remarkable guest list

Parker Klyn

Contributing Writer parker.klyn@drake.edu @KlynParker

If someone were to ask me to name the most overlooked hiphop record of last year, I would probably land on Travis Scott’s Rodeo. For some reason, the album didn’t generally resonate well with either indie tastemakers or hip-hop omnivores. I think that had more to do with the Houston rapper’s reputation as a musician, rather than the music itself. I say this because Rodeo is pretty much the embodiment of one word: nocturnal.

The aesthetic of Rodeo made it perfect for nighttime parties and drives. Highlights abounded, from the inescapable “Antidote” to the gargantuan “3500” – with

many more. Scott has a way of taking the over-saturated Atlanta trap sound and making it artful and engaging, and it’s that talent that had me excited for his latest release.

So, after multiple delays and false starts, we finally have Scott’s new project, Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight—and it’s about exactly what you would expect from a Travis Scott record. The themes never stray far from drugs and hedonism, and the production is full of the lovely synth flourishes and booming sub-bass that Scott has pretty much mastered. He also remains very much anonymous; he never reveals much about himself or his views and motivations. And that’s fine, because that’s not really Scott’s lane. Leave that to the Kendrick Lamars and Killer Mikes of the world.

The only thing really surprising about McKnight is the guest list.

The aforementioned Lamar shows up, which is remarkable in itself, but the most shocking appearance is that of the elusive André 3000, who stops by for an intensely personal verse on the album’s opener, “The Ends.” “I came up in the town, they was murdering kids / And dumped them in the creek up from where I live,” André pants, referencing the 1979-1981 Atlanta child murders. Rodeo

was ominous, but this is darker and more real than any of Scott’s material yet.

Thankfully, most of McKnight is far more lighthearted. Stunningly, Kid Cudi (whose Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven was the worst album of last year) is my favorite guest on the entire album. “Through The Late Night” is a great banger—it’s very reminiscent of “Oh My Dis Side” from Rodeo. The lyrics are a nonstop stream-of-consciousness, and Scott even samples Cudi’s huge “Day N’ Nite” for a few bars.

It’s an odd mix of R&B and trap music, and the finished product comes together nicely.

The very next track, “Beibs In The Trap,” is another solid party song. Newcomer Nav’s hook is infectious and surprisingly relatable: “I just poured a 8th in a liter / Throw some Jolly Ranchers in, make it sweeter.”

Unfortunately, McKnight suffers from a lull in quality halfway through; aside from the Lamarfeaturing “Goosebumps,” tracks six through ten are completely forgettable.

The record picks up more steam with the dancehall-infused “Pick Up The Phone,” which will become ubiquitous on urban radio pretty soon. The Weekndfeaturing “Wonderful” isn’t quite as good as their previous collaboration, “Pray 4 Love,” but

‘Stiff’ receives praise from student

Natalie Larimer

Hello and welcome to my first book column of the new (school) year. I’ve decided that the best way to start off the year is with an uplifting book, so I chose one about dead bodies.

I was recommended “Stiff” by Mary Roach a long time ago, and I read it back then and reread it over the summer, so I’ve decided to spread the glory of the corpse book.

Basically, Roach takes a journalistic approach to discovering what happens to corpses after death. Now, this may sound strange, but what do the bodies donated to science do? Why are there graverobbers? How have people determined the different states of decay? How do medical examiners tell how long ago someone died? Roach answers things like that.

Now, I’m not one for gross stuff. And yes, this book is pretty gross at times. But it’s so interesting and it explores a topic that nobody really thinks about to the point where I now pride myself on my knowledge of corpses. Roach doesn’t just research things, she shadows scientists and everyone else who deals with corpses. This way, she gets first-hand experience on the topics she discusses. The ones she can’t shadow (i.e. how bodies were used in the past) she does extensive research on, making sure she gets plenty of anecdotes from the past.

Not only does she write about these things, but she somehow makes them funny. Like, I

much of a candle to Rodeo, and that’s fine. I never really expected Scott to live up to the bar that he set himself. But McKnight has enough interesting ideas that I don’t consider the album a disappointment. If you’re in the mood for some melodic Atlanta trap, you could certainly do much worse.

TRAVIS SCOTT releases album after delays. COURTSEY OF TRAVIS SCOTT FACEBOOK

CAMPUS OPINION

BOOK REVIEW

Contributing Writer natalie.larimer@drake.edu

it’s a solid way to close the record.

I suppose the best thing that I can say about McKnight is that despite many of the tracks failing to leave much of an impression on me, Scott is a solid enough curator that the beats, flows, melodies, and production make me hesitant to skip any of the tracks: Scott’s music is rarely ever unpleasant.

I don’t think McKnight holds

laughed out loud in a coffee shop while reading a book about dead bodies. I don’t know how she managed it, but I admire her for that ability. So don’t think I’m some weirdo who is recommending you read a book all about corpses (which I guess I am). This book is informative, funny, and downright absurd sometimes.

At one point, Roach talks to a crematory operator about how they once saw a body sit up because the heat causes the body’s tendons to restrict—it terrified them because it seemed like the body came back to life.

Some of her experiences and stories are just so bizarre that they keep you engaged in reading a detailed report on dead people.

This book also provides some different options to burial

or cremation, something that I’ve thought about a lot since reading it for the first time. You always see those Facebook posts or whatever saying that you can turn your remains into a tree or a coral reef, but she actually explains how and why you would do that. She’s just a cool lady and I really wish I could sit down with her and just talk about weird things like this.

Roach has also written several other books which cover topics ranging from the science behind sex to humans at war.

She writes such unique books that can tackle very complex scientific subjects and make them easy and fun to read. I’m thinking about interviewing her and discovering her ways of informative yet funny writing because you guys really deserve better.

STIFF is an interesting read about what happens to corpses after death.

Roach explains, but makes it funny, somehow. COURTESY OF MARYROACH.NET

Discover your passion

Over-involvement unnecessary

Abigail Grimminger

Contributing Writer abigail.grimminger@drake.edu

A lot of us were used to very busy lifestyles in high school. We had time to take on leadership positions in student organizations, compete in weekly competitions for sports and/or speech and debate, perform in the school play, join the National Honor Society, volunteer, and still have time left over for friends.

But as many of us have already figured out, college presents us with a different set of demands.

As this year’s Activities Fair draws closer (it’s on September 13, if any of you were wondering), it’s important to remember to respect our own limits.

There are a lot of reasons why trying a little bit of every student organization may seem appealing.

College is a time to explore, right? And you’ve always wanted to learn how to use a camera.

Why not join the Photography Club? The mock trial team seems like a great opportunity to find out about our legal system.

Don’t forget at least two service organizations, because who doesn’t like to help people? And you loved to sing in high school, so you have to join choir.

On top of the obvious appeal of these organizations, they can function as great padding for a resume. And of course, each organization presents a new chance to make friends and learn something about yourself that you didn’t know before. You’ve got to give them all a try at least once.

College doesn’t work that way.

Remember how in high school there were always a few activities

you didn’t like as much as the others? At the time, you most likely stuck with them because you wanted to prove you were a well-rounded student so that you could get into a good college.

But that’s not what employers or graduate schools are looking for anymore. They’re far more interested in seeing that you know your passions and you’re good at what you do.

So, you liked choir in high school but you really liked improv? Focusing on what you love is going to be more rewarding in the long run. You’ll be able to improve your skills in an area that you’re passionate about, you’ll have the chance to share that passion with people who have the same interests as you, and when you put that activity on a resume, it’ll be a more accurate reflection of who you are.

That’s not what employers or graduate schools are looking for anymore. They’re far more interested in seeing that you know your passions and you’re good at what you do.

Of course, you don’t have to focus on just one activity. But before you decide to join any group, try to think about why it matters to you, the amount of time it’s going to take, and where it lands on your list of interests.

Don’t be afraid to allow some room for things you might not be able to put on a resume. Maybe you want to spend more time exercising, so you’ve got to keep a little room in your schedule for going to the gym or trying out that Pilates class.

Figuring out how to say no isn’t a sign that you’re denying yourself. It’s a sign that you’re learning more about yourself, your goals, and your limits. It’s another way to explore.

06 | opinions

Sept. 07, 2016

OPINIONS GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Violence in Syria has damaging effects on citizens, children

Chamindi Wijesinghe Business Manager wachamindi.wijesinghe@drake.edu

March 2011.

Bullets are flying, outrageous cries are filling the air amidst the loud bangs of guns. A protest for democracy will alarmingly escalate into violence while the world watches in horror.

2016.

Nine months into the fifth year, nothing has changed and murder, torture, rape and disappearances are now a recurring day-of-life on the soils of Syria.

Politicians and diplomats scurry to find a solution that will give them the maximum financial benefit and goodwill, while the death toll exponentially grows.

Ask a hundred different people who the real victims are and you will get a hundred different answers because everyone is aware of different facts.

There will always be an uneven distribution of information, as some things remain classified.

Just recently, images have surfaced in the media of shellshocked children, toddlers, adolescents . . . innocent children, who have survived bombings in Syria. It’s not the first time and, unless this war stops, it is far from being the last.

Herbert Hoover voiced it perfectly: “Old men declare war but it is the youth that must pay and fight.”

People have been arguing that the younger generation doesn’t care enough to make a change, but the power to silence the voices and muffle the indignant screams lies in the same hands that declare war.

It takes a lot to change an evil you can’t ignore and often, dangerous lines get crossed.

Those who want a change are mercilessly tortured, or worse, brainwashed into believing what those old men in power consider “right.”

In a situation of crisis, the easiest thing is to point fingers and be angry at the people in power.

Angry is what we want to feel when we see the picture of the body of a lifeless toddler washed ashore, or fear and worry weighing in the eyes of a Syrian child who should be playing in the park.

Angry is what we should feel when we hear that children are not running with a kite string in hand, but rather from an incoming missile or a cascade of bullets.

Is that the right way? Is being angry, holding protests and praying the right way to respond?

At this point, most of us are not knowledgeable or powerful enough to make an impact. We cannot even begin to fathom what

these children have seen. At a tender age, they carry the pain of a century.

The only glimpse of hope is through non-profit organizations or those that want nothing but to give the children a voice and tell them that they have a right to dream too.

Yet, even for them, the road is hard. This is not to say that there is no hope but rather that when one life gets saved, five others perish.

Children are a future waiting to happen. They should be allowed to move, think and learn freely, enjoying the pleasure of welcoming the unfamiliar as they navigate life.

The only fights they should be entangled in are playground fights.

Sadly, while all this is happening, all most of us can do is offer the alternate universe children in Syria should be inhabiting in an article, in a conversation, sitting in the safe haven of our houses and coffee shops and hope that these words will resound true.

Maybe we can help this way.

Words are powerful and words were able to overthrow tyrannies before.

Abusive governments were destroyed, rebuilt and remolded through words with power to convince people that something is wrong.

Yet, somewhere along the way, we have been convinced that we don’t have the power and that those who do have too much of it.

It is true but it can be false if we at least save the children. The “old men” can fight and kill each other without turning the children into victims.

“My house was burnt down.

Everything was gone […] they create a human shield of children.” Hassan, a 14-year-old, said this in the story he told to Save the Children, an organization working with children in Syria.

The conflict in Syria is burning neither a city nor a country but a symbol of innocence. The conflict is burning this symbol of innocence to the ground.

DEBATE

GENDER ISSUES

Public vs. Private The school debate continues

Virginity: a social construct

Natalie Larimer Contributing Writer natalie.larimer@drake.edu

The number one question that I get from other people when I tell them where I go to school is, “Oh, are you a pre-med student?” The answer is no, but then they wonder why I chose such an expensive school for a major that the school isn’t well known for. Over half (if not more) of my high school graduating class went to the University of Iowa or Iowa State University.

I’m one of nine from my class who went to Drake, and our class size was over 500 people. That’s not even 2% of us who decided to stay around Des Moines and study.

Well, the main reason I chose this school is that it’s a private school. Yes, that comes at a price, but it’s not like I don’t get what I’m paying for. We have incredibly small classes, the professors get to know you, you see the same people around campus, and you don’t have to take a bus across town to get to your next lecture.

I understand that these things sound like conveniences to you (or something Drake would publish on their next recruitment pamphlet) but I can assure you, I would absolutely hate going to a state school. If my class is over 50 people, I just shut down. I can’t

focus in that kind of environment. If my professor doesn’t notice when I miss class, then I just won’t go to class. I need that kind of accountability in my life.

I think that a big reason people go to state schools is the social aspect of it. They count down the minutes until the next football game and the parties afterwards, but that’s just not the kind of life I’m looking for. I much prefer to hang out by our little reflection pool by the Agora with my friends on a nice, quiet campus. I’m not really into loud and crazy social scenes. Yeah, Drake has some of those around, but they’re mainly on Greek Street. In general, our campus is pretty quiet.

As you read this, I hope you don’t think I’m the lamest person there is. I just like to be in a place where I can decide what to do. If there’s a football game going on, I enjoy that I’m not being swallowed by the crowd that’s rushing to the stands.

One huge issue that gets brought up a lot about private school is the price of them. There’s no arguing that Drake gives you a hefty bill at the end of the year.

But I like to think of it as investing in my future career. If you go to Iowa, you could have the same degree and have taken the same classes as 400 other people. At Drake, you have a degree that you can structure around the job you want and complete internships that will make your resume twice the size as state school graduates.

And that really shows when you go in for an interview.

I’m not saying that public colleges are bad. It’s definitely the right choice for some people. I’m just not one of those people. And I assume that if you’re reading this, you aren’t one of them either.

MOST DRAKE UNIVERSITY students enjoy the small community feel, where other enjoy opportunities. PHOTO BY JESSIE SPANGLER | OPINIONS EDITOR

Construct means control over women

Jessie Spangler Opinions Editor jessica.spangler@drake.edu @jessiespangler3

First, let’s get one thing straight. Virginity is nothing but a social construct.

The concept of virginity has been around for centuries. It has many meanings in different countries.

Many of those meanings are harmful, especially for women.

It’s a double standard when it comes to losing your virginity.

Men are praised for having sex, while women are shamed for it.

There are negative connotations attached with each.

However, if I’m being honest, the idea of virginity is much more harmful for women than it is for men. At least, in the U.S., there has been progress made.

Other countries still use virginity almost as a weapon against women.

In many countries, it is another way in which to restrict and control women.

In many places, if a woman is not a virgin, she is considered “damaged” or not suitable for marriage.

This idea could stem from the idea of an intact hymen, which is completely false. Plenty of sexually active women have intact hymens. Hymens can tear during sex and other physical activities such as biking or horseback riding.

Fun fact: hymens heal and are able to stretch, so they are never really torn for long periods of time.

A popular concept of hymens is that they cover the vagina, when in fact, they don’t. The hymen is the skin around the opening, not some sort of covering.

This makes the idea of where virginity stems from completely inaccurate.

There are some countries that require women to submit a virginity test to the government, according to a truTV video titled

“Emily Ruins Everything”.

Countries such as Afghanistan, Egypt, and Indonesia can deny women jobs, stop them from making rape accusations and put them in prison if they refuse to do a virginity test.

According to the novel Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, it is common in the Middle East to be proud of bloody sheets on the first night that a woman is married. They even display them to the family of both the bride and groom to prove that the bride was indeed a virgin.

Yet, not every woman bleeds the first time she has sex, which can cause problems in these types of societies.

Virginity, unfortunately, is a global concept. It has damaging effects everywhere, even here in the U.S. There is special importance placed on a woman’s first time and first partner, as though the first time you have sex means something about your character.

Virginity is something that you should be able to decide the meaning behind. If you believe that it is a big deal, that’s fine. If you think it has little importance, that’s also fine.

Even the term “losing your virginity” is harmful. It indicates that by having sex, you are losing part of your worth, which is completely ridiculous. Virginity is not something tangible that you can lose.

Virginity is a concept created by a patriarchal society hundreds of years ago, and is maintained by a patriarchal society today.

The idea is almost medieval, yet many countries use it as a way to measure a woman’s worth.

It is a method used by many religions to control a woman’s sex life by deeming sex outside of marriage as a sin.

The idea of being “pure” has more emphasis put on it than having safe sex.

When I was in middle school, that was public, everyone had to sign a contract saying that they wouldn’t have sex until marriage.

We weren’t taught anything but abstinence.

This instills a fear of having sex in young people, when it is something that is healthy and normal.

Teenagers should be taught about safe sex, not abstinence, but that is another argument entirely.

It is also a damaging idea for men as well.

Teenage boys can feel pressure

17.1

The average age Americans lose their virginities

12.3%

The percentage of women who are 20-24 and a virgins.

14.3%

The percentage of men who are 20-24 and a virgins.

•According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

from their peers if they haven’t “lost” their virginity by a certain age.

Men can feel pressured to treat sex as if it doesn’t mean as much to them, when they might feel opposite. It ties into the masculinity stereotype.

Virginity is more harmful than anything else, especially for women in developing countries where virginity is looked as an integral part of a woman’s worth.

The U.S. has been making strides, especially in recent years, with dismantling patriarchal traditions.

We should be an example for other countries and help them build societies that promote gender equality.

Like Arabian writer and commentator Sana Al Khayat said, ““If she’s a virgin, she doesn’t have any way of comparing [her husband to other men]. If she’s been with other men, then she has experience. Having experience makes women stronger.”

Sex should not be about control; it should be about more than that. Or not, it’s up to you.

07 | features

Sept. 7, 2016

FEATURES NEW COURSES

Beyoncé First Year Seminar highlights social issues Brandi Dye Contributing Writer brandi.dye@drake.edu @14bad01

The most awarded artist in MTV Video Music Award history. The creative force behind Lemonade. The subject of academic study.

This fall, Drake University introduced a new First Year Seminar: Contextualizing Beyoncé: Gender, Feminism, and Popular Culture.

“What happens if we were to look at pop culture a little bit more critically and use Beyoncé as an example of a female, pop culture icon using feminism in what she’s creating?” said Erin Meek, who designed and teaches the course.

Although it is early in the semester, students have already begun answering that question.

“We listened to ‘Pretty Hurts’ and analyzed it,” said Allison Lopez, an education major with a concentration in women’s and gender studies. “I related it to more feminism, which is a view that people don’t really see. But after we did the first reading I was able to make that connection.”

In addition to in-class analysis, students will write formal essays, informal journal entries and analyze non-Beyoncé aspects of popular culture.

“The FYS is really about developing your skills as a college student. So teaching them how to be better writers, teaching them how to think critically. That’s the goal of the FYS program,” Meek said. “We get to do that while talking about Beyoncé.”

Specifically, students will discuss Beyoncé in conjunction with feminism, along with other pop culture figures.

“We really talk about everything when it comes to social issues in pop culture,” said Carolina Ramos, a law, politics and society major with a concentration in women’s and gender studies. “I really like how we confront a lot of these issues

and don’t dance around them.”

These social issues include gender, race and pop culture criticisms.

“I’m excited this year because this FYS is only one of the many FYSs that are talking about race and gender and immigration and politics and all of these topics that are really difficult but really important,” Meek said. “We’re having Drake students engage with these ideas right out of the gate.”

Meek encourages class

discussion among her students as they share differing opinions.

“Since there are so many differing opinions, sometimes it’s even hard to agree to disagree,” said Kaitlyn Lind, a law, politics, and society, international relations, and music triple major.

Ramos agreed: “Not all of us have the same perspective on feminism and how women are portrayed and treated in today’s society.”

Throughout the semester, inclass discussions will be centered

on outside-of-class analysis.

“We will be watching particular music videos on Lemonade and then talking about them in class, picking them apart together in class,” said Meek.

Students will also analyze readings on pop culture and pop culture criticism.

“I think what really sets it apart from other FYSs is that it’s not material that could be considered boring,” Lind said. “Even our textbooks are interesting.”

Although the class uses

Beyoncé as a cultural touchstone, Meek hopes her students will gain more than a newfound appreciation of the artist.

“I saw a phrase on someone’s syllabus about reading popular culture that I am absolutely in love with and that I have stolen, with no remorse,” Meek said.

“And that is to be more discerning consumers and creators of popular culture.”

STUDENTS in the Beyoncé: Gender, Feminism, and Pop Culture FYS pose during Welcome Weekend with their PMAC Sam Fathallah.

COURTESY OF SAM FATHALLAH

ACADEMICS

First Year Seminar program unique to Drake campus Purpose of FYS curriculum, professors outlook on constructing class

Anna Jensen Features Editor anna.jensen@drake.edu @annaxjensen

The ground rules for the First Year Seminar (FYS) include a crash course in writing, an introduction to information literacy and the development of critical thinking skills, which can be taught through a variety of content.

“The content of the course is just a means to practice those skills,” said Melissa Sturm-Smith, associate provost for academic excellence and student success.

“There is nothing that comes after FYS. It’s a vehicle for students to develop their skills.”

The concept of the FYS was derived from the Honors curriculum, which was more writing intensive and conversation based.

Before the FYS Program began, there were limited classes in the Honors program that were only open to incoming honors students, said Associate Provost Arthur Sanders.

In the years that followed, Sanders and his colleagues began a pilot program and soon found the resources to allow every student to take an FYS. It has now become a campus-wide program

#BLACKLIVESMATTER FYS poses for a picture, advocating for the black lives matter movement. COURTESY OF NADIA VALENTINE

that is mandatory for every firstyear student.

“One of the things (Drake) has promised is that students are going to have relationships with their faculty members. They’re going to get to know them and they’re going to have reasonably small classes. And that’s true, except the first few years students are taking these big intro courses and don’t have any small classes,” Sanders said. “That’s the reason for the FYS.” The FYS program also involves a living-learning community, which allows students to form bonds with their classmates during Welcome Weekend and throughout the academic year.

“We know through research in higher education that livinglearning communities are a really powerful way to help a student feel connected to their university,” Sturm-Smith said. “When you feel a sense of belonging, you are much more likely to stay.”

Data from the 2016-17 FYS student survey reports that 62 percent of students said their FYS helped them adjust to the college social environment. The survey had a 73-percent response rate.

While there can be cons, such as bringing outside drama into the classroom and teaching an FYS full of students who don’t get along, the data has proven to be beneficial for the majority of firstyear students.

Another component of this class is the relationship between the student and professor. The class was built so that the students would have a chance to connect

with the professor, whether it was for class-based questions or questions regarding college life in general.

“I’ve ended up doing a lot of recommendations for students in my FYS, even if they aren’t in the major,” English Professor Elizabeth West said. “The FYS classroom becomes a place of connection.”

The curriculums taught in FYSs are very open-ended.

Sanders sends out a form where professors fill out questions regarding what they want to teach in the class and what ways they will test students’ writing and critical thinking skills.

“Many of the topics in FYS are designed to help students rethink or see something in popular culture or in their life and to start thinking about it in different ways,” West said.

“That’s an important experience in adulthood.”

For professors, teaching critical thinking skills in this new way can be challenging.

“Figuring out assessments in FYS is always tough,” West said.

“I don’t like the stereotype that FYSs are easy, but I want to be cognizant of people’s comfort zones. It’s tricky to figure out how to grade. ‘What is class participation going to be worth?’

‘What assignments do I have?’

‘How much is left up to the creative minds of students?’”

Since many FYS professors struggle finding the right balance between grading and helping students adjust to college, Sanders and Sturm-Smith hold

workshops for professors that help them create assignments, teach writing and learn how to make the classes enjoyable.

“We had a full-day workshop in August, the week before Welcome Weekend, and we covered resources for students. Professor Swilky (English professor and Writing Workshop director) did an hour-long presentation on assignment construction,” Sanders said.

The survey concluded that 71 percent of students said their FYS was a good learning experience and 70 percent said it improved their writing skills, two of the programs’s main goals.

For the FYS program to be considered interdisciplinary, each school is required to have a certain number of faculty members teaching an FYS depending on how many students major within that school.

“These courses are very different than teaching a class in a discipline,” Sanders said.

“Unless they are English faculty, teaching writing is often very new to them.”

So, not only are FYSs beneficial to students, but they are also helping professors develop their skills in new ways.

“We’ve structured the (FYS program) so that it maximizes the potential that faculty members will find it rewarding,” Sanders said. “If faculty enjoy teaching something it maximizes the likelihood that students will have a good experience.”

08 | features

Sept. 07, 2016

FEATURES RESIDENCE LIFE

Resident Assistants, knowledgeable advice, assistance Ellen Koester Contributing Writer ellen.koester@drake.edu

On every floor in a Drake residence hall there is a person that is free to answer questions or provide a ear for students.

Resident assistants, or RAs, are there to help their residents in any way they are needed.

One of the RAs’ many duties is to make their residents feel connected at Drake and like they are part of the campus.

Lorissa Lieurance, the assistant dean of students and director of residence life, said she has heard students say that they would have transfered, had it not been for their RAs. “If the University did not have RAs, they would lose the student connection, that peer-to-peer

connection of being able to have someone to go to for guidance or support,” Lieurance said. “RAs serve as the liaison between students and the University.”

Sophomore Goodwin-Kirk resident Allison Odenthal said she sees RAs as a source of support.

“I think an RA’s purpose is to provide a safe harbor,” Odenthal said. “If you have a problem, there’s always someone you can talk to and get help from.”

RAs are there not only as friends and mentors, but as someone to keep the community safe as well.

“I loved my RA last year,” sophomore Terrance Montgomery said. “I talked to her for hours each week about basically everything.”

While Montgomery made an effort to get to know his RA, others don’t have the time or feel like it is a necessity to get to know

them.

Sophomore Madeline Cramer, who lived on the same floor as Montgomery last year, didn’t get to know her RA.

“We want the (residents) to see themselves in our staff, so I hire people with a variety of different skills and attributes. I have introverts and extroverts on staff.”

Lorissa Lieurance Director of Residence Life

“Whenever I saw her it was more of a courtesy hi,” Cramer said. “She didn’t really seem like she had an interest to get to know

me and I felt the same.”

Lieurance specified that while RAs are not meant to act as enforcers, they do have valuable information.

Part of an RA’s responsibilities is to report violations to his or her supervisor. The RAs themselves are not there to discipline students, but rather to keep them safe.

“Without the RAs, the community standards may not be maintained,” Lieurance said.

While they have to slip into an authoritative role, RAs are there to serve their residents.

“They are the individuals who try to get on the personal level with students,” Lieurance said.

“That puts them in a position where students want to meet with them and talk about their challenges or celebrate their successes.”

Because of this, Lieurance looks for applicants who are

excited to work with their peers. Many of those who apply choose to do so “because they’re passionate about the position and passionate about serving Drake,” Lieurance said.

Any students who have this passion should be on the look out for applications, which are available on Nov. 2 and due near the end of January.

“We want the (residents) to see themselves in our staff, so I hire people with a variety of different skills and attributes. I have introverts and extroverts on staff,” Lieurance said.

RAs can fill just about any role a resident needs them to, whether that is to be a mentor, friend, supporter or simply to be someone with all the answers.

“Genuinely, I think that RAs make a lasting impression on students,” Lieurance said.

“They are the heart of how we serve.”

GOODWIN-KIRK RESIDENT ASSISTANTS pose in the Cowles Library Reading Room during the 2016 spring semester when they met and received their living assignments. Since GK has two sides to the building, there are double the amount of RAs than there are in the freshmen quads. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM SCEARCE

BULLDOG LEGACY

Three alumnus, three daughters, united by fraternity Sydney Ford Contributing Writer sydney.ford@drake.edu Three members of Drake’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter, a fraternity on campus, have stayed in touch via email.

These three men, Jeffery Thompson (’85), Dan Kroc (’88), and Larry Furman (’87) consider one another best friends to this day.

Just a few short months before the beginning of the fall semester, the men discovered that all three of their daughters, firstyear students Kari Thompson, Kelly Kroc, and Annie Furman, ended up choosing to attend Drake University. Two of them also happen to live on the same residence hall floor, just two doors down from each other.

The three daughters had known of each other through their fathers, but first got together for lunch during move-in day.

A. Furman was the first to choose Drake for the highly rated academic programs.

Upon L. Furman sharing the news with the email chain, K. Kroc’s father shared that his daughter was also Drake bound.

K. Kroc was slightly influenced by her father to come to Drake.

Her dad was a biology major and minored in chemistry, which will put her at an advantage in her studies in health sciences as her dad regularly shares tips and tricks.

K. Thompson was the last to choose, Drake because she was

set on another school, but Drake’s academics and her father helped sway her.

K. Thompson said that her parents, both Bulldog alumni did not ultimately influence her in the grueling college decision process.

“There are many reasons why I picked Drake, but one of my favorites to mention is that my parents met and fell in love here,” Thompson said. “I wanted to see where it all began and to experience their most priceless memories while making my own.”

A. Furman shared that, like K. Thompson, she is also looking forward to “making friends that will last her a lifetime.”

Jokingly, in reference to seeing his daughter follow in his footsteps, J. Thompson said, “it’s still my school, only with a better Hubbell.”

J. Thompson recalls that he and his friends “went through an incredible bonding experience that unified us as friends to this day,” and is looking forward his daughter and her two classmates making similar memories.

Although about fifteen of the ‘80s era SAE fraternity brothers go on yearly trips and see each other when able, J. Thompson couldn’t be prouder of his daughter’s decision.

“The three dads are elated to have more than Relays to visit Drake again and to have each other’s company on dads weekends, parents weekends, plus the handful of local brothers that we’ll all get to see now,” J. Thompson said.

THE THREE FAMILIES got together after move -in day for lunch. From left to right: Larry and Annie Furman, Dan and Kelly Kroc and Jeffery and Kari Thompson. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFFERY THOMPSON

09 | features

Sept. 07, 2016

FEATURES STUDENT LIFE

Leaving home sparks emotion, sense of independence Drake Students’ Home States

Savannah Prescott Contributing Writer savannah.prescott@drake.edu Drake University students come from different backgrounds, parts of the country and even different parts of the world. But one thing we all have in common is that Drake University is now home.

For most students, the struggle includes leaving loved ones, pets and the familiarity that they find in their hometowns.

For upperclassmen, returning home on breaks can be an adjustment because they are following rules of others for the first time in nine months. Those people cannot wait to have their independence back upon their arrival at Drake.

As the years go by, leaving home tends to get a little easier for both students and their parents.

But how do students adjust to the new environment in the first place? What helps make Drake feel like home?

First-year students Ellie Jacoby and Gabby Tagliapietria

had different experiences when their parents headed home after Welcome Weekend.

Jacoby and Tagliapietria agree that it’s more difficult for outof-state students to transition because being at Drake is an entirely new environment.

“It was hard to see them leave, but I can go home to Iowa City whenever I need to,” Jacoby said.

“The one thing I really miss the most is my dog.”

For Tagliapietria, it’s more difficult to go home because of the six-hour drive to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“It was hard to see my parents emotional because they were leaving me,” Tagliapietria said.

Both girls talk to their parents regularly but are enjoying having their independence as college students.

Sophomores Alex Russell and Zach Fortunado came to Drake from the suburbs of Chicago and were friends before coming to college.

“My first year leaving home wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” Fortunado said.

“Knowing Alex made it easier

•All data is based off the class of 2019.

because I made friends through him.”

Despite the long drive home, Fortunado likes being out-ofstate because it pushes him to find friends on campus.

“I think it’s different for people who go to college close to home,” Fortunado said. “They go back every weekend and it affects their social life. Since I couldn’t go back every weekend I was kind of forced to make friends. I usually call my mom twice a week and text my dad about sports daily but I can’t imagine going home every weekend.”

Russell had no problem coming back to Drake this year because he stays in contact with his parents and has friends on campus to return to.

“I was very ready to come back to campus this year,” Russell said.

“I still call both of my parents at least once a week, but leaving them this year and last year wasn’t too hard.”

Both agreed that being in a fraternity helped them feel at home and played a huge role in their first year at college.

“We have a close brotherhood that helped me get through my first year,” Fortunado said.

The pros and cons of coming to college balance themselves out.

Of course, leaving homecooked meals, larger beds, and families behind can be challenging, but most students can agree that one of the best parts about college is the freedom and independence, along with new friendships, which outweigh the cost of leaving behind all the simplicities from home.

CAMPUS EVENTS

SAB Foam Dance becoming annual student tradition Alexis Cruz Contributing Writer alexis.cruz@drake.edu

On the Thursday of the first week of classes, the Student Activities Board (SAB) holds the Foam Dance to give new students an opportunity to get to know each other.

The Foam Dance is one of the first events on campus for the beginning of the new school year.

The event has been put on by SAB for the last five years.

The goal of the dance is to make the first weekend memorable.

The dance is held in the evening and located in the Olmsted Pit. Music plays from the speakers above and the foam machine sprays new bubbles approximately every five minutes.

The foam is warm against the cool air. This year, it was in the middle 70s when the sun went down.

“I saw some videos and thought it looked cool. I came for the experience,” first-year Lily DeBates said.

While focusing on the firstyears, all students at Drake are welcome to attend.

One of the co-entertainment chairs of SAB, Sophia Panio, said that students are “just dancing around in a bubble bath” and that it is a “unique factor” in that no

one exactly knows what’s going to happen.

The first group of students arrived and dove into the buildup of foam, some choosing to dance right under the foam machine.

Others selected to not be as confined and watched from the sidelines.

“I wanted to check it out because it’s pretty much the first event of the school year,” firstyear student Emily Pariseau said.

Most students at the dance were first-years.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors that made an appearance preferred to watch.

President of SAB, Nick Jenderko, estimated a total of 300 students to have participated by the end of the night.

Students were taking selfies and group pictures. Many students could not stop smiling and the crowd would roar in approval every time the foam cascaded down into the pit.

One of the co-entertainment chairs of SAB, Aly Tisthammer, said she sees the event as a connection builder.

“It’s a great way for the firstyears to get involved right away,” said Tisthammer. “This is a chance for them to meet other people.”

With the Foam Dance being such a staple of the start of the school year, Kristen Butler, the programming chair for SAB, said she could not see an end to the

dance in the future.

Butler noted that it is the memories that get students to come back to the dance after their first year.

Moreover, the attendance showed that the Foam Dance is becoming one of Drake’s newest traditions.

SAB will be having their neevent on Sept. 14. The event, the Taste of Des Moines, will be held at 3 p.m. in Parents Hall.

STUDENTS crowd under the center of the foam at the beginning of the night. Students stayed until the very end of the dance The dance went from 8-10:30 PM. PHOTO BY ALEXIS CRUZ

10 | sports

Sept. 7, 2016

SPORTS TRACK AND FIELD

VOLLEYBALL

Track & Field coaching change Volleyball continues to win, Meghan Kearney Contributing Writer meghan.kearney@drake.edu @meghankearney97

Changes come and go, but for the Drake track and field team, to be left without a head coach for the start of the fall season was an unexpected change.

It was announced on Aug. 4 that the former head coach Natasha Brown would be taking a coaching position at the University of Missouri and her husband, Associate Athletic Director and Drake Relays Director Brian Brown, would be taking an Athletic Director position there as well.

However, the team is not stranded when it comes to preseason training. Assistant coaches LaRon Bennett, who coaches hurdles, and Dan Hostager, who coaches distance, are fulfilling the duties as temporary coaches to help ease the transition.

“Change is difficult on any level and transitions are hard to adjust to,” Bennett said. “Life doesn’t bring a consistent map and these are the moments that help make this is a good practice run for what it will be like in life after college.”

Athletes agree that even though it is sad to see the Browns leave the program, they are excited to see who will join the program and what changes and ideas he or she will bring to the table.

“We want what is best for the program as a whole,” said senior Reed Fischer, “We want a coach who makes promises and will stick to them. We want a coach who desires what is best for the whole program.”

The team’s main goal during this transition is to keep working hard, to come together as a team so that they can be more motivated during the season and stay united even when the change in coaching leadership happens.

“We are trying to be more motivated on a team front and

united, which is a good thing to come in to as a new coach. When we have a new coach, we will already have that support and stability within ourselves,” said junior Rai Ahmed-Green.

The freshmen are starting the year with all of this change happening, but they have been able to look to the upperclassmen for encouragement and support.

“The seniors have taken a leadership role on the team,” said freshman Malik Metivier.

“This situation is going to bring us closer together as a team. It is bittersweet that Coach Brown left and it will be a challenge, but it will bring the team together. We are trusting the process and going with the flow.”

Though there is no news on any specific candidates to fulfill the head coach and the Drake Relays director positions, the prospects are narrowing down.

