All posts by Aaron Jaco

Featured Events Archive

Student organization events: Week of March 28

Apartheid Week
Join Drake’s Middle East Peace and Prosperity Alliance in raising awareness of the ongoing human rights abuses in Palestine and drawing important connections back to South African Apartheid with events March 28–31:

  • Monday, March 28: We will be making and flying Kites in Helmick Commons 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
  • March 29–30: We will be setting up a “Mock Wall” representing the divisiveness between societies. This will be an awesome opportunity to ask questions and experience the effects of the wall here at home.
  • Thursday, March 31: Dr. Maria Filippone will speak about her recent trip to Gaza.
  • Friday, April 1: We’ll be holding a vigil for all of the lives lost in this tragic conflict.

—Mollie Clark


1st Annual Poetry Slam
Come to Pomerantz Stage at 6 p.m. on April 8th for the 1st Annual Poetry Slam, presented by DU Spoken Word. Sign up to compete in the event by April 5—the fee to sign up is $3. There will be two rounds of competition, prizes, and refreshments. Sign up to compete today. Find more details on our Facebook event.

—Anoushe Seiff


The sun is setting on fossil fuels
Come join in on the conversation! On Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) will be hosting a fossil fuel divestment conversation at Pomerantz Stage in Olmsted. Come discuss what divestment is and what we can do about it on campus, all while enjoying locally made snacks!

—Gabriella Lafevre


Feeling Adventurous?
Sextival: A Fair For The Adventurous, will be held on Friday, April 1, 1–4 p.m. in the Olmsted Breezeway and Pomerantz Stage area. Stop by the Residence Hall Association booth for “Flirty Floats,” play games and enter to win awesome prizes like a Beats Pill, and grab tons of free giveaways and promotional items all while learning about healthy relationships and sexual wellness from Drake organizations as well as Des Moines-area vendors!

—Kaitlin Brueggen

News & Achievements Archive

Findley Elementary first grade to visit Drake

This past year Drake University teamed up with “I Have a Dream” Foundation to adopt the first grade class at Findley Elementary’s Dreamer Academy. “It’s never too early to start thinking about college” is the name of the game, and we hope you can join us in supporting this partnership!

Our adopted first grade classes will make their visit to campus this coming Tuesday, March 29. The 55 kiddos will arrive at Olmsted around 9:45 a.m., have lunch at the Field House at noon, and depart campus around 1 p.m. We have a host of events planned for them thanks to the organizing committee (Catherine Gillespie, Shelley Hurst, Amanda Martin, Laurel Haxton, and Jasmine Barr).

Volunteers are still needed for the day, please visit our website to see what’s available and share this with other students, faculty, and staff!

—Renee Sedlacek, Interim Director of Community Engagement & Service-Learning

News & Achievements Archive

Drake Relays single-session tickets on sale now

Purchase tickets for the 2016 Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee and take advantage of discounted pricing. All Drake faculty and staff can purchase tickets at the following discounts:

Thursday Session:                               $5 each
Friday (Day) Session:                        $33 each (Regular $35)
Friday (Night) Session:                     $33 each (Regular $35)
Saturday Session:                               $38 each (Regular $40)

Don’t miss out on any of the action on the blue oval, get your tickets today by calling 515-271-3647 or visiting the Drake Athletics Ticket Office Monday–Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Questions? Please contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

—Tom Florian, Assistant Director, Ticket Operations and Donor Management

News & Achievements Archive

Scholarship for non-traditional students available

Executive Women International (EWI) Des Moines Chapter announces that the Adult Students in Scholastic Transition (ASIST) Scholarship Program is now taking applications.

The ASIST Scholarship is a non-discriminatory, educational scholarship program for the benefit of non-traditional students pursuing an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. These include persons who are:

  • Past high school age and who are entering a college, university, trade school, and/or the workforce for the first time
  • Non-traditional students already enrolled in a college, university, or trade school program
  • Re-training due to changes in the workplace
  • Otherwise are not the traditional college, university, or trade school student (i.e., has not recently finished high school)

In addition to the Chapter ASIST, there are corporate awards given annually. Corporate candidates are selected from first-place Chapter winners.

Awards are provided for the recipients’ education and related expenses to aid them in obtaining the necessary educational skills to help achieve career goals and objectives. Related expenses include tuition, books, mandatory fees from schools, and child care. Not included are such expenses as rent, utility payments, travel expense, repayment of student loans or remaining balances payable to recipient. Checks for Chapter and Corporate scholarship awards are paid directly to the respective college or university.

Scholarship awards are valid for two years from date granted. Unclaimed awards will be returned to the Chapter or Corporate B/C/DP accounts for redistribution.

Selection criteria may include the following:

  • Financial need
  • Socially, physically, and economically challenged adults
  • Preference is given to those individuals with children residing in the home

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Clearly define career goals and objectives
  • Specify the educational requirements to attain the above goals and objectives
  • Utilize re-entry programs available through colleges/universities/technology centers, community agencies, and service groups or career professionals
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Applicant must reside within boundaries of a participating EWI Chapter—refer to list on ewiconnect.com. EWI of Des Moines boundaries are: Polk, Dallas, Story, & Warren counties.

More information and the application can be found at: http://ewidsm.org/announcements.php?id=45

—Stephanie Cardwell, Administrative Assistant 2

News & Achievements Archive

Donate children’s books March 28–30

LEAD 060 students (Tyler Voss, Layne Davis & Courtney Carr) are holding a book drive for Blank Children’s Hospital. Please donate any new/old children’s books appropriate for ages 2 to 16 for kids to enjoy when they visit the hospital. Bring your books to the Olmsted Center between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 28–30. More information can be found here. Thanks in advance!

—Courtney Carr

News & Achievements Archive

Walk 34 miles in their shoes

Walk for the Horn is an extreme, long-distance charity walk. The event raises funds and awareness for unaccompanied Eritrean refugee minors in Ethiopia.

The walk starts on Sunday morning, April 17, and goes from Drake University to Iowa State University (34 miles), so it’s no walk in the park. Participants can walk any distance they wish.

Sign up today by signing up on our fundraising page: www.razoo.com/team/Walk-For-The-Horn

A $20 donation is required to participate, but that includes an awesome T-shirt, water along the walk, and shuttle rides to and from Drake’s campus. Want to help the cause more? Raise a total of $50 and get all of the above plus a sweet Walk for the Horn bandana.

—Adam Poole

Featured Events Archive

Annual Constitutional Law Symposium to be held April 9

The Drake Constitutional Law Center is hosting its annual Constitutional Law Symposium on Saturday, April 9, 8 a.m.–noon, in Cartwright Hall, Room 213. This year’s topic is “War Powers and the Constitution: 15 Years After 9/11.”

The tragic events of 9/11 led the United States to fight two wars in the names of counter-terrorism and democracy—one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Now the United States and others are fighting ISIS, in addition to supporting certain rebel forces in Syria. The 2016 Constitutional Law Symposium will address the complicated constitutional role played by the United States in fighting and assisting in these wars, as well as the broader constitutional issues of war powers after 9/11.

The event will feature the following presentations:

  • “Security vs. Liberty or Democracy and Security? The Constitutional Politics of the 9/11 War”
  • “Obama’s Wars: The Case of Libya and Syria”
  • “War Powers in a Global Order”
  • “Courts at War: The Inconsistent (and Incoherent) Judicial Role After September 11”

Register online by April 5 to attend.

—Kayla Choate, Law School Alumni Affairs and Communications Coordinator

Featured Events Archive

Pop-up Creator Fair

Who: students, techies, artists, crafters, DIY lovers, nerds (a.k.a. anyone!)
What: Building projects from mystery materials
When: Tuesday, March 29, 6:30–9 p.m.
Where: Cowles Library, Room 201
Why: Meet like-minded students from across campus who are interested in doing things. Also, enjoy free snacks, drinks, and prizes!

Come and hang out for all or part of the fair—and bring your friends!

For more information email jpec@drake.edu or visit http://tinyurl.com/drakeminimar2016

—Stephanie Cardwell, Administrative Assistant 2

Featured Events Archive

“Facing Race: One Conversation at a Time”

On Thursday, March 31, join Des Moines Register columnist Kyle Munson and Drake Professor Carol Spaulding-Kruse at the Science Center of Iowa for a dialogue that tackles issues addressed both in the museum’s current traveling national RACE exhibit (ending in early April) and in this new series of public forums, #UniteIowa. We’ll be joined by an expert from the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. (Jens Manuel Krogstad Ortiz) in a world cafe-style dialogue format. Come ready to dive into some of the latest racial data and for open, honest conversation with your fellow Iowans.

Starting at 5 p.m. that day, the Science Center of Iowa’s RACE exhibit will be available to view for all Drake students for a special discounted admission ($9 with Drake Card) immediately prior to the forum. Please allow at least an hour. Snacks will be available between 6 and 7 p.m., with a dialogue start time of 7 p.m.

—Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English