02 | news
Oct. 28, 2015
NEWS CAMPUS EVENTS
Rainbow Union hosts drag show A kick-off to Closeted Issues week Anna Zavell Opinions Editor anna.zavell@drake.edu
RAINBOW UNION hosted a drag show on Monday to start Closeted Issues week.
PHOTO BY YING CHYI GOOI| PHOTO EDITOR
Drake Rainbow Union hosted the bi-annual Fall Drag Show Monday in Parents Hall as a start to One Voice’s Closeted Issues week. While the queens danced, students were encouraged to approach the stage with dollar bills and give them to each performer. With a full house, the Fall Drag Show was able to raise $350, $100 more than last year. “It’s really great to see everyone come together as one big community to support the show,” said Rainbow Union Vice President Kathleen Knox. “Drag is such a fun part of the LGBTQ community, and it’s a great part to share with others.” The queens who performed included Drake alum Jupiter Phuckit, current Drake student, Charli, along with Miss Teen Iowa 2014 and the current Miss Teen Unlimited winner. Current Drake student Charli LeQueen, became a member of Rainbow Union last year and began performing drag. She said she enjoys performing at Drake because of the support she receives.
“It’s really fun performing at Drake,” Charli said. “I definitely get a lot more cheering and support than I do anywhere else.” The queens weren’t the only performers Monday night. Two volunteers from the crowd were chosen to go back stage and receive a full drag makeover. “I thought the makeover was a really cute touch because it helped connect the audience with the performers,” said sophomore Caitlin Carriel. “It’s important to encourage everyone who gets on stage because we want to make sure Drake is a safe space.” All money raised during the show was donated to Iowa Safe Schools, an organization that works to promote anti-bullying in Iowa schools and create safe places for LGBTQ students. In collaboration with Rainbow Union, One Voice, an outlet for students to make a change regarding LGBTQ rights, is hosting this Closeted Issues week, which has two other events during the week. The second event of the week is a discussion with Dr. Joe Freund, a recognized expert for LGBTQ healthcare. The event is tonight at 7 p.m. in Meredith 238. The week then ends tomorrow at 5 p.m. in Olmsted 312 with Safe Space Training led by Tony Tyler, director of Olmsted Center and student organizations.
CAMPUS NEWS
Yahoo to host conference to analyze technology’s effect on election Lauren Velasco Staff writer lauren.velasco@drake.edu
Technology is becoming a major part of politics and the election season, and Yahoo News wants to see how this change impacts young student voters at Drake. On November 12, Yahoo and several other news sources will be coming to Drake to speak with students about how technology works within the political realm. “Yahoo News is hosting this conference to really dive into the future of elections, campaigns, and democracy in this country. That future is inevitably tied with technology and the digital
sphere,” senior Brianna Steirer said. Steirer hopes to have many students not only participate in the event, but also get involved in the political system. “I’m really excited that news outlets are trying to help students get more connected to the political process,” said first year Jacob McKay. Not much is known about what will occur at the conference, but several esteemed journalists and members of the press will be traveling with the Yahoo News team for the event. “There is such an exciting lineup of experts in digital media, journalism, and communication strategy that will be attending this event,” Steirer said. “Some of the names that I’m most excited about are Katie Couric and Mike
Isikoff, who are both journalists for Yahoo News.” Other guests who will be in attendance include Mandy Finn, who was the digital strategist for both George W. Bush and Mitt Romney’s campaigns, and Nate Lubin, who was the former director of digital strategy for the White House. Students are encouraged to attend and interact with Yahoo News to see how technology is changing the way people look at politics. “This is a really unique opportunity to engage with politics and the political system,” Steirer said. “I know that sometimes these politics events don’t really appeal to students that aren’t directly studying it, but we are looking forward to this event because it affects everyone and everyone can get something
out of it.” Along with hosting this event, Drake will also be hosting the Democratic debates, making Drake a very political atmosphere for students in the upcoming months. “Yahoo and its staff have done most of the major planning for the event,” Steirer said. “What falls on our end is getting the word out to students and getting them excited about the opportunities here at Drake.” Yahoo will bring in different strategies to get students involved, including social media contest and photo opportunities. This is a new opportunity for students whether or not they are interested in politics. Aside from the event on November 12, students can also participate in a national contest
to become one of five contributors for Yahoo News. “You do not have to be a journalism student to enter and the winning prize is really special,” Steirer said. “The top five young journalists will get the chance to work with the top members of the Yahoo News editorial team as well as a trip to shadow one of Yahoo News’s best journalists.” Yahoo continues to announce information regarding the event as Nov. begins. “This is just the beginning,” said Megan Liberman, Yahoo news editor-in-chief, in the press release regarding the event. “We’ll have more guests and details as we head into November.”
CAUCUS NEWS
SUPPORTERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ate dinner alongside the three democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders. PHOTO BY
JESSICA LYNK | NEWS EDITOR
Students express importance of political events CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Among those supporters was Student Body President Kevin Maisto. Maisto wanted to attend the event immediately after hearing about it. For Maisto, this was a peek into the political scene. “We at Drake, in Des Moines and even just in Iowa in general get to see so much more of the process that creates our government,” Maisto said. “To get the opportunity to
shake hands with, to meet, to interact with, to takes selfies with the people who are running to be the head of our government is huge.” The three candidates were given the opportunity to talk through their platforms, which then invoked emotion in the form of chanting in the crowd. Maisto enjoyed this part of the dinner. “You don’t do that (chant for a candidate) when it is a debate that you see on TV,” Maisto said. “You may get excited inside, but
you don’t feel thousands of people chanting with the candidate.” First year Mia Blondin was also in attendance of the event. She enjoyed watching the interaction of the candidates. “(My favorite part was) watching the candidates poke fun at each other and members of the GOP, but then follow-up by mentioning their policy,” Blondin said. “They weren’t just tearing other people down, they were saying ‘I don’t agree with this and this is what I want to do to change
it if I become president.’” Even though Blondin attended the event because she leans left, she believes it is meaningful to attend events on both sides. “It’s really important to pay attention to both sides, even if you think that you only agree with one side or you strongly believe or make you think a little bit more,” Blondin said. Calderon agrees with Blondin. “Being a millennial, we need to attend events like these, and if we get a chance to talk to them
(politicians), then we need to challenge them on the topics that they are not good at,” Calderon said. Although the event was primarily meant to fundraise for the party, Maisto found other meaning. “It just inspires you and energizes you and makes you believe a little more in the process again, which is something I think in America we all need right now,” Maisto said.