With the return of warm temperatures, construction on the sewer separation project is gearing up to get started again. Activity will be seen on University Avenue as well as along 24^th Street between Carpenter Avenue and Forest Avenue where a new storm sewer line will be installed.

Installation of the storm sewer, bike lanes, and sidewalks will continue through the summer. Street paving of the north two lanes on University Avenue will wrap up the city’s project. Once the hardscape is completed, landscape plantings including installation of 86 trees, bus shelters, and other streetscape elements will finalize and beautify the University Avenue streetscape corridor.

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning & Management

Even though National Volunteer Week has officially concluded, communities still need your help. Visit drake.edu/volunteer to learn about many opportunities both here in Des Moines and across the globe.

Send us a picture or quote of how you are helping the community to servicelearning@drake.edu by Sunday, May 3, and you will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. It could be anything from donating canned goods, checking in on your neighbors, picking up litter in your neighborhood, and more. With your permission, we’ll share it on social media to inspire others to serve.  #DrakeServes

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

The office of equity and inclusion will be offering four development webinars for all faculty, staff, and students throughout the spring and summer on a variety of equity and inclusion topics including:

• LGBTQ+ Safe Space Training (Friday, May 1, 12 pm CST)
• Who’s Here – Examining Diversity (Monday, June 1, 12 pm CST)
• How Do We Navigate – Examining Cultural Competency (July 1, 12 pm CST)
• Who Benefits – Examining Equity (August 3, 12 pm CST)

Click here to register

The Bulldog Bucks deposit portal (eAccounts) was enhanced last week to include a single sign-on feature. With single sign-on, users no longer have to enter their credentials twice when accessing the Bulldog Bucks deposit portal from myDrake.

The deposit portal can be found by clicking “Bulldog Bucks” in the commonly used apps section of myDrake, or through the direct link: drake-sp.transactcampus.com/eaccounts.

Parents or friends can also access the portal to make “guest” deposits to an account. However, this will not be tied to the single sign-on feature and will function as it has in the past.

There is also a mobile application (eAccounts Mobile) that allows users to check balances on the go. To use the mobile deposit feature, users must first have a saved payment method set up in the web portal. Please note: If you’ve used eAccounts Mobile in the past, you’ll need to re-select Drake University as your institution to allow it to reconnect with the new log-in details.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Blue, the Alumni Insider publication, is typically distributed by mail in the spring and fall. The circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift to an all-digital issue. The Drake community is invited to access and read the issue.

— Alicia Chilton, University Communications & Marketing

Drake has currently restricted all international travel due to COVID-19. However, J-Term 2021 travel seminars have not been canceled at this point given that January is many months away. Due to the ever-changing situation, please know this could change in the future. Please carefully review the following information if you are interested in going abroad or on a domestic program for J-Term 2021:

• Deadline Extended: You can still apply to study abroad J-Term 2021. The J-Term travel seminar priority deadline has been extended from April 15 to May 15. Applications will be reviewed at that time and students will be accepted or waitlisted by June 1. To apply go to: https://drake-sa.terradotta.com/.

• Deposit: After acceptance, to secure your spot on a travel seminar, you will need to commit to the program in Terra Dotta, pay your $500 deposit, and complete Terra Dotta post acceptance steps. Given the impact of COVID-19 on students and families, we have temporarily revised our deposit refund policy. If you choose to independently withdraw prior to Sept. 1, your deposit will be refunded. As always, if Drake cancels a travel seminar, your deposit will automatically be refunded.

• Availability: Some travel seminars already have more applicants than we can accept. If you haven’t already started an application, we encourage you to check out these options:

• Finland: Perspectives on Education
• Italy: Forks and Farms in Italy: Global Food Security and Sustainability
• Kosovo: Repairing and Rebuilding
• Panama: Place-based Integrated Science
• South Africa and Zimbabwe: Religions of Africa
• Spain and Morocco: Exploring the Intersection of Ethics and Culture
• Thailand: Research, Exploration and Reflection

• On campus registration back up plan: In addition to applying for a travel seminar, we ask that you also register for an on-campus course at Drake as a backup plan (if you need J-Term credit regardless of the travel component). Please register during the regular registration process and timeframe. If you have questions about registering for on-campus courses for J-Term, please reach out to your academic advisor.

• Independent withdrawal: We want you to be clear on the financial implications of committing to a J-Term travel seminar. Given the impact of COVID-19 on students and families, we have temporarily revised our deposit refund policy. If you choose to independently withdraw prior to Sept. 1, your deposit will be refunded. If after Sept. 1 you decide you want to withdraw from the program, you will be subject to Drake’s withdrawal and refund policies. Because of this, we strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with our withdrawal and refund policies which can be found in Terra Dotta. In addition, we strongly recommend you purchase ‘Cancel for Any Reason’ travel insurance through an insurance carrier.

Please be assured that your health and safety is of utmost importance. Given that this is an ever-evolving global situation, applicants will be notified if we make a change to the policy regarding J-Term travel seminars. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to reach out to studyabroad@drake.edu. 

New J-Term Timeline:
May 15: Priority Deadline
June 1: Accept/waitlist Students who applied by May 15
June 15: Students Commit in Terra Dotta and pay a $500 Deposit to secure their place in the program
May 15–Sept. 1: Students can still apply if travel seminars have openings; deposits are due within two weeks of acceptance
Sept. 1: Final day to apply and final day for deposit refunds

— Maria Rohach, Drake International

Participate in National Volunteer Week April 19–25 from wherever you are. There are many ways to support our neighbors, even during social distancing. Let’s continue to give back and support our community in a time when it is most needed.

Help make a difference in your community by participating in some of the activities on the volunteer bucket list. Track your service by checking off the activity completed. Snap a photo completing that activity and post it on social media using #DrakeServes.

For every activity you complete, you will be entered in the National Volunteer Week’s prize raffle April 19–25. Learn more.

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to come together to tackle tough challenges and build stronger, more resilient communities. Each year during this week, a focus is put on the people and causes that inspire us to serve, recognizing and thanking volunteers who lend their time, talent and voice to make a difference in their communities.

—Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning