Drake University will be installing solar panels on the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in the near future. This is Drake’s first solar project, and with the previous project of LED lighting retrofits installed in the building, this will become the University’s first Net-Zero building on campus. The project is scheduled to start on May 20 with completion set for Aug. 15.

Achieving a high renewable energy source is particularly important for Drake University. Drake has a strong commitment to sustainability and lowering its carbon footprint. Solar power is arguably the cleanest, most reliable form of renewable energy available, and it can be used in several forms to help power facilities. Solar-powered photovoltaic (PV) panels convert the sun’s rays into electricity by exciting electrons in silicon cells using the photons of light from the sun. This electricity can then be used to supply renewable energy to the Tennis Center.

The solar panels will be installed on the south roofline, on the west end of the building. An ideal site will have no shade on the panels, especially during the prime sunlight hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A south-facing installation will usually provide the optimum potential for your system, but other orientations may provide sufficient production. Trees or other factors that cause shading during the day will cause significant decreases to power production. The importance of shading and efficiency cannot be overstated. In a solar panel, if even just one of its 36 cells is shaded, more than half will reduce power production.

Not every roof has the correct orientation or angle of inclination to take advantage of the sun’s energy. Some systems are designed with pivoting panels that track the sun in its journey across the sky. Non-tracking PV systems should be inclined at an angle equal to the site’s latitude to absorb the maximum amount of energy year-round. Alternate orientations and/or inclinations may be used to optimize energy production for particular times of day or for specific seasons of the year.

The solar system will generate significant environmental benefits.  The benefits come primarily from avoided power plant emissions.  The solar system will reduce greenhouse gas emission by 2695 metric tons of CO2 over 25 years. The 2695 tons of CO2 is equivalent to:

• 69,103 trees planted and grown for ten years
• 6,267 barrels of oil consumed
• 2,894,737 pounds of coal burned
• 6,416,667 miles driven in passenger car

This project was made possible through a gift from John Lorentzen and Penny Fillmor.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jolene Schmidt at jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.

Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning & Management

Following the successful inaugural Global Citizen Forum, Drake International and the Engaged Citizen Experience are pleased to announce the theme for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum: International Perspectives on Privilege in Higher Education.

As it did this year, next year’s event will include a series of speakers, academic enrichment and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. The exciting news for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum is that Drake University, in conjunction with our partner university, the University of KwaZulu Natal (Durban, South Africa) will be co-sponsoring a conference on the theme.

The international conference will include inviting our international partner universities and colleagues from 15 different institutions around the world. The benefit of hosting an international conference on diversity and inclusion is the opportunity to learn from a broader worldview and have an opportunity to share struggles, strategies, and solutions. 

The conference will provide a platform to share new ideas, advance research, refine and develop frameworks, and influence policy development. If you would like to participate on the planning committee for the conference, please contact Julie Yankey, director of international partnerships, at julie.yankey@drake.edu.

One component of the Global Citizen Forum is an undergraduate research conference. As such, while developing your courses for the fall semester, we invite you to consider including research on the theme or international topics which could be presented in March 2020. We also anticipate paper development workshops and research colloquia for faculty and staff doing research on diversity and inclusion issues. More details on participating in these activities will be forthcoming in fall 2019.  

Sponsored by Drake International, The Engaged Citizen Experience, The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, and other campus partners, the Global Citizen Forum is an annual event meant to provide students with opportunities to explore the role of engaged citizenship in an increasingly globalized society.

Melissa Sturm-Smith, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Drake Relays merchandise is now 25% off at the University Book Store. The Book Store is open Monday–Saturday from 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

In addition, the Book Store’s online site, shop.drake.edu, will have 25% off all women’s T-shirts May 7–20. Purchase a gift for Mother’s Day, graduation, or refresh your own spring wardrobe. Visit shop.drake.edu.

Katie Wilz, University Book Store, & Caron Findlay, Finance and Administration

ITS is happy to share the offsite data center has been moved and is up and running in its new location. A big thank you to the project team, particularly the ITS infrastructure team, for their hard work to make this happen with minimal disruption to campus.

As part of the project, ITS staff moved:

• Over $1 million in equipment
• 276 servers
• The equivalent storage of over 10,000 8 GB flash drives

As a result of the successful completion of this project, ITS will save 30% on offsite data center expenses annually with an increase in Internet connectivity.

Kris Brewster, ITS

A campus dialogue on The N Word has been cancelled. The event was to be hosted by First Year Seminar class “The Talking Cure: Dialogue in a Polarized Age,” with professor Carol Spaulding-Kruse. The event was scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, from 7–9 p.m. in Medbury Honors Lounge.

Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English

Facilities Planning and Management is responsible for all utilities (electricity, natural gas, and water) on campus. Therefore, the department is continually evaluating different ways the University can save money in regards to utility costs. One cost-saving method is to stop phantom load, which can increase monthly electric bills.

Appliances, electronics, and chargers use electricity whenever they’re plugged in—it doesn’t matter whether the device is in use or not. This wasted power is called phantom load. Please read this pdf from MidAmerican Energy to learn more about phantom load.

Everyone on campus can play a role in reducing phantom load, and thus saving the University money, by simply turning off and unplugging what you can. This is especially important if you are planning to be gone from campus for an extend period. 

Items most likely to create phantom loads are stereos, Blu-Ray and DVD players, window air conditioners, and TV’s.

— Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

First Year Seminar class “The Talking Cure: Dialogue in a Polarized Age” will be hosting a dialogue on the topic of race and the use of the N-word in classes on Tuesday, May 7, from 7–9 p.m. in Medbury Honors Lounge.

Because the use of the N-word is a prevalent issue in classrooms, we would love to hear about your opinion on it. This is a dialogue and not a debate. We are not trying to decide who is right or wrong; we simply want to hear from all perspectives. We encourage you to come with an open mind.

Why have a dialogue if we won’t solve the problem? Because our aim is to create awareness and mutual understanding on our campus, even if you don’t change your mind.

For questions, email Carol Spaulding-Kruse at carol.spaulding@drake.edu.

Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is celebrating the centennial of journalism and mass communication education at Drake in 2019–2020. An exhibit in the Cowles Library, Collier Heritage Room tells the story, starting with the College of Commerce, Finance and Journalism in 1919. Early leaders of the program included executives from The Des Moines Register and Meredith Corp., and George Gallup, the founder of modern polling. The exhibit will be open through the summer.

Kathleen Richardson, Journalism and Mass Communication

Please join us at a reception for Carlyn Marron, assistant director of international student and scholar services, who is departing Drake and “retiring” from her career in international education. Stop by Drake International on Friday, May 10, from 2–4 p.m. to thank Carlyn for her 10 years of service and wish her well as she begins this new chapter.  

Bonnie Ehler, Center for International Programs and Services

The Drake University Sprout Garden needs volunteers for a few weeks at the beginning of the summer to assist with watering and upkeep. If you’re interested, please sign up for weeks that you are available to stop by.

Additionally, the garden needs some extra care going into growing season. If you are interested in doing some weeding and watering, please contact laura.harris@drake.edu.

Laura Harris, AS’ 19