Nov. 8 is National First Generation Student Day. Drake defines a first-generation student is a college student whose parents/legal guardians have not received a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. At Drake, about 20% of our incoming students are first generation students. The Office of New Student and Family Programs and Drake First Gen Student Organization are partnering to celebrate Drake first generation students, staff, and faculty.

Here are some ways you can get involved in the celebration:

Fill out a first-gen questionnaire by Nov. 3
We are looking for first-generation students, staff, and faculty to fill out a short questionnaire to capture your experiences as a first gen student. The survey results will be used to generate profiles to showcase the first-generation college experience on social media leading up to Nov. 8. Submissions are due Nov. 3.

Wednesday, Nov. 8:
We will be tabling on Helmick Commons or Olmsted Breezeway (depending on weather) from 1–4 p.m. passing out snacks and First Gen Bulldog stickers. We hope you can stop by for a sticker and some snacks!

Zimpleman College of Business Students: Join us in the Aliber 1st floor lobby to celebrate National First-Generation Day! If you are a first-generation student, we encourage you to stop by for your “I am FIRST” button and a treat. If you are faculty or staff and a first-generation student, please come get a button to show your first-gen pride. Everyone is invited to grab a donut to help us celebrate this special day. 

Thursday, Nov. 9:
We will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with other first gen faculty, staff, and students during a social hour from 5-6pm in Olmsted Center Conference Rooms 312-313. Snacks will be provided!

Friday, Nov. 10:
Drake First Gen Bulldogs student organization will be hosting a panel from 5-6pm. This will be an opportunity to hear from first gen faculty and staff about their experiences. The panel will be live streamed from the Drake Broadcasting System youtube channel and available to watch afterwards. There is limited seating at the panel, email Erica Sawyer (erica.sawyer@drake.edu), if you are interested in seeing the panel in person.

We encourage First Generation students, staff and faculty to join our Facebook group and follow on Instagram.

We look forward to seeing you at some of the First-Generation Student Day events!

— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Hear from Adam Davis, JO’06, as he takes us on a journey through the world of cinema, creativity, and storytelling. Adam Davis, JO’06, is a Writer/Director and an accomplished alumnus of Drake University. Armed with a diverse creative palette honed by years of working at Marvel Studios, Writer/Director Adam Davis has created numerous short and feature film projects.

Join us on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. to dive into Adam’s experiences—from his day job as a Franchise & Marketing Senior Manager at Marvel Studios to his many credits including films nominated at international film festivals.

This is a virtual event and it is open to alumni, faculty, staff, and students.

Register here.

Questions? Reach out to Mady Nachtman at mady.nachtman@drake.edu.

— Mady Nachtman, Alumni Relations

We invite you to a unique opportunity for Black men to come together in a safe and welcoming environment facilitated by Drake students Tre’ Montague and David Duncan. Drinks and snacks will be provided. “Barbershop Talk” is a space where you can relax, engage in meaningful conversations, and connect with others who share your experiences.

Our next meeting is November 3, 2023, in the Drake Room, Olmsted Center, from 4:30–5:30 p.m.

— Terrance Pendleton, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion

Please join us Friday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium for an evening of unaccompanied viola music with guest artist, David Rose. Admission is free.

Professor Rose will perform works by W.A. Mozart, Chen Yi, Dobrinka Tabakova, and J.S. Bach.

He has served as Associate Principal of the Vancouver Symphony, Principal Viola of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and Acting Assistant Principal of the San Francisco Symphony. He is currently the principal violist of the G27 chamber orchestra in Toronto. Also active as a baroque performer, he was a member of the Pacific Baroque orchestra, and has toured and recorded with Toronto’s Tafelmusik. He is Associate Professor of Viola and Head of Strings at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

— Maureen Yuen, Assistant Professor of Music

Did you know that you can get trained for free in QPR, which is an evidence based suicide prevention training. Contact kayla.bell@drake.edu if you are interested in scheduling a training this school year.

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center

View the Counseling Center’s October newsletter for news about upcoming events, mindfulness tips, and support groups.

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center

Plan to attend the Pi Theta Epsilon lecture by Ms. Jennifer Kray entitled “Redemptive Suffering” at Levitt Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. Kray, author of the text “My Other Half,” will describe her experience as a graduate student who experienced an eating disorder, to a brainstem hemorrhage. The lecture will provide insights into the importance of patient connection and the impact of hope in healthcare. 1.0 CEU available for OT practitioners.

— Christine Urish, Professor of Occupational Therapy

Contemporary artists Duane Slick and Martin Smick will be on campus on October 27 and 28th for two events in conjunction with their site-specific installation What the Night Tells Us at the Anderson Gallery. The exhibition opening reception is on October 27 from 5-7 pm and the artists will lead an exhibition tour on October 28 from 1-2pm. Both of these events are free and open to the public.

Duane Slick is an artist of Native American descent, the Meskwaki Nation of Iowa and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Nebraska. His acrylic paintings blend the subjects of oral and visual Native American traditions with a focus on trickster strategies and modernist/post-modernist painting histories. Martin Smick is an artist who has been living and working in Rhode Island since 2007 and has taught in the Painting Department at Rhode Island School of Design since 2013. Both artists have exhibited nationally and have collaborated on two previous exhibitions. As collaborators, Slick and Smick are conscious of their respective cultural identities and have been able to create exhibitions that engage in issues surrounding Native culture.

The exhibition is supported by a National Endowment for the Arts grant. More details can be found on the Anderson Gallery webpage andersongallery.wp.drake.edu.

— Lilah Anderson, Anderson Gallery

Drake University Phi Beta Kappa is excited to welcome Dr. Anna Brickhouse, University of Virginia, to campus Oct. 26–27 as part of the National Visiting Scholars program. Her visit will include work with Bright College, English, Pharmacy & Health Sciences, and World Languages and Cultures. All are invited to her public lecture ““Curse and Doom:” Writing the Americas as Catastrophe on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium co-sponsored with the Susan Glaspell Writers and Critics Series.

— Jeff Kappen, Zimpleman College of Business