View the hours of operation for Hubbell Dining Hall, Spike’s C-Store, and Starbucks at Olmsted.
— Casey Morgan, Drake Dining
All posts by Ashton Hockman
Many campus departments have a new home
In the last year, a number of campus departments have relocated. Please make note of where each department now resides.
Public Safety is now located on the lower level of Ross Hall (1214 31st Street) in suites 102–108. Public Safety remains a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service for campus. Public Safety can be reached at 515–271–2222.
Human Resources is located on the top floor of Old Main, Room 319.
The Registrar’s Office is located in Carnegie Hall, Room 101.
Student Accounts and Drake Loans & Past-Due Accounts are located in Carnegie Hall, Room 103.
The Cashier Office is located in Carnegie Hall, Room 104.
The ITS support center is located in the lower level of Carnegie Hall.
Global Engagement is located in Cowles Library near the south (University Avenue) entrance.
Community Engaged Learning is located in the lower level (southeast corner) of Cowles Library.
University Communications and Marketing is located in the lower level of Old Main. (Marketing/PR, Room 102; Executive Director/Brand Integration, Room 105)
OLLI at Drake (formerly named the RaySociety) is located in the Alumni House.
Institutional Research/Academic Success is located in on the second floor of Howard Hall, Suite 203
Drake Online and Continuing Education is located in the lower level of Jewett Hall.
Head Start is located at 3800 Merle Hay Rd., Suite 323, Des Moines.
Public Safety moved to Ross Hall
The Department of Public Safety has a new home on campus. Drake Public Safety is now located on the lower level of Ross Hall (1214 31st Street) in suites 102–108. Public Safety remains a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service for campus. Public Safety can be reached at 515–271–2222. For questions, contact Scott Law, executive director of Public Safety and University Operations, at scott.law@drake.edu.
— Scott Law, Public Safety and University Operations
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
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.
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
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.
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
“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
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.
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