Times-Delphic 1/28/2010

Unrelenting winter weather has eaten away a large chunk of the Drake Univer-sity Facility Services’ budget.

As of Jan. 25, the university had spent $50,168.53 on snow and ice control. Fa-cilities spent $75,426.29 for all of last win-ter and with six weeks left of ice and snow, Drake Facilities General Manager Mark Chambers says he is concerned he will overshoot his budget.

“What can you do?” Chambers said. “You have to keep campus safe and the sidewalks clear.”

The 41 inches of snow in Des Moines since November has not been the main problem, Chamber says. A large chunk of expenses have come from the snow stick-ing around.

“Usually the cycle of snow and melt-ing prevents piles from getting too large,” Chambers said. “But it just was not going away.”

Low temperatures kept snow from melting, causing it to pile up. Chambers said Facilities then had to pay $4,668.75 for a dump truck service to move the snow from parking lots to “melt away” locations on campus. This is something Facility Ser-

vices has had to do in the past, but Cham-bers said it is an atypical expense.

When the temperature reaches above freezing, another problem arises. The melted snow makes sidewalks wet dur-ing the day, but at night the water freezes. Workers then have to constantly add more salt and ice to the paved areas.

“Unless you are standing there watch-ing it, you cannot keep up with the ice,” Chambers said.

Facility Services have been making ef-forts to make the budget last. Over break, the plowing contractor did not clear unused lots and snow was left in piles while students were gone, but Chambers said Facilities continued to use the same amount of salt.

“We have tried to be conservative, but not stingy,” Chambers said.

Chambers says if the winter weather does not let up for the remaining weeks of winter, he will likely be forced to go over budget. If that happens he will work with Vicky Payseur, vice president of business and finance for Drake, to find a solution.

“Generally speaking, we can manage a small overage by under-spending in an-other budget area,” Payseur said in an e-mail. “I am not overly concerned at this point.” n

On Jan. 20, 2009, President Barack Obama was inaugurat-ed as the 44th president of the United States after the Ameri-can people, inspired by hope and ready for change, elected him by an overwhelming majority. How-ever, in a year where polarizing debates over health care and the economy flooded the American political discourse, public support decreased and the momentum seen on Election Day now seems unfamiliar.

Pollster, a organization that finds trend estimates from many of the major polling companies in the country, lists Obama’s job approval rating at 48.8 percent, with 46.7 percent in disapproval.

Nevertheless, for the Drake students who played a pivotal

role in both the caucus and gen-eral elections by interning or vol-unteering, the hope still remains after the first year of Obama’s presidency.

Julia Conte, who graduated in last May and now is a graduate student at the University of Chi-cago, had a field internship dur-ing the Iowa caucuses. She said that by studying in the university that Obama once taught at and working in the neighborhood he had worked in as a community organizer, she has gained a tre-mendous respect for what he has done professionally.

“I think he’s made a positive push toward social policy in terms of education and heath care to a place where there’s more equal access,” she said. “I’m still a fan, obviously.”

Among some of the issues President Obama spoke of in the State of the Union address last night, health care stood

out. Junior English major Josie Berg-Hammond, who interned as a volunteer coordinator and precinct captain for the Obama campaign, looks to 2010 as the year a health care bill might fi-nally be signed into law.

“I do hope that we keep mov-ing on health care,” she said. “I think it’s scary watching all the debates on health care and watching everybody flip back and forth. I look forward to some sort of settling coming. I hope that people on both sides of the is-sue can be helped in some way, but I don’t think it’s a completely one-sided thing. I just hope that whatever we finally figure out is something that isn’t going to di-vide us more.”

Steven Bieret, a junior sec-ondary education major, assisted a field worker with voter regis-tration drives during the general

DES MOINES, IOWA • Thursday, January 28, 2010 • VOL. 128, NO. 24 • www.timesdelphic.com

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

PAGE 3 OPINIONS PAGE 6 SPORTS PAGE 7 SPORTS

OUTSPOKEN MEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S TENNIS

Previewing the MVC matchup against Creighton at 7:05 Saturday.

What do you think about the possible banning of Everclear?

INSI

DE

WH

AT’S

PAGE 5 FEATURES

Despite injuries, the Bulldogs take home two titles in the MVC individuals tourney.

MEDBURY CHAPELThe story behind the creepy cylindrical chapel that graces the side of Medbury.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA delivered the State of the Union address last night.

SEE OBAMA, PAGE 2

Iowa considers Everclearban

by HEIDI RITTStaff Writer

[email protected]

HANGING ON TO

Former student campaign workers reflect on President Obama’s first year in office

State commission holds town hall meeting, no decision on a state-wide ban

Former Democratic Chairman Howard Dean visits campus.

DRAKE’S ROLE IN OBAMA’S VICTORY

Sept. 5, 2008

Drake Act. Sci. program gains national recognition

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver campaigns for Obama in Aliber Hall.

Sept. 18, 2008

“Superman Returns” actor Brandon Routh visits Drake.

Sept. 26, 2008

Early Voting held in the Olmsted Center.

Oct. 15, 2008

by MATT VASILOGAMBROSEditor-in-Chief

[email protected]

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

SNOW REMOVAL has been costly for the university.

Drake Facilities might go over-budget on snow, ice removal

by TYLER O’NEILRelays Editor

[email protected]

by MATT NELSONStaff Writer

[email protected]

HOPE

The Society of Actuaries, the world’s largest actuarial professional organization, recently honored the Drake Actuarial Science program for being a Center of Actuarial Excel-lence (CAE).

The distinction, given to only 12 universities in the country, will last for five years and make Drake eligible to compete for CAE education and re-search grants.

“First and foremost, this designa-tion as a Center of Actuarial Excel-lence is a recognition of the accom-plishments of our alumni and current students,” said Rahul Parsa in a Drake University press release. Parsa is a professor of actuarial science, as well as coordinator of the program and adviser for the Drake Actuarial Society.

Drake’s program has produced

SEE ACT SCI, PAGE 2

photos by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

The Iowa Alcoholic Beverage Commission (IABC) met Tuesday night to hear comments and concerns about the future sale of Everclear in the state. The panel of five held a public forum entitled “I Think” at Drake University to hear opinions on highly concentrated alcoholic bever-ages, such as Everclear, that may be flammable or very intoxicating to those consuming it.

The panel’s goal was to let the community weigh in on possible re-strictions and regulations of this bev-erage. Some ideas aimed at prevent-ing the overconsumption of highly concentrated alcohols (HCAs) were education for young adults and tax increases. Also discussed was the pos-sible decrease in size availability, the requirement of lower alcohol content levels and a complete ban of HCAs.

Another common opinion was, if the commission bans Everclear, individuals would still abuse other liquors.

Several citizens voiced concerns against tax increases.

“Taxing regular citizens who use it responsibly will eventually make them unable to afford it,” community member James Snapp said. Snapp uses the pint-sized bottle of Everclear in a recipe for apple pie.

The IABC found it appropriate to hold the forum at Drake in light of the students, faculty, staff and ad-ministration whom were all affected in November by a student’s consump-tion of Everclear as part of a frater-nity hazing.

“We hope that through educa-tion and awareness we can prevent this type of incident from occurring again,” said Jeremy Thompson, the representative of Luxco, the com-pany that is responsible for Everclear sales in Iowa. “The incident was a result of extreme irresponsibility. The same outcome would occur with any

SEE EVERCLEAR, PAGE 2

THE TIMES-DELPHIC NEWS THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 PAGE 2

PAGETWO

SEND YOUR STORY IDEAS TO [email protected] FOR BREAKING DRAKE NEWS, CHECK OUT WWW.TWITTER.COM/TDBREAKINGNEWS

DAYQUOTE

of the

SECURITY REPORTS

3:35 p.m. Dec. 17A female student called the se-curity office and reported she and a male student friend had seen another male student slice a tire on a vehicle in a Drake

parking lot located in the 1200 block of 31st St. She reported they had the student suspect with them. Security arrived and called police. The victim arrived and stated he did not

want to file charges as the sus-pect was his friend. The sus-pect and victim agreed that the suspect was upset because the victim owed him money, and that was the reason for slicing

the tire. The dean of students has been notified.

9:30 p.m. Dec. 17Two female staff members reported a male student ex-posed himself to them on two separate occasions in a Herri-ott Residence Hall restroom. They reported that he came in the restroom fully dressed, left, and came back with his robe on. When they made eye contact he dropped the robe. The two staff members ad-vised that they did not wish to file a report with police, but wanted the actions to stop. He was apparently spoken to by a residence hall staff member. Security also advised the dean of students on the matter.

12:28 a.m. Dec. 19Security and the fire depart-ment responded to Morehouse Residence Hall based on a fire alarm. It was determined a male student had been cook-ing some eggs and noodles and some food had gotten on the stove and caused excessive smoke. The only damage was the eggs being burnt.

12:08 p.m. Dec. 19 Security responded to Ross Residence Hall based on a complaint that two students were arguing about leaving the residence hall by noon. Both were in violation of univer-sity policy for not being out on time and also for having a kit-ten in the room. The male was quite argumentative and ag-gressive and stated the reason

was because he was awakened by the RAs while in the nude. He was advised on trespass as pertains to Ross Residence Hall. The dean of students has been advised.

11 a.m. Jan. 20 A female student advised that a vehicle being driven by a male adult ran over her foot in the 2900 block of Forest Ave. at about 8:45 a.m. on Jan. 19. The driver stopped to see if she was OK and she advised she was. The driver left and the victim did not get a plate number and only identified the vehicle as a dark-colored SUV. She later began feeling pain and went to the Ameri-can Republic Health Center for X-rays.

Security responded to Goodwin-Kirk Residence Hall Complex based on a report from a staff member about a female who had possibly passed out on the fourth floor. The female could not be located, but there was smoke on

the floor. It was determined a fe-male student burnt her Easy Mac and then placed a dollar bill on top of the container to stop the burning. She then picked up the Easy Mac container with a towel and threw it into the hallway.

12:33 a.m. Jan. 21

SNACK ATTACK

”“Everclear overconsumption is certainly a major problem at colleges, but such a ban would be entirely unfair to those of us Iowans who responsibly enjoy a glass of jungle juice with our meals each evening.

— JESSIE COLES, The Onion

From hungry students to the hun-gry and homeless of Des Moines, Sodexo dining services is constantly working to fill needs.

Next Wednesday, Sodexo is part-nering with the Iowa Homeless Youth Centers in the “Feed Your Community” event.

They will sell bowls of chili for $2 and donate all proceeds to IHYC.

This is not the first philanthropy effort from Sodexo. Last fall they participated in the Helping Hands Across America Champion’s Chal-lenge. The challenge was to see how many cans of food the Drake com-munity could raise. The event ran from mid-October to mid-November. Sodexo raised 2,375 pounds of food, all of which was donated to the Food

Bank of Iowa.“Every year we come out with

new and different programs,” said Rebecca Stamp, district marketing coordinator for Sodexo campus ser-vices. “It is hard to pick a favorite because I love community initiatives in general.”

Stamp said the district, which includes seven Midwest campuses, always has some sort of outreach pro-gram in the works.

The international corporation also donated over $144,000 to the World Food Programme to provide food for Haitians affected by the re-cent earthquakes.

While some students may still have their qualms about Sodexo, we should be aware that the company continues to give back to the commu-nity, filling the stomachs of some with a much greater need than a midnight snack craving. n

DOOMTREE, from Minnesota, performs songs from their albums, “False Hopes” (2007) and “Doomtree” (2008).

photo by STEPHANIE SANYOUR | Staff Photographer

Minneapolis based hip-hop group, Doomtree, rocks Pomerantz

Drake University students got down to the hip-hop sounds of Doomtree at Pomerantz stage Tuesday night. The event was sponsored by the Student Activities Board.

Doomtree is composed of rapper Andrew Sims, from Minneapolis, and music mixer Lazerbeak.

Sims writes and releases his own songs and has been performing since childhood. For the past five years, Sims has been touring, but he has been performing as a full-time musician for three years.

“It’s what I love to do so I just keep doing it,” Sims said.

This is Sims’ first time at Drake and he said he enjoyed being in Iowa.

“I like the Midwest in general,” Sims said. “People have a down-to-earth mentality.”

SAB strives to bring a diverse variety of artists to Drake and decided to bring Doomtree to campus to break from their previous coffee-house series with some-

thing different.“We haven’t brought in a hip-hop artist in a while,”

said Tisleen Singh, senior and two-term president of SAB.

Drake has many students from the Minneapolis area, which also influenced the decision to bring Doomtree to campus.

Sophomore Tyler Larson is from Minneapolis and ap-preciates the content and energy of Doomtree’s music.

“I have known about them since 2007 when they released their first album,” Larson said. “Hip-hop from Minneapolis is always intelligent and interesting.”

SAB Bands Co-chairperson Whitney Michaels, who helped organize the show, was pleased with the turnout.

“There were a lot of people for a Tuesday night show, and we brought a lot of people we don’t normally get,” Michaels said.

Junior Yoni Solomon also attended the event and was excited to see a new type of entertainment.

