Times-Delphic 2/25/2010

4-FOR-4

The Drake softball team won every game this weekend.

PAGE 6 SPORTS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

DES MOINES, IOWA • Thursday, February 25, 2009 • VOL. 128, NO. 32 • www.timesdelphic.com

Prairie Meadows awards grants to Drake

by MATT NELSON

Staff Writer matthew.nelson@drake.edu

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

SAMANTHA HAAS, BYRON SPEARS, SEEJO VALACHERIL AND GREG LARSON answered questions to a minimal crowd in Upper Olmsted.

Exec candidates entertain questions Monday night

by ERIN HOGAN

Staff Writer erin.hogan@drake.edu

This election season choices are limited for students when they vote for the executive positions of next year’s Student Senate. Junior Samantha Haas is running unopposed for student body president, sophomore Greg Larson is running unopposed for vice president of student activities and sophomore Seejo Valacheril and junior Byron Spears will compete for the title of vice president of student life.

The annual executive election debates were Tuesday. About 15 students—mostly senators, members of the Election Commission and journalism students writing articles for class—showed up to hear the comments of the candidates.

Senators answered standard questions prepared by the Elections Commission, but mostly questions from the audience, submitted anonymously throughout the debates on slips of paper. Rachel Paine-Caufield, associate

professor of politics, moderated the debate.

Haas, chairwoman of the Senate Student Life Committee, said in her opening remarks that she plans to expand office hours provided by Senate beyond the executives to include senators-at-large. She also called for the return of many of the practices of Dan Sadowski, a former Senate president. Haas was Sadowski’s intern her first year at Drake.

“He was really creative in his way of reaching out to students,” Haas said.

Sadowski is best remembered for his overall likability and his famous “Fireside Chat” podcasts which informed students of the goings-on at Senate each week, Haas said.

Larson, chairman of the Senate Campus Advancement Committee, said he wants to make students more aware of the programming available on campus. He said he was eager to take on the responsibility that is attached to managing the most highly funded student organization on campus.

“I’m committed to making sure that every dollar we spend is a dollar well spent,” Larson said.

The two candidates for Vice President of Student Life, Spears and Valacheril, answered several questions about the challenges they saw in the position.

Spears said he was concerned about the initial transition, as many senators indicated in their answers that they anticipate a younger senate next year.

Valacheril said he thought the challenge of a younger senate would mean passing on all of the knowledge and educating new senators on their duties.

The candidates also answered questions about what they felt were the biggest flaws in the current senate.

“I think sometimes we spend too much time talking about issues that are important to us, but not necessarily important to students,” Spears said.

Valacheril spoke about the lack of follow-through, saying that Senate

SEE SENATE, PAGE 2

>>THE CANDIDATES >Student Body President Samantha Haas >Vice President of Student Life Byron Spears Seejo Valacheril >Vice President of Student Activities Greg Larson

REMEMBER: VOTING FOR THE EXECUTIVE ELECTION BEGINS MONDAY AT 12:01 A.M. AND CONCLUDES AT 11:59 P.M. TUESDAY.

Relay for Life Homestays provide cultural kicks off immersion, unique experiences

by KRISTEN SMITH

by ANN SCHNOEBELEN

Staff Writer kristin.smith@drake.edu

Staff Writer ann.schnoebelen@drake.edu

A world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays. That’s the theme of the American Cancer Society’s 2010 Relay for Life.

Colleges Against Cancer is asking Drake students and faculty to join the cause by participating in Drake’s Relay for Life from March 26 to March 27.

Relay is a 12-hour walk to raise cancer awareness. It will be held in the Fieldhouse from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

A team for Relay consists of eight to 15 people, and registration is quick and simple. To register a team, go to relayforlife.org/drakeuniversity. Registration is open up until the event and the fee is $150 per team.

CAC Co-President and senior Amarpreet Singh encourages everyone to join a team.

“Relay for Life is for such an important cause,” Singh said. “It’s a special event on campus and it’s important that we come together as a Drake community to show that we are passionate about helping to find a cure.”

CAC’s goal is to raise $32,000. All donations will go to the American Cancer Society to help fund cancer research, prevention and detection programs and patient treatment support.

Emily Brown is able to draw quite a few comparisons between her home and the average university residence hall.

She shares a room she says is relatively the same size as the one she had as a first-year student. She and her roommate both have a bed, a dresser and “all the normal things.”

But unlike those living in Drake’s freshmen quad, Brown also has a “señora” who cooks three meals a day for her and does her laundry.

Brown is studying abroad in Granada, Spain, and living with a Spanish host family in a city apartment. So far, Brown says living with her señora, or her host mom, along with her host dad and her 26-year-old host sister has been a positive experience.

“It was actually really easy to adjust,” she said. “The only downside is that we have very, very short showers and you have

SEE RELAY, PAGE 2

to turn off the water when you don’t absolutely need it, basically anytime you’re not rinsing.

And the water is cold half the time.”

Brown makes other comparisons between living in a homestay and an average university residence hall in the U.S., likening the crying toddlers in the apartment next door to other

students playing their music too loud. But she also mentions things she does differently in Granada.

“I’m definitely more aware of my surroundings here than I am at Drake,” she said. “At

SEE GRANADA, PAGE 2

photo by ANN SCHNOEBELEN | Staff Photographer A PICTURESQUE VIEW of Granada’s old Moorish neighborhood in El Albaicin, from La Alhambra.

How much does it cost to engage Des Moines life, uncover historical treasures in Drake University libraries and offer a support system for men? $21,800.

That was the amount recently awarded by the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino to Drake University, money that will go toward developing projects designed to impact and engage life at Drake and the surrounding community.

Of the money, $6,800 will go toward the Opperman Law Library’s archival project.

“The general thing with an archive is, you can’t really let people in to see them untIl you know what’s there to begin with,” said Sara Lowe, reference librarian at the Law Library. “Also, when people don’t know what’s there, how would they even know if they wanted to come and see any of it?”

Lowe is currently compiling and organizing years of Drake documents, some of which provide insight into the university’s past. With the grant money awarded by Prairie Meadows, Lowe hopes to purchase display cases that can display the most compelling information discovered.

“The National Bar Association, the African American equivalent to the ABA, was founded at the turn of the century in Des Moines,” Lowe said. The Law Library currently has the National Bar Association’s archives. “They’ve already been arranged, so people can come and use them, but they aren’t very visible.

This money will allow us to buy exhibition cases so we can actually display these items and hopefully increase their visibility.”

Lowe enjoys going through the archives because of the pieces of culture present within documents that provide a historical picture.

“It’s a lot of really interesting stuff,” Lowe said. “…Course catalogues, graduation things, memos and just life, you know, just daily life. The life of a university.”

