See a list of new and notable Relays events happening this week. For a complete list of events, visit the University calendar. Other ways to find information, include: Alumni events: alumni.drake.edu; Athletic events: godrakebulldogs.com, and Student Activities Board (SAB) Instagram or Facebook page.

Grand Blue Mile

• What: The Grand Blue Mile is the Midwest’s premier community street run for all ages and abilities. Held annually since 2010, the Grand Blue Mile has hosted more than 35,000 participants from 36 states, six countries, and four continents.
• When: Tuesday, April 25, 6 p.m.
• Where:  Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa

NEW! Shot Put Community Event

• What: Shot put Olympians and world record holders will compete at the Drake Fieldhouse in this event that is free and open to the public. Ryan Crouser is ready to set a new indoor world record at this event. A live DJ will keep the energy up between throws and various food and beverage options will be available.
• When: Wednesday, April 26, 5:30–8 p.m.
• Where: Drake Fieldhouse, 2701 Forest Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311

NEW! Saturday Relays Live

• What: The Drake Relays has partnered with 80/35 music festival and the Des Moines Music Coalition to provide a memorable live concert experience with three local musical acts. Food vendors will be lined up along Forest Avenue during the event.
• When: Saturday, April 29, 10:45 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Where: Forest Avenue adjacent to Drake Stadium

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the 44th Annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest®, Presented by Ramsey Subaru. The contest will take place Monday, April 24 at 6 p.m. Doors will open to fans at 5 p.m. to enjoy the Rescue Dog Festival and Kids Zone before the pageant begins. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a giveaway for the first 50 students to show up with their Drake ID.

The Beautiful Bulldog Contest® at Drake University is a unique trademarked event with an over 40-year history. The event kicks off a week-long Drake Relays celebration. Thirty English Bulldogs walk the pup-way to impress judges in hopes of being crowned the Most Beautiful Bulldog. The winner of the contest will reign as the Most Beautiful Bulldog for the 2023 week-long Drake Relays. 

During the contest, each contestant will walk the pageant runway. This is prime time for the pups to show off their stuff or do tricks for our judges. This year’s judges include:

• WHO 13 Newscaster Jannay Towne 
• Paws & Pints founder and owner Megan Casey, BN’10
• Founding member and managing director of Pyramid Theatre Company, Alexis Davis, JO’13, GR’17

Questions? Please email beautifulbulldog@drake.edu. 

Select clothing and gifts are 50% off in-store and online at The Bulldog Shop. The sale is going on now through April 30 and excludes Drake Relays merchandise.

When: May 3 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Medbury Hall, Room 116

Ambassador Branstad hosts a book club during the academic year to engage the Drake community on topics related to U.S.-China relations. This semester’s book is Getting China Wrong by Aaron L. Friedberg and a limited number of copies are available for students. Drake students, staff, and faculty are welcome to sign up by emailing ambassador@drake.edu stating your intent to read the book and attend the event as well as your request for a copy of the book.

— Luke Clausen, JO, AS ’23

Drake University has selected a new partner for textbooks, course materials, and Drake branded merchandise. eCampus.com will supply course materials and operate the Bulldog Shop, our on-campus retail store, beginning with the Summer 2023 term. This new partnership will focus on increased affordability and convenience through a simplified ordering experience for students and a customer-centric campus retail operation, tailored to the needs of Drake students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, parents, and community members.

eCampus.com was selected after a comprehensive and competitive review. Survey data from faculty and students helped shape the vendor evaluation criteria. A faculty survey from last fall showed a need to improve the adoption process and overall customer service, while student surveys revealed a shift to online purchases and increasing preference for digital content. Affordability was also identified as a priority. Vendors were asked to highlight their capabilities in each of these areas.

A faculty bookstore advisory group was instrumental in evaluating potential vendors, providing input on the adoption tools from each vendor, course material selection support and other vendor offerings.  A special thanks to the following members of the Bookstore Advisory Group:

• Natalie Adkins, Associate Professor of Marketing
• Vira Babenko, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
• Gillian Gremmels, Dean, Cowles Library
• Carrie Dunham, Associate Professor Cowles Library
• Erik Maki, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
• David Senchina, Professor Kinesiology and Immunology, Biology
• Keith Summerville, Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability

 Improving the Student Experience
Another key focus of the selection process was the student experience. The eCampus.com online storefront will give students the opportunity to purchase or rent new and used textbooks online, as well as access to digital content. Students will be provided time and money-saving options, such as price comparison information from other vendors like Amazon or Chegg, free shipping to the campus store, and a price match guarantee program. eCampus.com’s custom-branded online storefront and dedicated customer service will be available to students 24/7.

Improving the Faculty Experience  
The move to eCampus.com also allows Drake to structure support for faculty in a more purposeful way. Cowles Library will now be a key resource for faculty throughout the adoption process. Librarians are well positioned to assist in identifying course material resources, including making recommendations to faculty who are interested in using Open Educational Resources (OER) or selecting from the thousands of eBooks in the library’s online collections. 

“Drake librarians are eager to bring our expertise to course materials, and eCampus.com has welcomed our involvement, which we appreciate,” said Jill Gremmels, dean of Cowles Library.  “We take seriously our goal of being the information provider to the University, but for too long, course materials have been outside that scope. We already own and license over 900,000 ebooks, and we can help professors find both OER and library-provided resources that are available at no cost to students.”

