In order to complete some testing of new electrical equipment, a building-wide electrical power outage at Johansen Student Center is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18. The electrical outage will begin at 6 a.m. and is expected to be complete by early afternoon the same day. No Drake students, faculty, or staff will be allowed in the building during this time.
Category Archives: Archive
Student Engagement Survey: Your Participation is Needed
We’re inviting students to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement to help us improve the Drake Experience. On February 18, first-years and seniors received an email invitation to participate. In appreciation, we will enter all students who complete the survey by March 30 into a drawing for 1 of 15 bookstore gift cards worth $50 each. Your chances of winning depend on how many complete the survey; the last time we administered this survey 441 students responded.
First-year and senior students who want to access the survey can also go to nssesurvey.org or use the QR code below.
— Kevin Saunders, Director of Institutional Research and Assessment
All Staff Council, HR BINGO Event
Join All Staff Council and Human Resources on Wednesday, March 12, from 2–3 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center to play BINGO. Prizes include gift cards to area restaurants, Drake Relays apparel, and more. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite Build a Bulldog picture.
— Elissa Johnson, On behalf of All Staff Council
Letters to Legislators Event
Come write letters to your legislators March 12 from 5–6 p.m. in Johansen Student Center, Room 230. This is a non-partisan space where students can make their voices heard. Letters and stamps will be provided, along with food.
— Chloe Lepak, College of Arts & Sciences
Statewide Tornado Drill March 26
The Iowa Statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. The statewide drill allows us to test our planning and readiness and practice seeking appropriate shelter in case of a tornado. Faculty, staff, and students should participate in the drill by following campus severe weather plans and going to the lowest level of their building, away from doorways and windows.
March 24-28 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in the State of Iowa. Every year on the fourth Wednesday of March, the State of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department in conjunction with the Governor’s office run a statewide tornado drill. Drake University will participate in this drill to test our own procedures and protocols. The University will test its campus notification systems, consisting of the sirens located on the blue light phones and the Bulldog Alert system at the same time the City of Des Moines and Polk County test their emergency sirens.
Know these terms to help identify a tornado hazard.
Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and
stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information.
Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter
immediately! Most injuries associated with high winds are from flying debris, so remember to
protect your head.
Tornado Preparedness Checklist:
https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/get-help/pdfs/tornado/EN_Tornado-
Safety-Checklist.pdf
Tornado Facts:
• Tornadoes can last from mere minutes to several hours.
• Tornadoes have touched down on every continent except Antarctica.
• Most tornado activity occurs in the afternoon and evening.
• The average tornado moves southwest to northeast, but tornadoes have been known to
move in any direction.
— Scott Law, Executive Director for Public Safety and University Operations
SPARC: Grant Writing Workshop
The Drake University SPARC office is happy to provide a one-hour grant writing workshop to assist you or your colleagues with developing their grant writing skills. To schedule a date and time for a workshop, contact lori.bryd@drake.edu. The workshop that will cover the core components of proposal development and grantseeking.
What is included in the session:
- One-hour workshop presentation
- Curated funding opportunity list to your discipline
- Question and answer session
— Preston Miller, Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance
Building Access and Safe Ride Hours During Spring Break
Beginning Sunday, March 16, most campus buildings (with the exception of Cowles Library, the Law Library, and Athletic facilities) will have limited hours for Spring Break. Buildings will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and remain closed on weekends. Normal access plans will still function during Spring Break and buildings will return to their normal schedules on Monday, March 24. If you will need to access a building during Spring Break, and do not normally have an access plan to enter the building on your own, please check the with the building manager before break to double check their Spring Break hours.
In addition, the Safe Ride Bus will stop operations on Saturday, March 15, at 2:45 a.m. and resume on Sunday, March 23.
— Sara Heijerman, Student Services
Apply to Study Abroad Fall 2025 With New Portal, Via
Global Engagement is excited to announce the launch of a new, more streamlined study abroad application portal! Students interested in studying abroad fall 2025 and beyond will submit their applications through the new portal, Via Global!
You will see our updated curated portfolio of semester and year-long study abroad programs, inclusive of Drake’s cohort programs, DU Spain and DU England. These high-quality offerings support ongoing student interest while still providing geographic diversity. Students can determine programs of interest by utilizing the Program Match feature in Via Global or by using the Program Search. If you have any questions about the application process or would like to review program options, please schedule a meeting through Starfish with Emily Erschen, Education Abroad Coordinator.
J-term 2026 travel seminars to be unveiled at Drake’s J-term Fair on Wednesday, March 12th 4:30-6:30 pm in Upper Olmsted. These programs will be available to apply to through Via starting on March 12th at 4:30 pm.
As a reminder, the deadline to apply to study abroad Fall 2025 is April 1, 2025. Apply for DU England now! Want to learn more? Information session on DU England held tomorrow, March 5th at 12 pm through Zoom (Passcode: 826896), with an additional session offered Tuesday, March 11th at 5 pm in Olmsted CR 310. Questions? Contact studyabroad@drake.edu.
— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement
Drake Dining Spring Break Hours
Drake Dining will have modified hours during the week of Spring Break.
Friday, March 14
Hubbell Dining Hall
- Breakfast 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Lite Breakfast 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Lunch 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Lite Dinner 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Dinner 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Spike‘s Convenience Store: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Starbucks in Olmsted: 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 15
All dining locations closed
Sunday, March 16
All dining locations closed
Monday, March 17–Friday, March 21
Starbucks in Olmsted: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday, March 22
All dining locations closed
Sunday, March 23
Hubbell Dining Hall
- Lunch 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Lite Dinner 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Dinner 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Late Night 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Spike‘s Convenience Store: 1:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Starbucks in Olmsted: 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM
Faculty Social Wednesday, 3:30 p.m., Howard Hall
Faculty and staff are invited to join the Center for Teaching and Learning for a faculty social in the Howard Hall Faculty Lounge (Room 212) on Wednesday, March 5, from 3:30–5 p.m.
The social is informal and family-friendly. There will be food and drinks available, music and art from Drake faculty, and of course, darts. If you have not come to see the new Faculty Lounge we would love to have you stop by.
— Bret Sikkink, Center for Teaching and Learning
