All Staff Council’s Events & Community Service committee needs your input to help us plan the annual staff sports competition. Should we continue with kickball, or try something new with volleyball? Vote by Monday, April 15, via this Qualtrics form.
— Lauren McCarthy, On behalf of All Staff Council
On Monday, March 25, all faculty and staff should’ve received an email from “Drake Information Technology Services (ITS)” with the subject line “You’ve been enrolled in ITS security awareness training” regarding a mandatory security awareness training module from our training partner, KnowBe4. If you haven’t completed the training, you’ll receive a reminder message with a link to the training module later this week. The course should be completed as soon as possible and will take you about 15 minutes.
Cyber security awareness training provides our Drake community information to effectively protect both institutional and personal data. This training is also required for Drake to comply with applicable data privacy laws and helps contain our cyber insurance costs.
We appreciate the number of people who reached out to verify the legitimacy of the message. If you have other questions or concerns, submit an Account/Security Request or call the ITS Support Center at 515-271-3001.
— Becky Klein, ITS
Drake University is seeking interested faculty to apply for the DU Faculty-in-Residence positions to teach and support student learning on Drake’s semester-long, cohort-model, study abroad programs.
Two openings available. You may apply for one or both positions.
The DU Semester Faculty-in-Residence applications are live through Qualtrics for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025. To learn more about these opportunities including eligibility, compensation, responsibilities, and to officially apply, please go to: QUALTICS LINK
Submissions are due Wednesday, May 1. If you have questions or want to learn more about these opportunities, please reach out to Maria Rohach, director of education abroad, at maria.rohach@drake.edu.
— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement
On April 12–14, Drake will host the sixth annual Iowa Interfaith Conference (IIC), this time in conjunction with the regional conference of the upper-Midwest American Academy of Religion (UWMAAR) on April 12–13.
These conferences will feature site visits (on Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning/afternoon) and panels and keynotes (on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and afternoon). The on-campus events will be held in Meredith Hall.
Here, in brief, is the schedule for both events. (Also see below for detailed schedules of each and attire/etiquette information about the site visits.)
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
-3:30 pm: reception
-4:00-5:15 pm: first session (panels 1 & 2)
-6:00-6:45: Visit to Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa (33916 155th Ln, Madrid)
-7:00-8:30: Visit to Islamic and Education Center: Bosniak (17630 Bosniak Ln, Granger), dinner
-9:00: Ice Cream social at Drake Diner
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
-7:45: breakfast
-8:15-9:30: second session (panels 3, 4 & 5)
-9:30: coffee break
-10:00-11:15: plenary address: Dr. Douglas Kries, “Religions and Their Communities: Is Religion Friend or Foe?”
-11:15-11:45: lunch
-11:45-1:00: screening of and panel about digital stories from Drake’s interfaith camps (Varsity Theater)
-1:00-2:15: session 3 (panels 6 & 7)
-2:30-3:25: interfaith plenary address: Sarah McCammon, “Making Sense of Religious Pluralism as an E(x)vangelical”
-3:25: coffee break
-3:45-5:00: session 4 (panels 8, 9 & 10)
-5:15-6:30: session 5 (panel 11)
-5:45-6:45: visit to Wat Lao Buddhavas (1804 E Park Ave, Des Moines)
-7:00-8:30: visit to Hindu Cultural and Educational Center (1940 E Army Post Rd, Des Moines), dinner
SUNDAY, APRIL 14
-10:00-12:00: visit to St Mary Coptic Orthodox Church
-12:00-1:30: visit to Iowa Sikh Association
— Catalina Samaniego, senior, Arts & Sciences
Thank you to the 337 faculty and staff members who have already completed the 2024 faculty and staff survey. However, we need more responses and have not yet reached our participation goal of 60%. The good news is, there is still time to complete the survey. The survey period ends tomorrow, April 3, so if you have not completed the survey, please consider taking this opportunity to make your voice heard.
The survey link can be found here.
Your voice matters and your responses help the University identify opportunities to improve. Overall responses are reviewed to identify actionable areas for improvement over the next year. The higher the response rate, the more accurate and complete the results. It is easy, quick, and completely anonymous.
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President, & Maureen DeArmond, Human Resources
Starting in Fall 2024, all undergraduate students will automatically receive required course materials on or before the first day of class. This eliminates the shopping process, saving students time and money while lowering stress. The program cost is added to student accounts with the opportunity to opt-out. Learn more about this exciting program. A student FAQ and Faculty FAQ can also be found on the Course Ready webpage.
— Jerry Parker, Chief Student Affairs Officer
Get ready to groove with jazz funk April 12. Jazz funk combines jazz, hip-hop, and African dance to create an exciting groove. We’ll warm up, learn cool moves, and have a blast.
— Gail Witte, Recreational Services
Hillel will be hosting the first night of Passover. It will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 22, in Levitt Hall. There will be a service that lasts around 45 minutes to an hour and then a kosher dinner following that. The dinner will be catered by Maccabees Deli. Dress Code: Business Casual
Students: $10
Faculty/Staff: $15
Public: $25
Please fill out this form if you are interested: https://forms.gle/UeyirTpyAnE3x4SX8. Please do so before April 13 at 9 p.m. We are using Venmo but can take cash or Zelle upon request.
— Sydney Dvorak, senior, Arts & Sciences
Dogtown After Hours needs volunteers for the big event on Friday, March 22, from 8 p.m. until 12 a.m. in Olmsted. Slots are in two-hour shifts and there are plenty of slots that need to be filled. Click the SignUp Genius link for more details and to sign up for a shift(s). DTAH 2024: DTAH 2024: Dogtown After Hours Volunteers (signupgenius.com)
If you have any questions, email sarah.tracy@drake.edu or dtah@drake.edu.
— Sarah Tracy, junior, Arts & Sciences
The Iowa Statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 10 a.m. The statewide drill allows us to test our planning and readiness and practice seeking appropriate shelter in case of a tornado. Faculty, staff, and students should participate in the drill by following campus severe weather plans and going to the lowest level of their building, away from doorways and windows.
March 25–29 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in the State of Iowa. Every year on the fourth Wednesday of March, the State of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department in conjunction with the Governor’s office run a statewide tornado drill. Drake University will participate in this drill to test our own procedures and protocols. The University will test its campus notification systems, consisting of the sirens located on the blue light phones and the Bulldog Alert system at the same time the City of Des Moines and Polk County test their emergency sirens.
Know these terms to help identify a tornado hazard.
Tornado watch: Tornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information.
Tornado warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately. Most injuries associated with high winds are from flying debris, so remember to protect your head.
Tornado Preparedness Checklist:
https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/tornado/EN_Tornado-Safety-Checklist.pdf
Tornado Facts:
—Jen Rasmussen, Environmental Health & Safety