All posts by Hannah Remke

Office supply collection and reuse shopping day

The Office of Sustainability will be piloting an Office Supply Collection and Reuse (OSCAR) shopping day event. It will be a two-day event taking place March 27, 2–5 p.m. and March 28, 10–4 p.m. on Pomerantz Stage in Olmsted.

Staff and faculty are welcome to stop by to drop off and pick up free gently used office supplies. You do not need to bring an item to take something. All gently used office items are accepted; please do not bring junk. Possible items to bring:

  • Post-it notes
  • Pens/markers
  • Note/legal pads
  • Desk organizers
  • Paper
  • Binders
  • Envelopes
  • Tape
  • Paper clips/fasteners
  • Staplers/staples

This event will take place Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday, items will be opened up to students. Reach out to hannah.remke@drake.edu with any questions and follow @drakeu.sustainability on Instagram for more information.

Hannah Remke, Facilities Planning & Management 

Grad Fair: Everything you need for commencement

Attention grads: Mark your calendars for Bulldog Shop’s Grad Fair on Wednesday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pomerantz Stage. Pick up or order, your regalia (cap & gown, tassel, stole, etc.), and meet with specialists who can help you with everything you need before and after graduation: Herff Jones class rings and announcements, Alumni Relations, and Career Services.

All grads will also receive a free alumni decal with cap and gown purchase and they can save $24 on diploma frames during the event. Plus, your favorite bulldog, Griff II, will make an appearance to share in the celebration and say congratulations.

— Bulldog Shop

Join us for these upcoming Employee Appreciation Month events

Since 1990, March has been celebrated as Employee Appreciation Month across the U.S. While we recognize that this March our campus faces both challenges and opportunities, we strongly believe that now, more than ever, it is important to take time to show appreciation. We are so grateful to have amazing faculty and staff at Drake University.

Human Resources and All Staff Council invite you to take some time to gather with others for any of the following Employee Appreciation Month events. Details on these events and other appreciation month resources can be found on this temporary Employee Appreciation Month webpage.

March 1-13: Build a Bulldog
You have all probably seen the colorful bulldog statues around campus.  Now it is your turn to get creative in decorating a bulldog.  Not a bulldog statue or an actual bulldog, but a PICTURE of a bulldog. Click HERE to print off an outline of Griff II for the contest. Decorate the picture using whatever artistic materials you wish and send your completed picture to Linda Feiden, HR, 3rd floor Old Main, by Wednesday, March 13. Don’t forget to put your name on the back.  All entries will go through a preliminary screening and the finalists will be on display during

the BINGO event on March 20 for faculty and staff to vote on for prizes.

March 20: Pizza and BINGO!
Join All Staff Council and Human Resources on Wednesday, March 20, from 12-1 p.m. (note the NEW time) in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center to enjoy some free pizza and play BINGO. Prizes include gift certificates to Lucky Horse and Lachele’s, Drake Relays apparel, Bulldog Shop gift basket/goodies and more.  And don’t forget to vote for your favorite “Build a Bulldog” picture.

March 28: Recess
As part of employee appreciation month, we invite faculty and staff to take a break from work on Thursday, March 28, between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and join us in the Bell Center Courts 1 & 2 for recess! Play nine holes of miniature golf, try pickleball, or challenge a colleague to a game of cornhole (bags). All equipment will be provided.

In addition, we have brought back the popular Shout-Out program for Employee Appreciation Month. This is a great way to recognize your colleagues. Write a sentence or two thanking a colleague or team for going the extra mile or showing support to others and submit it to linda.feiden@drake.edu between now and March 27.  You are welcome to submit as many as you wish.  All shout-outs will be compiled and posted in OnCampus.

Finally, All Staff Council will be sending 50 lucky staff a magnet in March with a picture of Griff II ‘high-fiving’.  If you receive one, keep it for a few days, then pass it along to another colleague who also deserves a high-five.  The magnets can be handed off again and again with the hopes of reaching as many of Drake’s amazing staff members as possible.

Please take some time this month to let others know you appreciate their efforts and know that YOUR efforts are appreciated.

Deadline extended for The Harkin Institute’s DC Experience Scholarships

The application deadline for The Harkin Institute D.C. Experience Scholarship and the Robert J. Waters and Patricia J. Beneke Endowed Washington, D.C. Experience Scholarship has been extended! Applications are now due April 1, 2024.

Our scholarships help cover the costs of housing and travel expenses for those completing an internship in Washington, D.C.

Haven’t secured an internship yet? No problem. You can still apply for our scholarship while searching.

Click here to learn more and apply!

— Kathryn Kuckelman, The Harkin Institute

Spring 2024 Sussman Lecture: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America with Dr. Jennifer Silva

The Harkin Institute’s Spring 2024 Sussman Lecture, “Pain and Politics in the Heart of America” with Dr. Jennifer Silva is this Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Dr. Silva will discuss the economic, social, and cultural challenges currently facing America’s working class and how those challenges have impacted the ability of the working class to achieve the American Dream. Dr. Silva has written two books surrounding these topics, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty and We’re Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America. In Coming Up Short, Dr. Silva conducted one hundred interviews with working class residents in two towns-Lowell, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia, and shed light on their experience of heightened economic insecurity, deepening inequality, and uncertainty about marriage and family. In We’re Still Here, Dr. Silva conducted more than a hundred interviews of Black, white, and Latino working-class residents of a declining coal town in Pennsylvania to examine the civic and political disengagement of working-class people.

