ITS has now completed our initial technical work on the campus wireless network.

Our goals were to:

• Improve Wi-Fi coverage gaps within buildings
• Improve overall network performance and reliability
• Upgrade to the latest wireless technologies to future proof our investment

Now that the new equipment and access points have been installed, we need your help! Your input is critical to help us tune the system and provide the best Wi-Fi experience possible.

If you’re finding locations with poor performance or coverage, please let us know at its.drake.edu/wifi-form. Please provide as many details as possible so we can address concerns quickly and accurately.

Thanks for your help!

—Carla Herling, IT Communication Manager

Drake recently installed two electric car charging stations on the campus. One is located in the Olmsted Center parking lot. The other is located in parking lot just to the north of the Opperman Law Library. Drake will be installing two additional electric car charging stations on campus in the future. A generous donation from John Lorentzen and Penny Fillmer made this project possible.

—Jolene Schmidt, Director or Operations and Support Services 

In order to better serve our students, faculty, staff, community partners, and neighbors the former Office of Community Engagement & Service-Learning has been restructured and split into two offices. The Office of Community Engaged Learning, directed by Renee Sedlacek, will serve as the one-stop shop for resources related to connecting students, courses, and scholarship to the community and is part of the Office of the Provost.

The Office of Neighborhood & Community Relations, managed by Nick Valdez, will connect residents, local businesses, community based organizations and government entities to University resources and partner networks. Supporting global service-learning with domestic partners will be a function within the Office of Community Engaged Learning while global service-learning abroad and on J-Term will be supported by Maria Rohach in Drake International. For a full view of our community engagement staffing structure please visit our website.

—Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success

Chrystal Stanley has been named director of Professional & Career Development Services (PCDS). Chrystal has fulfilled several roles during her 16-year tenure at Drake—most recently she served as the professional & career development and academic achievement coordinator. This promotion will allow Chrystal to focus her time on providing direction for PCDS and helping students accomplish their professional goals. Chrystal specializes in serving students in the College of Arts and Sciences, and her office was recently relocated to Room 280 in the Fine Arts Center.

Responsibility for academic achievement will now be fulfilled by Bryan Thomas, academic success and retention specialist. Bryan is starting his third year at Drake, and in addition to coordinating tutoring services and individual academic support appointments, he also serves as the staff director for the Crew Scholars program. Bryan’s office is located on the third floor of Old Main. Please see the Academic Achievement website for more information. Tutoring schedules will be posted after the second week of classes.

—Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success

The move of the University Bookstore to Olmsted Center has led us to focus on enhancing student study and gathering spaces. We have been working with a student representative team along with a professional furniture design team over the summer to modify current furniture settings and create spaces to match student needs and preferences. Our student representatives sent a survey to determine what functionality students wanted to experience in Olmsted Center. To that end, we have a refreshed furniture plan, which includes reconfiguring current furniture and purchasing new seating options and tables to fill in areas of need. Watch for the new furniture to arrive sometime in October.

Additionally, the Olmsted lower level TMR (conference) rooms will remain open during designated times when they are not in use. This will enable students to utilize these rooms for collaborative or private study spaces.

We are excited as we begin this new school year with these enhancements to Olmsted Center!

—Caron Findlay, Director, Business and Purchasing Services

The University Bookstore has moved to its new location on the west end of the first floor of Olmsted Center. It is a freshly remodeled, welcoming space and easy to access! Do find time to check it out for Drake branded items and textbooks.

Students can take advantage of the in-store pick up solution by ordering at www.drake.bkstr.com in addition to coming to the store to shop.

Back to School Hours:
Monday–Thursday, Aug. 29–Sept. 1      8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday–Saturday, Sept. 2–3                         9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 4                                                   Closed
Monday, Sept. 5                                                 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday–Thursday, Sept. 6–8                    8 a.m.–6 p.m.

Store Contact Information:
University BookStore
2875 University Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa   50311

Phone: 515-274-3401 or temporary numbers: 515-271-2425 or 515-443-7215

Website:   www.drake.bkstr.com  or www.universitybook.com

Store Manager:  Katie Wilz—kwilz@follett.com

Course Materials Manager:  Donna Hallstrom—1623txt@follett.com

—Caron Findlay, Director, Business and Purchasing Services

On behalf of Drake Public Safety, I would like to welcome all new and returning students, faculty, and staff back home to Drake for the 2016–2017 academic year. As we all know this is an exciting time in the school year. During orientations, members of Public Safety provided information relative to campus safety and the various programs we offer. As a reminder to both new and returning community members, many of our programs are listed on our website, but I would like to highlight a few of our initiatives.

We strongly encourage community members to register your communication devices with our Bulldog Alert System. During emergencies on campus, you can receive text and voice messages in addition to any email messages sent to your drake.edu email address. If you are returning and your contact information has changed, please click here to sign into blueView and click the “Campus Life” tab to provide that new information. In addition, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the campus Emergency Procedures Manual.

Last year, Drake Public Safety was contacted by many departments and groups within the University and asked to conduct presentations on a wide range of topics including active shooter training, violence in the workplace, self-defense, and many others. If you are interested in learning more about these programs or having a presentation for your department or group, please feel free to contact Patrol Captain Mark Risvold (mark.risvold@drake.edu).

Lastly, I would like to discuss several security initiatives that we feel are very important to the campus.

Drake Guardian Mobile App—The Drake Guardian mobile phone app is available as a free download for all Drake students, faculty, and staff. The app enhances safety on campus through real-time, interactive features that create a virtual safety network of friends, family, and Drake’s Department of Public Safety.

Safe Ride Program—Since the start of the fall 2015, Drake has been operating its own evening bus system. Once again, the bus will run throughout the semester, Sunday–Wednesday, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.; and Thursday–Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The bus will operate between 24th and 34th Streets from Cottage Grove to College Avenue.

Bike Registration—Bicycle permits are available for any Drake-associated faculty, staff, or students. Registration is free and easy. Bicycle registration forms and permit stickers can be picked up at DPS headquarters, 1227 25th St., or at the Student Services Center in Carnegie Hall. By obtaining a permit, we can more easily return stolen bikes that are recovered by Public Safety or the Des Moines Police Department.

The return of students to our campus for the Fall semester is an exciting and busy time for our department and staff, and we are happy to offer our assistance and expertise in ensuring all students, faculty, and staff have a safe and secure experience!

—Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety