Check out the Fall 2023 schedule for the Drake Observatory. Events take place Friday nights from Sept. 15–Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit: https://www.drake.edu/observatory/.
The Observatory is honored to host astronaut Dr. Peggy Whitson on Sept. 22. The Observatory is teaming up with Capital City Pride of Des Moines to make this event possible.
— Aaron Haack, College of Arts & Sciences
Drake will host the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest Sept. 15–16 at the Olmsted Center. This annual contest is put on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of Interior and the winning art will be reproduced as a stamp to be sold nationwide, with proceeds going to support wetland conservation. To date, proceeds from stamp purchases have earned $1.2 billion and protected more than six million wetland and wildlife refuge acres. Submitted artwork from across the country will be on display at the Olmsted Center on Friday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the contest to see the artwork. A panel of five noted art, waterfowl, and stamp authorities will judge the competition.
The contest is coming to Drake as part of its legacy with Darling. In 1934, Darling created the nation’s first Federal Duck Stamp under an appointment with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1949, the tradition of inviting artists from around the United States to submit their designs began, and with it, a vital contribution to America’s wetlands and wildlife refuges.
Today, Drake University works to inspire the next generation of conservationists through Darling’s work, serving as the home of the Jay N. Darling Institute. Drake established the institute in 2021 with a mission of providing educational and scholarly expertise for rural communities to improve access to quality health care and education, nutritious food, unimpaired natural resources, and ongoing economic and cultural opportunities. Drake is also a proud steward of a significant portion of Darling’s artwork and papers. His inspirational artwork will be on display during the Duck Stamp contest.
Drake is proud to be a sponsor of the 38th annual Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Symposium: “Level Up for Justice.”
The symposium will be held on campus at the Olmsted Center on Friday, Oct. 27, from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The kick-off event will be on Thursday, Oct. 26. Drake students, faculty, and staff are invited to register and attend for free at https://LevelUpSymposium2023.eventbrite.com. Select the general admission ticket option, and use the promo code DrakeTicket2023.
Everyone begins the game of life from different starting points, and many people from marginalized communities often start with additional barriers. How can we adequately equip ourselves to create equitable outcomes? How can individual players get involved in “multiplayer” work? No matter where we are in our own journey for social justice, this year’s Civil & Human Rights Symposium aims to provide ways we can advance to the next level and find solutions where everyone wins. The symposium is organized into three tracks based on that belief:
Additionally, there will be two panel discussions facilitated by members of the City of Des Moines Youth Advisory Board centered around the importance of youth mentorship and environmental justice/climate action.
More information about this year’s symposium can be found at dsm.city/CHRSymposium.
— Ryan Arnold, Director, Community Engagement
The Anderson Gallery is pleased to show the work of Judy Pfaff, an internationally recognized artist who is often cited as a pioneer of installation-art and contributor to the Pattern and Decoration Movement. The solo exhibition, Freehand: Prints and Drawings by Judy Pfaff, showcases over 50 drawings and prints and is on display from Sept. 7 through Oct. 15. There are multiple events associated with this exhibition including an opening reception on Sept. 7, an exhibition tour on Sept. 21 and the premiere of the immersive opera Cadence of Life by Nathan Felix, inspired by the work of Pfaff on Oct. 5. The Anderson Gallery does not charge admission and all events are free and open to all. Freehand is supported by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.
— Lilah Anderson, Anderson Gallery Exhibitions and Community Engagement Manager
WHAT WE DO: The Writing Center’s trained peer tutors advise and assist students at any stage of the writing process:
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. If you cannot attend your scheduled appointment, please remember to cancel and reschedule.
WHERE WE ARE: The lower level of Cowles Library—please follow the signs. 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).
— Megan Brown, Professor of English
Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. This year, the Drake chapter is celebrating 100 years of promoting excellence in the liberal arts on campus and across Iowa. To explore this history, please stop by the display case outside Drake University Archives & Special Collections in Cowles Library through the end of September. As part of its centennial, Drake was selected to participate in the society’s national Visiting Scholars program, and looks forward to hosting Dr. Anna Brickhouse, University of Virginia, at the end of October.
— Jeff Kappen, Zimpleman College of Business
The Drake Constitutional Law Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Timothy Naftali as the 2023 Constitution Day speaker. Dr. Naftali will present “Scandalized!?: Rethinking Presidential Scandals in the Modern Era” on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. in Cartwright Hall and virtually via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public. Register here.
Dr. Naftali was the founding director of the federal Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, where he authored the Library’s nationally acclaimed exhibit on Watergate and oversaw the release of 1.3 million pages of presidential documents and nearly 700 hours of the infamous Nixon tapes. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Slate, and he serves as a CNN presidential historian. Most recently, he was featured in CNN’s The 2000s, Presidents Under Fire: The History of Impeachment and The Bush Years: Family, Duty, Power.
Dr. Naftali is currently a Senior Research Scholar with the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He joined Columbia after serving as Clinical Professor of Public Service and a Clinical Associate Professor of History at New York University (NYU).
“We look forward to welcoming Dr. Naftali for this year’s Constitution Day lecture,” said Mark Kende, director of the Drake Constitutional Law Center and professor of law. “He will discuss certain U.S. political scandals and explore how societal norms and values, public opinion, and media scrutiny impact the political consequences of a scandal and the health of democratic institutions. As one of the nation’s top presidential historians, Dr. Naftali’s discussion of this timely topic will be thought-provoking and illuminating.”
The Drake University Constitution Day Lecture is held annually to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and to recognize all U.S. citizens. This year’s event is co-sponsored by the Drake Center for Public Democracy.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
There are two options when using the campus Xerox machines to scan your documents. When using your Drake ID to log in to Papercut, you can choose “Scan to My Email” or “Scan to OneDrive.” When using “Scan to My Email,” you may only be able to scan documents of up to 30 pages with minimal images. Also, transmitting documents that contain sensitive information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, or bank account information is highly discouraged.
When using “Scan to OneDrive,” you are able to scan documents of any length. Documents will be automatically saved to your OneDrive account. Please see Scanning to OneDrive from a Xerox MFD (How-to) for detailed steps and to locate your files. We strongly encourage you to use “Scan to OneDrive” option.
If you have issues scanning or using the Xerox machines, please submit a Printing Issue ticket, call 515-271-3001, or visit the lower level of Carnegie Hall.
— Chris Mielke, ITS
Social distancing and remote learning created a period of reduced or altered opportunities to practice oral communication techniques that we all need in a variety of situations. Drake University’s Speaking Center is here to support students, faculty, and staff in our shared efforts to develop and advance these crucial skills.
Students can book appointments to meet with a tutor or the director for help in preparing, composing, and delivering speeches and presentations—or even to get advice for initiating difficult conversations and participating in interactive discussions. We can accommodate students who need presentations to be recorded in a private venue for a small audience. We also work with students, faculty, or staff on strategies for navigating situational anxiety related to public speaking, stereotype threat, and/or imposter syndrome.
Location and Hours: The Speaking Center will be holding appointments in our tutoring space downstairs in Cowles Library, Room 039. Please follow the signs through the tutoring areas back to the SW corner to find our new location. Tutoring appointments are currently available Monday–Thursday afternoon.
To make an appointment: Visit http://library.drake.edu/speaking to schedule a personal meeting with a tutor.
Appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes each, and students are encouraged to schedule multiple times while preparing for a single event if they wish. Any questions or concerns should be directed to speaking-help@drake.edu.
Speaking Center Services: Speaking Center tutors have experience and training in speech pedagogy and are prepared to assist students when selecting and narrowing topics, organizing ideas, drafting and revising an outline, preparing visual aids, and practicing delivery. The Speaking Center’s staff also facilitates access to research and resources that can help speakers and presenters and can address a variety of oral communication issues.
— Faber McAlister, Associate Professor of Rhetoric
Cowles Library is always expanding our catalog of books, databases, streaming services, news subscriptions and digital resources. We’re excited to now offer audio and ebooks as part of our ever-growing selection of new popular titles. You can also always access our featured collections to explore more curated topics.
Come visit us in the library to browse our collections and start the academic year off right.
— Erin Menardi, Cowles Library
