All posts by Jennifer Harvey

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Faculty and staff affinity groups begin

The Office of Campus Equity and Inclusion is excited to support faculty and staff affinity groups. Please see the following descriptions, schedules, and contact information for existing and emerging groups. If you are interested in starting an affinity group that aligns in support of Drake’s stated institutional mission for diversity, equity and inclusion please reach out directly to Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion Jennifer Harvey.

The AAPI Faculty & Staff Affinity group welcomes all AAPI faculty and staff to join. You will be able to connect and network with other AAPI faculty and staff on campus. Please come to our visioning meeting on Monday, Sept. 20, at 3:30 p.m. We will meet outside at the covered space just east of Colliers-Scripps to determine how we can support the AAPI campus population. We will plan meetings and events based on what serves AAPI faculty and staff best. Please contact Maureen Yuen (maureen.yuen@drake.edu) with any questions.

The Black Faculty & Staff Affinity group welcomes all Black faculty and staff to join us for our Virtual Brown Bag Lunch Fellowship on Microsoft Teams. You will be able to connect and network with other Black faculty and staff on campus. We meet on the first Friday of each month starting Oct. 1. We will hold space between 12–1:30 p.m. You may join us from 12–1 p.m. or 12:30–1:30 p.m. or anytime in between. To receive the Teams invite, email brandi.l.miller@drake.edu.

The Latinx Affinity group is a space for LatinX faculty and staff to get to know one another socially and provide support for each other. We will be planning an outdoor gathering later this fall. Please email marina.verlengia@drake.edu to be included on our distribution list and to get information about our fall gathering. We also have a Facebook group, please click here to join!

The Office of Campus Equity and Inclusion is particularly interested in exploring whether faculty and staff with disabilities and/or who identify as lgbtq+ would like to form an affinity group to provide mutual support and connection. Please reach out directly to Jennifer Harvey if you would be interested in facilitating such a group.

— Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

Campus Announcements Archive

A Rainbow Welcome

The Drake University LGBTQ+ Alumni and Allies are hosting a Rainbow Welcome networking event on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Alumni House (2700 University Avenue). New and current students, alumni and allies, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. We’ll share information, resources, food, and fun. Meet leaders on campus and in the community who will energize your Bulldog experience!

— Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

Campus Announcements Archive

37th Stalnaker Lecture featuring Professor Maura Lyons

The College of Arts and Sciences invites students, faculty, and staff to the 37th annual Stalnaker Lecture featuring Maura Lyons, professor of art history. The event will take place Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium.

“Cut, Paste, Repeat: Satirical Collages from the U.S. Civil War”

We think of our fraught era as one in which visual satire reigns supreme. But similar strategies were employed more than 150 years ago. In this presentation, Professor Maura Lyons will explore collages that spoofed leading political and military figures during the U.S. Civil War. These collages, which combine photography and other media and hover between portraiture and caricature, reveal both the power and limitations of “cutting and pasting” during a time of national crisis.

— Kayla Jenkins, College of Arts and Sciences

For Faculty Archive

Policy on religious accommodations for classes

A reminder to faculty, as the semester gets underway, about religious accommodations.

In December 2020, the Faculty Senate passed a motion that stated: “To ensure equity, Drake University will make a good faith effort to provide reasonable religious accommodations to students whose religious beliefs and practices conflict with an academic requirement unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship on the University community.”

The full motion provides examples of “reasonable accommodation.”

As a guide to instructors in planning their courses and assignments, a list of religious holidays where observance may compete with the demands of the academic calendar can be found at drake.edu/acad/calendar/religiousholidays/.

The list is not a designation of all religious holidays recognized by the University; it is simply an aid for planning purposes. Instructors should accommodate religious rituals and holidays that are both listed and not listed on this schedule. Please note that there are rituals of some religions that may not be scheduled very far in advance. Any instructor with concerns regarding a given holiday, or the academic implications of a particular student’s religious observance, may seek guidance from the chair of their department, dean of their school, or their Provost.

— Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

For Students Archive

Policy on religious accommodations for classes

In December 2020, the Faculty Senate passed a motion that stated: “To ensure equity, Drake University will make a good faith effort to provide reasonable religious accommodations to students whose religious beliefs and practices conflict with an academic requirement unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship on the University community.”

Students can inform instructors of classes they will miss due to religious holidays via this form. Students are encouraged to have a conversation with their instructors ahead of time in order to reschedule exams or assignments and find a mutually acceptable path to make up for missed work.

The full text of Drake’s policy, along with examples of reasonable accommodations can be found online.

— Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

 

Campus Announcements Archive

New Sprouts vegan dining option in the Hubb

When Executive Chef Angela Shultz arrived on campus, she was eager to begin working on a Drake Dining project that was near and dear to her heart—Sprouts Vegan platform, located in Hubb South. Sprouts is Drake Dining’s new, completely vegan platform. Sprouts offers vegan options at breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, but the fare isn’t exclusively for folks with 100 percent plant-based diets.

“I want to challenge everyone to try Sprouts,” said Angela, noting that the offerings will feature cuisines from all over the world with something tasty for everyone.

Angela’s passion for vegan cuisine is infectious—but she knew after some candid conversations with Drake students—she wasn’t alone; the students were clamoring for it too. “I got the opportunity to speak with some of the students, and I want them to know that I heard them,” she said. “It’s important to me that everyone who chooses to eat a plant-based diet gets a flavorful and well-balanced meal.”

Visit drake.sodexomyway.com for more information on Drake Dining locations and download the BiteU app for daily menus and more.

— Casey Morgan, Dining Services

For Students Archive

Writing Workshop opens Sept. 7

The writing workshop is staffed by trained peer tutors who help students identify areas of difficulty and work with them on a range of issues including fluency, organization, development, analysis and argument. Tutors also help students copyedit their work as needed.

The Writing Workshop is located in Cowles Library, Room 47, on the lower level. Students can sign-up for appointments at this website or by calling 515–271–4712.

—Renee Cramer, Provost’s Office

For Faculty Archive

Writing Workshop opens Sept. 7

The writing workshop is staffed by trained peer tutors who help students identify areas of difficulty and work with them on a range of issues including fluency, organization, development, analysis and argument. Tutors also help students copyedit their work as needed.

The Writing Workshop is located in Cowles Library, Room 47, on the lower level. Students can sign-up for appointments at this website or by calling 271–4712.

If you refer your student to the workshop, please let us know via email (jody.swilky@drake.edu). Have them bring the assignment they are responding to, as well as any writing they have done to complete the assignment.  If a student is referred, the tutor will send an email letting you know that your student has attended, and will briefly describe what work was done. If you do not receive an email from us, your student did not attend. If a student attends on his or her own, we do not inform professors unless the student specifically asks us to.

Workshop tutors are available to speak briefly to classes about the workshop. If you would like a tutor to come to your class, please call or email me. Please also feel free to call or email with questions about writing, about working with students for whom English is not a first language, or with questions about any student who is having particular difficulty with writing.

—Renee Cramer, Provost’s Office