Category Archives: Campus Announcements Archive

All In 2024

Later this week the All In 24 Hour Giving Challenge will launch for its 11th year.  Starting Thursday, March 7, at noon members of the Drake Community will come together to show their support and appreciation for this exceptional University.

All In is a beloved tradition full of fun content, connection, and pride for Drake. Visit https://all-in.drake.edu/ to follow along during the 24 hours and see how much we can accomplish together with this critically important philanthropic tradition!

Kara Vaughn, University Advancement

Fresh Check Day Feb. 29, 12–2 p.m., Olmsted

Wellness isn’t just mental (emotional) health—it’s also about the physical, intellectual, occupational (financial), spiritual, and social dimensions.

Fresh Check Day is a campus-wide mental health fair held Feb. 29 from 12–2 p.m. in Olmsted. Fresh Check Day is unique from more traditional programs around mental health in that it combines a fun, fair-like atmosphere with constructive conversation around mental health and wellness and suicide prevention. It also helps students get connected with important campus resources. There will be interactive booths hosted by campus offices and student organizations combined with music, games, prizes, giveaways, and tacos. Some of the main goals are to help students understand that they are not alone in what they may be struggling with, that Drake cares about campus-wide mental health, and that there are resources available to help.

One staple booth at Fresh Check Day events is Nine out of Ten. The Jordan Porco Foundation (who coordinates Fresh Check Day nationally) explains, “One in ten college students contemplates suicide. That means that at any given time, nine out of ten students have the opportunity to help that one who is struggling (if they are aware of the warning signs and resources).

We’d love to see you in Olmsted on Feb. 29 (Leap Day) from 12 – 2 p.m. at Fresh Check Day, where you can find resources to support your own wellness and learn more about helping your fellow Bulldogs.

— Laura Shell, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Drake Rec: Glow up the Night and Judo classes

Judo
Have you ever wanted to master a martial art? Now’s your chance! Scott Law will be teaching a four-week session of Judo starting Feb. 21 and ending March 20.

Glow Up the Night HIIT and yoga party
Do you want to glow up the night? We’ve got you covered. We’re breaking out the blacklights, glow paint, and glow sticks on March 1 for a Glow Up the Night HIIT and yoga party. You will also receive a Drake Wellness T-shirt. Sign up for these events and our regularly scheduled classes using the Drake Rec app and don’t forget to invite your friends.

— Gail Witte, Rec Services

Spring 2024 Sussman Lecture: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America with Dr. Jennifer Silva

The Harkin Institute is excited to announce this Spring’s Sussman Lecture, “Pain and Politics in the Heart of America” with Dr. Jennifer Silva. Dr. Silva will discuss the economic, social, and cultural challenges currently facing America’s working class and how those challenges have impacted the ability of the working class to achieve the American Dream. Dr. Silva has written two books surrounding these topics, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty and We’re Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America. In Coming Up Short, Dr. Silva conducted one hundred interviews with working class residents in two towns-Lowell, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia, and shed light on their experience of heightened economic insecurity, deepening inequality, and uncertainty about marriage and family. In We’re Still Here, Dr. Silva conducted more than a hundred interviews of Black, white, and Latino working-class residents of a declining coal town in Pennsylvania to examine the civic and political disengagement of working-class people.

Date: March 6, 2024

Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT

Location: Tom and Ruth Harkin Center (2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)

YouTube Live Stream on The Harkin Institute’s YouTube Channel

Registration: This event is free and open to the public but registration via Eventbrite is required.

Accomodations: American Sign Language (ASL) and Live Captioning (CART) will be provided for both in person and virtual attendees. Additional accomodation requests can be made by emailing harkininstitute@drake.edu.

Click here to register

— Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute

Constitutional Law event: Distinguished Lecture Series

The Constitutional Law Center’s Distinguished Lecture Series brings to campus the nation’s leading constitutional scholars to engage students and faculty on the important issues of the day. Speakers deliver a formal lecture, teach a class, and meet with students in informal settings.

Thursday, March 21, 2024
3 p.m.
Cartwright Hall, Room 213 (in-person)
Cartwright Hall, Room 206 (live stream)

Ronald Krotoszynski, John S. Stone Chairholder of Law and Director of Faculty Research, University of Alabama School of Law. Read his bio here.

Title: “Free Speech as Civic Structure: A Comparative Analysis of How Courts and Culture Shape the Freedom of Speech”

Free to attend but you must register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-distinguished-lecture-series-drake-constitutional-law-center-tickets-790499714927

— Dawn Brown, Law School

The Writing Center is open and ready to assist students

WHAT WE DO: The Writing Center’s trained peer tutors advise and assist students at any stage of the writing process:

  • Understanding instructions/prompts
  • Generating ideas and ways to develop ideas
  • Outlining and organizing
  • Writing, expanding, revising, and/or copyediting a draft

We are a free service for all Drake students, including graduate students and those in professional programs.

HOW TO SIGN UP TO VISIT: Please go to https://library.drake.edu/writing-center/ to book an appointment with a tutor—instructions for booking and visiting are available on the site as well. Appointments are approximately 30 minutes, and students can sign up for more than one session if they wish. They may also request that a tutor keep a regular time slot available for them if they would like to come in each week.

WHERE WE ARE: Reminder: the Writing Center has moved! We are still on the lower level of Cowles Library—please follow signs to find our new, larger, more comfortable space. We offer hours daily, from mornings to late afternoon/evening (including weekends). Students with health concerns can request an appointment on Zoom.

FOR FACULTY AND STAFF: If you refer a student to the workshop or require all students to visit, please let us know via email (megan.brown@drake.edu). Ask students to bring their assignment prompt/instructions to the Writing Center, as well as any writing they have done so far. When students are referred, or required, to visit, the tutor will email you to let you know that your student has attended and briefly describe what work was done. When students attend on their own, we do not inform professors unless they specifically ask us to do so.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS please contact Prof. Megan Brown, Director of Writing (megan.brown@drake.edu).

Join us for the 2024 Global Citizen Forum

The Global Citizen Forum is comprised of a series of events drawing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a thematic lens, taking place annually in the spring semester.

The Forum was established as the co-curricular arm of the Engaged Citizen Experience, part of the Drake Curriculum which aims to ensure students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes through coursework and classroom and community activities. The ECE seeks to mobilize the entire campus community to discuss a critical theme or global issue.

The 2024 Global Citizen Forum will take place March 6–8.

J-Term Travel Fair
Wednesday, March 6, at 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Upper Olmsted

Interested in traveling next J-Term? Come learn more about the J-Term travel seminars to be offered in 2025 from the program leaders themselves!

On a Drake travel seminar, students can explore the world alongside their fellow Bulldogs and professors. Travel seminars run during J-Term or summer and are typically between one to three weeks in length. Past program locations have included Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. If you are finding it difficult to fit a semester study abroad experience into your program—due to time constraints, financial obstacles, or personal reasons—this may be an excellent option for you. With your Drake community by your side, you’ll develop new relationships with fellow Drake students and professors, and create long-lasting memories that will serve you long after your time abroad.

Global Citizenship Showcase
Thursday, March 7 at 8:30am – 10:00am
Cowles Library, Reading Room

Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, please join us for a networking breakfast with Drake faculty and staff as well as Drake’s global partners, a special presentation by Robert Ludke, expert on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategies and Harkin Institute Senior Fellow, with moderated discussion but Dean Alejandro Hernandez, and the presentation of the 2024 Faculty Global Citizenship Award!

Faculty Panel: “How Do We Make the World Better?”
Thursday, March 7, at 11:00am – 12:15pm
Meredith Hall, 106

Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, in partnership with the Politics/IR, International Business, and LPS departments, this event brings together an interdisciplinary panel of Drake faculty to talk about topics related to global ‘development’ and creating a more just, prosperous future for all the world’s inhabitants. This panel asks simply, “How do we make the world better?” This question opens the door for discussion along two main avenues: first, what sets of practical policies, social arrangements, and economic configurations might be worth looking at to make the world better; and second, what courses of international, coordinated action might be taken in order to achieve those goals? The panel will rely on the panelists’ expertise, as well as observations about existing international trends and institutions in their discussion.

Panelists include Dr. Kieran Williams, Dr. Jeffrey A. Kappen, Dr. Ali Malik, and Dr. Leanne Purdum.

‘Citizen Diplomacy’ Film Screening and Moderated Panel
Thursday, March 7 at 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Tom and Ruth Harkin Center, Auditorium

Join us at the Harkin Institute auditorium for the special screening of the Iowa PBS documentary Citizen Diplomacy, with an introduction by the film’s producer, Dave Miller. Following the screening will be a commentative panel moderated by Dr. David Skidmore, including Iowans featured in the film such as World Food Prize President Emeritus and former U.S. Ambassador Ken Quinn, Roger Engstrom, and Sofia Fernandez.

**Registration for this event is encouraged but not required**

Nelson Student Research Symposium
Friday, March 8 at 12:30pm – 4:30pm
Collier-Scripps, Third Floor

The purpose of the Nelson Student Research Symposia is to recognize and share high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics. Students presenting research are encouraged to have their topics align with one (or more!) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework for tackling complex global pressing issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice. Student presentations will be roughly 15 minutes each.

— Kaiya Kielb Young, senior

I Belong, I am Worthy: BIPOC, neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ mental health panel event

In honor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, join the Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center and office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a mental health panel March 22 focused on disrupting the harmful narratives given to marginalized communities, and an open discussion on ways to enhance worth and belonging in the face of social injustice. Participants will also receive free self-care prizes and free food, and admitted students will have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win additional self-care prizes, such as weighted blankets, self-help books, and MORE! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a taste of the culture of inclusivity, belonging, and well-being at Drake! Register here.

When: March 22nd from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: Parents Hall South

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center

Coffee with counselors

Stop by the Olmsted breezeway Feb. 26, March 25, or April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m. to chat with counselors from the student counseling center. This is a chance to get answers to questions related to mental health and receive free coffee from local coffee shops!

When: February 26, March 25, and April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m.
Where: Breezeway, Olmsted 

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center