THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University
Vol. 134 | No. 21| April 08, 2015 timesdelphic.com
OPINIONS
FEATURES
Off-handed, politically incorrect comments regarding mental disorders are hurtful and perpetrate a stigma of mental illness. One columnist says we need to be more aware of the words we speak and how they could affect someone else. | Read more on page 05.
SPORTS
Visit the runner-up for “most hipster place in Des Moines.” Up-Down is a barcade where customers can play more than 40 different kinds of nostalgic-themed video games while also hanging out with friends at the bar. | Read more on page 08.
Softball had a three-game sweep over Loyola in Softball at Ron Buel Field this past weekend. The wins were fueled by dominant pitching, the Bulldogs holding the Ramblers to only five runs in the series. Drake is now at the top of the MVC conference. | Read more on page 12.
GREEK LIFE NEWS
Pi Kapp and SAE fraternity houses vandalized over weekend DMPD investigates reoccuring spray-painting incidents in Drake neighborhood Sarah Fulton Relays Editor sarah.fulton@drake.edu @fultonsarah5 Two Greek fraternity houses, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, were vandalized this past weekend. Drake Public Safety has since turned over all collected evidence to the Des Moines Police Department. “End rape kill rapists” was spray painted on the side of the Pi Kappa Phi (PiKapp) house and an obscenity directed towards Greek life was spray painted on the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) house. “I woke up this morning and my roommate was really mad and yelling,” Pi Kappa Phi President Chance Hoener said. “I went outside and went around the side of the house. They spray painted in really big black letters on the side of the house. It said ‘end rape kill rapists.’ That is all we really know.” Two similar phrases also appeared in other places on campus earlier in the year. “Stop rape end rapist” was spray painted on the sidewalk in front of Hubbell dining hall in late October. “End Greek life” was spray painted on the agora earlier in the spring semester. In at least three of the instance the spray paint was black. Hoener estimates that the Pi Kappa Phi house was hit between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Saturday. While Sigma Alpha Epsilon President Kendrick Dewdney said
that the vandalism on their house was completed between 11:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. Friday night. “One of our members drove his car somewhere,” Dewdney said. “It was not there when he left but when he got back it was there.” Both houses filed reports with
“The sentiment is that they are implying that we or members of Greek life in general are rapists. The fact that it says ‘kill rapists’ is kind of concerning but I do not think that anyone feels unsafe. ” Chance Hoener
Pi Kappa Phi President
the Des Moines Police. Video surveillance is being analyzed by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon housing director. Dewdney also requested video surveillance from the neighboring Sigma Phi Epsilon house (SigEp). No video footage was available from the Pi Kappa Phi house. Both Presidents were complementary of Drake Public Safety but neither was completely confident that the perpetrator
would be caught. “It seems like they knew where the cameras were,” Dewdney said. “I am a little doubtful but hopefully we can get something between us and SigEp’s cameras.” “There is not a lot they can do with no kind of video evidence,” Hoener said. “No one caught the person in the action. We do not really have any means.” While members of Pi Kappa Phi find the threats concerning, Hoener said no one feels unsafe. “The sentiment is that they are implying that we or members of Greek life in general are rapists,” Hoener said. “The fact that it says ‘kill rapists’ is kind of concerning but I do not think that anyone feels unsafe. I think that it is a pretty hollow threat. But still, the fact that someone would use that kind of language makes it a little nervous.” Only speculation exists on why the Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon houses were targeted. “We really have no idea why those two were picked,” Pi Kappa Phi member Jon Rudnick said. “We have no specific relations. There is nothing in common. It was pretty out of the blue.” Dewdney said a possible motivation for the vandalism on the Sigma Alpha Epsilon House could be a video in which an Oklahoma chapter of the fraternity chanted a racist remark. “I would only assume because it is related to the OU incident that occurred a few weeks ago,” Dewdney said. Whatever the reasons, Pi Kappa Phi member David
“END RAPE, KILL RAPISTS” vandalism was discovered on the side of Pi Kappa Phi on Saturday morning. This is the third spray-painting incident regarding either sexual assault or Greek life this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANCE HOENER. Nordeen does not believe vandalism is an effective means to an end.” “I think that is the wrong way to go about it,” Nordeen said. “I do not think they have anything to be mad at PiKapp for anyway.”
