THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
THE TIMES-DELPHIC WHAT’S
INSIDE
DES MOINES, IOWA • Thursday, October 15, 2009 • VOL. 128, NO. 11 • www.timesdelphic.com
MARCHING BAND
OUTSPOKEN
WOMEN’S SOCCER
FOOTBALL
An in-depth look at several aspects of the Drake marching band.
What would be embarrassing for the bomb squad to find in your backpack?
A preview of Thursday’s home game against the Creighton Bluejays.
Drake football players volunteer around the Des Moines area.
PAGE 4 FEATURES
PAGE 3 OPINIONS
PAGE 7 SPORTS
PAGE 7 SPORTS
Trash Suspicious backpack found culture in outside of Howard Hall the U.S. by MARIAH MARCONI
Staff Writer mariah.marconi@drake.edu
Professor Patricia Yaeger visited Drake University Monday to present her research on trash culture in modern society, calling the practices creatively destructive. Yaeger teaches at the University of Michigan. Her speech at Cowles Library this week was part of the Drake University Writers and Critics Series, sponsored by the English department. The English professor focused on elements of trash culture in media and in films such as “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,” “AI” and “Wall-E.” Yaeger said trash culture is a product of a societal fixation on consumerism. Individuals feel the need to constantly update what they own just to have the “it” product. “We are always seeking the newest products, trading outdated models for younger, sleeker versions,” Yaeger said. “Now, we throw away objects, both old and new, because they become outdated as soon as we purchase them.” The robot is an embodiment of trash culture, Yaeger said, calling it the “perfect worker.” She said film adaptations of robots can be classified as either faithful or vengeful trash. Faithful trash represents the beautiful, progressive side of mankind’s massive production process. Vengeful trash reflects the dangerous effects of society’s wastefulness. Yaeger classified the robot star of Pixar’s “Wall-E” as a member of the faithful trash group. “Although ‘Wall-E’ is already outdated as the movie begins, he learns the art of belonging in a ‘trashed’ world, and sees the beauty in what others deem as trash,” Yaeger said. She also showed students clips from the original “Terminator” movie. Emphasizing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s emergence into the “modern” world through a trash site, Yaeger said the robots seem to come from another world in order to punish humanity for its wastefulness. Yaeger also explored the relationship between robots and humans and the potential for the machines to backlash against their creators. “‘Blade Runner’ identifies an intimacy between cyborgs and humans – between the created and the creator,” Yaeger said. “The cyborgs realize they are
SEE TRASH, PAGE 2
photo courtesy of DRAKE UNIVERSITY
ALICE JORDAN was honored Sunday by Drake choir.
Choral concert honors alumna by KENSIE SMITH
Copy Editor mackensie.smith@drake.edu
front doorway where the backpack was,” Stephenson said. “I saw the man in the ‘moon suit’ outside and I realized my flesh was exposed.” A university staff member originally discovered the backpack on the south steps of Howard Hall at about 8 a.m. At 8:02 a.m., Campus Security was notified and an officer was dispatched to Howard. Director of Campus Security Hans Hanson said the officer discovered a note that “looked a little weird” on the backpack. The officer requested a Des Moines Police Officer examine the backpack as well. Police reports indicate DMPD was called at 8:26 a.m. An officer on patrol near campus arrived shortly thereafter. He also found the backpack and note, which read “For You,” to be suspicious and requested a bomb technician. “We thought only one technician would show up, but then the whole squad showed up,” Hanson said. Hanson said DMPD officers took control of the situation and asked Campus Security officers to redirect students around or away from the building. Bomb squad technicians x-rayed the backpack in place, and Hanson said the package was void of explosives but there was a clear image of a handgun inside the bag.
The four Drake choirs honored alumna Alice Jordan at the fall choral concert “Love, Legacy and Laughter” Sunday. The choir performed in Sheslow Auditorium on the very stage bearing her namesake, the Jordan Stage. Jordan graduated from Drake with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1938. She returned to the university as an associate professor later in her career. In 2006, she was given an honorary doctorate of Fine Arts. Outside of her time at Drake, she published over 60 choral works and arranged several organ collections. She was commissioned by over 40 organizations throughout her career, including the Iowa High School Music Association. Famous Metropolitan Opera star Sherrill Milnes and world-famous pianist Jon Spong also worked with Jordan during her career. Her husband, Frank Jordan, was the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Drake from 1942 to 1963. Aimee Beckmann-Collier, conductor for three of the Drake choirs, selected one of Jordan’s award-winning choral pieces to begin the concert. “Today we want to honor Alice Jordan and her contribution to music, specifically American choral music,” BeckmannCollier said to introduce Jordan’s composition. “All Things are Thine” is based on the book of Psalms. The piece won the Composer’s Press Publication Award in 1959. Drake Choir alto Kayleigh Koester (AS1) said the choir
SEE BOMB, PAGE 2
SEE ALUMNA, PAGE 2
photo by TYLER O’NEIL | Relays Editor
A DES MOINES POLICE BOMB TECHNICIAN examines suspicious bag left on the steps of Howard Hall.
Des Moines Police Bomb Squad was called Tuesday morning, authorities find toy handgun by TYLER O’NEIL
Relays Editor tyler.oneil@drake.edu
A playful action by a Drake University student prompted a visit from the Des Moines Police Bomb Squad Tuesday morning when university staff discovered a neglected backpack with an unusual note attached. Staff and students remained inside Howard Hall while the bomb squad responded to a report of a suspicious backpack left unattended on the academic building’s steps on the east side of Drake University’s campus.
Major Leonard Murray, commander of the Des Moines Bureau of Homeland Security, said each situation is different and it is up to the discretion of the officers on the scene to determine if an evacuation is necessary. “If it was determined that (the backpack) was a threat, we would have handled it differently,” Murray said. “Everything is situation-dependent.” The perception of the students inside was a little different. Katie Stephenson (E4) is a tutor for the Writing Workshop, which is hosted on the second floor of Howard Hall. “I took the stairwell next to the
photo by TYLER O’NEIL | Relays Editor
In the background, A DES MOINES POLICE OFFICER looks through the contents of the suspicious backpack left on the south steps of Howard.
Rainbow Union hosts “Coming Out Week” on campus
photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photos Editor
DRAKE RAINBOW UNION MEMBERS participate in a candlelight vigil honoring those affected by hate crimes.
photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photos Editor
MULTI-COLORED DOORS grace light poles between Olmsted and Meredith signifying “the closet.”
photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photos Editor
STUDENTS also shared coming out stories with others who participated in Tuesday night’s vigil.