Viewfinder, Volume 5, Issue 5 by Viewfinder GV

IN THIS ISSUE

• IS IT REALLY ABOUT SPORTS? • APARTMENT GUIDE • VINTAGE IN DSM

Caleb Grizzle Editor-in-Chief

Taylor Thomas Editor-in-Chief

Camden Blowers

Viewfinder Staff

Assignment Editor

Karleigh Halpin Assignment Editor

Letter from the Editor Caleb Grizzle Editor-in-Chief

Ashlee Seaton Assignment Editor

Mayeli Jimenez Photo Editor

Erick Villar Photo Editor

Paula Borda Design Editor

Erin Kim Cho Advisor

KC McGinnis Advisor

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second and final issue of the spring semester. Happy end of the semester and congrats on surviving finals week! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Viewfinder magazine. In this issue, all of our lovely GV writers, photographers and editors have worked hard to create a wonderful adventure for you, the readers, to journey on. On page 5, Camden Blowers reviews a lush, green, alcohol infused experience at Pots and Shots. On page 9, you’ll find a review and deep dive into the musical, “tick, tick... BOOM!.” On page 17, Britsahna Nanthanorath highlights two successful vintage curators from The Archive in West Des Moines. On page 29, Taylor Thomas aides in creating important discussion surrounding transgender rights within sports. On page 33, Ashlee Seaton gives a voice to the voiceless and shares key information about sexual assault on GV’s campus. Lastly, on page 39, Mayeli Jimenez and Erick Villar capture the immersive art experience at the Des Moines Art Center for Viewfinder’s latest photo story. We hope you enjoy this issue and have an excellent summer. We can’t wait to connect again in fall 2022!

Cover Story

Find more stories from the Viewfinder staff at viewfindergv.com Comments? viewfindergv@grandview.edu

Take a look at the best vintage streetwear West Des Moines has to offer on page 17. Cover photo by Mayeli Jimenez

3 9

23 27 IN THIS ISSUE 3. TUPELO HONEY |

23. WEATHERLY FOR LEGISLATURE |

4. RICOCHET |

25. ONE LAST GOAL |

5. POTS AND SHOTS |

27. PEN PAL PROGRAM |

By: Claire Maixner

By: Danielle Castillo By: Camden Blowers

By: Sami Hallaway By: Isaac Kam

By: Britsahna Nanthanorath

9. TICK, TICK... BOOM! |

29. IS IT REALLY ABOUT SPORTS? |

11. ROB’S MOVIE REVIEWS |

33. GV SEXUAL ASSAULT |

13. APARTMENT GUIDE |

35. BANNED BOOKS |

15. DANCER EARLY RETIREMENT |

37. FACES OF GV |

17. VINTAGE IN DSM |

39. IMMERSED |

By: Caleb Grizzle By: Rob Luke

By: Karleigh Halpin By: Ashlee Seaton

By: Britsahna Nanthanorath 21. IN YOUR CORNER |

By: Mike Knox

By: Taylor Thomas By: Ashlee Seaton

By: Charlie Deyoe-Snyder and Jesus Martinez-Aviles By: GV Students

By: Mayeli Jimenez and Erick Villar

By Claire Maixner | Photos by Danielle Castillo |Designed by Paula Borda

Southern homestyle meals, picturesque environment and smiling staff are just the beginning of Tupelo Honey, a new restaurant in downtown Des Moines. Tupelo Honey recipes are simply crafted and made from scratch with responsibly sourced ingredients that bring the best of every season. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Tupelo Honey’s menu changes with the seasons to provide its customers with the best seasonal ingredients. Tupelo Honey cares for both its customers and employees in many ways. They have recently developed their “Biscuits for a Cause” menu item. When a customer purchases the “Biscuits for a Cause” appetizer the proceeds go to their relief and development funds that help Tupelo Honey employees in need. This has been very successful as last year $400,000 was awarded. It has also made for some very happy and passionate employees. “When I was told about the biscuits for a cause I was surprised because it is such a unique and great idea,” Lauren Anderson, a Grand View student, said. Enthusiastic and passionate employees create the ultimate dining experience. Upon walking in the front door, customers are

“There were just so many things I wanted to try that it took me forever to decide,” Said Hannah Miller, Student at GV.

greeted by smiling faces and served with the utmost respect and kindness. This is what ultimately creates a fun and fulfilling experience and is likely due to the way the business cares for its employees. The best part of Tupelo Honey is the amazing southern food and traditions rooted in the Carolina mountains that Tupelo Honey calls home. The menu consists of six categories: lunch and dinner, brunch menu, bar menu, kids’ menu, happy hour menu and beer and specialty menu. Some of the customers’ favorites include the famous chicken and buttermilk waffles, bone-in fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and the biscuits for a cause.

Ricochet

By Danielle Castillo |Photos by Danielle Castillo | Designed by Paula Borda A new arcade bar just opened in downtown Des Moines, and it has plenty to offer. Ricochet has a plethora of gaming attractions including pong, darts, foosball, billiards and cornhole. But this is not bar-cade’s first rodeo. The once-beloved East Village location closed in 2019 with hopes of opening their new location in a larger building, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on the expansion. Although this project was put on hold, the new location is a popular choice with the Des Moines community. Its new building is located at Capital Square, on 400 Locust St. Suite 105. This location neighbors many other bars and restaurants just off Court Avenue. The spacious atmosphere is surrounded by a large bar serving local beers and cocktails. Brad Argo, co-owner of Ricochet, said the idea for the bar started long before they opened their new location. “It started with a ping pong club called King Pong,” Argo said. “Eventually we needed to find a new space and that was above Wooly’s. And then it kinda grew and grew and grew and people were like ‘you should be a bar.’” With that idea in mind, they started to expand the brand. Before they could get started, the COVID-19 pandemic began and their plans were delayed. The people who once loved the previous East Village location were excited to get back to the fun and games. The new location provides more games than the previous location.

“We have more foosball tables so we just kinda added to some of those things,” Argo said. Ricochet has added a multitude of gaming options like pool tables, darts, bumper pool tables, pong tables and cornhole. They have invested time and space into a large gaming area that is perfect for the fun-seeking crowds that they generate. “It was designed for people to interact with one another, whether they know each other at that point or not,” Argo said. “It’s great for groups that know each other, it’s also great for groups to intermingle.” Ricochet utilizes wristbands priced at $10, allowing people to play any of the games in the bar. “I think it’s fun to learn new games and also teach people new games,” Argo said. “Like bumper pool, for instance, is a game that most people have not played. Once people learn how to play it, they are hooked.” One thing to note is that Ricochet does not serve food, but it is right next to plenty of local restaurants that Ricochet allows guests to bring to eat while they play. “Because we chose not to have food you can select from any other places on 4th Street or Court Avenue and bring it in,” Argo said. “We feel like that helps all the businesses down here that are serving food. Instead of competing with them, we are working with them.” The new Ricochet space is perfect for groups to hang out and play games or grab a local beer.

POTS AND

SHOTS By Camden Blowers | Photos by Erick Villar | Graphic and Designed by Camden Blowers The COVID-19 pandemic took a lot of beauty and life out of people’s everyday routine, with many parents having to put their life on hold to help with their children’s online learning or working from home for months on end. One woman in particular was no exception to the pandemic’s rage. Temeshia Bomato is a mother to three young children and was working at a Des Moines care facility. As soon as the pandemic struck the Des Moines metro Bomato was faced with tending to her daughters’ online schooling. While life continued to move on and the stress of the pandemic grew on her family, Bomato took control of her life at home, doing research on rare plants to possibly grow her collection. She used the handle “Mama Monstera” to join Facebook groups and private message sellers in hopes to learn more and obtain plants of her own. She finally found a plant collector that was willing to do a trade with her in an Iowa City Target parking lot for three small leaves, and she vowed to herself to keep the variegated Monstera plant alive. With her green thumb growing at a rapid pace, she turned her humble Urbandale house into a luscious oasis of plants. She had multiple humidifiers going at once, keeping the perfect humidity level for her full grown plants, propagated leaves and newly sprouted plants. Eventually, she got the idea to open

up a cocktail and houseplant shop in West Des Moines as a place for plant lovers and drink coinsures to relax, work from home or possibly find a new hobby of plant care. She opened up Pots and Shots in January 2022. Pots and Shots is located on the side of a newly developed group of businesses right off Southeast University St. in West Des Moines. There are two entrances, one leading directly to the bar and the other entrance welcoming the customers to the houseplant shop. The owners are looking into building a pergola outside of the bar entrance to welcome customers with comfort and relaxation. I entered through the bar entrance and was directly welcomed with laughing customers of all ages and group sizes playing board games such as Sorry, Jenga, Battleship and more. The fresh air and aromatic smells of the fresh fruits and garnishes instantly filled my nose and I felt like I was in paradise. “It hits all of your five senses perfectly. The aroma hits you right when you walk in; so fresh,” Kim Wagemester said, Cedar Rapids native who was visiting Pots and Shots for the first time. As I sat down, I took a deep breath of relaxation with sights of green all around me. There were hundreds of propagated leaves including Monstera clippings larger than my head down to the smallest String

of Pearls I have ever seen, filling every inch of the window sill. Hanging from the ceilings were complex black iron lights that set the mood of the entire bar, making it just dark enough to feel warm and cozy but bright enough to see every intricate detail of the surrounding plants. Along with the lights were wooden dark brown ladders that were wrapped with viny Pothos all over the ceiling, leaving no square inch of the area plant-less. One of the walls had a mural of Monstera leaves painted in different hues of green. “Even though there were hundreds of plants between the bar area and the houseplant store, they almost made the space seem bigger than what it was. The entire area felt open and inviting,” Miranda Greathouse, a graduating senior at Grand View University said. I chose to sit close to the full sized bar that was once a cigar lounge. The old character from the lounge was prevalent within the design with the dark wood features and glass casing. There was also a TV mounted to the wall playing YouTube plant videos all throughout the night. I was greeted with thick paper menus the size of a postcard, neatly clipped onto a mini clipboard. On the front of the menu were 10 signature cocktails priced at $12 each. Each cocktail had different variations of alcohol with some including vodka and Triple Sec and others including Bacardi

and Captain Morgan. On the next page, four different specialty shots were listed at $8 each and ranged in different flavors with one using coconut water as one of its additives. The rest of the menu included the typical bar drinks of tap beer, wine, bottled beers and canned options. There was also a hefty list of “Old Favorites” that included a Margarita, Mimosa, Paloma and other regular mixed drinks. The rest of the menu included Happy Hour that goes from 2pm-6pm every day except for Saturday, and gives a discount on select wine glasses, well drinks, bottled beers and non-specialty shots. I began the night by ordering the Single Village: WDSM. It included Vida Single Village Mezcal, Dolin Blanc, Luxardo Maraschino, pineapple, mango, lemon, cilantro and chili. The drink came out in a pale orange glass with a salt and spice mixture filled rim with a microgreen placed neatly on top. Upon my first sip, my tastebuds were filled with the tropical mixture of the fruit and it soon cut to the smokeyness of the tequila that quickly mellowed out, leaving me to want another sip.

“The bar manager and I actually created The Single Village: WDSM. It was actually called Waukee Water before we added the pineapple flavor,” the bartender said, searving our drinks. “I love how creative I can be when making drinks. I feel as though I have the freedom to make different drinks or make whatever the customer wants.” Greathouse ordered the Farmer’s Market which included Pimm’s, Absolut Citron, Champagne, lemon, Agave and fruit. This is the most ordered drink on the menu. It was extremely bubbly and light, making me think of going to brunch on Sundays with my girlfriends. This drink was garnished to the nines with different variations of cut up fruit and microgreens. One thing that caught my attention while watching the bartender create my drink is that they use fresh microgreens to garnish the drink. The microgreens are locally sourced and bought in bulk almost every day. It was the touch of care and love that shows the customer that they are also paying for the experience and quality. After getting a little bit of liquid cour-

age, I made my way over to the home plant shop which closed at 6pm, earlier than the bar. From the outside I could see the wide array of plants for purchase, but there were also pots, plant hangers, merchandise and plant care items. “I would say that there is a healthy mixture of both people wanting to buy plants but also people only wanting to get a drink. I wouldn’t say there is more than the other,” the bartender said. With Pots and Shots being the first of its kind in West Des Moines, it is a destination that I would recommend to anyone, even those that are not interested in plants. It is a one of a kind experience that leaves the customer with a lasting impression. Even though it is about 12 miles away from GV, I have added it to my list of favorite places in Des Moines. “(I’ve) never been to a bar so refreshing or rejuvenating before. Bartenders were so friendly and the drinks were so cleverly designed as well as delicious! I could sit there for hours,” Wagemester said.

By Caleb Grizzle | Provided Photos| Designed by Caleb Grizzle Lin Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s Off-Broadway musical, “tick, tick… Boom!” is an excellent, eclectic musical ode to a passionate creator that the world lost too soon. Jonathan Larson died from an aortic aneurism at the age of 36, on January 25th, 1996, the night before his first ever Broadway hit, “Rent,” would be previewed. Larson never was able to see the success and inspiration that his play created. Miranda himself has cited “Rent” as one of the many life changing and career inspiring experiences that he had as a young composer.

What is “tick, tick… Boom!” anyway? “tick, tick… Boom!” is an autobiographical musical written by Jonathan Larson that recounts his experiences attempting to successfully escape his life as a broke, paycheck-to-paycheck composer by finally selling and producing his potential Broadway hit, “Superbia.” The Netflix film adaptation directed by Miranda, stars Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry. Garfield shines in his performance as Larson, winning the 2021 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Musical for his role. The star-studded and talented cast draws the audience in with their emotionally charged performances and infectious charisma. This is most prevalent on one of

the soundtracks most joyful and simplistic songs, “Boho Days.” One of the most visually engaging sets featured in the film occurs during the song, “Swimming.” Larson’s creative safe space was his local swimming pool, each stroke within the cold pool sparking a little more clarity amidst the emotional pressure of his deadlines and relationship turmoil. This set was unique with the use of underwater shots and Larson’s lyrical mapping presented on the floor of the pool, utilizing the lane lines as the staff of his musical sheet. A simple overhead shot of the pool revealed each note to the song Larson was struggling to finish in time for the musical to be seen. One of the more moving songs within the soundtrack of the film was, “Come To Your Senses,” performed by Shipp and Hudgens. The film cuts between Shipp’s character, Susan, who is Larson’s love interest, and one of the play’s cast members, Hudgen’s character, Karessa. The song captures the tension and turmoil of Larson’s relationships as he strives for success within his craft. The line that captures it all so well: “You can feel again, you don’t need a music box melody to know what I mean.” This simple plea for Larson to experience life without the use of music to process and experience its most challenging moments captures a key character trait of Larson well. The final track from the musical, “Louder Than Words,” brings Larson’s experiences full circle, with reflective questions

that burst forth into his mind through his creative process. This list of questions asking, “why?” that Larson collects throughout the musical lay the groundwork for a rambunctious presentation of his passion. Larson questions throughout the song the need for catastrophes to spark revolutions. He desires a revolutionary change in the type of care and support his friends that have contracted HIV have access to. Larson, wrestling with the pain of the world and the desire for change, shines brightest on this song. The clock on his life ticks by fast as his friends’ lives have flown by in a heartbreaking fashion due to HIV, leading to the title of the whole musical, “tick, tick… Boom!” The song closes with no lyrics but a simple piano playing the closing part of “Happy Birthday,” a simple callback to the opening song “30/90.” The opening track, “30/90” laments the torrid pace of time and its crushing effect on our dreams that we chase. “tick, tick… Boom!” is an excellent film that captures the creative process of a talented artist that missed out on seeing the success of his own work due to his untimely death. The film is filled with exciting, catchy musical tracks, emotionally gripping moments and impressive visual sets that capture the message of the film well. Miranda’s film provides the opportunity for a window into the adventures of play writing and dream chasing. Play writing might be a foreign experience to many but dream chasing is the common denominator that makes “tick, tick… Boom!” a must watch.

“30/90” The energetic track that opens up the musical follows Larson’s greatest fear, the year 1990, the year he turns 30. “Stop the clock, take time out,” Larson sings, pleading to pause life so he can be farther along in his career than he is as time flies by. The opening track does an excellent job of capturing the tone of the film with its frantic pace and and impactful lyrics. The line that captures it all: “They’re singing, ‘Happy Birthday.’ You just wanna lay down and cry. Not just another birthday, it’s 30/90.”

“BOHO DAYS” This simple song, only 1:29 in length, sets the scene of Larson’s homey but rundown apartment that involved a “revolving door of roommates” where the shower was in the kitchen and the toilet was in the closet. The song is performed in the film during a party, when Larson acts on an impromptu burst of joy and a little bit of alcohol to sing a simple tune to help him find the joy in his life. This song is performed very early within the film and it captures Larson’s charisma so well. This charisma draws the audience in for an emotional and artistic expression of his life experiences. The line that captures it all: “The ship is sort of sinking, so let’s start drinking before we start thinking, is this a life?”

By Rob Luke | Provided Photos |Designed by Caleb Grizzle One of the most recognizable superhero characters in movie history, Batman, hit the big screen once more this March. Over the last 50 years, Batman movies have been among the most popular superhero films worldwide. The first actor to portray the Dark Knight was Adam West who kicked it all off by appearing as the first live action Batman in the 1960s ABC series and subsequent 1966 feature film. The next actor to play Batman was Michael Keaton in the late 80’s. Keaton, who may be one of the most recognizable actors to ever play the Dark Knight, starred in two movies in 1989 and 1992. Val Kilmer appeared as Batman in 1995 but It was not long until the next actor took on the role of the Dark Knight. George Clooney played Batman in 1997 with the colorful and campy movie, Batman and Robin. Not until 2005 would Batman return to theaters with Christian Bale starring as the Caped Crusader in the critically acclaimed, Christopher Nolan, Dark Knight Trilogy. Ben Affleck was featured in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016 and “Justice League” in 2017. The final actor who recently has taken up the role of Batman is Robert Pattinson. The variety of actors mirrors the evolution of the character in movies as Batman has returned to his comic book form, as a gritty, brooding night-time vigilante. The most recent Batman movie, starring Pattinson, presents a new take on the character in a few interesting ways. In

this movie, Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis. That is all I can disclose to our readers without spoiling it because this is a movie that is worth seeing for yourself. One thing that has changed about the Batman movies is the villains that Batman has fought throughout the movies, they have evolved in each of these movies just like Batman has in their own way. This Batman movie did a lot of things so well, many people are saying it surpassed the Dark Knight Trilogy. The first thing that this film did well was the intensity. One example of this gripping intensity is the nature of this mysterious villain in this movie. The mysterious villain contributed well to that the investigative side of Batman, providing intrigue and adventure for Batman to incorporate intelligence with his brute force. Robert Pattinson’s Batman will take any means necessary to find the truth. In conclusion “The Batman” film is a movie you should check out for yourself as it is an intense thrill ride, and it will not only be an edge-of-seat movie, but it willkeep you guessing up until the very end.

American UNDERDOG

By Rob Luke | Provided Photos| Designed by Caleb Grizzle American Underdog is a movie about Iowan Kurt Warner and his rise from grocery store bagger to NFL MVP. This is a good clean family film that is for anyone, sports fan or not. The American Underdog movie starts by detailing Kurt’s struggling football career at UNI and in large his dream of playing in the NFL. Eventually, after not getting drafted with the NFL he decided try out for the Iowa Barnstormers, who are members of the Indoor Football League. The movie shows Kurt’s success on the field with the Iowa Barnstormers, but also his struggles personally and professionally as he has still not given up on his dream to play in the NFL. Eventually, the St. Louis Rams come knocking on his door and recruited him from the Barnstormers. Kurt Warner is an Iowan who played football for UNI, The Iowa Barnstormers, and eventually played 12 seasons in the NFL. I am not going to give away the ending of this movie, however, if you are a football fan, you’ll know what happens. This is a great movie with an encouraging message to never give up on your dreams. Zachary Levi does a great job playing Kurt Warner and even for a moment I almost thought it was him. The movie does a good job of representing Iowa and is really a reflection of

Kurt Warner’s success as a person with a message to all. Monte DeArmoun of Northwood, Iowa said “Overall, I liked the movie.” However, DeArmoun was disappointed that they did not show UNI with a dome and the Iowa scenes were not true life. “I’ve also been in the establishment were the Warner’s met and it didn’t look like that,” DeArmoun said. Other reviews highlighted how well the actor Zachary Levi did in portraying Kurt Warner. Now some of things that movie critics have said about the film is that this movie may not be an instant sports classic on the big screen, but audiences are still paying to watch it and some critics say it’s a movie worth seeing. Today Kurt Warner has long since retired from the NFL after 12 seasons, two teams and three trips to the Super Bowl. He is the only undrafted NFL player ever to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. On weekends, instead of gutting it out on the gridiron, he sometimes guest stars as an analyst for the NFL Sunday games and he runs a non-profit organization with his wife, Brenda. That is when he’s not traveling to see his son play for Kansas State. Not bad for a bag boy.

APARTMENT GUIDE By Karleigh Halpin | Design and Graphics By Camden Blowers

After four years of college and living on campus, there comes a time where it is time to move away from the college scene and move into an apartment or house, if that is the next step in life. Apartment shopping can be stressful and a time commitment, but there are things to look for while shopping so you can compare and contrast. Viewfinder put together a list of different apartments in the Des Moines and West Des Moines area that offer their own unique features.

THE WHISPER RIDGE APARTMENT HOMES 9005 Bridgewood Blvd, West Des Moines, IA 50266 • • • • • • • •

Sparkling pool Handicap accessible Playground Community room with full service kitchen Lake with fountain Fitness room Pet-friendly 3.2 star review

THE LINC THE FLATS ON 5TH 7109 SE Fifth St, Des Moines • • • •

Sparkling pool and hangout area Free parking Fitness center Free bike racks and garages available for rent • Pet-friendly and allows up to two cats and dogs • 3.4 star review

THE FLUX APARTMENTS 1400 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA 50309 • Hot tub and pool • Balconies overlooking downtown Des Moines • Underground heating garage • Fitness center • Controlled access entry • Outdoor community hangout area and fire pit • Pet-friendly • 4.8 star review

210 SW 11th St, Des Moines, IA 50309 • • • • • •

¾ mile walk to Court Ave District Swimming pool Community clubhouse Private outdoor balconies 2-story gym Vaulted ceilings and stainless steel appliances • Pet-friendly and dog park • 3.6 star review

WATERMARK AT JORDAN CREEK 6455 Galleria Dr, West Des Moines, IA 50266 • • • • • •

Two minutes from Jordan Creek Mall Heated resort style pool with cabanas 24-hour maintenance 24-hour fitness center Detached garages Clubhouse with TV’s, Kitchen & Coffee bar • Pet-friendly • 4.3 star review

Throughout Des Moines and West Des Moines, there is a plethora of options for different apartments. It is guaranteed that there is a place for everyone.

JACKSON CROSSING 100 Jackson Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315 • • • • • • • •

Spacious luxury floor plans Community garden Grills and bonfire pits Downtown location Fitness center Patio and balcony options Pet-friendly and dog park 3.9 star review

LO W IN C O M E R ES TR IC TED A PA RT M E N T S : TH ES E A R E A PA RTMEN TS WIT H I N C O M E C A P S TH AT D ETER MIN E ELIGI B I L I T Y, H ELP IN G LO W-IN C O ME FA MIL I E S F I N D A FFO R D A B LE H O U S IN G .

Dancer Early Retirement By A shlee Seaton | Photos by A shlee Seaton| Designed by Paula Borda

Although early retirement is a common phenomenon among all professional sports, the reason for athletes to retire from competitive dance is more complex compared to others. Just like all other sports, injury is the leading cause of retirement among dancers. However, there are other factors such as eating disorders and failure to find company jobs that also lead to career-ends. One of the more controversial reasons for retirement is because of dancers wanting to start families and getting too old. One example is from the world-famous Rockettes, who on average get cast at the age of 18 and close the curtain to their professional career within 10 years of performing. Most dance companies, such as the Rockettes, have practices up to six hours or longer each day of the week; which can make it difficult for anyone who has a young family or wants to start one. Although starting a family is a common reason why many dancers retire, there are also plenty of examples of professional dancers who have kids and continue their careers years after. Photographer Lucy Gray captured moments with a handful of Prima Ballerinas who started a family in the middle of their professional career. The definition of a Prima Ballerina is “the

principal female dancer in a ballet company.” Gray published all of the photos in a book called Balancing Acts, which shows the excitement and struggles of having a family while in the industry, such as bringing a child to the rehearsal room and having to quickly breastfeed while in between performances. High school, college or even professional dancers may also have to quit the sport because of the severe mental abuse that they endure. More specifically, dancers tend to suffer from eating disorders. Jon Arcelous, Professor in Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, conducted a study to systematically compile and analyze the rates of eating disorders in dancers. In this study, he found that dancers tend to have a three times higher risk than the average person to suffer from eating disorders compared to non-dancers. Anorexia nervosa was the most commonly found eating disorder, closely followed by bulimia and EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified). One dancer at Grand View University, who chose to stay anonymous for this story, reflected on their time doing competitive dance in high school. “I loved it (dance), I really did... It was just really hard ‘cause there were some days

where I had to log my food and give it to my ballet instructor for her to judge. I always ate too much food and ended up cutting to almost 500 calories a day just to seem good enough for her,” anonymous said. The development from these eating disorders is dangerous to highly active people and can lead to heart problems and in some cases death. Some notable professional dancers, Heidi Guenther and Vera Ellen both died due to complications from their eating disorders. Ellen suffered from bulimia while Guenther suffered from anorexia which led to cardiac arrest. The dancer at GV said, “I had to quit dance. I went to therapy for my eating struggles and finally decided it was best for my mental health and physical health to quit, which was hard but I was getting injured a lot from lack of nutrition.” Injuries in the dance industry are just as common as other sports, but they are usually ‘created’ differently and are difficult to fix. Most dance injuries are caused by overuse and/or using a specific joint or muscle incorrectly, which makes recovery harder since the body does not remember how to use the joint correctly. According to Kalter Physical Medicine in New York, Patellar Tendonitis (also known as

