The newly formed Student Wellness Advisory Committee is hosting Six Days of Wellness. Each day will highlight a dimension of wellness. The week will be full of social media posts and engaging webinars. Check the Drake Calendar for details and links to events.

March 21 – Social Wellness: Sandbox Chats (virtual and in-person options); think speed networking. You will be paired up with someone and given a prompt to discuss. What a fun way to connect with new people and step out of your comfort zone.

March 22 – Physical Wellness: Rec Services will be hosting an outdoor Group X class (weather permitting). You will also find an array of fitness focused student groups in Helmick throughout the day.

March 23 – Emotional Wellness: The Counseling Center will be hosting a webinar on wellness and self-care.

March 24 – Wellness Fair in Helmick, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Swing by to see all the wellness opportunities available throughout campus! Fun prize giveaways. (weather location: Parents Hall)

March 24 – Spiritual Wellness: Community Engaged Learning will host a webinar on Civic Engagement. There will also be virtual and in-person mediation classes throughout the day.

March 25 – Intellectual Wellness: Join the Access and Success team as they present the webinar, Test Anxiety: Breath.

March 26 – Occupation Wellness: Professional and Career Development Services is hosting the webinar OccYOUpational Wellness: Learning to improve your wellbeing at work.

We are excited to highlight all of the student groups and professional office throughout campus who are dedicated to providing wellness opportunities. Keep an eye on the calendar and social media for all the details.

— Lynne Cornelius, Violence Prevention Coordinator

Professor Erika George will present “Rethinking Rights to Protect Democracy in the Digital Age: Reflections on Incitement and Inequality” as part of the Congressionally-endowed Drake University Constitutional Law Center’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The event will be delivered virtually on Thursday, March 25, at 3 p.m. CST. The lecture is free and open to the public but advanced registration is required. Register here.

Erika George is the Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law and directs the Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. She teaches constitutional law, international human rights law, international environmental law, and seminars in corporate citizenship. She is the author of numerous articles on topics ranging from human rights, women’s rights, environmental policy, business law, and corporate responsibility. Her book, “Incorporating Rights: Strategies to Advance Corporate Accountability” will be published this spring by Oxford Press.

The Drake Constitutional Law Center Distinguished Lecture Series brings some of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars to campus each year to engage students and faculty on the important issues of the day. To learn more about the Drake Constitutional Law Center and the Distinguished Lecture Series visit drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/conlaw/.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

The Drake Road Races will be held in-person Sunday, April 18. Limited spots are available for the event so register today.

Races will start outside Drake Stadium and finish on the iconic Blue Oval with appropriate COVID-19 protocols in place. The event will take on a hybrid model with participants retaining the ability to participate virtually anywhere from April 17–25.

— Tanner Nissen, Drake Relays

Drake University students, faculty, and staff will vote to decide the 20 English Bulldogs that will compete in the 2021 Beautiful Bulldog Contest.

Over 100 English Bulldogs across the country registered to vie for the title of Most Beautiful Bulldog. All current faculty, staff, and students are eligible to vote for 5 of the 20 Bulldogs once. Voting will close next Tuesday, March 23, at 1 p.m.

Password: ilovebulldogs

The contest will be held Sunday, April 18, time TBD, in the Knapp Center, and open to a limited audience. The contest will also be livestreamed at facebook.com/beautifulbulldog.

About the 2021 Contest
There will be no family festival and no animal rescue festival at this year’s contest. While the event is still free to attend, there will be assigned and ticketed seating to ensure social distancing. Priority seating will be given to the families of contestants, the contest sponsor, and Drake University students. Remaining ticketed seats will be open to the general public.

Griff is once again collecting donations of adult pet food for area animals in need. Learn how to contribute.

Follow the Beautiful Bulldog Contest Facebook page for up-to-date information.

— Niki Smith, University Communications and Marketing

You can earn this awesome long sleeve shirt by attending 15 group exercise classes this semester. Both virtual and in-person classes count toward your total. You will be emailed weekly with your current class count total.  Email wellness@drake.edu with any questions.

Intramural deadlines
Pickleball registration: March 10
HORSE tournament: March 20

— Emily Madsen, Rec Services