All posts by Jennifer Tran-Johnson

For Students Archive

Campus study spaces

Flex study spaces are available for studying or participation in virtual classes through Friday, December 11.  See below for an updated list of locations and hours.  Flex spaces will not be available the week of Thanksgiving.

Flex spaces are first-come, first-serve. They cannot be reserved in advance. Upon arrival, please sign in the Flex Space Check-In form. Students are responsible for wiping down their space before and after use with provided sanitizing wipes.

Note, for Cowles Library: Students are requested to limit their visit to 75 minutes, if possible.  Cowles will be monitoring capacity and will post at the entrance when the library is at capacity.

RoomCapacityAvailability
Aliber 000418M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Aliber 010132M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Cline Atrium M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Collier-Scripps Zip Spaces M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Cowles Library M-F 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
FAC 020423M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Harvey Ingham 011211M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Meredith 010216M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Meredith 010318M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Olin 021118M-F 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Olmsted – Conference Room 310-31120M-F 7:30 am – 11:00 pm
SU 8:00 am – 11:00 pm
Olmsted – Parents Hall South16M-F 7:30 am – 11:00 pm
SU 8:00 am – 11:00 pm

M = Monday, F = Friday, S = Saturday, U = Sunday

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Silent auction open to benefit scholarship fund

The Office of University Communications and Marketing has opened two silent auctions to benefit their scholarship fund.

Items up for auction are truly one-of-a-kind including an original painting of Griff I and Griff II (aka George) by Jeremy Sievers, director of brand integration, marble book ends with the Drake seal, men’s and women’s Drake watches, and a large variety of Drake art.

If you have a sweet tooth you can bid on gooey butter cake, Drake-themed cookies, and even a Bulldog-shaped cookie jar to hold all of your treats.

This year, half of the auction will take place on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/DrakeMarketingScholarshipFund

Additionally, 20 top items will be listed on a free auction website: https://www.32auctions.com/DrakeUCMScholarship2020

You can RSVP for the Facebook event to receive updates for the auction, which opened Monday, Nov. 16, and will close Nov. 22 at 9 p.m. CST.

Funded mostly by personal donations and unique fundraisers like auctions, the UCM office endowed the scholarship in 2017.

Each year, this endowed scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate student who demonstrates a high financial need and has a major in one of the following areas of study: marketing, communications, or graphic design. The awarding of the scholarship is handled through the Office of Student Financial Planning, who also determines the student’s eligibility.

— Niki Smith, University Communications and Marketing

For Students Archive

Mail delivery for residents paused during Thanksgiving/winter break

Attention: Mail delivered to campus residents will be returned to sender from Nov. 21, 2020, through Jan. 29, 2021.  Please be mindful of where you ship things during break, and adjust or pause your recurring shipments/subscriptions. Please send all mail to the address that you are residing at over break.

If you are living on campus at any point over break, please make sure your arrival and departure dates have been approved with Residence Life, so they can provide this information to Postal Services. Students residing on campus will be able to pick up their mail in the Olmsted Student Center between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For specific mail or housing questions, contact campusmailoperations@drake.edu or housing@drake.edu.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Electrical outage Nov. 25, unplug your electronics

On Nov. 25, Facilities Planning and Management will be cleaning three electrical high voltage vaults on campus. This means that the Bell Center, Shivers, Knapp Center, Field House, Fine Arts North, and Olin will be without power starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 12 p.m. Please remember to turn off your computers and electronics before leaving for the Thanksgiving Holiday period. Please contact Ron Tart, chief electrician, at ron.tart@drake.edu, if you have any question.

— Ron Tart, Facilities Planning and Management

Campus Announcements Archive

Clark Street and 25th Street Closures

Beginning on Monday, Nov. 9, Clark Street between 24th and 25th Streets, 25th Street between Clark Street and Forest Avenue, and Parking Lot 2 east of Shivers Basketball Practice Facility will be closed for underground utility work. Contractors will coordinate with Drake Facilities Planning and Management to maintain access to the homes on Clark Street.

— Rob Ebel, Facilities Planning and Management

For Students Archive

Virtual MVP training during J-Term

The Violence Prevention Office will be hosting Virtual MVP trainings over J-Term. MVP is Drake’s peer lead bystander education program. In this training, you will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations that center on the social and cultural norms that contribute to harmful situations and environments. You will gain skills to be an active bystander and also discuss ways for you to assist others and learn about all the resources on campus.

Trainings will be offered Tuesday, January 5, 12, and 19, from 1:30–4 p.m. or Wednesday, January 6, 13, and 20, from 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. You will be able to pick the time that works best for you.

You must attend all three trainings to receive an MVP certificate.

Sign-up HERE or email Lynne Cornelius at lynne.cornelius@drake.edu for more information.

— Lynne Cornelius, Violence Prevention & Programming

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Dining Thanksgiving hours

Drake Dining facilities will have adjusted hours of operation leading up to, during, and following Thanksgiving break. Please review and bookmark these flyers for a schedule of campus dining hours. If you have any questions, please email dining@drake.edu. Note that these hours are subject to further change.

Pre-Thanksgiving break dining hours (Nov. 16–20)

Thanksgiving break dining hours (Nov. 20–29)

Post-Thanksgiving dining hours (Nov. 30–Dec. 11)

— Casey Morgan, Dining Services

Campus Announcements Archive

What is SARS-CoV-2 and what are we doing about it? A perspective from an antiviral pharmacologist

The campus community is invited to join Professor Brian Gentry on Monday, Nov. 30, at 2:30 p.m. as he discusses coronaviruses, what makes SARS-CoV-2 special (and more dangerous) compared to the other coronaviruses, the two primary scientific reasons this virus caused a pandemic, current and experimental pharmacotherapies for the treatment of COVID-19, and the outlook for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

— Kaylyn Maher, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Blackboard Learn Ultra Instructor orientation course Module 4 and what’s next

About Module 4 : Module 4 is being released this week. This self-paced module is expected to take less than two hours and is focused on adding course content in the Ultra Course View. All Fall 2021 courses will be built using the Ultra Course View. 

You will be spending more time creating content and discovering new workflows in your sandbox course sites than learning from this Orientation course module. You have multiple sandboxes so that you can design more than one course simultaneously in the Learn Ultra Course View. 

Need Assistance with your Ultra Sandbox Courses? If you don’t see the sandbox courses in Ultra Course View in your Courses list (sandbox course names follow this formula: Ultra Sandbox #: Drake ID), please submit a Blackboard Site Creation request in the IT Service Portal. 

What’s Next: The end of the semester is a busy time so module 4 is the final module for the fall semester. In Spring 2021, likely late March, we will launch additional modules covering more advanced tools in Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses. 

This should allow you sufficient time to prepare your Fall 2021 courses in the Ultra Course View. In addition, a team of about 20 colleagues will be available for consultations around pedagogy and technology. 

Watch for more information in OnCampus in early spring. 

— Karly Good, ITS

HR Information Archive

DU Well Healthy Holidays challenge

DU Well Healthy Holidays is a five-week program that runs from Nov. 30, 2020, through Jan. 3, 2021. It consists of a series of one-day challenges that you can do at home or at Drake. From taking a walk break, to phoning a friend, or checking the batteries on your smoke detector, there is something for everyone. Simply check off the challenges as you complete them on the tracking form you will be provided. If you complete a daily challenge on 30 of the 35 days, you will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win prizes. 

As an added bonus, the tracking form will include a place to record your weekly weight. This is optional, but if you maintain (or lose) weight over the holidays, it will count as completing three (3) daily challenges.

To register for DU Well Healthy Holidays and receive your tracking form, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.  

—  Linda Feiden, Human Resources