Meredith Hall East Side

Student reporters are busy finishing up last minute semester projects, before they enjoy 3 months off. Be sure to check back after August 27th for all new and exciting stories.

Soil and Water Conservation week continues through Sunday.

Wallce Spearmon Photo Courtesy of AP

By Melanie Fielder
With the Olympics on the horizon, the Drake Relays promise of fast paced action almost surpassed expectations.
Competitors and fans alike witnessed a hint of what’s to come in this summer’s Olympics during the 103rd running of the Drake Relays.
One of the most notable performances would be the crumbling of Michael Johnson’s 15 year record in the 200-meter dash.
Wallace Spearmon stole the crown by only 3-hundredths of a second, with a time of 20.02. Spearmon told the media he’s idolized Michael Johnson and feels honored to be mentioned in the same sentence.
Another notable performance came from Ryan Wilson. He’s now a 3-time Relays Champion in the 110 hurdles, breaking the record he set in 2009. He clocked in at 13.20, that is the second fastest time in the world this year.
Wilson says he’s really looking forward to the upcoming Olympic trials, but first he will race throughout Europe. With this being an Olympic year, he said has to be selective about his races.
Olympic hopeful Boaz Lalang of Kenya cruised to the title in the men’s Special Mile Run. In the three Relay’s he has competed in he’s been able to wave a white flag all three times.
Lalang too, plans to head to Europe to race. Lalang has opened up his last two competitive racing seasons by competing at Drake. He won both times and said following those wins he continued onto very successful seasons.
He hopes to see the same pattern this year.
The U.S. Olympic Trials begin in late June and the 2012 Olympic games begin July 27th.

Christine Henning, a Valley High School Senior, says she feels like a princess in her $600 designer dress.

Henning’s mom and grandma split the cost of the dress.

“My grandma helped pay for some of it too because she is older and in a nursing home and so she likes to spend money on me. I’m her only granddaughter,” Henning said.

At $500 to $600 each, prom dresses can be a major investment. But other accessories add up quickly too.

A Visa survey found that families with teens are expected to spend an average of $1078 dollars on prom this year. That’s up from $807 last year.

Rhonda Deer owns Prom Elegance in West Des Moines. She says that amount is actually conservative in some cases.

“We’ve seen some gals that will buy the $700 dollar dress, $250 pair of shoes, and they’ve still got the jewelry, they’ll have their hair done, their nails done…” she said.

She also sees mostly moms footing the bill.

For Lana Pusin and her daughter Lisa, it’s laughable to think of spending so much money.

“We’re from Midwest, and originally we are from Russia…so no way,” Lana said.

As a junior at Valley High School, Lisa only spent $80 on her dress after a sale and coupon.

“I guess it’s like their one day to be glamorous like the movies,” Lisa said.

So why are girls and their moms willing to spend so much? Johnston High School Junior Emily Scott says it’s crazy that prom is like a taste of celebrity.

For some students, prom is a once in a lifetime that has no price tag.

The Visa survey also found that families making $20,000 to $30,000 are expected to spend more than $2600. That’s twice the national average.

Decker believes he will make a weekly salary of about $3000. This income will come from the three to four Tropical Sno stands he hopes to own and operate this summer. Tropical Sno is a franchise that sells shaved ice treats with more than 30 different flavors.
According to Decker, these stands can be so popular and profitable, owners have turf wars over their locations.
The stands require a lot of work, especially for someone who will be wrapping up finals, finishing out the track season, and preparing for college.
Decker has to get permits approved by seven different city departments before he can open in May. He follows hundreds of strict health codes and regulations. But this isn’t his first summer as a stand owner so he knows what to expect.

Some people don’t take him seriously, but age doesn’t mean a thing to the squealing kids of summer as long as they get their Tropical Sno.

Decker is currently in the process of finalizing the locations of his stands, but he says he’s confident he’ll have one in Crivaro Park on SE 14th in Des Moines.

While the anime club’s goal is to promote Japanese culture on campus, many Drake students studying Japanese language and society don’t think they show a complete picture.

Senior Jonathon Moore is a writing major at Drake, but he has studied the Japanese language since high school.

Though the students may not appreciate the anime club’s perspective, Japanese professor Chinatsu Sazawa thinks the club does a good job of incorporating other aspects of Japanese culture.

Those involved in the Japanese learning program at Drake fear they will lose funding and hope events like these will get more students interested in the program.