The Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market kicked off its opening day at 7 a.m. on Saturday stretching over several blocks, with the main concentration of vendors being on Court Avenue. Both vendor and consumer demand prompted the earliest opening date of the market ever; it usually begins the day before Mother’s Day.

The market featured a wide variety of food products, from jalapenos to artisan bread to homemade pasta sauce. Some foods, including burritos, Chinese food and crepes, were cooked on location, ready for passersby to purchase and eat. There were many other products as well, including jewelry, scarves and tie-dye T-shirts.

Walking down the street, thousands of shoppers traveled from flower vendors to jelly booths to watermelon stands amid the smell of a mixture of fresh bread, BBQ pork and kettle corn. Some of the shoppers held hands; others walked their dogs and still more pushed strollers and bikes down the crowded walkways. Along the street were several musicians, including a young boy playing the violin and an older man playing jazz tunes from memory on his saxophone.

“I really enjoyed the market,” said Alex Roth, a Drake junior, who had her first experience of the market on Saturday. “It was unexpected the number of people there, the variety of things being sold and how big it was.”

Although customers could buy their first farmers market produce at 7 a.m., vendors, including Gerry and Mel Bauman of Grimes, arrived to set up long before that. The couple woke up at 4 a.m., gathered their herbs and crepe-making materials and arrived downtown to set up at 5:30 a.m.

Their booth, The Farmhouse, features a variety of herbs and a skillet for making several kinds of crepes. The Baumans, along with extended family members, run the booth, which is a permanent participant of the Farmers Market.

“We’ve been coming here for 20 years,” Gerry Bauman said. “My husband was probably one of the first vendors here.”

Shoppers can check out the Baumans’ booth, plus hundreds of others’ from across Iowa and the Midwest, at the Downtown Farmers Market every Saturday through Oct. 30 from 7 a.m. to noon.

“I told her to take the dog home and leave for the day, then I think she just started cursing at me in Mandarin,” Schoneberg said. “So I yelled back.”

Eventually, another student who acted as a liaison for the abnormally large class told both to stop yelling at each other, the dog crawled back under the desk and Schoneberg continued to teach the rest of the day with a canine present.

As the international relations major struggled to control what she called her “class from hell,” 25 fellow Drake graduates taught alongside her in the booming country, while numerous others work and live in other foreign countries.

This trend of a tour of service or work abroad between college and permanent employment has become more common in recent years.

The government-run program, the Peace Corps, has placed a handful of former students abroad for two or more years as well.

No matter the program, students said they return with invaluable experience in every facet of life.

“The Peace Corps was a perfect fit,” Drake graduate Kelly Daily (’06) said. “It was a way to go out and gain experience in the field while doing something worthwhile without getting run down with a job all at the same time.”

Daly was stationed in a village in the western African country of Benin.

Though avoiding permanent employment is a common reason for taking time between graduation and the 9-to-5 daily grind, the time away morphed into more than an escape for Daly.

“What made it worth it was the people,” Daly said. “I had a lot of really great people who were supportive in my village who were really supportive and kind of took it on themselves to take care of me.”

Daly said the villagers were the main reason she extended the traditional two-year tour for a third year as a volunteer leader.

“You go in, get all this training and say, ‘OK, I’m going to do this and figure out how I’ll work after the experience and do something to help these people,’” Daly said. “But, as you do that, they end up helping you more than you could ever help them. You don’t even realize it until you’re in the middle of doing it.”

Daly has since moved back home to the Quad Cities and spent four months searching for a job. Just last week, she received a job offer from the U.S. Peace Corps office in Washington, D.C., and is waiting for her background check to clear to officially accept the position.

Not every graduate who takes a tour of service comes back with such immediate positive responses to their experience.

Kirk Martin, director of Drake’s Chinese Cultural Exchange Program, said through reviews of participant survey results, he found that graduates react more positively about the program five years after they return.

“It’s hard to tell immediately following the experience because students are not sure how it helped them yet and haven’t seen the changes in themselves,” Martin said.

But he said he stresses to students before they go that they should be ready for change.

“It changes your life in a lot of ways,” Martin said. “But no matter where you are, there you are. It’s still you. Through the challenges you’ll face, it becomes a really good opportunity to get to know yourself, quickly.”

Assistant Director of International Programs and Services/Study Abroad Jennifer Hogan said the changes students face can pose challenges when they return to the U.S.

“It’s kind of like being in a parallel universe,” Hogan said. “Everything pretty much stays the same for everyone else in your life. Most of your friends haven’t done something as profoundly different.”

As the Chinese school year nears its June close, Schoneberg said she’s more nervous to return to live in her hometown of Des Moines after 11 months in a different world.

“Coming back is the hardest part,” she said. “You’re used to that culture.”

Schoneberg, who traveled abroad to Australia and the Czech Republic before teaching in China, said another challenge is relating your experiences to loved ones at home.

“Some people will care—usually those who have done it themselves—but most people really don’t care,” she said. “You’ll have this really funny story to tell, but it’s sad because you’ll see silent nods and people who just don’t pay attention.”

The weeklong event kicked off on Monday with backyard games in Helmick Commons and a campus-wide game of Capture the Flag was held yesterday, with four flags instead of two so each hall could defend its own.

“The First-Year Finale week is something that will be a continued successful program for future first-years to enjoy,” Resident Assistant and sophomore Leeta Carlson said.

In addition to the events held during the week, students are given the chance to shed their spare change during Penny Wars. Four jars labeled with the name of each first-year residence hall are located at the front desk of each hall.

Pennies are positive points (one penny equals one point) for whichever hall the penny is donated towards. Any other change or bills counts as negative points against whichever jar—or residence hall—you choose to try and take down. All proceeds will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa.

The First-Year Finale will conclude with a barbecue in Helmick Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday that will feature various Drake bands, including VEISHEA’s Battle of the Bands winner, EGG, who has opened for bands like Fun and Motion City Soundtrack.

“It’s the first annual First-Year Finale and it’s really exciting to see it come together,” said first-year Stalnaker President Laura Vollmer. “Everybody has had a great time with it and I hope to see it continue in the future.”

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed today that Drake sophomore Ben Backstrom died from a self-inflicted single gunshot wound.

At a press conference at the Warren County Courthouse, Michael Motsinger, the agent in charge of the case, said that the gunshot wound was to his head. It was reported last Tuesday that DCI was treating the investigation as a homicide. Motsinger said that the investigation shifted toward a suicide later that week.

Motsinger gave details about the night Backstrom was found just north of Indianola hunched over a bridge. From surveillance videos and eye-witnessed accounts, he said that Backstrom parked in a lot at 12:40 a.m., 1.5 miles away from where he was found on the bridge at 1:20 a.m. Three witnesses said they saw Backstrom walking alone on Highway 65/69.

Surveillance shows that two hours prior to the 911 call, Backstrom was seen buying zip-ties at a local store. It was also revealed that his hands were zip-tied together in the front of his body.

A handgun is missing from the family residence—the weapon that Motsinger said might have killed Backstrom. He admittedly took the gun as a matter of personal protection, Motsinger said. The gun has not been found yet, however. Last week, DCI officials searched the Middle River for a weapon, but came up short.

The manner of death is still under investigation, pending the release of the autopsy report from Polk County.

Family Response

David Backstrom, the father of Ben, sent an e-mail out to the media today. In it, he said that he still feels confident that Backstrom was threatened in some manner, and that what occurred happened because of a direct threat towards Ben or his family. Here are the contents of that e-mail:

“Ben’s family would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support. We would also like to thank the Warren County DCI for their efforts and compassion during the investigation.

“We would like to share the following information that may allow others to understand what we know so that they may help the authorities resolve this tragedy.

“From information that his family knows, and was confirmed by friends and a letter that Ben left, we know the following:

“In the last month, Ben either witnessed a crime or was made to think he had. He received direct threats not to contact police. Ben received a letter on the windshield of his car with family names, details, and activities.

“We know that in the last several weeks he withdrew over $1400 from his bank account, none of which has been accounted for.

“From the letter Ben left, it appears that he was either going to meet with someone, or was instructed to go to the bridge location and sacrifice himself to ensure his family’s safety. The family is not sure if this was a prank, harassment that went too far, or an actual threat. What is clear is that Ben felt the threat to his family was real and that he felt he had no other choice but to comply.

“The family was very close and some previous discussion and his notes to the family were very open about his concerns. There is no doubt in our mind that his death was a reaction to a perceived threat. This has been confirmed by his many friends. There was no signs of depression, he had a date for Saturday’s formal, and had made lunch plans with his father for the following day.

“We were informed by DCI that Ben was shot. We have been assured that the DCI will continue to follow-up on the many leads. We also believe that there is no threat to our family or the Drake community.

“We are prepared for speculation and uncertainty around Ben’s death, and we know that the DCI is working with the information that they have and are carefully working through the evidence. We ask that if anyone has additional information, then please contact the police.

“Most importantly, everyone who knew Ben would share that he thought of others before himself in all cases. We would also like to share that Ben was a strong advocate of organ donation. This last week, 3 of Ben’s organs were successfully transplanted into 3 Iowans and one was successfully transplanted into a recipient in Kentucky.”

University Response

President David Maxwell sent an e-mail to the Drake community this afternoon, saying that no matter the situation, he will continue to focus on the wellbeing of Backstrom’s friends and family, and of the campus.

“The university continues to offer Ben’s friends and family our deepest sympathies and support during this difficult time. We will maintain our focus on providing care for those affected by his passing. In the past week, the Drake family has come together in a variety of ways to offer one another support, solace and guidance.

“I personally have been very moved by the ways in which Ben’s friends, colleagues and faculty have taken ownership of one another’s grief in an effort to share—and thus perhaps lessen—the burden. What we have seen and heard in these days gives me considerable hope that the campus community will be able to respond to this latest news with similar strength, wisdom and compassion.”

Matt Vasilogambros contributed to this article.

I am writing to invite the Drake campus community to come together at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, at the Agora on Helmick Commons, for a memorial service to celebrate the life of Drake sophomore Benjamin Backstrom, a business major from Norwalk, Iowa, who passed away earlier this week.

The service is being planned with input from students and will provide an opportunity for us, as the Drake family, to remember one of our own who quickly won the affection and respect of all who met him. As part of the service, a special tree has been selected and will be planted on the campus as a memorial to Ben. Additional information about the service will provided on the Drake Web site as the program is finalized.

As announced in the Times/Delphic, there is a memorial service at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 1, at Wakonda Christian Church, 3938 Fleur Drive in Des Moines. There is a visitation from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, April 30.

Because of limited capacity and parking at Wakonda Christian Church, church leaders have respectfully requested on behalf of the Backstrom family that we limit the number of students, faculty and staff attending, and that students who do plan to attend the church service travel by charter transportation. In response to this request, the University and the College of Business and Public Administration Student Leadership Council will provide charter buses on Saturday that will leave from the Olmsted parking lot at 9 a.m. for the service at the church. Buses will return immediately after the service.

Students who plan to attend the church service and to travel by bus should sign up in the Student Life Center by 3 p.m. Friday, April 30.

David Maxwell

Intervarsity students led the night with prayers and Bible passages as family, friends, students and faculty members filled Morehouse Ballroom in remembrance of the friendly and generous student.

“We wanted to create a space for people to come and grieve,” said Emily Hanson, a sophomore and member of Intervarsity. “This is a time for the community to come together and have a chance to heal.”

Stations were set up throughout the room, including an art contemplation area, a separate room for those who wished to speak or pray with someone privately, and posters on the walls where people could write down memories about Backstrom or send out prayers to his family.

One prayer read, “To Ben’s family and friends, Psalm 34 says that ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; to those who are crushed in spirit.’”

Another said, “Ben’s family: Your son influenced so many people in so many ways. We will always love him.”

In the dim lighting, dozens of candles glowed brightly. People were encouraged to light a candle and say a prayer for Backstrom and his family. The candles spelled out the words ‘Faith,’ “Hope’ and ‘Love.’

Strong embraces and soft music provided comfort for Backstrom’s loved ones. President David Maxwell expressed how the vigil helped even those who did not know Backstrom well to begin to deal with grief.

“These kinds of gatherings allow us to take in the burden’s of each other’s sadness,” Maxwell said. “Tonight just shows that he was a very special young man, and he touched people in a special way.”

In the midst of the somberness in the room, sounds of laughter could be heard as friends and family reminisced about Backstrom.

First-year Jared Hanel said he only had good memories of Backstrom, and that he was the most selfless person he had ever met.

“I’ve never met anyone so full of life,” Hanel said. “He was friends with everyone, even all the security and staff. He was well known in the Drake community. I really miss him.”

Hanel hoped that people saw the vigil as a celebration of life, rather than the mourning of a friend’s death.

“It shows how quickly someone can be taken away, and really how precious life is,” Hanel said. “He was always thinking of others. He went out being a hero and that thought helped me get through all of today.”

The walls were filled with similar stories. Students wrote about their first meeting with Backstrom, and how he was truly, continually kind and thoughtful.

“More than anything I remember Ben being wherever someone needed help. We miss you,” one student scribed on the memory wall.

Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari said he was glad he had Backstrom in his first-year seminar class.

“He was a terrific student and a nice young man,” Bakari said. “I would see him around campus here and there, outside of class, and he was always pleasant and always respectful.”

Bakari said he was impressed with how the students organized the event and how everyone feels the loss of a member of the university’s small, tight community.

“The students know what they need in a time like this,” Bakari said. “They are immediately there for each other. Drake students have such a grateful heart.”

During a closing prayer, over 80 people bowed their heads in silence as they remembered the vivacious, young man that Backstrom was.

“A bright smile that will never fade,” read a memory from a poster. “You will truly be missed.”

(Sarah Andrews | Photo/Design Editor)

A Drake sophomore died Tuesday afternoon after sustaining major injuries from an assault in Warren County early that morning.

Business student Benjamin Backstrom was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center after law enforcement officers found him leaning over the side of a bridge on U.S. Highway 65, four miles north of Indianola at around 1:30 a.m., according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. He was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon.

Officials are treating the case as a homicide.

The Division of Criminal Investigation will not know the cause of death until the Polk County Medical Examiners Office performs an autopsy.

There is no information available at this time regarding why Backstrom was in Warren County last night or how he ended up on that bridge.

Drake University President David Maxwell said that Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari contacted him at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and was monitoring the situation all day.

Bakari said that he has had minimal contact with the Backstrom family but did say that the family wants to keep the matter as private as possible.

“Our primary concern is with the well-being of Drake students, and we certainly want to express our condolences to the Backstrom family,” Bakari said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Bakari, who taught Backstrom in his first-year seminar on leadership, said that he will be sorely missed.

“He was involved on campus and did all the things he was asked to do in class; participating in all the activities,” Bakari said. “Perhaps a little more reserved guy, but a fun guy to be around.”

Official reports did not mention any other student involvement.

Maxwell informed the Drake community of Backstrom’s death around 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon through an e-mail. To read its contents, visit timesdelphic.com.

This is the second student death this year. First-year Victorya Van-Pelt passed away in September from complications related to upper-respiratory distress.

STUDENTS gathered for a candlelight vigil outside of Goodwin-Kirk residence hall complex to mourn the death of Drake student Benjamin Backstrom. Students shared memories and wrote messages on the sidewalk in honor of the deceased student. Students were joined by Backstrom’s family members. (Sarah Andrews Photo/Design Editor)

Sound checks are done. They become som- ber and quiet. Fans are yelling. No thoughts are going through their heads as they get ready to play.

One last deep breath. Then the music starts, and an emotional 180-degree turnaround oc- curs.

Members of the Des Moines band, EGG, go through this emotional transformation for each of their performances.

All members are students at Drake, but per- forming is their main priority. Any free time is spent rehearsing and preparing for shows.

The band recently won the Battle of the Bands competition at VEISHEA at Iowa State. They had the opportunity to open for Motion City Soundtrack, who is one of their influences, as well as Hellogoodbye.

“It was sweet to open for them,” Dawson said. “It was so unexpected and the best night ever.”

EGG is made up of singer Luke Dawson, drummer Sam Mogerman, guitarist Ben Chappell, bass guitarist Ben Mogerman and keyboardist Nick Rueckert.

Dawson and Sam Mogerman started playing together in spring of 2009. They had always hung out and written their own songs, so they decided to start a band. They began playing acoustically at first, until gaining band mates to complete the sound.

Ben Mogerman, younger brother of Sam, joined the band this fall when he arrived at Drake.

“I decided on Drake because I wanted to play music with my brother,” Ben Mogerman said. “It’s great playing with him.”

Because of the success at VEISHEA, the band has many performances ahead of them for the summer. They are still waiting to hear about the 80/35 Music Festival, which is set for July 3 and 4 in Des Moines. The festival has local bands play each year and EGG has a possibility of being chosen.

A board member from 80/35 will be watching EGG at the Vaudeville Mews on May 21 to tell them what he thinks.

“We didn’t think we’d play at 80/35 until after VEISHEA,” Dawson said. “It’s all just catapulted.”

The band hopes to get a bigger fan base, especially from Drake. It may be growing, but they still want more.

“It was awesome to have a lot of familiar faces at VEISHEA,” Ben Mogerman said. “We can’t tell you how much it meant to us. “

One thing many people wonder is the meaning behind the band’s name. The band just recently took the periods out of the name, which caused some confusion.

“I didn’t know you could change the name on a Facebook group until a few weeks ago, so it’s nothing significant,” Dawson said.

But the members would not reveal the meaning behind the name.

“It’s not really a question we answer,” Dawson said. “I think it’s better when people don’t know.”

The band classifies itself as “funk-driven pop/rock” because the band mates come from many different musical backgrounds. They try to incorporate each person’s influences in their music.

“We’re not distinctly rock or pop; it’s a mix of different stuff,” Ben Mogerman said. “We’re like America—a melting pot. We embrace diversity.”

The members’ main influences are Motion City Soundtrack and Muse, along with some jazz and soul artists. Although they write their own music, they like to cover “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder and “Ignition” by R. Kelly.

“Because I’m big into horn bands,” Rueckert said, “I’d love to include ‘Final Countdown’ somewhere in the set list.”

Audience members often relate the band to Gavin DeGraw, Maroon 5—and even President Barack Obama.

“After the concerts some people say, ‘You guys made me hope,’” Ben Mogerman said.

Although the band is gaining popularity, they realize they have a long way to go.

“We’re not that big, in all honesty,” Dawson said. “I mean, it’s cool and we’re humbled by it, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. We need to step back, zoom out and look at reality.”

Although Dawson believes there is more they need to do, Ben Mogerman is leaving it up to destiny.

“The other day I had a realization after looking at the Rolling Stone magazine that I wanted to be a rock star and everything after that just started falling in line.”

The band plans to release a five- or six-song EP this summer. They have tried producing one on their own, but they want something more official. EGG’s next show will be May 6 at the Agora in Helmick Commons.

For more information about EGG, check out their Facebook page EGG; twitter: @EGGtheband; MySpace: myspace.com/TheRealEgg.

To do this, a branding initiative dubbed “Track Central USA” has been started with the intent of showing the track and field world the advantages that Drake can offer.

“As a city, being that Iowa is central of all states in the United States, and given that Des Moines is central in Iowa, thus ‘Track Central USA,’” Drake Relays Director Brian Brown said. “It has been branded with regards to who we are.”

Drake has hosted a variety of professional track and field competitions in recent years. In 2007, athletes competed in the Midwest Regional Track and Field Championships. In 2008, Drake hosted the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A year later, they hosted the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Track and Field Championships, and in 2010 are scheduled to host the United States Track and Field championships.

“(The United States Track and Field Championships) are the pinnacle of the sport,” Brown said. “We’ve also received a bid in 2011 and 2012 to host the outdoor NCAA championships, so you can see how strong we are thought of in those various governing bodies of track and field.”

Brown said that one of the strongest assets Drake possesses is its stadium.

“We have a unique bowl, when I say bowl I mean stadium size, that lends itself to track and field,” Brown said. “It’s not a 40- or 50,000-seat stadium that is difficult to fill. What creates atmosphere, what creates great competition is the crowd. The bowl that we have is very close to the track, so it’s an intimate setting and the athletes can feel that energy.”

Brown added that die-hard fans of the track and field events held at Drake are also important to the location of the 2013 Olympic trials. Brown said that knowledgeable and enthusiastic track and field fans factor into the committee’s decision.

“In 2008, when we hosted the NCAA championships, we had the flooding,” Brown said. “We still broke the NCAA attendance record for outdoor championships.”

Students, faculty and NFL-draft pick Reggie Stephens filled Sheslow Auditorium Saturday night to support their favorite step groups competing in the annual Drake Relays Step Show competition.

Six step groups representing different schools and fraternities flooded the stage with quick-paced beats and smooth dance moves.

Comedian Cocoa Brown traveled in from California to emcee the show and opened with a brief dance number.

Iowa State University’s Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was the first and only female performance of the evening. Four women wore their sorority’s colors proudly painted across their faces as they reenacted the initiation of their newest member. The newest member of the group stepped solo at a pace that brought fans to their feet.

All nine of the historically African-American Greek letter organizations were present at the show. These five fraternities and four sororities make up “The Divine Nine.” These nine groups are rich in history; all were founded in the early 1900s.

“Step is such a tradition that we don’t see a lot since we go to a private school,” said Gabriell Butler, a first-year journalism and English double major. “These groups have so much history and I’m glad Drake has finally gotten a piece of that.”

Over 20 volunteers and judges made the show possible. Eight judges critiqued all six groups from the center seats in the balcony. Their final decision fell upon the men of Kappa Alpha Psi.

The fraternity traveled from Omaha, Neb., to put on a movie-themed production. Their lively red accent colors and incorporation of props pushed their step routine to the next level, defeating their five competitors.

Sponsored by the Coalition of Black Students, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Drake University, the step show was a success and has hopeful returns for next spring.