Old Main will welcome children of Drake faculty and staff for trick-or-treat time on Monday, Oct. 31, from 3–5 pm. Offices will have treats and would love to see the kiddos’ Halloween costumes this year.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
Old Main will welcome children of Drake faculty and staff for trick-or-treat time on Monday, Oct. 31, from 3–5 pm. Offices will have treats and would love to see the kiddos’ Halloween costumes this year.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
The Law School is hosting its annual Continuing Legal Education event, the General Practice Review. The 45th annual General Practice Review will be held on Dec. 8–9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. This event serves to provide updates on current case law and a variety of other topics. All practicing or retired attorneys are invited to attend.
Topics that will be covered during the event include criminal practice and procedure, real estate, family law, ethics, Iowa civil procedure, employment law, insurance law, and more. Lunch will be provided both days.
This year, there are three ticket options available, including in-person, live stream, or recording. Tickets are $450 for two days or $225 for one day. This pricing is consistent for all ticket options. Participants can attend both days to earn a total of 15 CLE credit hours, including 3 ethics hours, or attend one day to earn 7.50 hours.
Register or find more information. For questions, contact Amy Cutler at amy.cutler@drake.edu or 515–271–3361.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
Students are invited to come for free pizza before the Sussman Lecture on Monday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. at Pomerantz Stage with speaker Dr. Michael J. Nelson. Connect with other students who have an interest in The U.S. Supreme Court and have a chance to talk to an expert on the topic as well.
For more information on the fall Sussman Lecture, “The U.S. Supreme Court: Yesterday and Today,” visit The Harkin Institute website.
— Lila Johnson, The Harkin Institute
While lots of students were heading home for the holidays in the fall of 2020, current Drake Law third-year student Jack Schuler was thinking about those who could not. He purchased a $25 Hy-Vee gift card and asked Assistant Dean for Student Services Erin Lee Schneider to give it to a student who could not travel home due to financial limitations. He also suggested that Drake Law faculty and staff might want to contribute to the effort to help as many students as possible. They responded and Dean Lee Schneider collected additional gift cards to help brighten the holiday for many.
This sparked a larger conversation regarding food insecurity among students at Drake Law. Schuler noted that due to the cost and time commitment of law school, there were likely individuals that were unable to meet their basic needs. Subsequently, a nationwide survey revealed that 43% of all law students reported food insecurity concerns during the pandemic. Drake Law Dean Jerry Anderson found this unacceptable. “For many of us, it didn’t cross our minds that there could be Drake Law students sitting in class who may not be eating properly due to a lack of funds,” said Dean Anderson. “This study revealed, though, that may absolutely be the case. We just found that intolerable.”
Funding for a food pantry in Kern Commons began immediately, organized by Schuler and Dean Lee Schneider. The food pantry is now up and running, allowing Drake Law students more security in finding their next meal.
As news about the food pantry spread within the Law School community, adjunct Professor Tyler Coe stepped up to help. As a shareholder with Dentons Davis Brown, P.C., Coe has a strong network of colleagues who understand the mindset of law students and the extreme commitment that comes with varying financial situations and course workload. Coe remembered when he was in law school and noted the times when he needed help.
“I remembered the time I needed help in law school. Without the extreme kindness and generosity of Drake Law graduate Janet Galloway Huston, LW’83, I would not have been able to continue my studies, let alone have food and shelter during law school,” Coe said. “In exchange for helping me, she asked me to pay her generosity forward in every way conceivable. When I learned Drake Law students and law students across the nation face food insecurity, I looked at my students and realized I had to help.” Within a matter of days, Coe collected food donations and raised $800 for the food pantry from other members of his firm.
The food pantry is in Cartwright Hall, Kern Commons, and is available to all Drake Law students. The pantry stocks canned foods and dry goods, frozen meals, and fresh produce. Gift cards for groceries are available as well. As the pantry gains traction, Coe is confident that donations will continue to come in, stating, “This is certainly not the last act of generosity my firm and I make for Drake Law.”
From a simple start with a $25 gift card donation to a fully functional food pantry, Schuler is proud of the effort the Drake Law community has put toward the success of the pantry. Schuler said, “Law school is hard enough, and students need to be able to focus on their courses rather than if they can eat today or not.”
To donate to the Drake Law School food pantry, contact Dean Lee Schneider at erin.schneider@drake.edu.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
To be considered for need-based grants and scholarships or federal student loans in the Summer 2023, Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters, complete the 2023–2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The form is available now at www.studentaid.gov. The FAFSA is available to U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens.
If you need assistance completing the FAFSA, please contact the Office of Student Financial Planning.
— Ryan Zantingh, Student Financial Planning
The Drake Agricultural Law Center is hosting an Agricultural Law Center Symposium on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. in the Drake University Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. This year’s symposium, titled “The Cooperative Business Model: A Vision for the Future Built Upon Centuries of Success,” celebrates the value of cooperatives and their importance in many areas, particularly rural communities and the agricultural and food industries. Conference sessions are applicable to cooperatives across all industries, with sessions covering insurance, utilities, agriculture, and more.
This conference is supported by the National Conference of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA, and the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives. Experts will share insights on issues such as governance, human resources, grant opportunities, tax, mergers and acquisitions, and antitrust. Attendees will have the chance to discuss workforce challenges, emerging cyber and data security concerns, partnerships and opportunities for growth, and help envision what cooperatives can do to help rural America thrive.
Drake Agricultural Law Center Director Jennifer Zwagerman said, “October is National Co-op month, so there is no better time to celebrate cooperatives. We are excited to partner with the National Conference of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA, and the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives to highlight the rich history of cooperatives across all industries, but particularly when it comes to food, agriculture, and supporting rural communities.”
The Drake Journal of Agricultural Law is soliciting articles and essays from speakers and participants for a forthcoming issue. This issue will continue these discussions and highlight challenges and opportunities for its readers.
“Bringing together representatives from a wide variety of cooperatives throughout the Midwest provides opportunities to address current issues, while also taking time to envision how cooperatives can expand, adapt, and collaborate to transform the future,” Zwagerman said.
To learn more about agricultural law and its many facets of influence, reserve your ticket here. Tickets are $50 each and will be available until Oct. 18. CLE credit for this event is pending.
About Drake Agricultural Law Center
Since 1983, the Drake Agricultural Law Center has been committed to educating future lawyers providing opportunities to students to gain experience in agricultural law. Learn more about the Drake Agricultural Law Center at Drake.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
Ambassador Terry Branstad provides office hours as part of his role as Ambassador in Residence here at Drake University on Fridays from 10–11:30 a.m. in Room 283 in the Law Library. Ambassador Branstad is also available to meet with faculty and students and speak to classes and student organizations. This is an exceptional academic opportunity to hear the perspective, reasoning, and experiences of someone who helped shape Iowa and U.S. history.
If you would like to meet with him personally to ask questions about the experiences he has had throughout his career, please use this Calendly link to schedule an appointment: https://calendly.com/ambassador-branstad.
— Luke Clausen, Senior
The Fall 2022 Sussman lecture is Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Sussman Theater (lower Olmsted Center).
Michael J. Nelson will be giving the hybrid Fall 2022 Sussman Lecture “The U.S. Supreme Court: Yesterday and Today”. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Both in-person and virtual tickets are available online here. ASL/CART will be provided.
About the Event
In this talk, Nelson will discuss how the Supreme Court has changed over the past few decades in terms of its composition and its workload: there is now a perfect congruence between the ideology of the justices and the party of the presidents who appointed them, and the Court is deciding far fewer cases than in decades past (and using a different process to do so). We’ll talk about the consequences of these trends for the Court’s public standing, the development of American law, and calls to reform the federal judiciary.
About the Speaker
Michael Nelson is a 2009 graduate of Drake University with degrees in Politics and English and a concentration in Business Law. He is currently a Professor of Political Science and Social Data Analytics and Affiliate Law Faculty at Penn State. His research and teaching focus on law and courts, especially the public’s relationship with the judicial branch. He is the author of over thirty peer-reviewed articles and four books and has received three grants from the National Science Foundation. His most recent book, Judging Inequality (Russell Sage Foundation Press), received the C. Herman Pritchett and Virginia Gray awards from the American Political Science Association for the best book published in the fields of Law and Courts and State Politics and Policy.
About the Sussman Lecture Series
Established by Richard Sussman, AS’51, in memory of his late wife Lila, the Sussman Lecture Series takes place twice a year and invites notable public figures to discuss timely topics. Past speakers have in the Sussman Lecture Series include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, NASA Chief Historian Bill Barry, Microsoft Chief Accessibility Officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
— Lila Johnson, Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement
Reggie’s Sleepout is back at the Drake Stadium on Oct. 29. Reggie’s Sleepout is an annual event hosted by the Iowa Homeless Youth Center (IHYC) to raise awareness for local youth homelessness. It is held in honor of Reggie Kelsey, a young man found dead in the Des Moines River at the age of 22, four years after aging out of the foster care system. Now, participants annually build cardboard shelters and camp out on Drake’s field to honor his legacy while fighting to end youth homelessness. All donations raised directly benefit programming for transition aged youth at IHYC and other Iowa homeless youth organizations.
Register for the event using your Drake email address here. There is no fee for registration.
— Peyton Haas, AS, JO
Join Drake’s growing Prevention Ambassador Team. Training to become a Prevention Ambassador will be held Oct. 28, Nov. 4, and Nov. 11 from 1–4 p.m. Must be able to attend all three to be certified.
Reister HERE
Prevention Ambassadors are students trained to facilitate conversations about bystander interventions, healthy relationships, and understanding the dynamics of sexual and dating violence. Prevention Ambassadors interact with first years during welcome week, mentor high school youth, put on events and programming with other student groups and plan the annual Bulldogs Against Sexual Assault event.
We would love for you to join our team! If you have questions, reach out to lynne.cornelius@drake.edu.
— Lynne Cornelius, Violence Prevention & Programming