The Spring Activities Fair will be tonight, Feb. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Olmsted Center. Come and check out the many organizations Drake offers. For questions, email student.life@drake.edu. —Kodee Wright

Drake’s Teach in China Program offers recent graduates from any academic background the opportunity to live and work in China teaching English for a year. Since 2004, Teach in China has placed over 220 graduates in teaching positions. The program is designed to respond to each participant’s interests by offering unique placements. Whether you are interested in gaining teaching, international, or Chinese cultural experience, the Teach in China program will work to find the best setting to help you meet your goals.

Teachers are considered full-time employees and compensated accordingly. No teaching experience or Chinese language skills are required.

Find out more by visiting our website or contacting Program Coordinator Stephanie Dana Ely at stephanie.dana@drake.edu.

—Stephanie Dana Ely, Drake International

Long after you’ve left Drake, you’ll carry pieces of this place with you forever. While all Bulldogs know and love the same campus, each individual student is inspired and shaped by particular experiences in specific spaces—the Drake campus through your eyes. Blue, Drake’s alumni magazine, wants to share your perspective of campus with the Bulldogs who came before you. Send us a high-resolution digital image of your meaningful space, and it may end up published in the Spring 2018 edition, in front of 74,000 alumni. Better yet, your submission could win you some Drake swag! Submissions are due by Monday, Feb. 12. Learn more here.

— Meredith Ponder, University Communications

Vote Smart, a nationally recognized nonprofit political research organization located at Drake, is accepting applications for their spring and summer internship program. To apply, fill out the online application form at votesmart.org/internships.

Vote Smart interns should:

• Stem from a variety of majors
• Have strong writing skills
• Pay close attention to detail

Interns will:

• Gain valuable experience in a professional environment.
• Build primary and secondary research skills crucial to working in a data-driven era.
• Expand knowledge of our complex American political system.

Credit opportunity:
If interested in credit for the internship, contact Jennifer Konfrst at jennifer.gloverkonfrst@drake.edu.

For questions about the internship, email Andrew at intern@votesmart.org.

— Art Sanders, Associate Provost

Are you an education major looking for ways to meet other students, take part in professional development, and build your resume? Consider joining Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) and the Drake Education Association (DEA). Contact Rachel Mohatt at rachel.mohatt@drake.edu for more information.

The web-based Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) welcomes paper submissions for the upcoming publication of its 18th edition in spring 2018. Any Drake undergraduate student is welcome to submit a piece that offers an engaging, critical and original analysis pertaining to the departments of the social sciences—Culture and Society; Economics; History; International Relations; Law, Politics, and Society; and Political Science. Students may submit papers that display strong writing skills in a shorter analytic essay of seven pages or less, or they may submit a longer research paper consisting of anything greater in length. Submitted papers should include full citations to all sources used.

Submissions will be reviewed by six members of the editorial board using the method of blind peer review, meaning the author’s identity will be withheld during the process of reviewing submissions. The board reserves the right to edit papers for style or length, and they may request revisions by the author as a condition of acceptance; authors will be given plenty of time to make these revisions.

The deadline for submission is Feb. 19. No more than one submission per person will be considered. Please send your submissions to dussjadvisor@gmail.com. All questions should be directed to this address as well. When submitting a paper, please indicate whether the essay is a research paper or short analytic essay. Also, please indicate the primary discipline and any secondary discipline(s).

— Natalie Bayer, History Department

Want to help welcome new students to Drake and land a job on campus this summer? Consider becoming an orientation leader.

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

If you are interested in becoming an orientation leader, you can attend the last informational session on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311.

Applications for this role are due Friday, Feb. 2. Read more about position or contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu with any questions.

— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Consider becoming a Peer Mentor/Academic Consultant (PMAC) and help welcome new students to Drake.

PMACs will continue to serve as a resource and motivator throughout the fall semester. Communication with new students will begin over the summer and continue throughout the fall semester. Based on research findings and past experiences, peer-to-peer interaction with an emphasis on students’ academic success and personal development is particularly important to overall growth during the first year in college. PMACs play an essential role in making sure new students are acclimated to their new environment before classes begin.

If you are interested in becoming a PMAC, attend a final informational session on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Sussman Theater. PMAC applications are due Sunday, Feb. 11. Apply here.

Contact the Peer Advisory Board at pab@drake.edu or Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu with any questions.

— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Surprise your sweetheart, roommate, professor, coach, co-worker, or supervisor with a singing valentine presented by members of the Drake Choir. We offer a special student price of $10 for a single rose and song delivered to campus within the boundaries of 25th Street to 34th Street and University Avenue to Forest Avenue. You will need to supply your student ID number in order to qualify for this Bulldog ballad.

Drake Choir members will deliver singing valentines on Wednesday, Feb. 14 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Add an appearance from Griff for an additional $25

A new feature of our singing valentines is the opportunity to have Griff join the Drake Choir singers in presenting your order. You can add a Griff appearance to any order package for an additional $25. Griff is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Please note that Griff is a certified therapy dog and loves people. However, if you’re having us deliver a valentine to a building in which security clearance is needed to gain entry, you’ll need to work out those details ahead of time with a building supervisor. Our students will not have time to negotiate that aspect of things when they arrive, so please make sure that Griff is expected and welcomed.

Why a singing valentine?

In addition to winning brownie points with your valentine, you’ll be supporting the Drake Choir’s May 2019 international tour. No University funds are used for these tours, so your support is important and greatly appreciated.

To order a singing valentine, visit www.drake.edu/valentines or call 515.271.3024. The deadline is Feb. 9. 

— Aimee Beckmann-Collier, Music