THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 139 | No. 11 | Nov. 20, 2019
FEATURES Students involved in the Paint it Black Movement reflect on the events of last year. Read more on page 3
SPORTS The football team is officially out of the running for the conference championship. Read more on page 5
COMMENTARY Read a reflection on the capitalization of modern cinematic franchises. Read more on page 7
Paint It Black Remembering #PaintItBlack one year later
THE DO BETTER RALLY in November of 2018 was a call to action for Drake University. Attendees gathered in Helmick Commons to stand against acts of racism. PHOTO BY RACHEL JAMES | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Grace Hilscher Staff Writer grace.hilscher@drake.edu
As Drake University reflects on the events of last year, many Drake faculty, staff and students remember the events that transpired. However, it is likely that first-year and transfer students may not know the entirety of what occurred on campus last fall, if any of it at all. On Nov. 7, 2018, the first note was found. The note, which contained racial slurs, was found slid under the door of a student of color. The following day, the idea for #PaintItBlack was formed and taken to student senate for approval. Within the following days, #PaintItBlack became a movement with official social media accounts and posts. On Nov. 12, students and members of the administration met to discuss the implications of the note and what would occur next, when robocalls with
racial threats called hundreds of campus landlines. Later, it was discovered that the white supremacist group Road to Power was responsible for the robocalls. Instead of stopping the meeting due to fear, which was the assumed goal of the robocalls, they continued to talk about the upcoming rally and other ways they could support students and combat racism. During the meeting after the robocalls, Drake President Marty Martin agreed to paint the street black. Nov. 13, the second note was found. The following day was the rally at Helmick Commons, where students gathered to protest. On Nov. 15, the third and fourth notes were found on campus. On Nov. 16 students and staff gathered to paint the historic Painted Street black. The tradition of painting Painted Street was originally an exclusively Greek affair for fraternities and sororities on
campus. “It has evolved in exactly the way you want it to evolve; from exclusive to inclusive,” Martin said in reflection on the beloved tradition. The act of painting Painted Street black was a clear statement of solidarity. Since the very conception of the idea to start #PaintItBlack, the intention was to make a clear message that hate is not tolerated and Drake stands together as a community. On Nov. 28 the fifth and final note was found. Two days later on Nov. 30 Martin sent out an email to campus identifying the student who admitted to writing the last four notes. Some media outlets have called the last four notes fake and a hoax, but First-Year Seminar Professor and Assistant Dean of Students Tony Tyler prefers the word copycats: even though the notes were copy of the original, the trauma they caused is real. Within the past year
following the events of last autumn, many things have changed. Employees are required to take implicit bias training, Bulldog Foundations was created, the Office of Equity and Inclusion is in the process of expanding, more talks on equity and inclusion were added to Welcome Weekend, an equity and inclusion module was created for students to take, and an FYS was created and dedicated to the study of the events of #PaintItBlack. For several years, Tyler taught the #BlackLivesMatter FYS where his students studied the Black Lives Matter movement from a historic, social perspective. During last fall about halfway into the semester, while the events of #PaintItBlack began to occur, Tyler and his students intentionally shifted their focus to the #PaintItBlack movement. He did not want to let go of all of the organizing that was done, the people-power that was engaged, and the important
learning lessons that our community learned last fall. He then created the FYS to engage First-Year Students in relevant case material. Tyler’s class is currently split into groups working on creating a webpage and an anniversary celebration. “We’re planning to have a display in the Olmsted Breezeway and show the #PaintItBlack documentary that was created by two Drake students,” said Connor Oetzmann, First-Year Senator and a student in Tyler’s class. The documentary screening will be Nov. 25th at 7p.m. As Drake University commemorates one year since #PaintItBlack it is important to remember what lead the campus to take action. “Be kind to others. Sometimes we forget that,” President Martin said. “If we start there it provides a real strength against these things. I encourage you to reflect on that.”
Pathway to Politics encourages students to pursue political involvement Zoe Treibitz Staff Writer zoe.treibitz@drake.edu
Pathway to Politics was an event put on by the staff and volunteers for Cory Booker’s campaign. The night went back and forth from being informative information about how and why someone might get involved in the politics business and one long pitch for Cory Booker. The panel of women speaking were from a variety of backgrounds. The group of VIP guests included Heather Matson, a representative for Iowa House district 38; Jennifer Konfrst, a representative of Iowa House district 43; Drake professor Lynn Winn, Cory Booker’s director of coalitions; and Tess Seger, Booker’s director of communications for Iowa. The small audience got a chance to hear about all the parts of working on or for a campaign. Speakers discussed how
they were able to fight for the underdog and feel like they could make real impacts in the community. They talked about how Cory Booker is someone who always fights for the underdog, and described in detail his background of doing just that. The moderator, a Booker volunteer, asked the speakers about their low points in their work. The way that this work is an emotional roller coaster for people became evident in how easy it was for them to speak about their lows the same way they spoke of their highs. Each woman had some story about how a lost race impacted them in a way work doesn’t typically reach people. Matson described a loss on a campaign she was working on that left her in tears. Attendees of the event were able to hear firsthand that campaigns can be organized poorly and can take a lot out of you, and the commitment that you make every day makes the work emotionally demanding. “It is important to draw
boundaries,” Winn said. “Otherwise, the job can eat away at you.” She also jumped in to point out that the Booker campaign is run in a way that makes her feel comfortable speaking up and speaking her mind. One of the most powerful
parts of the night was when the women were asked by a student what inspired them about politics today. They all pointed to the voices of people who once were not given one in politics, such as racial minority groups or young people. Konfrst spoke about her time
with students inspiring her. “To see all of you with the shit you have to deal with, right? All the stuff you face... to see that you stand up and fight anyway is amazing,” Konfrst said. “There’s a lot to weigh you down, you set up on it and rise up.”
PATHWAY TO POLITICS PANELISTS spoke to Drake students about their political careers on Friday, Nov. 15. PHOTO BY RACHEL JAMES | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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