The Drake Broadcasting System is looking for any students interested in taking part in the 2017 Drake Relays Broadcast. We are looking for people to operate cameras, make videos, interview athletes, and even students interested in leadership and production roles. Anyone interested should contact gerald.tetzlaff@drake.edu with questions.
—Gerald Tetzlaff
The Office of Admission is looking for enthusiastic, motivated, and fun Drake students to host prospective students during the 2017 Chicago Bus Trip!
The Chicago Bus Trip is March 5–6. Hosts must be available from 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5, to 8 a.m. on Monday, March 6; be in good academic standing; and live in the residence halls. For more information and to sign up, visit http://bit.ly/cbt2017hosts. Responses are due Feb. 16.
Please contact Natalie Larson at natalie.larson@drake.edu with any questions.
—Natalie Larson, Office of Admission
Due to the high incidence of influenza in the area, the Student Health Center has the following recommendations and would request that you stay home if you present these flu-like symptoms:
You should be fever free for 24 hours before going back to classes/work. If you have the flu, it is important that you reach out to your faculty members to keep them informed of your absence and stay attuned to course content/assignments.
You may treat your symptoms with over-the-counter fever reducers, cough suppressants, and nasal decongestants as well as increasing your fluid intake. If you are feeling extremely weak, dehydrated, or your fever lasts more than 72 hours, please contact your health care provider or the Student Health Center 515-271-3731. For after hours care and/or emergencies, please go to the nearest urgent care clinic or emergency room, or contact Drake Public Safety at 515-271-2222 or 911.
The influenza vaccine is still available at the Student Heath Center and can be administered by scheduling an appointment.
Please continue to take care of yourself, listen to your body, and do all that you can to prevent the spread of influenza to others.
—Jerry Parker, Interim Dean of Students
The new Preferred Name Policy offers all students the option to use a preferred first name, that will display in many, but not all, University documents. The goal of the Student Preferred First Name Policy is to provide a consistent preferred-name experience across University systems and use of one’s preferred first name wherever legal name is not absolutely necessary. At this time the preferred first name would be used in the following places:
While this new policy will benefit a large number of students, this is especially important to help create a safe and engaged learning environment for transgender students
By Wednesday, Feb. 8, anyone who has indicated a “preferred first name” on Drake documents (such as your application for admission) will have the above pieces updated. You may have indicated your preferred name several years ago, or more recently. In the initial launch of this policy and process, all preferred names in the system will be updated.
If you have a preferred first name, and would like that name reflected on your Drake Card, you can take your current Drake Card to the Student Services Center in lower Carnegie Hall, and exchange it for a new ID with your preferred first name. You may also check here for a FAQ on the new policy.
If you did not have a preferred first name in the system and would like to now update your preferred first name, please follow these instructions:
Also, note that if your preferred first name is updated, you will still receive emails to your legal first name as well as your preferred first name.
Questions? Please feel free to contact Tony Tyler, director of student engagement, equity, and inclusion, Carlyn Marron, assistant director of international programs; or Kevin Moenkhaus, director of student records.
—Melissa Sturm-Smith, Academic Excellence and Student Success
MUBS Visiting Student Group
The third group of visiting students from Makerere University Business School (MUBS) is on campus until Feb. 12 for a week-long seminar on leadership. The contingent includes seven students and three faculty members. This group worked closely with many Drake students who traveled to Uganda last summer and will continue to engage with them, and those traveling to Uganda this summer, throughout the week. One of the highlights of the visit is that the group was introduced to the Iowa House Assembly by Rep. Zach Nunn, AS’02, and others on Feb. 6.
2017 Global Faculty Program at Monterrey Tec
Tom Swartwood was selected to participate in Tec de Monterrey’s Global Faculty Program and will travel to Guadalajara March 6–10 to take part. Tom’s goals for the visit include partnering with Tec entrepreneurship faculty to include virtual interactions between the two schools’ entrepreneurship students during an Innovation Week, which Tom has modeled after Tec’s program.
—Kirk Martin, Drake International
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) has extended its accreditation of two specializations within Drake’s counseling program. Learn more in the Drake Newsroom.
Ten members of the Drake community were named to the Des Moines Business Record’s Forty Under 40 class for 2017. You can see the list of Drake honorees in the Drake Newsroom.
A student-led initiative through a 2016 Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Capstone project resulted in adoption of a pilot program aimed at reducing waste and improving efficiency by eliminating paper towel dispensers in Crawford Hall. Instead, energy-efficient Dyson V-Blade hand dryers were installed. In order to measure the success of this pilot program, the student group will be conducting a student survey at the end of the spring semester to determine if the waste reduction effort is sustainable.
The LEAD program at Drake seeks to bring positive social change to Drake’s campus and community by aligning students’ values with the University’s. This past semester, student groups set out to make Drake a more environmentally sustainable campus and to foster habitual environmental living within our Drake community. They chose to bring this initiative to life because they believe it is vital to the future success and excellence of Drake’s students and faculty, as well as the environment as a whole. The initiative aligns directly with the University’s mission statement and commitment to acting as engaged global citizens and champions of environmental sustainability. Their capstone outlined four main ways to address these facets of the University’s mission statement:
A survey was completed with responses from 170-plus students and faculty members in strong support for the implementation of hand dryers and other sustainable initiatives. Focus group sessions were then held in October with Drake students to dive deeper and gauge their feelings about the hand dryer initiative. The same ideology stood out: They all wanted to see Drake become a greener campus.
During the week of Nov. 7, 2016, students hosted a week of education to coincide with their current projects. The three activities included:
Through a variety of activities both in-person and via social media, the week was a success. The multimedia campaign on social media included videos, shared photos, and an engagement contest. Students were interested and engaged with messages, and we received positive feedback throughout the week.
They also collaborated with President Marty Martin to produce promotional and educational videos that can be seen below:
Moments with Marty #1: https://youtu.be/GMsdsc-3ehY
Moments with Marty #2: https://youtu.be/ZK1ZeV9eniE
The student group is passionate about the hand dryer initiative at Drake and eliminating paper towel waste. This will be a huge step forward for Drake in cutting operating costs and making our University more sustainable.
—Manny Toribio, Facilities Planning and Management
Drake is among the nation’s best colleges for students seeking great academics, outstanding career preparation, and generous financial aid according to The Princeton Review. The University is one of 200 schools the education services company profiles in its new book, Colleges That Pay You Back. Learn more in the Drake Newsroom.
The School of Education will host a day-long conference on legal developments in the field of special education on Feb. 16, 8 a.m.–3:45 p.m. in Olmsted Center. Tickets are $50 and registration is due Feb. 8. Learn more in the Drake Newsroom.