THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 140 | No. 10 | Nov. 5, 2020
FEATURES
SPORTS
Drake pharmacy and health sciences students volunteer to help administer COVID testing to their peers throughout the semester. Read more on page 4
COMMENTARY
Women’s tennis played their first dual match on Oct. 24 against the University of Nebraska Omaha. Read more on page 5
While some may argue social media brings us closer together, one writer believes social media is a force of evil as it stokes political polarization and spreads misinformation. Read more on page 7
Drake experiences mixed election results Professor retains seat, student loses race timesdelphic.com
BOTH WINS AND LOSSES FOR THE DRAKE COMMUNITY. Jennifer Konfrst will hold her seat in the Iowa State House, while Nick Miller did not win his race for District 19. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JENNIFER KONFRST AND NICK MILLER
Times-Delphic Staff timesdelphic@drake.edu
As the nation holds its breath waiting for results on the presidential election, two members of the Drake community have already received results from their respective races. Public relations and strategic political communication associate professor Jennifer Glover-Konfrst held onto her seat in the Iowa House for another session. Konfrst first earned a spot as a District 43 representative in the House in 2018 and began her term in 2019. “It really is an honor to win reelection,” Konfrst said. “I won by almost 15 points and that feels really good to have a resounding victory and not have to have a nail biter in my district. I worked very hard at constituent services. I worked very hard to serve my district all the time, not just during
the election. It was a nice affirmation that I’m doing the right things.” Nick Miller, a Drake senior, ran in his home district of District 19. As a strategic political communication major and small business owner, Miller ran on economic development, reinvesting in public education and investing in a sustainable future. According to the Des Moines Register, with 9,430 votes, Miller lost to Republican opponent Carter Nordman, who won 14,703 votes. “I feel very good about the race that we ran,” Miller said. “We ran a positive campaign; the amount of support that I received from so many people across the district, across the state and across the country has been humbling to say the least. I could not be more proud.” House District 19 was previously represented by former House Majority Leader, Republican Chris Hagenow. However, after Hagenow
announced his retirement, then 21-year-old Nordman stepped up as the Republican nominee. Nordman ran on creating a competitive business environment and creating a 21st century workforce in Iowa. “I commend . . . my opponent for stepping up to the plate, especially being so young,” Miller said. “We did our best to mutually respect each other as much as we could. After a phone call with him last night, it sounds that he is still open to some of our ideas. My goal is to at least try and get some degree of the solutions that we had accomplished still, despite not winning the election.” The night was relatively rocky for Polk County Democrats running for the state house, as Democrats such as Karin Derry, Heather Matson and Andrea Phillips all lost what were seen to be non-competitive races. While Konfrst admits these democratic losses were surprising, she believes the best way to move forward is to
incorporate progressive voices and policy into the platform. “One of the big things that we have to do some soul searching about is who we are as a party and what we represent [and] how can we differentiate ourselves in a way that truly shows voters a contrast,” Konfrst said. Moving forward, Miller is ready to take a break after eighteen months of campaigning. However, he doesn’t discount the idea of running for office again in the future. “In [terms of] future aspirations for me, quite honestly, I don’t know,” Miller said. “I spent some time trying to think about what’s the next step for me. Now that the election is over, I can finally do my law school applications and get those done. And so, hopefully onto law school next, and then we’ll see where it goes from there.” For her second term in the Iowa House, Konfrst has goals
of securing COVID relief for Iowans, ensuring a safe and secure redistricting process and following through on other campaign goals. “Healthcare, jobs and education are always the things I care most about,” Konfrst said. “That hasn’t changed just because we remain in the minority.” According to the Associated Press, Sen. Joni Enrst defeated Theresa Greenfield by more than 110,000 votes, securing a second term for Ernst. As for presidential results, Iowa was called for President Donald Trump late Tuesday night, awarding him the state’s six electoral votes. As of 11 a.m. on Nov. 4, mailin votes are still being counted in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan. The race is too close to call for either Biden or Trump and all eyes will be on those states in the coming days.
Students make plans to ensure their votes count Andrew Kennard Staff Writer andrew.kennard@drake.edu
Leading up to the 2020 election, voters have had to consider not just who to vote for, but how to cast their vote. Drake first-year Jake Elafros planned to vote in-person on Election Day. “You know, it’s my first time voting, I would kind of like to have the ‘voting experience,’” Elafros said. “...I’d rather just do it the way it’s traditionally done… It’s not going to change my vote at all, so I might as well do it the way that seems most fun.” Rachel Shugarts, another first-year at Drake, voted on Wednesday at the satellite location in the Knapp Center. Shugarts appreciates the satellite voting option because she thinks that there aren’t enough early in-person voting options in Des Moines. On the day she voted, she heard that there was a line “down the block” at the Election Office. “[The situation] was just not very…optimal for finding a time to vote,” Shugarts said. “So I was glad that they were trying to extend voting abilities to people who might not otherwise be able to.” Shugarts also has concerns
about the reliability of voting by mail this year. “I personally don’t trust mailin voting right now, with all the stuff going on with the post office,” Shugarts said. “There’s also how long the mail is taking to get places. I’d be worried my ballot might get lost. What if it didn’t get there in time? There’s a lot of concerns.” Many college students have the choice of voting in their home state or the state where their school is located. Elafros, who is from Illinois, voted in Iowa. “I think registering in Iowa for me was the decision because Iowa is more of a swing state than Illinois is, so I would rather vote in place where it seems like my vote will make more of a difference, honestly,” Elafros said. Shugarts is also from Illinois, and she was glad to have the opportunity to vote in Iowa. “I was excited that I did move to vote in Iowa because it’s a purple state, so my vote could do a lot more, especially in the Theresa Greenfield and Joni Ernst race, because it’s such a tight Senate race,” Shugarts said. Drake senior Trey Newman says that one factor in his decision to cast an absentee ballot for his home state
THE KNAPP CENTER served as an early voting location for Drake students and community members. 412 individuals voted at the Knapp Center. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE UNIVERSITY
of Minnesota was greater knowledge of local politicians. He also wanted to be cautious and avoid the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 on Election Day. “I wasn’t a huge fan of thinking about all the standing in line, being with a lot of people,” Newman said. “I don’t know if I was overly concerned about being exposed… [I] just wanted to be careful and felt like the easiest way for me to do so would be to get a mail-in ballot, and mail it in.”
Elafros, Shugarts and Newman all believe in the importance of casting your ballot. “In America, and any other country in which… you can vote, it’s a great blessing to be able to have that ability,” Elafros said. “If you don’t vote, you’re throwing away your vote, and also, it shows that you have a lack of care in the nation and the people around you.” Shugarts believes that some people groups have a responsibility to those who fought for their voting rights.
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“Plus, especially for people of color and women, people fought really hard for the right to vote… and I just feel like you’re throwing away all that they did for you [if you don’t vote],” Shugarts said. Newman emphasized the importance of voting in America’s system of governance. “In a democracy, obviously the goal is that our elected officials represent the people, so I think it’s important that all or most people vote,” Newman said.
NEWS
News
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 2
Students, professors react to Supreme Court confirmation
JUSTICE AMY CONEY BARRETT was confirmed by the senate on Oct. 26. Previously, Barrett clerked under Justice Antonin Scalia, served as a professor at Notre Dame Law School and as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS Madeleine Leigh political the Supreme Court regarding the Affordable court tends to move what term limits would raise Staff Writer has become. Care Act, the outcome of I would call incrementally: as many issues [as court madeleine.leigh@drake.edu “I find that very which may affect coverage step by step. You don’t throw packing], although there’s
On Oct. 26, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the 115th Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5248 vote of the U.S. Senate, just 30 days after her nomination. Her confirmation process was controversial and unusual in many respects, particularly regarding its partisan nature, according to Mark Kende, the director of the Drake Constitutional Law Center, James Madison Chair in Constitutional Law and professor of law at Drake University. “It’s pretty rare to see anything like this right before an election,” Kende said. “It was pretty unusual in terms of how fast it was and I think, how political it was.” Maddie Smith, a junior studying economics at Drake and current president of Drake Students for Life, finds this politicization troubling. She suggests the problem is the way people frame the issue. “I don’t think that a, as you say, 6-3 conservative majority is the right way to view the Supreme Court,” Smith said. “It’s nine justices interpreting the law. And whether or not they do that in a way that liberals or conservatives see as appropriate is up to each individual person.” Adam Koch, a junior studying LPS and Politics at Drake, who identifies as a member of the Democratic Party, also dislikes how
disheartening,” Koch said. “It erodes the legitimacy and the power of the Supreme Court if it just becomes a partisan squabble, because as soon as that happens…then the next step is, ‘whoever’s in power is going to begin to court pack,’ and then the Supreme Court just won’t be a body that the American people care about.” However, Kende said that beyond the way Barrett’s confirmation was conducted, she was otherwise a typical nominee. “[Barrett], in terms of having very, very excellent academic credentials and being a very well-regarded lawyer and being a judge at another court before joining the U.S. Supreme Court; those are pretty typical credentials,” Kende said. Emotions ran high throughout the process, in part due to rampant speculation on how Barrett, a conservative originalist, may rule on any number of current or future cases—and how that will affect the lives of everyday Americans. “[Healthcare] is definitely an issue that I pay particular attention to,” Koch said. “With a chronic health condition, and I guess, a preexisting health condition, it’s something that I have to be very much aware of. Especially as a college student; I’m relying on my parents’ healthcare coverage right now.” The Supreme Court will hear a case on Nov. 10
that Koch and other students like him receive. If the court rules part or all of the ACA unconstitutional, millions of Americans may lose the healthcare the act currently provides. But what does this all mean for the future of the U.S. Supreme Court itself? For one, the political balance of the court has radically shifted.
“It’s pretty rare to see anything like this righ before an election. It was pretty unsusual in terms of how fast it was and, I think, how political it was.”
“I think [the court] is definitely going to move in a conservative direction for a while, though maybe not too quickly,” Kende said. If they do move too quickly, Kende believes this may affect the legitimacy of the court in the public’s eye, but that is less likely than you might think. “I think if they did something dramatic to abortion or gay marriage within, let’s say the next year or two, that would be a sign that would create legitimacy issues for the public,” Kende said. “But with the exception of [same-sex marriage], the
out Roe v. Wade and throw out abortion, but maybe you allow stronger limitations or stronger efforts by the government to encourage women to not have an abortion.” If the Democratic Party retakes the Senate and the Presidency, it is possible its members will take steps to balance the partisan scales of the Supreme Court, in any of a variety of ways. “One very fascinating solution that I read about,” Koch said, “[was] the idea was to have nominated five democrats, five republicans, to the supreme court, and then have another five slots that those ten have to unanimously agree and vote upon. So, that way you would have a very evenly split group of five folks on the right, five folks on the left, and then five folks who, because everybody else had to agree on them, definitely are going to be go in this right in the middle.” Other options include: Adding justices to the court, more commonly referred to as “court packing”: “The court packing is the one that probably would create the most legitimacy problems,” Kende said. “In terms of the mere fact that it’s called court packing, [which] is not a compliment.” Instituting term limits for the justices: “There would be more rotation, and then each president would get more opportunity to nominate,” Kende said. “I’m not sure
actually some potential constitutional problems with that…it depends on how it’s done.” Or even limiting the jurisdiction of the court: “Hypothetically, if you had a Democratic congress and president and they started to think that the court was going way too far, they could try to pass some laws limiting what cases the court could hear,” Kende said. For some people, like Smith, the mere idea of changing the way the court works because of Barrett’s confirmation is a problem. “I think the problem is that the Senate has switched from looking at, ‘Are you qualified to give a legal expert opinion,’ to, ‘Are you qualified to give me an opinion that I like?’” Smith said. But the possibility of such changes is still uncertain. For one, President Trump may yet win the election, in which case discussion of what Democrats would do is moot. In addition, former vice president Joe Biden has displayed some reluctance to fully support such measures, specifically the aforementioned “court packing;” at times going to great lengths to avoid taking a public stance on the issue one way or the other. Either way, it is clear that much the future of the Supreme Court will be decided by the results of the 2020 election.
the basketball teams so the kids could play with them, which is why the event is called “Halloween Hoops.” There were also inflatables, games and food available to participants. To spread the word about Halloween Hoops, posters about the event were delivered to Drake neighborhood houses, churches and local businesses. There was also an advertisement in the Des Moines Register and Ryan Arnold, the Director of Community Engagement at Drake, shared the information as well. While the event is primarily sponsored by Maddie’s Circle Foundation and SAA, multiple other groups have either volunteered or donated to the event including NAACP, Coalition of Black Students and the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists.
“We have had generous support, so I think at the fundamentals it hasn’t changed in the way that we collaborate,” Kahler said. There were over 100 volunteers from 15-20 different organizations at and outside of Drake that were there to help run the event. The volunteers handed out the goodie bags, held arrows directing traffic and many were dressed up in costumes. They even received a cookie and hot chocolate for their help. Hanna participated for the event through the service fraternity she is a member of, Alpha Phi Omega. She said her favorite part was “seeing all the neighborhood kids dressed up in their costumes.” Although different than years prior, the event was still a night of fun for all.
halloween hoops event adjusts to covid-19 guidelines Sydney Hamilton Staff Writer sydney.hamilton@drake.edu
Last Thursday, the Student Alumni Association held their annual Halloween Hoops event in the Bell Center Tennis Parking Lot from 4:30-7:30 p.m. for Des Moines residents. While the event is normally held in the Bell Center, it was instead held in Knapp Center Tennis Lot Four as a drive up event in order to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. “This year we transitioned because it wasn’t an option to cancel in our minds,” said Kiley Kahler, Vice-President of Campus Community Engagement for SAA. “This is something that’s important for the community, for the Drake Neighborhood and for our families and kiddos.” When families drove up the
event they were required to wear masks and stay in their cars to comply with social distancing, but still had many opportunities for a good time. The Boys and Girls Club ran a sucker station, SAA made 300 goodie bags for the kids and Griff II made an appearance. SAA was sure to be very “COVID cautious” while setting up, making sure that the same SAA members were putting the goodie bags together. They had extra masks and gloves for those who didn’t have them, and everyone was required to stay in their car while at the event. “We really want to make sure that we’re keeping the campus and community safe,” Kahler said. Emily Hanna, a senior at Drake, volunteered for the event both last year and this year. “SAA did a great job at
adapting this event to fit COVID regulations,” Hanna said. “Kids were still wearing great costumes, candy was handed out and the event was fun.”
“This year we transitioned because it wasn’t an option to cancel in our minds. This is something that’s important for the community, for the Drake Neighborhood and for our families and kiddos.”
In the past the event was held in the Bell Center with
Features
FEATURES
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 3
Engage Politics Week launches at Drake Grace Altenhofen Features Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu
In the week leading up to the election, students saw a new hashtag trend floating around Drake social media: #engagepoliticsweek. The bipartisan movement was crafted by Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion Erin Lain, Drake faculty and staff and the leaders of student political organizations on campus. “There was a bipartisan group of students, faculty and staff that have been meeting for the last month or so,” Lain said. “We were getting together on how to create an inclusive environment surrounding politics on campus and that’s how we came up with the #engagepoliticsweek.” The goal was to unite the Drake community, regardless of students’ political affiliations. “Our campus is very political and that’s one of the things we pride ourselves on,” Lain said. “We get a lot of candidates to visit us and I think it’s just really important that we have one another as a community surrounding the election, even though we might really disagree on politics.” There are no specific events planned for Engage Politics Week; rather, Lain said the purpose is to provide students with resources and encourage an open dialogue about politics. “It’s mostly just a resource-driven program, I’ve been posting resources on our page every day about different things that people can do to engage in politics in a respectful way,” Lain said. “We’ve also asked people to wear purple and maybe abstain from social media this week in order to talk to
STUDENTS HAVE REMAINED POLITICALLY ACTIVE on campus for the 2020 election cycle. GRAPHIC BY TRISH RICHARDS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
people in-person about their political views.” According to Lain, the intent behind wearing purple is to demonstrate that Drake students are all part of a community, regardless of whether they vote red or blue. “We’re all a part of Drake despite our political differences, which may be really strong,” Lain said. “There are lots of things that we have in common and values that we hold near and dear to us, and also that we live and work and learn in this environment together, so I think those are the important things that we need to recognize in this week before the election. It’s important to have those dialogues.” Drake Democrats President Kody Craddick said he believes in the importance of having these conversations on campus, especially during an election year. “I was kind of drafted into that, all the political heads on campus were kind of asked to be a part of it, to try to bridge divides and ensure
that we’re having a healthy conversation,” Craddick said. “I think that the intent is good, it’s just kind of ensuring that we’re having a productive conversation and having the realization of what our role is on Drake’s campus and the role of Drake University in politics.” According to Craddick, it is important to have resources available to students to help them cope with the stress of the election as well. “[It’s] just kind of having resources available for people,” Craddick said. “This is a stressful time for a lot of people, a lot of anxieties are being wrought because of this election, and our main focus is to ensure that people have the resources and people have the outlets to ensure that they have a place to air their opinions and have a healthy part in the process.” Craddick said that part of being a politically engaged campus means welcoming different political opinions. “I think that it’s important to continue our discourse on
campus,” Craddick said. “I think we are such a politically active campus, we should really be showing that aspect of it. We’re not all going to agree all the time, and I think harnessing our energy to show that we are a campus that welcomes a discourse, welcomes a disagreement, that’s an appropriate way of continuing the conversation.” John Altendorf, cochair of the Drake College Republicans and part of the committee for Engage Politics Week, said that this is something Drake needs to work on year-round. “Engage Politics Week is a great program put on by Drake, but the university can and must continue to do more from top to bottom to support a more inclusive political environment for students on campus year-round,” Altendorf said. “Rather than one-off programming to check a box, the university should have year-round programming supporting the free market of ideas with respect and civility.”
According to Altendorf, conservative students do not always feel welcome or included in political discourse on campus. However, he said Drake College Republicans is always willing to work on bipartisan issues and seek to engage in conversations about different political beliefs. “Drake College Republicans has always been willing to work with our friends in Drake Democrats. We have worked together to promote free speech events and voting,” Altendorf said. “It is important for Drake conservatives and democrats to collaborate and set an example for how college students can disagree without being disagreeable. It is important for us to have a healthy discussion about our ideas while engaging with respect and understanding that each of us wants what is best for our communities, even if we have different paths to reaching that goal.”
Students stay politically active during election season Grace Altenhofen Features Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu
On a campus that prides itself on political opportunities, this election season is a busy one for Drake students, many of whom are involved with campaigns or political organizations. One of these students is senior Jackie Sayers, who has worked on campaigns in both Iowa and her home state of Kansas. “I have been working as a fellow for Barbara Bollier’s U.S. Senate campaign in my home state of Kansas,” Sayers said. “I learned so much about so many different parts of campaign work from the fellowship with the Bollier campaign. As a finance fellow I learned how to do donor research, and then I had the opportunity to transition to the political department during the fall. As a political fellow, I have learned about the many local elected officials all throughout Kansas, and the different issues important in each area.” Sayers’ experience with political campaigns began when she worked for Senator Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign after her sophomore year at Drake, and it left her with a passion
for politics. “I love working on campaigns and I plan to do so after I graduate from Drake,” Sayers said. “I loved all the cool people I met through the campaign work, and how energizing the environment was when everyone believed so much in a better vision for the future. I knew after that experience that campaign work and political activism was something I wanted to pursue for life.” Sayers also serves as secretary for the Drake Democrats. According to Drake Democrats President Kody Craddick, the organization has offered students many ways to get involved during election season. “We’ve been partnering with a couple different organizations democratically, voter organizations to do phone-banking, text-banking, letter writing campaigns,” Craddick said. “We’ve been heavily active in the state party, county party, and local campaigns, and we’ve been making sure that people have the information to vote and all the resources they need.” Drake Democrats has also been hosting events with notable guest speakers. “We’ve been hosting a couple different events on
campus, primarily virtual,” Craddick said. “We had Congresswoman Axne on a few weeks ago to talk to her, we had Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield come and talk to our organization, we had an outdoor debate watch party on Helmick commons which was very well-attended, which was socially distant and had all the precautions but we were able to come together for that.”
“As a very political campus, I think Drake has a front row seat to all the transformative things that are happening in American politics.”
Drake College Republicans has been engaged in similar activities, giving students the opportunity to volunteer for political campaigns they support. “Drake College Republicans has worked hard throughout the election season to provide volunteers and part-time staffers door knocking, making phone calls and attending events to help Republican candidates up
and down the ballot win on November 3,” Drake College Republicans Co-Chair John Altendorf said. “We have provided our members with resources to ensure Drake Republicans are prepared and show up to the ballot box and vote, utilizing every method -- absentee, early voting inperson, and on election day.” Altendorf has also been politically active outside of his organization, working directly with the Republican Party of Iowa. “Currently, I am the communications assistant for the Republican Party of Iowa,” Altendorf said. “In this role, I assist in managing message strategy and rapid response for Iowa’s Republican House and Senate congressional candidates through social media, press releases and digital communication.” According to Altendorf, it is important that young people use their voice and vote to help create the change they want to see in the country. “Historically, young voters have very low turnout numbers on election day,” Altendorf said. “It is important that all young voters exercise their civic duty and make their voices heard. College students are active in the political process, but if they don’t vote, their
views won’t be addressed. To govern, you have to win elections and to win elections you have to vote.” Sayers believes there has been increased political involvement among young people in this election year specifically. “I do think people are getting more involved during this election cycle than in previous years,” Sayers said. “From what I’ve seen on social media, so many of my friends who I don’t normally think of as politically active or aware have been posting about voting and the need to get involved.” According to Craddick, the environment of Drake helps foster political involvement among students, giving them opportunities they may not have had otherwise. “As a very political campus, I think Drake has a front row seat to all the transformative things that are happening in American politics,” Craddick said. “I think that we’re involving ourselves in ways that many college students aren’t able to, and that comes across the entire political spectrum. I think that we’re really showing how we’re being heavily involved, we’re doing our part, and we’re pushing our way into the political conversation.”