Bulldog Shop Operations
eCampus.com will also assume operation of the Bulldog Shop in the Olmsted Center. The store will continue to offer Drake branded merchandise and support graduation. eCampus.com brings a customer-centric focus to the retail operation and is committed to engaging with the campus community. eCampus.com has also committed to employing students, offering opportunities for retail and marketing positions for student employees. The Bulldog Shop will also accept  Bulldog Bucks in the store, allowing greater flexibility for students.  

Transition Information
Faculty will submit summer and fall adoptions using eCampus.com’s intuitive online adoption platform called FAST. The last information session about how to adopt using FAST is set for Wednesday, April 5, at 2 p.m.

To join the zoom training session click the link below and “Join Demo” button and it will take you to the training presentation.

https://ecampus.zoom.us/j/8653458271?pwd=OHZUa3ZUWVkzYzU3elNGZFduZEVHQT09#success

The Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA) requires higher education institutions to provide the complete list of required and recommended textbooks (including ISBN and pricing information) to the bookstore in a timely fashion. Thus, prioritizing the transition to the FAST adoption platform is an important first step in this process.  

To allow for inventory and preparations for a reopened store, the Bulldog Shop in Olmsted Center will be closed May 22–29 and re-open on Tuesday, May 30.  A special grand opening event will take place at the beginning of the fall semester.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

The Iowa Statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. The statewide drill allows us to test our planning and readiness and practice seeking appropriate shelter in case of a real tornado. Faculty, staff, and students should participate in the drill by following campus severe weather plans and going to the lowest level of their building, away from doorways and windows. 

March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month in the State of Iowa. Every year on the fourth Wednesday of March, the State of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department in conjunction with the Governor’s office run a statewide tornado drill. In years past Drake participates in this drill while testing our own procedures and protocols. The University will test its campus notification system, consisting of the sirens located in the blue light phones at the same time the City of Des Moines and Polk County test emergency sirens.

Tornado Facts:

• Tornadoes may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
• Funnel clouds usually last less than 10 minutes before dissipating, and many only last several seconds. On rare occasion, cyclones can last for more than an hour.
• Tornadoes may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.
• The average tornado moves southwest to northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
• The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 mph, but may vary from stationary to 70 mph.
• Damage paths of tornadoes can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.
• Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.

Know the terms: Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify a tornado hazard.

Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information.

Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately! Most injuries associated with high winds are from flying debris, so remember to protect your head.

— Chris Nickell, Environmental Health & Safety

In 1942, French philosopher Albert Camus wrote an essay called the Myth of Sisyphus. He wrote this as his country was being invaded and it felt like the world was falling apart. It was a time of disbelief and despair. It was a time when certain groups—Jews, Romanies, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, communists, and socialists—were being targeted for their differences and persecuted with hate, violence, and even death.

This was an extreme era in 20^th Century European history and Camus’ reality was not the same as ours. But his mindset and ideas remain relevant to us today, right here in Iowa.

Sisyphus is a figure in Greek mythology who angered Death (that’s a whole other story). He found himself condemned to roll a rock up a mountain. As he approached the top, Sisyphus would inevitably lose his grip or his footing would fail and the rock would roll down the mountain. Then, Sisyphus would turn and head down to the rock and repeat the task.

Camus found this story interesting—but there was one precise moment in particular captured his attention. When Sisyphus, standing at the top of the mountain and watching the rock tumble back down, in that moment, he chose to pivot, turn around, and try again—as if to say, “fine, I’ll just do it again.”

While this myth is often told as a story of futility, Camus did not view it that way. When it felt and looked like all was lost, Sisyphus refused to give up or to acquiesce to the circumstances. In the seconds following failure, Sisyphus, amazingly, was fueled by strength and determination. In that moment, Camus observed, Sisyphus was stronger than the rock and he remained unbeaten.

Short-sighted and discriminatory laws have just passed in Iowa. Similar laws are passing in other states. The NAACP is contemplating issuing a travel advisory for people of color considering travel to Florida. We regularly see examples of Asian hate and antisemitism carried out across the country. And the list goes on.

For those of us who are members of groups being increasingly targeted—or have friends, family, and colleagues who are members of such groups—or we simply care about equal rights for all people—it is tempting to feel defeated.

But here is what is also true: Recent events do not get to define us or the Drake community. We get to define us. This is a moment when our values—prioritizing inclusion for all and unifying our diverse community behind a shared mission—matter the most. As gut-wrenching as it feels to watch the proverbial rock roll down the hill, we can choose to be stronger than the circumstances.

While some universities across the country are distancing themselves from DEI principles, we are doubling down. Please join us in our commitment to building a campus culture that values all. Students thrive when they enjoy a sense of belonging. Faculty and staff flourish when they feel valued. Join us in our steadfast resolve to stand by our values and all members of the Drake community.

There is not one act that can be performed—no single set of words that can be uttered—to make things better. Complex situations require layers of actions and words…determination and time, too. And we all have a role to play in taking action and speaking up.

In the short term, please consider joining members of the Drake community in the breezeway in Olmsted, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 30. There we will take action and use our words to say that we understand the harmful repercussions of the recent laws passed in Iowa and show our love and determination to stand with transgender and gender non-conforming members of our community.

Watch for the April DEIJ newsletter for details about upcoming events and suggested action items. Keep reading OnCampus for additional discussion. If you have suggestions for action or requests for support, please contact Lynne Cornelius, Associate Dean of Students or Jennifer Harvey, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion.

— Jennifer Harvey, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion; Maureen De Armond, Executive Director, Human Resouces