The team and coaching staff have had the opportunity to voice their opinions on what qualities they want in a head coach.

“We want a coach who wants the same goals as us and a coach who wants to make Drake a school worth noting as a renowned program in the future,” Fischer said. “I would like to have someone with a tie to Drake in some shape or form because the Drake community is so important here. Athletes and students hear our Athletic Director Sandy talk about how we want people to know what it means to be a Bulldog and that’s what we want, too.”

The coaching change should not affect how the track and field athletes train and compete. By the end of all this change, it may even strengthen the team both mentally and physically.

“We will be fine, and we will most likely surprise ourselves when it comes to our first indoor meet,” Bennett said, “The team is in a good spot at exceeding expectations. We will galvanize as a family, train hard and then go out and show the competition that we are still able to do our job.”

only one loss in Omaha Adam Rogan Managing Editor Adam.rogan@drake.edu @Adam_Rogan Drake Volleyball was carrying the momentum from winning it’s home opener on Aug. 29 into the Omaha Classic, a three-match tournament at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The most exciting match of the weekend was also Drake’s only loss, a five-set thriller against the University of Missouri- Kansas City Kangaroos.

The first match was against a winless Ball State University team on Friday evening.

Ball State kept it close in each set, but the Bulldogs still earned the sweep: 25-20, 25-22, 25-18.

Junior Kameo Pope dominated at the net, recording eight of the team’s 11 blocks to go along with four kills throughout the match.

Drake faced UMKC on Saturday morning in one of the hardest fought matches in recent memory for the Bulldogs.

It was tied at one game apiece when the marathon of a third set began.

The score was tied a whopping 19 times with seven lead changes throughout. The other four sets combined only had seven ties and four lead changes.

Four of the lead changes in set three came after both teams had already reached 25 points: the usual end of a game. But the winby-two rule extended the game far beyond the standard.

Down 33-32, senior Nicole Woods picked up her third and final kill of the match. With Thommi serving, freshman setter Paige Aspinwall was able to connect with junior hitter Kyla Inderski for back-to-back kills to seal the set 35-33.

“Me and Kyla always have a good connection,” Aspinwall said last week. “I have a lot of trust in her that when I set the ball, she’ll get the kill.”

From there on, however, the

team seemed spent. The Bulldogs had a one set lead, but the advantage quickly deserted them.

After recording 22 kills with only seven errors in set three, Drake’s errors outnumbered its kills in sets four and five.

The Bulldogs lost by scores of 25-13, 15-5 and the team was handed its second loss of the season.

Senior libero Michelle Thommi finished the match with 24 digs. Aspinwall and fellow setter senior Chandelle Davidson combined for 50 assists.

The team took a break before taking on the tournament’s hosts in the afternoon.

The Bulldogs came back rejuvenated. After winning the first set 25-20, they fell in game two in another lengthened set 3129.

The Bulldogs pulled it back together and avoided another potential five-set match. They won sets three and four 25-16, 25-18 to take the victory in four games.

The win improved Drake’s record to 6-2 on the season.

Inderski led the Bulldogs with 40 kills in the tournament, closely followed by sophomore Grace Schofield with 37.

Davidson, who was also named to the Omaha Classic all-tournament team, finished with 66 assists across all three matches.

After starting last season with a record of 7-1 — just one win better than this season — the Bulldogs fell onto a bad stretch and lost six of their next seven matches.

They will look to prevent a similar slip-up this weekend at the Eastern Illinois Tournament.

Coming Up at Drake SEPT. 13

Men’s Soccer vs. Green Bay 6 p.m.

SEPT. 14

Women’s Soccer vs. Western Illinois 7 p.m

SEPT. 16-18

Women’s Tennis Drake Invitational

SEPT. 17

Football vs. McKendree University 1 p.m

SEPT. 17

Men’s Soccer vs. Loyola 7 p.m.

SEPT. 17

Cross-Country Grandview Invitational TBA

SEPT. 23-25

Men’s Tennis Drake Invitational

SEPT . 24

Football (Homecoming) vs. Morehead State University 1 p.m.

SEPT. 25

Women’s Soccer vs. Evansville 1 p.m

CROSS-COUNTRY COLUMN

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Runners get back in racing mindset at University of Iowa

Women’s Tennis finds faith in new leader, Mai-Ly Tran

When sweat gets into your eyes, it stings.

This is the first of many things my brain had forgotten and then remembered about racing.

Last Friday night, the Drake men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed in their season opener at the University of Iowa.

The race was shorter than the usual distance and most teams were using it as a “workout” to gauge the athletes’ current fitness levels.

For most runners, this was the first time in three or four months that they had ran at race pace for a prolonged period of time.

The reality is, no matter how many times a coach tells their athletes to treat a race like a workout, the drive in each runner will eventually take over, and the runner will end up racing the race. We love the competition— that is why we run cross-country.

We like to beat people. We usually take advantage of each race as best we can to improve and get faster.

So on Friday night, my teammates and I raced, and we experienced something like a rebirth. The dust was blasted off our bones when the starter fired the gun.

All of a sudden, our legs were whipped into a speed they had almost forgotten about.

Our lungs were greeted by burning fire after a few minutes— an unpleasant visitor—and our feet were once again shackled to the hundred-pound bricks we tote around during races. Our bodies were enduring the gutsy pain of the race, a pain they had almost forgotten, and our brains remembered a few things for us in

those moments: there is no such thing as an easy race.

The pain associated with burning lungs is unique and scorches you every time until you feel your entire body might go ablaze.

The heaviness in your legs always greets you in the middle of the race, and that voice in your head will tempt you over and over to slow down.

The finish line always looks way closer than it actually is.

Racing on grass and hills is really hard, which is probably why not very many people do it.

When sweat gets into your eyes, it stings.

We aspire to get better each meet, and after each meet we will share one athlete’s new best mark.

This past meet was hosted to race distances shorter than usual, rendering almost everyone a new PR, being their first, and maybe their only, time racing a 3k or 6k in cross country. For this reason, we will hold off on celebrating one individual athlete until next week. #GetAnotherOne

Bailee Cofer

Columnist bailee.cofer@drake.edu

Matthew Gogerty Sports Editor matthew.gogerty@drake.edu @matt_gogo

After much uncertainty last spring, Drake Women’s Tennis finally has a permanent leader for the 2016 season.

Mai-Ly Tran, formerly of Cal State Fullerton, had been on the hunt for a full-time head coaching position when she stumbled upon Drake, where she felt an immediate connection.

“I met the girls, and I just felt really at home here,” Tran said, “I believe in living the Bulldog Way.” In 2013, she joined Cal State Fullerton as an assistant coach, a school of which she is an alum and competed in tennis herself.

Alongside head coach Dianne Matias, Tran was able to assist in leading the team to its first winning season since 2004, when Tran was a player.

Former Drake head coach Sadhaf Pervez, who had been at Drake since 2013, resigned from her position not long before the spring season got underway, leaving a vacancy that needed to be filled before competition began.

John Hollimon became the interim had coach for the season, having a semester off after completing medical school. He was identified by Men’s Tennis head coach Davidson Kozlowski as a potential replacement, as Hollimon played under Kozlowski at the University of Alabama at

Birmingham.

Although Drake Women’s Tennis had one of its best years in program history under Pervez finishing 21-5 in 2015, the Bulldogs still finished above .500, 15-12, last season with Hollimon at the helm.

“It’s been a year of a lot of change,” junior Summer Brills said. “There was a change in the coach and we have a new girl on the team as well.”

Tran boasted an impressive resume coming into Drake. Prior to Cal State Fullerton, Tran was the director of tennis at Hope International University and coached for four years at Orange Lutheran High School in California.

When she returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach, not only did she help lead the team to its first winning season in a decade, she led and encouraged her players to take their determination and discipline from the court into the classroom and community.

She plans to do the same for the Bulldogs.

“She wants to get us involved in the community and to volunteer more,” junior Tess Herder said.

Tran has a history of going above and beyond for her players.

She even went as far as tutoring a player who went on to become a three-time Big West singles firstteam selection and the first Cal State Fullerton to earn first-team honors in program history.

The Bulldogs seem excited to be a part of a Tran-led team.

Having permanent leadership

provides a new dynamic to the team, utilizing resources they may not have in the past. “(Tran) wants to utilize the sports psychology department and weights training more than we have in the past,” Herder said.

“I think all of this cross-training will help us rise above the other programs.”

Tran believes in outworking the competition. Her new players seem to have their work cut out for them.

“Although we may not have the most resources, I’ve always been able to do more with less,” Tran said. “We just try to take it one day at a time.”

The season opens for Drake Women’s Tennis on the 16th of September at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center for the Drake Invitational.

COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS

11 | sports

Sept. 7, 2016

SPORTS WOMEN’S SOCCER

Bulldogs still undefeated, injuries worrisome, defense holds strong Sophomore Alyssa Brand steps up, scores two game-winners in three days

SOPHOMORE Carling Goold enjoying the win against Milwaukee on Sept. 4, adding to the undefeated start of the Drake Women’s Soccer season. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BAUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Adam Rogan Managing Editor Adam.rogan@drake.edu @Adam_Rogan

Still undefeated, Drake Women’s Soccer improved to 4-01 on the season with narrow home wins over the University of South Dakota Coyotes and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Panthers.

The hero of both games was sophomore forward Alyssa Brand, scoring the deciding goals early against South Dakota and in the closing minutes versus UWM. Hosting South Dakota on Friday evening, both teams appeared evenly matched and looking to score.

The teams combined for 25 shots, each putting seven shots

on goal. The Coyotes took three corner kicks while Drake had seven. Both teams had three shots come from bench players, two of which were on goal.

Despite all of the shots, only one goal was scored, and that decisive goal went to the Bulldogs.

Junior Hannah Wilder had a shot blocked in the 16th minute.

Brand was ready when South Dakota’s goalkeeper was unable to hold onto the ball.

Junior goalkeeper Haley Morris recorded her second shutout of the season as well, having not allowed a goal in her first 255 minutes of 2016.

Two days later, it seemed as though the Panthers might break Drake’s untarnished record.

The Drake defense gave up its first goal of the season in the 29th minute, blowing Morris’ chances

of claiming her third consecutive clean sheet.

Despite only recording one save in the match, Morris’ play— which included several diving stops and coming out near midfield at one point to clear an aggressive attack late in the second half —was instrumental to holding the Panthers to only one goal that day.

Since it was the first time Drake fell behind so far this season, their response would prove to be a test of character for the team. Senior midfielder Kayla Armstrong mentioned how important leadership is in these situations.

“It’s really important that our seniors step up,” Armstrong said.

“Those next five minutes are vital to change the momentum.”

In response, the Bulldogs got aggressive, but didn’t record their first shot on goal until the 38th minute.

A corner kick from Drake junior defender Kasey Hurt was nearly cleared before junior Rachel Wanninger corralled the ball in the box. She found sophomore Tawny Carroll with an open window on net. Carroll beat the keeper with a ground shot, tying the match at one with less than eight minutes left in the half.

It was Carroll’s first career goal on her first shot of the season.

Drake almost took the lead on a last second corner from Hurt.

Freshman Mariah Northrop took a shot from just in front of the goal, but Milwaukee goalkeeper Mallory Geurts made the save as

time expired.

After only two shots on goal in the first half, the Bulldogs dominated the attacks in the second. UWM didn’t even have a shot in the final 60 minutes of play.

This was a testament to Drake’s bench-play and effort.

Eight players came off the bench, including Carroll and Wanninger who connected for Drake’s first goal.

Freshmen Shelley Lyjak and Northrop each made contributions from off the bench, making hustle plays that led to Bulldog chances.

Entering the game, the Bulldogs’ roster was riddled with injuries as well as illness, leading the team to rely on its bench more than planned.

Drake senior forwards Alex Freeman and Rebecca Rodgers both went down with leg injuries during the game, further putting the emphasis on bench play.

Although the injuries gave subs more chances, losing Rodgers and Freeman for an extended period could be detrimental to Drake’s attack.

Freeman already has two goals this season after missing most of 2015 with an ACL injury, and Rodgers is the reigning conference player of the year.

Losing either player would force a serious shift in Drake’s offensive lineup, but head coach Lindsey Horner said that both of them shouldn’t be off the field for long, although it’s too early to say anything with certainty.

With Rodgers and Freeman

benched, Brand had extra chances to be the one to give the Bulldogs their second win of the weekend.

In her second shot of the match, Brand delivered.

It seemed as though the game may have been pushed into overtime as neither side was able to put dangerous shots on net.

With less than seven minutes remaining, a cross from Hurt was again nearly cleared before being floated back into the box where Brand took control of the ball and snuck it past the keeper and into the net, just inside the far post.

The Panthers squandered a late corner kick and the Bulldogs controlled possession through the final minutes on the way to a 2-1 victory.

Brand now leads the Bulldogs with three goals and seven points after returning from an ACL injury suffered at the end of last year. Despite missing the final games of 2015, Brand still had the second-most goals on the team with five last season.

“It’s such a privilege to be a part of the team, honestly,” Brand said. “(Coach) Lindsey has been doing a really good job managing my body and my minutes …

I worked super hard over the summer at rehab in order to put myself into a position to be able to play.”

Drake will take its undefeated record to Annapolis, Maryland for matches against Navy and Towson University this weekend.

MEN’S SOCCER

Men’s Soccer shut out at Omaha, falls to 1-2 Adam Rogan Managing Editor Adam.rogan@drake.edu @Adam_Rogan

JUNIOR ALI SMITH fights for a free ball in the Sept. 4 game at Cownie Soccer Complex against Milwaukee. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BAUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Drake Men’s Soccer only played one match last week.

They were beaten handily by the University of Nebraska-Omaha on the road, 3-0.

Within two minutes, Drake already fell behind, allowing a header goal off of a corner kick.

The Bulldogs were slow to respond. They didn’t record a shot throughout the first half, even though they still had a trio of corner kicks.

At halftime, three Bulldogs (Mueng Sunday, Nick Manzoni,

Mason Leonard) had already been booked with yellow cards.

Seniors James Pendrigh and James Wypych each received yellow cards in the second half.

It was a highly physical game, with a combined 17 fouls committed by both sides.

Although no players were sent off, the cards and penalties indicate that frustrations were running high.

“Conceding a goal in the first few minutes started us off on the wrong foot and from there on we chased the game,” head coach Gareth Smith told Drake Athletics. “In the key moments we lacked the grit needed to win our individual battles and ultimately that is what decides the game.”

The team was weakened by injuries, which made a comeback even more difficult after falling behind so early.

The Bulldogs still had their share of chances to even the match. They took another three corners and fired off seven shots in the second half, but couldn’t find the net.

Omaha scored twice more, once in the 70th minute and once with less than 20 seconds remaining to make the final score of 3-0.

The loss dropped the Bulldogs’ 2016 record to 1-2. They still have two more matches before their first home match on Sept.

9 vs. the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.

12 | sports

Sept. 07, 2016

SPORTS FOOTBALL

QUARTERBACK Cody Thibault throws the ball in an attempt to gain some yards in Saturday’s game. He threw for a total of 179 yards with 14 completions. PHOTO BY PRANEETH RAJSINGH | PHOTO EDITOR

Drake Football can’t complete comeback, falls to Quincy 38-35 Adam Rogan Managing Editor adam.rogan@drake.edu @Adam_Rogan

For the second time in the game, Drake Football was attempting an onside kick. It was the fourth quarter and Drake was down three with no timeouts left and 1:29 remaining. The Bulldogs were making a last-ditch, comefrom-behind effort in their season opener at home.

Drake kicker Danny Donley’s onside popped up in the air as planned, but Quincy University’s De’Carlos Poole pulled down the free ball.

The Quincy Hawks, a D-II program, knelt through their final possession to run out the clock and Drake was handed its first loss of the season: 38-35.

The game highlighted two dominant performances from two of Quincy’s offensive standouts: senior wide receiver Eric Poindexter and redshirtfreshman running back Jaylan James.

Of Quincy’s 293 passing yards, more than half of them went to Poindexter. He had seven receptions and 167 yards.

He also caught both of Quincy’s touchdown passes.

James netted 187 rushing yards on 34 attempts—an average of 5.4 yards per carry—and found the end zone twice in his college debut. Even just by watching from the stands, it’s clear that James is a fearsome power runner.

Weighing in at 253 pounds and standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall, he’s built like a fullback but is agile and athletic like a halfback.

Even with the menacing backfield and quick WR, the Bulldogs still appeared to be shaking off the summertime rust.

“We had some issues with our alignments and our assignments,” fifth-year senior linebacker Taylor Coleman said. “Just technical stuff we have to take care of.”

“It’s a great one-two punch that they have,” head coach Rick Fox added, comparing Poindexter and James to Drake’s own RB Conley Wilkins and TE Eric Saubert.

Saubert, a fifth-year senior, pulled down seven catches on eight targets for 95 yards and a touchdown to start his senior campaign. A player who has been looked at by NFL scouts, Saubert is a cornerstone of the Bulldog offense and a strategic headache for opposing defensive coordinators.

“He had influence in this game even when the ball wasn’t coming to him,” Fox said.

Defenses, Quincy’s included, often use double coverage to try and shut down the 6 ft. 5 Saubert, which allows other receivers to run free. Senior wideout Grant Menard snagged five passes for 65 yards—both the second highest marks of his career—and a touchdown.

Senior Keegan Gallery also had three receptions for 38 yards and a score.

Even with 35 points scored, Drake’s offense struggled throughout. The team only recorded 375 total yards, less than Quincy’s 553.

Quarterback Cody Thibault’s numbers were respectable (14 for 24, 179 yards, two TDs, two INTs), but it was clear that he

wasn’t dialed in this early in the season. Both of his picks resulted from ill-advised passes and several of his incompletions came on passes thrown just out of reach of receivers.

“I’ve got to get in the film room more, just know what the defense is doing,” the fifth-year senior said. “It’s just me: I’ve got to make those throws.”

The Bulldogs only converted on two of 10 3rd downs and had possession for just 41 percent of the game.

When Drake’s offense was clicking, it appeared unstoppable.

With time waning at the end of both halves, the Bulldogs had the ball and marched downfield for two 60-plus yard drives for touchdowns, each lasting eight

plays or more.

The Drake defense came in at several points despite the big numbers put up by Quincy’s offense.

Of the Hawks’ seven trips to the red zone, they only scored five times (three TDs, two FGs). Drake forced two turnovers on fumbles, both late in the second half.

Costly for the Bulldogs, both of the ensuing possessions ended with punts.

“We left some points on the field,” Fox said.

Down 10 with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter, Drake got the ball at its own 16. Thibault proceeded to complete six consecutive passes to set up a one-yard TD run for Wilkins, his second of the day. The unsuccessful onside kick

followed, ending the Bulldogs’ hopes for a comeback.

Drake’s first onside kick came on the opening kickoff. The Bulldogs caught the Hawks off guard and stole away the first possession of the season.

“I didn’t say anything to anyone until … right before our pregame meal today,” Fox said of the decision. “We want to be aggressive. We’re going to take risks.”

Drake will head out on the road next week to face South Dakota State University in a non‑conference matchup on Sept. 10.

Bulldog Football Week Two Preview at South Dakota State Jackrabbits 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 in Brookings, SD South Dakota State 2015 Record: 8-4

Conference: Missouri Valley

Offensive Player to Watch — Wide receiver Jake Wieneke had more than a third of the Jackrabbits’ receiving yards last year (1472 of 3250). In week one, the junior averaged nearly 25 yards per catch with 196 yards, eight receptions and two TDs. Defensive Player to Watch — Senior defensive lineman Cole Langer only had one tackle last week, but he led SDSU last year in tackles for a loss (10) and sacks (4.5).

Fast Facts • SDSU nearly upset no. 14 TCU last week in a 59‑41 shootout. Even though they lost, the Jackrabbits proved themselves to be a tough opponent against one of the NCAA’s best.

• Considering the 439 passing yards TCU put up against SDSU’s secondary, don’t be surprised if Drake QB Cody Thibault has the ball in his hands a little more than normal on Saturday.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Cubs continue to dominate, leaving some Cards fans bitter The Cubs continue to “try not to suck” and seem to be excelling at it. However, people, even fans, continue to have little faith in the 2016 Joe Maddon-led Cubbies.

The Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 on Labor Day in the first of a three-game series in Milwaukee.

This week, the Cubs continue to dominate the National League Central. The Cardinals are now 16.5 games back and the closest team in the NL to the Cubs are the Washington Nationals, who are still nine games behind.

To me, it seems odd that people can ignore the numbers.

I bumped into an acquaintance at a gas station last week, a Cardinals fan. In keeping with the traditional nuance of making small talk with people we only kind of know, I felt obligated to strike up a conversation about baseball.

It eventually led to him saying something, like most-every Cardinals fan, about the amount of rings, 1908 and any other cliché there is to be said about the Cubs’ tumultuous history.

And to this I simply reply, 16- and-a-half.

Now stumbling over his words, he goes back to the rings,

left with no other ammo, but past achievements and glory.

I’ve said it once and I’m sure I’ll say it one hundred more times before October- numbers don’t lie. And as of today the Cubs have them in spades.

But this is baseball, they have many games left to play before this season comes to a close.

Anything can happen. There’s a reason it’s called the Wild Card Series. The Cardinals could pull off some divinely inspired win streak, take the wild card and come back to win it all, adding to their plethora of World Series victories. It’s one of a thousand

scenarios that can end poorly for the Cubbies.

But today, the Cubs win, they hold the best record in the MLB and are dominating the NL Central. To me, it seems the odds are in our favor.

I’m no stranger to disappointment, however. So even if this doesn’t turn out to be our year, I won’t lose any sleep over it. And if that were the case, well, it seems that I’d probably be waiting another hundred years for a chance. However, the worst part would be that, my acquaintance at the gas station will have won our little spat.

Matthew Gogerty

Sports Editor matthew.gogerty@drake.edu @matt_gogo