“Jumper’s Knee”) is an injury “at the base of the kneecap (patella)... usually caused by overuse, especially from jumping activities.” Other common injuries for dancers include concussions, snapping hip syndrome, labral tears, hip flexor tendonitis, achilles tears, ankle impingement, metatarsal and tibia fractures, lumbar spine fractures and severe arthritis in a wide variety of joints. Abigail Peiffer is a sophomore on the Grand View University Dance Team (GVDT) who is currently suffering from a knee injury, “[I’ve been dancing for] 16 years and I broke my wrist, broke my hip twice, I had nerve damage in my feet, I’ve now torn my meniscus three times.” Peiffer completed her third meniscus surgery in late March and hopes to be fully healed for her third season on the team. Peiffer is not the only one on the GVDT currently suffering from injuries. Out of the 28 dancers there are currently six going through different sorts of hip and knee injuries. Kiersten Latham, senior and captain on the team, has been dancing since she was two and has gone through six hip surgeries due to hip dysplasia in both of her hips. “The first time I had hip dysplasia was my freshman year of high school and I thought I was just going to have to end my career there. I decided to push through the pain, which is a bad idea, and ended up having my first surgeries my junior year,” Latham said. Since these injuries tend to start weeks to years before it becomes a serious problem, how can a dancer avoid a career ending injury that long in advance? The habits for avoiding injuries are starting to be coached early on with young dancers since the average age kids start the sport is three to five years old. Although coaches do focus on these habits such as stretching, some coaches can turn the warm-up into an injury-prone exercise.

Jayda Roethler, a sophomore GVDT member said, “I remember my coaches putting weights on us or stepping on us so we could get our splits down faster.” Iowa CATS All Stars in Urbandale, Iowa uses ankle and wrist weights that are a pound each during each one of their practices to make the dancers stronger during each routine. Although this exercise has possibly led the team to multiple national and world titles, it has also progressively caused hip and knee injuries for their current members and alumni. The team has a wide variety of athletes who have gone on to dance for college teams and a variety of athletes that have had to quit due to injury. Stacie Horton, the head coach of the GVDT said, “About 8-10 (dancers) have had to stop completely. A lot of it was because of over-

use, they danced on (not fully healed injuries) for so long they just become too weak.” So, what do dancers do when they have to retire from the sport they love but cannot seem to move on from it? The one big answer is to become a coach, choreographer or instructor for any team or studio/company. Horton danced throughout high school and was on the University of Iowa Pom Squad (which is what it was referred to at the time) before being offered and accepting a job with the Iowa Barnstormers as their dance team coach for a few years. She then decided to settle down and have a family, which did not stop her passion for dance and led her to start the GVDT program 20 years ago. Kelsey Nichols suffered from a number of ankle injuries in college where she even danced with a boot on or took it off temporarily to compete. Nichols is now an assistant coach for the GVDT and is the head choreographer that helped bring home a Judges Choice Award at the Iowa State Dance Team Association’s 2021 State Championships. “I want to keep teaching (after this year),” Latham said. “I teach at a studio right now in Waukee called Premier Dance Project, and I love it.” Although Latham would love to continue dancing after college, she is currently dancing through two torn labrums that will need to get fixed once she graduates. Latham, just like Horton and Nichols, has been carrying on their passion for the sport by coaching the next generation of dancers. Through the thick and thin, and all the blood, sweat and tears, dance has always been there for them. This also goes for every athlete on the GVDT and each dancer around the world. It may be a sport that is short-lived but it makes every second in the studio and on the stage worth everything.

B y B r i t s a hn a Na n th a n o ra th Ph o to s B y Ma yel i J ime n e z De s i g n ed B y Ma yel i J ime n e z

The Picker Knows, an antique mall located in West Des Moines, is home to hundreds of vendors, selling classic and vintage furniture, baseball cards, record players, classic albums and vintage clothing. A new section of the store, The Archive, is a vintage clothing shop that was created by Phoenix Lee, and Boey Lu. The two of them had a business prior to The Picker Knows, (VintagexHype and Rise Again Vintage) and have grown their business into something that they are proud to be a part of. The Archive supplies classic thrifted items, from streetwear to vintage clothing, and curates the best thrifted items to be put for sale. The antique mall gives opportunities to any small business or person to create and provide their own business inside of the shop. Lee and Lu believe that it is important to shop vintage instead of fast fashion items because it impacts the environment in a positive way. The fast fashion industry is responsible for a lot of greenhouse gas emissions that cause negative effects to the environment, creating various kinds of pollutants. They are playing their part by keeping the environment eco-friendly and sustainable. “We contribute a good, curated selection of vintage items inside of The Vintage Shop. It is a one-stop shop and you can see already found, thrifted items for people to purchase,” Lu said. “We had two of our own companies and we decided that we cannot have two names. We pondered a bunch of names and we stumbled across The Archive. I trusted Phoenix to work together for vintage, and we came together to become one business,” Lu said. Overall, their business has grown inside of The Picker Knows, through pop-up events and recognition. “Since we’ve been there, our social media has grown because we have our own tags and people see that,” Lee said. They curate a collection of clothing anywhere from the 70s to the 2000s. Lu checks inventory for The Archive and makes sure everything that is being sold to the public is appealing to their customers. They are very selective about what they sell, selecting rare pieces of clothing and classics. The Archive has been a business for over three years, starting in 2019, bringing in their business inside of The Picker Knows in 2021. The co-owners Lee and Lu used to have another vintage business called, “Illest Around” that closed. Now, they have incorporated vintage from the Illest Around to bring to The Archive, while previous clients are still supportive in coming to see the new vintage section. Lu has been pushing vintage for the past ten years

Vintage in dsm

and their business is growing. The community has shown appreciation and support for vintage clothing. “We have grown to gear towards new people and getting new inventory and not sticking to what we used to have,” Lu said. “Vintage used to be looked down upon, but over the past couple of years people are becoming more hip to it,” Lu said, “It is now a whole new era, it is more appreciated, and people love to do it”. The Picker Knows gives an opportunity to people who want to sell their classic and unique items and discover vintage items. The opportunities are awaiting those who want to sell their personal collections to the store. Having The Archive business in the store has brought attention to the people of Des Moines who are looking for thrifted clothing that suits their style. The Archive is a successful thrifting business that was created by two determined business partners that are passionate about vintage-wear.

22 22

IN YOUR CORNER

By Mike Knox | Photos by Donminic Goosby | Designed by Karleigh Halpin Grand View has many faculty members dedicated to student development and success such as tutors, academic advisors and athletics coaches. These mentors are placed around campus to help students whenever they are struggling and to ensure they have support. GV also competes in 26 sports and has over 800 student athletes that need to be certified and maintain eligibility before every new season starts. This is where Michelle Prange comes in. As GV’s success coordinator, she would describe her role as being the “liaison between the academic side and athletics side of campus” and that it is fulfilling helping students achieve their goals and watching them succeed. Currently in her 14th year at GV, Prange says she is “like a mom to 800.” She connects with all sports teams at GV to make sure that there would not be any problems with a student being able to participate. Prange helps student athletes with planning schedules and staying on top of their work in their classes. Prange, born and raised in Madrid, Iowa, started her collegiate career at GV in 1987. She played softball for the Vikings before graduating in 1992 with a degree in elementary education. “Grand View has changed so much,” Prange said. “That’s the fun part of coming back full circle.” Upon graduating, Prange went into the education field and started working with kids. She attributes her passion for working with students to her now father-

in-law. While she was in college, her father-in-law worked as the at-risk coordinator at Saydel High School. While being a substitute teacher for a year, Prange would fill in for her father-in-law at the school. Prange says that is where her inspiration to work with students started. “That was the initial click for me to just work with students who struggled in the classroom or just with life, it just became a passion of mine to figure out the why,” Prange said. “Just being able to have that opportunity to help someone every day.” Before accepting the position of success coordinator at GV in 2008, Prange spent time working with the public school system, teaching at-risk youth and helping decrease the drop-out rate. “I taught eight years of middle school and eight years of high school,” Prange said. “I never envisioned teaching above elementary, but it was like a vocation for me, you never know you like something until you try it.” Prange considers college students as still being kids and still having a lot of development to go through. College can be a completely different environment for many students and at the same time, can also hold a tougher and more rigorous academic schedule than what most students can be used to coming out of high school. This leads to students not doing their best in their classes, not wanting to participate in their athletics, and sometimes wanting to go back home. Prange works with students to

get through those obstacles and it can change a student for the better and provide an extra push needed to help them improve. Personally, I was introduced to Ms. Michelle Prange at the start of my time at GV in 2018 and our relationship has grown tremendously since then. She allowed me to come visit her office whenever I felt I started to struggle with a class, had a problem that did not relate to school or to just talk to her. She would help me with planning out semesters, registering for classes and even working through assignments with me to make sure I stayed ahead of my work. She would tell me that her door was always open, for anything. During my last semester, I could not wait to get to her office and tell her how excited I was to graduate and my plans after. Her welcoming demeanor is warming to students and is what makes her special to so many students. For many students, college is their first time being away from home without the guidance and support of their parents, but Prange has been at GV to provide that same support so students can stay focused, and feel like they have someone in their corner at all times. “I know there are always bumps in the road, and we try to talk you through those bumps and to keep persevering,” Prange said. “Sometimes that light bulb just hasn’t turned on yet, but when it finally does turn on and to see the success is what it’s all about. It’s the greatest feeling.”

weatherly for legislature Written by Sami Hallaway| Photos by Erick Villar| Designed By Taylor Thomas

“We the People” is a phrase that is engraved into the minds of Americans at a young age. As children, they are taught that they have the power to choose their leaders, the opportunity to represent their people and the right to have their voice heard. We the People. But how often does one really see themselves represented through their elected officials, much less have the opportunity to know them before their time on Capitol Hill? Perhaps this opportunity is far more available than one may think. After all, one of Grand View University’s very own is running for state office. Adjunct professor of Business Administration, Dr. Mark Weatherly, is running as the Republican candidate for District 39 in the 2022 Iowa House of Representatives election. Born and raised on the East side of Des Moines, Iowa, Weatherly now has the opportunity to use his experiences to represent and serve his community. “The important thing for me is that I’ve always been a continuous learner and I have valued education,” Weatherly said. “One of the reasons I teach at GV is so I can give back in an educational way to people who can glean some experience from my experiences, because it was so important to me.”

Weatherly did not take a traditional approach to further education. After working full-time and moving up in his company, Weatherly received his Bachelor of Business Management at Simpson College. After graduating cum laude and continuing to work full-time, he learned he really enjoyed going to school and learning. For him, the next step was to attend Drake University and earn a Master of Business Administration. From there, Weatherly would leave Iowa for a career opportunity but ultimately return to the Hawkeye State to raise his family. In 2010, Weatherly retired from business and went to Iowa State University to get his PhD in Educational Leadership and policy. During this process, he was recruited to develop Grandview Park Baptist School into Grand View Christian School, which has been successfully operating since its reopening in 2014. Weatherly has also been sharing in knowledge with the students at GV on and off since 2011. While Weatherly has undergone many exciting yet challenging journeys, he did not anticipate his latest: running for state legislature. After experiencing the chaotic last few years and appreciating Iowa’s response to the situation,

he was inspired to get involved in state government. What originally was a plan to volunteer or provide financial support changed, when a lobbyist, who is now a part of his campaign, asked if he would consider running for state legislature. After lots of prayers and talks with his family, Weatherly decided to run as a District 39 candidate for the Iowan House of Representatives in the 2022 election. “I want to do my part, take my turn, try to do a good job for the people of the East side, my district, and represent them well,” Weatherly said. Weatherly will be running against Democratic candidate Rick Olson who has held this area for the last 14 years. However, the region which had a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) of D+27 has changed to a PVI of D+3 with the redistricting. For those unfamiliar with the PVI, it measures how strongly a state or district leans towards the Democratic or Republican Party. So, District 39 which previously leaned quite Democratic, now has the potential to be a swing district and go either direction. State districts are redrawn every 10 years to account for changes in population. As 2021 marked the 10th year, the state of Iowa adjusted the districts which went into

effect this year. District 39 is now made up of Pleasant Hill, Sheridan Park and East Des Moines, including the east side of GV’s campus. District 39 is an area with many blue-collar individuals; however, the redistricting brought in white-collar individuals as well. Weatherly has worked in both blue-collar and white-collar careers, which gives him an interesting perspective. “I can empathize with those who are in blue-collar careers in the East side, and I can empathize with white-collar individuals. So, when I go out and ask them ‘what’s important to you,’ I’ll be able to hear it from two voices and empathize with both those voices,” Weatherly said. While Weatherly is passionate about tax law and providing opportunities for both public and private education, he also wants to understand those of District 39. A core value in Weatherly’s campaign is hearing the voices of his district in order to best represent them

and their needs. “That’s why I’m running, because I think the people’s voices need to be heard and they need to be served,” Weatherly said. While speaking out and having one’s voice be heard may sound like a daunting task, it may be easier than one may think. “I am shocked as I move through this process on if you want your voice to be heard, how easy it is for you to get involved and be a part of it. There’s vacancies everywhere for people to get involved at the state level,” Weatherly said. Weatherly has also provided opportunities for GV students to get involved through his campaign. Sophomore Seth Wilson, a finance and accounting major, just recently joined Weatherly’s campaign as the treasurer. “I’m really excited that I get to be a part of a campaign and to help Mark out and to have someone that wants for, not from people is really great,” Wilson said.

“I think he’ll do a great job.” Not only will this position provide him with professional experience in finance, but a chance to network and meet to people. “The common misconception is it’s hard to get involved, and it’s really not,” Wilson said. For those interested and wanting to learn more about state and local government in an academic setting, GV offers a State and Local Government course each spring. The Iowa State Legislature website is also a great resource to learn about legislators, find educational publications, and stay updated on important dates. For those wanting a more active form of involvement, joining student government, going to school boards meetings, or volunteering for organizations are all great options to have your voice heard. “The reason you should get involved is so that you have a voice. Ultimately, how is your voice going to be heard if you don’t get involved?” Weatherly said.

one last goal

Written by Isaac Kam| Photos by Erick Villar| Designed By Taylor ThomWith his 37th and final season coming to a close, Blair Reid’s time at Grand View has been nothing short of monumental successes. In his career as the head soccer coach, he has amassed a record of 458-25440. Reid fondly looks back at the meaningful relationships he has cultivated over his illustrious career and the significant role he had in helping establish and develop soccer in Iowa to what it is today. Reid graduated with a degree in speech pathology and completed his master’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa. Reid initially wanted to pursue a career in speech pathology, researching highfalutin and pragmatic language function in autistic children. He had envisaged himself as an educator for children who suffered from autism. Reid had a passion for this field of work where studies on this subject were very limited at the time. During this time, Reid was playing soccer at a competitive level and hoping to try out for professional teams. He spent time training while awaiting tryouts at a gym in a downtown YMCA. It was here that Reid met a gentleman by the name of John Shores, who asked if he could teach his young children how to play soccer. This was the first experience Reid had in coaching and thought this was a possible alternative in deciding what he truly wanted to do. “Coaching is teaching. I thought this was something I could do. So, after two short-lived tryouts, I made a commitment,” Reid said. Fast-forward to 1983, Reid helped create the soccer program at GV with head coach Bob Wood. He was offered a job to become a part of the coaching staff but turned it down as the job was not full-time employment. He was then offered the head coach position in the winter of 1985 and remained as head coach for 37 seasons.

The longevity he sustained throughout such a long career is admirable. He believes that passion and determination are the keys to accomplishing anything in life. “Very rarely will you achieve success right away. You have to learn your trade, absorb along the way, and just give it your all,” Reid said. This was the mentality he wanted to instill in his players. Every senior in the program receives a plaque that reads, “To be a winner, all you have to give is all you got.” Players who have come and gone through the GV soccer program have been touched by his knowledge and affection. “He is someone I can always go talk to, both on and off the field. He is a good judge of character who has helped me and my teammates become better players and better people,” said Jacob Gutierrez, captain of the GV soccer team. Within the Iowa soccer community, you will not find many people who do not know the name Blair Reid. He is a decorated coach who has been named District Coach of the Year six times, the NAIA Region Coach of the Year five times, and MCC Coach of the year nine times. He led GV to a Heart of America Tournament Championship, and made 13 NAIA National Tournament appearances, having made the Final Four in 2016. Reid will certainly be remembered as the figure who set the foundation of the soccer program here at GV. “There are so many games, so enriched with many good memories. The thing I will remember the best and most will be the relationships,” Reid said. “So many good young men who went on to do great things for themselves and their community. You suddenly realize the impact and the love you have and gave. That is priceless.”

Pen Pal Prgram By Britsahna Nanthanorath | Photos by Erick Villar | Designed by Karleigh Halpin One of the new and impactful programs the Viking Volunteers at Grand View University have to offer is the pen pal program. Students involved in the program are given the opportunity to connect with residents at two local nursing home facilities at Azria Health Park Place and Arbor Heights in Des Moines. Students write bi-weekly letters to residents creating a relationship and a bond with them. Being able to value residents of nursing homes and showing that they are cared for through these letters has changed their lives, but it has also changed the lives of the Viking Volunteer members. The president of the program, Alexis Huls, is in charge of dropping the letters off to the nursing home facilities and giving them a week or two to exchange and write letters to send to the students. Each member of the program is assigned to a pen pal, and it is a yearlong commitment of interaction and building community with these individuals. The letters are personalized with conversation about sports, holidays, and some of the residents’ experiences at GV many years ago. COVID-19 was a challenging time to interact with others at nursing homes. Both facilities were on a two-month lockdown with no chance of being able to see anyone. “Being able to drop off these letters to them, the facilitators at the nursing home absolutely loved it

because it shows them that someone in the outside world is thinking about them, even though they aren’t able to actually see them,” Huls said. The experience of writing to pen pals has made the members feel a sense of community. The patients at the nursing home act as “grandparents” to the students that are writing to them. There is importance in acknowledging that there are people that do live in nursing homes and that it is not simple for them to communicate with others in their facility. “They just want to hear about what you are doing. It is more for them than it is for us,“ said Huls. The activities director collects the letters and passes them out to the residents, who would all get together in one group. Not only are they interacting with GV students, but they are conversating with each other as well. A lot of students have enjoyed their time being a part of the program and want to stay connected with their pen pal. Students have grown after experiences of creating bonds, and learning new perspectives on life, perspectives that should not be taken for granted. One of the Viking Volunteer members, Madi Turner, has had great experiences sharing her hobbies with her pen pal. As a nursing student, she was able to connect with her pen pal from her experience with working in a nursing home and Turner learned many things from her pen pal that she

will always remember. “This does not take me very much time out of my day, but I know that it makes a big impact on somebody else,” Turner said. She believes that it is important to focus on something else other than herself and care for others. Her previous experiences with working at nursing homes gave her a new perspective of understanding the lifestyle of residents. It has made her appreciate her life, knowing the certain conditions that residents may go through like seeing family and the harsh conditions of COVID-19 that have made interactions not as accessible. “I want to be somebody that they can talk to,” Turner said. Being part of the program Turner had found many similarities between her and her pen pal. She was able to bond over the similarities that they shared. Turner’s favorite letters that she wrote to the resident were when they bonded over him being a previous science professor at GV. Volunteering has become an important part of Turner’s life and she is passionate about what she can do for others. The goal of this program is to make sure that residents in nursing homes are receiving support and assurance that they are cared for. The Pen Pal Program was started to provide a reminder on how one simple act of kindness can impact someones life.

is it really about

sports?

By Taylor Thomas|Photos by Mayeli Jiminez|Designed by Taylor Thomas Iowa has a significant history of uplifting and supporting LGBTQ rights. This year, Iowa celebrates its 13th year of marriage equality for same-sex couples as well as its 15th anniversary of adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Iowa Civil Rights Act. However, these wins did not come without a fight. Opponents of LGBTQ rights have not given up but rather changed direction. On March 3, 2022, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill she has been asking to see come across her desk for a year. House File 2416 (HF 2416), better known as the Trans Sports Ban or Trans Athlete Ban, immediately prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in school sports from kindergarten through college, including the NCAA and NAIA. Reynolds has pushed this topic under the guise of a “fairness issue,” saying that she is protecting girls’ sports from the physical advantages of “biological males.” The bill says nothing about transgender males competing in men’s sports. The idea that cisgender women, women whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth, has been disproven on more than one occasion. A study conducted by Dr. Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, analyzed the athletic performances of transgender athletes in the Air Force. The study shows that by the second year of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the results were on par. “The performance of the transgender women was indistinguishable from the performance of the average cis woman in the Air Force,” Roberts said. Although these accusations have been proven false, the attacks on the transgender community have continued to rise. Since 2016, Republicans have had control of all three chambers of government in the state of Iowa. Since then, LGBTQ equality has decreased, and the willingness to entertain anti-LGBTQ policies has mirrored the growth of the Republican party in Iowa. Anti-LGBTQ policies and laws aim to limit or dismantle LGBTQ rights. In 2020, 14 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced to the legislature. In 2021, the number increased to 15 bills. And in 2022,

28 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced, 14 of them being targeted directly at the trans community and more specifically, transgender youth. Besides the Trans Sports Ban, examples of anti-LGBTQ bills include denying medically necessary care for trans youth, preventing transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity and allowing for discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, foster care, adoption and more. The growing rate of anti-transgender legislation is reflected nationally as well. Numbers have continually increased from 35 bills in 2019 to 100 bills in 2020, 180 bills in 2021, and approximately 250 anti-transgender bills in 2022. So, is it really about protecting women’s sports? Keenan Crow is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at One Iowa, and they are the primary lobbyist at the statehouse while the legislative session is happening. Crow also runs field campaigns, works with candidates, constructs endorsements and runs the policy and advocacy side of the organization. Crow compared the Trans Sports Ban to a widely known case following marriage equality. In the “Gay Wedding Cake” case, a baker in Colorado refused to sell a samesex couple a wedding cake; the controversy being whether a baker should have to sell same-sex couples wedding cakes or not. “Was it ever really about the cake?” Crow asked. “No, it wasn’t. It was really about picking the flimsiest issue among political moderates.” Crow believes that bills of this nature are being used by the Republican party to score political points. Banning transgender women and girls from playing sports resonates the best with moderate voters and some democratic voters so long as the narrative that it is to protect the fairness and equality of women’s sports is being pushed. However, there are real issues plaguing the fairness and equality of women’s sports. Women’s athletics face higher rates of physical and sexual assault, they receive less media coverage, less money, less resources, and fewer scholarships.

“If folks were actually concerned about fairness and actually concerned about improving women’s sports, they would tackle any of those things first,” Crow said. Because Grand View is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), this law impacts GV as well. Troy Plummer, Director of Athletics at GV, says that the school will follow state law banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports, but will continue to follow NAIA policy regarding transgender male athletes. However, the law does not exclude transgender women in other states from competing in NAIA events that are hosted in the state of Iowa, so long as they are compliant with NAIA regulations. Plummer says that GV will deal with any situation as it arises. “I believe that everyone deserves to be supported,” Plummer said. Crow, One Iowa and several other organizations and coalitions are working together in the fight for LBGTQ equality, but nothing happens at the statehouse with just one person or organization. “We’re all working very hard to mitigate the damage that this is going to do to trans kids across the state,” Crow said. Some of those actions include lobbying people at every level, including the governor, having one-on-one conversations with state representatives, getting LGBTQ members and their allies to call their representatives, organizing events and getting people to testify at public hearings. Hearing the voices of parents and children impacted by these laws, as well as the opinions of medical and mental health professionals, help keep legislators, school officials and the public well-informed. If those voices are never heard, people cannot make an informed decision—even if they don’t agree. Ankeny, Iowa is home to one charismatic, talkative, soon-to-be-seven-year-old Lily Bjorklund, a transgender first-grader who was recently featured on KCCI after speaking at an Ankeny School Board meeting on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Lily understands the importance of speaking up and sharing her story. Her adoration

for conversation makes her the perfect candidate for the job. “I wasn’t sure how she would be at that public setting. But when we walked out, she was on cloud nine,” Jill Bjorklund, Lily’s mom, said. Jill said that Lily’s school was very accepting, and there were no issues changing her name, pronouns or gender marker. The transition at school was easy after COVID-19. Lily had not seen most of her classmates in person since she came out. “At my school, there aren’t too much bullies actually,” Lily said. “My class accepts me.” Lily loves to run around, but she is not really into sports right now. However, having that option taken out of the mix leaves very little wiggle room for her to find her thing. She is currently taking dance classes and does not enjoy it as much as she originally thought she would, so they are looking into different activities that she might enjoy, like gymnastics. When Lily first came out, her family tried to keep her in a safe little bubble, innocent to the world around her. They

continue to champion queer representation, whether it is through television, books or social media. Lily has become accustomed to seeing the trans community succeeding, but does not always understand how big of a deal it is. “She doesn’t quite understand the magnitude or the severity of the hard work that has led us to where we are today,” Jill said. Although innocent, Lily is certainly not oblivious to the world around her, and the safe bubble is becoming harder to maintain as she hears news that affects her community like the Trans Sports Ban. Lily’s response has been and continues to be nothing short of admirable. She has made videos for legislators, spoken to politicians and presidents, and attended LGBTQ positive events, like the Trans Lives Rally recently held at the Capitol. Lily knows the importance of representation, or in six-yearold terms, why it is important for other people to see kids like her. “If they don’t see kids like us they’ll probably say, ‘They’re freaks’ or ‘They’re monsters’ and ‘They aren’t supposed to be here,’ which is kind of cruel because

we are all humans. It’s okay to be different,” Lily said. “So it’s kind of important to see different people so you aren’t just used to only this.” Advocating for LGBTQ equality goes beyond simply being an ally. Having tough conversations with friends and family members, coworkers, teachers and peers about why trans rights are important is a good start toward making change. By lessening the myths, misunderstandings and misinformation surrounding the transgender community, the harder it will become for opponents to spread misinformation successfully. Other ways to support the transgender community include: • Following One Iowa and One Iowa Action on social media • Signing up for One Iowa’s “Action Alert” system (rapid response system to quickly get in contact with legislators) • Showing up to events and rallies that support the LGBTQ community • Donating to any of the organizations listed above • TALKTO YOUR LEGISLATORS

GV Sexual Assault By Ashlee Seaton | Designed by Ashlee Seaton *Pseudonym was used to protect the identity of the student On a weekend during November of 2021, Amanda* was out at the bars with some of her friends when one guy (large and muscular) kept bothering her and refused to leave her alone. He started touching her inappropriately over and over again even when she and her friends told him to stop. “I would try to walk away or push his hand away but he was too strong for me to do anything. I was like a rag doll,” Amanda said. She was then dragged away from her group by the man and he ordered an Uber to go back to campus. Her phone was dead so she could not contact her friends for help or let anyone on campus know what was going on. They headed back to campus where she offered him to sleep on her bed and she would sleep on the couch. “I don’t remember a lot to be honest. I’ve just tried to cut it all out of my memory,” Amanda said. She could not see much because she was crying the whole time and was begging

for him to stop. Amanda got him to stop by faking a phone call from her ‘sick’ friend that needed her help. Her other friends came to take care of the abuser and got him off the campus for her. “I went up to my room in the morning and just seeing my pants and belt on the floor that was literally broken really set in what happened,” Amanda said. Amanda wanted to report this incident but she said she felt alone and was scared of getting harassed by the abuser and/or his friends. She has been going to counseling about the night to slowly get better and feel more comfortable going out with friends again. Due to her not being comfortable to report, she is one of many missing numbers in the sexual violence report colleges and universities recieve every year. “Sexual assault is underreported... whether that’s because someone does not know how to report or people don’t feel like they have a safe way of reporting anonymously,” direc-

tor of leadership and counseling at GV, Kent Schornack said. So, why are students not comfortable with reporting at GV when sexual violence is a harsh reality on all college campuses? According to survey results by the Department of Justice, compared to the average woman, college women are three times more likely than non-college women to experience some form of sexual abuse and only 20% of them will report to law enforcement. These acts of violence do not stop at just females, 9.7% of male students are victims and are even more unlikely to report than women. Students who identify as part of the LGBTQ community or have a disability have an increased amount of rates of sexual violence compared to students who identify as straight or do not have a disability. The Me Too movement brought to the surface questions about why victims did not report the assaulter to authorities, in a 2020 campus climate survey, victims were

able to select their reasons for not reporting. These included the instance being reported but not to law enforcement or Title IX, believing police could not help, not wanting to get the assaulter in trouble, believing it was not important enough to report, fear of the assaulter or their friends retaliating or thinking it was a personal issue. Recently, Jade Horning, the student success program director, made a word-flowchart with chalk on GV’s campus asking students to write down what their current fear or worry is in their lives. Multiple students who participated wrote that their worry was sexual assault on and off GV’s campus. “I wasn’t exactly scared of being sexually assualted or anything at college until I heard about it happening to one of my friends and people defending the guy who did it to her,” Amanda said. In the Spring semester of 2021, an instagram account named gvanonymous was

REMEMBER

YOU CANNOT LEGalLY GIVE CONSENT WHILE INTOXICATED started for GV students to post their own stories of sexual violence to help spread awareness of the issue on campus. Not only does the account share stories, but also provides reminders of what consent is and letting victims know that they are never alone. The first story on the account by an anonymous student wrote, “after the investigation Grand View had given me a no-contact order which did not do anything safety wise. The threats and harassment had gotten worse and led to me moving off campus for my own safety.” Another anonymous student shared, “there was a guy who had noticed me and began to touch me in places I did not want to be touched. He had forced me to make out with him. Everything he was doing was very disgusting and I was obviously uncomfortable. Nobody was doing anything… It was all very scary. Because of what happened to me, I will not be finishing my college career at Grand View.” So, how low are the statistics at colleges and universities? For total sexual criminal

offenses at GV, both on and off campus, there was one case in 2014, zero cases in 2015, two cases in 2016, one case in 2017, one case in 2018, and zero cases in 2019. In comparison, Mount Mercy College had zero cases of sexual violence in 2014 and four cases in 2015. Morningside last reported zero cases in 2015 but since then had two cases in 2016, one case in 2017, three cases in 2018 and one case in 2019. Concordia University had five cases in 2017. A possible reason why reported numbers are low is because the victim needs to go through the process of Title IX and find the assaulter guilty in court. “It literally felt like this only had happened to me. Rape is never talked about so it felt like I was so alone which was honestly the hardest part. It kept feeling like more my fault when I looked into it and there was no reports,” Amanda said. “I honestly couldn’t sleep in my bed so I would just sleep on the floor since I was too embarrassed to ask cause I didn’t think anyone would understand.” There are different ways

being discussed to avoid the issue of students feeling so alone, such as making the anonymous climate surveys public and possibly having each athletic program talk more about the issue and sharing resources. “The biggest theme that I hear and I try to support is that [the victim] just doesn’t feel that there is a point in reporting,” Emily Barnes, counselor at GV said. “They feel powerless and they feel this is something they have to deal with and get over. This is something nobody should have to feel but it is going to take huge cultural changes here at Grand View.” Barnes is actively trying to get changes implemented at GV. For her, counseling can only do so much to help a huge issue, so there needs to be difficult discussions within the GV community both for staff and students. “I have actually started researching trauma-informed website design and recommendations from other colleges to make the process easier. My hope is to make access to help faster and easier by one button

rather than searching for it,” Barnes said. In order to find resources or information on the Title IX process, students have to search “sexual assault” on MyView and find exactly what they are looking for from the search results. GV’s campus security may also be going through changes to ensure the highest level of safety for all students. According to Megan Hennigar, the director of campus security, there are no protocols or trainings that correspond with responding to sexual violence cases. As of right now, security uses “common sense” to respond to these situations. These changes may take a year or two to fully implement so knowing the current resources for yourself or a friend is important. GV has counseling services available to all sexual violence survivors and they can help students through the Title IX process if needed. There are also groups around Des Moines that can help, including the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assualt.

RESOURCES Grand View Counseling Services: kschornack@grandview.edu ebarnes@grandview.edu

Polk County Crisis and Advocacy Services 2309 Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 286-3600

Iowa Coalition Agaist Sexual Assault: 3030 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 244-7424

Mid-Iowa SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) mid-iowasart.org (515) 286-3600

Banned By Charlie Deyoe-Snyder and Jesus Martinez-Aviles | Designed by Caleb Grizzle Ankeny, West Des Moines and Waukee school districts have all recently received removal requests from parents directed towards certain titles. These districts are considering banning said titles, which some community members feel to be obscene or inappropriate for children. Some of these titles include “Lawn Boy,” “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” and “Gender Queer: A Memoir.” Lawn Boy tells the story of a young Mexican-American man discovering his sexuality, All Boys Aren’t Blue is an essay collection following the author’s journey growing up as a queer black man, and Gender Queer: A Memoir is a graphic novel detailing an asexual and nonbinary person’s adolescence. Removal requests cite explicit material as the reason the books should be removed. Some of the content being deemed explicit includes discussions of incest, rape and Gender Queer’s inclusion of a sexually-focused cartoon. All three of these books have been pulled from the Waukee Northwest High School library for review. In Ankeny, only Gender Queer has been taken off the shelves. The West Des Moines school district determined that Gender Queer would remain available in their high school library’s collection because it provided value for LGBTQ students. On Gender Queer, the minutes of the West Des Moines Superintendent’s Teaching & Learning Advisory Committee state that “Students need to be connected to school, and a book like this could help students feel that sense of belonging.” The controversy over these books, and others, is reaching the ears of those in the state legislature. State Senate President Jake Chapman of Adel recently introduced a bill named Senate File 2198 that would penalize school librarians for the distribution of certain materials. Penalties could range from monetary fines to felony charges. He also argues that it would allow for parents to have more involvement in what their kids are reading at school.

Iowa code already states that it is illegal to distribute obscene material to minors, but SF 2198 would promote the enforcement of the code and potentially change the boundaries of what is considered obscene. Under Chapman’s bill, the panels depicting sex acts in Gender Queer would constitute obscenity. Though book removal requests are increasingly common, SF 2198’s passage is not yet assured. Some more moderate Republicans have expressed concern about the harshness of the bill’s punishments, including Majority Leader Jack Whitver. In a January 28th episode of Iowa Press, Whitver said, “I think charging anyone with felonies for these types of things, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” SF 2198 would mainly focus on school libraries, as the Library Bill of Rights makes it harder to regulate content available in public libraries. Still, Des Moines Public Library director Sue Woody had a reaction to the news of the removal requests and the introduction of the bill. “We are spending a lot of time and energy that is completely displaced. The energy spent on what people can and cannot read should be spent on money, time, passion regarding literacy rates.” Woody argued that the ongoing pandemic’s effect on literacy was more pertinent than finding books to ban. Literacy rates have staggered since the onset of the COVID-19 virus, with one Stanford study showing that second and third-graders were thirty percent behind where they would be normally. “Why are we not spending our energy on kids who are so far below their reading level that by the time they are old enough to read these books, they won’t be able to?” Woody asked. Joshua Call has been an English and Honors professor at Grand View University for thirteen years. He incorporates various books which contain the controversial themes that opposing groups want to censor.

Books “Literature is the vehicle to provide experience, a lens, a perspective, of understanding things. But literature is quite simply not capable of forcing people to adopt any particular perspective,” Call said. Call sets a diagnosis for the misinterpretation of meaning from a text: the lack of reading. “People need to be reading more across the board. We are quite frankly having a crisis of literacy in our country. People increasingly do not read,” Call said. Through his experience, Call has been able to understand the value of knowing the stories that have gone untold. Call remembers the issues that the Oklahoma Public School system had with certain controversial books regarding life and the way to live it, containing themes of the LGBTQ community. “I was suspended multiple times for reading banned books,” Call said. A point Call constantly makes to his students is over the importance of engaging, or at least attempting to engage in an open conversation on literature; something people should keep in mind when wanting to prohibit books. Call encourages the educational practice of reading for students, teachers and anyone who is willing to open their minds. “Let’s keep reading and see what reading does for what we think and most importantly, how we think,” Call said. Ruby Herrera, parent of an Iowa high school student, expects her daughter to be exposed to diverse topics. “It’s important to me that she is challenged with diverse books because that’s how I want to prepare her for the world,” Herrera said. “I cannot just keep her sheltered to what I believe.” Parents being aware that not everything is in their control is important. “I’m not going to have all of the answers, so maybe books can be a source for that,” Herrera said. Emanuel Sinclair Mitchell, Deputy Director of The Des Moines Public Library

shared their passion on the purpose libraries have in communities. “Our vision is to provide information that meets the needs of our community,” Mitchell said. Mitchell describes what a job in providing literature and access to education for youth should look like. “At that point, you’re inspiring so many young individuals, making reading fun for them and opening their mind to the world. And all of this is done through books,” Mitchell said. Mitchell knows first-hand how a library should operate with regard to recent book bans. “We are just providing books that really represent our demographics. Uncensored, unbiased. Just what they do to represent our community,” Mitchell said. The main goal in literacy should be the education of the learner. “As long as we continue to push literacy and work on reading skills and keeping an optimistic and open mind, and having those courageous conversations with your kids, then I’m fine,” Mitchell said. Darcy Hankenson, a school librarian at Hubbell Elementary in Des Moines, acknowledged her worries about the bill, but was hopeful that it would not end up passing. “I believe in the power of knowledge and the power of books. I believe there are enough smart people in the world who will understand the value of them, that I don’t feel fearful,” Hankenson said. “That could be misguided, or too optimistic, but people will always try to squash things that they don’t like. That doesn’t keep them from growing up. And you know what? The things people want to squash are way too powerful for those people to squash.” Currently, SF 2198 has passed through a subcommittee and a committee, but has yet to be voted on. It is likely that it will undergo a vote before the end of the Iowa Senate’s session in April.

FACes of GV Photos by Todd Bailey |Designed by Caleb Grizzle

By Anna Paul Passionate, ambitious, timid: the three words that summarize Erin Nossaman. “When I love something it comes really naturally to me, and I want to work as hard as I can on it, and I want to become the best at that thing,” Nossaman said. Nossaman loves photography and an obvious sign of her devotion is her decision to pursue an internship in Denver, Colorado for the summer. She will spend her time working to learn more skills in the art of photography. At a young age, Nossaman said that she really wanted to learn how to do a backflip, so she saved the money to buy tumble mats and began practicing. She had no one to teach her except YouTube videos and her own knowledge of what a backflip looks like. After hours spent working at it, she was finally able to do just what she set out to do, a backflip. Along the way she developed a high level of body awareness and how to do other tricks that likely benefited her on the dance floor. “When I was choosing a college, I didn’t think dancing in college was going to be a possibility for me. But obviously it’s just in my head because now I’m here and I got chosen to be on the competition team,” Nossaman said.

By Charlie Deyoe-Snyder Jesus Martinez-Aviles wants to be a local news reporter, but more importantly he wants to tell stories. Since he was in high school, Aviles has had a strong passion for journalism. “I just fell in love with being part of the newspaper there,” Martinez-Aviles said. “And with the newspaper in high school, it came along with doing podcasts, calling people for interviews and even taking your own pictures for the articles you wrote.” Martinez-Aviles started majoring in biology but switched to majoring in communications at Grand View because it aligned more with his professional and personal goals. You can find Martinez-Aviles actively engaged with the GV community, filling the role as a multicultural ambassador and the co-president of the diversity alliance. Martinez-Aviles has a clear idea of his goals for his future career as a storyteller and he knows what is most important to him. “What’s the most important of a story, right? I’d say that it is the emotion that it gives off to the viewer,” Martinez-Aviles said.

By Jesus Martinez-Aviles Charlie Deyoe-Snyder is an aspiring writer. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, he has the intention of taking his writing to the next level in his education, profession, and life. “I remember when I was in the third grade, I was at the after-school daycare. I just started writing poetry and I sat there for like an hour. After that I was always interested in telling stories through creative writing,” Deyoe-Snyder said. Deyoe-Snyder sees himself writing stories about marginalized people and their experiences, especially those who do not have the opportunity to write it themselves. “I believe it is a good way to put change out there in a creative way,” Deyoe-Snyder said. Deyoe-Snyder’s message for his future self is to, “Keep creating things. That’s what I really enjoy doing.”

39 By Ryan Rinke Megan Mitchell shared that the transition from Eldora to Des Moines was not easy all the time. “Learning how to drive was the hardest thing. In traffic I was terrified. We had one stoplight in our town,” Mitchell said. The number of cars in Des Moines was overwhelming at times for her. Mitchell said it was a lifelong goal of hers to become a nurse. Even going as far as to take three semesters of nursing school in Iowa Falls. However, she says after the start of COVID-19 hit she had decided nursing school was not for her. After a short stint at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) to wrap up her general education courses and get acclimated to the city, she decided to transfer to Grand View. With some help from her academic advisor, Mitchell set her sights on the pursuing a career in social media marketing.

By Erin Nossaman “Everyone associated dance with me,” Paul said. Paul had spent much of her pre-teen years focusing her identity around the sport. She was devastated when her coach quit unexpectedly and she lost dance altogether. Luckily, she found another passion despite her loss, track and field. “When you sprint, you’re going too fast to think,” Paul said. “It was a way for me to let out my emotions the same way that dance was.”

By Emilia McDaniel Ryan Rinke has the instincts of a natural leader, taking over the room with just his presence. But there is more to him than what meets the eye. Rinke, a transfer student from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) has found a passion for photography and videography. This passion led him to explore the communications field. Rinke has often been told he can command a room and talk with anyone, even though at times he sees these traits to be negative, he does find enjoyment in leadership positions. “I like to pull the strings,” Rinke said. He summarized his hopes and goal for his future in five simple words. “I get money and die,” Rinke said. .

By Megan Mitchell The lights shine down, and the sound of the roaring crowd surrounds Emilia McDaniel as she guides the ball across the field and passes it to one of her teammates. They score in the final minutes of the game. The crowd cheers and the teams meet at the sidelines to shake hands. McDaniel is a sophomore at Grand View University, a soccer player and is studying English. At a young age, the Altoona resident began playing soccer on her local team. She continued to play throughout high school at Southeast Polk Community School. “It has become my entire life more or less,” McDaniel said. But soccer has taken a toll on her. “I tore both of my ACLs in high school and got those repaired and coming into college I had meniscus surgery,” McDaniel said. .While it is not easy, Emilia is ecstatic to be a part of the Vikings team. “It can be a lot, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” McDaniel said.

immersed Photographs by Mayeli Jimenez and Erick Villar

A new immersive art exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center invites Des Moines residents to consider new ways of seeing.

Attending the exhibition was an out of this world experience. Traveling from one gallery to another felt like we were travelling through time. From start to finish every gallery gifted a different emotion. The first gallery, We Carry Space and Time With Us, allowed us to feel really small while inviting us to shift our perception of reality and start to think about other worlds outside and within ourselves. The gallery 7even Stories High contribuated the most to our experience. During the whole projection, the short time each level was presented left us in a state of confusion until the last level. During the last level humanity was presented walking a neverending spiral which in matter of seconds exploded leading to the destruction of all levels. While seeing this our state of confusion turned into fear as this made us infer that if humanity continues the way it is everything we have worked for will be destroyed. This exhibition permited us to experience things we do not on a daily basis. - Erick and Mayeli

MJ 7even Stories High by Oyoram shares seven different levels which show “progress, but also the fragility of life, and how destructive behaviors by humanity must be stopped.” A person walks through a corridor in the Art Center. We Carry Space and Time With Us by Matthew Willie Garcia presents an oportunity for the visiters to experience space and time through a fantacy world film. The interactive activity at the end allows visiters to share their experience with others.

VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 5

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