Before the inauguration ceremony on April 28, ALL students are invited and encouraged to gather in front of Old Main for a photo of the student body. Wear your Drake gear and join us at 12:15 p.m. for an amazing photo.

—Tony Tyler, Director, Student Engagement, Equity, & Inclusion

Join UNITY Roundtable and School of Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Jovan Johnson in a dialogue regarding media representation of identities and how those representations affect the way we view each other. The dialogue will take place in Meredith Hall, Room 106 today, April 18, from 8 to 9:15 p.m. Any questions, comments, or concerns can be referred to thalia.anguiano@drake.edu or jiayong.lee@drake.edu.

—Thalia Anguiano

Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration will begin offering an entrance exam waiver beginning Summer 2016 for current students and alumni. Current CBPA students pursuing the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) or Master of Financial Management (M.F.M.) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher based upon completion of at least 30 hours at Drake University and 90 or more undergraduate hours completed and in process at date of application will qualify.

The entrance exam will also be waived for applicants to the M.B.A. or M.F.M. who have received an undergraduate degree from Drake’s CBPA within the past five years and whose final cumulative GPA is 3.25 or higher.

—Dianna Gray, Outreach Coordinator

Ryan Sallans, well known transgender speaker and activist, will be on campus to speak on his transition from female to male. The event will take place Tuesday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. Contact Residence Hall Association President Claire Davison at clarissa.davison@drake.edu for more information.

—Claire Davidson

Students can now vote in the Student Senate general election. Be sure to log on to blueView and go to the the Campus Life tab to vote for the following positions: at-large senators (8 votes), academic senators, and equity and inclusion senator at-large. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. on April 12. Results will be announced at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, at Spike’s Spot in Lower Hubbell.

—Kevin Maisto, Student Body President

In March 2013, Faculty Senate passed a motion to change the grading policy in the Faculty Manual: “That Drake University extends to all instructors the ability to assign plus/minus grade modifiers in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs beginning with the Fall 2016 semester.” In order to prepare for the approaching implementation of the plus/minus grading policy, we’re continuing to answer common questions. You can also access a full set of resources on the Student Records website.

Q:  Will transfer credits be affected by the +/- system?
A:   No. The minimum grade that must be earned for Drake to accept transfer credit is a “C-“.

Q:  What about repeating courses?
A:   The policy regarding repeating courses still applies. For example, if you earned a “B” in a Spring 2015 course and then earned a “B-“ when you repeated that same course in Fall 2016, the “B” would remain expressed on your transcript while the “B-“ would be changed to “XX”.

—Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success