All posts by Venessa Macro

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

How to plan for summer youth programs and camps

As departments and academic programs start to plan for possible summer youth programs, including camps, we are providing some tools to facilitate review of your planned activity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. All programs and campus must complete this process. The first step is to complete an online program description form aimed at collecting key information about the program and planned health and safety protocols.

This will prompt a review by appropriate individuals, including the Department of Environmental Health & Safety. This review will also help ensure that things like custodial and food service support are available, as these services require additional planning in light of COVID-19 protocols. Program sponsors can begin publicizing the program after this review is complete.

As with all things related to the pandemic, it is important to keep in mind that all youth programs and events are subject to change or cancellation if conditions change.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

Faculty/staff forum: Political climate on Drake’s campus

Join the Provost for a conversation on the political climate on Drake’s campus on Friday, Feb. 26, from 1–2 p.m. via Zoom. Visit the Campus Calendar for the link.

This session will provide some preliminary statistics on how faculty, staff, and students are perceiving the climate on campus, followed by a time to discuss challenges and brainstorm solutions.

The forum is open to all faculty and staff.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

Nominations open for the Adams Leadership Awards

The Adams Leadership Convocation is an annual, campus-wide event that celebrates the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University. Each spring we honor students and organizations who have made valuable contributions to the campus community through their outstanding commitment to leadership.

This year’s Adams Leadership Awards nomination form has opened early in an effort to nominate students and student organizations throughout the spring semester.

Please see this full list of award categories and criteria and consider nominating Drake students and student organizations who’ve exhibited strong leadership and excellence throughout the 2020–2021 academic year using the link below. Nominations can be submitted by any Drake student, faculty, and/or staff any time between now and Sunday, April 4, 2021.

Adams Leadership Convocation Nomination Form

In addition to submitting your nominations, please save the date for this year’s Adams Leadership Convocation on Friday, April 30th (format to be determined by COVID-19).

Questions? Contact Kristin Economos (Director of Student Leadership Programs) at kristin.economos@drake.edu.

— Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

For Students Archive

Sign up for Dance Marathon’s big event

Dance Marathon is March 6 from 2 p.m.–7 p.m. The committee has been working overtime to make this a safe, social distanced, and FUN event. We will be virtual for the first hour then come together for an in-person, four-hour celebration. Sign up soon to ensure you can get a T-shirt at the event. When you register, you want to sign up as a “Participant” and join a “Morale Team.” We cannot wait to see your dance moves! 

— Jenna TeKolste, BN’21

Campus Announcements Archive

Face coverings policy revision: Gaiters and bandannas

Drake’s face coverings policy and return-to-work policy previously defined face coverings to include cloth or disposable surgical masks that cover an individual’s nose and mouth. Recent reports indicate that gaiter- and bandanna-style masks are much less effective at preventing transmission of the new strains of the coronavirus impacting many areas of the country.  In response to this new information, Drake has revised its face covering policy and return to work policy such that gaiters and bandannas will no longer meet the face covering requirements for our campus.  Questions, comments or concerns about this policy change should be directed to dupolicies@drake.edu.

— Jessica Morgan-Tate, Finance & Administration 

For Students Archive

Dogtown Dash

To kick off our newly adopted Drake Neighborhood Bulldog Bucks program and to encourage student interaction in the Drake community, we have organized a spring semester promotion to encourage visits to the local businesses near campus. The objective  will be to visit either eight off campus Bulldog Bucks merchants, or a total of eight Drake neighborhood businesses (tracking businesses not on the Bulldog Bucks program by using a hashtag with a posted photo – #dogtowndash) during the spring semester. We’ll  run this program from Feb. 1–May 2, and the first 100 students to complete this challenge will earn a T-shirt!

Feel free to contact studentservices@drake.edu if you have questions about this promotion. You will be contacted by this email address with challenge updates and a pre/post-program survey. Participants will also be alerted when they have completed the challenge.

**Troubleshooting tips:

  • If your card did not work at a participating business, please make sure that you have BULLDOG BUCKS loaded to your card, not Flex Dollars.  Only the Bulldog Bucks account can be used off campus, Flex Dollars are for on campus purchases only.
  • If your card did not work at a participating business, please make sure that you have enough in your account to cover the full purchase – the system functions like a debit card, and will not let you overdraft.  If there are not sufficient funds, it will deny the transaction, even if you have a small balance in your account.
  • If you would like to use Bulldog Bucks on a partial purchase, you can ask the merchant to type in your balance into their card reader, and then pay the remaining balance due with another payment method.  Please note that the merchant does not have the ability to check your balance, so you will be responsible for letting them know what amount to type in.

Thanks for your participation, and support of our amazing neighborhood businesses!

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

For Students Archive

Apply for Working Worldwide

If you’re interested in working and living abroad after graduation, Working Worldwide might be the perfect program for you. Working Worldwide is an opportunity for recent graduates to live and work in China or Kosovo for a year.

Applications for 2021–2022 are live! You can apply through Terra Dotta, our online application system. Applications are due by March 1.

If you’re looking to expand your horizons, develop skills to be a competitive professional, and do something different after graduation, look no further than Working Worldwide!

Want to learn more? Attend an information session. Details found here.

If you have questions about Working Worldwide, please contact nathan.jacobson@drake.edu.

— Nathan Jacobson, Center for International Programs and Services