Join us as we bring the Caribbean to you on Saturday, May 7. Drake University’s African Caribbean Student Association presents the first Bacchanal Day Fest where Dancehall & Soca meet Afrobeats: the ultimate water celebration! Be there from 12–5 p.m. in Helmick Commons (the first 150 students who present their student ID get in for free).

This one is for the ages, you don’t want to miss it! Follow our socials for exclusive info: Instagram: @bulldogs.acsa and Facebook: ACSABulldogs.

— Lauren Igbanugo, JO

A lesser known but common problem among Drake students is basic needs insecurity. Meaning, many students struggle to access food, water, housing, transportation, healthcare, and safety. The Drake LEAD capstone created an initiative called Drake Cares, where they localized many of the University’s resources into a few key areas: an infographic, brochure, and website. The goal of Drake Cares is to increase the accessibility of resources on and around Drake. If students know about what Drake has to offer, they are more likely to ask for help when they need it. Find printed copies of the infographic and brochure around campus, or at drake.edu/acadsuccess/basicneedsresources/.

— Kate Franke, JO, AS

Please join the Office of the Provost in extending congratulations to the Drake faculty granted tenure and/or promotion by the Board of Trustees on Friday, May 29.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

As you’re packing up and moving out, if you come across items (non-perishable foods, school supplies, hygiene items, etc.) that you don’t want to keep, put them in the designated boxes for collection.

Look for a yellow plastic bin or cardboard box near the entryway or lobby of your residence hall. The Interfraternity Council is holding a similar drive in fraternity houses, and there will be a bin at Alpha Phi and potentially other sorority houses. There will also be a bin near the C Store. If you have leftover flex dollars, consider using them to purchase food for this drive!

This drive is planned to last until mid-afternoon on May 13. It is organized by Next Course Food Recovery.

Items will be donated to the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood or a nearby food pantry. Please don’t donate any perishable items or things that will not fit in the Little Pantries.

Contact andrew.kenanrd@drake.edu with questions about the Next Course drive and brian.orellana@drake.edu with questions about the Interfraternity Council Drive.

— Andrew Kennard, Junior

Join us for a campus-wide celebration of student leadership at Drake University. The Adams Leadership Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 4, at 6 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. All Drake students, faculty, and staff are invited and encouraged to attend. Nominees and selected winners will be announced for 18 student leadership awards, including:

• Outstanding First Year Student
• Outstanding Transfer Student
• Outstanding Student Organization
• Oreon. E Scott Senior of the Year Award

…and many more! Students in the Adams Leadership Institute and the leadership studies minor will also be recognized. No RSVP required; note the time and date on your calendar and show up with your friends and colleagues across campus. Appetizer reception to follow in Levitt Hall for award winners and their nominators. We hope to see you there!

— Kristin Economos, Student Leadership Programs

The Drake Relays brings thousands of athletes, alumni, and guests to campus. As a result, parking and travel on and around campus will be significantly impacted during Relays, April 23–30.

If you are commuting to campus, it is highly recommended that you use public transportation if possible. If you do plan on driving, give yourself plenty of time to find parking. Please remember that cars that are parked on the grass, illegally in handicap spaces, or blocking operations will be towed without notice.  

Saturday, April 23: Packet pick up at the Knapp Center for the Drake Road Races and Grand Blue Mile from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., about 4,000 people will come to campus throughout the day.

Sunday, April 24: Drake Road Races will impact vehicular traffic on Forest Avenue and 25^th Street, and throughout the city of Des Moines, between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

Sunday, April 24–Sunday, April 30:
Lot 17 (Facilities Lot) will be closed/No Parking allowed

Wednesday, April 27, 12 pm – Saturday, April 30, 6 pm:
Forest Avenue will be fully closed from 27^th Street to 29^th Street and will allow for only limited access from 24^th Street to 27^th Street and from 29^th Street to 31^st Street. No street parking is allowed along Forest Avenue. 

Wednesday, April 27–Saturday, April 30:
27^th Street will be intermittently closed between Forest Avenue and Clarke street.

Wednesday, April 27–Saturday, April 29:
Lot 18 S (Studio Arts) will be closed/No Parking allowed

Wednesday, April 27–Saturday, April 29:
Part of Lot 13 (Ray Promenade Lot) will be closed

— Scott Law, Public Safety and University Operations

Robert Kemp, former CBPA professor, passed away peacefully on March 15. From humble beginnings, growing up on his family’s farm during the Great Depression, to serving his country with the rank of Lt. Colonel and ultimately two successful careers in academia and the business sector, Robert lived a full life, grounded in the values of honesty and hard work. He exemplified what it means to be a friend, scholar, officer, and gentleman throughout his long life. Robert taught both graduate and undergraduate business students at Drake, and is remembered for developing connections between students and local businesses.

Read Robert’s complete obituary.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Join us for an event in which Ukrainians will tell the Drake community about their experiences of the Russian attack and occupation of their country. This is an opportunity for you to hear first-person living history and testimony from people close to these events.

When: Tuesday, April 19, 1–2:15 p.m
Where: Attend in person in Harvey Ingham, Room134. Or, join via Zoom (https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/81937085671; Meeting ID: 819 3708 5671).

Speaker biographies:

• Vira Babenko, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Drake University, is a native Ukrainian. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mathematics from Dnipro National University in her hometown of Dnipro before coming to the United States for a Ph.D. program at the University of Utah. A lot of her relatives are now in Dnipro, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhya. She is remotely helping coordinate volunteering efforts and raising funds for families with little kids displaced to her hometown due to the war.
• Olga Daubs was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, during Soviet rule. She earned her master’s degree in history from Kharkiv National University and owned an event planning business in Kharkiv before immigrating to the United States in 2013. Today, she and her husband own a photo studio in Madison, Wisconsin. Her parents remain in Kharkiv. Olga is an active volunteer with Wisconsin Ukrainians, Inc., raising funds and awareness of the tragedy caused by Russia’s invasion of her home country.
• Marina Delargy was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. She has over ten years of diplomatic experience with Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as serving in an international organisation. She is currently a student at King’s College of London, where she is a candidate for two simultaneous programmes – MSc Russian and Eurasian Politics and Economics, and National Security Postgraduate module. Her focus is on Russia’s cognitive warfare and its impact on societies. Her mum Raisa escaped from Kyiv in March, but all her friends and the other members of her family decided to stay and protect Ukraine.
• My name is Anastasiia Miroshnikova, and I am from Kharkiv, Ukraine. I’m 20 years old. I am a student of Ukrainian Leadership Academy, and before the war started I was living in Mariupol. It’s a beautiful city.  When the war started I was living underground with the rest of the students. It was tough. I decided to escape Ukraine, hitchhiked to Poland, and came to the USA. I felt like while I was here in Cincinnati, Ohio I could be more helpful for my country. So I decided to raise money for medical and army supplies for my friends who have joined the army. They’re the same age as me and also students of the ULA. Currently I have already sent 10 huge boxes of medical supplies, over 1000 tourniquets and a drone to Ukraine. Link for donations: https://fundly.com/m2/help-ual-raise-money-for-the-ukrainian-army.

— Rob Collis, History

On April 6, the U.S. Department of Education extended the student loan payment pause through Aug. 31, 2022.

The pause includes the following relief measures for eligible loans:

• a suspension of loan payments

• a 0% interest rate

• stopped collections on defaulted loans

Find more information

— Ryan Zantingh, Student Financial Planning