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

The deadline to submit an application to serve as a resident assistant for the 2018–2019 academic year is Jan. 30 at 4:30 p.m. View more information regarding the position and the application process.

— Betsy Collins, Office of Residence Life

Voluntary meal plans are now available online. Students living off campus—including students enrolled in the law program and occupational therapy program—are eligible to sign up for a voluntary meal plan. The following meal plans are available to commuter students:

• 125-Block Meal Plan: 125 meals plus $125 flex per semester
• 75-Block Meal Plan: 75 meals plus $75 flex per semester

Visit Drake’s housing and meal plan portal for more information or to sign up.

— Jennifer Bowersox, Drake Dining

A few spots remain for the summer travel seminar to Uganda. The three-week seminar is from May 21 to June 12. It explores the challenges the country faces on its path to sustainable development. The seminar is six-credit hours and open to all undergraduate students. It fulfills AOI: Engaged Citizen or Global and Cultural Understanding. Scholarships are available. Course cost is between $4,100 and $4,350. Registration closes Jan. 31.

During the seminar, you will:

• Discover the capital city and have conversations with Ugandan leaders
• Learn about rural life and health care
• Build friendships with African colleagues
• Pursue your passion by completing a service or research project
• Go on safari and visit the source of the Nile

For questions, contact professors:

• Heath Henderson, henderson@drake.edu
• Deb Bishop, bishop@drake.edu
• Jimmy Senteza, senteza@drake.edu

— Stephanie Cardwell, Buchanan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Are you interested in working as a summer intern in Washington, D.C., but uncertain of how to begin the search process? The Harkin Institute can help. Our staff members have extensive experience working with members of Congress and other organizations across Washington, D.C. Answer a brief questionnaire about the type of internship you are looking to complete and a member of The Harkin Institute will respond.

Uncertain of how to cover the costs of an unpaid internship? We can help with that, too. The Harkin Institute’s D.C. Experience Scholarship provides financial support to Drake undergraduates with financial need who are pursuing summer internships in Washington.

— Emily Schettler, Harkin Institute

A new concentration called the Interdisciplinary Study of the Humanities and Sciences (ISHS) will launch this spring. Students from any academic discipline are welcome participate in this 18-hour concentration that explores topics in the humanities and sciences. It engages with historical, philosophical, ethical, cultural, and representational aspects of scientific and mathematical investigation. It also examines social formations, cultural objects, texts, and discourses from empirical and experimental perspectives. Students who successfully complete the ISHS concentration will be able to articulate a complex, nuanced, reflective, and informed understanding of the way the sciences and humanities interrelate.

For more information, contact Martin Roth at martin.roth@drake.edu.

— Martin Roth, Philosophy and Religion

The deadline to submit an application to serve as a resident assistant for the 2018-2019 academic year is Jan. 30 at 4:30 p.m. View more information regarding the position and the application process. — Betsy Collins, Office of Residence Life