Drake SJMC Days will kick off with Jazz, Journalism and the Roots of Creativity: An Evening With Dartanyan Brown on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice and the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine, Brand Media and Multimedia Education. The event will incorporate presentation, audio and video recordings, and a musical performance. It is based on “My Integrated Life,” an interactive memoir that Brown created for Rootstalk, an online Grinnell College journal.

Brown’s experiences include being a bassist and lead vocalist for acclaimed jazz/rock band Chase; interviewing the late Steve Jobs as a staff reporter for MacWEEK; and spreading the gospel of jazz throughout the country as a teaching artist with legends Dizzy Gillespie, Larry Ridley and Frank Foster. As an early adopter of education technology, he worked for Apple and as part of a team of sound designers and animators that collaborated with Dr. Seuss. His memoir also tells the story of his African-American family’s journey from Reconstruction-era Virginia to the integrated community of Buxton, Iowa, and then Des Moines, where Brown attended North High School.

Brown, JO’75, is a professional in residence working with Drake students during the 2022–2023 academic year. His residency celebrates the liberal arts education he received in both Des Moines public schools and at Drake. “I’ve enjoyed the last 40 years of helping others unlock the creativity they may have thought impossible,” said Brown. “Whether in jazz or journalism, rigor in preparation is a shared trait of both disciplines.”

— Denise Ganpat, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

If you are looking for a unique way to satisfy a Writing AOI, consider this hybrid domestic travel J-Term (one week online, one week on retreat at the historic Hotel Patee in Perry, Iowa). All meals, accommodations (double room) and instruction by deeply experienced and certified yoga teachers for the full course total only $600. No special equipment, experience, or body type is required. Just curiosity and a desire to write. Email carol.spaulding@drake.edu for more information. (Course is not affiliated with the global travel seminars program).

— Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English

Drake University and Drake Public Safety recognizes the importance of October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800.799.SAFE {7233}) for help.

If you are in danger on or near the campus, call 911 for the Des Moines Police Department or 515-271-2222 for Drake Public Safety.

Please download the Drake Guardian App at https://www.drake.edu/publicsafety/drakeguardianmobileapp/ for additional functionality.

— Scott Law, Executive Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

Drake University will switch from cooling to heating in mid-October based on outside temperatures. We are monitoring the forecast closely during the next few weeks and are tentatively setting the changeover date as beginning Oct. 24.

If the forecast changes we will adjust changeover dates according to the temperatures. The changeover process takes our department about a week to drain the loops and switch systems from one mode (cooling) to the other (heating).  We start with the residence halls first because these buildings are occupied 24/7.  Once the switch occurs, there is no changing back until the next cooling season (in mid-April).

Thanks for your patience during this fall season when air conditioning may not be available and we prepare to switch from cooling to heat.  During that time if a room is not comfortable, please let us know so our staff can see if adjustments can be made.

— Aaron Edwards, Facility Planning and Management

The IMT Des Moines Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 16. Drake University is proud to be part of this great Des Moines tradition. The marathon will impact roads and travel throughout Des Moines and specifically at the University at miles 11 and 12. Travel on and around campus will be impacted during the race.

Mile 11 travels down 25th Street and Forest Avenue to Drake Stadium as participants take a lap around the iconic Blue oval. Mile 12 leaves the stadium and enters the campus proper on the sidewalks at the Ray Plaza and continues to Carpenter Avenue and back out to 25th Street.

There is no parking on Sunday, Oct. 16, along the race route, including but not limited to, 25th Street from University Avenue to Forest Avenue, along Forest Avenue from 25th Street to 27th Street, and on Carpenter Avenue from 25th Street to Painted Street (in front of Carnegie, Old Main, the Law School and FAC) on campus. Vehicles parked in these areas or anywhere along the course route will be towed at the owners expense.

Please expect increased activity and noise during the race. Race marshals will be stationed along the path along with Des Moines Police and Drake Public Safety officers on the campus to keep the course safe for participants and spectators. We ask that you follow the direction of course marshals for everyone’s safety.

For more information about the IMT Des Moines Marathon and potential road closures or disruptions throughout the city, please see the race map.

— Scott Law, Executive Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

Drake Dining will have modified hours for fall break. See a list of hours for Oct. 14–18.

— Shaelyn Hankins, Drake Dining

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that student loan scams are on the rise. Read the FTC’s recent announcement to learn how to identify and avoid scams. For official information about federal student loans visit studentaid.gov. You can also subscribe to updates from the U.S. Department of Education here.

— Ryan Zantingh, Student Financial Planning

The Office of Global Engagement is pleased to introduce Professor Inés Rojas as Drake’s Global Scholar-in-Residence for the 2022-2023 academic year. The Global Scholar-in-Residence program, sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship, allows accomplished academics abroad to bring their expertise to campus and engage with students, faculty/staff, and community members.

Professor Inés Rojas is a full professor at Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela, where she teaches Intercultural Communication, Human Rights, and International Organizations. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language and her Master’s degree in Linguistics from Universidad de Los Andes. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2002-2004 to attend Georgia State University where she obtained a Master’s and a PhD in Political Science. Her research areas include social movements, women’s human rights and gender policy reform, and civic engagement through citizen participation and experiential learning.

This is Professor Rojas’s second time visiting Drake University. She was a visiting scholar in the World Languages and Cultures program during the 2012-2013 academic year, where she taught a course on Model Organization of the Americas and Latin American Identity. Returning to the World Languages and Cultures program, she is teaching Practical Spanish Speaking and Writing this semester, and in Spring 2023 she will be teaching a course on the Image of a Latin America. During IE Week in November, Professor Rojas will speak about her time on campus so far, and how it fits into her ongoing work abroad.

For more information about the Global Scholar-in-Residence program at Drake University, please visit https://www.drake.edu/cgc/globalscholarpractitionerinresidence/.

— Dawson Urquidez, AS