“Still I think that is definitely not the right form to take in trying to prevent sexual assault. I really hope that it is not a continued pattern.”
RESIDENCE LIFE NEWS
Jewett Hall EC resigns following dismissal of two residence life assistants Angela Ufheil Staff Writer angela.ufheil@drake.edu @AngelaUfheil
On March 29, Jewett Hall’s entire Executive Council resigned from their positions to protest what they believe was a forced resignation of two Jewett staff members. Earlier that week, the EC had learned that a resident’s assistant (RA) and an assistant resident hall coordinator (ARHC) would
be leaving Jewett – and they did not understand why. The EC presented residence hall coordinator of Morehouse, Ross and Jewett with a letter of resignation. “I think everybody in the hall was really upset by the dismissal of (the RA) and (the ARHC),” former Jewett Hall Communications Chair Grace Rogers said. “The EC realized that the only way that a lot of the people in Jewett were going to continue feeling like a community was doing something.” It is unclear why the RA and
ARHC, who wished to remain anonymous, resigned their positions. The Jewett residents were never told that an RA and an ARHC would be leaving, and were given no information about who would be replacing them. The lack of information frustrated the former Jewett EC. “At the very least, you would think the office of residence life could send an email,” Rogers said, who first learned about the situation when she saw the ARHC moving boxes and asked why. “It’s just unacceptable to
JEWETT HALL, an upperclassmen residence hall, had its entire executive council resign last week following what they believe was the forced resignation of two Jewett Hall residence life staff members. PHOTO BY JOEL VENZKE | PHOTO EDITOR
see them moving out, and that’s when you figure out what is going on.” When asked about procedures for informing residents about changes is residence life staff, the Office of Residence life declined to comment to the Times-Delphic. Dustin Miller, the former president of the Jewett EC, said that he was the first to propose resigning. “I didn’t want to be president if [the ARHC] wasn’t going to be at our meetings anymore,” Miller said. “She was great to work with.” Miller said that the ARHC was an important member of Jewett Hall, who decorated the Jewett lobby for every season and greeted every resident by name when she worked the front desk. “I felt comfortable going to talk to her (the RA) about any of my problems,” Miller said. “She was there, she had her door open when she had free time.” Andrew Overton has lived in Jewett for two school years and said there was a positive difference in the environment this year. “Last year there wasn’t a whole lot of family sense of community,” Overton said. “Now, it’s a much more friendly place to live.” Overton does not feel angry that the Jewett EC resigned. “I thought it was really bold,” Overton said. “I thought it was cool that they were so supportive of [the ARHC] and [the RA] that they were willing to resign their positions.” The former Jewett EC took
twitter: @timesdelphic | instagram: @draketimesdelphic | facebook: the times delphic
their protest a step further when they created a Facebook page called “The Jewett Justice League.” The page has 153 likes, and includes a letter Drake students can send to the office of Residence Life and Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari. “It basically just says ‘We’re upset with the system how it stands, and we would like increased transparency,’” Rogers said. “Part of the argument that we also make is that having this system where nobody knows, not even the RAs, what they can go on probation for, or what causes them to get fired or asked to resign, creates a culture of fear.” When asked about probation and firing processes for RAs, the Office of Residence Life declined to comment to the Times-Delphic. The former Jewett EC still plans on helping the hall, said Rogers. They will still collect recycling, and they are working with the Residence Hall Association to transfer remaining executive council funds to the Jewett Hall RAs. When asked about how the EC resignation will affect Jewett Hall, both residence life and the Residence Hall Association would not comment. Former Jewett EC members were also invited to a meeting on April 6 to voice their concerns to Director of Residence Life Lorissa Lieurance and Dean of Students Bakari.