On Friday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m., ITS and our service provider, Lumen/CenturyLink will complete the move of campus telephone numbers to voice over IP (VOIP) service. The migration process could last up to four hours during which brief voice outages could occur on each number as it is moved to the new service.

This is the last major milestone in migrating away from Drake’s outdated phone systems to Microsoft Teams Calling. ITS acknowledges the transition to Teams for voice services has been difficult and caused frustration across campus due to poor call quality and dropped connections. We are optimistic that completing migration will address these issues by eliminating the need to route calls through old voice equipment. A pilot group of numbers was moved to the new voice trunk lines late last year and we have seen a marked improvement in voice quality and reliability in that group.

Additionally, ITS staff have been working with a third party vendor over the past several weeks to ensure Drake’s configuration of Teams Calling adheres to Microsoft’s best practices, prepare for the migration on Friday, and facilitate a smooth changeover to the new service. ITS is committed to improving Teams voice quality and trusts this investment will be another factor in improving the reliability of the system.

Thank you for your patience and support during this long transitional period away from our legacy voice system to Teams Calling.

— Chris Mielke, ITS

The Spring 2022 edition of the Drake University Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) is now online. See this year’s excellent lineup of papers: drake.edu/dussj/currentedition/

DUSSJ would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s student editorial board who did an excellent job administering the 2022 edition. The board members are:

• Samantha Byrnes
• Molly Green
• Stephanie Kiel
• Jacob Lish
• Ariel Merritt
• Gabby Neddermeyer

Thank you all for your excellent work!

— Heath Hendersen, Associate Professor of Economics, CBPA

Happy Civic Action Week! The Office of Community Engaged Learning is excited to partner with many departments and organizations to raise awareness of community and global issues, and to have the opportunity to participate in service. Please join for whatever events and initiatives you’re able to and share how you’re engaging with the week by tagging @drakeservice on social media. Together we can have a collective impact!

Tuesday, April 5

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action, 9am-3pm, Olmsted and/or Helmick Commons. Sign a pledge to support survivors, learn about Drake prevention response and resources around campus, and grab some swag. Wear Teal and get free food! (9am Donuts, 11:30am Jimmy Johns, 1:30pm Ice Cream). Sponsored by Drake Prevention Ambassadors.  (Pathway- Community Organizing & Activism). 
• Careers in Social Change Virtual Panel: Direct Service, 4-5pm on Zoom. Panelists include Cecily Robinson from Easter Seals Iowa, Michelle Raymer from Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, and Johnathan Preston from Community Youth Concepts. Register on Handshake. Contact amanda.martin@drake.edu. Sponsored by Office of Community Engaged Learning and Professional and Career Development Services. (Pathway – Direct Service)
• Las Cafeteras Concert, 7:30pm, Turner Jazz Center. Las Cafeteras combine music with social justice and higher education. Songs and themes range from the Civic Rights Movement to immigration reform. Sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion. (Pathway – Community Organizing & Activism)

Wednesday, April 6

• Sprout Garden Volunteer Day, 2-4pm. Help prepare the garden for Spring planting by sprucing up the area, amending soil, and other projects as needed. Come and go as you are able. People are welcome to just come out and visit the space, as well! Contact marlee.rutledge@drake.edu. Sponsored by the Sprout Garden through the Office of Community Engaged Learning. (Pathway – Direct Service)

Thursday, April 7

• Disability Services and Advocacy Event, 4-6pm, Harkin Institute. Representatives from Drake, Harkin Institute, and local non-profits will share information about their services. You’ll have the chance to participate in simulated activities and a roundtable discussion on topics related to disability services. The goal of the event is to create a space for people to bravely learn about and discuss disability experiences. Our hope is every participant will walk away with the tools to be a better advocate and ally for people experiencing disabilities. RSVP here.  Contact Kiley Kahler (kiley.kahler@drake.edu) and Mel Sadecki (mel.sadecki@drake.edu) for more information or to request accommodations. Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning. (Pathway – Community Organizing & Activism) 

Friday, April 8

• Civic Action Academy, 10am-2pm.  This event is free and will happen virtually. All Drake students are welcome to attend. Participants can choose the sessions they want to attend and are not required to attend the whole thing. Topics range from Demystifying Advocacy to Reflective Practice for a Just Society to information on School Boards and more. Learn more and register. Sponsored by Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact.
• Drake Neighborhood Community Walk: 11:30am-12:30pm, Join Brian Orellana, Community Outreach Senator and Community Engagement Peer for Equity and Inclusion, for a walk around the Drake Neighborhood. Meet outside Olmsted. You are not required to sign up but it can be helpful – email brian.orellana@drake.edu. (Learn about the Drake Neighborhood Association!) Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning and Student Senate. (Pathway – Community Organizing and Activism)
• APO & Phi Delta Chi Blood Drive – 11am-2:30pm. In partnership with LifeServe Blood Center. Appointments are required – sign up for a time.  (Pathway – Philanthropy)
• Free Movie Friday, 9pm, Sussman Theater – Join for the film “Just Mercy,” the thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his history-making battle for justice. Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning and the Student Activities Board (SAB). (Pathway – Community Organizing and Activism)

Saturday, April 9

• Easter Seals Playground Build – April 9, 8:30am-12:30pm. Lunch will be provided. Contact Claire Reiman, creiman@eastersealsia.org or 515-250-5358. (Pathway – Direct Service)

All Week –

Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Drive – drop off donations of first aid kits, socks, winter gloves, thermal underwear or sanitary and hygienic sets to various locations in Cowles Library, including the Global Engagement Office across from Midnight Hall and the Office of Community Engaged Learning in the lower level. Donations will go through Iowa Sister States to our Sister State of Cherkasy Oblast and will be collected until April 15.

Donate to the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood – Drop off your donations of non-perishable goods and personal hygiene items. (Pathway – Philanthropy)

Donate Adult Dog and Cat food to the Griff Gives Back project. (Pathway – Philanthropy)

Visit www.drake.edu/volunteer for other volunteer opportunities.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

On March 15, Mark Wiederspan, executive director of Iowa College Aid, sent a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley highlighting concerns about how future changes to the FAFSA will impact students whose families own family farms and/or small businesses.

Specifically, the FAFSA Simplification Act will require the net worth of a family farm or small business to be reported as an asset on the FAFSA, beginning with the 2024–2025 FAFSA. Family farms and small businesses (100 or fewer full-time employees) are currently excluded from reportable assets on the FAFSA.

If you share Dr. Wiederspan’s concerns, you can contact your legislators in congress. To lookup your legislators, click here.

— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

Drake’s chapter of the American Marketing Association is hosting a special guest speaker, hall of fame television broadcasting executive Ray Cole, at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 13. Mr. Cole will be discussing his book, Hangin’ with Winners: A Lifetime of Connections, Anecdotes and Lessons Learned. All Drake students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters are welcome to join the AMA chapter members to hear the president and CEO of Citadel Communications share his experiences engaging with iconic leaders and changemakers in television, politics, and philanthropy including Jimmy Kimmel, Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Michael J. Fox, and more.

Mr. Cole, a native of Iowa, will be speaking and taking questions at the April 13 meeting which will take place at Aliber Hall, Room 101, at 9 p.m. The event is free and audience members will receive a free copy of Hangin’ with Winners while supplies last.

— Alejandro Hernandez, Dean, CBPA

The 2022 Baum Symposium will be comprised of a series of workshops focused on helping Drake faculty and staff respond ethically and compassionately to the shifts in higher education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and demographic trends in our student body.

Featured speaker Cathy Davidson, the author of The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux, will speak virtually, on Wednesday, May 4, at 7 pm. This keynote will kick off an entire month of programming meant to help our faculty and staff address the ethical imperative of meeting our students where they are—emotionally, intellectually, and socially.

Register at Eventbrite. Zoom links will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

The proposed Student Pronouns Policy is now available for public review and comment on the Policies Under Review webpage.  In summary, any student may select their pronouns for use within the University community, consistent wit the student’s gender and/or gender identity. The policy will be posted for 20 days.

— Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success