The Drake Law School Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is hosting a conversation about election law on Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, Room 206. Speakers include Professor Derek Muller of the University of Iowa College of Law and Alan Ostergren, Election Law Attorney. All students interested in law and/or political science are encouraged to attend. Join us for a conversation on a wide variety of issues in election law—at both the federal and state levels.
Registration is now open for 55th annual Drake Road Races on April 23, 2023, with the lowest prices of the year. In honor of the 55th running, the half marathon is only $55. Special pricing extends to the 10k for $35 and the 5k for $25. These flash sale prices end Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 11:59 p.m. Visit drakeroadraces.org to sign up today.
All participants will receive a premium apparel item and finishers will take home a commemorative medal. See you on the Blue Oval.
Drake SJMC Days will kick off with Jazz, Journalism and the Roots of Creativity: An Evening With Dartanyan Brown on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice and the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine, Brand Media and Multimedia Education. The event will incorporate presentation, audio and video recordings, and a musical performance. It is based on “My Integrated Life,” an interactive memoir that Brown created for Rootstalk, an online Grinnell College journal.
Brown’s experiences include being a bassist and lead vocalist for acclaimed jazz/rock band Chase; interviewing the late Steve Jobs as a staff reporter for MacWEEK; and spreading the gospel of jazz throughout the country as a teaching artist with legends Dizzy Gillespie, Larry Ridley and Frank Foster. As an early adopter of education technology, he worked for Apple and as part of a team of sound designers and animators that collaborated with Dr. Seuss. His memoir also tells the story of his African-American family’s journey from Reconstruction-era Virginia to the integrated community of Buxton, Iowa, and then Des Moines, where Brown attended North High School.
Brown, JO’75, is a professional in residence working with Drake students during the 2022–2023 academic year. His residency celebrates the liberal arts education he received in both Des Moines public schools and at Drake. “I’ve enjoyed the last 40 years of helping others unlock the creativity they may have thought impossible,” said Brown. “Whether in jazz or journalism, rigor in preparation is a shared trait of both disciplines.”
— Denise Ganpat, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
October is American Archives Month and University Archives and Special Collections is celebrating by sharing their favorite things. In a new display located outside the Archives on the second floor of Cowles Library, each member of the Archives team has selected their favorite item from our holdings. The display can also be viewed digitally via StoryMaps.
Learn more about Drake University Archives & Special Collections on our website.
— Hope Bibens, University Archives and Special Collections
Faculty interested in ordering regalia are invited to the Bulldog Shop (previously University Bookstore) on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Thursday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to meet with Jostens representative Andy Ewert. Jostens is a product partner specializing in regalia. Andy can help with measurements and orders, and he will be offering a 10% discount during the event.
Join All Staff Council for a chili lunch and dessert bake off Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pomerantz Stage, Olmsted Center. Sodexo will provide chili and cornbread for staff for $5.
We encourage staff members to sign up for the dessert bake off. Any and all desserts are welcome. You must provide at least 24 servings per entry. You will deliver your baked items to Lynne Cornelius in the student inclusion suite, Olmsted Center, before 11 a.m. Entries will be judged by a three-person panel and there will be prizes for the top three entries. Sign up.
The University is pleased to formally announce that the Center for Public Democracy, one of the priorities Drake is advancing through The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold, will be co-directed by Rachel Paine Caufield, department co-chair and professor of political science; Renée Cramer, deputy provost for academic affairs and law, politics, and society professor; and Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center. Caufield, Cramer, and Raecker will lead the Center in addition to their current responsibilities at Drake.
The three co-executive directors are the champions of the Center for Public Democracy Big Idea that brought the concept to realization. They are working to achieve a shared vision: to build upon Drake’s already strong tradition of civic engagement to create a hub for democratic discourse, dialogue, and action focused on supporting a healthy democracy.
Caufield said she sees Drake being a place where policy is created, where practitioners gather, and where students are involved in it all. “It positions Drake as a convener,” she said.
Rachel Paine Caufield, department co-chair and professor of political science
“I’m not sure there has ever been a greater appetite in contemporary society for solutions to help our democracy function,” said Raecker. “Drake is already owning this space. The Center for Public Democracy will formalize it, help it grow, and engage more Drake students in our efforts.”
Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center
“Drake is a place where people can come to learn to have the difficult and crucial conversations that democracy requires,” said Cramer. “We are located in the center of the political universe and can be an example of behavior in a healthy democracy.”
Renée Cramer, deputy provost for academic affairs and law, politics, and society professor
The Center for Public Democracy seeks to generate and disseminate knowledge about American democracy through sponsored events, initiatives, research, and hands-on opportunities for students to engage in the political process. One of its initiatives is The Public Democracy Scholars program—making Drake the school of choice for politically minded high school students. The four-year program will prepare students to be civic leaders through dedicated coursework and immersive engagement.
The Center for Public Democracy will host the first annual National Civility Summit for Local Government on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. The online summit is organized in partnership with the National League of Cities and the Iowa League of Cities. Registration for the event is open.
Also in the works is a summer institute with the theme, “Talking Politics, Practicing Democracy.” The event will bring together civic leaders, policy makers, journalists, scientists, activists, scholars, and citizens. Additionally, it will include leadership training for high school students who will actively engage in the institute with summit participants.
If you are looking for a unique way to satisfy a Writing AOI, consider this hybrid domestic travel J-Term (one week online, one week on retreat at the historic Hotel Patee in Perry, Iowa). All meals, accommodations (double room) and instruction by deeply experienced and certified yoga teachers for the full course total only $600. No special equipment, experience, or body type is required. Just curiosity and a desire to write. Email carol.spaulding@drake.edu for more information. (Course is not affiliated with the global travel seminars program).
Drake University will switch from cooling to heating in mid-October based on outside temperatures. We are monitoring the forecast closely during the next few weeks and are tentatively setting the changeover date as beginning Oct. 24.
If the forecast changes we will adjust changeover dates according to the temperatures. The changeover process takes our department about a week to drain the loops and switch systems from one mode (cooling) to the other (heating). We start with the residence halls first because these buildings are occupied 24/7. Once the switch occurs, there is no changing back until the next cooling season (in mid-April).
Thanks for your patience during this fall season when air conditioning may not be available and we prepare to switch from cooling to heat. During that time if a room is not comfortable, please let us know so our staff can see if adjustments can be made.
