All posts by Ashton Hockman

News & Achievements Archive

Only a Griffopotamus Will Do

 

Did you know that the original songwriter for “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” attended Drake? An Iowa native, John Rox (born John Herring) graduated from Winterset High School before jumping into student life at Drake, where he was a brother in the now inexistent Tau Psi fraternity in the early 1920s.

After leaving Drake he married Emmy-winning actress Alice Pearce, best known for her role as Gladys Kravitz in “Bewitched.” Rox mostly penned show tunes for Broadway, such as the classic “It’s a Big, Wide, Wonderful World,” until inspiration struck in the form of a hippopotamus. In 1953, he wrote the immortal lyrics to one of the catchiest and most enduring Christmas songs. Ten-year-old Gayla Peevey provided vocals, and, yes, she did get a hippopotamus for Christmas. With almost $3,000 in donations, she got a baby hippo named Matilda, which she promptly gifted to her hometown zoo.

Rox died of a heart attack in 1957, a few years after “Hippopotamus” made it onto Billboard’s pop chart. Peevey recorded a few more songs–but is best known for Rox’s song. She even sent Griff a signed headshot as a gift (right).

Strategic Updates Archive

Your guide to Drake’s re-energized brand

An updated Drake University Brand Style Guide is now available on the University Communications website. This useful resource, developed in partnership with branding firm 160over90, provides an overview of the refreshed brand platform, including:

  • Brand strategy
  • Key messages
  • Brand voice and tone
  • Design elements and examples—colors, fonts, logo usage, photography, and more

Consider the updated guide simply an introduction for now. You should not try to implement any elements of the new brand platform on your own and certainly not without first contacting University Communications. Priorities across the University have already been identified, and the rollout will happen sequentially over the coming months.

Conversion to the new brand platform has already begun, and with a focus on printed and digital tools for Admission and student recruitment. University Communications has also met with teams from each college and school to begin exploring how the new brand platform will translate to each academic unit during spring semester. Once the brand vision for each academic unit is set, University Communications will work with other units across campus on migration to the new brand platform throughout the remainder of 2018.

Please know that often-used communications and marekting tools, such as email headers and PowerPoint templates, will be moved to the new platform as soon as possible. Look to OnCampus for updates as new resources become available.

If you have questions about the branding initiative, please refer to this FAQ or contact Dave Remund, executive director of University Communications, at dave.remund@drake.edu. Thank you for your patience as we all work together to better tell the Drake story.

Dave Remund, University Communications

Campus Announcements Archive

Have you seen the new banners? View photos

View photos of the new banners

New Drake-branded banners hang from the light poles around campus. The banners reflect Drake’s new, reenergized brand platform and showcase the resilient and impactful experiences that comprise a Drake education. Banners lining Wifvat Plaza include inspiring quotes from previous Bucksbaum lecturers, such as Bill Nye and Tim Gunn, while banners in the heart of campus include quotes that reflect student life. The banners act as a complement to Drake’s beautiful campus, giving current and future students and faculty and staff a glimpse of what it means to be a Bulldog.

Campus Announcements Archive

MyDUSIS, blueView, Banner planned outage

On Saturday, Nov. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m., all Banner (DUSIS) services will be unavailable. Access to blueView, MyDUSIS, DUSIS (INB) Forms, Workflow, eTranscripts, Job Submission, and ODBC (Microsoft Access) will be unavailable. This outage will allow ITS to install necessary software upgrades for the Banner/DUSIS system.

If you continue experiencing issues after the outage has ended, please call the Support Center at 515-271-3001, or report your issue using the Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its.

Carla Herling, ITS

For Students Archive

I Am That Girl empowers women and girls

I Am That Girl, a chapter-based, nonprofit organization on Drake’s campus, meets Monday nights at 8 p.m. in Meredith Hall, Room 235. The group is hosting an open house at the end of the month for students to learn more about the organization.

I Am That Girl provides leadership, social, and personal development programming to girls throughout the United States. The group strives to empower and embolden women and girls to help them find their voice, inspire action, and make the world a better place.

The group hosts a fundraising event at least once a semester, and its weekly meetings consist of discussions about anything from kindness to media to body image.

All genders are encouraged to attend the open house or weekly meetings. No need to be a girl to fight for girls!

Please email eden.kreighbaum@drake.edu for questions or concerns.

Caroline Hogan

For Students Archive

Bulldog Bootcamp to begin in January

Bulldog Bootcamp will begin Jan. 30, 2018. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 5:45 p.m. This six-week, student-only program is designed to increase strength, build lean muscle, and improve overall fitness. Workouts will focus on bodyweight movements, compound sets, and using resistance bands to build functional strength. This class will also feature a Facebook support group where articles and information on fitness, nutrition, and motivation will be shared. Registration fills fast, so sign up on IMLeagues today.

Drake Wellness

 

For Students Archive

Get a job as an orientation leader

Want to help welcome new students to Drake and land a job on campus this summer? Consider becoming an orientation leader.

Orientation leaders are dedicated to providing incoming students and their families with all the information and resources necessary to ensure their transition to Drake is a smooth and enjoyable one.

If you are interested in becoming an orientation leader, attend one of three informational sessions:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311
  • Friday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, TMR 132
  • Friday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311

Read more about position on the website, or contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu with any questions.

Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

News & Achievements Archive

Students selected for civic engagement projects

Three Drake students were selected for initiatives to support civic engagement this spring in partnership with Campus Compact.

Jazlin Coley, a junior marketing and public relations double major, and Maddy Stokes, a senior marketing major, have been selected as Principal Community Scholars for the Spring 2018 semester.

The Principal Community Scholars program is designed to encourage student leadership in order to meet community needs. Coley will develop a neighborhood walking tour to inform Drake students of the assets of the neighborhood, and Stokes will enhance tools and processes for tracking community engagement and community partnerships across Drake. Upon completion of the projects, the scholars will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Principal.

In addition, Samantha Bayne, a sophomore political science; law, politics and society; and philosophy triple major, was selected as an Iowa Campus Compact intern focusing on election engagement on college campuses across the state of Iowa.

Congratulations to these three students!

Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning