Register today! The Sussman Leadership Conference is an annual event that brings together Drake student leaders from all across campus to explore and gain skills in a particular leadership topic and theme. This year’s conference, “Confidence and the Comparison Trap,” will explore how to gain genuine and authentic confidence as a student leader and young professional. Conference registration is free for students (valued at $75 per seat!) including a gourmet brunch, nationally-renowned keynote speaker, and several breakout sessions. This conference gives Drake University student leaders a chance to gain leadership skills immediately useful to their academic, personal, and professional lives. All conference registration fees are covered by the Adams Leadership Institute. Space is limited, learn more and register by Nov. 1 at bit.ly/sussman22.

— Kristin Economos, Director, Student Leadership Programs 

Start off the fall season right with Bulldog Bootcamp. This is a 4-week free group training program from Oct. 17–Nov. 9 that will provide you with a fun, yet challenging experience. The program is completed with a small group of Drake students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. with the implementation of HIIT and strength training workouts. Sign up for fun workouts with your friends today.

Email recmarketing@drake.edu for more info and sign up by Oct. 10.

Students, below are some important reminders related to COVID-19.

• If you test positive for COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms, complete this form. The form contains more details on the University’s COVID-19 protocols.
• Free, self-administered COVID-19 tests are available at the Student Services Center in Olmsted. Test kits are accepted between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday–Friday.
• For more information on the University’s COVID response, see a list of FAQ’s.

Don’t have plans for J-Term yet? Looking to get out of Des Moines and see the world? Earn three AOI credits? Gain a new perspective? The following travel seminars are accepting applications until Oct. 1, 2022.

Bahamas: Leadership at Sea (Global and Cultural Understanding AOI)

Indonesia: Urban Development and Conservation

South Africa: Religions of South Africa (Global and Cultural Understanding AOI)

Thailand: Research, Exploration, and Reflection (Information Literacy AOI)

Washington DC: Inside Washington: Exploring Bipartisan Solutions (Engaged Citizen AOI)

To apply and learn more about these offerings you can click on the program title, and it will take you to Terra Dotta, our application management system.  Use your Drake ID and password to login.  First-year students are not eligible to apply.

For questions about a specific travel seminar, contact the course instructor. For general study abroad or application questions, contact studyabroad@drake.edu.

— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement

Join Dean of Students Hannah Clayborne for a chance to have dinner and catch up on things that are happening at Drake this semester. This is a great opportunity to make connections with fellow students along with the Dean of Students. Dinner will be provided for students. Sign up in advance; space is limited to 10 students. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up.

• Monday, September 12 – 5:30-6:30 PM
• Tuesday, September 13 – 5:30-6:30 PM
• Wednesday, September 14 – 5:30-6:30 PM

For questions, contact Gina Ryan at gina.ryan@drake.edu.

— Gina Ryan, Dean of Students

If you have never played hockey in your life, we still want you to be a part of our club. Non-player members can join the club as a part of our fundraising team, marketing team, management team, media team, or if you just want to be a fan. We encourage those who are wanting experience in their majors to join. For example, if you are a marketing major, joining our marketing team would be great for experience and resume building. View the sign-up form.

We are also seeking players for the club team. We practice twice a week and have games scheduled throughout the year. If you are a hockey player, we’d love to have you. You can find more information on our website or feel free to reach out to the club’s president Griffin Dyka at Griffin.dyka@drake.edu.

— Griffin Dyka, Junior

Join Dean of Students Hannah Clayborne for dinner and a chance to catch up on things that are happening at Drake this semester. This is a great opportunity to make connections with fellow students along with the Dean of Students. Dinner will be provided for students just sign up in advance, but space is limited to 10 students. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up.

• Monday, Sept. 12 – 5:30-6:30 PM
• Tuesday, Sept. 13 – 5:30-6:30 PM
• Wednesday, Sept. 14 – 5:30-6:30 PM

Questions about this event, please contact Gina Ryan at gina.ryan@drake.edu with questions.

— Hannah Clayborne, Dean of Students

Are you or have you previously been part of 4-H?

The local Iowa State Extension 4-H Office is interested in connecting with Drake students who have been involved with 4-H to explore options for continued involvement while in college. The local 4-H organization is very active and there are exciting ways to partner with college students.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Amanda Martin at amanda.martin@drake.edu.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

As we kick off the school year, it’s important to stay aware of online security threats. Internet scammers often shift their focus to universities at the beginning of the school year as students are returning to their classrooms and residence halls.

One of the most common methods is phishing, which uses email, text messages, or phone calls to trick people into sharing sensitive information. These messages often look like they’re from a trusted source. Instead, they’re sent by scammers seeking to access bank accounts, credit cards, login credentials, or other confidential data.

Here are some common back-to-school scams to keep an eye out for: 

• Shopping scams – phony websites promising bargains but designed to collect credit card and other personal information.
• Job offers – scammers offer appealing job opportunities with the intention of stealing money, identity, and personal information. They often spoof legitimate companies’ websites or real people’s email addresses to make the offers more realistic.
• The student tax – a popular scam targeting first year students and their parents via email, phone, or text. Individuals posing as IRS or other government representatives request payment of “student tax” and threaten penalties for failure to pay.
• Scholarship scams – these phony scholarship applications often require an application or redemption fee or request banking information.
• Student loan forgiveness scams – scammers ask for personal or financial information of victims to start the loan-forgiveness process.

Ways to avoid falling for back-to-school scams or other phishing attacks: 

• Think before you share – Never share direct deposit details, credit card numbers, or personal information like your Social Security number on an unfamiliar website.
• Pause before you click – If anything seems unusual, do not click links or open attachments.
• Verify the request – If you receive an email from the University asking for urgent action, question its legitimacy. If you’re not sure, contact the appropriate office directly to verify the request.
• Report threats – ITS can investigate incidents and take action to prevent similar threats in the future. If you receive a phishing email, report it using the following instructions: https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=17310

More information on how the scams work and how to help stop the scammers behind them is available on News & Alerts section of the ITS website: https://www.drake.edu/its/news/index.php?article=59928

Thank you for your help in keeping all our information and systems safe.

— Keren Fiorenza, ITS