The following message was sent from President Martin to the campus community on Monday, June 1.

Dear colleagues and students,

George Floyd died one week ago today, handcuffed and pinned to the ground by Officer Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department. The video of the arrest shows Officer Chauvin with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck while Mr. Floyd pleads with the officer, telling him that he is in pain and that he cannot breathe, before he calls out for his mother. Officer Chauvin kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than two minutes after Mr. Floyd became non-responsive.

Mr. Floyd was pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Center a little over an hour after he was first approached by Minneapolis police officers. He was forty-six years old. He was a son, a brother, a friend, the father of two daughters, and a grandfather to a three-year-old girl. He died telling Officer Chauvin, “I can’t breathe.” He died saying to Officer Chauvin, “please, please, please.” He died calling out to his deceased mother.

Officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and he and the three other Minneapolis police officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death have been fired. While it is commendable that these actions have been taken, it remains heartbreaking and infuriating that Mr. Floyd’s pleas were met with such callous disregard by Officer Chauvin and his fellow officers. This is made all the more heartbreaking and infuriating by the fact that Mr. Floyd is not the first Black man to die while telling a police officer, “I can’t breathe.”

We can and we must do better. This is required of every single one of us and every single institution in this country. Justice demands that we all do our part to confront and overcome the legacy of bigotry that motivates an Officer Chauvin to put his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck and keep it there as Mr. Floyd’s life is extinguished.

This institution and its people – faculty, staff, students, and alumni – have worked and will continue to work to stamp out bigotry and intolerance, to make our campus and our communities welcoming and safe for all. Indeed, we demonstrated our willingness to be in this fight together nearly two years ago with the Paint It Black movement. Drake University is committed to equity and inclusion and we will – through education, scholarship, service, and advocacy – strive to be part of whatever it takes to ensure that the right to life and liberty is not denied to anyone because of the color of her or his skin.

Sincerely,

Marty

At Drake, we are committed to equity and inclusion on our campus and in our communities. This is a painful and challenging time, and our priority is helping support students, faculty, staff, and all who are part of the Drake family. For that reason, we are putting the All In 24-hour giving challenge on hold. We look forward to launching this campaign when the time is right; for now, we encourage you to take care of yourself and those around you. We are all in this together.

The following message was communicated to campus in a COVID-19 Update on May 14, 2020:

Drake University will receive funding through the CARES Act to provide emergency grants to students. Per the direction of the U.S. Department of Education, these grants can only be used for student “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.” The Department of Education has explicitly prohibited using the grant dollars to compensate a student for lost income due to their or another’s loss of employment.

You may be eligible for this funding if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are eligible to receive federal student aid as either an undergraduate or graduate-level degree-seeking student. Eligibility must be confirmed through submission of your 2019–2020 or 2020–2021 FAFSA;
• You were enrolled in coursework in the spring 2020 semester, and that coursework is not part of a program that is offered entirely online; and,
• You incurred eligible expenses caused by the disruption to campus operations.

Students who meet the above criteria must complete the CARES Act Student Grant Application to be considered for these federal funds. Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis and funds will be distributed until they are exhausted. Completing an application does not guarantee that a student will receive funds. As part of the application, students will be asked to substantiate their reported eligible expenses. The maximum amount of assistance a student may receive from this funding is $6000.

Drake University will provide these federal funds to students as quickly as possible, while adhering to the U. S. Department of Education’s guidance. To apply, complete the CARES Act Student Grant Application.

If you have questions as you complete the application, please review the FAQ on this topic at https://www.drake.edu/coronavirus/students/faq/cares-act-faq/, email covid19@drake.edu, or call (515) 271-2353.

Please visit drake.edu/coronavirus, which houses a repository of campus updates and messages pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also provides answers to many frequently asked questions.