Back to Class features speakers from Drake’s campus in a virtual setting. Bulldogs are invited to join from wherever they are to learn about unique topics, hear from voices on campus, and connect with the Drake community.

Griff II (aka George) stepped into the Live Mascot role this summer as Griff I is now happily living the retired life. Griff II is a two-year-old English bulldog, and brings playful energy to his role of recruitment ambassador, campus celebrity, and beloved community figure. Erin Bell, director of the Live Mascot Program, will provide an update on the program and insights into life with Griff II, and answer your questions. (Please submit your questions via the Qualtrics link in your registration confirmation email.)

Register here.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Blackboard Collaborate (Note: A link to join will be emailed prior to the start of the event. You do not need to download any software or have a web camera.)

Have a topic you would like to share for the alumni relations Back to Class series or any questions about this Back to Class? Contact Amelia Klatt, assistant director of Alumni Relations, at amelia.klatt@drake.edu or 515-271-3378.

— Amelia Klatt, Alumni Relations

The Drake University Constitutional Law Center is pleased to announce Stephen Gardbaum as the 2020 Constitution Day speaker. Gardbaum will present “The Counter-Playbook:  Resisting the Populist Assault on Separation of Powers.” The Constitution Day Lecture is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2020, at 3 p.m. and will be delivered virtually.

Gardbaum holds the Stephen Yeazell Endowed Chair in Law at UCLA School of Law. An internationally recognized constitutional scholar, his research focuses on comparative constitutional law, federalism, and the foundations of liberal legal and political theory. His numerous articles on constitutional law have appeared, among other places, in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, International Journal of Constitutional Law, and American Journal of Comparative Law. His widely-reviewed book The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2013) explores a novel approach to protecting rights in democracy. His scholarship has been cited by the U.S. and Canadian Supreme Courts.

Gardbaum received a B.A. with first class honors from Oxford University, an M.Sc. from London University, a Ph.D. in political theory from Columbia University, and a J.D. from Yale University.

The Drake University Constitution Day Lecture is held annually to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and to recognize all U.S. citizens.

View registration information.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

As we move through the fall semester like no other, the Drake ITS team is focused on enabling campus to weather this challenge and emerge stronger. Even five years ago, the overnight transition we made in the spring would not have been possible. The technology solutions we rely on daily weren’t broadly available or scalable. Today, we’ve learned that these digital technologies can enable us to make rapid shifts in our operations when needed.

In addition, the outstanding work of Drake Online and Continuing Education, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Academic and Emerging Technology team in ITS, in collaboration with our dedicated and talented colleagues across the University, have helped prepare us to continue in new and agile ways. Our sustained ability to adapt and deliver on our mission in the face of a global health crisis gives me a great sense of optimism.

The pace of change we are facing can feel daunting, but I’m heartened and energized by the ongoing commitment to our core values that I see expressed every day across the University. We in ITS are doing our part, focusing on developing the technology infrastructure that will enable us to sustain our momentum towards a strong and sustainable post-COVID future. Developing the systems that will allow Drake to provide flexible, hybrid instruction and administration is more important now than ever. ITS is focusing on adapting our services and support toward preparing the University for a digital future, primarily in these four areas:

Remote Support – ITS is planning for an environment where significantly more of our employees work remotely rather than on campus. We are building our ability to provide expanded remote support to users who are anywhere with Internet access. Remote support is more immediate, adaptable, efficient, and effective for our technical staff than traditional in-person support.

Remote Management – Before this summer, our infrastructure was designed based on the assumption that faculty and staff computers would regularly connect to the campus network. Over the coming months you will see significant changes that will enable us to manage our technology systems wherever they are, and from wherever we are. Last week you saw a new login screen to Microsoft Office 365. This is the first in a series of changes that will free our managed end-user devices from the campus network. When completed, our management systems will be more flexible, secure, and automated, and devices will be able to be managed wherever they are.

Virtual Collaboration – As Microsoft Teams, Blackboard Collaborate, and Zoom have demonstrated, virtual collaboration is here to stay. ITS is supporting and managing these platforms to give our students, faculty, and staff the tools they need. We have made staffing changes to improve support for virtual collaboration and will continue to develop the capabilities of these essential systems.

Digital and Automated Workflows – The move to remote work has highlighted many institutional processes that rely heavily on paper and/or physical campus presence. Our post-COVID environment must enable more work to be completed virtually. ITS is in the early stages of building an enterprise platform for creating and managing digital and automated workflows. Although this work is very early, this platform holds the promise to substantially improve the experiences of students, faculty, and staff as they interact with the University’s business processes.

The ITS team is working hard of your behalf to help us prepare for a strong and successful future. I welcome your input on this, or any other work that ITS is engaged in.

— Chris Gill, Information Technology Services

The Law School will host a fall webinar series to address a broad array of policies and practices that perpetuate racial inequities in American society—from racial profiling to Afrocentric facial feature bias and environmental harms. This series of live-streamed talks, open to law students, lawyers, and the larger community, features Drake Law faculty and guests sharing their expertise about underlying structures that reinforce racism and oppression in our society.

“Working to dismantle systematic racism is a moral and ethical imperative for lawyers,” says Maura Strassberg, professor of law at Drake Law School and organizer of the lecture series. “In subtle and systematic ways, our existing structures of law operate to perpetuate inequality and oppression. Exposing the ways in which this occurs is the first step toward both acknowledging the systematic way racism has been worked into American society and recognizing what is required to truly achieve our fundamental commitments to equality, liberty, and democratic governance.”

All lectures will be held on Friday afternoons at 1 p.m. CST and are free and open to the public. One hour of Iowa Continuing Legal Education credit has been approved for each lecture. For more information or to register visit https://bit.ly/3lBJnKb.

Webinar schedule:

Friday, Sept. 4: Unbiased Policing and Anti-racial Profiling Legislation
Russell Lovell and David Walker, Professors emeriti, Drake Law School

Friday, Sept. 11: Over-representation of Minority Children in the Child Welfare System
Jami Hagemeier, interim director of the Joan and Lyle Middleton Center for Children’s Rights, and associate clinical professor, Drake Law School

Friday, Sept. 25: The #MeToo Movement and Black Feminism: How the Mainstream White Feminist Movement Failed Black Women and Where We Go from Here
Julia Steggerda-Corey, director of the Compliance and Risk Management Program at Drake Law School; and Victoria Millet, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Associate, University of Minnesota

Friday, Oct. 9: Why Afrocentric Facial Feature Bias is a Pernicious Form of Racism
Mark W. Bennett, director, Drake Law Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation, and retired U.S. district judge, Northern District of Iowa

Friday, Oct. 16: The U.S. Supreme Court and Systemic Racism
Mark Kende, director, Drake Constitutional Law Center, and James Madison Chair in Constitutional Law

Friday, Oct. 23: Fair Cross-Section Jury Trial Reform
Russell Lovell and David Walker

Friday, Nov. 6: Environmental Justice
Jerry Anderson, dean, Drake Law School, and the Richard M. and Anita Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law.

Friday, Nov. 13: Institutional Racism and the Food We Eat
Jennifer Zwagerman, director, Drake Agricultural Law Center

The Counseling Center is currently hosting online support groups. The groups are an open format, meaning you can attend as needed.

Together, Not Alone
Starts Monday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m.–5 p.m.
A weekly mental health support group where students can talk about their resources and struggles without judgement. To participate, fill out the registration form, and we will send you the meeting details.

There’s a First Time for Everything
Starts Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m.
A weekly first-year support group focused on skill building and connecting other students who are facing challenges adjusting to college. To participate, fill out the registration form, and we will send you the meeting details.

Wellness Wednesday 
Each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. join the counseling center for a self-care practice that will focus on mindfulness and caring for the mind, body, and spirit. Facilitated by Julie Rice, Counseling Center intern and registered yoga teacher and mindfulness expert. To participate, fill out the registration form, and we will send you the meeting details.

— Danielle Green, Health Center

In-person GroupX classes started Sunday, Aug. 30. Sign-up on the Drake Rec app to reserve a spot.

Don’t have the app? Download the Drake Rec app from the app store for all things GroupX, club and intramural sports.

Once you download the app, log into your account using your Drake email and password. Or, if you are new to the app, click on the “Create Account” tab in the upper right corner. Use your Drake email address to launch your new account.

To register for a class, click on the “Network” tab, click “Group Fitness,” and finally click on the class you want to join, scroll to the bottom and hit join session. For questions, email wellness@drake.edu.

— Drake Wellness

Drake is hosting the Blue Oval Showcase on Saturday, Aug. 29. As part of the event, there will be a 1-mile road race commencing on Painted Street. The route will travel north on 25^th St. to Forest Ave. and then head west on Forest Ave. to Drake Stadium. Carpenter Ave. will be closed for parking and vehicular traffic starting at 2 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, until 12 p.m. Please expect partial road closures along the race route during the morning. 

— Scott Law, Public Safety & Operational Services

ITS is making a required certificate update to the Drake Single Sign-On (SSO) system beginning on Tuesday, Aug 25, at 10 p.m. As a result, between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 2 a.m. Wednesday, myDrake, myDUSIS, Blackboard Learn, the IT/Facilities service portal, and other applications that use Drake’s SSO functionality will be unavailable. For a complete list of affected applications please see  Single Sign On (SSO) and Drake applications (FAQ) .

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please visit service.drake.edu/its or contact the Support Center at 515–271–3001 to report your issue.

— Carla Herling, ITS