Alysa Mozak, coordinator for sexual violence response and healthy relationship promotion, was chosen to be a part of a nationwide effort to work on campus gender violence prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charged 15 states, including Iowa, to be part of the initial strategic team. This effort is part of the larger White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault that was launched January 2014 through the Not Alone Campaign. The Iowa team includes members from the Iowa Department of Public Health Violence Prevention Unit, a local county Campus Prevention Specialist, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault Prevention Education Coordinator, and a faculty member from an Iowa public regent university (UNI).

Mozak and the Iowa team convened with 14 other state representatives at the CDC to start this effort on July 20–22 in Atlanta, GA. The Iowa team is tasked to start plans to engage the state’s private and public institutions of higher education toward comprehensive, effective primary prevention initiatives. The vision is that Iowa institutions of higher education will act as catalysts for comprehensive gender violence prevention initiatives that build safe and equitable campuses and communities.

Every year during Welcome Weekend first-year students are introduced to the benefits of service in the Drake community by participating in a book-wrapping service project with Everybody Wins! Iowa. Wrapped books are donated to elementary-aged children that participate in the Everybody Wins! Iowa reading program at King Elementary. We have around 1,000 books to wrap for this project, and that requires a lot of wrapping paper! If you can donate any wrapping paper (holiday or non-holiday, no birthday-themed) or other items for this service project, it would be highly appreciated. Please drop donations off to Old Main 319 or contact student coordinator Madison at madison.ruge@drake.edu.