Recreational Services has updated building hours for Spring 2016. The Bell Center and Knapp Center will be opening on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 a.m. and both will remain open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays. For a complete list of our hours, click here.
All posts by Aaron Jaco
CNN Town Hall today
Today, Jan. 25, Drake will host the CNN Democratic Presidential Candidate Town Hall in Sheslow Auditorium, which will be broadcast live. This event provides an excellent opportunity for Drake to once again be featured as a leading center of political discourse and deliberation.
As a campus community, we will be in the national spotlight, offering us a chance to demonstrate our collective commitment to respectful and civil discussion of current events and public policy issues. In addition to CNN, we will have hundreds of national and international media outlets on campus. Please be aware that your words and actions reflect on the Drake community as a whole.
The Town Hall will affect a number of spaces on campus, as detailed below.
Parking
Today, Lot 16 (Olmsted parking lot) will be reserved for those attending the forum. In addition, a few parking spaces in Lot 13 (just south of Forest Avenue by Wifvat Plaza) will be reserved for satellite trucks.
Street Closures
From 2 p.m. today until midnight, the following streets will be closed to traffic:
- 25th Street, between University Avenue and Carpenter Avenue (including the west sidewalk, which will be closed to pedestrians)
- Carpenter Avenue between 25th and 27th
Building Access
Beginning at 2 p.m. today a number of buildings will be accessible only to those with approved credentials:
- Old Main will require credentials beginning at 2 p.m. All personnel will be required to leave the building by this time.
- Sheslow Auditorium will require credentials all day on Monday.
- Howard Hall will be closed at 2 p.m. on Monday.
We apologize for any inconvenience and urge you to plan accordingly.
—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost
Coffee and construction
Plan to attend the second STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 8:15 a.m., in Olmsted Center, Pomerantz Stage area. Come learn more about plans for construction of the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility and the new Science Connector building. Site plans, what to expect during the construction process, tree removal, fencing, and plans for 27th Street will all be discussed. Construction team members as well as members of the University Steering Team will be on hand to answer questions. A brief project overview will be presented at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be served.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Nelson Institute Global Pressing Issues Grants awarded
The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake announces its financial support for two interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects to enhance Drake’s involvement in addressing pressing global issues.
- “Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda,” seeks to address water quality, as well as education and behavior impacting water quality.
- “Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth,” seeks to better understand the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. Both projects will be funded over a two-year period (2016–2018).
Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda
Water quality is a pressing global issue that affects many aspects of daily life including health, education, and finances. The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment and implement appropriate interventions to improve the utilization of clean water in rural Uganda. The project focuses on Kikandwa, a rural community of approximately 100,000 people located in central Uganda. Its primary water source is a borehole, with local springs and catchment tanks to collect rainwater as secondary sources. The project also will educate and engage the Drake community in addressing water quality issues and will serve as a template for research projects outside of Uganda.
The interdisciplinary research team is comprised of the following faculty and students in Health Sciences, Environmental Science, Finance, and History:
- Cassity Gutierrez, Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Director of Pre-Professional Programs
- Jimmy Senteza, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance
- David Courard-Hauri, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) and Chair of ENSP
- Amahia Mallea, environmental historian and Associate Professor of History
- Peter Levi, fresh water ecologist and Assistant Professor in Environmental Science and Policy
- Karli Kisch, Psychology major and Biology minor with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
- Hayley LeBlanc, Neuroscience and Psychology double major
- Megan Lindmark, Environmental Science major with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
- Augusta Weide, International Business and Finance joint major with a concentration in Management.
Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth
This qualitative research project will offer knowledge-production, collaboration, and change pertaining to the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. This project will seek to document and theorize knowledge from the perspective of immigrant and refugee actors themselves. It will use an asset-based community development approach that recognizes the capacity of transnational peoples and their associations to contribute to the city’s wellbeing. It will assert a new discourse that creates alternatives to age-hierarchical ways of understanding migrant and refugee communities (and indeed, most collectives) through centering youth and elders as key stakeholders, knowledge holders, and social change agents in building the future of Des Moines.
In addition to students who will be invited to join the project, the interdisciplinary research team includes the following professors:
- Lourdes Guitérrez Nájera, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
- Kevin Lam, Assistant Professor of Urban and Diversity Education
- Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair in the Department for the Study of Culture and Society
The Rolland and Mary Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake provides in-depth international knowledge and experiences for select students who wish to pursue careers in international public affairs. The Nelson Institute was established in 2012 with a gift from Rolland and Mary Nelson, founders of Kemin Industries.
—Submitted by Denise Ganpat, Administrative Assistant 2
January service anniversaries
Congratulations to the following full-time faculty and staff celebrating service anniversaries this month!
Mawuenya Amegan, Head Start
Linda Anderzhon, Alumni and Development
Heidi Ball, Head Start
Danny Beaty, Facility Services
Amy Beller, Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement
Donna Blunck, Finance and Administration
Kelsey Bolton, Psychology
Doris Brunnette, Vocational Rehabilitation
Rosa Castro, Facility Services
Stephen Flynn, Athletics
Ricky Fox, Athletics
Alice Fynaardt, Biology
Bruce Gilbert, Library Systems
Mark Harrington, Facility Services
Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center
LaRhee Henderson, Chemistry
Carla Herling, DTS
Laura Juarez, Head Start
Marcia Keyser, Public Service
Kerry King, Student Life
Teresa Koch, Cowles Library
Kimberly Lammers, Dean of Students
Tonia Land, School of Education
Pramod Mahajan, Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, and Administrative Sciences
JoBeth Malone-Schoneberg, Chemistry
Carlyn Marron, International Programs
Davee Matlock, International Programs
Ismeta Mehanovic, Facility Services
Claudia Murphy, Head Start
Kristine Plagman, Controller’s Office
John Pole, Athletics
Lucia Ramirez, Facility Services
Jennifer Rhoads, Head Start
Beth Schoening-Hudson, Dean’s Office, Pharmacy
Kathryn Schott, Experiential Programs
Rachelle Setsodi, Undergraduate Admission
Amy Smit, Ray Center
Robert Stensrud, Vocational Rehabilitation
Denise Stowman, Student Financial Planning
Austin Strawhacker, Athletics
Deborah Sulzbach, Law Library
Terrence Thames, Athletics
Bradley Toussaint, DTS
Nicholas Valdez, Public Safety
Thomas Westbrook, Arts and Sciences
Alyssa Young, University Communications
—Submitted by Laura Schwarz, Human Resources
2015 W2s now available
Drake employees can find their 2015 W2s on blueView:
—Submitted by Cindy Adams, Associate Director, Human Resources
Purchasing printer paper
Paper for printing and copying is included in the per impression charges for the multi-functional devices (MFD) and printers on Drake’s campus. So when you order paper from OfficeMax/Depot for these machines, please use FOAPAL 100000-4820-70000-206, rather than your individual department number. We have included common white paper sizes as well as popular 20# colored paper on the Sustainable Print Program Shopping List for Drake, found on the OfficeMax site (see instructions below). If you require special paper that is not on this list, please use your department budget FOAPAL number.
To order paper from the approved list, go to www.officemaxsolutions.com and click on:
- “Create New Office Product Order”
- “Continue”
- “Shopping Lists” (should just pop up but if not, click on “Shopping Lists”)
- “Sustainable Print Program Paper”
- Triangle on the “FOAPAL 21 Digits for this Order” drop down
- Choose FOAPAL 100000-4820-70000-206, or type it in
Please review these processes with others in your area who order paper. Thank you.
—Submitted by Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services
Temporary campus ban on hoverboards
As we have all been made aware in recent weeks there are numerous reports of hoverboards overheating and catching fire. Many U.S. airlines have now prohibited the transport of hoverboards, and Amazon has decided to stop shipping many models. Until a time that the safety standards of these devices are improved, Drake has decided to institute a temporary ban on the use, possession, and storage of hoverboards. The ban applies to campus as well as Drake-owned real estate properties.
Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep our campus safe. If you would like additional product safety information on hove boards, view this statement from the Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Preparation for construction on campus
Drake’s campus is about to change with the construction of the new Science Connector Building and the new School of Education, and faculty, staff, and students will feel the effects this major construction project. Delivery of construction trailers and the fencing of the construction sites will begin next week. These changes—detailed in this site map—will be in place for approximately 18 months. Below you will find a list of the approximate dates of changes and milestones. I will periodically update these items as the changes occur.
Week of Jan. 25: Construction trailers arrive/set up
First week of February: Fencing of construction sites; closing south lane of Forest Avenue
March 14: Closure of 27th Street and various areas near the construction site:
- 27th Street will close north of Jewett Parking Lot (Jewett Parking Lot will remain open with access from Carpenter Avenue).
- All parking will be removed from the east side of 27th Street.
Note: Commuter parking can be found in the Fine Arts Parking Lot or the parking lot just to the north of Opperman Hall.
Summer 2016: Closure of sidewalk that runs east and west just to the south of Olin
Please review the map and let me know if you have any concerns or issues. Thank you.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations and Support Services
Drake Faculty/Staff Days
All Drake faculty and staff are eligible to receive up to four complimentary tickets to the events listed below. Tickets may be picked up at the Drake Athletics Ticket Office Monday–Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the ticket window on game day. Must show a Drake Card (ID) at time of pick up.
Men’s Basketball
Drake vs. Bradley
Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.
Knapp Center
Women’s Basketball
Drake vs. Wichita State
Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
Knapp Center
More information is available at www.DrakeTix.com/promotions
Questions? Call 515-271-3647 or email tickets@drake.edu.