There will soon be construction equipment on the site of the new community stadium. Demolition and excavation work is scheduled to begin the beginning of November. The Sprout Garden has been moved to a new location at 31^st Street and Carpenter (south of Drake West Village). Work to complete the relocation will continue through Spring 2021. Parking Lot 2 (Shivers Parking Lot) to the east of Shivers, will be off-line coinciding with the start of construction. Lot 2 will be removed as part of the site preparation for the new stadium.

— Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning & Management

More responses are needed! Today (Oct. 20) is the last day to take this year’s survey of administrative services. It is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes.

The survey assesses our performance in delivering services to campus. It focuses on six areas: Facilities Planning and Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Public Safety, and University Communications and Marketing.

Your feedback will help us to better meet the needs of our University, and drive intentional and strategic action for these departments.

The survey was developed by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment in collaboration with several other of our colleagues.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

— Nate Reagen, Office of the President

On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, we are all called upon to do our civic duty and vote in our national presidential election. Drake recognizes that this responsibility poses some challenges for employees who are juggling competing personal demands and, depending on where you live, a time commitment that can feel restricting. So, the University is declaring Nov. 3 a meeting-free day to eliminate any time sensitive job responsibilities and give faculty and staff the freedom to take the time to vote without consequence. In the coming days, watch for an organization-wide calendar hold to be sent for the entire day, restricting any conflicting meetings to be scheduled and serve as a reminder for us all to make our vote count.

The Campus Climate virtual town halls have been rescheduled for Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. and will be held virtually. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to register in advance.

During the town halls, the Office of Equity and Inclusion will review the findings from the 2019 Campus Climate Assessment.

Following the town halls, several roundtable discussions will be held in December to develop next steps.

The 2020 United Way Campaign began yesterday (Oct. 12), and as of this morning, we’ve raised $11,945 from 64 donors. Thank you to those who have given, and to those who have yet to give, please consider making a contribution by 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. We need more donations to reach our goal of raising $40,000 from 350 individual participants! If we achieve this goal, President Martin will declare Friday, July 2, 2021, an additional campus holiday. Please refer to the email you received from the United Way for giving instructions. If you have any questions, please email ryan.arnold@drake.edu.

— Ryan Arnold, Community Engagement

This Q&A is part of the story series Voices of Drake that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people who make up our campus community. This week’s story is designed to celebrate and shine light on Latinx Heritage Month, Sept. 15–Oct. 15. It spotlights Marina Verlengia, director of new student and parent programs.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a first generation American, born and raised in south Florida. My parents came to the U.S. from Venezuela to go to college and always planned to return home after graduation. My dad received a good job opportunity so they kept extending their time here. Eventually they had children and settled down in south Florida. I am the oldest of four. Growing up, we only spoke Spanish in our home and spent our summers in Venezuela visiting our extended family. For a long time, my parents were the only ones living in the U.S. Over time and as things have gotten worse in Venezuela, we have started to have more family members move to Florida.

Tell us about your education. Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to the University of Central Florida for both undergraduate and graduate school. I got my undergraduate degree in marketing and have two master’s in Business Administration and Sports Business Management.

How long have you been in the Drake campus community? What is your role at Drake?
It is hard to believe, but I have been at Drake almost six years. I am the director of new student and parent programs.

You are the organizer for Drake’s Latinx Faculty/Staff Affinity Group. What is that and how has it been important to you in your time at Drake?
The Latinx affinity group is a space for Latinx faculty/staff to get to know one another socially and provide support for each other. There aren’t many Latinx faculty or staff on campus so it has been really nice to connect with areas across campus and meet other Latinx faculty and staff. Prior to this group, I didn’t really know many other Latinx staff or faculty.

These aren’t normal times, but in normal times, what kinds of things does the Latinx Affinity Group do?
We have created a great partnership with La Fuerza Latina student organization and did a few get togethers with these students in La Casa. It has been a great way for students to also connect to Latinx faculty and staff. One of our gatherings was a potluck in which people brought traditional Latin dishes to share. We enjoyed great food and conversation!

How long have you been at Drake? What is your favorite thing about working at Drake so far?
I have been at Drake almost six years. I love working with students and introducing them to our community. We have a really amazing, supportive community. We really do have an “all in this together” spirit. I feel a lot of support from my colleagues, everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand.

What is your favorite thing about the Drake neighborhood?
I love walking in the Drake neighborhood. Since my start at Drake, I have always enjoyed walks in the neighborhood. When on campus, I try to go out during the lunch hour a few times a week.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and what lessons did that person teach you?
My parents—they came to this country not knowing anyone or speaking the language for a better education. They created an amazing life for themselves and their children. Our culture and heritage were always a huge part of our lives. They made sure we knew the language, music, food, traditions, and that we were proud of it. They faced a lot of challenges and adversity along the way but always put family first. I appreciate everything they did for us and the opportunities provided to us because they moved to the U.S.

How do you like to spend your free-time? Tell us about your hobbies and interests.
During normal times, I love to travel! I love spending time with friends and family, going for bike rides on the local bike trails, going for walks, binge watching a good tv show, and have come to really enjoy puzzles this year.

This year is a year like no other. What advice would you like to give to a first-year student at Drake?
During our Welcome to the Team event during Welcome Week, Coach Jennie Baranczyk gave a great speech with a special message that stuck with me. She spoke about being thankful for what we have this year and what we are able to do. It is so easy to focus on everything that has been taken away from us and all the things we can’t do in 2020. It is important to also think about everything we can do and to be thankful to be part of this great community. Things will get better and slowly we will return to normal. We are all in this together! 

The 2020 United Way of Central Iowa Campaign will be held next week—mark your calendars and watch your email for more information! There will not be an in-person kick-off event this year, nor will we have campaign captains. However, your philanthropic donations are needed this year more than ever to provide relief to those left most vulnerable by the pandemic. If you are able, please consider making a contribution.

— Ryan Arnold, director, Community Engagement

The Office of Equity and Inclusion has decided to postpone the Campus Climate Town Halls, originally set for Oct. 8 and 9, to a later date this fall. The Equity and Inclusion team is expecting to receive comparison data from other colleges and universities in the coming weeks. Therefore, the decision was made to hold the town halls after this information has been received. A new date for the town halls will be shared as soon as possible.

This Q&A is part of the story series Voices of Drake that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people who make up our campus community. This week’s story is designed to celebrate and shine light on Latinx Heritage Month, Sept. 15–Oct. 15. It spotlights Denisse López, senior, double majoring in international relations and sociology, and treasurer of La Fuerza Latina.

Tell us about yourself?
My name is Denisse López and I am a senior at Drake double majoring in International Relations and Sociology with a minor in Politics. I grew up here in Des Moines and graduated from East High School in 2017. My family immigrated here from a southern, coastal state in Mexico known as Guerrero. I am a first-generation American as well as a first-generation college student.

What was your journey to Drake like? How did you decide to come here?
Drake University was in the backdrop of my life for a very long time. My first bus stop for school was on the corner of 22^nd and Carpenter, just down the street from campus. It seemed like an easy decision to be able to stay home while getting an education.

What have been some of the highlights of your Drake experience either in the campus community, in the classroom, in the Drake neighborhood, or in the Des Moines area?
My favorite part of being at Drake is being involved with the multicultural student organizations. Even as someone who has been in Des Moines almost my whole life, it was still very hard adjusting to the classroom setting at Drake. Groups like LFL, CBS, ACSA, NAACP, and many others under the Unity Roundtable have all been safe spaces where I can feel comfortable while on campus. A specific highlight was during Relays Week in 2019. Members of LFL getting ready to paint our square on Painted Street when we found out Rainbow Union didn’t get a square to paint. The consequences of changing our design without approval seemed so minimal in comparison to making sure LGBTQ+ members of the Drake community were represented on such a major part of the campus.

Who have been some of your important mentors during your time at Drake?
Navigating a university setting as a first-generation student has been difficult. One of my biggest struggles has been figuring out not only how to ask for help, but figuring out where to go or who to go to. My academic advisors Mary McCarthy and Nancy Berns have been a huge help during my time at Drake. Professor Berns actually recognized my interest in sociology as an area of study for me before I did—she suggested a minor in sociology a couple years before I decided to take it on as a second major. Aside from being helpful in an academic sense, she has always reached out to make sure I am doing well in other parts of my life as well.

What are your goals after graduation?
After graduation, I will continue to be involved in the Des Moines community. This summer I started Food for Our Fighters which is a community organization centered around supporting human rights. Our main focus this summer was supporting the Black Liberation Movement, but we have also supported movements around immigrant and indigenous communities. I would also love to travel and learn more about different cultures throughout Latin America, but that of course depends on how we continue to handle our current circumstances.

You gave a lecture for La Fuerza Latina entitled “Afrolatinidad and Why It Matters” as part of their National Hispanic Heritage Month programming. How did you get involved with La Fuerza Latina? What has it meant to you in your time at Drake?
La Fuerza Latina has been a safe space for me on campus. I started attending general meetings during my freshman year and was invited to take on the new position of the organization’s Unity Representative last year. I am currently serving as the treasurer for the 2020 executive team. Over the last few years, La Casa Cultural has been a place where I’ve felt I can be more expressive of my identity, it’s like my home on campus.

Will you tell us a little about Afrolatinidad? Why is it important to reflect on Afrolatinidad during National Hispanic Heritage Month?

Afrolatinidad is a cultural identity marker that celebrates being both Black and Latinx. Anti-blackness is what I call a badly kept secret in Latin American culture. No one wants to explicitly talk about it, but it shows itself in how we talk about the texture of our hair or the color of our skin, even in what kind of people your family thinks are appropriate for a partner. A lot people tend to think that Blackness and Latinidad are mutually exclusive and don’t recognize how much of what we celebrate as Latin American culture is rooted in our African ancestry. There are so many people like myself who fall under this intersection of identity. My family comes from a region in Mexico with a huge concentration of Afro-Mexicans. Mexico didn’t even formally recognize its Black citizens until 2015. It’s important reflect on Afrolatinidad, not just during National Latinx Heritage Month, but all the time because our African roots should be celebrated alongside our Hispanic and Indigenous roots, not forgotten and erased as has been the case for a long time.