Another $10,000 will go toward Cowles Library Citizens Arise! Series, while the remaining $5,000 will be used for a male leadership project called “Brother to Brother,” through the Office of the Dean of Students.

Brother to Brother, an offshoot of the Student African American Brotherhood, is open to all races. The fledgling organization is aimed at providing a place where men can discuss the issues they face as they transition from adolescence to manhood, according to Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari.

“Our goal is to be a support system or support group for each other in terms of academic success and professional success,” Bakari said. “(We’re also) a group that has conversations about what does it mean to be a man.”

Bakari said the Drake chapter of Brother to Brother will coordinate events with other active local chapters at North, Lincoln and Hoover high schools.

He said the aim of the organization is exactly in accordance with the point of the Prairie Meadows grant.

“It fits in exactly. Our group is going to be one that does outreach to the community, so it fits with our mission in terms of extending ourselves to the community and being allies in working in doing and having community partnership,” Bakari said. n

NEWS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

QUOTE of the

PAGETWO

DAY

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

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PAGE 2

Drake was the only place that combined athletics and academics the way I wanted, and you are not really going to find that great combination anywhere else.

—SETH VANDEEST, SEE PAGE 7

SECURITY REPORTS LIAR, LIAR 2:30 a.m. Feb. 21 Two males were seen trying door handles of motor vehicles near 32nd Street and Carpenter Avenue. They advised they were just messing around and that they had never stolen anything in their life. After lying repeatedly, the two students who were underage for consuming alcohol admitted to drinking at 1219 34th St. The dean of students has been advised.

9:59 p.m. Feb. 16 Security and the fire department responded to Crawford Residence Hall based on a fire alarm. Smoke was discovered in a second floor room and a microwave was found by the door covered in plastic. The resident of the room returned later and stated he had set the

timer on the popcorn for 3 minutes and 45 seconds but after about 45 seconds smoke came pouring from the device and set off the alarm.

11:49 p.m. Feb. 17 A male adult student approached a security officer near 26th Street and Car-

penter Avenue. The subject was having difficulties standing, walking and had slurred speech. Arrangements were made to have a cab see him to his residence.

9:14 a.m. Feb. 19 Security and police responded to the 2600 block of Carpenphoto courtesy of PI KAPPA PHI

ter Ave. based on report of a minor traffic accident. There were no injuries, and it was determined a female student stopped her vehicle and another female student tried to stop but couldn’t and hit the other vehicle. There was minor damage to the victim’s vehicle, but the other sustained slightly more damage.

3:55 a.m. Feb. 19 An anonymous Iowa State student caller requested to know if security had encountered an Iowa State male student who was last seen leaving a bar located in the 2300 block of University Ave. The anonymous caller stated that he left the bar and hadn’t been seen since. Security had not seen the person. The anonymous student stated they were supposed to be staying with a Drake student, but he didn’t

know where the Drake student lived. He refused to have Des Moines Police notified at that time. At 9:07 a.m. a staff member at Carpenter Residence Hall advised there was a suspicious male in the hall that seemed to be disoriented.

The male was located and was emanating alcohol from his person. It was determined he was the same individual that had been missing from earlier in the morning. The Drake student who was providing residence for the night was called and she advised that they all left the bar around 12:30 a.m. and he hadn’t been seen since.

The Iowa State student was covered with bloody BandAids and doesn’t remember anything from the night before except for being in the bar.

The Drake student took him back to her room.

FROM GRANADA, PAGE 1 night we always walk in groups of at least three and we make sure we have a guy with us. At home I’d walk across campus by myself or home with a couple of girlfriends. But, I mean, that’s probably because [in Spain] it’s a city, not a campus.”

But the biggest difference between Granada and home, according to Brown, has more to do with activities out of the house rather than living in it. In Spain, socializing takes place mostly outside the home, so having friends over to watch movies or visiting other students’ apartments isn’t really an option.

While she admits she thinks this is “kind of disappointing,” Brown said she’s glad she chose to live with a family while studying abroad, especially because she’s working hard to improve her Spanish.

“Instead of going back to a dorm where a majority of students speak English, I’m forced to speak Spanish when I go home and that’s a big help,” she said.

Brown and her roommate did encounter an important cultural difference during one of the first weeks of their homestay, however.

“You have to say ‘hello’ or ‘hola,’ ‘hasta luego’ or ‘goodbye,’ ‘buenos dias’ and ‘buenos noches,’ otherwise they think you’re angry,” she warned.

“We were late for class and both ran out the door without thinking and then got a lecture

2 p.m. Feb. 19 A male postal employee of the university reported he accidentally hit the retaining wall at the northeast side of Jewett Residence Hall. The wall was not damaged but the vehicle sustained minor damage.

2:05 a.m. Feb. 20 A male was seen trying to conceal something on his person near Hubbell Dining Hall. It turned out that the student who was underage for possessing alcohol had two 40 oz. bottles of beer that he cooperatively poured into the snow.

The student had been stopped earlier in the school year for underage possession, consumption and a fake driver’s license. The matter has been coordinated with the dean of students.

from our sister at lunch,” she explained. “She thought it was intentional or we were mad at her for no reason, and she was really upset.

My señora, who has been doing this for over 20 years, had to explain it to her and be like, ‘They didn’t mean it, they didn’t know, they are American.’”

She laughed. “We’ve never forgotten again.”

There have been other things to adjust to as well, such as the different meal schedule. Brown eats breakfast at the same time she did in the U.S., but lunch is laterthan she’s used to—at two in the afternoon—and dinner isn’t until 9 p.m. Sometimes she gets hungry during the break.

“Pastelerías (pastry shops) are like Starbucks here; there’s one on every corner,” Brown said.

“So sometimes I stop by. But our señora stuffs us full, so there’s actually not much room for snacks.”

Brown said that thriving in a homestay mostly involves adjusting to the different culture. Even with the occasional vocabulary mishaps and cultural misunderstandings, she says she is enjoying living with her Spanish family.

“It is nice to have someone clean your bathroom, sweep the floors and do your laundry,” she added. “All we have to do is make our beds and keep our things off the floor.”

Student living with no meal plans, no eSuds and no mess?

Now that may not draw too many comparisons. n

FROM RELAY, PAGE 1

STUDENTS practice self defense moves on each other in the Morehouse Ballroom.

Pi Kappa Phi sponsors self defense event

by MATT NELSON

Staff Writer matthew.nelson@drake.edu

Last Saturday, the members of Pi Kappa Phi got beaten up by girls. And they told them how to do it.

“With what’s going on with Drake in the last couple months—sexual assaults—we wanted to make sure that kind of stuff doesn’t happen,” said Ian Weller, a sophomore Pi Kappa Phi who took punches, slaps and blows as a part of the self-defense event.

Fraternity members posed as dummies while an instructor showed the women moves they could perform to easily extricate themselves from dangerous situations.

“They obviously were in some pain, but if we weren’t doing it hard enough, they would tell us,” said first-year Caroline Byrd, member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. “They wanted us to be realistic and go full out so we were completely prepared in case a situation would ever happen.”

Weller said the event focused on mental and physical motivation for women.

“We made them say, ‘I am not a victim. I will not be a victim,’” Weller said.

Both Byrd and Weller mentioned a specific

FROM SENATE, PAGE 1 has a reputation of not finishing projects.

“We need to make a well-oiled machine that gets results,” Valacheril said.

The debate gave the candidates an opportunity to expand on their platforms and share their thoughts rather than spar over ideas or goals, as two of the four candidates have no opposition.

The small number of candidates has surprised many students this year.

“This is my fourth year doing this, and it’s an anomaly,” said Senior Elections Commission co-chair Xian Zhang. “But at the same time, no major issues have precipitated to cause this. It’s just a collection of personal choices by senators.”

Zhang said that she can’t account for the lack of competition.

move that was taught called “the hanger.” In the hanger, an attacker approaches a victim and tries to wrap his arms around her. She can put her fingers above his collarbone and lift up her legs, putting all her weight on his collarbone.

“Imagine a 120-pound girl lifting up on your collar bone,” said Weller. “That would hurt like hell.”

Of all the different techniques, Byrd had the most difficulty with the hanger.

“The guy I was practicing on has been one of my friends since middle school and I felt really, really bad,” Byrd said. “The next day I saw him and he had bruises all over his arms and sides from all the moves we had to practice.”

Weller said the event will be held once a semester, if not through Pi Kappa Phi, then through RHA or Student Senate.

“Our guys are taught, as are many of the men throughout Greek life on Drake’s campus, to respect women,” Weller said. “This is a way to show that kind of respect toward our sisters.”

Overall, Byrd liked the event.

“It’s something a lot of women should be worried about as far as self-defense,” Weller said. “In situations like that, you’re not always going to have someone else there to protect you.” n “The publicity was the same as it’s always been,” Zhang said.

The availability of petitions for the executive offices is announced at the Thursday Senate meeting and senators are asked to pass the information along to their committees. Zhang said that is typically where the executive candidates are recruited. All four candidates for the executive positions are senators.

However, any student that wishes to run as a write-in candidate can still run if they contact Zhang by 5 p.m. on Friday.

Zhang said that there would likely be more competition in the senator-at-large race. It is typically publicized more because there are more viable candidates, such as first-years and students not already involved in Senate, Zhang said.

Petitions for senator-at-large positions will be available March 22. n

SEND YOUR STORY IDEAS TO TDNEWS@DRAKE.EDU

“Almost everyone has been affected by cancer, whether it be a family member, a friend or neighbor,” Singh said. “But people don’t always know how to help. Relay is an easy way to fight back against cancer.”

Singh assures that the night will be filled with food, entertainment and activities. In the past, highlights of Relay have included performances by the Drake dance team and campus bands, a masseuse and a caricaturist.

A new feature at this year’s Relay will be the VIP room, which will have gaming consoles and televisions. Individuals who raise $150 or more will have access to the room.

“We’re pretty excited about the VIP room,” Singh said. “We want to reward those people who go above and beyond the recommended $150 individual fund raising.”

Each team member that raises $100 will receive an official Cancer Society T-shirt.

CAC will have more activities leading up to the event to make sure that everyone on campus knows how to get involved.

“The week of Relay, starting March 22, we’re doing a ‘Paint the Campus Purple’ week,” Singh said. “There will be a Relay-re-

lated activity every day. We’ll have posters that people can sign if they would like to dedicate the time they’re walking to someone they know who’s had cancer.”

CAC will also be selling bags for $10 that people can decorate for the Luminaria Ceremony. Luminaria is a time to remember those lost to cancer and to support survivors and those still battling the disease.

“Relay is so fun and it’s only for one night,” Singh said. “Cancer never sleeps, so why should we?” n

Did you know .. .

ad rnors Terry Brandst Former Iowa Gove ell as the current w s a y a R .

D t er b and Ro t Culver, all earned he C r, o rn ve o G a Iow . degrees from Drake

The Drake Fund

FOR BREAKING DRAKE NEWS, CHECK OUT WWW.TWITTER.COM/TDBREAKINGNEWS

PAGE 3

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

the BUZZ

OPINIONS&EDITORIALS

The institution known as the West End Lounge is closing down after 38 years. It’s a sad day on the east corner of campus.

LIFE: LIVING IT FROM EXPERIENCE

Opposites attract Spice up your relationships—diversify your friends

W

e have almost all heard the saying “opposites attract.” Well, I am finding that to be more and more true than ever before when I look at the big picture.

My boyfriend and I could not be more different personalitywise—ask anyone who knows us both. And yes, it does lead to the occasional stupid tiff on the everyday stuff like time and stress and how differently we handle life. But being with someone so different is so much more fun. You learn more about life and everything is always interesting and there is never a dull day. Some of the coolest couples I have met here at Drake are made of people very different from one another in a lot of ways but still manage to have great, lasting and enjoyable relationships.

We have all come across people in our lives who we thought, “I could never be friends with that person” or “I could never be with them because of how completely opposite we are.” We are at college to learn, and some of the most important lessons you will learn through interactions and relationships with your peers. What are you learning if you only spend time with clones of yourself and shut everyone else out? Your interaction skills and patience levels will be way below par if you continue that behavior all the way through graduation and your only other interaction is forced because it’s in class. Because let’s face it: In the real world, you do not get to choose whom you have your cubicle next to or who your boss is. You should give everyone an equal opportunity and not judge someone before you have even ever spoken to him or her before. Basically, what I am trying to get across is to give someone a chance that you would otherwise maybe not.

What are you getting out of dating someone who is just like you?

Even taking a look at your friends: While you probably share many things, like you are both driven or have some similar morals, you usually are pretty different—and that’s what makes life interesting. I

JEN CALDER COLUMNIST

do agree that you should be similar in the important stuff like morals and values; the core stuff is important and that’s what keeps a relationship strong and lasting.

Look at fraternities and sororities, whether professional or social: The people involved are extremely different, but the core values and/or goals are usually the same. Those organizations are successful because members learn so much from their sisters and brothers because they open each other’s eyes to different ways of life and beliefs, and never would have opened if it were not for them.

