On Oct. 2 Drake will be hosting on-campus workshops for undergraduate students. The goal of these workshops is to learn more about the personality of the Drake student body. To accomplish this we need your input!

You are invited to attend one of the three one-hour workshops and help us get a clearer picture of who makes up our student body. A facilitator from outside the university will lead the workshops, but this is not a focus group—it will be a fun and engaging conversation about your experiences and viewpoints. Food and drinks will be provided and students who attend have a chance of winning one of ten $50 gift cards to Starbucks or select Dogtown restaurants.

There are three opportunites to attend a workshop on Oct. 2 in Parents Hall:

• 9:00-10:00am
• 4:00-5:00pm
• 7:00-8:00pm

Registration and additional details are available here. All undergraduate students are welcome as long as you have completed at least one term at Drake. Please contact Evan Favreau at evan.favreau@drake.edu with any questions.

–Evan Favreau, Office of Admission

All Drake students (from any major) interested in engineering careers are invited to an on-campus lunch session on Monday, September 30 with Washington University’s McKelvey School of Engineering Associate Dean Chris Kroeger.

The information session, including pizza, will be held from 12:30-1:30pm in Science Connector Building 101. Drake University is proud to offer a dual-degree partnership with Washington University that allows students to combine liberal arts and specialized engineering training.

In this 3+2 (or 4+2) dual-degree program, students complete requirements for a Drake undergraduate degree (from any major) while receiving pre-professional advising, and then spend two years at Washington University in St. Louis to add specialty training in an engineering subfield of their choice (such as Biomedical Engineering; Computer Science & Engineering; Electrical & Systems Engineering; Energy, Environmental, & Chemical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science).

The student sign-up deadline is Friday, Sept. 27 by noon to reserve a lunch, but students may also complete this form to be sent information about the program even if you are unable to attend the overview session.  

Learn more here: https://engineering.washu.edu/academics/dual-degree-program/index.html  

–Jill Allen, College of Arts and Sciences

What is the difference is between Dining Dollars and Bulldog Bucks? 

Dining Dollars are funds that are a part of your meal plan.  They are intended for on-campus dining.  You can use these funds at the Olmsted Starbucks, Hubbell Dining Hall, Spike’s Convenience Store (Lower Hubbell), the Library Cafe (in Midnight Hall), or at Concessions in the Knapp Center.

Dining Dollars are loaded at the start of the fall semester, and will carry forward to the end of the spring semester.  You’ll want to use these funds before you leave for home in the summer.

Bulldog Bucks are an optional account, also on your ID card, that you (or your family) load as desired.  These funds carry forward from year to year until you leave Drake, and can be used both on and off campus.

Bulldog Bucks can be used for any on-campus dining location (listed above), and can also be used at the Drake Bookstore, at campus printers, in the campus mailroom, at participating off-campus locations, and on the GrubHub app.  Current businesses accepting Bulldog Bucks in the Dogtown neighborhood are Hummus, Fernando’s, Dough Co, Gursha, and Sprocket’s.

Funds can be added online in the myDrake portal, or at www.acceptinglocations.com/drake.  You can also see the participating off-campus merchants at this link.  Please note that the off-campus merchants cannot take your Dining Dollars, they can only take Bulldog Bucks.

If you have any questions about your Dining Dollars or meal plan, feel free to contact dining@drake.edu.  If you have any questions about your Bulldog Bucks account, feel free to contact studentservices@drake.edu.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services

Leaving dorm life in the past and have twin bedding and appliances you no longer need? We have the solution!

The Office of Sustainability has partnered with the Des Moines Free Store to collect clean, undamaged furniture during move-out to help people in need. Please donate:

• Sheets
• Quilts, blankets, comforters – must be clean
• Microwaves
• Vacuum cleaners
• Coffee makers
• Floor and desk lamps
• Pillows and Pillow cases
• Coffee Tables
• Couches and sofas
• Flat screen TVs
• Bath and dish towels – clean
• Kitchen utensils
• Dishes, glassware, tableware
• Toasters
• No refrigerators 
• No futons

The truck will be parked in the GK lot May 15 and May 16, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Stop by and drop off any of the accepted items.

—Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator

Sell the books you’re done using at the Bulldog Shop for cash during the on-campus buyback event. We’ll buy it back even if you didn’t purchase it from us. The event is happening now through Friday, May 17, during regular store hours. And, if you have textbook rentals to return, it’s the perfect time to do so. You don’t even need a box, just drop the book off with an associate, and you’re done. Rentals are due by Friday, May 24.

If you can’t make it to the Bulldog Shop, you can sell books online anytime for credit and return your rentals with free shipping.

— The Bulldog Shop

Students: On April 17, you received an email from Jerry Parker with a link to a survey on internationalization at Drake. If you have not already completed it, we ask for your consideration in doing so.

The deadline for submission is May 1.

— Mary McCarthy, Professor of Political Science

Students who have considered studying abroad during their time at Drake are invited to attend an information session hosted on April 19 in the Cowles Library fish bowl (LIB 201). The first 30 minutes (10–10:30 a.m.) will be general information about the process, timeline, and financial aspects of studying abroad, and the last 30 minutes (10:30–11 a.m.) will be an in-depth look at our incredible DU Spain program offered in Spring 2025. We look forward to meeting you and helping make your study abroad dreams a reality.

— Chelsea Funk, Global Engagment

Functionality to make corrections or changes to the 2024–2025 FAFSA is expected to be broadly available to students this week. Common corrections include providing required signature(s) and/or consent to the IRS direct data exchange, updating your college grade level (P1 and P2 students should choose “Other undergraduate – junior year and beyond”) . Guidance on how to make changes to your FAFSA can be found here.

The Financial Aid Office is preparing 2024-2025 financial aid offers, and is prioritizing students enrolled in the summer semester (or P4 students), as well as prospective students. Undergraduate and P1, P2 or P3 students should complete the Summer Application for Financial Aid if they are interested in borrowing Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized student loans for the summer semester.

If you have not yet completed the 2024-2025 FAFSA and wish to be considered for need-based assistance or federal student loans in the summer 2024, fall 2024, or spring 2025 semesters, please complete it at www.studentaid.gov as soon as possible.

Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

Join Students for Dignity for an info session to learn how you can be part of a new movement to ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems in the United States.

 Students for Dignity is a national student led campaign addressing the growing division in our country and on college campuses. We offer a welcoming space where students openly share their perspectives and engage in thoughtful discussions with their peers.

We ground our work in The Dignity Index, an eight-point scale that measures how we treat each other when we disagree. The Dignity Index is founded on the belief that treating others with contempt tears us apart, treating others with dignity can bring us together, and talking about dignity and contempt prompts us to use more dignity and less contempt.

By applying the Dignity Index, we objectively evaluate public and political speech to assess the level of contempt or dignity in campaign messages, fundraising emails, and other political discourse. In doing so, our members actively engage in shaping the political discourse of our nation. Our goal is to create a new incentive where dignity – not contempt – is a winning strategy, and becomes the standard people demand from those who represent them, inform them, and entertain them.

Let’s unite, advocate, and make a difference together.

When: Monday, April 15, 2024 at 5 p.m.

Where: The Harkin Institute Boardroom (2800 University Avenue, Des Moines IA, 50311)

Click here to RSVP. Food will be provided.

— Kathryn Kuckelman, The Harkin Institute

The Drake Student Ambassador Application is live, with a deadline of April 8.  The Office of Admission welcomes interested students to apply.

Ambassadors play a very important role in the decision­‐making process for prospective students, as they portray the Drake student experience through interactions with prospective students and families during campus tours. Student Ambassadors represent the wide variety of academic majors and student involvement on Drake’s campus and as a group, reflect the student body. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Be knowledgeable about important Drake features and academic and student life information.
• Give tours of campus to prospective students and their families during individual visits, group visit programs on weekdays and select Saturdays.
• Positively represent Drake in student panels at in person and/or virtual events. 
• Assist with various office projects and tasks to prepare visit materials, answer calls, escort students, run errands. 
• Student Ambassadors are required to work a minimum of four hours per week during the academic year and are paid $10 per hour.
• Students selected will begin their professional orientation program and employment in the fall, however summer positions are available as well

Qualifications:

• Must be a full time student at Drake University
• Must be a sophomore or above status entering the 2024-2025 academic year
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Application Process:

• Student Ambassador application and one recommendation is required.
• The application must be completed and submitted by Monday, April 8 at Midnight.
• One recommendation from a Drake University faculty or staff member must be completed and submitted by Monday, April 22.  Please give your recommenders ample time to complete and submit.
• All applicants will participate in a group interview. Applicants will be contacted in April with their scheduled interview time based on their availability. 
• Eight to ten Student Ambassadors are selected annually to join the Ambassador program for the following academic year. In addition to communication skills, engagement in the University and commitment to Drake, a key aspect to the selection process is to ensure that the Student Ambassador group represents the academic, demographic, and extra- curricular components of the Drake student body. 
• Given the selectivity of the selection process, the Office of Admission invites all applicants to become members of the Admission Cole-ition, a volunteer organization, if not selected as a Student Ambassador.

Questions can be directed to admissioncoleition@drake.edu or deneen.dygert@drake.edu

Link to Application: Application Link

Link to Recommendation Form: Recommendation Form Link 

— Deneen Rae Dygert, Office of Admission