All posts by Kayla Bell-Consolver

Spread the word: UWill provides immediate student mental health support

This spring the Student Counseling Center launched a new FREE mental health resource for students called UWill. Uwill provides a variety of resources that can instantly help students improve their mental health:

  1. Immediate Teletherapy with a licensed counselor
  2. 24/7/365 Crisis hotline for drake students
    1. Students can call the line with students as well: 833.646.1526
  3. Fifty to sixty self-help videos on mindfulness, self-care, self-esteem, and more
  4. Students can sign up at app.uwill.com or scan any QR code on a Uwill poster

Although this resource is available to students, many students have denied awareness to this resource and its benefits. We need your help sharing this resource with your students during classes, through emails, in 1:1s, and in any student interactions when a student presents a mental health concern.

Here is a 10-minute Panopto Video that explains this resource more.

For questions about this resource, contact Kayla Bell-Consolver, director, Student Counseling Center, at kayla.bell@drake.edu.

— Kayla Bell, Student Counseling Center

Seeking first-year student success course instructors

Do you enjoy spending time with students?  Looking for a new opportunity to interact? If you would enjoy being a key part of welcoming new students and supporting their transition to the Drake community, please consider joining the Blueprint for Success team and teaching a section of Drake’s first-year student success course. Jenny Jones, Director of Graduate Programs in the Zimpleman College of Business, shared the following about her experience: I’ve taught several sections Blueprint for Success/Bulldog Foundations over the past few years and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the incoming students. As an instructor, you get to help the student acclimate not just to Drake University but to college life as a whole. You can create an environment where the students help each other adjust and learn from each other’s experiences. Each section I’ve led has had a different personality, but each section has been rewarding.”

Blueprint for Success helps students consider concepts and develop skills that are crucial for the development of meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. Students will explore the elements of an equitable and inclusive community, consider life skills necessary for success, and refine academic strategies. This course helps students transition into the Drake community with ease.

The course meets for 11 sessions, 50 minutes each session.  The sessions will be spread out through the fall semester. Instructors will be given all curriculum, materials, and facilitator guides for the course, and will not need to develop any curriculum on their own. In addition, instructors will partner with a peer mentor, and upper-class student leader who can help facilitate class sessions, support discussion, and be a valuable resource to your students.

In addition to assigned class time, chosen instructors will need to attend an all-day training the week of Aug. 1, a check-in meeting the week of October 15 and a wrap-up meeting during the week of Fall 2023 finals. Instructors will be paid a $1000 stipend for teaching Blueprint for Success unless this course serves as a part of your full-time teaching load.  Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent, and teaching experience is preferred but not required. Have questions?  Sign up for a short consultation session. 

To apply, fill out the google form. The application is due Friday, April 7.

 Blueprint for Success Planning Team

Additional ITS security precautions coming

ITS has ongoing efforts to maintain and strengthen the security of University data and systems. The number of cybersecurity incidents continues to grow worldwide, and we have seen recent events that have shut down local businesses and schools. ITS prioritizes your information security and safety, and we are doing our part to protect resources and data.

Our recent focus has been on security measures, such as email encryption and enforcement of multifactor authentication requirements. In the upcoming weeks and months, you will see additional precautions put in place. This will include limiting services that can be accessed on the guest network and restricting unsupported computer operating systems from using Drake networks.

To keep your information secure and keep Drake safe, keep the following tips in mind.

Download the MFA app. Multifactor authentication helps ensure you are the only one accessing your personal information.

Keep your devices up to date. Visit the Support Center on campus if you require assistance updating your laptop or computer to the most recent operating system version.

Use the Drake network. Faculty, staff, and students should use eduroam for their wireless connection at Drake. DUGuest is intended for guests of the university and will have limited access.

Be aware of your surroundings. If you are using a Drake system in a public setting, keep an eye on who can see your screen and has access to your information.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach ITS at https://service.drake.edu/its, by phone at 515-271-3001, or by visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall.

— Gillian Mohn, ITS

Harkin on Wellness Symposium April 13

The 2023 Harkin on Wellness (HOW) Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Olmsted Center. The symposium is free but registration is required.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems were overrun with patients and supply chain issues disrupted our access to healthy foods. Community leaders and organizations responded by creating new approaches to address the relationship between food and health. These new approaches include the growth of food systems coalitions and councils working to shape, advise, and implement food policy. These groups also worked to increase opportunities and reduce barriers to healthy outcomes at the regional level.

This year’s Symposium will showcase the work being done at state and local levels to improve people’s lives by reimagining the food system from farm to table and everywhere in between.

We are pleased to welcome Deputy Under Secretary for the USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, Stacy Dean and Dr. Walter Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-chair of the EAT-Lancet Commission as the keynote speakers for HOW 2023. Additional speakers will include experts on the environmental impacts of food production and on local approaches to improving health and wellness.

American Sign Language (ASL) and live captions in English will be available for all general session content for all attendees. ASL are available for breakout sessions upon request. (To request accommodations or ask accommodation questions email harkininstitute@drake.edu.)

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

In Person Location: Olmsted Center at Drake University (2875 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)

Virtual Location: Livestream (access details and link will be sent to registered virtual attendees closer to the date of the event)

Registration: This event is free but registration is required.

For more information: https://harkininstitute.drake.edu/2023/02/23/how-2023/

Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute

CPHS obtains interactive Anatomage Table

Students in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have access to new interactive 3D virtual technology for learning human anatomy and physiology. Drake is one of the few institutions in Iowa to now have an Anatomage Table, the most technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection tool for anatomy and physiology education. The Anatomage Table has been shown to be an effective educational tool to allow students to interact with accurate, well-preserved cadavers in digital form.

The Anatomage Table is the only fully segmented real human 3D anatomy platform. Students visualize anatomy exactly as they would on a fresh cadaver with individual structures reconstructed in accurate, high-resolution 3D. The anatomy is presented as a fully interactive, life-sized touchscreen experience, in operatory bed form.

Faculty in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will begin integrating the use of the Anatomage Table into select courses in the spring of 2023, with full integration into courses in the fall of 2023.

Learn more here.

— Kaylyn Maher, CPHS

Drake Constitutional Law Symposium: “The Scales of Justice Tilt Right: Abortion, Affirmative Action, and the Administrative State”

The Drake Constitutional Law Center will host the 2023 Constitutional Law Symposium on Saturday, April 15, from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The program will be delivered in Cartwright Hall, Room 213, or virtually via Zoom. Speakers will analyze a variety of current issues from multiple viewpoints. A slate of nationally renowned scholars will discuss these important topics:

Abortion
– “Slavery, Abortion, and Collective Self Governance” – Dr. Teresa Stanton, Professor of Law and Director, Pro-Life Center, University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis)

– “The Supreme Court’s Impractical Opinion in Dobbs” – Mark S. Kende, James Madison Chair Professor in Constitutional Law and Director, Drake Constitutional Law Center, Drake Law School

The Administrative State
– “The Real Major Questions Doctrine” – Ilan Wurman, Associate Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

– “The Supreme Court and the Future of Administrative Power” – Dr. Nicholas Parillo, William K. Townsend Professor of Law and Professor of History, Yale Law School

Affirmative Action
– “The Constitutional Case Against ‘Diversity’, Racial Preferences in Higher Education” – Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

– “The Future of Race-Consciousness in Admissions” – Dr. Vinay Harpalani, Professor of Law and Lee & Leon Kavelitz Chair in Evidence & Procedure, University of New Mexico School of Law

The program will be moderated by Erin Lain, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, and Miguel Schor, Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Drake University. The symposium is approved for 2.5 hours of Iowa Continuing Legal Education credit.

The program is open to the public. Register online here. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review.

The Constitutional Law Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Congressman Neal Smith, LW’50, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 101. Congressman Smith’s efforts provided foundational support for the Center and he continued to be a loyal supporter his entire life.

The Constitutional Law Center gratefully acknowledges key support for this symposium from the Nathan S. McCay (LW ’80) Endowment and the Drake Constitutional Law Fund.


About the Drake Constitutional Law Center
Congress created the Constitutional Law Center to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution in 1987. Drake Law School is one of only four law schools designated by statute to receive a permanent endowment “to encourage graduate study of the American Constitution, its roots, its formation, its principles and its development.”

The annual Constitutional Law Symposium invites scholars, judges, and lawyers from across the country to discuss a timely constitutional issue. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review. Learn more about the Drake Constitutional Law Center.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Online citation payment

There are so many scams to look out for, especially in our email, and it is always good to be wary of suspicious emails if you are unsure of their origin.

With that being said, we implemented a new invoicing system in November that allows us to send digital invoices to your Drake email so that you can pay from the comfort of your own home!  We utilize our Clover payment system to do this, so if you receive an email from DRAKE UNIVERSITY SSC (via Clover), those are our invoices.

If you know you got a parking citation and didn’t receive an invoice, check your junk/spam folder first, and if it’s still not there, send us an email and we can send one over to you.  If you would like us to create an online invoice for an old citation, email your license plate number to studentservices@drake.edu, and we can create an invoice for those previous citations.