It can be more fun to be close friends with people who have completely different majors and are involved in different organizations. My room, for example, is made up of the dance team captains and the other is in Drake Environmental Action League, so let’s just say we always have something to talk about because each of our days are so unique from the other’s. If you’re in the same organizations, classes and always spend your free time with the same people, you kind of have to ask yourself, “What am I really getting out of college besides a degree?”

I am not saying be friends with everyone or even be super nice to everyone who crosses your path, or be a dating machine and date a whole bunch of people who are simply not right for you to test the theory. But at least give people a first or even second chance before you decide you don’t want anything to do with them.

The bottom line is that whoever you are with, you should have fun with and they should challenge you to think differently. So maybe give that person you just thought was a friend an opportunity for something more. After all, they always say the best relationships grow out of friendships.

What are you learning if you only spend time with clones of yourself and shut everyone else out?

Calder is a sophomore public relations major and can be contacted at jennifer.calder@drake.edu.

STORIES FROM THE DORM

Strike hero or gutter sidekick?

“The Fantastic Four” battles the lanes

REBECCA MATALONI COLUMNIST

I

’m sure many of you have gone bowling before. Maybe you had an awe- some time and bowled the game of your life or you didn’t really enjoy your time because you had a gutter ball in each frame. The latter sufficiently describes my recent bowling experience with my friends.

I should first explain that my friends and I like to call ourselves “The Fantastic Four.” You would be correct in assuming the movie was written about us, but don’t tell too many people; we don’t want to be bombarded by paparazzi.

On Thursday night, we received our next mission at Plaza Lanes. I was quite excited because I hadn’t been bowling in over a year. “The Human Torch” had told the other three of us that it was $1 bowling, which made it all the better. (Being a superhero isn’t really a high-paying job.)

Once we got our shoes and ball, our battle began.

Our mission wasn’t to save the world; our mission was to see which one of us was the true leader of the group.

As soon as “Mr. Fantastic” let go of the ball, I knew it was going to be a long night. He had a strike on the first frame. How was I supposed to follow that? Well, I did my best: a gutter ball. That happened to me at least once in the next five frames. Yes, I am that good. By the end of the first battle, my total was less than 50 and “The Human Torch” had come out with the victory.

The next game was a bit more exciting, at least for me. I had yet to get a gutter ball in the first few frames, which was quite unusual for me. Then I walked up for my sixth frame.

I was feeling pretty confident because I was on a roll. That all changed when I went to let the ball go. Instead of rolling down the lane, I had dropped it directly into the gutter. It slowly started rolling down until it eventually stopped halfway down the lane.

I didn’t even want to face the team. At least they didn’t have to worry about me being the leader.

When I turned around, I couldn’t even look at them because everyone was laughing at me. I was a failure. I had to slip into my “Invisible Woman” persona because I couldn’t handle the humiliation. Good thing we don’t have to bowl to save lives or I wouldn’t be in “The Fantastic Four” today.

Eventually I got up the courage to finish bowling the last game from the support of “The Thing. “ My goal for the final match: get over 100.

The third game was one of the best games I had ever bowled.

I had some strikes, spares and only two gutter balls. I was so proud of my improvement! Plus, I didn’t get last place because “The Thing” missed 100 by one point. That moved me up on the leaderboard.

As it turns out, “Mr. Fantastic” is still the true leader of “The Fantastic Four” because he won two out of the three matches. I’m sure there will be more missions where I can come out on top, but it doesn’t really matter. We work the best as a team anyway because we’re the three best friends that anybody could have.

Once we arrived at our destination and walked to the cash register, our total was $12 for three games. Needless to say, we were not happy with “The Human Torch.”

So in case the rest of you ever want to go bowling with your friends, I have a few “Dos and Don’ts of Bowling”: Do practice before your next bowling adventure to prevent humiliation.

I did my best: a gutter ball. That happened to me at least once in the next five frames.

THE TIMES-DELPHIC THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884 MATT VASILOGAMBROS, Editor-in-Chief times.delphic@drake.edu LIZZIE PINE, Managing Editor tdeditorials@drake.edu JACKIE WALLENTIN, News Editor tdnews@drake.edu

JILL VAN WYKE, Faculty Advisor jill.vanwyke@drake.edu HOLLY WORTHY, Copy Editor holly.worthy@drake.edu

KENSIE SMITH, Features Editor tdfeatures@drake.edu

MATT MORAN, Copy Editor matthew.moran@drake.edu

MARY BESS BOLLING, Sports Editor tdsports@drake.edu

KYLE GLASER, Digital Editor tdweb@drake.edu

SARAH ANDREWS, Photo/Design Editor TYLER O’NEIL, Relays Editor tdphotos@drake.edu tyler.oneil@drake.edu PHIL KREZNOR, Business Manager tdbusiness@drake.edu

CALEB BAILEY, Ads Manager tdads@drake.edu

Don’t go the same night an event is taking place. Your bowling game will suffer due to the emcee’s intense shouting into the microphone.

Do take a souvenir.

Don’t trust your friends with money issues.

Doublecheck it yourself.

And there you have it everyone – The epic adventure of “The Fa n t a s t i c Four.”

Mataloni is a first-year news/Internet and music major and can be contacted at rebecca. mataloni@drake.

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FEATURES

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

FEATURES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

DON’T. MISS. THIS.

One is silver, the other gold Staff Writer jessica.mattes@drake.edu

Rumor has it that when high school friends become college roommates, the friendship is destined to be a trainwreck. Fortunately, many friendships have avoided the exhaustion of maintaining high school relationships while assembling an entirely separate friend group.

Junior Chris Collinsworth and pharmacy first-year Logan Brinn ran in the same social circle in high school, but would not have considered themselves best friends at any time throughout their teenage years.

“We hung out after school and attended high school basketball games in the ‘sixth man’ section,” Collinsworth said. “I think when we took AP Calculus senior year and studied together we became better friends.”

But since then, Collinsworth and Brinn have lived together for three years and are roommates in the Sigma Phi Epsilon house. With the constant social buzz in the dorms and a fraternity house, the duo never had a problem making other friends. Still, the two have formed more bonds since coming to Drake.

“We have gotten closer as college progressed,” Collinsworth said. “We now sit on the Executive Committee for Sigma Phi Epsilon—I’m chaplain and Logan is v.p. Recruitment. Each of us has always approached schoolwork with diligence. I would say the biggest change is just maturing in our

Siblings weekend “Around the World” activities, Friday through Sunday, Sponsored by RHA. Check out http:// www.drake.edu/calendar/ for more information.

>>You’ve got a friend in me

Old friends, find new groups, continue to grow closer in college

by JESSICA MATTES

PAGE 4

Famous BFF’s in history

approach to friendships, not just with one another, but all around.”

But the pair agreed: In one word, their friendship would not be described as “best” friends.

“More so, someone who is enjoyable to joke around with; in one word, it would be—jokester-ish,” Collinsworth said.

More often than not, friends from high school years do not attend the same university. Drake first-year students Luke Tourville and Amanda Charpentier, however, met when they were both 15 years old.

“I went to Cooper Senior High School (New Hope, Minn.) and Luke went to Armstrong (Plymouth, Minn.), but we met through a mutual social activity and dated our sophomore year of high school,” Charpentier said.

“When we broke up we did not speak for a long time. We reconnected in the midst of senior year and randomly both chose Drake.”

First semester, the couple spent little time alone, grabbing lunch together here and there. However, Tourville and Charpentier made their relationship official once more before returning to school for spring semester.

Charpentier thinks their relationship has been “so far, so good.”

Childhood friendships frequently grow apart due to a family relocation or simply developing different interests. However, in college, friendships can be rejuvenated.

First-year students Heather Boone and Kristen Smith were separated after their middle school years and have now been given the opportunity to rekindle their relationship.

“We both went to Lake Junior High in Woodbury, Minn.,” Boone said.

“We played club soccer together and became good friends through sports and schoolwork. Once my family moved to Nebraska the summer after eighth grade, I lost contact, aside from Facebook creeping, with basically all my friends in Woodbury.”

Boone and Smith ran into each other at Welcome Weekend during the floor meeting. They live on the first floor in Stalnaker Residence Hall, just a few doors away from one another.

“It’s funny; not only did we come to the same school, but we live on the same floor,” Boone said. “We weren’t ‘besties’ in middle school, but our friendship is better now than ever before.”

Smith shared the shock when she spotted Boone at the floor meeting, almost to the point of disbelief.

“It was surprising, but a good surprise,” Smith said. “At the same time, it’s eerie; of all the places on campus, we live not only in the same dorm, but the same floor. Despite the odds, I guess we were destined to be friends.” n

C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien Bromanced in literary happiness, they created the famous worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth while bonding over fantasy stories and religion.

Batman & Robin They fought crime and made up silly phrases together, “Holy haberdashery, Batman!”

Laverne & Shirley Loyal and optimistic, the pair shows they don’t need men to find happiness.

Lewis & Clark Explored the new land, picked up chicks (Sacagawea) and stayed together after the long-distance trip

Ben & Jerry Some friends share Chunky Monkey and Phish food, others invent it.

ARTS. LIVING. GAMING. MOVIES. MUSIC. WEEKEND.

GAME: Darksiders | VERDICT:

Cross to the dark side

Simple gameplay leaves players wanting more dungeon adventure

by JAMES VANECHAUTE

Staff Writer james.vanechaute@drake.edu

On Jan. 5, Joe Madureira’s Darksiders landed in U.S. stores alongside Bayonetta, setting up an inevitable competition for gamers’ attentions, another Hideki Kamiya classic versus Madureira’s chaotic action-adventure, franchise debut.

Darksiders puts you in control of War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The apocalypse has come early and wiped the human race off the face of the earth, leaving the balance of power in favor of the forces of evil and the mysterious Destroyer. War is blamed for the premature end of the world and is sentenced to wander the planet until all is put back in order. There is a catch, though. War has been stripped of most of his powers and is chained to the sadistic and cynical Watcher (voiced by none other than Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame). The Watcher does exactly what you’d expect him to: he watches War to make sure he does what he’s been assigned.

Aesthetically, Darksiders is worlds apart from its release date partner, Bayonetta. The graphics are a tad dull and feel like they’ve come out of a cataclysmic rock video. Instead of button-mashing mayhem with a variety of combos and moves, War is limited to fairly static combat: Press the “X” button to smash enemy. Press “X” twice to smash them more. It’s pretty simple. The game is not as action-packed, but that is not necessarily a downside. With such a simple fighting system, the combat and even the boss battles are not as intense or challenging. It pits your wit against the boss instead of how many combos you can link

together. Each boss has a particular weakness that must be exploited, and it’s fairly obvious each time.

So if not in the combat, where does the challenge lie? Puzzles—lots and lots of puzzles. The game has been compared to Legend of Zelda for its addiction to dungeons. Before you can fight any of the bosses, there awaits a few hours of slogging your way through countless maze-like, puzzle-filled corridors. There is even a section of the game where you’re given a portal gun. The entire last half of the game revolves around the mind-bending concept of teleportation.

This is both the best and the worst part of the game. The puzzles are tricky enough to keep you guessing for a while and just hard enough without becoming maddening. The game shows you a brief cut scene after entering each new section of the dungeon of where you need to go. It will do this once and then never again. Even the Watcher, whom the game announces will help you out of a jam with hints and advice, will look at you like you’re a moron when you ask him where to go. I spent at least two hours of the game, if not more, running around 90 percent of conquered dungeons trying to find the final boss, all while the Watcher yelled insults instead of helpful tips. Even the map betrayed me with its three-layered system that will only show you a door if you’re on the right tier.

A weak fighting system, coupled with ridiculously easy boss fights and cabin fever inducing dungeons will leave the average gamer with a sense of relief in

photo coutesty of GAMESPLAYER.IT

just sticking the whole ordeal out. After completing the game the first time through, there isn’t much that will leave you begging for another round; it’s a great game for a rental. n

Check out new games! >> Risen—Xbox 360

>> Last Rebellion—PS3 >> Heavy Rain: Origami Killer—PS3

>>What’s going on?

campus calendar TODAY SPEAKER

Census representative, sponsored by PRSSA, free giveaways WHERE Olmsted Pomerantz Stage WHEN 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

LECUTURE

FRIDAY FUNDRAISER

Poker for Parkinsons, Admission $10, sponosred by Honors Council WHERE Upper Olmsted WHEN 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

EVENT

“Is there a Future to the Philosophy of Religion,” series by Thomas D. Carroll

African Renaissance, free food, culture, art and fashion, sponsored

by CBS

WHERE Cowels Library Reading Room WHEN 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

WHERE Olmsted Pomerantz Stage WHEN 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

SATURDAY TOURNAMENT

Drake chess festival, registration from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

WHERE Olmsted Parents Hall WHEN: 8:30 p.m. - 12 p.m.

RECITAL

Guest performer, Susan Rider on trumpet WHERE Sheslow Auditorium WHEN: 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

PAGE 5

V FEATURES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

HAPPY

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

DAY

Student production raises awareness, donations for campaign which supports victims and survivors of sexual assault. The rest of the profits will go to the V-Day campaign, which helps to combat violence against women and girls in this global movement.

One in six American women has been the victim of an “It’s great way to spend an evening, and in the process you attempted or completed rape, according to a 2004 National will be giving money to a great cause,” said senior Amanda Crime Victimization Survey. Drake University students can Krafft, the director of the show. “The show is funny and sad, support ending violence against women by atand while some people assume it is antitending “The Vagina Monologues” Thursday penis, it isn’t! ‘The Vagina Monologues’ through Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Bulldog isn’t about man-hating. Instead it is a Theatre as a part of Drake’s V-Day Camcelebration of women and a telling of This show is a call paign. the many experiences women can have.” to end violence against “The V-Day Campaign is a global move“The Vagina Monologues” is a perwomen and girls, which ment to stop violence against women,” said formance compiled from a collection of is something everyone, Miranda DuPont, the organizer of last year’s interviews with hundreds of women by production. “The V-Day Campaign was women and men, have a Eve Ensler. The topics range from body founded by ‘The Vagina Monologues’ playvested interest in doing, image issues to the female orgasm to wright Eve Ensler, and V-Day events like ‘The sexual assault.

Vagina Monologues’ are held every year all – AMANDA KRAFFT, director A Vagina Carnival will be held at 6 over the world to raise awareness about viop.m. in Lower Olmsted before the perlence against women.” formances, including a bake sale and a This is ninth year that the international V-Day campaign Break-the-Silence Auction and Raffle. has been celebrated at Drake, with 90 percent of the proceeds “There is an auction that occurs as well for gift baskets and going to a local anti-violence organization. In the past years of the like,” said Groetken. “Students should definitely come as the international V-Day campaigns, more than $50 million has there will be numerous goodies to be purchased, as well as been raised for local anti-violence groups. handouts from the various organizations that will be tabling.”

“This week, Drake will be one of thousands of events “It is a lot of fun and all the money from ticket sales, the siaround the world channeling their creative energy into mak- lent auction and candy goes to charity,” said Krafft. “Also, I bet ing a difference as part of the V-Day Campaign,” said senior most people haven’t seen chocolate vaginas and if you want to La’Cee Groetken, a performer in this year’s show. “It is our in- see them, and eat them, you should come to the show.” tention to make V-Day 2010 Drake University a huge success.”

In 2009, over 4,000 V-Day benefit events produced by volThis year the money from Drake’s production will be do- unteer activists took place in the U.S. and 120 countries around nated to the Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls, according to the V-Day Web site.

There are 13 members involved in the production this year.

The event is put on by the Drake V-Day organization and Students for Women’s Issues, and the carnival is hosted by various local and campus organizations, including Student Senate and the American Cancer Society.

Tickets are $5 with a Drake ID and $10 without. Tickets are on sale at the Student Life Center or at the door on performance nights.

“This show is a call to end violence against women and girls, which is something everyone, women and men, have a vested interest in doing,” Krafft said. “A live performance that makes you laugh and cry is pretty impressive, and this one will definitely do both.” n

by NICOLE WILKE

Staff Writer nicole.wilke@drake.edu

”

photo coutesty of AMANDA KRAFFT

”

CAST OF 2009 VAGINA MONOLOGUES, expect a new cast offering the same message about celebrating women.

>> THE FACTS

The V-Day Campaign works to promote awareness and aid for women violence victims. The V-Day movement is growing throughout the world, in 130 countries from Europe and North America to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, violence is an issue for women around the world.

28%

of US female veterans reported sexual assault during their careers

3/4

of all family violence victims are female

20%

of female college students answered “yes” to the question “In your lifetime have you been forced to submit to sexual intercourse against your will?”

1/7

victims of sexual assault reported to law enforcement agencies were under age 6

46%

of rape victims under age 12 had a family relationship with the perpetrator, and 20% were raped by their fathers

For more information visit

www.vday.org

SPORTS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

FOR BREAKING SPORTS NEWS WWW.TWITTER.COM/TDSPORTSNEWS

34

PAGE 6

STELLAR STATS The most medals ever won by the U.S. in the winter olympics.

America has 26 medals now.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Drake looks to hold on to momentum Bulldogs beat both opponents at Roger Knapp Tennis Center

by DOMINIC JOHNSON Staff Writer dominic.johnson@drake.edu

What a difference a week makes.

Just one week ago the women’s tennis team had an 0-6 record and were scrounging for opportunities to get back on track. Two matches, and two wins later, the women’s tennis team has some momentum for the first time this season as they prepare for this weekend’s contests.

Some Bulldogs said that last weekend’s wins against Rockhurst University and Gustavus Adolphus College were the turnaround their season needed. Last weekend the young squad played their best tennis of 2010. “Well after a rough start to the season so far we really wanted to win this weekend,� said sophomore and team captain Gabby Demos. “We practiced hard all week and really buckled down on the big points to close out matches.�

In previous matches the big points were what alluded the team at the most crucial moments. Unfortunately it’s hard to practice those momentumchanging points in practice, so the team had to rely on their confidence to get a quick start against both teams. “It definitely helped us that we beat them last year,� said freshman and top singles player Manca Krizman. “So we already had the confidence going into the matches.�

The Bulldogs would win the doubles point in both matches, giving them a beneficial boost in singles play. “Like the rest of the team I struggled winning the important points, especially break points,� said

Demos. “I decided I really need to capitalize on those this weekend to win.�

Krizman and Demos, who combine to form Drake’s No. 1 doubles team, believe that working on doubles in practice as well as playing together every match now has them as a legitimate doubles team in the conference. “We are really getting to know each other as a team,� Demos said. “We started as two singles players sharing a court and now I think we’ve become a real team that can predict each other’s movements and decisions.�

Krizman said that not only she and Demos are improving at doubles, but the entire team as well.

The Bulldogs have become noticeably more confident and dominant at the net, helping them close out the doubles matches quickly and efficiently.

The Bulldogs’ next task is to keep the momentum going this weekend when they face NebraskaOmaha, Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State in a time span of two days. “It will psychologically be important to keep our momentum going,� said Krizman. “We will have to stay focused from the beginning to the end.�

Demos believes that the sooner the team can finish Saturday’s match the better they will fare the rest of the weekend. The key to that, Demos said, is that the entire team remains strong in serving and returning while maintaining their confidence in their play. “Two matches in one day is a rare thing in the season, but I feel we are in good enough shape to handle it,� she said. “In our morning match against Omaha we are going to have to focus even more on closing out matches and making them as short as possible to conserve our energy for UMKC that night.�

Look for the Bulldogs’ women in action starting this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Roger Knapp Tennis Center against Nebraska-Omaha. Drake takes on UMKC at 6 p.m. and then Chicago State on Sunday at 2 p.m. n

photo by SARAH ANDREWS| Photo/Design Editor

FRESHMAN ALI PATTERSON reaches for a shot during a match. Patterson brought in one of the seven wins the team had this weekend at home.

SOFTBALL

AROUND

the

VALLEY

Evansville shocks MVC leader Northern Iowa Two weeks ago, Evansville was winless at the bottom of the Valley standings. Although their rankings remain, they have managed wins over second-place Wichita State and on Tuesday shocked the country with a 55-54 win over first-place and Associated Press No. 25 Northern Iowa. Evansville comes to Drake this Saturday riding some momentum, and the Bulldogs cannot afford a home loss to the Purple Aces if they wish to obtain a top-tier seed in the MVC tournament. Evansville is now 2-15 in the MVC while Northern Iowa is 15-2. Although this loss does little to shake up the standings, it goes a long way in saying that literally anything goes in the Valley right now. n

file photo by SARAH ANDREWS| Photo/Design Editor

JUNIOR JENNA DELONG earned honors from both the MVC and the Sleep Inn Classic this week. She was named pitcher of the week in the Valley and secured a spot on the all-tournament team.

Drake goes unbeaten in Dallas

by MATT MORAN

Copy Editor matthew.moran@drake.edu

Drake softball Head Coach Rich Calvert is looking at the big picture rather than soaking in the spotlight. After a scorching Sleep Inn Classic in which the Bulldogs accumulated a 4-0 weekend to move to 6-3 on the season, Calvert said there is still a lot of work to do. “I’m pleased with the progress, but we have to get better in some areas,� he said.

Drake was led by terrific pitching at the tournament in Denton, Texas. Junior Jenna DeLong threw 10 shutout innings and struck out 19 in two wins on Friday, then followed up with a five-hit, 14 strikeout shutout in a win over Sam Houston State. For her efforts, DeLong was named the Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Week. Her final, eyepopping numbers on the weekend included a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

DeLong and freshman Lindsey Vande Wall were voted to the Sleep Inn Classic All-Tournament Team by participating coaches. Vande Wall led the offense by hitting .444 (4-9) with three runs scored, but turned heads with her fourth-inning grand slam against Colorado State on Saturday to push the Bulldogs from a 2-1 lead to 6-1 in a Drake win.

Despite the early success, Calvert wants his team to remain focused. “We need to get better in a little bit of everything,� he said. “We have to improve (our) pitching, defensively, and especially our short game.�

Perhaps the biggest story of the weekend was the mile-

stones set by senior infielder Elena Leon. Leon led off Saturday’s first game against Sam Houston State with a solo shot, which tied Katie Shimon’s all-time Drake home run mark at 25. The record was set in 2004. In the fourth inning against Colorado State, Leon took her 80th career base on balls. The free pass tied Susan Slycord’s all-time Drake mark set in 2008.

Calvert said that Leon would prefer winning to setting personal records. “I think she’d be the first to say that she would prefer team to individual achievements,� Calvert said.

Thus far in the season, junior Erin Bly leads the Drake offense. She owns a .346 batting average while tying for the team lead in home runs with two. Leon also has two home runs on the season, while leading Drake with seven RBIs. Vande Wall is five-for-five on stolen base attempts.

DeLong and junior Brynne Dordel led the pitching staff. DeLong dropped her ERA to 1.75 after her successful weekend, and leads the Bulldogs with 36 innings pitched and 54 strikeouts. Dordel also pitched well at the Classic and has a 1.42 ERA over 24.2 innings pitched. “Jenna (DeLong) and Brynne (Dordel) did a very nice job this weekend,� Calvert said. “Offensively we were able to come up with some timely hitting. The long ball was a difference for us this weekend.�

Drake is off next weekend but will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. to participate in the Razorback Invitational March 5-7. “Next week will be a nice break, but were looking forward to going out and playing in a couple of weeks,� Calvert said. “We’ll work on some things to get better and we’ll be ready to go in a couple weeks.� n

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PAGE 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

SPORTS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

PLAYER PROFILE

Versatile Van Deest turns heads in Valley adrenaline are just too much for me then.”

Basketball takes up a lot of time and requires quite a bit of commitment. If practice makes perfect, then VanDeest has the right mindset.

“It’s like practice; if you go out there and aren’t focused Bred perfectly for Drake University, freshman Seth then it’s not going to do you any good,” he said. “You just try VanDeest, a basketball standout from Bettendorf, Iowa, chose to do that with everything in you’re life whether it be schoolto continue his Bulldog career at Drake.

“Drake was the only place that combined athletics and work or family. You just have to do everything as well as you academics the way I wanted,” VanDeest said. “And you aren’t can.”

Off the court, VanDeest also carries his intensity and dereally going to find that great combination anywhere else.”

VanDeest’s high school basketball successes framed the termination into the classroom.

Dealing with practice, road trips and trying to keep up high-intensity playing style he brought to Drake. “(My) junior year, it really started taking off because over in school is challenging when all added together. VanDeest makes sure that he gets everything done in the classroom and the summer I had grown four inches,” VanDeest said. has a great attitude.

The now 6-foot-10 center picked “It gets a little bit overwhelmup an all-state selection his senior ing at times,” VanDeest said. “It year as a Bettendorf Bulldog. took us a while to realize how to Starting this year for Drake, he manage our time.” has given Head Coach Mark Phelps Whatever time he has off valuable minutes. But VanDeest is court to himself, he uses to relax. not one to brag about it.

He can usually be caught in “I came into the season with his room playing video games the mindset that I was going to do with Boatman and his roommate, whatever the coaches asked of me,” shot percent fellow freshman basketball player VanDeest said.

Reece Uhlenhopp .

Students who know him from the Madden video games run dorms or classes said he is humble avg. points per game rampant in their room as all three about his talent. brag that they are the best.

“He’s pretty quiet off the court, “He’s better in Madden, but in the last two wins vs. but you can tell when he goes onto I’ve got him in Blitz,” Uhlenhopp the court he goes straight into game SIU and Cal State Northridge said. mode,” said freshman Ryan BoatThe friendly competition beman, VanDeest’s friend and halltween the roommates has been mate. “He is almost kind of scary taken to the streets. when he gets that ball.”

“I think snowball throwing is our newest rivalry; seeing Meeting on move-in day, Boatman and VanDeest hit it off and have been hanging out ever since. He gets to see a differ- who can hit the farthest light poles, signs and certain windows,” Uhlenhopp said. “It’s a friendly competition that defient side of VanDeest after games.

Boatman says he likes his point of view: He is able to “ana- nitely has been helped out by the recent snowfall up in Iowa.”

With Uhlenhopp standing at a towering 6 foot 8 inches, he lyze the game as a spectator, but also get the opinion of someand VanDeest have bonded over the fact that they constantly one who was actually out there on the court.”

Boatman said he enjoys discussing with VanDeest what have to duck under doors.

“I have seen Seth hit his head on many a door,” Boatman went well for the team and what went wrong after the games. said with a laugh. “He had to lower his bed the first month of “That is unless they lose, then Seth tends to not be in as much of a talking mood,” Boatman said. “His intensity and school because he hit his head on the ceiling when he woke up almost every day.” n

by TAD UNRUH

Staff Writer tad.unruh@drake.edu

>> NEWCOMER OF

THE WEEK NUMBERS

62.5 13.5

photo by SARAH ANDREWS |Photo/Design Editor

FRESHMAN GUARD SETH VAN DEEST charges past junior Creighton guard Kaleb Korver. Van Deest netted a game-high 20 points on the Bluejays.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Off the court friends, on the court foes Drake will face close rival Creighton Friday in the Knapp Center

by TIM WEIDEMAN

Staff Writer tim.weideman@drake.edu

Junior Kristin Turk doesn’t care how many points she has scored, only that she has played her hardest every game.

The effort has paid off, as Turk is currently riding a five-game streak of scoring in double figures.

The Bulldogs’ 5-foot-8-inch guard has averaged 18.2 points per game during the stretch. But those statistics aren’t important, according to Turk.

“The only number that’s important is that we’re above the other team on the scoreboard,” Turk said.

“Individual scores aren’t important.”

Three games after returning from an ankle injury, Turk rolled off 11 points against Creighton on Jan. 29. Two games later, Turk scored a seasonhigh 24 points against Missouri State. She hasn’t cooled down since.

Turk and the Bulldogs return home for another shot against Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton on Friday night. For Turk and other members of the team, the game is more personal than usual.

“We’re friends with them,” Turk said. “We talk to them and we hang out with them sometimes.”

Despite the close ties to Bluejay players, Turk said the matchup with Creighton is no different than any other game for the Bulldogs.

“Once you step out onto the court you’re not really friends anymore,” Turk said. “You’re friends before the game and you’re friends after the game, but once you’re out on the court, it’s all business.”

Drake Head Coach Amy Stephens echoed the importance of taking an “all-business” approach.

“In conference play, every weekend is a must-win situation,” Stephens said. “Beating the lower-half teams on the road is critical if you want to be in the top teams.”

The Bulldogs haven’t been able to beat the teams they feel they should have, according to Stephens. Drake is 3-10 on the road, while 8-2 at home. Stephens said it is good for the team to face Creighton at home where they’re most comfortable.

The Bulldogs will also have a healthier Turk, who said she’s “a lot more mobile now,” and enjoys the Drake-friendly Knapp Center.

“It’s nice to come home to the big crowd, kind of the sixth-man type of atmosphere,” Turk said.

“At home it’s really exciting because you get the momentum from the roar of the crowd and it pumps your blood. It gets you ready to go, and it gets you more excited to give them something to cheer about.”

Other than from the crowd, Turk’s motivation comes from helping her teammates.

“I know that I have to stay positive because everybody feeds off everybody else’s energy,” Turk said. “If you have good, positive energy, you know that your teammates are going to feed off of that and you’re going to feed off of your teammates’ energy.”

Senior Jordann Plummer said Turk’s “spunk and energy” is contagious and helps everybody on the team stay positive.

“I love playing with Turk,” Plummer said. “She’s always smiles and laughter, and even when we make mistakes, she’s always encouraging and positive so it’s a blast.”

As for herself, Turk doesn’t have a specific source of the abundance of energy and positive attitude.

“I’m just born really energetic,” Turk said.

Turk and the Bulldogs will put their energy on display in front of a Fox Sports Midwest television audience on Friday. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. n

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

FRESHMAN LIZZI NAUMANN keeps her eyes focused on the basket as a Southern Illinois defender during Hoops 4 Hope at the Knapp Center.

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

Academy on

Volleyball club host Drake Winter Classic

by DAVID JOHNSON

Staff Writer david.e.johnson@drake.edu

Over the weekend, the Bell Center was filled with sounds of squeaking shoes, blowing of whistles, celebratory cheers, and floor burn as athletes dove and girls shouted commands and encouragement to help their teammates.

The Drake University Volleyball Club hosted the Drake Winter Classic on Saturday. This was the first time in four years Drake was able to host a club volleyball tournament.

“We try to host a tournament every year, but the Bell Center availability and tournament dates didn’t work out,” said senior team member Anne Jacobson about the lack of a tournament in recent years.

Six club volleyball teams from four different schools filled the gym. Both Drake and the University of Northern Iowa entered two teams into the tournament. St. Benedict from St. Cloud, Minn., and Minnesota State-Mankato also competed over the weekend.

Players made the Bell Center gym their home for the day. Athletic bags lined the wall, water bottles were spread along benches, grocery bags with high energy foods and snacks were a prized possession, fans moved chairs or set up their own lawn chairs around the courts and several mesh bags of volleyballs lay in the corners.

The Volleyball Club members organized the event. The club is entirely student-run and does not have a coach. This is different than many universities that have coaches and tryouts. Many larger schools’ club teams have players who were unable to make the varsity squad.

The day was full of volleyball for all players who came to the tournament. When not playing, each team was responsible for providing officials for the other games that were being played.

The tournament consisted of pool play to begin the day, each team playing four matches in the morning. After pool play was completed and a short break for lunch, each team was placed in a single elimination tournament, their records from pool play deciding the seed they received.

St. Benedict was awarded the top seed, while the Drake blue squad got the No. 6 seed and the Drake white squad received the No. 6 seed.

The blue was able to advance to the second round to take on St. Benedict. St. Benedict continued their tournament dominance and won to move on in the bracket.

“We continue to improve,” senior team member Rachel Kauffold said about the performance of both Drake squads.

“It can be tough playing against larger schools that have tryouts,” Jacobson said.

The club was started eight years ago by a group of girls that wanted to continue their volleyball ca-

reers.

“We play for fun and to keep playing after high school,” Jacobson said. “Intramurals are only once a year; club lets us play all year.”

The club team is registered with the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation, an organization in charge of national club volleyball.

Before this weekend’s tournament, the club had played in tournaments at Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Kansas.

“Girls just wanted to join the club volleyball network,” said second-year pharmacy major and Club President Lori Peymann. “There are several other club teams in our area.”

The club practices every Monday at 9 p.m. in the Knapp Center and Thursdays at 8 p.m. The club is open for any interested volleyball players.

“We are always looking for tall girls especially,” Jacobson said.

If interested in playing, girls can contact Peymann at lori. peymann@ drake.edu. n

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

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