THE TIMES-DELPHIC The weekly student newspaper of Drake University Vol. 139 | No. 6 | Oct. 2, 2019
FEATURES La Fuerza Latina hosted a Latinx dance class as part of the club’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Read more on page 2
SPORTS The Drake Bulldogs have scored a win; the football team defeated the Marist Red Foxes at an away game in Poughkeepsie, New York. Read more on page 3
OPINIONS There’s a new generation living in the digital age of communication: Read about the ups and downs of social media. Read more on page 4
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SAB spoken word: Carlos Robson performs at Mars Cafe
MARS CAFE on University Avenue was the site of the spoken word slam poetry event planned by the Student Activities Board. Poet Carlos Robson and student Sarah Rosales both performed. PHOTO BY MCCADE GOWDY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Cameron Bolton Staff Writer cameron.bolton@drake.edu
On Friday, Sept. 27 slam poet Carlos Robson came to Mars Café to perform. Robson is a two-time national slam poetry champion and has been performing for fifteen years. Drake University Spoken Word poet Sarah Rosales preceded Robson’s performance. Robson was a dance and choreography minor in college. He explained that he was inspired to do spoken word poetry by a class he took. “I was taking a hip-hop dance class...we were given an assignment to write a rap or poem that we would perform a cappella, and I waited until the very last night before the assignment was due because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Robson said. “I ended up writing a spoken word piece about how I didn’t know what
to talk about, and the other students in the class really liked it.” Robson explained that he was encouraged to do open mics and compete in slams by another student in the class. “The guy who was in charge of all the slams in Charlotte, North Carolina where I lived, he’s become my mentor and one of my best friends,” Robson said. “We have the same manager and the same agent, we tour together.” Senior Deanna Krikorian attended the event. She said the show was really good, and that both Rosales and Robson did well in the way that they performed their poetry. Krikorian said there was an added element with the way that they performed it. “I wasn’t expecting so much interaction with Carlos. I didn’t know that’s how it went,” Krikorian said. “He read his first piece, and then he was just like talking to us back and forth, and
people could ask him questions in the middle of the show, and he would answer them and tell stories. I didn’t know that it would be that interactive, I guess. I hadn’t expected that, but I really liked it.” Robson said his interacting with his audience stems from how he was once a college student who would go to spoken word shows on campus; he remembered the feeling of being in class all day where people talked at him and going up to a show where someone was talking at him. Robson wanted to make sure that students feel free to share ideas and have questions. Another thing that Krikorian liked about the show was how Robson and Rosales touched on important topics to society as a whole in a way that felt honest and true to their experience, not as though they were writing about it just to write about it.
Rosales’ poetry included topics involving racism and white privilege, especially on campus, her queer identity, gun violence, America and abortion. Robson’s performance began lightheartedly enough, starting with a poem about being Generation X and a humorous anecdote. Robson later dove into more serious topics, such as a poem about the death of Trayvon Martin. “I just wanted to make sure that everybody knew that this was just an expressive thing that I made and that it wasn’t a solution to a political problem,” Robson said. “I wasn’t trying to solve racism. The poem is a persona poem, meaning that I’m speaking in character, as someone who really lived. And I would never want anybody to think that what I was saying actually intended for that person to feel. To me, that’s not the point of the poem. It’s
a cathartic way of working my way through some emotions.” Robson said he’s not trying to write over anyone’s head and doesn’t like writing in heavy metaphor. Nor does he consider himself a poet, but rather a storyteller or an entertainer who just so happens to talk about serious subjects. Which leads to the question of what stories does he tell: his own, or others’? “I think [both]. For instance, that last poem, most people would not consider it a story,” Robson said. “But I think of it as sort of a sociopolitical snapshot of all the things that are going on right now, and when I put the things in order, it feels like a story. But some things are not [personal]. Some things are political. But they always have a beginning, middle, and end and that’s really what I think that is what my strong suit is. Explain or storify a subject, an idea.”
Magazine department hosts annual internship panel for students Elizabeth Hennessey Contributing Writer elizabeth.hennessey@drake.edu
Situated behind a basket filled with questions, a panel of eight students eagerly sat at the front of Meredith 104 waiting to help their peers learn more about internships. At 7 p.m. on Sept. 23, the panelists began the discussion by talking about their personal experiences to the student filled room.
The Magazine Center hosts this annual internship panel for students every fall. “We do it so early in the fall to give students a jump start to their internship path,” Magazine Program Chair Catherine Staub said. The panel is run and organized by the Karyl Van scholarship recipient. This year’s recipient and panel moderator was senior Madison Kelly. “We really wanted this [panel] to be about bringing in
students and giving first hand experiences, because I think you learn more from that than from a professional,” Kelly said. Around 20 students attended this year’s panel. This audience was bigger than previous years and extra chairs had to be brought into seat everyone. Kelly picked a diverse panel of majors and internships to speak with the students. The panel included Ashley Flaws, Samantha Jones, Adam Heater, Will Follet, Rachel Wente, Hannah Nuss and Lily Enzler.
Panelists shared that they all applied to multiple internships in the hope of getting just one. “Apply to everything. It is better to have too many options than none at all,” Follet said in response to a question from the audience. Junior Vada Abrahamson attended the panel looking for more information on how to find internships. She shared that the panel was beneficial to her because it was a peer to peer event. “I think it’s really helpful
knowing these are current students,” Abrahamson said. “It’s not people who have already made it big and are coming back going ‘ten years ago I had my first internship.’ It’s actually people in the same boat as us and they understand the struggle of trying to get an internship and being scared that they aren’t good enough for them.” The panelists internship locations ranged from Des Moines to New York City, with some in between. However, regardless of location they all shared a similar sentiment that students should not fear being unqualified. “Everyone starts somewhere,”
INTERNSHIP PANELISTS speak to students about their experiences and share tips for landing internships. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE STAUB
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Kelly said. On top of applying for several internships, the panel also stressed the importance of networking. They urged students to keep in contact with past employers because one day they could prove to be a valuable reference. Many applications require students to submit samples of their work. Students were encouraged to keep the work they produce in class and through on campus publications, whether it be writing, pictures, or graphics. “Keep everything you’ve ever done,” Heater said when addressing the question. For more information on internships, visit Handshake and reach out to your advisors.