There are three new restaurants in the area worth checking out: Cafe Chai is in the old Subway in Drake West Village ($8 wraps!) with Haiku now open under new ownership next door (grab & go options!). Hugo’s at 32nd Street and University Avenue is relatively new as well. This is all in addition to the many, diverse lunch and dinner options in Dogtown, the Drake Neighborhood, and Hubbell as well!
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
From Jan. 7–21, a J-Term class headed to Washington, D.C. with the goal of attending the inauguration. They visited the lying in state of Jimmy Carter, met Wolf Blitzer, explored the Capitol after hours, and so much more. Check out their blog for a glimpse into all they experienced.
Drake in DC student blog: https://drakeindc.org/
— Alan Fox, College of Arts & Sciences
Spring Semester facility hours begin Monday, Jan. 27.
Bell Center
Mon-Thurs: 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
Friday: 6:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m.–10 p.m.
Underground Fitness
Mon-Thurs: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 3 p.m.–9 p.m.
Roger Knapp Tennis Center
Mon, Wed, Fri: 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Tues & Thurs: 12 p.m.–1:30 p.m. & 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 4 p.m.–8 p.m.
Bell Center Pool
Check rec.drake.edu for updated hours
Intramurals are back in full swing this semester and you can get involved in the fun. Download the Drake Rec App or IM leagues / Drake and register with a team or as a free agent to reserve your spot today. Spots will fill up quickly, so don’t wait.
Reach out to Intramurals@drake.edu for any questions.
— Alex Fearino
Stay fit during J-term! Gail will be teaching two lunchtime (12:15-12:45) classes every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of January in the Bell Center Studio.
Tuesdays will be FUNctional Fitness, and Thursday will be all about Kettle Bells. We have so much fun, and we hope to see you in class!
—Gail Witte, Recreational Services
The countdown to the Drake Road Races is on! It’s the perfect time to make your Relays Resolution, whether you’re aiming for a personal best or simply enjoying the excitement of race day. We’ve already shared some inspiring stories of participants who are gearing up for the event—check them out and get motivated! Don’t miss your chance to join the Drake community in this exciting tradition. Register today and start your journey toward the Blue Oval!
Register here: https://www.drakeroadraces.org/
– Ben Huftalin, Assistant Director, Event Production
Drake reimburses mileage for the use of personal automobiles for actual miles driven during business travel, not gas receipts. The reimbursement rate is based on the current standard mileage rate issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the standard mileage rate issued by the IRS for the use of a car will be:
$.70 cents per business mile driven, up 3 cents from 2024.
The standard mileage rate is evaluated annually by the IRS and is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.
If you have any questions regarding the reimbursable mileage rate, please visit the IRS website, https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-increases-the-standard-mileage-rate-for-business-use-in-2025-key-rate-increases-3-cents-to-70-cents-per-mile, or contact Accounting at accounting@drake.edu.
—Jenifer Baugher, Accounting
End of the Fall semester: Building schedules will change for the Winter Break and the start/end of the semesters. Following finals, we will adopt “administrative hours” for most campus buildings while classes are not in session (buildings will be open on weekdays from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm December 16–20). Most extended hour student access plans will also be disabled for the break.
Winter Break: Doors will be locked for the winter break from December 21st to January 1st. Faculty and staff will still be able to utilize their authorized access plans (for example, 24/7 access to their office buildings), but extended hour student plans will continue to be shut off during this time.
Start of J-term semester: “Administrative hours” (7:30am – 4:30pm) will resume for the staff’s return on January 2nd and 3rd, and then regular Monday – Friday academic year building hours and extended student access will resume at the start of J-term (January 6th). Due to decreased weekend traffic during J-term, we will again lock buildings on the weekends through January and will be 100% back to our normal schedule when Spring semester starts, the week of January 27.
If you have a scheduling conflict that will be affected by this door schedule, please speak to your building manager so they can put in a ticket to unlock the doors outside of our planned schedule. Please note that not every building will follow this schedule exactly (Rec, Cowles, Law, and Olmsted often have some schedule variations), so feel free to check in at those buildings if you are unsure of their schedules.
Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time. Feel free to email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.
Happy Holiday Season!
—Sara Heijerman, Finance & Administration
Rec Services will have shortened hours November 24-December 1 for Thanksgiving. See attached flyer for specific hours.
—Allison Bjork, Recreational Services
Thanksgiving: Campus building hours will be adjusted for the Thanksgiving Holiday – most of campus will be closed Wednesday 11/27 through Saturday 11/30. Card access will still allow you to enter your authorized buildings, and most regular door schedules will resume on Sunday, December 1st.
End of the Fall semester: Building schedules will also change for the Winter Break and the start/end of the semesters. Following finals, we will adopt “administrative hours” for most campus buildings while classes are not in session (buildings will be open on weekdays from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm 12/16-12/20). Most extended hour student access plans will also be disabled for the break.
Winter Break: Doors will be locked for the winter break from December 21st to January 1st. Faculty and staff will still be able to utilize their authorized access plans (for example, 24/7 access to their office buildings), but extended hour student plans will continue to be shut off during this time.
Start of J-term semester: “Administrative hours” (7:30am – 4:30pm) will resume for the staff’s return on 1/2 and 1/3, and then regular Monday – Friday academic year building hours and extended student access will resume at the start of J-term (January 6th). Due to decreased weekend traffic during J-term, we will again lock buildings on the weekends through January and will be 100% back to our normal schedule when Spring semester starts, the week of January 27.
If you have a scheduling conflict that will be affected by this door schedule, please speak to your building manager so they can put in a ticket to unlock the doors outside of our planned schedule. Please note that not every building will follow this schedule exactly (Rec, Cowles, Law, and Olmsted often have some schedule variations), so feel free to check in at those buildings if you are unsure of their schedules.
Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time. Feel free to email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.
Happy Holiday Season!
—Sara Heijerman, Finance & Administration