“I heard there was a hip-hop show, and wanted to see if it was fun,” Solomon said. “It’s not every day we have a hip-hop show at Drake.” n

by STEPHANIE SANYOURStaff Writer

[email protected]

Food service takes a bite out of local hunger

by ERIN HOGANStaff Writer

[email protected]

JIM CLAYTON discusses the possible negative implications of highly concentrated alcohols, like Everclear.

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

Forum hears opinions on Everclearof alcohol.”

Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari says the university has taken several steps to educate students about the dangers of alcohol and has started an Alcohol Taskforce to address these issues.

In 2009, Story, Johnson and Polk

were the top three Everclear selling counties in Iowa.

The committee will take the com-ments and concerns voiced during the forum, as well as those posted on its Web site, into consideration before making a decision at their next meet-ing. The IABC holds the jurisdiction to decide what alcoholic beverages are carried in Iowa. n

FROM EVERCLEAR, PAGE 1

election campaign. He said that change has already come in some re-spects.

“I still have faith in President Obama,” he said. “It’s gone so fast and not a lot has happened, but if you do pay attention there are some things that have changed.”

Some, including Vice President Joe Biden during the primaries, have called Obama’s call for hope and change empty rhetoric. Bieret said that the message of hope was exactly what the world needed.

“If you look around the world, what President Obama has meant to

not only us, but everywhere,” he said. “The clean slate—looking at Ameri-ca a different way than through eight years of people disliking us—I think the world looks at us differently.”

Political pressure still remains as issues like “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the war in Afghanistan and the floun-dering job market fill the president’s plate. Berg-Hammond said that people shouldn’t expect Obama to accomplish all that he set out to do, but to be patient.

“I think he’s up against a lot be-cause people expected him to be so perfect because they had so much hope for him, but when anything that isn’t perfect happens, they freak out,”

she said. “It’s impossible to get every-thing right all the time.”

For these students, the campaign was an amazing experience that they will cherish forever. Berg-Hammond said that she will continue to re-tain the hope from the campaign as Obama continues his tenure of the presidency.

“I’m so happy I was in college when it happened and that I was able to put that much time in it and be young and stay up until 4 a.m. stapling packets together and walk around Des Moines talking to people about the campaign,” she said. “It’s awesome to say that I was a part of that.” n

FROM OBAMA, PAGE 1

such notable graduates such as Larry Zimpleman, CEO and president of Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. The com-pany was also voted one of the world’s most ethical companies in 2009, according to ethisphere.com.

A particular strength of the program lies in its ability to pre-pare students for five professional actuarial exams, which are a requirement for a career in the actuarial field.

“The hardest thing about actuarial science is balancing study-ing for classes while still having a social life,” Fred Larson, sopho-more president of the Drake Actuarial Science Society, said. “Professional exams often require you to study for 300 hours for each exam.”

Larson has taken and passed two actuarial science exams. Larson said the program even helped him obtain a summer in-ternship in Connecticut.

“We’re at the place now where some schools aren’t getting

internships until their junior year,” Larson said. “We’re a few se-mesters ahead of the game, and it really benefits the students and helps open up more opportunities.”

Over the last 10 years, Drake has awarded 273 degrees in ac-tuarial science.

“We’re very pleased to have Drake’s Actuarial Science pro-gram designated as one of the top programs in North America,” Charles Edwards, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, said in a Drake press release. “This recognition is a tribute to the quality of our faculty, students and alumni, as well as our location in Des Moines, one of the country’s top insurance centers.”

Larson felt that a particular strength of the program lies in its professors.

“All of the professors have been really open and have helped me,” Larson said. “They are not only your professors, they are there for you and build personal relationships with you.” n

FROM ACT SCI, PAGE 1Universities Designated as Centers

of Actuarial Excellence

•Drake University•University of Iowa •University of Manitoba•Temple University •University of Connecticut•University of Nebraska- Lincoln

•Georgia State University•Universite´ Laval•Illinois State University•St. John’s University•University of Waterloo•University of Wisconsin- Madison

Where are you from? I hail from a tiny town in eastern Iowa called Andrew—you can Google Map it later. Population: 440.

Andrew has a gas station, tavern, bank, post office and the Andrew Café (my high school place of employment), which is about it. But the tie that binds Andrew together is Andrew Community School.

It’s a K-12 operation in one building, which means that kindergarten through sixth graders are downstairs and in seventh grade you make the trek upstairs where you remain until you graduate.

Andrew is a tight-knit community. Many of the kids in my graduating class of 30—yes, 30, and we were a big class—were second and third generation Andrew students. Teachers not only accidentally called some of my friends by their older sisters’ names, but by their moms’ names, too.

Over fall break, I went back to visit the school. I promised myself I would never be one of those college kids who came back to roam the halls. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I encourage each and every one of you do this because you never know if you will ever get the chance to do it again.

A few weeks after returning back to Drake I learned that my sister, a junior at Andrew, may very well be the last class to gradu-ate. Upon hearing this, my eyes welled up with tears.

As a small school, Andrew has been on the edge for many years now. But when our school threatened to cut extracurricu-lars, we re-established our Booster Club and started raising the required $10,000 a year to keep all facets of Andrew running. We have fought hard to keep Andrew alive for future students.

Andrew is at minimum faculty, with some teachers teaching up to 5 different subjects a day. The home economics teacher doubles as the band instructor. Despite the struggles, Andrew still offers advanced level classes as well as sports, fine arts and other extra-curricular activities.

But even with our sacrifices, Gov. Culver’s state budget cuts are making it nearly impossible for Andrew and other small schools in Iowa to keep their doors open.

Iowa has a record of supporting education, yet 58 percent of

Iowa’s $565 million across-the-board budget cut is coming from the Department of Edu-cation. Funding for K-12 education will see cuts totaling $265 million. To Andrew, this means losing nearly $150,000 for the upcom-ing school year with barely $30,000 in our re-serves.

Furthermore, Andrew is being forced to use our School Infrastructure Local Option Sales Tax to build a new gym entrance, which will be useless if the school closes. Tax payers are getting frustrated seeing their money go toward a unnecessary luxury instead of con-

tributing to our general fund to keep the school afloat.While state legislation eases into session, some potential help

may be on the way in the future. But Andrew has to deal with the budget problems now.

We do have options. We can run our programs until we run out of money, cut all extra-curricular programs, become a pos-sible K-six school and essentially “sell” our upperclassmen to the highest bidding neighboring district.

It seems kind of outrageous that a school like Andrew may be forced to close when we repeatedly produce some of the highest test scores in the state and even received a bronze award from U.S. News & World Reports in their 2009 survey of the Best High Schools in the Nation.

Consider that these budget cuts are affecting you, too. Iowa’s College Aid Commission had their budget reduced by $6.3 mil-lion, meaning less funding for your education. I feel that educa-tion should be of utmost importance to our government and that they should look for alternatives before cutting it so drastically.

However, speaking from my recent experience, I urge you to appreciate what you have while it’s still here. Make a trip back to your high school and be grateful for the education you received there. Although I will always call Andrew home, it just won’t be the same without ol’ ACS.

The one thing I remember during Welcome Weekend was the Resi-dent Assistants telling us that we will likely never experience a

snow day. I was bummed because, com-ing from a small town in Northwest Iowa, I had had multiple snow days, early dismiss-als or two-hour late starts each year I forgot that colleges would be less likely to cancel class than high schools. However, after the horrendous winter weather Iowa has been experiencing, I have found myself on two different occasions waking up to have my roommate tell me that classes have, indeed, been cancelled. Best days of my life? Definitely.

The recent ice storm came just one day into the semester, so hardly any of us had a lot of homework and we soon became bored (that is, after we had already taken two naps, watched a movie, Facebook stalked, etc.). As I made my daily walk across the hall to “The Triple,” our boredom slowly became in-tolerable. My friends and I don’t normally find ourselves bored, so this was quite a weird feeling sitting in “The Triple,” occasionally looking up from Cosmo, the comput-er or the TV and staring at each other, wondering what we should do next.

I must admit that my friends and I may be consid-ered strange if you walk by us or happen to sit at a table close to us in one of the din-ing halls. We are constantly laughing, making strange noises—well, really that’s only Katelyn—or bursting out in song with our wonderful voices. This day was no different. As usual, whenever I’m bored, I spend my time reading “Texts From Last Night” or “My Life Is Average.” I came across this text: “Dude, I’m listening to ‘I Believe I Can Fly,’ I’m high and driving. This is so amazing.” Suddenly Katelyn starts belting out, “I Believe I Can Fly,” like she’s part of a gospel choir. I join in with “Uh-huhs” and “Go girls!” like I’m getting paid for it.

Soon after, Kate decided she’d had enough of our American

Idol reject singing and continued watching a sub-par show on TV. Obviously, she was just jealous. After we had been so rudely informed that our singing wasn’t top notch, Katelyn and I had an epic stare down from across the room and de-cided that the only logical solution to our bore-dom would be a trip over to McDonald’s for a delicious Reese’s McFlurry. And that’s when the adventure began.

You’d think that walking from Crawford to McDonald’s would only take about three min-utes, including waiting for the “walk” sign. This journey, however, was going to be much longer.

We knew the sidewalk would be icy, since we had ventured out to have lunch at Olmsted earlier that afternoon, but we some-how thought going uphill would be less icy. As we approached the halfway point of walking up the steep sidewalk to get to the stop-light, Katelyn brilliantly pointed out that it would be terrible if someone slipped because they would fall all the way to the bottom

At the time, I didn’t realize she was foreshadowing my near-death experience. Needless to say, a few steps later, my shoes lost traction and I slowly began sliding down the sidewalk all hunched over from laughing so hard. I looked up to see Katelyn standing perfectly still on the ice, dying from laughter. A good 10 to 15 feet later, I finally stopped sliding. I then began my climb again, but I walked partway in the snow for fear that I wouldn’t be able to stop next time I slipped. After about 10 minutes, we eventually made it to our destination: McDonald’s. Never have I been so happy to step onto a tiled floor.

And so, my friends, that was my epic adventure of the Ice Day. Please be careful next time there’s freezing rain—I don’t want to look out my window and see one of you sliding all the way down the sidewalk when I sufficiently warned you about the consequences.

Until next time…

OPINIONS & EDITORIALSTHURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010PAGE 3 THE TIMES-DELPHIC

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BUZZthe

REBECCA MATALONI

COLUMNIST

“

“”

OU

TSPO

KEN

What do you think …

“JARED DAMMANNSophomore

”Banning won’t prevent kids

from binge drinking, but the power of Everclear is pretty extreme and the case we saw on campus helped in a big way to add a severity to the case.

”

“I don’t think it would make a difference. Everclear’s not the only alcohol available. I think it’s a good step, but it’s going to take a lot more.

TORAL SONISophomore

“”

If someone chooses to drink that, that’s their choice. People who drink that should be held accountable.

BRIANA BERKOWITZJunior

“”

Limiting Everclear wouldn’t eliminate the problem, because there are so many drinks with the same proof that will still be legal.

SETH KAUFFMANNSophomore

I would value life over however many people having a good time. My question is, where then do we draw the line? I’d be in favor of the ban if it means one more person is safe.

ROBBY PATTERSONSenior

… about the possible banning

of Everclear?

”Share your views on

columns and editorials online.

www.timesdelphic.com

STORIES FROM THE DORM

I believe I can flyMaking the most of an ice day with music, MLIA and McFlurries

You’d think that walking from Crawford to McDonald’s would only take about three minutes, including waiting for the “walk” sign. This journey, however, was going to be much longer.

Mataloni is a sophomore news/internet and music major and can be contacted at [email protected].

YOUR MONEY

Appreciate your education before funding gets cut

Education costs hit home

Ehrler is a first-year broadcast major and can be contacted [email protected].

LAUREN EHRLER

COLUMNIST

Belly dancing has been around for thousands of years, but only recently has it appeared at Drake University. On Monday, women from all over campus trudged through the snow to the Bell Center for the first-ever belly dancing class.

Makha Mthembu, a junior theatre student, is the instructor of the class. When Mthembu was younger, she had a friend that was an active dancer, but she didn’t take an interest in the art until just over a year ago.

“It became a self-study for me because I realized it was such a shame that I never got into it when I was younger,” she said.

Mthembu practices the art for at least 45 minutes each day. She also reads all literature on the topic she can find.

Traditionally, belly dancing classes are not taught; rather, the art is ingrained into cultures by children emulating their mothers. Mthembu, however, brought the idea of belly dancing classes to the Bell Center.

“Belly dancing is the complete opposite of regular a exercise class,” she said. “No matter what happens to your body, no mat-ter how the shape looks, the more you do, you learn to appreciate that shape.”

W h i l e the 45-minute class is a physical workout that will result in external

toning, Mthembu is quick to point out other benefits.“Mystically, the way you feel about yourself changes. It has re-

ally helped me deal with some of my own body issues.” She also notes that some women have had changes in PMS;

their cramps and bloating are reduced or simply go away.Belly dancing has been used in different cultures for thousands

of years to aid crop growth and celebrate births and weddings, which all symbolize growth and renewal. Mondays from 4 to 4:45 p.m. at the Bell Center. The Bell Center offers 25 different classes per week, including step, yoga, Pilates and swimming. For more in-formation, schedule and open recreation times, visit the Bell Cen-ter's website on http://www.godrakebulldogs.com. n

Belly dancing shakes up fitness classes

by HOLLY WORTHYCopy Editor

THE TIMES-DELPHIC FEATURES THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 PAGE 4

FEATURES DON’T. MISS. THIS.Puppy chow on sale for $1 to

aid Haiti relief, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, in the Olmsted

Breezeway Feb. 1-2. See picture below.

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

MAKAH MTHEMBU is the new belly dancing instructor at the Bell Center.

TRY IT OUT! When: Monday at 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Where: Bell Center, multi-purpose room

by HEATHER HALLStaff Writer

[email protected]

If you like non stop, over the top, ridiculously manic video gaming, Bayonetta is for you. Directed by Hideki Kamiya, Devil May Cry creator, Bayonetta stays on familiar ground while blow-ing away all precedents in the action genre.

Our heroine, Bayonetta, is the last of an ancient cult known as the Umbra Witches. She emerges from a 500-year sleep to discover she is the last survivor of the witch-hunts that erased the clan from Earth. Gifted with magical abilities, martial art acro-batics and pairs of guns for her hands and feet, there is little she cannot do. She is also able to use her hair (which comprises her outfit) to summon demons to vanquish enemies.

She has to put these skills to use as heavenly hosts descend to kill her for reasons that are not well-explained. As mobs of angels are put down, an underlying agenda to resurrect the “Creator” is uncovered, leaving Bayonetta to stop it.

The plot is confusing but you can just ignore it and go along for the ride. The combat is easy to begin but difficult to master.

While it slightly deviates from the typical button-masher, you’ll most likely find yourself using the same two or three combina-tions constantly. Different weapons, including a few that angels drop, unlock bizarre special attacks. Your average angel is pretty easy to overcome, but other enemies may be impossible to stop without using the combat system’s focal point--Witch Time. Ac-tivated by dodging an attack at the last possible second, Witch Time grants you a few seconds of Matrix-esque bullet time to hurt the now-nearly motionless aggressors.

Collecting halos, the preferred currency in Hell, Bayonetta can buy new techniques, weapons, special health lollipops and power boosts. Unless you are really good at avoiding damage, you will be forced to spend all of the wealth on the lollipops, which Bayonetta is seen with in the cutscenes.

Bayonetta, in my opinion, is nearly flawless. The plot is com-plicated and does a poor job of explaining itself. Some of the secondary characters are just plain annoying and unnecessary. There are a few arcade racing missions that are so poorly put together that they look like another game altogether. Other than these nit-picky elements, Bayonetta is a guaranteed good time. n

by JAMES VANECHAUTEStaff Writer

[email protected]

campus>>What’s going on?

TODAY

DISCUSSIONCultural diversity

roundtable sponsored by SASA

WHEREDrake Room

WHEN6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

LECTUREProf. Timothy Knep-

per: “Is There a Future to the Philosophy of

Religion?”WHERE

Medbury Honors Lounge

WHEN3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

WEEKEND

CONFERENCESpring leadership conference-pre-

registration required

WHEREOlmsted Parents Hall

WHEN: Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

calendar

MUSICJames Kennedy

singer/songwriter performs

WHEREMars Cafe

WHEN8 p.m.

PARTYWelcome back party with free food, music and games sponsored

by ISA

WHEREMorehouse Ballroom

WHEN8 p.m. - Midnight

EVENTBlack history month

theme unveiling sponsored by Coalition

of Black Students

WHEREOlmsted Pomerantz

StageWHEN:

4 p.m. – 6 p.m

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

BAYONETTA is the witch heroine of the newest XBOX 360, PS3 game.

photo coutesty of PLAYSTATIONLIFESTYLE.NET

photo by MATT NELSON | Staff Photographer

MATT SHIELDS AND PIERCE BERTSCHY, members of the Knights of Columbus, make puppy chow for a Haiti relief fundraiser in the Olmsted Breezeway on February 1 and 2 11-4 p.m.

Fight Angels,

Bayonetta brings best dark warfare

HellGAME: Bayonetta | VERDICT:

Save

”“– MAKAH MTHEMBU, junior

The change starts inside of you first and then you see it on your actual body.

Jagged icicles hang off the edge of the chapel outside Medbury Hall, like translucent imitations of medieval torture devices. A mist embraces the round, brick exterior in the early morning silence. Inside the chapel, darkness floods the eyes un-til they adjust to reveal 20 wooden, high-backed chairs circling a marble altar slab. A lone shaft of light illuminates the altar from the skylight above.

“I was surprised the first time I went in,” said junior religion major Aimee Synowicki. “It was dif-ferent than chapels I’d been in before. It was really dark, plain and kind of creepy.”

“Creepy” is the word religion professor James Laurenzo hears most when he takes students inside the Oreon E. Scott Chapel.

“Partly because of movies and partly imagina-tion, people think of human sacrifice when they see the altar,” Laurenzo said.

Charlene Skidmore, assistant director of the honors and FYS programs who oversees the chapel, has also heard students tell of sacrificial first-impressions upon entering the chapel. She connects these impressions to the absence of the chapel’s cross, which used to reflect down onto the altar. When the cross was damaged during a storm in the mid-1960s, Drake decided to remove it. This decision reflected Drake’s continued advancement down the path of secularization. Drake officially broke its ties with its founder the Disciples of Christ in 1907. The Divinity School closed in 1968.

Just 13 years prior to the closing of the school, the chapel was constructed and dedicated to both ministerial and non-ministerial Drake students. The chapel, named after one of the leading laymen in the Divinity School, was one of many buildings designed by the Saarinen firm to bring modern, linear architecture to Drake. It also accommodated the growing enrollment after World War II.

Communion was a recurring theme in the Saa-rinen designs, including the layout of the chapel. The chapel’s small size maintains a feel of intimacy and its circular shape symbolizes equality and unity. A lack of pulpit and head chair fosters a degree of egalitarianism.

“When you sit down across from each other, there’s not a better place for dialogue,” Skidmore said. “All are equal, not one person is in power over

another. Each voice is meaningful.”This communion element and the chapel’s ar-

chitectural and spiritual qualities affected many, said John McCaw, a 1939 Drake graduate and dean of the Divinity School from 1950 to 1965. He re-called finding emotionally distressed students in the chapel, drawn by its meditative appeal.

“Many visitors were spiritually moved by the chapel—monks, nuns, Italian visitors,” McCaw said. “Even Rockefeller had tears in his eyes when he came out.”

The chapel has been the site of a Native Ameri-can wedding, memorial services, vow renewals and even a student make out session, the latter of which McCaw stumbled upon during his time as dean.

“One day I entered the chapel and smelled per-fume,” McCaw said. “I told the couple, ‘You go out this way, while I enter the other way.’ I never saw them.”

Whether the chapel’s emphasis on communion has been between individuals and a higher power, fellow students or lovers, the chapel has been a site of intimacy for years.

Once the eyes adjust to the darkness of the cha-pel, one can see the warmth of the setting. Against the dark wood paneling, dust sparkles as it passes through the beam of light descending from above. The pink Italian marble altar, dedicated by Eero Saarinen himself, displays soft natural gouges and defects; it’s warm to the touch. Even the chairs, paired slightly, encourage communion between chapel-goers.

This intimacy is what draws groups like Spirit International. Spirit International, a nondenomi-national Christian organization on campus, holds weekly prayer meetings on Friday evenings.

“It’s a good place to seclude yourself, to meditate and spend time in prayer with others,” said Spirit International member Samuel Nkrumah-Agyeefi. “I must admit that my first time in there I found it a bit creepy, but now I love the place. It’s very peace-ful and serene.”

Skidmore hopes more students will adopt such sentiments towards the chapel. In the future she would like to see more lighting added and soft, med-itative music played during the day. These changes might draw in more people, she said, and do away with the “creepiness” factor that some hold.

McCaw has similar hopes for the chapel. He would like to see the chapel get more use.

“Each student generation needs to possess it,” he said. n

FEATURESTHURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010PAGE 5 THE TIMES-DELPHIC

ORVILLE VERNON BURTON, a Civil War historian, serves as the Burroughs distinguished professor of southern history and culture at Coastal Carolina University. He is the author or editor of eight books, including “The Age of Lincoln” and “Slavery and America.” His research and teaching interests include the American South, especially race relations, family, community, politics, religion and the intersection of humanities and social sciences.

The lecture is part of Cowles Library’s Citizens Arise! initiative, which includes a national traveling exhibit about Lincoln on display at the library through Feb. 8.

“Abraham Lincoln: A Man for His Time, a Man for All Times,” features the president’s written and spoken messages, enhanced by Civil War-era photographs, letters and images.

The exhibit, which is open during regular library hours, was organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York City and made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Supported by a Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant

DRAKE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

The Age of LincolnThursday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m.

Cowles Library Reading Room, Drake UniversityThe lecture is free and open to the public.

Call 271-3776 for more information.

For more information, visit http://citizensarise.drake.edu

Did you know ...

The Drake Fund

The character of Ben Linus on the popular

ABC series “Lost” is played by Michael

Emerson, FA’76. Emerson won an Emmy in

2009 for his work on the series.

Check out the ChapelOpen weekdays 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

for respectful use. Other times can be scheduled by contacting Charlene Skidmore at

[email protected].

by LAURA JOHNSONStaff Writer

[email protected]

KeepingFAITHthe Students find their place in Medbury Chapel

CALLING ALL WRITERSWant to build your portfolio, have your stories

published and gain experience?

JOIN THE T-D TEAM [email protected]

photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

MEDBURY CHAPEL, officially named the Oreon E. Scott Chapel, is located outside Medbury Hall. For years, the mysterious building has created curiosity among students and faculty alike.

>>Your SPAM of the WeekGood day, my gentleman The heart is the place where we live our passions. It is frail and easily broken, but wonderfully resilient. There is no point in trying to deceive the heart. It depends upon our honesty for its survival. Honey, I will change your life completely. I will make you beautiful, I will make you strong, I will make you the most important person in my life. You will be everything to me. But I still need to find you, and I am trying to do it here http://youramour.net/loveme/ I really wish that you were near me. I wish that I could just call your name when I need you and that you be there.

Kiss-kiss Katy M.

THE TIMES-DELPHIC SPORTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 PAGE 6

SPORTSSTELLAR STATSFree throws senior guard Jordann Plummer made in one game to tie for this season’s free throw record.

12FOR BREAKING SPORTS NEWSWWW.TWITTER.COM/TDSPORTSNEWS

SEND YOUR STORY IDEAS TO [email protected] FOR BREAKING DRAKE SPORTS NEWS, CHECK OUT WWW.TWITTER.COM/TDSPORTSNEWS

Drake shoots to separate from pack

The hottest team in the Missouri Valley Conference will host the Creighton Bluejays Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in the Knapp Center.

Drake is riding a five-game win streak before Wednesday’s game at Northern Iowa, who is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs dropped four straight to open play in the Valley, in-cluding a 73-69 loss at Creighton on Jan. 6.

But since the 0-4 start, the Bulldogs have hit their stride and stormed back into the conference race. Second place Wichita State was the latest victim Saturday, suffering a 78-64 loss at the Knapp Center. Head Coach Mark Phelps said he is satisfied with his team’s play as of late, but understands there is a long road ahead.

“You can’t say enough about our guys,” he said. “We just continue to encourage them to play team ball, and they’re playing well right now.”

Drake is averaging 74.3 points in its last six games after scoring only 47.7 points in its first three MVC games. Senior Josh Young said that improved teamwork and chemistry has been a factor.

“We’re starting to look for each other more,” he said.

To be victorious on Saturday, Drake will need another strong performance from sophomore point guard Frank Wiseler. Wiseler has seen increased minutes since se-nior Craig Stanley suffered an injury. Wiseler dazzled the crowd against the Shockers with a Knapp Center record 12 assists during the game.

“Frank (Wiseler) plays the game the right way,” Phelps said. “He is very poised and has great composure.”

It is no surprise to most basketball fans that Drake’s leading scorer up to this point is Young. He, however, is leading the team averaging only 13.2 points per game, due in large part to contributions from the entire team. The Bulldogs have nine players aver-aging double-digit minutes per game.

Young is continuing his climb to become Drake’s all-time leading scorer. Young moved into fourth place in the game against Wichita State with 1,574 career points. He needs 66 points to pass current leader Red Murrell, who played from 1955 to 1958.

Another key will be Drake’s ability to get to the free throw line. The Bulldogs are 13th nationally, shooting 75.1 percent from the charity stripe. Creighton is shooting only 69 percent from the line.

Junior Ryan Wedel is second in scor-ing, averaging 11.7 points per game. Senior Adam Templeton is the leading rebounder with 7.0 per game.

Creighton is led by junior center Kenny Lawson Jr., who is averaging team-highs 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Junior point guard P’Allen Stinnett is a dynamic veteran player that averages 9.2 points per game.

Lawson had 17 points in Creighton’s win over Drake earlier this season. Senior for-ward Justin Carter also had 17 for the Blue-jays. Stanley had 15 points and six assists for the Bulldogs. Young added 14.

The Bluejays are also 5-4 in the Valley and 10-10 overall coming off another suc-cessful season in which they made an ap-pearance in the National Invitational Tour-nament. Creighton was regarded as one of the top teams in the conference before the season, but have underachieved thus far.

Now, both teams will look to separate themselves from the pack on Saturday.

Despite the hot streak, Phelps said he does not want to see any over-confidence from his young team.

“We understand that we’re not talented enough to just show up and expect a win,” he said. “We have some nice momentum going and we have to keep improving.” n

SENIOR GUARD JOSH YOUNG focuses on offense en route to his team-leading scoring average for the season. Drake will look to Young for points in Saturday’s game against MVC rival Creighton.

photo by EMILY TOZER | Staff Photographer

by MATT MORANCopy Editor

[email protected]

SENIOR GUARD JORDANN PLUMMER lifts off the floor for a shot against Bradley Sunday. Drake lead the Braves for the majority of the game and will look to repeat the strong performance Friday in Omaha.

photo by EMILY TOZER | Staff Photographer

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Braves down Bulldogs with last-second basket

Bradley’s Sonya Harris drained a 30-foot prayer as time expired to push the Braves past the Drake women’s basketball team 61-58 Sunday in the Knapp Center.

After a Drake turnover, Bradley guard Brooke Bisp-ing launched a pass three-quarters of the court to Har-ris, whose shot bounced hard off the backboard and into the basket. Drake Head Coach Amy Stephens said the buzzer-beater wasn’t the deciding factor in the Bull-dogs’ loss.

“It didn’t come to that last basket,” Stephens said. “To me, the difference was six turnovers in the first half and then 14 turnovers in the second half.”

Drake held the lead throughout much of the sec-ond half. The Bulldogs held their greatest lead when sophomore Amber Wollschlager hit two free throws to go up 47-39 at the 13:29 mark in the second half. The Bulldogs kept the door open for Bradley, going scoreless over the next 5:54.

In that same span, the Bulldogs turned the ball over seven straight possessions. Bradley would seize the op-portunity, going on a 9-0 run and taking the lead. Ste-phens said the team’s carelessness was a key factor in determining the game.

“We get up and we lose our focus,” Stephens said. “We get lackadaisical.”

The lead changed for the final time when Brad-ley guard Renee Frerircks snuck an inbounds pass off the back of Drake sophomore Brittnye McSparron, grabbed the ball and recorded an easy layup with 1:41 remaining to put the Braves up 58-56.

Bradley entered the contest as one of the confer-

ence’s best defensive teams, ranking first in opponent field goal percentage, blocks and rebounds. While Drake matched the Braves’ physicality and intensity, Bradley showed they could also score on the fly, which brought them the win.

“When they came back on us, they were running on us,” Wollschlager said. “They’re a transition team.”

Wollschlager went 4-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Her 14 points was a team high along with sophomore Rachael Hack-barth.

Hackbarth would even the score at 58 on a layup with 1:14 still to play. An errant pass by senior Jordann Plummer intended for senior Monique’ Jones gave the Braves the final chance they would need with 1.3 sec-onds remaining.

The defeat was the Bulldogs’ second tough loss over the weekend. It was the fifth straight victory for the Braves, who are heating up at the right time and are now 9-8 overall and 5-2 in Missouri Valley Conference action.

Drake dropped to 11-7 and 4-4 in conference.Stephens saw improvement over the team’s previous

game against Northern Iowa; however, the loss was no easier.

“It’s harder to lose on a last-second shot when you’ve invested and competed,” Stephens said. “I feel like we did a lot better job competing today. We’re mak-ing progress and we just have to work to get better.”

Junior Kristin Turk came off the bench to tally eight points for the Bulldogs in her second game back from ankle injury. Turk said the loss wasn’t completely nega-tive for Drake.

“It is positive in a way to see the things we have to improve on,” Turk said. “We have a lot of things to improve on.”

With a .500 record in conference games, the Bull-dogs now find themselves in a hole. The loss sets them in sixth place in the MVC, now 2.5 games out of first.

“We kind of hit a funk,” Turk said. “It’s something we’ll be able to get out of.”

Drake travels to Omaha Friday to face rival Creigh-ton in a pivotal matchup. The Bluejays are second in the MVC standings. n

by TIM WEIDEMANStaff Writer

[email protected]

VALLEYAROU

ND the

Wichita StateThe Shockers remain unbeaten on their home court this season. The team fell to Creighton by only one point in Omaha, where the Bluejays are 11-1 so far.

Shocker senior guard Clevin Hannah made a WSU record 42 straight free throws this season, which puts him in seventh place in MVC history.

Northern Iowa

Bradley

Creighton

Drake will face Creighton Friday after Bradley’s Harris sinks heartbreaker

The panthers earned the No. 25 ranking in an ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll this week. The team has proven its MVC dominance thus far

this season. Drake will have another chance at them Feb. 1 at the Knapp Center.

Bradley recorded a win over No. 20 Illinois Nov. 28, but has since fallen to fourth in the MVC. Junior guard Sam

Maniscalo earned MVC player of the week honors while senior guard Andrew Warren remains the fourth leading conference scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game.

While Bulldog rival Creighton’s performances in previous years earned the team a preseason ranking second in the MVC, the Bluejays have since fallen to fifth place in conference standings. The team has seen six NCAA appearances in the past decade.

DrakeDrake began the season with a second-to-last ranking and has climbed to sixth in MVC standings. Sophomore guard Frank Wiseler was named MVC newcomer of the

week. The Bulldogs hold the top spot in the conference for their 3-point field goal percentage at 38.6.

SPORTSTHURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010PAGE 7 THE TIMES-DELPHIC

WOMEN’S TENNIS

MEN’S TENNIS

Drake University Career Fair Thursday, February 4, 2010

3 – 6 PM Olmsted Center

Get an Internship Go to Grad School

● Bring copies of your resume ● Access Career bluePrint for registered companies &

graduate/professional programs ● Business attire required

Professional & Career Development Services

The Drake women’s tennis team will be back serv-ing up aces this weekend as it hosts Kansas at 10 a.m. Saturday and Kansas State at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Head Coach Ur ska Juric says that both opponents will be tough matchups.

“We have a pretty young squad so we’re really making sure that we focus on our strengths,” she said. “We’ve been working hard consistently for the past se-mester and while we had time off.”

The Bulldogs struggled against Kansas last season. The Jayhawks won 5-2 in singles and 3-0 in doubles in Lawrence, Kan. At Kansas State last season, Drake fell 6-1 in singles and 3-0 in doubles.

“Last year, both of these matches were really tough,” sophomore Gabby Demos said. “We’re just going to play our best and have nothing to lose.”

Juric believes that Drake will benefit from the home court advantage that was not there in the matches last year.

“This year, it’s their first times coming to our house,” she said. “I think that the home court advan-tage will help us a lot.”

Juric is satisfied with her team’s effort thus far and is

looking forward to this weekend.“We had a solid week of practice,” she said. “We’re

looking to continue that leading up to the meets this weekend.”

Juric also said that the team is placing more focus on the doubles teams rather than singles. The Bulldogs have had plenty singles in the past, but Juric thinks that the doubles game has suffered. She plans on being ag-gressive more often in order to improve doubles per-formance.

Drake had a tough end to the fall campaign: They bowed out early in the Intercollegiate Tennis Associa-tion Central Regional in Norman, Okla. last October.

The Bulldogs saw their season fade away as Demos, and sophomore Jessica Aguilera and freshman Manca Krizman fell in the opening round of play. In doubles, freshman Ali Patterson and sophomore Amanda Ara-gon fell 8-1 in their opening match. Demos and Kriz-man lost 8-6.

Despite the early losses, Juric was pleased with the progress made since the end of last spring.

“It seems, based on the scores of the regional, that we struggled,” she said. “But if you see how many play-ers we actually sent to the central regional this season versus other seasons, it really was an improvement.”

Drake hopes to avoid another disappointing finish like last season in which the Bulldogs lost 4-0 in the conference championship to Illinois State. Demos said that the loss still stings.

“Last year we did really well, but there is still room for improvement,” she said. “We’re going to work hard and be at our best for the conference tournament.”

Demos is coming off a sensational freshman cam-paign where she played most of the year at No. 2 singles, a tall task for a young player. Demos said she expects to be more of a leader this year.

“We have a lot of good, young talent,” she said. “I just want to lead my team and help us improve.” n

The Roger Knapp Tennis Center becomes dead silent. Fans grip the bleachers, forcing themselves not to breathe, fearing the slightest disturbance could interrupt the match. Fresh-man James McKie pays no attention to the matches around him as he focuses on one final point. He serves with confidence. McKie plays to his opponent’s weakness, daring him to take a risky shot. He lets loose a vicious “Come on!” that reverberates off the walls before the ball has a chance to hit the cement.

McKie won the first title of the day for the Bulldogs. An hour later, senior Guilherme Mar-siglia won the other title. The veteran’s third title also marked the 50th overall title for Drake, tying a conference record.

The battle cries of McKie and Marsiglia were more than just a celebratory gesture. They served as a message to the rest of the confer-ence: The team may be young, but it has the talent and the drive to fight for every match.

Drake entered the final day of the Missouri Valley Conference Individuals Tournament with a chance at seven titles. Although Illinois State and Wichita State left the tournament with more titles, the Bulldogs were the only team forced to battle more than just their op-ponents.

Sophomore Jonathan Hadash, a transfer from the University of Minnesota, spent the entire weekend battling a sprained ankle while sophomore Cesar Bracho, one of the highest-ranked players in the Midwest, was sidelined due to a back injury on the first day.

The effects of Bracho’s injury were felt throughout the tournament. The Bulldogs could not compete for the title at the second singles position and the 39th ranked doubles team in the country could no longer compete together.

With only junior Mauricio Ballivian healthy, first-year Head Coach Jimmy Borendame was put to the test, as he had to rearrange his dou-bles lineup in less than 24 hours.

Despite the last-minute changes, all three

Bulldog squads were able to remain competitive due to incredible team chemistry.

The addition of three new players a week before the season would be a problem for many DI teams, but the additions of Hadash, sopho-more Ryan King, and freshman Jean Erasmus has managed to strengthen the team’s unity.

“Although they’re new, they really feel a part of it already,” freshman Ryan Drake said.

“I’ve been here for a week and I already feel like I’ve known these guys for my whole life,” said Jean Erasmus, who finished as the runner-up at the sixth singles spot this weekend.

Borendame is hoping that the team’s strong camaraderie and talent will help improve their doubles game as the season continues, an aspect that will have to be strong if they are to com-pete with the highest level teams. Drake will face nine teams in the national rankings throughout the season, with Wichita State and Illinois State being the Bulldogs’ fiercest competitors in the conference.

“We need to work on doubles more, but we’ve been improving every day,” Borendame said.

Borendame also said he believes that the leadership of Assistant Coach Maor Zirkin will help the young team grow throughout the sea-son and into the conference tournament.

“(Zirkin) knows the returning guys better than I do, and he also knows the Missouri Val-ley players and teams,” he said.

The players are confident that Borendame and Zirkin will be able to coach them to a con-ference championship.

“Maor and Jimmy have the same perspec-tive, but a different way of saying things,” Drake said. “Maor’s got a lot of experience and went through exactly the same thing we are going through.”

Drake will take on Northern Illinois Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. in the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. n

SINGLES TITLES WON

by DOMINIC JOHNSONStaff Writer

[email protected]

Bulldogs earn double the single titles

by SKYLAR BERGLStaff Writer

[email protected]

by MATT MORANCopy Editor

[email protected]

Drake prepares young team for spring seasonNewcomers must step it up to lead young team to success this season

THE DRAKE WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM kicks off its spring season this weekend with two match ups at home against Kansas and Kansas State.

FILE PHOTO

JUNIOR MAURICIO BALLIVIAN rears back to hit the ball during a match at the Missouri Valley Conference Individuals Tournament this weekend.

photo by SARAH ANDREWS| Photo/Design Editor

Freshman James McKie defeats

| Illinois State’s Skip Span

Senior Guilherme Marsialaga defeats|

Illinois State’s Matej Zlatkovic

McKie, Marsiglia bring home wins

Women’s Tennis Home Games

THE ROGER KNAPP TENNIS CENTER@

Jan 30 | Bulldogs vs. Kansas 10 a.m.Jan 31 | Bulldogs vs. Kansas State 11 a.m.Feb 5 | Bulldogs vs. Iowa State 5 p.m.Feb 7 | Bulldogs vs. UIC 9 a.m.Feb 20 | Bulldogs vs. Rockhurst 11 a.m.Feb 21 | Bulldogs vs. Gustavus Adpholus 11 a.m.Feb 27 | Bulldogs vs. Nebraska-Omaha 10 a.m.Feb 27 | Bulldogs vs. UMKC 6 p.m.Feb 28 | Bulldogs vs. Chicago State 2 p.m.March 28 | Bulldogs vs. Northern Iowa 12 p.m.April 17 | Bulldogs vs. Bradley 1 p.m.April 18 | Bulldogs vs. Illinois State 10 a.m.

THE TIMES-DELPHIC ADVERTISEMENT THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 PAGE 8