In 1942, French philosopher Albert Camus wrote an essay called the Myth of Sisyphus. He wrote this as his country was being invaded and it felt like the world was falling apart. It was a time of disbelief and despair. It was a time when certain groups—Jews, Romanies, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, communists, and socialists—were being targeted for their differences and persecuted with hate, violence, and even death.

This was an extreme era in 20^th Century European history and Camus’ reality was not the same as ours. But his mindset and ideas remain relevant to us today, right here in Iowa.

Sisyphus is a figure in Greek mythology who angered Death (that’s a whole other story). He found himself condemned to roll a rock up a mountain. As he approached the top, Sisyphus would inevitably lose his grip or his footing would fail and the rock would roll down the mountain. Then, Sisyphus would turn and head down to the rock and repeat the task.

Camus found this story interesting—but there was one precise moment in particular captured his attention. When Sisyphus, standing at the top of the mountain and watching the rock tumble back down, in that moment, he chose to pivot, turn around, and try again—as if to say, “fine, I’ll just do it again.”

While this myth is often told as a story of futility, Camus did not view it that way. When it felt and looked like all was lost, Sisyphus refused to give up or to acquiesce to the circumstances. In the seconds following failure, Sisyphus, amazingly, was fueled by strength and determination. In that moment, Camus observed, Sisyphus was stronger than the rock and he remained unbeaten.

Short-sighted and discriminatory laws have just passed in Iowa. Similar laws are passing in other states. The NAACP is contemplating issuing a travel advisory for people of color considering travel to Florida. We regularly see examples of Asian hate and antisemitism carried out across the country. And the list goes on.

For those of us who are members of groups being increasingly targeted—or have friends, family, and colleagues who are members of such groups—or we simply care about equal rights for all people—it is tempting to feel defeated.

But here is what is also true: Recent events do not get to define us or the Drake community. We get to define us. This is a moment when our values—prioritizing inclusion for all and unifying our diverse community behind a shared mission—matter the most. As gut-wrenching as it feels to watch the proverbial rock roll down the hill, we can choose to be stronger than the circumstances.

While some universities across the country are distancing themselves from DEI principles, we are doubling down. Please join us in our commitment to building a campus culture that values all. Students thrive when they enjoy a sense of belonging. Faculty and staff flourish when they feel valued. Join us in our steadfast resolve to stand by our values and all members of the Drake community.

There is not one act that can be performed—no single set of words that can be uttered—to make things better. Complex situations require layers of actions and words…determination and time, too. And we all have a role to play in taking action and speaking up.

In the short term, please consider joining members of the Drake community in the breezeway in Olmsted, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 30. There we will take action and use our words to say that we understand the harmful repercussions of the recent laws passed in Iowa and show our love and determination to stand with transgender and gender non-conforming members of our community.

Watch for the April DEIJ newsletter for details about upcoming events and suggested action items. Keep reading OnCampus for additional discussion. If you have suggestions for action or requests for support, please contact Lynne Cornelius, Associate Dean of Students or Jennifer Harvey, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion.

— Jennifer Harvey, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion; Maureen De Armond, Executive Director, Human Resouces

The Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series at Drake is proud to feature environmental justice activist and author, Carolyn Finney, at a story-sharing workshop sponsored jointly by Iowa Environmental Council and Drake Community Press. Join us April 6 in the Turner Jazz Center at 5 p.m.

— Carol Spaulding, Professor of English

Drake Dining will be extending the hours for dinner at Hubbell Dining Hall. We will serve dinner until 8:30 p.m. throughout the Ramadan holiday. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests please reach out to shaelyn.hankins@sodexo.com or find us on social media @DrakeDining for up-to-date information.

— Shaelyn Hankins, Drake Dining

The Harkin Institute invites the Drake community to come to the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center on Thursday, March 30, at 6 p.m. for a conversation with Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs.

Rep. Turek will discuss his experience finding career success and navigating local politics with a disability. Audience members will also have a chance to ask Rep. Turek questions.

This event will be both in-person and virtually. If you’d like to attend virtually, sign up here.

American Sign Language and live-captioning will be provided. Contact harkininstitute@drake.edu with questions or to request additional accommodation.

WHEN: Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center (2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309)

— Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute

ITS has ongoing efforts to maintain and strengthen the security of University data and systems. The number of cybersecurity incidents continues to grow worldwide, and we have seen recent events that have shut down local businesses and schools. ITS prioritizes your information security and safety, and we are doing our part to protect resources and data.

Our recent focus has been on security measures, such as email encryption and enforcement of multifactor authentication requirements. In the upcoming weeks and months, you will see additional precautions put in place. This will include limiting services that can be accessed on the guest network and restricting unsupported computer operating systems from using Drake networks.

To keep your information secure and keep Drake safe, keep the following tips in mind.

Download the MFA app. Multifactor authentication helps ensure you are the only one accessing your personal information.

Keep your devices up to date. Visit the Support Center on campus if you require assistance updating your laptop or computer to the most recent operating system version.

Use the Drake network. Faculty, staff, and students should use eduroam for their wireless connection at Drake. DUGuest is intended for guests of the university and will have limited access.

Be aware of your surroundings. If you are using a Drake system in a public setting, keep an eye on who can see your screen and has access to your information.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach ITS at https://service.drake.edu/its, by phone at 515-271-3001, or by visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall.

— Gillian Mohn, ITS

The 2023 Harkin on Wellness (HOW) Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Olmsted Center. The symposium is free but registration is required.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems were overrun with patients and supply chain issues disrupted our access to healthy foods. Community leaders and organizations responded by creating new approaches to address the relationship between food and health. These new approaches include the growth of food systems coalitions and councils working to shape, advise, and implement food policy. These groups also worked to increase opportunities and reduce barriers to healthy outcomes at the regional level.

