October 13, 2021

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 141 | No. 7 | Oct. 13, 2021 FEATURES

SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Students give their opinions of Medea, the first show of the season.

Students and faculty are excited to host March Madness in 2023.

Many portrayals of OCD have a harmful “Laugh Track Problem.”

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Read more on page 6

Read more on page 7

timesdelphic.com

Turning Point USA reapplies for student organization status Gannon Henry Student Senate Beat Writer gannon.henry@drake.edu

Turning Point USA has applied for full registered student organization (RSO) status at Drake, two years after the group was denied in 2019.

The 2019 decision was the subject of notable controversy and unrest on campus, with students opposed to Turning Point reportedly “hissing at their peers,” according to a late 2019 interview with then student body president Nick Johnston.

Current student body president Morgan Coleman said she hopes to foster a more respectful environment for the upcoming meeting and keep any “chaos” to a minimum.

“With the context of their previous bid for RSO status, there was a lot of tension across the campus community, so my goal is to limit that as much as possible within my purview of presiding over the meeting where they would present their case for getting full organizational status,” Coleman said.

Coleman was transparent about her thoughts regarding how student senate will conduct itself during the meeting, stating that she plans for it to be “by the book.”

“I’ve already communicated to the members of student senate in our elected assembly meetings that they are to act in a way that is adhering to not only the Drake statement of principles but also to the precedent that I’ve set as student body president,” Coleman said.

“That means everybody being respectful of each other, so that means their fellow senators, but also to guests.”

In the meeting, student senate will vote on whether to grant full RSO status to Turning

Point and any of the nine other organizations that have applied. Full RSO status allows organizations to participate in the fall and spring activity fairs, reserve space at the university, and request funding from the university, among other benefits.

Mikayla Simpson, Turning Point’s campus coordinator at Drake, stressed the importance of RSO status to Turning Point’s Drake chapter.

“I want to be incredibly clear to all guests that I personally won’t tolerate yelling, screaming [or] anything of that nature because that’s not the spirit of what I want student senate to look like. ”

“Full RSO status would mean that we’re able to actually host events. It would be easier for us to have meetings. We’re not asking for any funding from the school, which is what a lot of organizations go for RSO status for,” Simpson said. “We just basically want the acknowledgement that we are allowed to be on campus permanently and that we are able to host events and we are able to bring speakers to campus.”

Turning Point USA was founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012 and promotes conservative ideals, such as free markets and limited government, on college campuses.

The national organization has been involved with multiple controversies over the years, with the most recent example being Kirk’s Oct. 8 claim that

THE POTENTIAL TURNING POINT USA CHAPTER held a casual event at the volleyball courts and promoted voter registration at Helmick Commons. PHOTO BY OLIVIA KLASSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Democrats want to see “America completely obliterated,” and “the Constitution shredded,” during his radio show. The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy organization known for its civil rights work and identification of hate groups, said in a 2018 article that despite Turning Point’s condemnation of racist groups, “the attraction between the [two] is largely mutual.”

Simpson, who maintains the relationship between the Drake chapter and the national organization, stated that the Drake chapter aims to make their activities more attuned to the Drake environment.

“Our main issue on campus that we would be interested in addressing is definitely free speech. That’s one of the primary focuses of our organization as a whole,” Simpson said. “We do have certain themes that our organization puts emphasis on, but on campus, primarily the First Amendment rights and free speech for everyone, whether we agree with them or not, is our primary focus.”

Following the denial of Turning Point’s 2019 RSO application, Turning Point’s Drake members and Drake College Republicans both

released separate statements condemning the decision. The Drake College Republicans statement said that “Drake University is known for its hostility to conservative ideas, both on campus and across Iowa.”

Drake Comrades, the organization that protested against Turning Point during the 2019 meeting, posted a 25-message-long Twitter thread on Turning Point’s “history of racism & bigotry on college campuses” prior to the vote and celebrated the result afterwards on social media.

“Being recognized on Drake would be a huge step for our organization because we’ve been trying to get approved for about five years and we’ve gone against the student senate [two] times,” Simpson said. “We’ve had nothing but backlash from the school, and it just really shows how we as an organization are discriminated against.”

Coleman stated that all organizations seeking RSO status will be reviewed based on the criteria in the recently updated RSO handbook, which she said makes the process less opinion based when compared to previous years.

“The primary goal of our session, despite any other opinions, is to go according to the criteria that the RSO handbook lays out and to operate well within the meeting,” Coleman said. “Any rules that we apply to Turning Point will be the same for all other registered student organizations regarding how we vote and how we open up the Senate floor. Everybody is going to get the same exact format that the other organizations are going to get.”

The student senate meetings regarding organizations seeking RSO status will take place on Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, but it is currently undecided which organizations will be presenting on each date.

“I want to be incredibly clear to all guests that I personally won’t tolerate yelling, screaming anything of that nature, because that’s not the spirit of what I want student senate to look like,” Coleman said. “I’ve started every Senate meeting off with the same quote. ‘Talk to people the way you want to be talked to, treat people the way you want to be treated, and this is going to be a place of respect.

At the bare minimum, that’s how I’m planning to run this meeting.”

‘We’ve been here before’: white supremacist group advertises on campus

STICKERS AROUND CAMPUS ADVERTISING a white supremacist hate group have reminded some students of another incident three years ago. PHOTO BY EMMA BRUSTKERN | EDITOR- IN - CHIEF Madeleine Leigh Staff Writer madeleine.leigh@drake.edu

On Oct. 5, Drake University President Marty Martin sent out a campus-wide email about an incident involving a white supremacist hate group known as Patriot Front. In the

days before the email, Drake Public Safety was made aware that Patriot Front had placed stickers advertising itself on surfaces around campus.

“We have every reason to believe an outside group was responsible for this vandalism and we understand their goal is to stoke fear and instill division,”

Martin wrote.

“We also understand such acts of racism are hurtful and cause harm to our campus community.”

This is not the first time a white supremacist group has inserted itself into Drake’s community. On Nov. 8, 2018, a white supremacist hate group called Road to Power orchestrated a robocall to Drake’s landlines that was full of racist language. It came just as Drake was hosting a meeting to address its response to several threatening racist notes slipped under the doors of students of color.

In an interview in Dec. 2018, Martin said the group had found out about the meeting from the media and timed their robocall to disrupt it, but to no avail. The meeting continued, and student organizers of #PaintItBlack won the right to paint Painted Street black to stand in solidarity with students of color. Some students who were here for both of these incidents are drawing parallels between them.

“Both incidents are acts of cowardice, ignorance and hate,” wrote student body president Morgan Coleman.

Coleman said she was just outside the Cowles Library reading room where the meeting was held in 2018 when

the call came in.

“I remember that the room was filled with a lot of confusion, and then it was hit with another wave of emotion and anger,” Coleman wrote. “Students were crying, and administrators and faculty were learning about the situation and dealing with it real-time.”

Coleman said the first thing she said when she found out about the Patriot Front advertising was ‘We’ve been here before.’”

“Unfortunately, things like this no longer surprise me,” Coleman wrote. “Given my current role on campus, I was overwhelmed by a lot of questions. In this instance, I don’t just get to react as a Black student, but as a Black student who people look to for answers.”

In his email notifying campus of this incident, Martin said this incident is contrary to what Drake stands for.

“We will not tolerate racism or hatred of any form on this campus, no matter the source,” Martin wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to upholding human dignity and fostering a culture of belonging across the university.”

That commitment, however, does not mean Drake’s work on this issue is finished. Coleman

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said white supremacy remains an issue on this campus.

“Like all universities, Drake still has work to do. Although the group responsible is not directly affiliated with students at the University, this should serve as a reminder that silence is a form of violence,” Coleman wrote.

“To say that white supremacy isn’t an issue anywhere is incorrect, irresponsible and blatantly wrong.”

Coleman has been at the forefront of this work for over three years. She helped organize #PaintItBlack, served as co-president of the UNITY Roundtable and equity and inclusion senator in Student Senate, and now represents the whole student body as its president.

When asked what Drake can do to make it clear that Patriot Front’s beliefs are not tolerated while also ensuring the physical and emotional safety of students of color, Coleman said that more white people need to step up and do this work, too.

“Call out these beliefs. Put a name to it. Do something about it,” Coleman wrote. “Stop relying on Black students and students of color to do the hard work. This isn’t our job. Listen to us and believe us.”

02 | News

Oct. 13, 2021

News

Polk County to cut emissions from county operations by 90% by 2040 footprint.

“We will share information with the public on what our goals are, what our plans are [and] where our benchmarks are for achievement, and as we post those and make those available to the public, hopefully it will encourage others to do the same—both other governmental entities and the private sector,” Norris said.

POLK COUNTY INTENDS to decrease emmissions produced by county operations, including facilities and vehicles, by 90 percent by 2040. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Mackenzie Swenson Staff Writer mackenzie.swenson@drake.edu

After months of planning and drafting, the Polk County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution that sets a goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions from county operations by 90 percent by 2040.

In the resolution, the board justifies this decision with conclusions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.

These conclusions include findings that human-induced increases in the global surface temperature have caused increased heat extremes, higher sea levels and other unfavorable

changes in the climate. The resolution said that based on the report, CO2 emissions must be decreased to prevent warming from surpassing the IPCC’s target of 1.5 degrees Celsius “to avert global catastrophic harm to communities, towns, cities, counties, and nations throughout the world.”

According to Polk County Administrator John Norris, the board plans to achieve the 90% reduction by improving energy efficiency in county facilities and replacing the vehicles used by the sheriff’s department, public works department and other county entities with electric vehicles, among other actions.

The board’s first act is to partner with an energy audit firm to determine the amount

and distribution of the county’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, according to the resolution. Following the audit, a climate action team composed of individuals from various county departments will map out specific emissions targets, Norris said.

“You start with an assessment and you assemble a team of county employees, but we will also be inviting the public to come and be a part of this and establish our long-term goals,” Norris said.

Norris said that the public will have the opportunity to engage with the newly formed climate action team through meetings in which they can propose their ideas for reducing the county’s energy consumption and carbon

drake responds to federal vaccine mandate, administers third doses Jd Snover Staff Writer jd.snover@drake.edu

Even though the board’s jurisdiction—and therefore the impact of the resolution— extends only to county operations, businesses and individuals also have a stake in climate mitigation. According to the Iowa Climate Educators, a state-wide coalition of scientists and educators that analyzes and communicates the impacts of climate change, the frequency of heavy rain events and droughts has increased statewide.

“We actually have this dual change, which you see in a lot of places,” said David CourardHauri, an environmental science professor at Drake University and a member of the coalition. “We’re seeing more

Immunization 101: Drake’s experts address vaccine misconceptions Luke Clausen Contributing Writer luke.clausen@drake.edu

Andrew Kennard News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

President Joe Biden has announced plans to sign an executive order that would require all businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure that all of those employees are vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 once a week. However, each state is different, and Drake University Provost Sue Mattison said that the executive order contradicts state legislation passed in May. “Drake University is unable to mandate vaccines because of an Iowa state law passed in May that would deny state funds to schools that mandate COVID-19 vaccines,” Mattison said.

Mattison said that overlooking the state law would affect 30 percent of the Drake student body, so the university is complying.

“The legislation has an impact on state funding, which causes serious financial challenges for students from Iowa who receive the Iowa Tuition Grant,” Mattison said.

“We will not jeopardize student aid and have instead focused on incentives and strongly encouraging vaccinations.”

Drake Chief of Staff Nate Reagen said that the university has seen continued benefits from its efforts to increase vaccination numbers, such as prize drawings for vaccinated students.

“We’ve been able to achieve 87% of on-campus students having submitted a vaccination record,” Reagan said. “That’s amazing! Thus, our efforts as a whole have certainly helped increase our numbers.”

While the Iowa state law looms on, Mattison said that the university knows the situation is fluid, and they are looking into the effects of the executive order issued by Biden.

“We have attorneys who are currently examining legal implications of the mandate, especially as it relates to OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] requirements,” Mattison said.

“I think it all starts with making the decision to take action and lead by example. ”

DRAKE’S VACCINATION CLINIC administered third doses to Drake faculty and staff and members of the public between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11. PHOTO BY COURTNEY JACKSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

For now, though, the university will continue to encourage vaccinations through education and incentives.

“Faculty from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have had virtual information sessions to answer questions and address myths and rumors,” Mattison said. “The most commonly asked question from college students relates to the impact of vaccination on fertility.

There is no scientific evidence or biological plausibility that the vaccine causes infertility in women or men, and no evidence that vaccination impacts pregnancy.”

“...Once Moderna gets the okay, we know we’re going to have a lot of people who want third [doses].”

Although a vaccine mandate is currently out of the picture, Drake announced in a COVID-19 update on Oct. 1 that it would offer third doses of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine to its employees.

“Education staff,” including “teachers, support staff, and day care workers,” is one of the groups that the Center of Disease Control and Prevention has said may receive a third dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Drake faculty and staff, including student workers, had the opportunity to receive a “limited number” of third doses during a series of vaccination clinics at the Harkin Center during the first two weeks of October, according to the COVID-19 update.

“Today, at our clinic, we have some people that are coming for

first, and some that are coming for the third dose booster,” Drake professor of pharmacy practice Michelle Bottenberg said on Oct. 8. “So, we had I think options for 24 slots, and not all of them filled, so we opened it up to the public, so… non-Drake folks [could] come here.”

Bottenberg said that when Drake first began administering COVID-19 vaccinations, the clinic only had access to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Therefore, she said, many people from Drake and the surrounding community who received a Moderna vaccine at the clinic more than six months ago must wait for the emergency authorization of a third dose of Moderna’s vaccine.

“But we know, coming up here, once Moderna gets the okay, we know we’re going to have a lot of people who want third [doses],” Bottenberg said.

In an Oct. 7 tweet, Pfizer said it had applied for Emergency Use Authorization for children aged 5-12 to receive the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Bottenberg said the clinic staff is looking forward to the CDC and Food and Drug Administrations’ upcoming decisions about whether to grant emergency authorization.

“I think we’ve come this far,” Bottenberg said. “It’s just another tool in our arsenal, and I can’t wait to protect our kids.”

Bottenberg said Oct. 10 was the last day the clinic offered flu vaccines, but the clinic is planning to continue offering COVID-19 vaccines.

“When we open it up to these new populations, there’s probably going to be another rush for those that want it,” Bottenberg said. “But at least now I feel like we have way more supply to handle that.”

flooding, but we’re also seeing more intense dry periods.

Essentially, when it’s wet it’s wetter, and when it’s dry it’s drier.”

Norris and Courard-Hauri noted that on a global scale, individual actions—and even county actions—have little impact when viewed in isolation. However, climate mitigation actions such as the resolution passed by the board shift control to a more local level, which may inspire individuals to decrease their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. Other counties in Iowa may also take note of Polk County’s effort and subsequently pass climate mitigation resolutions of their own.

“Then, individually, the more we see county employees driving around in electric vehicles and we see that they’re functional and sufficient for the kinds of jobs that those people have to do, we might imagine ‘Okay, maybe they’ll work for me too,’” Courard-Hauri said.

Courard-Hauri said he hopes this allows people to get institutions they are part of to act or to continue with pledges they have already made.

“I think it all starts with making the decision to take action and lead by example,” Norris said.

Misconceptions and misinformation about the science of vaccines have contributed to controversy about COVID-19 vaccines over the past year.

The expertise of a few Drake University faculty members may help clear up some of these misconceptions. Two Drake faculty members, Marc Busch and Brian Gentry, are virologists. Drake Provost Sue Mattison also happens to be an epidemiologist.

“Vaccines train your immune system so that the immune system responds rapidly to infection of the same agent,” Busch said.

According to Busch, the biggest misconception about vaccines is that they prevent infections. However, Busch notes that the inability to prevent infection does not translate into vaccines being useless.

“That’s not what they do.

They limit the amount of replication of the pathogen, thus preventing or limiting disease,” Busch said. “The outcome is less severe disease.

Those that did get the disease and were unvaccinated had much more severe disease than those who got the disease and were vaccinated.”

Another common concern regarding the vaccine is the side effects that some individuals experience. However, Busch said this is not a cause for concern.

“The other misconception is that vaccines make you sick,” Busch said. “This is typically associated with fevers and muscle aches, but that’s just your immune system working.”

Gentry said that people have different reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, but misinformation is in large part to blame.

“Even to this day you have people that equate having a vaccine with an increased risk of a child getting autism,” Gentry said.

Other concerns arise over

whether someone falls into a category that could potentially be seriously hurt by the vaccine.

Gentry said that it is possible to be hurt by the vaccine, but only in rare instances.

“I have a friend who is allergic to ingredients that have been in other vaccines and so he is waiting, and I think rightly so,” Gentry said. “You can do an allergy screening for vaccines, but if you’re up to date on vaccines, you have nothing to worry about.”

“It really is a matter of numbers. If students want to go to class without masks, the vaccination numbers need to go up.”

According to Mattison, vaccination rates directly affect the Drake community because the administration takes them into account when making decisions about COVID-19 protocols.

“We’re at about an 80 percent vaccination rate and 175 unvaccinated students right now,” Mattison said. “[Lifting restrictions] would depend a lot on what’s happening around us and the number of cases that we see. Unvaccinated individuals are more likely to transmit and cause breakthrough cases.”

According to both the administration and scientists, getting vaccinated allows for the possibility that masks could be put away if the pandemic doesn’t worsen.

“It really is a matter of numbers. If students want to go to class without masks, we need the vaccination numbers to go up,” Gentry said.

“Submitting the vaccination card is important because as far as the University and provost are concerned, you are not vaccinated unless you have submitted that card. Get the number above 90 percent and you could make the argument that masks are no longer necessary.”

03 | Features

Features

Oct. 13, 2021

Students discuss recent Drake performance of Medea Javier Rodriguez Contributing Writer javy.rodriguez@drake.edu

Drake University’s 20212022 theatre season began with Medea, directed by Michael Rothmayer. The show opened on Sept. 30 and was Drake’s first production to be viewed by a live audience since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many students had raving reviews regarding the actors of the play, including lead actress Emma Tonn, Sa’Daiveon Newell, Stephanie Mayer, Grace Griffin, Ava Little and many others.

“Medea’s main actress was great,” sophomore Keziah Musoba said. “Loved her. I also liked that the chorus helped us get a better view of what was happening in the show.

Their speaking and timing was impeccable. But I loved the King [Newell] the most. His acting was phenomenal. I was very impressed with his work.

When he was on stage, I was honestly the most engaged while watching the show.”

Newell played King Creon in this Greek tragedy performance.

During the show, he embraces a marriage between his daughter and the character Jason, while banishing Jason’s former wife Medea and his children from the kingdom.

“I enjoyed Sa’Daiveon’s performance in the show Medea,” first-year Diamond Metcalfe said. “I thought he commanded the stage as soon as he entered. Additionally, his physicality and vocal inflection hit his character very well.”

Senior Emma Tonn played the lead role of Medea- a woman who sought revenge on all who wronged her no matter who or what stood in the way.

“I really enjoyed Medea the character,” sophomore Abs Wheeler said. “She was enthralling, and I liked the themes of women’s rage.”

Although Tonn could not perform vocally for a couple of performances due to the actress experiencing laryngitis, many audience members still enjoyed her performance. Some had mixed emotions regarding the voice actors for the character

and their vocal performances when voicing such a complex and powerful character.

“I felt that she was really good at presenting the character through her physicality. She had so much tension and excitement in her torso and arms that seemed to just demand the attention of the audience,” sophomore Emma Fisherman said. “I think the vocal actors could have used more inflection and emotion. But, it was also such a strange and last minute situation that I think they did a good job considering their circumstances. Overall I really

Paige, nicknamed Pebble, Breeding is often referred to as the human form of the word enthusiastic. Her friends describe her as a wonderful person to spend time with, as she brings a uniquely entertaining dynamic everywhere she goes.

Outside of her social life, Breeding takes advantage of every opportunity that comes her way, both academic and extracurricular. Through this go-getter attitude, Breeding is in both the Drake Women’s Rowing Team and Drake University’s very own Poker Club.

Breeding credits the discovery of these opportunities to the Drake’s Actuarial Science Career Fair “The opportunities I have been given come through the school activities fair and the Drake Actuarial Science Career

be COVID safe, so masks are definitely a must,” Musoba said. “But the masks they chose to put on top of those masks only made it harder for us to understand the acting that was happening and get the emotion that was happening.”

Overall, some audience members enjoyed the show.

“I do wish I could have seen their faces,” first-year Laura Breyen said. “But, they still did a great job portraying their characters with their voices and body language, and I thought that was really cool.”

“[MEDEA] was conveyed in an honest and truthful way, accentuating the true anger and injustice that she feels,” sophomore and performing arts major Emma Fisherman said, who saw the show at the 2p.m. Saturday matinee. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GIBBONS

outstanding first-years: paige breeding Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

liked the simplicity in Medea’s performance.”

For this performance, actors wore a full-face white mask as an artistic choice by the director since Medea is a Greek play.

“I liked the use of the full face costume masks because it allowed the actors to explore physical acting in a very unique and challenging way,” sophomore Abby Rogers said.

However, there were mixed reviews on the use of white masks that covered the entirety of the actor’s faces during the show.

“Obviously, you want to

fair,” Breeding said. “This is one of my first times having such opportunities available to me.”

This combination of friendliness and community involvement has given Breeding a good reputation among Drake’s community.

“Pebble is a dedicated athlete on the Drake Women’s Rowing Team,” said first-year Elena Pearce. “She is also an excellent student who strives to do her best on all assignments given to her … And she is a wonderful and fun person who is easy to talk to and spend time with.”

Breeding has also found great success academically, as she is known for her academic resilience and determination.

Breeding credits a lot of this academic success to the resources that Drake offers to all students.

“There are one or two classes that have been giving me more than their fair share of troubles and stress,” Breeding said. “I overcame these challenges by

PAIGE BREEDING poses next to Griff ll for her first day of school at Drake University photo. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAIGE BREEDING

attending the teachers’ office hours and reaching out to friends in the class with me.

Drake supports their students, and the students support one another. This is a school that wants its students to succeed.”

Among all her successes, Breeding maintains the belief that academics come first in terms of student involvement.

“My success is reflected in my grades which are satisfactory to me,” Breeding. “I am also thankful for my teacher’s office hours which I have had to visit for my own benefit.”

Breeding has her own advice for students struggling in academics.

“There are three simple pieces of advice I would have for a struggling student,” said Breeding. “First, look for teacher driven support. Attend office hours or study groups for any class you may be struggling in.”

Next, Breeding said to “consult fellow students” on topics that one may be struggling with.

“Sometimes hearing a topic explained a second way will help it click,” Breeding said.

Lastly, Breeding said to “evaluate the rest of your habits.”

“Sometimes you’re struggling because your health isn’t as it should be,” Breeding said.

“Taking time to focus on your mental health, sleep enough or eat properly will help set the rest of your life back on track.”

Breeding is just one example of the many success stories of a blend between academics and extracurriculars at Drake’s campus, showing all that makes up Drake University.

The Outstanding First Years column presents a profile of one first year student each week, summarizing their successes up to this point in their college experience. The young students featured on this column have displayed exceeding academic performance and on-campus involvement, along with contributing to the campus community in a positive way.

Remembering Gloria Lawless Luke Clausen Staff Writer luke.clausen@drake.edu

Many students may only see a name when they walk past the Gloria Lawless Student Life Center to grab a drink at Starbucks, but the person behind the plaque has shaped their community more than they know.

“The Gloria Lawless Student Life Center is in honor of Gloria (Glo) Lawless, who served Drake University students, faculty and staff for three decades. Gloria’s commitment to teamwork, communication, and service molded and shaped the Drake community for generations,” the plaque read.

“Glo’s sincere care for students and colleagues impacted the lives of untold members of the Drake community.

Glo’s work embodied the Drake mission of providing an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. The Gloria Lawless Student Life Center will serve as a testament and reminder to always put students first.”

Sadly, Lawless passed away on Sept. 6, 2021.

Lawless’ career at Drake spanned the course of an impressive 30 years, according to her obituary. Her work is so impactful that many students who worked with her refer to her as their “college mom.”

Jerry Parker, chief student affairs officer here at Drake, worked closely with Lawless.

“Glo epitomized what it meant to be an educator and a loyal colleague,” Parker said.

“She meant everything to us and our students — always taking the time to work through a situation or be sure that before she sent a student off from the Student Life Center to another department she would call ahead so the student wasn’t sent all around campus.”

On top of her Drake career, Lawless also had a career in catering for the Holiday Inn Des Moines Airport/Conference Center for over 40 years.

“Everyone at Drake saw her energy and excitement in doing what she loved for this community and for that I know I join so many other colleagues in being thankful to have had her in our lives,” Parker said.

IN ADDITION to a plaque, Lawless has the student life center named after her. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA SCHOENE | FEATURES EDITOR

04 | Features

Features

Oct. 13, 2021

Professor teaches class on a little-known art form

Max Fouts Staff Writer max.fouts@drake.edu

Phillip Chen, Drake University’s only print professor, teaches Intro to Lithographic Printmaking in the hopes of saving this dying artform from extinction.

“It’s a process that a lot of people are no longer doing because it takes so much expertise to do it,” Chen said. “For instance, the local museum called the Des Moines Art Center, off West Grand — there’s a big museum out there — they gave us all their litho stones because they didn’t have anybody on staff who knew how to teach it.”

Chen said one reason this artform is on the decline is due to its difficulty.

“Of all the printing processes, lithography is considered the most difficult to do,” Chen said.

“It’s the most chemical; we mix acids and measure their pH, and we assign different strengths of acids to different values of drawing.”

Despite its perceived difficulty, Chen said that lithographic printing can be taught in an easy-to-learn way.

“It’s really not that hard,” Chen said. “And it can be taught, effectively, in a similar way. It just scares people.”

Hannah Scoonover, a senior at Drake who took intro to lithographic printing last year, recounted some of the scary aspects of lithography, such as having to grind stone, using acids and handling a “giant press that is super dangerous.”

“You have to be super careful,” Scoonover said. “And only Professor Chen correctly knows how to make sure it’s enough pressure. Because if

LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTMAKING is an artform in which one makes a print of an image by transferring it to a printing plate with a roller, and uniquely using both oil-based and water-based ink. It combines printing and art. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

you put too much pressure you could crack the stone in half, and if you put too light pressure you won’t get anything on your image.”

Even though lithography is an intensive process that can seem daunting at times, Scoonover said that is exactly why she loved it.

“I loved the technique,” Scoonover said. “And I found that the process of doing the lithograph was part of the art as well, because there is so much work behind it.”

Scoonover said she put a lot of blood, sweat and tears — minus the blood — into each of her prints, giving her a sense of accomplishment no other medium has before.

“I loved the class,” Scoonover said. “That class was actually the

reason why I changed my major from painting to printmaking.”

Scoonover said she recommends that art students and students of any major wanting to do art take the class.

“That class was actually the reason why I changed my major from painting to printmaking.”

“It’s not as popular as painting or drawing,” Scoonover said. “And I just wish more people would get into it because I had so much fun with that class. And Professor Chen is a great professor. I always

suggest people to take him.”

Chen said that he recommends people who like to draw, or people who simply want to make art, take this class.

“It’s for people who want to make things,” Chen said.

Sophie Ernst, a first-year biology and psychology major, is interested in taking Intro to Lithographic Printmaking if her schedule permits.

“I definitely would be interested in it,” Ernst said as she worked on one of her woodcut prints for a current class, Intro to Printmaking.

“When I change my major to art and psych, I’m going to see what the art one requires, and if I have choice credits, I’ll probably take another printing class.”

Ernst said she took Intro to Printmaking to cover her art

AOI, but has found she likes it a lot more than she thought she would.

“I thought it would be cool, but it’s even cooler,” said Ernst.

Ernst said she is excited for the unit when her class gets to do lithographic printing themselves.

Intro to Lithographic Printing is available for next semester, spring of 2022. This class is for both seasoned artists and beginners.

“I took away all my prerequisites so you don’t have to have had two levels of drawing before you take this class,” Chen said. “In my book, I’m more interested in images that have really interesting concepts and thoughts and feeling, than that they are beautifully produced.”

bright college welcomes inaugural class Candace Carr Contributing Writer candace.carr@drake.edu

Drake University has officially started the John Dee Bright College, a two-year associate degree program located in Meredith Hall, this fall 2021 semester.

Named after Drake football alum John Dee Bright, Bright College provides flexible learning opportunities and offers two associate degree programs.

“Bright College is a two-year degree program that provides an innovative pathway through a really excellent educational experience for students who want something other than the traditional college experience,” said Craig Owens, dean of

Bright College.

The associate of arts program combines a business, organization and professional studies degree along with an integrated arts, sciences and humanities degree.

“Especially when it comes to the curriculum and the structure of the learning, so our classes are all highimpact, interdisciplinary, active learning experiences and our students move through the program as part of a cohort so they begin to build community on day one and that community persists through both years of the program,” Owens said.

In this inaugural semester, there are 28 students in the Bright College cohort.

“I am extremely proud to be a part of the inaugural college,” Bright College student DeShana

Taylor said.

Taylor found out about Bright College approximately 30 days before the start of school and said there was a rush to apply for FAFSA. Finding out that she would be a part of the inaugural class pushed her much further.

Taylor is a 45-year-old nontraditional student. In addition to her studies, she also is a mother and holds a full-time job.

According to the Bright College website, Bright classes meet three hours a day, three times a week.

“Having many full-time statuses, the schedule can be tough, but I am learning and growing in ways that I could not even have ever imagined,” Taylor said. “This experience is so dope to me.”

According to Owens, students who graduate from Bright College will be able to continue their four-year education at Drake with guaranteed admission or can continue elsewhere with complete fulfillment of general education requirements.

“I have a lot more pride being in the inaugural cohort and in this classroom spectrum and area and being able to speak out about what’s going on in the classroom and how the classroom is interacting within the Drake community as a new college,” Bright College student Kat Fortin said.

Fortin was recently elected as Bright College Senator.

“I made an acronym, “JDBC” which is John Dee Bright College, [and also stands for] justice, diversity, bravery and

community. Those are the four real pinpoints that I am trying to accentuate ... as senator.”

Fortin wants Bright College to be heard both on- and offcampus.

“We need to make sure people understand that Drake is not unattainable and you are able to be [here] no matter who you are,” Fortin said.

Owens challenges Drake’s faculty, staff and students to make an effort to get to know Bright College students and learn from them.

“Invite them into the spaces that you inhabit, learn from them, find ways of interacting with them that challenge the unspoken assumptions a lot of us come in with about what education is for, how it’s done and who it serves,” Owens said.

BRIGHT COLLEGE meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Meredith Room 104. Annual tuition is $18,500, compared to the over $40,000 for a full-time Drake student. More information on Bright College admission and programs can be found at https://www.drake.edu/bright/ . PHOTO BY JOSHUA BRUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

05 | Sports

Sports

Oct. 13, 2021

The Bulldogs’ struggles continue on after recent loss

THE FOOTBALL TEAM lost to Dayton, 28-10, last Saturday bringing their overall record to be 2-4 on the season. PHOTO BY ABBY FICHTER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

production as a must for the team moving forward.

“Offensively, we will have to string together better possessions and eliminate mistakes in order to put up more points and take down Dayton,” Ellingson said.

While Ellingson continued to focus on ball security against Dayton by not turning the ball over, the Bulldogs’ special teams made an early mistake that triggered an avalanche of offensive prowess from Dayton.

Just over two minutes into the second quarter, the Bulldogs center snapped the ball high over punter Shane Dunning’s head, quickly resulting in a fumble recovery by Dayton in the Bulldogs’ endzone.

Dayton was able to capitalize on this mistake and this costly touchdown shifted the game’s momentum early in the second quarter.

Sitting at 1-2 in conference play with just five games remaining, climbing back into

contention is a tall task. In order to do so, freshman defensive lineman Ben Kujawa believes that prioritizing fundamentally sound football is the key moving forward.

“I think as a team we need to all just own our jobs. Our staff preaches a lot that no job is too big or too small, we all need to give an all-American effort in what we do,” Kujawa said.

“Whether some guy is starting or a scout team player, they just need to own their job; nothing more, nothing less.”

This focus on the fundamentals of football may be just what the Bulldogs need as they continue to struggle with simple mistakes. If the Bulldogs can refrain from taking themselves out of games early through turnovers and miscommunication, they may just have a chance to turn their season around before it becomes too late.

Men’s tennis plays at ITA All-American Championship

Sports Results

Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

After what was a low scoring affair in the Bulldogs’ 6-3 win over Butler a week ago, optimism found its way into the mind of every Bulldogs football fan. Those optimistic thoughts were quickly forgotten as the Drake football team took a tough loss to Dayton this past weekend, trailing 28-10 when the game clock struck zero.

The loss brings the Bulldogs to a 1-2 record in conference play, with an overall record of 2-4 on the season. That record sets the Bulldogs up in eighth place within the Pioneer Football League.

While many are quick to assume that defensive issues have led to the Bulldogs’ low overall ranking, this is far from the case. The Bulldogs hold a point total of 37, the third least in conference play above

Stetson’s 31 and Butler’s 24.

Dayton leads this category with 129 points scored over just three conference games.

On the flip side, the Bulldogs are currently allowing roughly 18 points per game in total through three conference games. When defensive and special team scores are taken out, the total is even lower. This ranks just above average within the Pioneer Football League.

Clearly, the Bulldogs are not losing games due primarily to their defensive ability, but instead due to their lack of offensive production. A portion of the Bulldogs’ offensive struggles can be pinned on their injury struggles as the team is currently rallying behind thirdstring freshman quarterback Blake Ellingson following injuries to both Ian Corwin and Luke Bailey.

The issue does not solely sprout from the Bulldogs’ quarterback situation, as Ellingson put on a statistically

impressive performance with 292 scrimmage yards and a touchdown with no turnovers on game day.

“I think as a team we need to all just own our jobs. Our staff preaches a lot that no job is too big or too small, we all need to give an all-American effort in what we do...Whether some guy is starting or a scout team player, they just need to own their job; nothing more, nothing less.”

Following the Bulldogs tight win over Butler a week ago, quarterback Blake Ellingson identified improved offensive

Women’s Golf Oct. 9 and 10 at Coyote Classic (Coyote Creek) Drake places seventh out of 12 teams

Men’s Golf Oct. 6 vs Bradley and Valparaiso Sprint Hollow Shootout Drake places first out of three teams

Women’s Volleyball Oct. 4 at Valparaiso Drake loses 2-3 Oct. 8 at SIUE Drake wins 3-2 THE TENNIS TEAM won four matches after playing in the ITA All-American Championship. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Darinka Stepan Staff Writer darinka.stepan@drake.edu

After already having played a couple of tournaments this fall, Drake’s men’s tennis team had four Bulldogs compete in the qualifying rounds at the ITA Men’s All-American Championship Oct. 2-3.

Sophomores Markus Bolin and Jeremy Schifris and juniors Evan Fragistas and Oliver Johansson took on the tournament together at the University of Tulsa. Leading up to this tournament, these Bulldogs had each played in either the Drake Invite or the Creighton Invite.

Besides getting in some quality matches in these tournaments, the Bulldogs have been working hard on and off the court to prepare for this tournament.

“Leading up to the tournament I felt very

prepared,” Bolin said. “We put in a lot of work these past couple of weeks that prepared us for the tournament. Working on the court during practice and conditioning and in the weight room were all great practices to help us get ready.”

“Leading up to the tournament I felt very prepared; we put in a lot of work these past couple of weeks that prepared us for the tournament.”

Johansson took on an opponent from the University of Arizona, Herman Hoeyeraal, and after a hard-fought battle, Johansson lost in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Fragistas won his first match against Aditya Gupta from

Penn State in a close two-set match, 7-6(5), 7-6(3). Fragistas then advanced to the second round of the preliminaries to compete against Guido Mason from Texas A&M. Fragistas lost in a tough three-set match, 7-5, 3-6, 10-5.

Schifris’ first match was against Rithik Sardana from George Mason University.

Schifris battled to get the match done in two sets, winning it 6-4, 6-3. Schifris then played Andrew Rogers from Pepperdine University in his second match. Schifris lost in a close two-set match, 6-4, 7-6(4).

Bolin defeated Omat Elkadi from Liberty University in his first match, with a quick 6-1, 6-1 win. In the second round of the pre-qualifiers, Bolin faced Momin Khan from George Mason and captured yet another win, winning that match 6-2, 6-3. Bolin then advanced to compete against Robert Kash from Ohio State University

where he lost to Kash 7-5, 6-2.

“I had a great time competing in the pre-qualifiers of AllAmericans,” Schifris said. “It was great to get a win over Sardana from George Mason.’’

Bolin said that playing in the tournament for the first time was a great experience for him.

“I’m glad I was able to get a few matches under my belt during the tournament,” Bolin said.

Overall, the Bulldogs came home with four wins from the tournaments. These Bulldogs have many more opportunities coming up this season.

Their next home tournament will be the Bulldog Cup that starts on Oct. 15. Following the Bulldog Cup, the tennis team will take on the ITA regionals in Lincoln Nebraska. After regionals, Drake Men’s tennis will have four more events that will be played at Drake. They will have the Drake Cup as well as three UTR events.

Oct. 9 at Missouri State Drake loses 1-3

Cross Country Oct. 1 at Gans Creek Classic Men’s places sixth out of 16 Women’s places ninth out of 16

Football Oct. 9 vs Dayton Drake loses 10-28

Women’s Soccer Oct. 9 at SIU Drake wins 1-0

Men’s Soccer Oct. 9 at SIUE Drake loses 1-2 Oct. 3 vs Evansville Drake wins 1-0

06 | Sports

Oct. 13, 2021

Sports

March Madness comes to Des Moines in 2023

DRAKE UNIVERSITY announced they will host the first and second rounds of the 2023 NCAA March Madness Tournament.

Logan Hock Contributing Writer logan.hock@drake.edu

Students and faculty shared a positive reaction after the NCAA announced last October that the men’s basketball tournament, March Madness, will return to Des Moines at the Wells Fargo Arena in 2023 with Drake University hosting the first and second rounds.

With the wrap-up of Drake Hoops Fest and a highly anticipated men’s basketball season, Drake basketball looks forward to the following year as March Madness makes its way to Des Moines.

The 2023 tournament will be the third time that Des Moines has hosted the tournament for its first and second rounds in recent years.

March Madness is an event that draws the attention of millions of viewers. The Drake athletic faculty have shown pride in Des Moines and

believe that Des Moines will satisfy the venue needs that the tournament demands.

“We know we have a hidden jewel with downtown Des Moines and Central Iowa, so being able to share it with the world is really exciting and rewarding.”

“We know we have a hidden jewel with downtown Des Moines and Central Iowa, so being able to share it with the world is really exciting and rewarding,” said Drake director of athletics Brian Hardin.

With hosting this significant sporting event, Drake will be brought into the spotlight once again. Spectators around the United States will be tuned in, watching their teams. Despite

this pressure, athletics staff members have expressed confidence in hosting an event like this.

“I think with this being the second time around for us, we will be better prepared in some areas we struggled with in 2019,” Hardin said.

Members of the basketball team also said they are honored that the NCAA chose Drake as a spot for the tournament.

“It’s pretty special,” said sophomore forward Jordan Kwiecinski. “Us young guys on the team were all pretty hyped since we have the chance to play in our own city.”

The basketball team has gained experience on what the tournament is like in the previous year, as they were able to make it to the first round. Now, they are seeking to return for the next two years for a chance to play in front of a home crowd.

“I think we got a really good chance to make it back,”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Kwiecinski said. “We’ve got a taste of what it’s like and great senior leadership to prepare us.”

“As a Drake student, it is thrilling to be put on the map like this...I came in as a freshman with no clue that our basketball team would achieve the level of notability they did. I would say the team deserves it for their hard work and dedication.”

Drake students will be able to have access to the games and all the perks that come with March Madness.

“As a Drake student, it is thrilling to be put on the map

like this,” said sophomore Patrick Lucas. “I came in as a freshman with no clue that our basketball team would achieve the level of notability they did.

I would say the team deserves it for their hard work and dedication.”

After a successful run with a tournament appearance the previous season, Drake students have high hopes that the basketball team’s success will continue.

“Seeing our men’s basketball team make it into March Madness gave me a large sense of pride,” said sophomore Zach Rosenberger. “Seeing our guys on ESPN, playing big-name teams and having a prominent role in the sports world feels awesome.”

With around a year and a half until March Madness makes its way to Des Moines, the anticipation will be significant as students, players and faculty wait patiently for the day to arrive.

urban meyer embroiled in a new controversy with jaguars

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS HEAD COACH Urban Meyer was seen in a video touching a mystery woman after his team lost in Ohio. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

In the most common search of a new NFL head coach, partygoer is not one of the defining qualities a general manager looks for. Luckily for the Jaguars, Urban Meyer’s party-going abilities came naturally.

Following an 0-4 start ending with a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, first-year Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer ditched the team plane and decided to stay in Cincinnati to visit his grandchildren. While the rest of the team made the flight back to Jacksonville, Meyer found himself in a restaurant bar that

he owns in Columbus, Ohio.

The following morning, a video taken by an electrician at the bar went viral on social media platforms across the country.

The video featured Meyer intimately dancing with someone who wasn’t his wife at said Columbus restaurant bar. The video also showed Meyer touching the behind of the woman while she danced against him.

Jaguars fans quickly rose in uproar in response to the viral video, calling for Meyer’s resignation.

Even the Jaguars owner Shad Khan joined the fan uproar.

“I have addressed this matter with Urban … Specifics of our conversation will be held in

confidence,” Khan said via a Facebook post made after the video went viral. “What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable.”

While Khan sided with the fans on the inexcusable nature of the situation, he did offer Meyer a second chance.

“I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere,” Khan said. “Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.”

The emergence of this video is arguably more harmful beyond Urban Meyer’s public image, creating a locker room

that will have a tougher time following Meyer’s leadership.

This new locker room dynamic will likely result in the Jaguars’ dismissal of Meyer if the team does not find increased success by the end of the 2021 regular season.

Meyer has owned his mistakes, admitting that what transpired that night following the team’s loss in Cincinnati was outright wrong and immoral.

“It was stupid,” Meyer said via a press conference on Monday. “So I explained everything that happened. And owned it … I should not have put myself in that kind of position.”

Meyer’s remorse for his actions is clear, but remorse only goes so far. The real test comes in the locker room and

on the playing field as Meyer attempts to regain the trust of his players, something that was rumored to be lackluster to begin with.

Setting a tone within an organization is crucial for a first-year head coach, even more so in the NFL. Meyer is off to a rough start in this sense, and the emergence of this scandal may put the final nail in the coffin for Meyer’s time in Jacksonville.

This nail will have to be placed by the players, who now must choose between trusting a man devoid of accountability or pushing that man out Jacksonville’s back door.

07 | Commentary

Commentary

Oct. 13, 2021

Phantom Philms Maddi Cave Staff Writer maddi.cave@drake.edu

My roommate, Aubrey, and I are experiencing a roadblock in our (so far) harmonious living situation... When it comes to movie preference, she is a wimp and I am a wacko. She enjoys watching Hallmark movies and rom-coms, and I’ll only watch a movie if there’s some type of disclaimer at the beginning to warn children or if it’s some ghost story that includes the tagline, “based on a true story.”

This stark contrast in our preferences has made it difficult for us to choose something to watch in our shared downtime, especially since it’s spooky season, and I’m ready to bring on the scary movies!

Whether you’re a weenie like Aubrey, a psychopath like me or some kind of normal person in-between, I believe there’s a perfect genre of scary movie for everyone to enjoy this Halloween. Luckily, you have me—a self-proclaimed fanatic of everything spooky—to give you the recommendations you need to get yourself in the season.

For wimps: For people who are self-identified weenies when it comes to horror, I firstly recommend any movie made before 1990. Although many of these movies are definitely twisted horror classics, certain elements of them are so laughable that they are highly unlikely to keep you up at night. These movies include Hitchcock’s “Psycho,”

Spielberg’s “Poltergeist,” the original “Halloween” (1978), “Friday the 13th” (1980) and any original movie adaptations of Stephen King novels like “The Shining” or “Carrie.”

Many of these movies were the pioneers to today’s silly scary movie stereotypes; between the predictable plotlines and oftendated special effects, I don’t think these movies are anything to be afraid of, but they still give you some horror movie cred!

“Whether you’re a weenie like Aubrey, a psychopath like me or some kind of normal person in-between, I believe there’s a perfect genre of scary movie for everyone to enjoy this Halloween.”

For the in-betweens: For those who put themselves “somewhere in-between” on the scary-movie-preference scale, I recommend suspense/ thriller movies. Lots of people debate whether or not these movies should be categorized as “horror” at all, but so many of them have elements that definitely stick with you.

Some of my favorite older psychological thrillers include “The Silence of the Lambs” with its following movies and TV adaptations, “Primal Fear” and the classic psychological ghost-

story “The Sixth Sense.”

The movie “Blair Witch Project” is another suspenseful thriller that many people enjoy, but full disclosure, I personally dislike that movie for too many reasons than I have space to talk about, so watch it at your own risk. There are also many newer psychological movies that I really enjoy, including, but not limited to, “Hush,” “Split,” “Get Out,” “Parasite” and any of the “Purge” movies.

For the crazies: I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my fellow psychopaths who have made it this far. Below is a list of all my all-time favorite scary movies from all different types of genres.

For those who like ghosts and spirits, I recommend “The Devil’s Backbone,” “The Ring” (the 2002 American version), the “Insidious” series or “The Conjuring” series.

Narrowing that genre further, for those extra-crazies who like religious ghost stories, I enjoy “The Nun,” “St. Agatha,” “The Unholy” and of course “The Exorcist” (the original 1973 one), along with the plethora of other films that begin with “The Exorcism of…”

For anyone who never wants to sleep again, a couple scary “J-horror” films include “Ringu” (the original Japanese version from 1998), “The Grudge” and “The Host.” Are you one of the few humans who doesn’t fear clowns or dolls? I’d recommend “Child’s Play,” “The Boy,” the “Annabelle” series and—though I personally detest these movies as well—the “It” franchise.

PULL DOWN THE SHADES, slurp 7-Up through a Twizzler straw and get ready to soil your pants watching “Barney & Friends”--I mean, “Saw.” PHOTO BY MADDI CAVE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lastly, for those who are into the gory and gross, try out “Antichrist,” “The Midnight Meat Train” or “Human Centipede.”

Although this list is only a

slim representation of the many scary movies out there, I hope it gives you enough suggestions to get you started in boosting your Halloween cred.

OCD: the punchline of mental disorders Chris Veninga Staff Writer chris.veninga@drake.edu

Leonard: Uh… that’s my water [points at the wine glass filled with ice water that Sheldon is holding] Sheldon: [nervously] What?

Leonard: [nonchalantly] That’s my water, you’re drinking it.

Sheldon: [quickly putting down the glass of water] Dear Lord! Have you been drinking it?

Leonard: [a bit annoyed] Yes, it’s my water.

Sheldon: [passively and conclusively] Well that’s it then.

[Beat] I’m dead!

[Laugh track] If you haven’t already guessed, this is a scene from the hit comedy “The Big Bang Theory.” Sheldon goes on to explain how the germs on the glass of Leonard’s water are going to kill him. He explains it in such a straight-forward, matter-of-fact way, despite being upset that he drank out of the perceived poison that is Leonard’s water.

The scene is full of laugh tracks and a bunch of weirdedout stares from Sheldon’s friends. The scene ends, and the audience is left thinking “Oh, that crazy old Sheldon and his OCD antics! Look how funny and paranoid he is!”

If only it were that simple.

People would still be alive if it were that simple.

My name is Chris Veninga.

I’m a sophomore psychology student at Drake. I love sports, movies, theater, writing, fishing, hanging out with friends, playing mediocre guitar, singing and shooting short films. I also happen to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. I’m writing this article because I’m tired of people all around the world using this disorder as a punchline. When most people hear the term OCD,

they think of those who really like to be organized and germfree and those who are highly focused on cleanliness.

The fact of the matter is, they don’t like it at all. If untreated, they are suffering endlessly.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a deeply debilitating and torturous disorder.

Obsessions are troubling and near-ceaseless thoughts that are incredibly hard for the person with OCD to shake.

These thoughts are often highly irrational, but in the mind of an OCD sufferer, they are very real even though they may recognize them as irrational. Compulsions are rituals that, in the mind of an OCD sufferer, help make these thoughts temporarily go away.

“Because it’s seen as so quirky and as a punchline, people will casually say things like, ‘I’m so OCD. I have to have my bookshelf alphabetized.’”

In the case of this vignette from “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon is worried that he is going to die because he drank from the supposedly “tainted” glass of water. This is an example of an obsession. He then rushes from the scene to “sterilize [his] mouth with alcohol.” This is a compulsion.

Sheldon does something to get rid of the obsessive thoughts that convince him he is contaminated with a deadly germ.

I personally wouldn’t have a huge problem with this scene if it weren’t for two issues: 1) Sheldon not representing, truly, how deeply disturbing an event like this could be to an OCD sufferer, and 2) the constant laugh tracks.

Here’s how the scene (possibly) could have worked out in the mind of an actual OCD sufferer with a contamination obsession: The sufferer ruminates for hours and days on end, avoiding germs at all costs, being deeply anxious, and convinced of the irrational fear that if they touch anything remotely dirty, they themselves are going to die or will kill someone. They go to the restaurant and touch their friend’s glass. They realize how “contaminated” the glass is. They either externally or internally freak out. They rush home to wash their hands and clean surfaces for hours, and with every push of the soap dispenser they think “I think I missed a spot.”

All the while, they are constantly tortured by the thoughts that they are, in fact, going to kill themselves with the germ. By completing the compulsion, they may feel brief relief before something comes up again, now even stronger than the last time because the fear was reinforced.

Sounds fun, right? Like it should be followed by a laugh track?

“The Laugh Track Problem” as I’ll call it, is one of the main reasons why OCD is so downplayed. Sufferers are seen as irrational and as if they can just “switch it off” whenever they want. Because it’s seen as so quirky and as a punchline, people will casually say things like “I’m so OCD. I have to have my bookshelf alphabetized.”

And the thing is, “The Big Bang Theory” isn’t the only show not truly representing what OCD is. Beloved TV shows and movies of mine that misconstrue OCD include “Sherlock,” “The Boys” and “Split.” These forms of media may get it partially right, but they do OCD sufferers a disservice by not portraying the full story.

You wouldn’t say “I’m so

cancer,” would you?

And breaking news, OCD isn’t just about being neat or a “germaphobe,” though that is a very common theme that troubles many OCD sufferers.

Take one look at my desk and my roommate’s desk. His desk is highly organized. Mine is a pigsty. The unknowing person might mistakenly guess he has OCD, but he does not.

The range of worries for a person diagnosed with OCD varies greatly. Some people worry they are murderers; a serial killer waiting to happen.

Some people can’t be left alone because they are obsessing over the idea that a burglar will march into their home and smother them in their sleep (hence another OCD theme, checking locks over and over).

Some people worry they might have been poisoned and obsess over the “possibility” that they will drop dead on the spot.

Thus, they might avoid food.

The OCD themes are endless and don’t stop at cleaning and organization. It all depends on the person.

“You wouldn’t say, ‘I’m so cancer,’ would you?”

OCDuk.org states that the World Health Organization has “labeled OCD in the top ten most disabling disorders of any kind.” And yet, here we are, watching a man with OCD walk off the screen with laugh tracks following him.

If I (and frankly, my immediate family) had known what OCD actually was, I could have been diagnosed much sooner and my life could have been much easier mentalhealth-wise. For years, I had no idea what was going on. My thoughts raced every single day.

Compulsions occurred almost daily, interrupting sleep. All the while I didn’t even suspect

OCD. And do you know why?

Because society mischaracterizes it as “just the quirky cleaning disorder.”

For OCD sufferers, there is hope. Exposure response prevention, a technique of cognitive behavioral therapy, has been shown to be extremely effective in treating OCD. Essentially, a person with the disorder purposely puts themself in stressful situations while not acting on any compulsions. This shows the sufferer that there is nothing really to worry about, and as they go through these experiences they build up a tolerance to what they used to fear.

I’ve seen this happen in my own OCD journey, and though ERP is horrible to go through in the moment, it certainly pays off. And some shows, such as the popular sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” do represent OCD correctly.

I’m not trying to shame people for talking about OCD this way. I honestly think people who don’t get educated about it are predisposed to believing that this disorder is nothing but a punchline. I just want the stigma and false pretense around this diagnosis to be erased. Because if it isn’t, so many more people are going to suffer in silence, feel ashamed and/or not know what’s going on.

If you still aren’t convinced OCD should be taken seriously, please check out the subreddit r/ocd. It is a humbling look into the lives of OCD sufferers.

Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @chrisveninga or email me at chris.veninga@ drake.edu if you have any questions. I would love to talk.

And, join me in remembering the words of one of my best friends from high school, who upon learning of my diagnosis was quick to remind me, “It doesn’t define you, man.” Take care of yourselves, everyone.

08 | Commentary

Commentary

Oct. 13, 2021

naturally observing unnatural phenomena Colin Frier Commentary Editor colin.frier@drake.edu

“This is the strangest life I’ve ever known,” Jim Morrison once said. If you risked a five-second glance up from your phone, you’d probably concur. Our world is replete with peculiarities, from hand sanitizer and soap dispensers in the same bathroom, to Walmart’s customer service line. Science has a limitless trove of things on which to experiment. Here I hope to delineate a few of these oddities.

First, humans and their pet dogs; “pet” being the operative word. If you think you’re the alpha in this relationship, you’re sorely mistaken. You’re on a walk, you imagine you’re the Grinch and your dog is Max, when really, little Scruffy is the slave driver. Think about it: you pick up their poop, it’s like you’re the “Piss-boy” in “History of the World: Part 1.” You’ve bought them a doggy tux, and you’re over here with a holey fraternity shirt from 1992. You try to get them to quit barking on a walk, you’re like an old fogey shouting at Alexa to stop.

You get yanked to and fro... forget the mechanical bull, walking your dog is a carnival game in and of itself. These aren’t those “Spot” books, alright? This is “Paddington”— sorry to soil your pants, but you’re not pulling the strings.

Your dog has got some maniacal insurrection cooked up in the tiny gray matter of its brain, and you better believe it doesn’t involve giving you a lick on the cheek. If this isn’t the most asymmetrical, parasitic relationship, I don’t know what the hell is. I mean, even the McDonald brothers got a better deal from Ray Kroc. Dog has you buying him automatic food dispensers, blotting up his pee on the carpet like The Albino in “The Princess Bride”… seriously, what in the Treaty of Versailles kind of pact is this?

Alright, so maybe Man’s Best Friend is really Man’s Oppressor. You decide to go out for a walk and leave Maximus behind to defecate all over the new carpet. How prudent of you.

When walking down the street, and you see someone you know, what’s the Universally Accepted Distance (UAD)?

By this, of course, I mean the requisite distance and coordinates you should be at to warrant the obligatory neighborly wave or head nod with the squeakily added, “Hey?” Don’t want to be too far— on walks, customarily you don’t bring along your megaphone.

Don’t want to be too close— it’ll be too late. You’re a misanthropic, insensitive vampire who doesn’t have the common decency to Sieg Heil your acquaintance.

You see the guy in the distance, you know you’re going to have to come up with a greeting in the next five seconds. He’s bearing down on you at Mach-10 speed like an SR-71 aircraft. Do you have to say something? Can’t you just pretend to be distracted by this light pole? He comes… you’ve crossed the demilitarized zone… it’s all over… he says, “What’s up?” You say, “Good.” You’ve been reduced to a non-sequitur.

Safe to say you’ll be ruminating on that botched interaction over a stale box of Pop-Tarts later tonight.

Then again, though you may have snafued everything, you did notice one thing: this guy had his mask under his chin.

What kind of statement is this, looking like an old librarian who wears bifocals around her neck? Was he trying to cover up a Nanny McPhee mole? Store a Coco Puff under there for later?

Conceal a bad shave job?

No, must’ve been some neck buckle that kept his skull from flying off his shoulders.

But then you run into a girl.

There’s enough material there to keep SNL running until the sun goes out, you suspect.

Thanks to her Hydro Flask, you heard her coming from a state away. With these plussized water bottles, the ice clangs against the metal with every step. It’s a great test for your sanity. Forget the Chinese Water Torture; we’ve got a more sadistic candidate right here.

The sound is like an ice cream truck, alerting everyone within a radius of one-hundred miles

that the British are a-comin’ and Scott Joplin is playing ragtime.

Clang, ClAnG, CLANG… it’s like one of those cowbells possessed by the rabid old women who make unintelligible eructations such as “YAGAWBA!” like some “Star Wars” Jawa at high school cross country races.

These Hydro Flaskers go on Operation Geronimo, they’ll be the first ones shot.

“Our world is replete with peculiarities, from hand sanitizer and soap dispensers in the same bathroom, to Walmart’s customer service line.”

What’s more, girls tend to have a minimum of thirty different trinkets dangling from their lanyard. Car keys, lipstick, fidget cube, fishing lure, ant trap… it’s like, you could replace the hanging toy in a baby’s crib with these lanyards and the little runt wouldn’t know the difference. You could entertain a cat for hours with these things.

Just like the Hydro Flasks, they make quite the racket. You’re in the stands at the Indy 500, surrounded by 140 decibels, you’d STILL hear a girl coming from the top stair.

In fact, with all these instruments, I wouldn’t be surprised if this engendered a Blue Women Group.

And gee, lucky for the act’s costume designer, the outfit wouldn’t be too difficult: drooping jacket, shoulder exposed. You see this everywhere. What are we trying to accomplish here? It’s like the female equivalent of the “pants on the ground” guy. Did you buy the wrong size? Did some BFG try it on and accidentally stretch it out?

When I’ve got my own restaurant, mark my words, the sign will say, “No shoes, no exposed shoulder, no service.”

Is this supposed to be attractive or something? From pointy cone bras to this?

Sofia Vergara goes through a full-body shoot for the cover of Vogue, every camera man

foaming at the mouth, editor gets a look at the printouts: “Uh-uh. Nope. Won’t do. What is this, the Victorian era? Lars, I want a close-up of just the shoulder, nothing else. Every last pore, dammit. On the double. Hup-hup.”

Yet, for all our genderspecific idiosyncrasies, there seems to be a glaring overlap: dongles. Yes, the kind that loops around your backpack like a king cobra. It’s a crime how many dongles and attachments you have to buy for a device nowadays. That’s how they get you. It’s the equivalent of inapp purchases. “$4.99 to speed up the construction of my town hall? Hell yeah, I ain’t waiting!”

Or dining out at a swanky 5-star restaurant. You just devoured a forty-dollar steak, but somehow the menu has magically flipped open to the dessert listings…

“Do I have room for tiramisu?

Have to have it with steak, right?”

Yep, I think soon enough we’ll get to a point where dongles will have their OWN dongles. It’ll be like one of those red-and-green paper chains you make at Christmas. A conga line of dongles. You and your friend will be stationed at either end of the Great Wall of China, one with the device, the other with the USB… Device man calls, “It all plugged in and good to go?” It’s like the Christmas light display in “Christmas Vacation.” USB guy at the other end answers, “Yep, as long as THIS one fits…”

Then there’s the platitudinous phrases people speaketh every day. The walker you just passed— my bet says he had a Fitbit. And you know what THAT means.

“I’m getting in my steps today.”

Oh, I’m glad, Mr. Hostess.

Glad your Fitbit tracked that trip from your desk to the vending machine. Next time someone says that, I’m gonna squash an anthill and chuckle maliciously. “What the hell you think you’re doing?” “Getting my steps in.”

In a different scenario, anyone asks why I’m speedwalking all purposefully with a destination in mind: “I’m getting in my piss today.”

Which, speaking of pisses, fortunately there’s the phrase, “real quick.” “I’m gonna hit the restroom ‘real quick.’” “I’m gonna run to the store ‘real quick.’” And the majority of the time, it’s the exact opposite.

Same with “shortly” or “in a moment.” “The doctor will be with you ‘shortly.’” I’d rather them just shoot straight; shoot me straight between the eyes, I mean.

So your walker pal returns from the restroom, and just to validate yourself as a good person, you decide to recommend a TV show to him.

What does he do? Responds with, “I’ll check it out,” of course. When people say this… you bet your “Survivor” ass they’re never gonna check it out. No way in hell. “Check out” the third season of “Modern Family” for their thirtieth rewatch, maybe, but certainly not your show suggestion. They’ll eat an entire bucket of Ben & Jerry’s and melt their brain to tapioca watching “House Hunters” before they check ANYTHING out.

Then you sneeze. FAC is dust’s domicile. What does your compatriot say?

“Bless you.”

The urge is irresistible. It’s a Pavlovian response. You’re at Chick-Fil-A, you shoot a snot rocket into your spicy chicken sandwich, blow your nose clean off like Tycho Brahe… some employee says, “Bless you.”

“Danks?” “My pleasure.”

You’re lost in the thick of the Congo, totally in terra incognita, suddenly you catch a whiff of pollen… “Achewee!” Some flea in Iceland buzzes, “Bless you!”

And finally, along with all the other aforementioned phrases, people have a certain affinity for the filler, “You know.” They say orange is the new black… “you know” is the new “um.” It’s like Joe Rogan with “oh, hundred percent” or Jordan Peterson and “it’s like.” These “you know” folks sprinkle the phrase throughout their conversation like the dining hall does with salt on their collard green spinach.

Sometimes I don’t even know what they’re talking about, you know?

Back to your bunker: COVID concerns heading into fall break Bryson Rea Staff Writer bryson.rea@drake.edu

It is fair to say that the vast majority of America now looks at COVID-19 in the rear view mirror. This overwhelming sense of conclusion comes as hospitalizations fall and vaccination rates continue to rise. Yet, COVID-19 is far from over, and a third wave may be just weeks away from transpiring.

This concern comes from the 2020 COVID spike in which holiday travel led to shutdowns and school closures across the country. Given the recent introduction of the Delta variant, there is cause for concern.

Drake University took notice

before the fall semester even began, hinting at the possibility of a schedule change that would combine fall break and Thanksgiving break into one.

This change would reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus, as students would not be moving on and off campus quite as often.

Now, the university has seemingly settled on not making the schedule change, as a recent announcement made it clear that no calendar changes are expected at this time.

Despite this newfound confident stance taken by Drake, on-campus students are still concerned about the possibility of a Delta variant outbreak later this fall.

This belief that many are not taking COVID-19 seriously

THE TIMES-DELPHIC The student newspaper for Drake University since 1884 EMMA BRUSTKERN Editor-in-Chief emma.brustkern@drake.edu JEFF INMAN, Faculty Advisor jeffrey.inman@drake.edu

GRACE ALTENHOFEN, Managing Editor grace.altenhofen@drake.edu

ANDREW KENNARD, News Editor andrew.kennard@drake.edu

AUTUMN OSIA, Photo Editor autumn.osia@drake.edu

CASSANDRA SCHOENE, Features Editor cassie.schoene@drake.edu

MAX BROWN, Digital Editor max.brown@drake.edu

LIA REICHMANN, Sports Editor lia.reichmann@drake.edu COLIN FRIER, Commentary Editor colin.frier@drake.edu

CAT FARRELL, Media Manager cat.farrell@drake.edu ERIN DUENWALD, Copy Editor erin.duenwald@drake.edu

is shared by many students on campus.

“If and when a third wave of COVID-19 arrives, will Drake University be ready, or is a repeat of the 2020 lock downs already inevitable?”

Where, then, does this belief come from? The answer is likely social media and the so-called numbing of impact through repeated exposure.

More simply put, the impact a widely reported event has on someone’s emotions and prior beliefs dwindles exponentially as the

headline is seen repeatedly across media sources.

This emotional numbing of the public has caused the overwhelming sense of conclusion described earlier.

People are simply tired of seeing headlines about COVID-19 and have thus zoned themselves out of the daily coverage.

This combination of public disinterest in COVID-19 and the rising Delta variant brews the perfect storm for a catastrophic COVID outbreak over the upcoming holiday season.

There still stands a firm number of those who do see the looming threat of COVID-19, and they are voicing their concerns.

“I’m worried that my friends and I may need to quarantine before and after seeing our

families, or worse, that the virus will spread continuously around campus, causing the need for my friends and I to engage in online classes for the remainder of the semester or even the school year,” said firstyear Sydney Hermes.

This fear seems concurrent with many Drake students’ worries, as roughly 73 percent of students polled (45 of 61 polled) believe a holiday season COVID-19 outbreak is well on the way.

As concerns continue to rise with the holiday season just weeks away from beginning, one question is on the minds on Drake students: if and when a third wave of COVID-19 arrives, will Drake University be ready, or is a repeat of the 2020 lock downs already inevitable?

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

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