Date: March 6, 2024

Time: 7–8 p.m. CT

Location: Tom and Ruth Harkin Center (2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)

YouTube Live Stream on The Harkin Institute’s YouTube Channel

Registration: This event is free and open to the public but registration via Eventbrite is required.

Accommodations: American Sign Language (ASL) and Live Captioning (CART) will be provided for both in person and virtual attendees. Additional accommodation requests can be made by emailing harkininstitute@drake.edu.

Click here to register

— Kathryn Kuckelman, The Harkin Institute

2024 Retirement Security Symposium: Navigating the Journey to Financial Wellness

Whether you’re budgeting for the present or planning for your retirement, managing your finances can be an overwhelming task. That’s why The Harkin Institute chose “Navigating the Journey to Financial Wellness” as the theme for this year’s Harkin Retirement Security Symposium. The event will bring together advocacy and community organizations, government agencies, and private companies and their foundations that work on financial wellness and retirement security. The symposium will provide a forum to discuss the most pressing challenges and find collaborative opportunities to address documented financial wellness needs and their relationship to retirement security, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations.

WHAT: 2024 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium: Navigating the Journey to Financial Wellness

WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.

WHERE: Olmstead Center at Drake University (2875 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 5031)

RSVP: Registration is free for Drake students, staff, and faculty. The event will also be live streamed on The Harkin Institute’s YouTube channel.

For more information on the 2024 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium, click here.

— Kathryn Kuckelman, The Harkin Institute

Dogtown After Hours March 22

Dogtown After Hours is a large-scale, collaborative, alcohol-alternative event that entertains over 850 attendees every year during the spring. This year’s event will take place on Friday, March 22, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Drake students will be participating in numerous safe activities on campus, such as: giant yard games, inflatable activities, zorb ball tracks, life size hungry hungry hippos, performances from Drake student groups, etc. In addition to these activities, students will be able to participate in service opportunities that benefit local communities. The event will also include a great deal of food and chances to win prizes.

— Carissa Johnson, Senior

Bulldog Applause goes to Student Services

It’s time to put on our party hats and break out the confetti because we’re shining a spotlight on the incredible team at the Student Services Center (SSC)! This dynamic group, led by the indomitable Sara Heijerman and the fantastic Tiffany Hach, has been making waves and creating smiles on our campus. Need assistance? Look no further than the Olmsted Student Center, just off the breezeway, where the SSC team works its magic.

The SSC boasts two full-time staff members, Sara and Tiffany, who form the powerhouse of the department. Alongside them, a squad of talented student staff, adds an extra layer of awesomeness to the team.

Sara, the maestro orchestrating this symphony of efficiency, has been at the helm since the SSC’s grand opening in August 2014. She’s been a part of the Drake family since January 2013, starting off in the Student Accounts office. Talk about dedication!

Tiffany burst onto the scene in August 2022, diving headfirst into the hustle and bustle of our busiest month. She’s not only been managing the student staff like a pro but has also been the face of top-notch customer service.

Their Mission: Making Campus Life a Breeze.
Ever wonder who’s behind the scenes making campus life run smoothly? That’s our SSC crew! From keys to ID’s, door access to parking permits, Bulldog Bucks to HR paperwork, they’ve got it all covered. Need a print job done? No worries, they’re your go-to print superheroes. Their motto? Turning campus chaos into coordinated calm!

Did you know the SSC recently revolutionized campus identification with the rollout of a mobile credential? Not only is it convenient, but it also enhances security, embraces modernity, and champions eco-friendliness. Now that’s what we call a game-changer!

But wait, there’s more! The SSC team isn’t confined to their office; they’re out and about, participating in campus events and committees. From All Staff Council to the University Book Club, Wellness classes to HR Build opportunities, Sara and Tiffany actively foster a sense of community and belonging.

So, let’s give a resounding Bulldog Applause to the Student Services Center – the unsung heroes making our campus tick, one Bulldog Buck at a time. Thank you, SSC, for your dedication, humor, and the positive vibes you bring to our university family!

Here’s to the SSC squad – where every challenge is met with a smile and every problem is just an opportunity for another triumph!

— Amber Welsh, On Behalf of All Staff Council

Drake political scientist co-edits volume on Václav Havel

Kieran Williams, associate professor and co-chair of the Department of Political Science, has co-edited a collection of essays on the Czech writer-statesman Václav Havel. Each chapter focuses on a keyword closely associated with Havel’s thought – such as truth, power, responsibility – and what it tells us about the enduring meaning of his work and life in our time. Contributors were recruited by Williams and his co-editor, David Danaher (University of Wisconsin-Madison) from a range of disciplines and from around the world; Williams himself wrote two of the chapters. Williams’s 2016 biography of Havel recently appeared in a Turkish translation.