Drake Recreation’s annual Super Smash Bros tournament sign up deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 3rd. Tournament play begins on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Be sure to sign up and play!

— Emily Madsen, Recreational Services

As you are deciding which classes to take this spring, the Office of Community Engaged Learning encourages you consider a “Community Engaged Learning” (CEL) course. Community Engaged Learning courses integrate community experiences in a number of ways, including service-learning, field experiences, practicums, co-ops, internships, research projects, and more.

Benefits of taking a CEL course:

• Better understand your local community
• Apply what you are learning in the classroom to real-world settings
• Enhance your “True Blue Skills” and gain experiences to be able to put on your resume and talk about in interviews
• Build your networks and contacts in the community
• Prepare you to be an active citizen during and after college

How to find CEL courses:

• CEL courses can be major-specific or fulfill electives. Find a course that fits your schedule, major, or interests!
• When searching MyDUSIS for classes, click “Community Engaged Learning” under “Attribute Type”

Learn more about Community Engaged Learning courses and hear from students and faculty who have participated at drake.edu/community/learningservice/celcourses/

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is a department within the Academic Excellence & Student Success unit.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

Each year, the Adams Leadership Institute hosts the annual Sussman Leadership Conference; bringing together undergraduate student leaders from across campus to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and gain skills that can be applied to their personal lives, student leadership roles, academic projects, and professional goals.

This year’s Sussman Conference, “Leading Back in Action,” will take place on Sunday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Olmsted Center, Parents Hall, featuring keynote speaker Sara Lowery. Conference registration and buffet brunch are provided at no cost to students thanks to alumni giving.

Space is limited. Please visit bit.ly/drakesussman to learn more and reserve your seat by Oct. 31.

— Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

The Lorentzen Student Hatchery is a unique program aimed at fostering student startups through providing funding to students to run their own business. Students of any major, undergraduate or graduate, can apply to the Hatchery, and during the Summer 2022 term, Entrepreneurship Centers staff provide guidance and support, access to mentors and experts, and more. This summer program starts the first week of June and wraps up the first week of August but there will be educational training and coaching available in the semesters before and after formal programming.

For more information, download a 2022 Hatchery Fact Sheet or visit tinyurl.com/lorentzen2022. Applications are being accepted until Friday, Nov. 5. Virtual pitches for a spot in the Hatchery will take place during Drake’s Innovation Week, starting Nov. 8. For questions, email jpec@drake.edu.

— Stephanie Cardwell, Buchanan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Each year, the Adams Leadership Institute hosts the annual Sussman Leadership Conference; bringing together undergraduate student leaders from across campus to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and gain skills that can be applied to their personal lives, student leadership roles, academic projects, and professional goals.

This year’s Sussman Conference, “Leading Back in Action,” will take place on Sunday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Olmsted Center, Parents Hall, featuring keynote speaker Sara Lowery. Conference registration and buffet brunch are provided at no cost to students thanks to alumni giving.

Space is limited. Please visit bit.ly/drakesussman to learn more and reserve your seat by Oct. 31.

— Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

Orientation leaders are dedicated to providing incoming students and their families with all of the information and resources necessary to ensure their transition to Drake is a smooth and enjoyable one.

We need you to help make this happen. Each year we recruit current Drake students to become part of the orientation leader staff. Orientation leaders play a vital role in this exciting process, working closely with new students and their families on a wide variety of topics including academics, student involvement, housing options, and more.

We highly encourage you to attend the final information session being offered on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m., Zoom session. Click here to sign up for a session.

You will be compensated for your time and effort and gain valuable skills in this position.

Learn more about the position. For questions, contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu.

— Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

Nov. 8 is National First-Generation Student Day. First-generation college students are an important part of the Drake community—about 14% of our campus community are first-gen students. This week we want to celebrate and recognize the achievements and experiences of first-gen students at Drake.

The University is looking for first-generation students to fill out a short survey to capture their experiences at Drake. The survey results will be used to generate first-gen student profiles and to showcase for other students on campus the first-generation college experience.

Look out for more information to come about how we will celebrate National First Generation Student Day on campus.

— Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is hosting a research-based challenge for undergraduate students. The challenge is for students to develop a website on plastic recycling. Students will research their school’s current process for recycling plastic and then design/create a strategy to make the process more efficient. Thorough submissions will include further research on the plastic recycling process, benefits of current recycling methods, and process improvement ideas. Your website could win you a $5,000 scholarship!

The deadline for this competition is Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, and winners will be announced in late December.

Prizes:

• 1st place: $5,000 scholarship
• 2nd place: $3,000 scholarship
• 3rd place: $1,000 scholarship

For more information on the competition, visit orise.orau.gov/resources/stem/scholarships.html. For questions, contact STEMEd@orau.org.

— Kayla Jenkins, Dean’s Office, College of Arts & Sciences

ITS is holding a phishing quiz, a contest where students can test their knowledge on phishing emails and fraudulent websites through Oct. 18.

Everyone who takes the 10-question quiz will be entered to win one of six prizes, no matter how many answers they get right. Visit drake.edu/its/quiz for full contest rules and quiz link.

The goal of the phishing quiz is to empower students to keep their personal data secure. Learn more about cybersecurity and keep up with Drake ITS by following @DrakeITServices on Twitter.

— Carla Herling, ITS

The Counseling Center is working to adjust and evaluate support groups for the fall and spring semester, and in order to ensure we are meeting your needs, please complete the following survey: Student Counseling Groups . The survey is confidential, unless you choose to provide your information.

The survey will remain open until Oct. 15. For questions, contact amber.wilkins@drake.edu or tyler.lewis@drake.edu.

—Kayla Bell-Consolver, Director of the Student Counseling Center