Drake University Wellness is again making massage therapy available to Drake faculty, staff, and students in the Wellness Center. Special Drake rates are offered at $30/30 minutes, $50/60 minutes, $75/90 minutes. Add-ons are also available. Contact massage therapist Anne Boal directly at 515-988-8760 or www.anneboalwellness.com to schedule an appointment. Extended morning and afternoon appointment times are available.
—Submitted by Anne Boal
Purchase your all-session tickets for the 2016 Drake Relays and take advantage of discounted pricing. All Drake faculty and staff can purchase all-session tickets at the discounted price of $89 each (regular $95). Don’t miss out on any of the action on the blue oval; get your tickets today by calling 515-271-3647 or visiting the Drake Athletics Ticket Office Monday–Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Questions? Please contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Tom Florian, Assistant Director of Ticket Sales
Looking for a unique way to celebrate your valentine? Send them a singing valentine with the Drake Choir. In addition to winning brownie points with that special someone, you’ll be supporting the Drake Choir’s 2016 concert tour of Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. No University funds are used for the tours, so your support is important and greatly appreciated.
Each Singing Valentine is a special delivery. Surprise them at work, at home, at a special dinner … be creative!
We deliver to the entire Des Moines metro, including West Des Moines, Clive, Johnston, Windsor Heights, and Urbandale Feb. 12–13, 2–8 p.m.
We will also deliver to Ankeny, Altoona, Waukee, and Norwalk after 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 and from 2 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 13.
Three easy ways to order:
All orders must be received by Feb. 6.
—Submitted by Aimee Beckmann-Collier, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Conducting
Michael Haedicke, associate professor of sociology, has a new book coming out in May from Stanford University Press. Organizing Organic: Conflict and Compromise in an Emerging Market is now available for pre-order online.
SJMC students awarded Dow Jones News Fund internships
Two news-Internet juniors have landed highly competitive Dow Jones News Fund internships for summer 2016. Tim Webber will intern at the Kansas City Star, and Sarah LeBlanc at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Both will work on the copy desks.
About 85 students were selected from more than 700 applicants, including graduate students, nationwide. In addition to the paid internship, interns receive a $1,000 scholarship. Senior Austin Cannon, also a news-Internet major, was a Dow Jones intern last summer for the Hartford Courant.
Ad majors win American Advertising Awards
Three SJMC students have won American Advertising Awards in the American Advertising Federation of Des Moines Annual Award Competition. Vickie Chai, Paityn Langley, and Kelsey Rooney will find out if they have won silver or gold awards at the AAF awards ceremony on Feb. 20.
Multimedia professor offering spring workshops
Professor Chris Snider will offer three workshops this spring on social media strategies, new digital tools, and shooting better smartphone video. The workshops are free for Drake students, faculty, and staff who sign up in advance.
For details, see the SJMC website. The workshops are sponsored by the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine Studies.
—Submitted by Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
NPR host David Greene will broadcast Morning Edition live from Smokey Row Coffee in Des Moines on Monday, Feb. 1, and Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 4 to 9 a.m. Drake faculty, staff and students are invited to come for a behind-the-scenes look at radio journalism and to meet David at anytime either day. (Although they are especially eager for people to be there at 4 a.m.) Plus, you’ll have the chance to participate in live discussion about the Iowa caucuses with such people as political commentator David Yepsen, pollster Ann Selzer, and maybe a presidential candidate or two.
—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Please join us at Cowles Library on Jan. 29, 1:30–2:30 p.m. in the Reading Room as we celebrate the dedicated 45-plus year career of Liga Lacis, associate professor of librarianship, as she retires from Drake.
—Jordan Flynn, Office Manager
Contemporary Urban Mexico
The messages we hear about Mexico do not capture the rich complexity of this nation. Drake students from across campus drew this conclusion after completing the interdisciplinary immersion course, Contemporary Urban Mexico, in Guadalajara during the 2016 J-Term.
This was a hands-on course. We learned about the city through visiting a dozen field experiences, using the five senses and writing journals about each. Additionally, Mexicans from all walks of life shared their perspectives and expertise. After cheering on Lucha Libre wrestling “good guys,” observing interactions in public markets, learning about history through artwork, and touring a community garden, students completed research projects on a topic of their choice, ranging from documentary film to gender in religion.
Urban spaces create possibilities and limits that we explored through field site visits, writing, socializing, reflection, and lectures. The course is already being planned for 2017 through a joint collaboration between the Spanish and Sociology programs and the campus of Monterrey Tec, Guadalajara.
—Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair
Families, Lifestyles, and Annuity Tables: Why Corporations are Interested in Chile
During their time in Chile, students visited and toured a new soccer stadium, Estadio Sausalito, in Vina del Mar. The city is very proud of their 21,000-seat stadium, reopened after completing major renovations last year following a devastating earthquake in 2010. The stadium hosted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October and November. The class’ visit was highlighted on the city’s website.
—Dorothy Pisarski, Associate Professor of Journalism
Staff, faculty, and students are invited to join us on a bus trip to Cedar Falls to cheer on the Bulldogs as they face off against in-state rival Northern Iowa! Each package includes transportation and a ticket to the game. Seats will be located in the section behind the Drake bench and allocated based on Drake Athletics Priority Points (DAPPS) ranking. The bus will depart from The Knapp Center at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, and return to Des Moines immediately following the game. A full itinerary will be provided two weeks in advance of the trip.
Reserve your spot by calling Tom Florian at 515-271-4949. There are 30 spots available, and a waiting list will be created if there is the potential to fill a second bus. You can also visit the Drake Athletics Ticket Office. Deadline has been extended to Feb. 5.
Questions? Please contact Tom Florian, assistant director of ticket sales, at 515-271-4949 or thomas.florian@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Tom Florian
Carla Herling, Drake Technology Services
What do you do?
“I am the web communications and training specialist, so I do training for faculty and staff in the web CMS—that is the Drake website— and help with communications for DTS.”
What do you like about your job?
“One of the nice things at a university is that they value people with a variety of backgrounds and skills. I’m doing back-end coding, working on content, and helping people understand design elements. I like helping people and seeing that light bulb moment when they say ‘This looks better’ or ‘I get it now.'”
You have your master’s in art history and love museums—do you have a favorite?
“It’s too hard to pick one! I went to the Getty in Los Angeles, but that‘s more for the building and space. I love the Des Moines Art Center and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where I grew up going. I’ve been to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem a number of times [she lived in Israel for a year] and it’s one of my absolute favorites. Their collection spans all of civilization.”
Let’s talk about all the different jobs you’ve had.
“I’ve been an academic adviser, I’ve worked at museums and in the graphic design department of an insurance company, I was an assistant registrar, I’ve done temp jobs. Probably one of my favorites was tour and volunteer coordinator at Terrace Hill during the Vilsack administration and part of the Culver administration. I just like to try new things on a regular basis and have never been a person with a set plan. I’m good at adapting.”
