Tuesday, March 21: Spring into Something New Lunch at Hubbell from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy a pairing of soups, salads, and sandwiches to try something new for spring!

Friday, March 24: National Nutrition Month Dinner at Hubbell from 5 to 7 p.m. Join us for a healthy and delicious dinner to celebrate National Nutrition Month.

—Jennifer Bowersox, Sodexo

Meal block conversion runs March 20–24. Students on the Block 195 and 335 meal plans can convert up to 100 meals per semester to flex dollars. Learn more here.

—Jennifer Bowersox, Sodexo

The Violence Intervention Partner (VIP) Team is recruiting! Do you want to help other students? Are you passionate about creating a safer and violence free campus? VIP provides 24/7 advocacy services on the Drake campus to anyone in need of support and/or assistance due to sexual assault and/or harassment. The main goal of VIP is to assist members of the Drake community with compassionate, informed, and confidential sexual assault and intimate partner violence response support. VIP consists of student advocates who are specially trained to provide appropriate support in incidents of sexual and intimate partner violence on campus. VIP members complete a 30-hour victim counselor training the week prior to school starting.

If you are interested in helping others or you know any students that you think could make great advocates, please encourage them to apply! Applications are due Tuesday, March 28, at 4:30 pm. The online application can be found at:
http://drake.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eWJvE0EoyFzgddr 

Questions can be sent to Tess at tess.cody@drake.edu.

—Tess Cody, Prevention Coordinator for Sexual and Interpersonal Misconduct

The Adams Leadership Convocation honors students and organizations that have made positive contributions to the Drake community in the 2016–2017 year.

Categories include:

Top First-Year, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior
Drake Service Awards
Outstanding Program
Outstanding Organization
Outstanding President
Outstanding Residence Hall Leader
Outstanding Greek Leaders
Wanda E. Everage Outstanding Peer Mentor Award
Oreon E. Scott Outstanding Senior of the Year Award

Learn more about nomination criteria here: www.drake.edu/leadershipinstitute/adamsleadershipconvocation/ 

Nominations are due midnight on Friday, March 31.

Award winners will be honored at the annual Adams Leadership Convocation on Friday, April 21.

—Meghan Baeza, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

Every semester, The Harkin Institute offers a small, intimate group of Drake students the opportunity to meet with local, state, and national leaders for food and conversation.

This series provides a group of 10 students a networking opportunity, meeting informally with leaders in policy, government, business, and nonprofit industries. These opportunities are open to students of any year or major:

Thomas Ahart, Superintendent, Des Moines Public Schools
Tuesday, March 21
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

Tom Ahart serves as the superintendent of the Des Moines Public School district, a position he was appointed to in 2013 after serving as interim superintendent for nearly a year. Mr. Ahart has had a long career in education and curriculum development, serving in both teaching and administrative positions.

Apply here by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, for the opportunity to have lunch with Tom Ahart.

Izaah Knox, Associate Executive Director, Urban Dreams
Friday, March 24
11:45 a.m.–1 p.m.

Izaah Knox serves as both associate executive director of Urban Dreams and talent acquisition program development consultant at Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Later this year, he will become the Urban Dreams executive director. Urban Dreams is a nonprofit that provides a wide range of services that address issues affecting Polk County’s economically depressed areas. Programs include substance abuse and mental health treatment, information and referral programs, and ex-offender support. The Beacon Internship Program, headed by Knox, is run through Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield and offers students attending North High School the chance to apply for an internship with Wellmark. Students receive pay and train as real employees of the company would in an effort to teach leadership and employment skills. Mr. Knox’s dual-role with the two organizations creates unique collaborative programming that benefits the Greater Des Moines community.

Apply here by 5 p.m. Monday, March 20, for the opportunity to have lunch with Izaah Knox.

—Erin Austin, The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement

Do you need your official Drake transcript so you can study abroad, get an internship, or apply for graduate school? Drake offers PDF transcripts that can be sent electronically. In most cases, your transcript will be sent within minutes of placing your order. This option also eliminates the possibility of your transcript getting lost in the mail. You will even receive an email when your transcript is sent and another email when your recipient retrieves it.

If you need a hard copy, several delivery options are available for you. You may pick it up yourself during regular office hours in the Student Records Office in Old Main, or have the University mail, fax, or ship it via UPS Next Day Air.

No matter your desired delivery method, you can order online any time, any day of the week, from anywhere you have an internet connection. Access the “Order Official Copy” link on the Student Services tab in blueView, then follow the prompts. You will receive an email notification when your transcript has been sent.

If you have any questions call or email Student Records at 515-271-2025,  studentrecords@drake.edu.

 —Sara Schoneberg, Student Records and Academic Information

IMAC applications for 2017–2018 are now open—apply by Thursday, March 9 at noon. Be a mentor and a friend and gain valuable multicultural leadership experiences by helping us greet new, exchange, and transfer international students. Click here to find a detailed description and requirements.

—Drake Mosaic

Students, have you considered learning a few words and phrases in Japanese? Are you planning one day to apply for a Fulbright or the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program? Do you want or need to keep up your foreign language fluency? Drake’s Department of World Languages and Cultures wants to help.

The Japanese Language Club meets every Friday, 3–5p.m. in Room TM-133, located in the lower level of Olmsted. All students are welcome to join in for conversations directed by a native speaker.

For further information, contact Associate Professor Chinatsu Bachmann at chinatsu.sazawa@drake.edu.

—Dorothy Pisarski, Drake International communications liaison

The 2017 Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition is now open! This competition for Iowa college and university students who have an interest in starting their own venture. Three regional winners will receive $500 and go on to the state competition with a chance to win $5,000. In 2016, the Drake team for Kelsi Ziemann Artistry won a top prize—you could be next! For more information, visit the Entrepreneurship Centers in Aliber Hall, Room 302, or online at tinyurl.com/drakepappajohn2017.

—Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers