All posts by Kayla Jenkins

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

For Faculty Archive

Faculty of color affinity group

Once again this year, the Provost’s Office will be providing hospitality support for pre-tenure and non-tenure-track faculty of color to gather in order to build community, share resources, and create networks of support and collegiality. Assistant Professor of Math Enes Akbuga will be convening all interested faculty for an initial meeting over coffee sometime during the week of Sept. 13. If you are interested in joining us, please send Enes an email (enes.akbuga@drake.edu). Both new and existing pre-tenured faculty are encouraged to join.

— Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

For Faculty Archive

Deputy Provost Office: Faculty development and community building opportunities

Here is a brief listing of what faculty can anticipate:

First Year Seminar faculty are invited to join each other for lunch and conversation on Sept. 17, Oct. 15, and Nov. 19 from 11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (Zoom for September; register here).

On Friday, Sept. 24, from 1–3 p.m. there will be an all-faculty-are-welcome Zoom conversation asking “How is Pandemic Changing our Pedagogy?” (venue TBD, register here) . In late November, we will have a session on Decolonizing Your Syllabus.

In October and November, Deputy Provost Renee Cramer and Associate Provost of Campus Equity and Inclusion Jen Harvey will co-sponsor a series of development opportunities meant to help instructors incorporate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into their AOI courses.

On Oct. 1, Nov. 5, and Dec. 3, we’ll have brown bag lunches devoted to faculty research across the disciplines. Please reach out to renee.cramer@drake.edu if you have research-in-progress that you’d like to share.

Around mid-term, and finals, we’ll host “grading parties”—time set aside to drink hot cider or cocoa, and grade in solidarity with your faculty peers—with occasional breaks to talk assessment and student learning outcomes.

Don’t forget “Books for Breakfast!” We’re reading Burn-Out and The Slow Professor.

Finally, Drake welcomed 30+ at New Faculty Orientation (check out our group photo with Griff). They’ll meet two Fridays a month; established faculty who want to join and informally mentor are more than welcome to contact renee.cramer@drake.edu to volunteer!

—Renee Cramer, Provost’s Office