The Department of Public Safety has a new home on campus. Drake Public Safety is now located on the lower level of Ross Hall (1214 31^st Street) in suites 102–108. Public Safety remains a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service for campus. Public Safety can be reached at 515–271–2222. For questions, contact Scott Law, executive director of Public Safety and University Operations, at scott.law@drake.edu.

— Scott Law, Public Safety and University Operations

Campus Mail Operations is pleased to announce Natalie Russell as the new mailroom supervisor in the Olmsted Center. Natalie comes to Drake from the University of Texas at Austin where she was the supervisor of residence hall mail center operations.

“I am excited to fulfill my role as the lead in the mail operations center with new and innovative changes and future improvements,” said Natalie. “I have received a warm and friendly welcome from all and I look forward to meeting each one of you.”

For questions about anything mail related, contact Natalie at campusmailoperations@drake.edu or 515–271–3162.

A few fun facts about Natalie:

• Natalie owned and operated a small flower shop for 10 years.
• Natalie likes to bake cookies—and share them, of course!

Welcome, Natalie! We are thrilled to have you on campus.

— Scott Law, Public Safety and University Operations

Contextual Help
In the bottom right corner of any page in Blackboard Learn Ultra, look for the purple question mark and click on Blackboard Help to be directed to resources to help you learn more about the feature you are using. 

ITS Service Portal  

• Visit the Learn Ultra knowledge base category to see guides on using Learn Ultra features and best practices. 
• Visit the Blackboard Learn Ultra services category to request assistance with issues, troubleshooting, or new spaces, etc. 

New Features and Noteworthy Changes
A well-organized summary of the new features and noteworthy changes found in Blackboard Learn Ultra is available at drake.edu/its/learnultra. 

 — Karly Good, ITS

There continues to be construction along University Avenue. Part of this activity includes relocating a house from the 2900 University Avenue block, between 29th Street and Walgreens. The house is scheduled to move starting around 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31, (weather dependent). The house will travel west on University Avenue, then south on 31st Street and be put on the foundation at the corner of Cottage Grove and 31st Street. Steps have been taken to abate all environmental and hazardous conditions in the house.

There is another house in this 2900 block area that will be razed as part of future planning for this site. Razing of this house will be taking place in the next few weeks. We look forward to sharing more on plans for the future in this area in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Kelly Foster at kelly.foster@drake.edu.

Drake’s Intensive English Program (IEP) provides free learning opportunities for faculty, staff, and full-time students to improve their English skills. Our IEP offers intermediate and advanced level classes with an academic focus. If you feel that you may need additional help in a certain English skill area, be it advanced academic writing, grammar, or speaking, or if you simply would like to improve your pronunciation, you may want to consider taking one of our classes.

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 30, and end Friday, Dec. 10. The last day to register for classes is Friday, Sep. 3. Exceptions may be made to this deadline at the course instructor’s discretion. Please note that these classes are not credit-bearing.

If you are interested in joining a class, wish to see the schedule, or have questions about the program, contact Kendra Hossain-Morehead at kendra.hossain-morehead@drake.edu.

— Kendra Hossain-Morehead, Director of International Student and Scholar Services

Joanne Brown, beloved associate professor emerita of English at Drake, passed away at her home Aug. 5, 2021, in the presence of family. Joanne earned her master’s (1969) and doctorate (1980) from Drake University. She then became a tenured professor in the English department where she taught business writing and authored four books.

In her retirement, Joanne taught courses at the RaySociety, now referred to as the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Drake. She also continued to pursue her passion for theatre. Her final stage appearance was at age 84 in Marjorie Prime as Marjorie.

Joanne was a long-time volunteer and active in her community. She was dedicated to literacy and served as a tutor at the Adult Literacy Center, located at Drake from 1976–2018. She also volunteered as a children’s theatre teacher, Des Moines Community Playhouse board member, and facilitator of book groups at Temple B’nai Jeshuran.

Joanne was known for her loyalty, independence, and generosity, and will be remembered with love and gratitude by colleagues, friends, and family alike. Donations in Joanne’s memory may be made to Temple B’nai Jeshurun or to Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. A funeral service was held on Sunday, Aug. 8, and can be viewed online.

Read Joanne’s full obituary and leave a message of condolence.

During the Spring 2021 semester, Drake Public Safety issued a safety alert for the theft of catalytic converters from cars in University parking lots. We have begun to receive additional reports of stolen catalytic converters from Toyota vehicles in campus parking lots, so once again, we are asking members of the campus community to “say something, if you see something.”

Throughout Des Moines and the rest of the country, catalytic converters are probably being stolen for scrap, or they could be reselling them to people installing them in cars. All cars have catalytic converters, so although the recent thefts have been aimed at Toyotas, any car could be the subject of a theft.

Because removing a catalytic converter typically requires getting underneath the vehicle with a metal saw or some other type of heavy-duty cutting tool, DPS is asking people to watch for suspicious activity in and around parking lots. 

During the summer months, we see less cars on campus and those cars may be unattended for longer periods of time.  At times during the summer, campus community members and guests may park unregistered vehicles in the lots and risk ticketing. Having only registered vehicles in our lots helps us to prevent criminal activity both in the lots as well as in and around buildings. DPS officers will continue to enforce the requirement that all cars parked in Drake parking lots have a Drake parking pass. Any car found in a Drake lot without a Drake parking permit may be subject to towing or being booted.

If your car has had its catalytic converter stolen or you have observed someone underneath vehicles or tampering with cars, we ask that you contact Drake Public Safety at 515–271–3860 or contact the Des Moines Police Department by calling 911.

— Scott Law, Director of Public Safety

Are you thinking about traveling or studying abroad in 2022? Now is the time to order your passport! The U.S. State Department has announced that it now takes an average of 18 weeks (4.5 months) to process a passport.

Given the circumstances, if you want to travel or study abroad in J-Term or Spring 2022, you need to apply for a passport immediately.

If you’re considering studying abroad in the spring, you need to apply for your passport as soon as you’re done reading this message. Many countries require a student visa to study abroad, and you need your passport before you can apply for your visa. 

Important Things to Consider:

1. You must apply for a passport in person if this is your first passport or you are renewing a passport that was issued under age 16.

2. Search for the nearest location to apply for a passport on the U.S. Department of State website.

3. If you have a passport, make sure that it’s valid and doesn’t expire less than 6 months after your program or travels end. Most airlines require that your passport remain valid for a full 6 months after you plan to return.

4. Expedite both the processing time and shipping. You need to expedite every aspect of the passport process. Thousands of students who want to study abroad will be applying their passports, in addition to everyone who wants to travel internationally.

If you have questions, reach out to the Global Engagement Office!

—Karen Williams, Global Engagement

In response to the excellent feedback provided by the campus community, Drake University has modified its transportation-related policies and guidelines to further limit the circumstances under which an individual is subject to an annual audit of their MVR and required to complete annual driver safety training,  The following FAQs have been developed to highlight those changes and to address other questions and concerns raised in response to the previously proposed transportation-related policies and guidelines:

1. If I only travel on behalf of the University or as part of University-sponsored events occasionally or on a very rare basis do these updated transportation policies and guidelines apply to me?
   
   Yes, all individuals traveling on behalf of the University or as part of University-sponsored events are required to adhere to the safety, approval and notification requirements outlined in Drake’s transportation related policies and guidelines.
   
   
2. If I am subject to the University’s Student Domestic Travel Policy am I also subject to the requirements of the University’s other updated transportation policies and guidelines (e.g., the Transportation Policy and University Driver Approval and Vehicle Use Policy)?
   
   Yes, all individuals traveling on behalf of the University or as part of a University-sponsored event, including Student Domestic Travel, are required to adhere to the safety, approval and notification requirements outlined in Drake’s transportation related policies and guidelines, where applicable to their individual circumstances.
   
   
3. Am I subject to an annual University audit of my motor vehicle record (MVR) and required to complete annual University approved driver safety training?
   
   In response to feedback provided by the campus community, Drake has modified these requirements.  As a result, individuals are only subject to an annual audit of their MVR and required to complete annual driver safety training if they meet any of the following criteria:
   
   On behalf of the University or as part of a University-sponsored event, you: 
   1. Drive a University-owned vehicle;
   2. Drive a vehicle rented by the University for non-personal University business or University-sponsored events;
   3. Drive an average of five times per week;
   4. Drive a large passenger vehicle rated for nine or more passengers;*
   5. Are a currently enrolled student transporting other students, faculty or staff in your personal vehicle to field trips, camps or other non-personal University-sponsored business or events;
   6. Are an employee whose essential job functions include driving for the University.**
      
      *Additional requirements may apply for individuals seeking approval to drive vehicles rated for more than fifteen passengers; individuals seeking approval to drive a large passenger vehicle should contact Kelly Foster at durisk@drake.edu for more information.
      
      ** Employees who are required, as an essential function of their job duties, to drive on behalf of the University or for University-sponsored events are required to immediately notify their supervisor if their driver’s license is suspended or revoked.
      
      
4. Does Drake University’s insurance coverage protect me if I use the University discount to rent a vehicle for personal use?
   
   No, the University’s insurance coverage does not extend to any damage sustained by rental vehicles that are rented for purposes of personal use even if the individual renting the vehicle obtains a discounted rental rate using the University’s personal use discount.
   
   
5. Where should I go to view a copy of Drake University’s updated transportation policies and guidelines?
   
   Drake University’s updated transportation related policies and guidelines are published in the University Policy library and available for review.

— Jessica Morgan-Tate, Finance & Administration

Starbucks at Olmsted is open and ready to fuel students, faculty, and staff for the fall semester. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

— Casey Morgan, Sodexo Food Services