The Office of the Provost invites faculty and staff to a retirement reception honoring and celebrating Kathleen Richardson, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Friday, May 6, from 3–5 p.m. in the north lobby of Meredith Hall.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
As a student tech, you will be able to support fellow students, faculty, and staff with day-to-day troubleshooting of campus-wide technical resources. Assistance may be needed to promote computing resources across campus and professional customer service is required every day to coordinate with those who need assistance, as well as with the others at Drake ITS.
Preferred candidates have great time management and communication skills, the ability to apply learned knowledge to new and challenging situations, excellent verbal and written skills, and general computer literacy. No prior IT support experience is needed-all majors encouraged to apply. Training will be provided. Apply to be a student tech on Handshake today.
— Becky Klein, ITS
Drake University’s Fraternity and Sorority Life commits to providing a collaborative, supportive community that offers students a unique, genuine experience at Drake University.
We challenge our members to embrace individuality, create a sense of belonging, encourage actions based on values, foster inclusivity and diversity, serve with the community, and grow intellectually.
This past week, the FSL community celebrated the successes of the student leaders, chapters, and councils for the 2021 calendar year at their annual FSL Celebration event. Award winners included:
Outstanding New Member Award:
Outstanding Philanthropy Award
Outstanding Drake Spirit Award
Outstanding Community Service Award
Outstanding Campus Involvement Award
Outstanding Programming Award
Outstanding FSL Leader Award
Outstanding Harm and Risk Reduction Program Award
Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award
Outstanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Award
Highest Chapter GPA
Outstanding Drake Faculty or Staff Member Award
Outstanding Brotherhood and Sisterhood Program of the Year Award
FSL Hall of Fame Award
FSL Chapter of the Year Award
— Rudy Trejo, Assistant Dean of Students
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced that Drake has been awarded a $79,110 grant to improve the flow characteristics and water quality of campus runoff as part of campus-wide improvements in sustainability and stormwater management, with an additional $6,000 coming from the City of Des Moines. The grants will be used to build a bioretention and bioremediation system in the area between the agora and Harvey Ingham Hall. This system will capture stormwater running off from Helmick Commons and other parts of central campus. Using berms and native plantings, bioretention and bioremediation cells slow the movement of stormwater, allowing plants and soils to filter the water and remove contaminants. In this way, significantly cleaner stormwater is discharged to local streams at a more constant pace, reducing erosion and flooding problems downstream, while also improving soil moisture near the site during dry times.
This was a student-initiated project, with initial investigation of opportunities done by students in the Drake Environmental Action League, in particular Elly Flemming, who built it into her capstone in Environmental Science and Sustainability. Drake Facilities Planning and Management staff, including Sustainability Coordinator Sophia Seigel and Director Kevin Moran, then worked with students, faculty, the City, and IDALS to organize the application and plan the execution. An important part of the grant will be measuring and analyzing the discharge into the stream just north of the Tennis Center (Ravine Creek) to determine the impact of the improvements.
This work is part of a much larger campus effort to remediate stormwater runoff and improve water quality in Ravine Creek. Other projects have included permeable pavement and equisetum planting on 28th Street going through campus, the prairie north of Meredith, native plantings as part of the Ray Promenade project, runoff collection built into recent parking lot improvements, rain gardens across campus, and capstone projects this spring and a Restoration Ecology class this fall that will focus on habitat improvements in the forested region through which the creek flows.
— David Courard-Hauri, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy
May is Mental Health Awareness Month*. While stigma around mental health and treatment has decreased in recent years, there are still people who hesitate to take steps to address mental health challenges, seek care, and talk about mental health with friends, family, and even their medical providers. Given the additional stress and uncertainty that have accompanied the past couple of years, it’s as important now as it has ever been to talk about mental health.
*Note: World Mental Health Day is in October.
The goals of Mental Health Awareness month are multifaceted, and include:
Now for some history about Mental Health Awareness Month: While it may be hard to believe, this was first celebrated in 1949 (73 years ago!). The commemoration was started by the predecessor to the National Mental Health Association, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. Today, the National Mental Health Association is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit mental health organization.
The National Committee for Mental Hygiene was founded by Clifford Whittingham Beers. Beers was born in 1876 in Connecticut. He was one of five children in his family, all of whom—including Beers—suffered from mental illness and psychological distress.
Beers spent time in a mental health institution and would later author “A Mind That Found Itself.” Gaining popularity and support from medical professionals, Beers founded the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. Beers was dedicated to ensuring that mental health patients received appropriate care and did not feel alone.
Another organization, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), helps raise awareness and combat stigma. NAMI has recently published a thoughtful guide for Mental Health Awareness Month this year. For 2022’s Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI identified “Together for Mental Health” as its theme. This theme pairs nicely with Drake’s Core Value of All In This Together.
| Make It OK – Free Webinars May 2 and May 20 Make It OK is a national campaign which encourages everyone to talk more openly about mental illness in hopes of de-stigmatizing it so individuals will feel more open to seek care. If you would like additional resources to help you help others, they are offering a free Make It OK presentation on May 2 and May 20. In the 50-minute presentation you will:
You can access additional Make It OK – Iowa resources here. |
For details about additional events, activities, and suggestions to observe Mental Health Awareness Month, please see the May HR Monthly. If you have never explored Drake’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), our EAP provider offers a wonderful range of resources—including confidential counseling, free webinars, podcasts, a blog, self-assessment tools, a free mobile app, and more. Make some time for yourself this month.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
You are invited to the next Provost’s Drake Social Tuesday, May 3, in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to the Knapp Center, beginning at 4 p.m.
During this event, faculty and staff who celebrated (or will be celebrating) a milestone anniversary or retirement between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, will be highlighted. Their names will be scrolled on video screens around the room.
Those who celebrated a milestone service anniversary between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021, are also encouraged to attend. We were unable to hold this event in May 2020 or 2021 due to COVID restrictions.
There will be soft drinks, wine, beer, and light snacks. President Martin will speak at 4:30 p.m.
Take a moment to stop by and congratulate your co-workers!
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
Celebrate Drake Relays in style with a piece of retro apparel. Stop by the Office of Community Engaged Learning, located in the lower level of Cowles Library, on Wednesday, April 27, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and take a photo with the Pathways Photo Background. Post your photo on social media and tag @DrakeService to earn your swag (one per person). Items include T-shirts, tank tops, sweat pants, shorts, and other goodies. While supplies last!
— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning
Starting May 1, all emails that include any of the types of confidential information listed below must be encrypted to send to any non-drake.edu email addresses.
Emails that include this confidential information will be flagged by the system and you will receive an automated notification letting you know your email was not sent. You must then either add encryption or remove the confidential information to send your email.
See instructions below on how to send and open encrypted emails:
Sending and Receiving Encrypted Email Messages (How-to)
Further questions about this upcoming change? Or about Drake’s Information Security policy? Please contact informationsecurity@drake.edu.
— Chris Mielke, ITS
We are excited to announce that the following individuals and groups have been recognized with an award from Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact:
Nominees will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 4, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. The event is open to anyone. Register.
Learn more about each awardee. Lists of awardees by award category with images and additional description of each recipient’s accomplishments are available on the Iowa Campus Compact website the week of May 2.
Watch Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact social media (Facebook and Twitter @IAMNCompact) between May 6–19 for spotlights on each of the winners.
Congratulations to these changemakers!
Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact’s mission is to support member colleges and universities as they fulfill the public purpose that is at the heart of higher education. Drake University is a member campus of Iowa Campus Compact.
— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning
As you’re packing up and moving out, if you come across items (non-perishable foods, school supplies, hygiene items, etc.) that you don’t want to keep, put them in the designated boxes for collection.
Look for a yellow plastic bin or cardboard box near the entryway or lobby of your residence hall. The Interfraternity Council is holding a similar drive in fraternity houses, and there will be a bin at Alpha Phi and potentially other sorority houses. There will also be a bin near the C Store. If you have leftover flex dollars, consider using them to purchase food for this drive!
This drive is planned to last until mid-afternoon on May 13. It is organized by Next Course Food Recovery.
Items will be donated to the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood or a nearby food pantry. Please don’t donate any perishable items or things that will not fit in the Little Pantries.
Contact andrew.kenanrd@drake.edu with questions about the Next Course drive and brian.orellana@drake.edu with questions about the Interfraternity Council Drive.
— Andrew Kennard, Junior