OnCampus will move to a biweekly distribution schedule through the summer months. The newsletter will be delivered to faculty, staff, and student inboxes every other Tuesday starting May 15. It will resume to a  weekly distribution schedule Aug. 21.

Summer distribution dates:
Tuesday, May 15
Wednesday, May 30 (Publication moved to Wednesday due to holiday)
Tuesday, June 12
Tuesday, June 26
Tuesday, July 10
Tuesday, July 24
Tuesday, Aug. 7
Tuesday, Aug. 21

Ashton Hockman, University Communications

Drake will host the Iowa State High School Track Meet, one of the largest state high school track events in the United States, from May 17-19. Please be mindful of the following information as we plan for the overlap of this event with other year-end activities on campus, including commencement and move-out time.

The safety and convenience of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority, and we’ve taken additional steps to help ensure general safety and a smooth move-out process for students living in the residence halls.

Traffic and road closure information

• Forest Avenue will be closed between 27th Street and 29th Street (east of Herriott Hall, in front of Drake Stadium) from Wednesday, May 16, at noon to Saturday, May 19, at 6 p.m. This is designed to increase public safety and to help parents move out of the residence halls in a timely manner.
• Parents helping move their student out of their residence hall will have access to Forest Avenue from the west (30th Street), and will be able to park along both sides of Forest Avenue (except between 27th and 29th Streets), and have vehicle access to the entire driveway to Herriott Hall.
• 27th Street will be shut down for bus traffic from Forest Avenue to Clark Street from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19.

Planning your move-out

• The first-year residence halls (Herriott, Carpenter, Crawford, Stalnaker) and Morehouse Hall will close for the semester at 5 p.m. Friday, May 18.
• Vehicular traffic in the Drake neighborhood is likely to increase as the week progresses, so students may want to check out as soon as possible upon completion of their exams. Students can schedule a check-out time with any resident assistant (RA) in their residence hall. During this appointment the RA will verify all personal property has been removed from the room, complete a room check, and collect the student’s room key.

Plan for parking challenges

• Plan for extra time to find parking as well as to travel to campus.
• Commuters, faculty, and staff can avoid parking challenges by using alternative forms of transportation or carpooling. Remember, Drake provides no-cost DART rides to faculty, staff, and students. All you have to do is show your Drake ID upon boarding the bus.

Access to parking lots

• Only Lot 2 (south side of 25^thStreet and Forest Avenue) & Lot 4 (Tennis Center) will be dedicated to the state track meet from May 17-19. All other commuter parking lots will be available for faculty, students, and staff to use.
• Lot 13 (Wifvat Plaza) will be open on both Thursday, May 17, and Friday, May 18.
• All residential parking lots will be under 24-hour residential permit-only restrictions throughout the state track meet. Any car parked in a residential lot from May 17-19 without a Drake permit will be towed. Additional signage will be posted at all residential lots as a reminder.
• On Saturday, May 19, both Lot 13 (Wifvat Plaza) and Lot 10 (directly across from The Knapp Center) will be reserved for families attending the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences graduation ceremony. The lots will open at 1 p.m. for these guests.

Contact us ahead of time with questions or concerns

If you have specific concerns or questions regarding parking from May 17-19, contact Scott Law at scott.law@drake.edu. While there is limited room for exceptions to these parking rules and restrictions, I am happy to listen and discuss any concerns. It is easier to be proactive, prior to events beginning, rather than reactive, once the meet has begun. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

— Scott Law, Public Safety & Operational Services

The University Bookstore is extending its hours this week (May 14-20) to accommodate for finals. Spring rental books are due by Friday, May 18.

Monday – Tuesday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Your Drake ID is required for book buyback.

— Katie Wilz, University Bookstore

Two planned power outages will affect Harmon Fine Arts Center, Howard Hall, and the Dial Computer Center in the coming weeks.

The outages will occur on Thursday, May 24, from approximately 6 to 11 a.m. and Saturday, June 2, from approximately 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The power outages are necessary to complete work to strengthen Drake’s electrical infrastructure.

— Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

As the semester ends, Facilities Planning and Management begins another season of construction, renovation, and maintenance. The department plans to work on multiple projects this summer to improve campus. One of the largest is the completion of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Promenade, which is scheduled to open to students, faculty, and staff by July 1.

Other key summer projects include:

• Adding a private study or meeting space known as a zip space near Aliber Hall, Room 101.
• Beginning construction of the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club—scheduled to begin May 21.
• Renovating Cartwright Hall, which includes adding windows on the south side of the building.
• Renovating the main floor of Cowles Library.
• Arranging furniture in the Dial Computer Center and moving team members to other spaces.
• Completing a ventilation project in the Quads—slated to begin May 21.
• Installing new floor in The Knapp Center in early July.
• Replacing The Knapp Center gym lighting with LED fixtures.
• Upgrading the lettering and lighting of the Drake entrance signs.
• Installing fire sprinklers in Harvey Ingham, Olin, and Fitch halls.
• Finishing the basement in the University Communications office.
• Upgrading the basement in Meredith Hall.
• Installing sand volleyball courts.
• Upgrading the south entrance of Harvey Ingham Hall.

Construction updates and further details will be provided throughout the summer. For more information, contact Jolene Schmidt, director of capital projects, at jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.

— Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

Drake Volleyball is teaming up with The Sports Bra Project, which works to provide sports bras to women and girls who face a lack of access to sports bras whether to logistical, cultural, or financial factors, in hopes to break down the barrier of females participating in sports. The volleyball team will be traveling to Costa Rica in June where they will distribute the sports bras.

If you’d like to contribute to the cause, pick up a supportive sports bra in any size on your next run to a department or super store. Email leslie.flores@drake.edu to have the sports bra picked up from your office.

— Leslie Flores-Cloud, Athletics

For the remainder of the semester and through the summer months, Postal Operations will make only one delivery per day to each mail location on campus due to limited staffing. Each building will have either a morning or afternoon mail delivery time. The department will re-evaluate this delivery schedule once it is fully staffed to see if this is a practice that will continue going forward.

If you miss your pickup time and have an urgent package or letter, Postal Operations can work with you to try to accommodate your needs. Urgent mail can either be dropped off or picked up in the Olmsted Center, lower level. Mail must arrive by 2:45 p.m. to be processed that day. Postal Operations can be contacted at 515-271-3162 or campusmailoperations@drake.edu to make arrangements for additional assistance.

Thank you for your patience as we implement this new schedule. It is a small change that will have a big impact on our day.

— Drake Postal Operations

Cowles Library is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to the person who takes the most creative photo of its bulldog statue, Virginia Woof. To be in the running, take a picture that includes Virginia Woof. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 13. Use #VirginiaWoofBulldog in your post and tag Cowles Library (facebook.com/CowlesLibrary, twitter.com/cowleslib, and instagram.com/cowleslib). Be creative! The winning photo will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on Monday, May 14. By entering the contest, you give Cowles Library permission to share your photo.

Congratulations to Angela Cornett, a first-year student majoring in Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, who submitted the chosen name for the statue, Virginia Woof.

— Carrie Dunham-LaGree, Cowles Library

Do you have extra non-perishable food items or personal items, such as toothbrushes, deodorant, or shampoo, lying around your dorm or house? Now is a great time to donate them to the Little Free Pantries. There are several drop off locations on campus:

• Students, drop off items in your residence hall.
• Faculty and staff, drop off items at your office mail location.
• Anyone is welcome to drop off items at the Law Library or at the pantries themselves.

On-campus pantries are located in the Olmsted Parking Lot and at the corner of 24th Street and Forest Avenue in front of the Sprout Garden. The pantry previously located at the Aliber Bus Stop on University Avenue has been relocated across the street to St. Kate’s, as that bus stop has been removed. Thank you for your contributions.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning & Service