This year’s Symposium will showcase the work being done at state and local levels to improve people’s lives by reimagining the food system from farm to table and everywhere in between.

We are pleased to welcome Deputy Under Secretary for the USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, Stacy Dean and Dr. Walter Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-chair of the EAT-Lancet Commission as the keynote speakers for HOW 2023. Additional speakers will include experts on the environmental impacts of food production and on local approaches to improving health and wellness.

American Sign Language (ASL) and live captions in English will be available for all general session content for all attendees. ASL are available for breakout sessions upon request. (To request accommodations or ask accommodation questions email harkininstitute@drake.edu.)

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

In Person Location: Olmsted Center at Drake University (2875 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)

Virtual Location: Livestream (access details and link will be sent to registered virtual attendees closer to the date of the event)

Registration: This event is free but registration is required.

For more information: https://harkininstitute.drake.edu/2023/02/23/how-2023/

— Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute

The Drake Constitutional Law Center will host the 2023 Constitutional Law Symposium on Saturday, April 15, from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The program will be delivered in Cartwright Hall, Room 213, or virtually via Zoom. Speakers will analyze a variety of current issues from multiple viewpoints. A slate of nationally renowned scholars will discuss these important topics:

Abortion
– “Slavery, Abortion, and Collective Self Governance” – Dr. Teresa Stanton, Professor of Law and Director, Pro-Life Center, University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis)

– “The Supreme Court’s Impractical Opinion in Dobbs” – Mark S. Kende, James Madison Chair Professor in Constitutional Law and Director, Drake Constitutional Law Center, Drake Law School

The Administrative State
– “The Real Major Questions Doctrine” – Ilan Wurman, Associate Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

– “The Supreme Court and the Future of Administrative Power” – Dr. Nicholas Parillo, William K. Townsend Professor of Law and Professor of History, Yale Law School

Affirmative Action
– “The Constitutional Case Against ‘Diversity’, Racial Preferences in Higher Education” – Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

– “The Future of Race-Consciousness in Admissions” – Dr. Vinay Harpalani, Professor of Law and Lee & Leon Kavelitz Chair in Evidence & Procedure, University of New Mexico School of Law

The program will be moderated by Erin Lain, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, and Miguel Schor, Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Drake University. The symposium is approved for 2.5 hours of Iowa Continuing Legal Education credit.

The program is open to the public. Register online here. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review.

The Constitutional Law Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Congressman Neal Smith, LW’50, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 101. Congressman Smith’s efforts provided foundational support for the Center and he continued to be a loyal supporter his entire life.

The Constitutional Law Center gratefully acknowledges key support for this symposium from the Nathan S. McCay (LW ’80) Endowment and the Drake Constitutional Law Fund.

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About the Drake Constitutional Law Center
Congress created the Constitutional Law Center to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution in 1987. Drake Law School is one of only four law schools designated by statute to receive a permanent endowment “to encourage graduate study of the American Constitution, its roots, its formation, its principles and its development.”

The annual Constitutional Law Symposium invites scholars, judges, and lawyers from across the country to discuss a timely constitutional issue. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review. Learn more about the Drake Constitutional Law Center.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

There are so many scams to look out for, especially in our email, and it is always good to be wary of suspicious emails if you are unsure of their origin.

With that being said, we implemented a new invoicing system in November that allows us to send digital invoices to your Drake email so that you can pay from the comfort of your own home!  We utilize our Clover payment system to do this, so if you receive an email from DRAKE UNIVERSITY SSC (via Clover), those are our invoices.

If you know you got a parking citation and didn’t receive an invoice, check your junk/spam folder first, and if it’s still not there, send us an email and we can send one over to you.  If you would like us to create an online invoice for an old citation, email your license plate number to studentservices@drake.edu, and we can create an invoice for those previous citations.

If you wish to appeal a citation, fill out the form here, and Public Safety will make a decision in a timely manner.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Internationally recognized audio arts expert and Drake alumnus Peter Otto will explore the roots of human creativity in the age of artificial intelligence in a multimedia presentation at Drake.

“The Nature of Creativity: An Evening With Sonic Arts Master Peter Otto” will be held on Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in the Sussman Theater of the Olmsted Center. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Slay Fund for Social Justice.

Otto’s talk will cover the many aspects of cross-disciplinary creativity, from creating your own specialty and writing your own job description, to the difference between artistic creativity and scientific discovery, and innovation in private and public sector contexts. He will also touch on artificial intelligence: what it can and can’t do, and how it can be creatively leveraged.

Otto’s wide-ranging career has blended art with science and technology. He is an expert in the language and aesthetics of audio design and engineering, and has consulted worldwide with audio and digital media companies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Drake and a master’s degree in composition from the California Institute of Arts, where he subsequently served on the faculty. He served as director of music technology at the University of California San Diego, where he founded the university’s Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts major and Qualcomm Institute of Sonic Arts Laboratory. He was chief science officer for audio technology at Comhear, leading research and development of audio for virtual reality platforms. He was vice president for innovation at the 3D audio technology startup Dysonics, which was later acquired by Google, where Otto currently works in the DeciBel Audio Group.

Otto’s appearance is part of a series of events at Drake this spring that will explore human inspiration and innovation across disciplines. The final campus visitors will be New Age musician and Zen master Teja Bell at 7 p.m., April 12, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.

For more information or to arrange a class visit by either of these visiting professionals, contact: Kathleen Richardson, dean emerita, Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication, kathleen.richardson@drake.edu.

Kathleen Richardson, Dean Emerita, SJMC