If you wish to appeal a citation, fill out the form here, and Public Safety will make a decision in a timely manner.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Head Start staff recognized by Iowa Head Start Association

Congratulations to two Drake University Head Start staff who are being recognized by the Iowa Head Start Association as annual award recipients this year:

Mary Middleton: Iowa Head Start Association’s Board of Directors is awarding Mary with the Iowa Head Start Support Staff of the Year! This award celebrates the significant contributions and support she has provided to the Drake University Head Start program. Mary has been with the Drake University Head Start program for almost 23 years. Congratulations and thank you Mary.  

Nicolle Smith: Iowa Head Start Association’s Board of Directors is awarding Nicolle with the Iowa Head Start Family Advocate of the Year! This award celebrates the important contributions Nicolle has made to the Drake University Head Start program in her work serving families through a home visitation model.  Nicolle has been with the Drake University Head Start program for over 12 years. Congratulations and thank you Nicolle.

— Lisa Proctor, Head Start

Read the latest shout-outs!

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources has been sharing shout-outs submitted by faculty and staff.  Thanks to everyone who participated this month.  Even though Employee Appreciation Month is ending, we hope you continue to find ways to show your appreciation to staff, faculty, and student employees across campus.  Sharing positive energy is contagious.  When you look for the good in people, you strengthen relationships, improving both their lives and your own.

Read the final shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to Renee Sedlacek Lee for putting on an inspiring Pecha Kucha event with faculty during the Global Citizen Forum, and for her leadership in rolling out DUgood on Drake’s campus!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to the Professional and Career Development Services team for putting on a wonderful career conference for the entire student body.” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Laney Guintard:  Laney is a welcoming presence to all who enter Carnegie Hall to visit Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Cashier, or Registrar.  She happily greets all who come through the doors and makes them feel at ease while quickly determining which office is best suited to help the student or family.  In addition, she manages the Financial Aid Office student workers while also fulfilling other critical tasks in Financial Aid to ensure students receive their award packages.  We appreciate Laney and the work she puts in every day to help Carnegie Hall visitors feel welcome and valued!” – Kristi Fuller

“A shout-out to Drake Public Safety: On March 20 I locked my car keys in my trunk.  They were in my coat with my phone.  I removed my coat to enjoy the nice weather and put it in my trunk with my messenger bag and lunch bag and then closed my trunk.  Immediately realizing I locked my car keys in my trunk, I stopped by Harmon Fine Arts Center and asked Natalie Bayer for help calling Drake Public Safety (Thanks Natalie!).  The response from Drake Public Safety was prompt and courteous.  The public safety officer (sorry, I didn’t get your name) was able to unlock my car, then Google a YouTube video to help me break into my trunk (the built-in anti-theft system in my car disabled my trunk release).  FPM also assisted by bringing over a long screwdriver so I could pop the trunk latch from inside my car.  Thanks again to everyone who helped me out of my embarrassing predicament!” – James Wu

“A shout-out to the PCDS team:  I could not be more proud to be a part of this strong, dedicated, collaborative, and fun-loving team!  Because of their hard work and collaboration across campus, Drake has Accomplishment Rates that are consistently among the highest in the country and response rates that tower 35% higher than the national average.  Well done everyone!” – Chrystal Stanley

“A shout-out to Dan Chibnall and Erica McGowan:  Thanks for all your help in organizing the University Book Club!  Your enthusiasm makes it a pleasure to plan and attend.” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Gail Witte:  Gail is always willing to fill in to sub for GroupX classes, and does an amazing job in all formats!  I can’t wait to see what she does with the Group Exercise program at Drake.  She’s only been here a short time but is already rocking it.” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Linda Feiden:  I really appreciate all the activities you organize!  From BUILD classes to Wellness Challenges, you work hard to promote them, and make them fun and engaging.  They are always a welcome addition to our normal day to day, and I appreciate all the time and enthusiasm you put into them.  Thanks!” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Donald Severs:  Don always goes above and beyond when card access tickets come in.  He usually responds to requests before I even have time to look at them and is dedicated to making sure he understands and delivers what our ticket requesters need.  You have been a great help to me these past few years, and I appreciate you!” – Sara Heijerman

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Answer this trivia question for a chance to win $10 in Bulldog Bucks

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources is adding one Drake trivia question in each issue of OnCampus in March.  The first person who correctly answers the question, once the issue of OnCampus is distributed via email, will receive $10 in Bulldog Bucks.  Answers should be submitted to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Last week’s winner was Elicia Ropte.  Congratulations!

Question of the week: What former Drake Relays competitor went from tossing javelins in the early 1980’s to topping the music charts?

Linda Feiden, Human Resources