The Office of Admission is accepting 2022–2023 Student Ambassador applications, with an application due date extended to Sunday, April 10, at 10 p.m. and two recommendations due by Wednesday, April 13.

Each year, eight to ten student ambassadors are hired to represent Drake University. These students are chosen to serve on our admission team as we welcome, serve, inform and inspire future Bulldogs through campus tours, virtual programs, student panels and outreach as well as office projects. Our goal is to recruit a dynamic group of applicants then hire eight to ten new student ambassadors who, when added to our current team, will reflect and represent the richness of diversity in demographic, academic, and extracurricular components of the Drake student body. Qualifications and the application process are outlined in the informational sheet at the link below. All qualified applicants who meet the application deadline will participate in a group interview in April based on their availability. 

See this link for information, the application, and recommendation forms:  https://tinyurl.com/22DUAMBASSADORAPP. 

Additionally, all students are welcome to join the Admission Cole-ition and volunteer to provide campus tours during group visit programs after attending a training session and shadowing a tour! Information sessions will be offered next fall for anyone interested in joining the Admission Coleition team!

Please contact admissioncoleition@drake.edu with any questions about the Student Ambassador program or Admission Coleition.

— Deneen Dygert, Admissions

The Drake University Athletics Ticket office is looking for students or staff to help with the 112th Drake Relays, Thursday, April 28, through Saturday, April 30. Food will be provided.

Job Duties include:
– Selling tickets in the ticket windows
– Assisting with AXS mobile app questions
– Scanning Tickets at Gates
– Other duties as assigned

A very high percentage of tickets will be delivered to people’s smartphones. For a preview of the app and commonly asked questions, click here: Draketix.com/axsmobileid.

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfY0bZVCPkCHfiweTsFh5bsx-1oNkCOAjlUj7UQD5U9g71IRQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

— Logan Krause, Athletics

Please join faculty from the Department of Political Science and the Department of History for a second panel discussion about the ongoing war in Ukraine. This event will be held Wednesday, April 13, from 12:30–1:45 p.m. in the Reading Room at Cowles Library. The Iowa United Nations Association will be streaming the event on Facebook Live.

Panelists include:

• Amir Busnov (B.A. in International Relations from Drake University): Following his graduation from Drake, Mr. Busnov completed his Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy. He recently returned from Ukraine where he has been serving as a Monitoring Officer with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Special Monitoring Mission.
• Rob Collis (Visiting Assistant Professor of History): Professor Collis specializes in European and Russian history, and has published widely on Russian history.
• Debra DeLaet (Professor of Political Science): Professor DeLaet has particular interest in the politics of international law and the role of the United Nations in global politics. Her scholarship focuses on human rights and global gender issues.
• David Skidmore (Professor of Political Science) has a scholarly interest in U.S. foreign policy decision-making. His scholarship focuses on U.S. foreign policy and international political economy.
• Kieran Williams (Assistant Professor of Political Science): Professor Williams has a special interest in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe. His publications include several works relating to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

This panel will offer a follow-up to the forum we offered last month focusing on the history of the conflict and region. Our follow-up panel on April 13 will be particularly focused on international security and international law concerns related to the war in Ukraine. Panelists will make brief introductory remarks, and a majority of our time will be devoted to audience questions and discussion. Light refreshments will be served.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. To support our Muslim community, Hubbell will extend dinner service to 8:30 p.m. beginning Saturday, April 2, and continue through Monday, May 2.  To learn more about Ramadan, visit:

livescience.com/61815-what-is-ramadan.html

urdupoint.com/islam/des-moines-ramadan-calendar-sehar-aftar-timing.html

islamiccenterdm.com/

— Division of Student Affairs

The Adams Leadership Awards are an annual, campus-wide tradition to celebrate the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University. Each spring we honor students and organizations who have made valuable contributions to the campus community through their outstanding commitment to leadership.

Please consider nominating any Drake students and student organizations who have exhibited strong leadership and excellence throughout the 2021–2022 academic year. Nominations can be submitted by any Drake student, faculty, or staff member. Award categories include:

• Outstanding Bright College Student
• Outstanding Transfer Student
• Outstanding Equity and Inclusion Program
• Oreon E. Scott Outstanding Senior of the Year
• …and many more!

View a full list of awards and the nomination form here. The nomination deadline is Sunday, April 10th at 11:59 p.m.

All award nominees and winners will be recognized at the Adams Leadership Awards ceremony and reception, taking place in Sheslow Auditorium on Wednesday, May 4, at 6 p.m. (Save the date! All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend.)

If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Economos, director of student leadership programs, at kristin.economos@drake.edu.

— Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

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