All posts by Ashton Hockman

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Provost’s Drake (ice cream) Social May 7

The Provost’s Office will host an Ice Cream Social on the Ray Promenade Tuesday, May 7, from 4–6 p.m. During the social, Human Resources will honor employees who celebrated 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 years of service from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, and those who are retiring or have recently retired.

Seating will be limited, so you are welcome to bring your lawn chair. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Shivers Hospitality Suite.

This will be a zero landfill event. Sodexo will provide all compostable table service. There will be ice cream sundaes, iced tea, and lemonade.

Drinda Williams, Academic Support Specialist

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

New online tool allows for easy sharing of accomplishments

The Office of University Communications and Marketing has developed a new, easy to use tool to share news of your accomplishments. Accessible at drake.edu/accomplishments, you will now be able to write your own story and upload photos to share broadly with the help of the communications team. The form is designed to act like a minimalistic word processor, capable of adding links, bullet points, and other style choices. Additionally, you have the ability to upload photos, which we strongly suggest you do with each submission.

We found that the previously available form created a number of bottlenecks in our system, impacting this office’s ability to share your stories in a timely manner. When submitting the new form, you are actually creating a draft story on the back-end of our newsroom. Upon submitting that story, the communications team is automatically notified so that we can make any necessary changes to accommodate Drake’s style guide or other minor editorial changes prior to publication. This new process is designed to speed the process of sharing good news, and to help ensure accuracy of what is published online.

If you have any questions about the new process or run into any issues as we roll out this system, please reach out to Jarad Bernstein at jarad.bernstein@drake.edu.

Jarad Bernstein, Director of Communications

Campus Announcements Archive

Cowles Library exhibit highlights history of SJMC

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is celebrating the centennial of journalism and mass communication education at Drake in 2019–2020. An exhibit in the Cowles Library, Collier Heritage Room tells the story, starting with the College of Commerce, Finance and Journalism in 1919. Early leaders of the program included executives from The Des Moines Register and Meredith Corp., and George Gallup, the founder of modern polling. The exhibit will be open through the summer.

Kathleen Richardson, Journalism and Mass Communication

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Relays events: Plan your week

Whether on the Blue Oval or on campus, Relays Week is where faculty, staff, students, and alumni celebrate together and reconnect during special events. For a complete listing of Relays events, including the Grand Blue Mile, pole vaulting at Capital Square, and the Relays Carnival, visit the University calendar.

Other ways to find information, include:

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Relays campus parking restrictions

Due to multiple events on campus and increased community presence for the Drake Relays, it is necessary to establish the following parking restrictions from April 21–29. Please review the restrictions listed below. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Please note: All residential parking lots will still be under 24-hour residential permit only restrictions. All Drake lots will be held on Friday morning until 9 a.m. for Drake permits only.

Sunday, April 21–Monday, April 29: Reserved—No Parking: Lot #17 (Facilities, 27/Clark) — Reserved for placement and use as Relays athlete warm-up area.

Tuesday, April 23, 10 p.m.–Monday, April 29, 4 p.m.: Reserved—No Parking: Lot 18 South (Studio Arts) and Lot 18 North (West Stadium)

Wednesday, April 24, 8 a.m.–Sunday, April 28, 8 a.m.: Limited Parking—North Half of Olmsted Lot #16 and half of Law School Lot #13

Thursday, April 25, 11 a.m.–Saturday, April 27, 6 p.m.: Parking Lots 1 and 2 will be pay lots (Drake Permits valid at no charge until 4 p.m. on Friday in Lot 1). 

City Street Closures:

Thursday, April 25–Saturday, April 27:
— Forest Ave. will be closed from 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, between 27th Street and 29th Street.
— 27th Street will be shut down for bus traffic from Forest Avenue to Clark Street.

Saturday, April 27:  Meek Street will be shut down for the Hammer Throw.

Scott Law, Executive Director Campus Public Safety and Operational Services

For Students Archive

J-term 2020 travel seminars, still accepting applications

You can still apply for the following travel seminars:

England: Theatre History in London
Finland: Perspectives on Education
India: International Health Topics
Israel and Jordan: Religions of the Middle East
Italy: Place-Based Integrated Science
Japan: Understanding Diverse Populations
Mexico: The Other Side of the Wall: The Americanization of Mexico
New Zealand: Communication and Tourism Analysis
Panama: Issues in Global Business and Leadership
Rwanda: Ecotourism, Conservation, and Development in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Thailand: Research, Exploration, and Reflection
Washington DC/Boston: Congress Up Close: Preparing to be a Congressional Staffer

Some programs only have a few spots left! Apply today.

Maria Rohach, Center for International Programs and Services

News & Achievements Archive

Drake student journalism work advances to national contest

Work by Drake students has advanced to the national competition in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence contest. Honors include best sports reporting, best online student publication, and three photography awards.

The winners were announced at the SPJ Region 7 conference on April 6. Region 7 includes universities and colleges in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. The first-place winners of all 12 regions will compete at the national level, and results will be announced in late spring. 

Five Drake regional winners that advance to national competition: 

  • Jessie Spangler: Online Sports Reporting
  • Urban Plains (the senior journalism capstone website): Best Independent Online Student Publication
  • Lorien MacEnulty: Breaking news photography
  • Grace Hulin: General News Photography
  • JD Pelegrino: Sports Photography

Seven other projects were finalists at the regional competition:

  • Samantha Ohlson: Online feature reporting
  • Andrew Beall: Online sports reporting
  • Jessica Spangler and Mitch Kedzior: Podcast
  • Marie Nalan: Breaking news reporting
  • Rachel James and Phong Ly: General news reporting
  • Times-Delphic: Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper
  • Drake Magazine: Best Student Magazine

Kathleen Richardson, Journalism and Mass Communication

Campus Announcements Archive

Planned electrical shutdown to campus

A planned electrical shutdown for campus is scheduled for Friday, July 5. The electrical shutdown will begin at 6 a.m. and the work will be completed by 12 p.m.

Facilities Planning and Management is working on cleaning the large electrical transformers located at the Forest Avenue Heating Plant. This electrical shutdown will also enable Waldinger to complete a grounding project of all the equipment located in the Forest Avenue Heating Plant. Facilities Planning and Management apologizes in advance for the planned electrical shutdown. July 5 is the only opportunity to complete the work.

Facilities Planning and Management will soon begin working with the departments impacted by the electrical shutdown. The buildings impacted include: the Dial Center, SCB animal facility, IT equipment in the Hubbell Tunnel area, Morehouse residence hall, construction projects in process on campus, and others. Please contact Facilities Planning and Management if there are other departments/buildings that will require help preparing for the planned electrical shutdown.

Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

Strategic Updates Archive

Parking zones and rate changes for 2019-2020

In order to improve the campus parking experience for faculty, staff, students, and visitors, Drake will implement a new parking structure and rates beginning in the fall 2019 semester.

Effective Aug. 1, 2019, parking lots on campus will be divided into seven, color-coded zones. Commuter lots will include Lot 16: Olmsted (yellow), Lot 13: Wifet Plaza (red), Lots 18 and 18N (green), lots east of 27th Street (orange), and lots west of 27th Street (grape). View map.

Commuter lots will also be divided into two payment tiers. Parking permits for the 2019-20 academic year will cost $250 for high-demand zones (yellow, red, and green). While low-demand, peripheral-campus zones (orange and grape) will cost $125. Campus members will have the option of purchasing a parking permit within the zone of their choice, and based on their desired price point.

Pricing for 2019-20 parking permits was carefully determined following a third-party, comprehensive study, which measured parking trends, usage, and future demand. The study revealed that even after the removal of three parking lots due to construction, there remains adequate campus parking (more spots than permit holders). The new zone system is designed to provide a more predictable parking experience for the Drake community and evenly distribute parking across campus.

Those who register for a parking permit next fall will receive a hang-tag that corresponds with their designated parking zone. On Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., commuters will be required to park in their assigned zone. Those who park in lots other than their designated zone may be ticketed.

Residential parkers, as in the past, will be assigned to a residential lot (blue). View Map. Residential students are strongly encouraged not to bring a car to campus and instead walk, bike, take a DART bus, or rent a car through the Enterprise car-sharing program, WeCar. WeCar vehicles are parked at dedicated spots near campus, and members can rent a vehicle anytime and then return it to where they picked it up.

The University hopes the new parking regulations will advance Drake’s sustainability efforts by increasing the use of alternative modes of transportation. In addition to WeCar, alternative transportation options include free DART bus rides (with Drake ID) all over Des Moines and a discounted rate to ride BCycle bicycles. There are four BCycle stations close to campus; bikes are $3 per trip or $20 per year with unlimited 60-minute rides.

For questions regarding the new parking rates and structure, view an FAQ or visit the Public Safety web page. Questions may also be directed to Scott Law, executive director campus public safety and operational services, at scott.law@drake.edu.

— Scott Law, Executive Director Campus Public Safety & Operational Services