All posts by Ashton Hockman

Spanish language conversation hours

Are you going to a Spanish speaking country during J-Term or next spring? Would you like to begin learning a few useful words and phrases in Spanish? Do you want or need to keep up your foreign language fluency? Drake University’s Department of World Languages and Cultures offers free help in an informal setting.

Spanish Conversation Hours are scheduled four times a week in Meredith Hall, Room 202: Wednesdays 3:30-4:30 p.m.; Thursdays 2:30-3:30 p.m.; and Fridays 1-2 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. No registration is required. You can stay for the hour or drop in for a few minutes. No sessions are held during University holidays or final exam week.

All levels of Spanish speakers from all areas of the Drake community are welcome. The group warmly supports all participants with opportunities for practicing Spanish; no long-term commitment is required to attend. A native speaker facilitates the conversation in Spanish in a casual atmosphere. Don’t worry if you haven’t spoken in Spanish for a decade, or ever; all participants are on the language-learning journey.

For further information, contact Assistant Professor Inbal Mazar at inbal.mazar@drake.edu.

Dorothy Pisarski, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Drake third among Midwest regional universities in 2019 U.S. News rankings

Drake University is one of the Midwest’s best universities, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2019 Best Colleges rankings. For the tenth year in a row, the University placed third among all Midwestern regional universities.

“The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings reaffirm what all Bulldogs know,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “Drake has distinguished itself as one of the best educational institutions in the Midwest, setting itself apart from its peers by creating a distinguished culture of innovation and learning.”

Drake received honors in a number of additional categories:

  • Drake placed second among Midwest regional universities for veterans
  • Drake ranked fourth for innovation among Midwest regional universities
  • On a list of the best undergraduate teaching, Drake ranked 11
  • On the Midwest Regional Universities Best Value list, Drake placed 17

Regional universities, as categorized by U.S. News, are those which award both undergraduate and master’s degrees, with at least 50 percent of undergraduate degrees being awarded in liberal arts disciplines.

U.S. News is not the only institution to recognize Drake for its exceptional academics, value, and culture. The University is consistently highly ranked by organizations including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The Princeton Review, and The Brookings Institution.

Prospective students are invited to learn more about Drake’s programs and schedule a campus visit at www.drake.edu.

SAB and Student Senate: General Interest Meeting

The General Interest Meeting is a chance for students to learn about both SAB and Student Senate. On Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Pomerantz Stage, there will be information on both organizations, including how to get involved on committees. Come get free pizza and learn about these two organizations.

Open position on SAB:

Digital Media Chair
The SAB Digital Media will attend all SAB events and take photo and video at these events for use in marketing and archiving.

Open Senate positions:

First Year Senator
The First Year Senator will sit on the Senate as a voting member and attend all Senate related events acting as the voted representative of the first year class through projects/initiatives.

Health and Safety Senator
The H&S Senator will sit on the Senate as a voting member and attend all Senate related events. They will also be responsible for projects/initiatives/conversations related to student and campus health & safety.

Student Body Auditor
The Student Body Auditor is responsible for overseeing all Student Activity Fees and accounts, maintenance of the Student Fees Allocation Committee, ensuring the proper acquisition and allocation of Student Activity Fees and monitoring the expenditures of the Student Body President and Vice President of Student Life of all annually funded student organizations.

Graphic Designer
The duty of the Graphic Designer is to work with the Public Affairs Officer to develop a publicity calendar and to create the necessary materials for the publicity calendar. The Graphic Designer’s materials will be used in posters, on the Student Senate website, on the Student Senate Facebook account, and in campus media.

Webmaster
The duty of the Webmaster of Senate is to maintain the Student Senate website and keep all necessary documentation available to the student body electronically. The Webmaster will work with the Public Affairs Officer and Graphic Designer to promote Student Senate initiatives, goals, and accomplishments.

Historian
The duty of the Historian of Senate is to manage all the informational resources and materials of the Student Senate. The Historian shall ensure that all Student Senate documents and other resources are made available to the Student Senate, upon request.

Mackenzie Ekern, Sophomore

Accounting Week

Accounting Week is being hosted by Beta Alpha Psi Sept. 10 through Sept. 14. Please attend the events held throughout the week if you are interested in accounting or a related career field.

Sept. 12: Firm Presentation Night
5 to 6 p.m., Aliber Hall, Room 101 (Casual Attire)

Sept. 13: Panel Night and Networking Event
5 to 7 p.m., Aliber Hall, Room 101 (Business Casual Attire)

Sept. 14: Accounting/Finance Career Fair
9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Business Professional Attire)

Amanda Nevicosi, Graduate student

Writing Workshop opens Sept. 10

The Writing Workshop opens on Monday, Sept. 10. The Writing Workshop is a tutoring center that serves undergraduate, graduate, and law students. It can help you with coming up with ideas for papers; learning new strategies appropriate for a particular writing or reading task; making sense of assignments and assigned reading material; revising organization, argument, viewpoint or perspective; and resolving serious problems with word choice, grammar, etc. that impede communication.

For more information, contact Jody Swilky at jody.swilky@drake.edu or see the attached brochure.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

Lecture: “10 lessons learned after one year as a full-time artist”

On Thursday, Sept. 13, Nathan T. Wright will share the ups and downs of working as a full-time illustrator, his thoughts on creativity and innovation in the modern workplace, and what he’s learned about the business of art.

We will have snacks and a chance to meet Nathan starting at 6 p.m. and the talk will begin at 7 p.m. in 301 Science Connector Building.

The event is free and open to the public. Find more information. If you have any questions, email innovation@drake.edu.

Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers

ITS is hiring student workers

ITS is looking for student workers to staff the support center and the technology shipping and receiving facility.

Ideal candidates will be:

  • Comfortable with providing technical support to faculty, staff, and students
  • Willing to learn new skills
  • Customer-service focused
  • Team-oriented

Opportunities for advancement are available. Work shifts are between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Pay is $7.25 per hour.

To apply, bring your resume to the ITS Support Center currently located on the second floor of Collier-Scripps Hall between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Ron West, ITS

Did U Know: University Archives

This past year, Drake held a series of Did U Know classes that highlighted University departments and campus services. Based on positive feedback, HR is bringing it back with new topics.

This year’s series is kicking off with Did U Know: University Archives on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. in Cowles Library, Room 201.

In University Archives, you can find everything from the Ding Darling Collection and Tom Harkin Papers to unique items such as half a gold medal mounted on a plaque to commemorate the first gold medal won by a Drake athlete in an individual event at the Drake Relays.

The presenters, Claudia Frazer, director, University archives and special collections; Hope Bibens, political papers archivist and assistant professor of librarianship; and Katherine Lincoln, University archives associate, will cover what they do, what they have, and what they collect during this one-hour presentation. In addition, they will share some of their most interesting artifacts.

Participants will earn Bulldogs United in Learning Drake (BUILD) credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

To register, email Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Drake Volleyball season ticket special

After one of the most successful seasons in school history, the Drake Volleyball team is set for another exciting season. Cheer on the Bulldogs with this special season ticket offer.

  • Tickets to all 2018 home matches (including Iowa and UNI)
  • Exclusive team issued Drake Volleyball T-shirt
  • Exclusive Drake faculty/staff season ticket price of $25

To purchase tickets, visit or contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647.

Ryan Harris, Athletics