FEATURES
Features
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 4
Professors turn Election Day into self-care day for students Grace Altenhofen Features Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu
With the stress of election season compounding onto the stress of 2020, some Drake professors made the decision to cancel classes on Election Day Nov. 3 to give students time for self-care. For English professor Beth Younger, self-care days have been important throughout the school year, but especially so amid the election season. “This semester is so different from any other semester we’ve ever had, so I’ve been kind of thinking about self-care days throughout the whole semester,” Younger said. “I want people to have the time to do what they need to do, like if people need to vote, if people need to sit in their dorm room and do something to maintain sanity, whatever they need to do.” For Younger, part of that decision stemmed from how different this semester felt anyway in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s just a very different semester, so I’ve been trying to think about it in a different way,” Younger said. “If we were still meeting in person, I would also say, ‘If you need to be gone on this day, I’m fine
with that, absolutely.’ I can’t speak for other professors or educators, but I feel like this semester, there are very few people who are just kind of like, ‘Yeah, let’s go, everything’s fine.’” Strategic political communication professor Jennifer Konfrst also said the abnormal semester was a factor in her decision to cancel classes the day after Election Day. “I already knew it was going to be a frustrating semester, one in which we wouldn’t have fall break, and I know students well enough to know that October was going to be rough anyway,” Konfrst said. “Then adding on this pressure and the overarching stress of an election, there are plenty of things you can talk about without having somewhere to be at 9:30 on the day after the election. One thing I could do was to give us a little break in there.” Konfirst was teaching at Drake during the 2016 election and said she made the decision to hold class the day after that election. She had also been on the ballot that year, running for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. “2016 was interesting because I was also on the ballot and I lost,” Konfrst said. “That Wednesday after
Election Day, I was teaching J30 and they were all looking at me like, ‘What am I going to do with her? Is she going to explode? What is she going to do?’ and I just said ‘I lost and Donald Trump won, so that’s how I’m doing.’”
“There are times when the material has to go out the window. There are times when you can’t teach a lesson that day because your students aren’t there with you, so the lesson comes from listening to each other.”
According to Konfrst, there are moments as a professor when lesson plans need to be set aside to address current issues and the feelings of students. “There are times when the material has to go out the window,” Konfrst said. “There are times when you can’t teach a lesson that day because your students aren’t there with you, so the lesson comes from listening to each other and talking about the issues that are emotional
and raw. Students didn’t quite know how to react and so it was really just a lot of processing. Those moments are ones that as an educator, I feel like it’s my responsibility to pause and address them.” However, Konfrst decided to cancel classes for Election Day and the following day in 2020 to give students time to process things on their own. “I know that there’s a lot of emotion out there right now, plus the fact that we’re all very on edge,” Konfrst said. “I don’t know what to expect when it comes to seeing students’ reactions, but I will say that I’m more prepared this time to have those conversations than I was in 2016.” Younger also said her experience teaching during the 2016 election reinforced her decision to cancel classes for a self-care day during the 2020 election. “I wish I could block it out. After the election, I had so many students traumatized, mostly LGBT students and students of color, and I felt like my office was a place that they could come and freak out,” Younger said. “When it happened, I didn’t know how I was going to teach my class. So I would go to class and say, ‘Does anyone want to talk about this?’, and they did. And some people said
other classes were pretending like nothing happened. You can’t just pretend like nothing happened, because the world was turned on its head. It was hard for students.” Drake sophomore Jeremy Alport, who is enrolled in one of Younger’s classes, said he appreciates her decision to cancel classes on Election Day. “I think it’s a great idea because we’ll all be stressed as heck, regardless of who we want to win,” Alport said. “Some want to de-stress, some want to watch vividly and some want to escape. This will allow us to do those.” According to Younger, it’s ultimately a judgement call for professors to decide what benefits the most amount of students at any given time. “I had one student [in 2016] tell me after class that she was glad we talked about it, and I had one student tell me after class that he wished we hadn’t talked about it because he wanted to pretend everything was normal,” Younger said. “That’s my struggle: how do I do what’s right for the whole class? It’s impossible, you just have to try to do what you can. Which this time means having a selfcare day.”
Student volunteers administer COVID testing Grace Altenhofen Features Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu
Sometimes, learning takes place outside of the classroom. This has been the experience of Drake pharmacy and health sciences students, who have volunteered over the course of this semester to administer COVID testing to their peers. According to Professor Erik Maki, chair of the Clinical Sciences Department, second-year pharmacy students undergo a national certification program for point-of-cure testing, which would qualify them to administer testing such as COVID tests. “When [the] university started having initial conversations about testing and how we might do testing, we knew that we had a lot of students who are certified and had some practice in how to do these testing methodologies, so we thought we could be an asset to the university,” Maki said. “That’s how we started to think about how maybe we could partner with the university. Right now we have a lot of faculty with a lot of expertise and skills, and they’re all over the city in different health systems, but we haven’t traditionally provided a lot of services on campus. It seemed like a real opportunity to engage with those kinds of things.” Maki sent out emails over the summer to pharmacy and health sciences students asking for volunteers to assist with testing during move-in. “It was 100% completely volunteer, so we just sent out messages, not only to pharmacy students but to health sciences students,” Maki said. “Testing first started about a week before move-in day for students who live on campus and studentathletes, so we had a little
bit of a trial run with how we might do it with some of the student-athlete population.” Maki estimated that over 100 students volunteered to administer COVID testing during move-in week. “Amazingly it all came together and we had enough volunteers,” Maki said. “For example, on Saturday we had 480 students moving in, so that was the one I was the most concerned about because that was the biggest number. From my perception, it just went really smoothly. I don’t think we ever had much of a line. It was really smooth and it worked really well.” Maki said that he was impressed at the number of students who volunteered their first weekend on campus to assist with the COVID testing. “I had freshman students on Sunday volunteer who, it was their first full day on campus. They showed up the next day to do this,” Maki said. “I was just impressed with students like that who showed up and didn’t even know what they were getting themselves into. I just thought it was really neat that we had all these people who were willing to take time on a weekend to do this, and I think it shows the generosity of people in a time like this when we need it the most.” One of these students was first-year health sciences student Chloe Herby. “I heard about the recruitment for assisting with COVID testing administration from an email sent to all CPHS students a few days before freshman move-in,” Herby said. “I was moving in on Saturday the 15th, so I was able to register to volunteer on the 16th.” Herby served as a labeler during move-in weekend testing, matching labels with samples and collecting
PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCE students have volunteered to administer COVID testing on campus through the semester. PHOTO BY PAYTON SLOBODZIAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
student contracts. “After confirmation of my shift, I received several emails throughout the week regarding instructions, reminders and thanks,” Herby said. “I signed up to work as a labeler for Sunday afternoon. I organized and distributed labels with students’ names and ID numbers onto the cups that students spit into and onto the plastic bag the vialed saliva would be placed in. I made sure that all other team members had the proper cup and bag for each student, as well as organizing student contracts.” According to Herby, it gave her the opportunity to apply knowledge to a real-world situation.
“I learned that all team members are important and actions that may seem small can make a change,” Herby said. “Hands-on work is more personal and makes lessons about health sciences more realistic. Textbooks are good for a learning basis, but there is a limit to how much one can experience and apply what one has learned.” Volunteers have continued to help throughout the semester by administering testing to randomly selected students. “I think students enjoy it, maybe not the saliva part, but I think they enjoyed the opportunity to do something that is helping in a time of crisis,” Maki said. “I think
people get into fields like this because they want to help other people and be part of something that’s meaningful, and I think from that aspect I do think they are enjoying it.” According to Maki, it is also something that students can put on their resumes in the future. “I’ve encouraged them to make sure that they’re putting this on their resumes,” Maki said. “It’s a really unique experience, and they’re just starting that job season right now. They had a career fair last week and this is just something unique that they can say they were involved with.”
SPORTS
Sports
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 5
Women’s tennis faces off against University of Nebraska Omaha
THE BULLDOGS PLAYED IN THEIR FIRST DUAL MATCH OF THE SEASON THIS WEEKEND. Facing the University of Nebraska Omaha, women’s tennis faced a few tough upsets and many great wins. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE ATHLETICS Darinka Stepan Contributing Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu
This weekend was the first dual match that the women’s tennis team was able to compete in this fall. On Oct. 24 women’s tennis had a match against the University of Nebraska Omaha. Women’s tennis was down a player, so with a total of 5 players, they had to forfeit 3 doubles. They lost their second doubles match 1-6, but seniors Megan Webber and junior Kelsey Neville won first doubles 6-3. Dogs ended up losing the doubles point putting them down 0-1 going into singles. Megan Webber won her singles match, junior Daria Walczak won her singles match in a third set tie breaker, Kelsey Neville
lost her match in a tough two setter, and sophomore Kendall Hunt lost her match in a battle. The Bulldogs lost the first match 4-3. After a 30 minute break, they took the courts again. First doubles lost their match and second doubles won theirs; since Drake does not have their full team, they had to forfeit third doubles. Thus, they were down 2-1 and went into singles 0-1. They went out and won all their singles matches; seniors Megan Webber, Daria Walczak and Kelsey Nevile won their matches. Kendall Hunt also won her match. The team was able to win the match 5-2. “We had 3 close matches going to 10-point tiebreakers in lieu of the third set and we won all 3 of those which gave us a lot of confidence,” head coach Mai-ly Tran said.
“Overall, we won 10 out of 14 matches and I was extremely pleased with how the girls played. It was so much fun to watch the girls compete in that team atmosphere again. We are so thankful to President Martin, Brian Hardin, senior staff, and everyone else involved for making this competition safe and possible. We can’t wait for the next one.”
“I’m looking forward to building off this weekend and finishing this fall season strong.”
“I was really happy with how we competed on Saturday,” assistant coach Kristina Lott said. “The girls brought a lot of energy and did a good job of making every match count. I’m looking forward to building off this weekend and finishing this fall season strong.” Senior Megan Webber compared this duel to her previously played matches. “This match was definitely different from matches that we have played in the past due to COVID-19 precautions,” Webber said. “Usually after we finish a match we can stay on the courts and cheer on our teammates, but this time we had to go up to the bleachers and cheer there. We had to wear masks almost all the time except when we were playing, but if our coaches wanted to give us coaching on our change overs, we had
to put our masks on. Even with all of the precaution I am very grateful that we had the opportunity to compete with my team again.” Kelsey Neville also had a positive experience at the dual match. “It was great to put out and compete again with my team and on our home courts,” Neville said. “The COVID-19 precautions were weird, but we were still very lucky to be able to compete and I enjoyed every second of it.” The Bulldogs still have two tournaments that are on their schedule for the rest of this semester. Both tournaments are ITA events at the LifeTime Fitness Club. Women’s tennis has already competed in similar events like these in the past and had positive results.
Four years since Chicago Cubs’ World Series win Emily Godsey Sports Editor emily.godsey@drake.edu
It’s a weekday. It’s late at night and it seems as though the entire world should be asleep, but there’s a strange energy around the entirety of the baseball community. The city of Chicago is ethereal, buzzing with a feeling that still cannot be explained. The entire state is bathed in blue. Here’s the problem with this image - you will never be able to recreate it. The feelings of that night; the stress, the dread, the happiness, the immeasurable amount of longing - one can try to explain them all, but they will never be able to capture the aura of that night. On Nov. 3, 2016, the longest drought in sports history was broken when the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series. Even before Kris Bryant threw the final out to Anthony Rizzo to secure the title, the 2016 Chicago Cubs team was cemented in history. With many players facing uncertainty in terms of where they will be next season (Jon Lester and Kris Bryant being among the faces) and many having already moved on to different teams (like Dexter Fowler and Jake Arrieta), it seems that now - four years later - would be the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs dazzled the entire National League, winning 103 games and losing a mere 58. From the first game at home, it
was evident that the energy coming from the dugout and the stands was stronger than it ever had been before; the crowd being so loud that the broadcast booths shook on multiple occasions. Then, Willson Contreras gets added into the mix; his first at bat in the major league had every fan at Wrigley Field on their feet - and rightfully so, as his first swing soared into the bleachers for a home run. Merely a few games later, the Chicago Cubs played a game in Cincinnati. Kris Bryant hit three home runs and two doubles - which, according to an NBCSports article, “Remembering the Kris Bryant Game™ and other Signature games in Cubs History,” was the first time this feat has been accomplished in MLB history. However, Bryant was not the only one to find success in this game. Stars like Anthony Rizzo and Jake Arrieta also had quite a bit of luck with their bats, as well. Cut to the playoffs - the epitome of stress for Chicago Cubs fans. Facing the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series, the team was able to overpower their contenders three games to one, racking in four runs in the top of the ninth inning during Game 4 (the biggest ninth inning comeback in a postseason clinch game in MLB history). Things only got more stressful during the National League Championship Series against the LA Dodgers. One of the most memorable moments of the series? Miguel Montero’s grand slam in Game One
THE CHICAGO CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 108 YEARS FOUR YEARS AGO. Game seven against the Cleveland Indians went to extra innings after a rain delay, creating one of the most stressful tenth innings in MLB history. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS
followed by Dexter Fowler’s one-run homer. When Cubs fans thought about the World Series before 2016, they always thought about “the curse” on their team and the way that they had a tendency to choke during important games. Which was why, when the Chicago Cubs were down three games to one against the Cleveland Indians, everyone assumed it was over. According to an article from The Undefeated, the team was the first since the 1985 Kansas City Royals to overcome a series deficit that large. However, that deficit was not the only obstacle the team had to overcome. When they pushed their competitors to a Game Seven and opened the scoring right off the bat (pun
completely intended), fans were sure to keep their composure and stay responsibly pessimistic rightfully so, as Rajai Davis homered off of star closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning to tie the game at 6-6. Natural Cubs fan reaction? To give up. Nature’s reaction? A rain delay. It just so happened that this rain delay gave Jason Heyward enough time to corner his teammates in the locker room and rouse them together with a speech. Ben Zobrist came out of the dugout, doubled down the left-field line in the 10th inning, and Miguel Montero singled to win the game. Cut to the snapshots of Anthony Rizzo on third base, his hands on his helmet as he mouthed
the words, “Oh my god,” over and over again because they were one inning away from being World Series champions. The videos of Ben Zobrist jumping and screaming so hard that his helmet flew off as he stepped onto second base. The fans in the stands, sobbing well before Kris Bryant even threw the last out to Anthony Rizzo on first base. The 2016 Chicago Cubs team and their fans bonded for life that season. Game Seven of the World Series, extra innings, a full count, and 108 years of desire has connected every single fan with every single player from that season for the rest of their lives, and they all know it.
SPORTS
Sports
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 6
Sunday night football: Bears vs Saints
Maddie Topliff Beat Writer maddie.topliff@drake.edu
It’s as if the ghosts of 2019 NFC South games have come back to haunt Chicago — first with the loss against the Los Angeles Rams last Monday, and now, a loss against the New Orleans Saints. Last year, we played the Saints a little earlier in the season, but just like this year, Drew Brees and his team handed us our third loss of the season. Sitting at 5-3 is more comfortable than 3-3, but back-to-back losses still feels like a dark, looming cloud no matter what year it is. The main focus that emerged from the prior loss to the Rams was the incapability of Nick Foles’ offense to put points on the board, partly due to the controversial playcalling by head coach Matt Nagy. Did that change on Sunday versus the Saints? Um…you decide. There’s a lot of tension in Chicago right now, so let’s take some time to talk about it. Coach and Foles don’t see eye-to-eye There is something weird about the Foles-Nagy relationship. I’m just going to say it. For starters, you’d think that the relationship would be pretty good for Nagy to bench his starting quarterback not even four games into the season in favor of Foles. But ever since then, there has been palpable, and I mean palpable, tension between the two, especially in the past two weeks, concerning everything from technical difficulties to wristbands. It’s not a secret that the Bears offense is not where the coaching personnel — or anyone, really — wants it to be. Sure, Foles came onto the Chicago scene fired up
and ready to lead the team to victory in his first start, but ever since then, the general aura has been, how do the kids describe it, “meh.” Obviously, underperforming is not the way to cozy up to Coach Nagy, but there are two sides to every coin. Nagy’s play-calling has been under fire by much of the fanbase, and even announcers. On Sunday, there was a stint when Foles’ helmet wasn’t piping in the sideline audio, causing him to have to run back and forth from the sideline to the huddle to get the play before the situation was remedied. During this spectacle, Nagy dialed up a running game play that did not do anything impressive for the offense, and sportscaster Joe Buck said that it might have been better if Foles hadn’t heard the play at all. Yikes. Allen Robinson II takes a breather Foles is currently ranked 28th in the league for his QBR. Part of what makes up a QBR is the passing game — surprise, surprise. Anywho, WR Allen Robinson II has been both underthrown and overthrown by Foles plenty of times this season, leading to many, many drives without a touchdown or drives ending by way of a Foles interception. When you’re supposed to be one of the most targeted receivers on the team, that is certain to frustrate you, and Robinson got his fill on Sunday. After a particularly poor drive, he took a stroll down to the defensive camp to separate himself from his offensive teammates. Dude, same. And this is in addition to the stalled contract extension negotiations that the guy deserves. I would take a walk, too, buddy. Javon Wims wields a
BEARS FACE ANOTHER TOUGH LOSS AS THEY BATTLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR SPOT IN THE DIVISION. The Bears faced the Saints this Sunday in a back-and-forth fight that resulted in yet another loss and a player disqualification. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS
suckerpunch, gets ejected Many Bears players may need time to cool off, but especially WR Javon Wims. After an alleged face-poking incident (I know, right) involving a Saints player and Wims’ teammate Anthony Miller and Wims’ stolen mouthpiece, Wims retaliated way too aggressively and punched Saints safety Chauncy Gardner-Johnson in the helmet, calling for his immediate disqualification from the match, and as of Monday morning, potential for a suspension. Nagy, unsurprisingly, was not pleased. “I am really, really bothered by that thirdquarter incident,” said Nagy. Incidents detract from gameplay Although there were some good moments on Sunday, including Cairo Santos’ FG that sent his team into overtime, the highlights
were overshadowed by the downfalls last weekend. The Bears lost 23-26 to New Orleans, maintaining their second place position in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers. Maddie’s Monster of the Game I’m not entirely a Negative Nelly this week, I promise. I want to take this opportunity to shout out rookie WR Darnell Mooney for his continued hustle and ability to make plays — when he’s thrown a good pass, of course. In the second quarter on Sunday, Foles threw to Mooney to create the longest reception of the season for Chicago. I think we will continue to be impressed by Mooney in the weeks to come, as long as our quarterback gets it together. Divisional roundup The Vikings are the only NFC North team with a victory this week. Let that sink in.
1st place: Packers (Lost against the Minnesota Vikings) 2nd place: Bears 3rd place: Lions (Lost against the Indianapolis Colts) 4th place: Vikings (Won against the Green Bay Packers) Tighten up against the Titans This coming Sunday poses the perfect opportunity for Foles and the Bears to bounce back from a two-game losing streak. Tennessee is also coming off of a two-game loss, but are at home, so they’re the favorites. Nothing like an underdog win to fire up some momentum for the rest of the season, especially when division games are coming up. The game is set to kick off on FOX at noon on Sunday. Until then, you know what you have to do. Mask up and Beardown.
The 2015 Chicago Blackhawks were the end of the dynasty Emily Godsey Sports Editor emily.godsey@drake.edu
It has been mere months since the Chicago Blackhawks were eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, and it has been even longer since the last time they had a solid chance at hoisting the Stanley Cup. There are many debatable, albeit downright inarguable, reasons for the lack of success that the organization has found during their five-year drought. Still, it doesn’t come as a surprise that most of the issues the team has faced have more to do with staff decisions rather than player’s skill. The negativity began almost immediately following the Blackhawks 2015 Stanley Cup win. Blackhawks fans will remember this era for the seemingly infinite amount of stunning trades; fan-favorite players like Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp - not to mention the loss of other talents like Johnny Oduya. These losses, however, were overshadowed by the additions of Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin; Anisimov from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Brandon Saad, and Panarin from the Kontinental Hockey League. Artem Anisimov, working as Artemi Panarin’s translator for most of the season, provided the team with steady, constant talent -
something they had not been getting from veteran players like Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. Artemi Panarin was absolutely explosive. Working on a line with Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, the two immediately connected in ways that left fans with a phenomenal sense of optimism. Panarin scored a goal in the opening game of the season, coining him with the nickname of “The Breadman” (Panera, anyone?) and continued to prove himself as a stellar addition to the team for the rest of the season. Not only did he excel individually, he also aided Patrick Kane in breaking the American record for his twenty-six game point streakone in which, according to an NHL article, also broke the Chicago Blackhawks franchise record of eighteen games. The season led to Kane winning the season’s Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP with 106 points (an NHL best for the season), and Panarin winning the Calder Memorial Trophy, an award given to the best first-year player in the NHL. However, in true Chicago Blackhawks fashion, things couldn’t stay good for long. After the team lost to the St.Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs, the inevitable trade season began with the losses of Bryan Bickell and Andrew
CAPTAIN Q POSES WITH THE STANLEY CUP DURING THE PARADE IN 2015. Before Stan Bowman’s stunning trades and nonsenical moves began, the Blackhawks were on route for a historic decade. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS
Shaw (with Shaw, the team lost their net-front presence for a number of seasons to follow). However, one of the worst trade decisions made - arguably of all time - was the trade of Teuvo Teravainen, a youthful offensive player with a wicked slapshot and a monumental underappreciation surrounding him. Then, the Chicago Blackhawks were swept in the 2017 Playoffs. So, Stan Bowman’s thoughtful response (sarcasm) was to trade Artemi Panarin and reacquire Brandon Saad. Not only him, but the loss of Niklas Hjalmarsson seemed to weaken the team’s defense to a point of no return. A number of years later, the
team has faithfully committed to a ‘rebuild.’ Something that, according to Suntimes article was not something that the organization ever planned on, much less communicated this idea to its veteran, nomovement clause players like Toews, Kane, Keith, and Seabrook. The Chicago Blackhawks have gone 198-152-48 (following the wins-lossesovertime losses format) since they last won the Stanley Cup in 2015. This statistic, provided by a Blackhawk Up article, is absolutely startling after a trip down memory lane. An extra kick in the shin comes in the form of realizing that the team has failed to make it out of the first round and they have only won four
playoff games since their 2015 run. Optimistically, the rebuild could do the organization some good. Statistically, a rebuild wouldn’t have even been necessary had the Blackhawks not rid themselves of young talents like Artemi Panarin and Teuvo Teravainen. There is no telling how long the rebuild could take. Blackhawks fans could be stuck in a constant loop of suffering for a few more years. However, one thing is certain: the New York Rangers are happy to have Artemi Panarin and the Carolina Hurricanes appreciate Teuvo Teravainen much more than Chicago did.
COMMENTARY
Commentary
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 7
Social media is ruining our democracy Caleb Lillquist Staff Writer caleb.lillquist@drake.edu
The term “social media,” traditionally suggests all the various ways a person can interact and talk to a plethora of other users in the stratosphere of social platform algorithms. Yet is that really the case today? When there is a political or social justice event happening, you will often see people posting about it on their Instagram and Snapchat stories to show their support for the cause. While there is nothing wrong with showing one’s support for a political organization or ideology, we never seem to think about whether this could breed the intolerance currently seen from both sides in our country. What do I mean by this? Let me answer with a question: do you follow anyone on social media that you repulsively disagree with? If you are a part of the stark minority in this area, that is fantastic for you, but I would assume that the majority of college students only follow those that fit their political agenda. I mean, why wouldn’t you? If anything, it would give you
more political ammunition to throw at your friends in a heated debate. I am guilty of it, and so are many others. It is an indisputable fact, whether we want to admit it or not. Now let me ask you a follow-up question: when was the last time you sat down and had a one on one conversation with an individual of the opposite political ideology, truly picking their brain on the current events gripping the nation? Probably not anytime recently, and that’s the problem. The grave problem with social media is the fact that it cements the bubble we view reality in, so much so that it prevents any other point of view from penetrating it. When something we don’t align ourselves with comes our way, we mentally freak out, jump to conclusions and try to discredit the individual. This is a problem seen nationwide, but particularly on college campuses when minority group thinkers voice their opinion. The grim reality is that people never follow the people we disagree with. Let’s be real. We only follow the people that make us feel comfortable with our own ideologies and then post whatever content they post on our stories in an
effort to say, “Hey, take this Conservatives” or “Hey take this liberals.” This “GOTCHA” mentality has only been expanded with our growing use of social media. Just the other day, I was talking to a buddy who brought up this toxic mentality of grabbing onto any content to attack the other side in politics. Social media posts do not initiate public dialogue. From my own experiences, particularly with Twitter, people will use these platforms to demean and harass other students with opposite views of their own. There is a Twitter thread about me and the commentary pieces I have written. This thread has not furthered any conversations but instead talks about what an awful, evil person I am. My case is minuscule compared to the behemoth of other instances on the web. This is not furthering democracy; it is destroying it from within. How about the plethora of cases from big tech silencing users from both sides of the aisle (generally conservative) by perma-banning people? Twitter banned and censored a New York Post piece on an investigation of presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who is alleged to have significant ties with Ukraine. If one wants to see
the ocean size of scandals from Twitter and other big tech companies silencing bias and problems with free speech, look no further than the Google search bar. Now I acknowledge that social media has created a platform for those wishing to push democracy. Take Hong Kong, for example. Last year I interviewed some ‘on the ground’ pro-democracy protesters who used social media to their advantage to spread their policy goals. Here they would have to use the media platform “Telegraph” to communicate with fellow protesters to organize protests. Telegraph was the only app available that would allow users to remain anonymous, thus providing protection from Chinese Communist Party operatives wishing to silence them. I respect this argument, but I am looking at the United States’ problems that I and others have witnessed. For those who know me, they will tell you about my personal vendetta against social media. I despise how it has contributed to the everincreasing suicide rates in this country and exasperated and amplified the hate in our country’s “political discourse.” For example, look no further than President Trump’s tweets. Has this helped the nation in any way? Hell, no, it hasn’t. See my point now? The Forbes piece “Evidence Mounts of Social Media’s Negative Impacts For Democracy” provides some additional information on this topic. The piece states, “The Freedom House report is the latest such report to call out the increasing threat that social media poses to freedom and democracy worldwide. Recently, a report from Chatham House warned that ‘online political campaigning techniques are distorting our democratic political processes.’ Techniques include social media use to spread disinformation, use of social
media data for surveillance and micro-targeting, use of bots or semi-automated accounts, and use of fake personas. ‘Such techniques,’ the report says, ‘have outpaced regulatory initiatives thus far.’” The piece also talks about how the Freedom House report asserts that Facebook and Twitter are the leading contenders of misinformation and “social media manipulation,” in today’s world.
“Now let me ask you the following question: when was the last time you sat down and had a one on one conversation with an individual of the opposite political ideology”
Despite the minuscule benefits of social media, the question is still left untouched: is social media bringing the country closer together, or is it feeding our lust to always be right and always have the upper hand against our political adversaries? In my humble opinion, social media is only contributing to the dogmatism we see play out in our everyday lives. One can argue that social media is merely a mirror exposing the decrepit nature of our country. For those looking for what the future of the country holds, look no further than the nasty social media posts from those claiming they fight for equality and the principle that all voices to be heard. We are all guilty of our own dogmatism and selfish thinking, but if Americans consider social media to be the problem that is dividing us, what is preventing us from taking the step to rid of this little parasite?
SOCIAL MEDIA is used by millions of Americans across the nation in order to stay in touch with family or stay in the loop with national news and current events. GRAPHIC BY ALLYN BENKOWICH | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mail-in voting, arm twisting and Youtube ads Colin Frier Contributing Writer colin.frier@drake.edu
With the coronavirus still raging and more chaos in the streets than a “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” episode, it’s no surprise that 2020 has broken several voting records. The turnout is the highest it’s been since the first season finale of American Idol. Americans, young and old, have jumped at the chance to make their voices heard. And thanks to present circumstances, those voices have mainly come in the form of mail-in voting. Being from Kansas, I voted by mail alongside ninety-five percent of Drake students. The ballot reminded me of one of those scantrons used in high school for state exams. You know, the one
with only number two pencils allowed? I must admit I used a mechanical pencil a handful of times, hoping that the machine would implode. I can’t be the only one. The same goes for this ballot. What if you put your vote down in Sharpie instead of a pen? What then? Would the system go up in flames and somehow swear in Vladimir Putin?
“I believe I speak for a number of people when I say that I wish we could just ‘Command Z’ this whole political situation and start afresh.”
In my opinion, mail-in voting is a tad dicey. Keeping
in mind what the U.S. mailroom looks like, there’s no telling where that little envelope may actually end up. Seriously. The mailroom is like the Batcave; nobody knows what the hell goes on down there. They could be cooking up crystal meth on their lunch hour for all I know. So yes, I think I’m entirely justified in not placing complete faith in a cult of government employees. When filling out the ballot, my eyes moved back and forth between candidates as if I were taking the ACT science section. I believe I speak for a number of people when I say that I wish we could just “Command Z” this whole political situation and start afresh. Maybe even bring the Whigs back, I don’t know— something to shake things up. Last I heard, the final debate was rerun on Comedy Central. Trump’s rallies are Georgia
football games, whereas Biden’s are practically elementary school PTA nights. Both say something about the candidates; neither are exactly positive. On the one hand, Trump packs his supporters so close together they can smell each other’s onion breath from three rows back, while Biden’s viewership is about the same as the WNBA Finals. Yikes. Ah, well, voting is a choice, a right. Right? Wrong. In 2020, voting is a requirement. It’s a crime not to vote. You got debilitating toe fungus? Sorry gramps, gotta vote. If 120 year-old Clint Eastwood can emerge from his dungeon and vote, you can too. Mule or not, sooner or later, the pressure will get to you. It’s like being surrounded by a bunch of health geek friends who eat three salads a day. You may not feel inclined to drop that Twinkie on day one, but with enough friendly
peer pressure, you’ll succumb to the ways of the Stegosaurus and devour those salads like they’re vitamin supplements. Not only am I glad to have that arm-twisting behind me, but I’m also elated to finally watch YouTube videos free of political ads. Talk about bombardment; that was it. I’m now more confident reciting a thirty second Theresa Greenfield ad than I am the Pledge of Allegiance. I mean, it was getting to be such a complete monopolization that even Grammarly was starting to go out of business. So although my ballot may be floating in that Daedalus’ Labyrinth of a mailroom in the middle of Kansas, at least I don’t have to watch another defamatory ad attacking David Young’s stance on frog lives.
Commentary
COMMENTARY
Nov. 5, 2020 | Page 8
Youth vote stepping up this election Kay Awonike Contributing Writer kay.awonike@drake.edu
As the presidential election looms near, now more than ever, Millennials and Generation Z are speaking out and sharing ideas of what our world should look like, trying to bring the change that we are so often told is our destiny to usher in. Our presidential candidates still miss the number one factor to make America great, which is acceptance. Neither Biden and Trump nor express those philosophies in their campaigns nor the debates. As a minority, I find their use of the term president to be offensive. What the U.S needs to implement is fundamental institutional change, and I believe younger folks in our generation are now starting to realize the importance of the point. Many Millennials and Generation Z are far leftleaning; the centrist liberal ideologies do not do it for us anymore. This is why so many young people hate Donald J. Trump; his exclusivity and nationalism generate ominous energy around our country. In presidential debates, whenever Trump gets asked a profound political question about other surrounding lands, he dodges them and goes to another topic entirely. Viewers could see this to be a clear indication that he is not
YOUTH VOTERS have historically been a group with some of the lowest turn out rates to vote or volunteer. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
qualified to work in politics. Millennials have also stressed that someone who does not understand the social justice circle should not be able to make executive decisions. This has caused a lot of media bashing and censored material to put out on those platforms. Especially in this era of widespread uncertainty, we need to vote more than ever. Young people have many concerns about our two candidates because neither are an ideal figure to have as our president. Trump contracting coronavirus and
blatantly stating how we should “not be afraid of it and let it control our lives” firmly establishes his credibility in running a country. Meanwhile, Biden is gaining support from Millennials, Generation Z, celebrities, and social media influencers to gain popularity and hopefully overpower Trump supporters. The election has posed a significant amount of breakthroughs in youth development and how their voices must be heard. Influencer Annie Leblanc made a YouTube video about
the importance of using your vote. The video displayed a typical high school classroom running elections for student council president. The candidates were a boy who did not care about school and a girl who wanted to change the student body and education system. While voting, the boy was obviously in the popular pool because of his mantra of not having homework in school and having only three classes a day. When all the votes were cast, he won simply because
someone did not vote. It explicitly showed how not using your voice to change our community can affect the entire group as a whole. In other words, if we do not use our vote, society will continue to spiral downward. The American political system is about more than politicians touting their campaigns through countless ads; it’s about people coming together to use their voices to make a difference. Young people must not let this chance to make real, lasting change pass them by.
Black community. Vice President Biden has said that if you didn’t support him you aren’t Black. President Trump states that the Black community has nothing to lose by supporting him. Candidates and major political parties have consistently demonstrated how far removed they are from the Black experience. Black voices and Black issues are on the ballot for many Americans this year but for us, they’ve always been on the ballot. We have too long dealt with the rhetoric of candidates who have claimed to be exactly what we need. We’ve consistently reminded politicians that no one has done more for Black Americans, than Black Americans. This year we are getting
out to vote in record numbers. Black Americans have faced many roadblocks around the right to vote. From suffrage and Jim Crow laws to the Black codes, grasping the right to vote is still an obstacle for many African Americans. According to an article by CNN 5.1 million felons will not be able to vote in this election. Those numbers include a disproportionately high amount of African Americans. In a key state, Florida, lawmakers have created a challenge for ex-felons in what is known as a pay to play law. This law will impact over 900,000, mostly Black exfelons in a state that plays an important role in the outcome of this election. This law requires ex-felons to pay a fee
before being able to vote. A modern day poll tax. Voter purging has also occurred in the key state Ohio. Top election officials were allowed to remove voters from rolls if they hadn’t voted in several elections, according to the state law. This law was upheld by the Supreme Court although researchers found that 40,000 voters from primarily urban areas were accidentally placed on the purge list. But Black Americans haven’t stopped fighting for the right to vote. According to Pew Research center, African Americans account for 34% of eligible voters in 9 key battleground states for the 2020 presidential election. With historic early voting numbers, FiveThirtyEight estimates that 66% of the 91
million early votes cast thus far could be from African Americans. We are rarely afforded the ability to enjoy exercising our right to vote because the political system has failed Black Americans for far too long by not allowing us candidates who truly represent the culture and goals of Black America. The turnout in this election will provide inspiring insight for the future of our participation in the American political sphere. Martin Luther King Jr. once said “So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote, I don’t possess myself.”
B lack Voices Column More of the same this election, but hope for the future Michael Bell Column Lead michael.bell@drake.edu
Many Americans were dissatisfied with the options that major parties have presented as candidates for president of the United States. This is nothing new for Black Americans. We’ve historically given our vote to the candidates who will harm us least. This election cycle many Americans will be facing the ballot with reluctance. Unlike many of our neighbors we have rarely had the opportunity to be proud of our nominees. President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden have both claimed to be best for the
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