All posts by Ashton Hockman

Campus Announcements Archive

Welcome Natalie Russell, mailroom supervisor

Campus Mail Operations is pleased to announce Natalie Russell as the new mailroom supervisor in the Olmsted Center. Natalie comes to Drake from the University of Texas at Austin where she was the supervisor of residence hall mail center operations.

“I am excited to fulfill my role as the lead in the mail operations center with new and innovative changes and future improvements,” said Natalie. “I have received a warm and friendly welcome from all and I look forward to meeting each one of you.”

For questions about anything mail related, contact Natalie at campusmailoperations@drake.edu or 515–271–3162.

A few fun facts about Natalie:

  • Natalie owned and operated a small flower shop for 10 years.
  • Natalie likes to bake cookies—and share them, of course!

Welcome, Natalie! We are thrilled to have you on campus.

— Scott Law, Public Safety and University Operations

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Move-in curbside check-in volunteers needed

A new class of first-year students will arrive to campus Aug. 23, 24, 27 and 28, and the Office of Residence Life needs your help. Faculty and staff volunteers are needed to help greet students and assist with the check-in process. If you are interested in volunteering (and have approval from your supervisor) please sign up for a shift.

Move-in day volunteer sign up

Volunteers will greet students and their families curbside in front of their residence hall and direct them to the hall front desk to check-in and get their room key. In the meantime, move-in helpers will unload and take the student’s belongings to their room. 

We need 2–3 volunteers per hour, per building for the dates of Aug. 23, 24, 27 and 28 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Volunteers can choose to work one hour or multiple hours. Please select as many hours as you are available, but make sure not to double book. In other words, do not sign up to volunteer at both Morehouse and Carpenter on Aug. 23 from 1–2 p.m. Also, if you can only volunteer for a partial shift, that is okay, just let us know when signing up.

On move-in day, volunteers should report to the residence hall front desk of the building for which they are volunteering to receive instructions. We encourage volunteers to wear Drake apparel, their professional name badge, and a mask. 

Move-in would not be possible without the help of so many gracious faculty and staff volunteers. Thank you for your time and consideration!

— Lorissa Sowden, Office of Residence Life

Campus Announcements Archive

In Memoriam: Joanne Brown

Joanne Brown, beloved associate professor emerita of English at Drake, passed away at her home Aug. 5, 2021, in the presence of family. Joanne earned her master’s (1969) and doctorate (1980) from Drake University. She then became a tenured professor in the English department where she taught business writing and authored four books.

In her retirement, Joanne taught courses at the RaySociety, now referred to as the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Drake. She also continued to pursue her passion for theatre. Her final stage appearance was at age 84 in Marjorie Prime as Marjorie.

Joanne was a long-time volunteer and active in her community. She was dedicated to literacy and served as a tutor at the Adult Literacy Center, located at Drake from 1976–2018. She also volunteered as a children’s theatre teacher, Des Moines Community Playhouse board member, and facilitator of book groups at Temple B’nai Jeshuran.

Joanne was known for her loyalty, independence, and generosity, and will be remembered with love and gratitude by colleagues, friends, and family alike. Donations in Joanne’s memory may be made to Temple B’nai Jeshurun or to Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. A funeral service was held on Sunday, Aug. 8, and can be viewed online.

Read Joanne’s full obituary and leave a message of condolence.

For Staff Archive

Let’s Talk About It: Critical Race Theory and the Drake Community

Critical Race Theory, or CRT, has been a prevalent topic in the news lately. And, lots of attention is being paid to CRT and college campuses. But what is CRT? Why are we hearing about it so much right now?

Drake staff are invited to join a conversation with Jen Harvey, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall South. Registration is not necessary.

This inclusive discussion will cover ways we can better understand different reactions to CRT, sort through our own perspectives about it, and get prepared to support students and their families in understanding what CRT does (and doesn’t?) have to do with a Drake education.

— Jen Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

Campus Announcements Archive

“See something, say something:” Catalytic converter theft

During the Spring 2021 semester, Drake Public Safety issued a safety alert for the theft of catalytic converters from cars in University parking lots. We have begun to receive additional reports of stolen catalytic converters from Toyota vehicles in campus parking lots, so once again, we are asking members of the campus community to “say something, if you see something.”

Throughout Des Moines and the rest of the country, catalytic converters are probably being stolen for scrap, or they could be reselling them to people installing them in cars. All cars have catalytic converters, so although the recent thefts have been aimed at Toyotas, any car could be the subject of a theft.

Because removing a catalytic converter typically requires getting underneath the vehicle with a metal saw or some other type of heavy-duty cutting tool, DPS is asking people to watch for suspicious activity in and around parking lots. 

During the summer months, we see less cars on campus and those cars may be unattended for longer periods of time.  At times during the summer, campus community members and guests may park unregistered vehicles in the lots and risk ticketing. Having only registered vehicles in our lots helps us to prevent criminal activity both in the lots as well as in and around buildings. DPS officers will continue to enforce the requirement that all cars parked in Drake parking lots have a Drake parking pass. Any car found in a Drake lot without a Drake parking permit may be subject to towing or being booted.

If your car has had its catalytic converter stolen or you have observed someone underneath vehicles or tampering with cars, we ask that you contact Drake Public Safety at 515–271–3860 or contact the Des Moines Police Department by calling 911.

— Scott Law, Director of Public Safety

Strategic Updates Archive

RaySociety renamed Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Drake University

Drake University’s lifelong learning organization known as the RaySociety received a $100,000 grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation to strengthen and expand its programming. As a result, the RaySociety was renamed the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Drake University. The name change signifies its inclusion as one of 125 lifelong learning institutes on university and college campuses across the country supported by the Osher Foundation.

“The RaySociety has been a recognized leader in the field of lifelong learning for nearly two decades,” said Tracy Beck, manager of OLLI at Drake University. “This grant along with our new national affiliation as an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will allow us to enhance our programming and serve more people in the community. We will continue to be the same great organization, just bigger, better, and with a nationally recognized name.”   

Beck said one of the benefits of joining the Osher Foundation is having access to a national network of resources, ideas, and colleagues to help strengthen its academic and social offerings. She said the grant funding will allow OLLI at Drake to increase its membership by providing scholarships for those who need help covering membership costs. In addition, funding will provide necessary technology upgrades to be able to deliver courses in both virtual and in-person formats.   

The RaySociety was established at Drake in 2004 and named after Governor Robert D. Ray, who served as Iowa’s 38th governor and later in his career as the 11th president of Drake University, and his wife Billie Ray, former teacher and first lady of Iowa. The organization has evolved into a respected lifelong learning program offering more than 60 non-credit courses and 10 lectures each year taught by Drake faculty and community leaders.

“This is an exciting growth opportunity for lifelong learning at Drake,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “As we transition from the RaySociety to an Osher Institute, we will always honor Governor and Mrs. Ray for their instrumental support and involvement. With Mrs. Ray’s enthusiastic support, we will continue to build upon their legacy as we expand course opportunities, grow membership, and better serve our community.”

There will be no changes to membership costs and class structure during the transition period. Membership to OLLI at Drake is $50. The membership year runs from July 1 through June 30. Course registration for the Fall 2021 semester will open Aug. 9. Important to note: OLLI is now located at the Alumni House. For more information about OLLI at Drake, visit drake.edu/olli.

Uncategorized

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 6: Can I trust the COVID-19 vaccine? It was developed so fast.

Although the COVID-19 vaccine was developed faster than typical, the vaccines were still required to go through all the proper phases of testing and analysis to make sure they are safe and effective—no step in the process was skipped. The COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. They are also under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. As of June 2021, more than 300 million doses of COVID-19 have been administered in the U.S. All of the scientific data has proven them to be safe and effective and critical to ending the global pandemic.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Uncategorized

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 5: What about the recent reports of myocarditis?

There have been reports to the voluntary Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of inflammation of the heart muscle—called myocarditis— happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. This is likely vaccine-induced myocarditis and has been observed in mostly young men after receiving their second dose of vaccine. However, the number of individuals that reported this side effect is very small compared to the hundreds of millions of people that have been vaccinated. Also, most patients who experienced myocarditis had a full recovery from symptoms. The benefits of the getting vaccinated outweigh the small risk of myocarditis.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Uncategorized

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 4: Can the COVID-19 vaccine affect my fertility?

This myth arose from a false social media article. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that indicates that COVID-19 vaccines can affect fertility. The false report stated that the spike protein on the coronavirus was the same as another spike protein found during pregnancy, and that getting the COVID-19 vaccine would cause a woman’s body to fight this spike protein and affect her fertility. This is not true. The two spike proteins are completely different, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect fertility.

During the Pfizer vaccine testing, 23 women volunteers involved in the study became pregnant, and the only one who suffered a pregnancy loss had not received the actual vaccine, but a placebo. In addition, a large number of pregnant women have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and it has been shown to be completely safe.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Uncategorized

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 3: Can the COVID-19 vaccine change my DNA?

The vaccines cannot change your DNA. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. They do not enter the nucleus of the cell where our DNA (our genetic code) resides and do not affect our DNA.

So, what do mRNA vaccines do? The mRNA vaccines contain instructions that tell your own cells to make a protein (the little spike or “crown” that you see on pictures of the coronavirus) that is unique to COVID-19. These spike proteins cannot harm you or give you COVID-19. Your immune system reacts to this protein and activates a response, which includes making antibodies that can recognize and fight COVID-19 if you do get exposed.

Interesting fact: The vaccine itself only stays in your body for about 72 hours after vaccination, but your immune system now has the ability to recognize and attack the virus should it come into contact with it in the future. That doesn’t mean you can’t contract COVID-19 in the future, but it does mean that if you do, you are much less likely to become extremely ill with symptoms, become hospitalized, or die from the virus.

This activation of your immune system may cause some temporary, minor side effects, such as a slight fever, headache, aches and feeling tired. That’s ok! It means your immune system is working and gearing up for battle should it come into contact with COVID-19.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice