All posts by Aaron Jaco

Social media directory audit

The Drake University Social Media Directory displays the URLs for every Drake-affiliated social media page. Take a look around to see which departments have pages, follow them, and invite your friends to follow along. While you’re looking around, let us know if your department page has changed—maybe you have a department name change, you want a new cover photo, or you don’t see your URL on the directory at all. Either way, let us know by emailing Niki Smith at niki.smith@drake.edu.

If you want to learn more about creating an official presence on social media for your department or unit, reach out to Niki Smith.

Also, there is a student social media directory for all student organizations. Niki is also the contact for that directory if you see anything to add or update.

—Niki Smith, University Communications

Save the date: Drake women’s basketball vs. UNI Feb. 24

Mark your calendars for this intense matchup. The Bulldogs and Panthers will come together in a heavyweight battle at The Knapp Center on Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs were victorious in the first meeting in Cedar Falls after two overtime periods! This game is also the team’s annual Pink game, so grab your favorite pink shirt and help us Pack the Knapp. Tickets are available at www.DrakeTix.com or by visiting or calling the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647. Remember, all Drake faculty and staff receive $2 off per ticket!

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

—Tom Florian, Drake Athletics

Cyber security lecture

The Drake Association of Technology Advancement (DATA) Club is hosting a lecture by Brigadier General David A. Cotton, USAF retired, chief information security officer for the Iowa Regents universities and colleges, on cyber security. The event is open to the public and takes place Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. in Aliber Hall, Room 101. Cotton will speak about management of cyber, telecommunications, and information technology. He has served in the US. Air Force and Department of Defense and is an Iowa native. Refreshments and networking will take place after the presentation.

—YiFan Zhou

Dining events and reminders

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Black History Month Meal at Hubbell. Sodexo and the Coalition of Black Students have designed a meal including succotash okra soup, country fried steak, mashed potatoes & gravy, fried catfish, mixed greens, baked mac & cheese, hush puppies, red beans & rice, pecan pie, and banana pudding.

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Memories From Home Lunch at Hubbell. Try some of Drake’s favorite home-made meals! Recipes submitted from students, faculty, and staff!

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Vegan Lunch at Hubbell 

Friday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m.–7 p.m.: Breakfast for Dinner at Hubbell

Plus, meal block conversions run Feb. 13–24. Students on the 195- and 335-block meal plans can convert meals to flex dollars. A maximum of 100 meals per semester can be converted. See more information here.

—Jennifer Bowersox, Sodexo

Get your steps in

Are you signed up for the Club Ped Program? We can help you reach your 10k steps by April! Come to the Group X Walking Group class on Thursdays from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. The class takes place on The Knapp Center track, and it is a fun way to socialize and get some exercise in to break up your busy day!

And don’t forget—Drake Wellness offers FREE body composition and fitness assessments for students. These evaluate your overall health and fitness as well as your current fitness level and risk of disease. From there, we can also help you develop a health and fitness plan to reach your goals. Email wellness@drake.edu to schedule your assessment.

SJMC news: Feb. 13

The spring and fall 2016 editions of Urban Plains—the website created by Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication news, magazine and digital media production seniors—has captured first place in the large group category of the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts Interactive Multimedia competition. It is the second year that Urban Plains has won the award. This year, Drake tied for first with a team from Elon University, among the 174 institutions represented in this year’s competition. Prizes will be awarded during the annual BEA convention in Las Vegas in April. The competition bills itself as the world’s largest digital media and broadcast contest for faculty and students.

In addition, Drake students won a record 31 awards in the recent Iowa College Media Association contest, including recognition for writing, design, info graphic, photography, editing, and video.

—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, SJMC

Drake Writer’s Night

Writers are invited to come share their work and/or listen to what classmates, colleagues, and community members are working on. The Drake Writer’s Night, part of the Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series, will take place on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in Medbury Honors Lounge.

—Yasmina Madden, English Department