Functionality to make corrections or changes to the 2024–2025 FAFSA is expected to be broadly available to students this week. Common corrections include providing required signature(s) and/or consent to the IRS direct data exchange, updating your college grade level (P1 and P2 students should choose “Other undergraduate – junior year and beyond”) . Guidance on how to make changes to your FAFSA can be found here.

The Financial Aid Office is preparing 2024-2025 financial aid offers, and is prioritizing students enrolled in the summer semester (or P4 students), as well as prospective students. Undergraduate and P1, P2 or P3 students should complete the Summer Application for Financial Aid if they are interested in borrowing Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized student loans for the summer semester.

If you have not yet completed the 2024-2025 FAFSA and wish to be considered for need-based assistance or federal student loans in the summer 2024, fall 2024, or spring 2025 semesters, please complete it at www.studentaid.gov as soon as possible.

Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

Join Students for Dignity for an info session to learn how you can be part of a new movement to ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems in the United States.

 Students for Dignity is a national student led campaign addressing the growing division in our country and on college campuses. We offer a welcoming space where students openly share their perspectives and engage in thoughtful discussions with their peers.

We ground our work in The Dignity Index, an eight-point scale that measures how we treat each other when we disagree. The Dignity Index is founded on the belief that treating others with contempt tears us apart, treating others with dignity can bring us together, and talking about dignity and contempt prompts us to use more dignity and less contempt.

By applying the Dignity Index, we objectively evaluate public and political speech to assess the level of contempt or dignity in campaign messages, fundraising emails, and other political discourse. In doing so, our members actively engage in shaping the political discourse of our nation. Our goal is to create a new incentive where dignity – not contempt – is a winning strategy, and becomes the standard people demand from those who represent them, inform them, and entertain them.

Let’s unite, advocate, and make a difference together.

When: Monday, April 15, 2024 at 5 p.m.

Where: The Harkin Institute Boardroom (2800 University Avenue, Des Moines IA, 50311)

Click here to RSVP. Food will be provided.

— Kathryn Kuckelman, The Harkin Institute

The Drake Student Ambassador Application is live, with a deadline of April 8.  The Office of Admission welcomes interested students to apply.

Ambassadors play a very important role in the decision­‐making process for prospective students, as they portray the Drake student experience through interactions with prospective students and families during campus tours. Student Ambassadors represent the wide variety of academic majors and student involvement on Drake’s campus and as a group, reflect the student body. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Be knowledgeable about important Drake features and academic and student life information.
• Give tours of campus to prospective students and their families during individual visits, group visit programs on weekdays and select Saturdays.
• Positively represent Drake in student panels at in person and/or virtual events. 
• Assist with various office projects and tasks to prepare visit materials, answer calls, escort students, run errands. 
• Student Ambassadors are required to work a minimum of four hours per week during the academic year and are paid $10 per hour.
• Students selected will begin their professional orientation program and employment in the fall, however summer positions are available as well

Qualifications:

• Must be a full time student at Drake University
• Must be a sophomore or above status entering the 2024-2025 academic year
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Application Process:

• Student Ambassador application and one recommendation is required.
• The application must be completed and submitted by Monday, April 8 at Midnight.
• One recommendation from a Drake University faculty or staff member must be completed and submitted by Monday, April 22.  Please give your recommenders ample time to complete and submit.
• All applicants will participate in a group interview. Applicants will be contacted in April with their scheduled interview time based on their availability. 
• Eight to ten Student Ambassadors are selected annually to join the Ambassador program for the following academic year. In addition to communication skills, engagement in the University and commitment to Drake, a key aspect to the selection process is to ensure that the Student Ambassador group represents the academic, demographic, and extra- curricular components of the Drake student body. 
• Given the selectivity of the selection process, the Office of Admission invites all applicants to become members of the Admission Cole-ition, a volunteer organization, if not selected as a Student Ambassador.

Questions can be directed to admissioncoleition@drake.edu or deneen.dygert@drake.edu

Link to Application: Application Link

Link to Recommendation Form: Recommendation Form Link 

— Deneen Rae Dygert, Office of Admission

Effective now, Drake students should utilize Starfish to schedule appointments with staff in the Financial Aid Office. Appointment requests received via phone or email will be directed to the Starfish appointment scheduler. (The main Financial Aid Office email and phone line remain available for questions that do not require an appointment.) 

This change will streamline financial aid appointment scheduling and provide students with the ability to request appointments at any time, even during non-business hours. Coming soon, our office will be implementing a check-in kiosk for in-person visitors that will facilitate a meeting with available staff or allow a student to schedule a meeting for another time. 

— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office