As mentioned in an email to campus on Jan. 26, U.S. President Donald Trump will host a campaign event at the Knapp Center on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 30. As a result, the following campus parking lots will be closed Thursday:

Lot 1A (visitor lot)
Lot 2 (east of Shivers)
Lot 3 (immediately behind the Knapp Center)
Lot 4 (Tennis Center)
Lot 13 (Ray Promenade)

Any vehicles parked in these lots after 2 a.m. on Thursday will be towed away at the owners expense.

Drake Public Safety expects that many non-Drake vehicles will be parked in open lots on Wednesday evening and Thursday. With the exception of vehicles on grass or blocking operations, Drake Public Safety will not be towing vehicles out of open lots. Drake students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to arrive early to find parking or use alternate methods of travel. As a reminder, Drake provides unlimited rides on DART as a benefit for employees and students. Simply show your Drake ID when boarding any regular DART bus. The DART website provides assistance in navigating which routes to take and offers detailed scheduling information. 

Drake permit holders with valid parking permits may park in any Drake lot that is open on Thursday.

STREET CLOSURES
Forest Avenue between 27^th Street and 25^th Street will close on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. to through traffic.

On Thursday, Jan. 30, expect the following streets to be closed:

• 25th Street between Forest Avenue and Clark Street
• Clark Street between 25th Street and 27th Street
• 27th Street between Clark Avenue and Forest Avenue

No vehicles may be parked on Clark Street between 25^th Street and 27^th Street on Thursday, Jan. 30. Vehicles parked on Clark will be towed away by the city at the owners expense.

— Scott Law, Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

Office of University Communications and Marketing is pleased to release a revised version of the Drake University Brand Standards & Style Guide. This updated version builds on the branding work completed in 2018 and incorporates updated photography, sample work, and style definitions.

   >>> Download 2020 Brand Standards & Style Guide 

In working with any style system, points of clarity need to be made to maintain consistency when working with external and internal partners. This update includes decisions our team has made over the last year in coordination with external partners. The previous guide included theoretical designs and stock photography, while this version incorporates current photography and design samples to show how the system has been implemented.

For questions regarding the guide or how to use the system, please contact Jeremy Sievers at x2795 or jeremy.sievers@drake.edu.

— Jeremy Sievers, University Communications & Marketing

Today (Tuesday, Jan. 14) Drake will host a nationally-televised live Democratic presidential candidate debate in Sheslow Auditorium, sponsored by CNN, the Democratic National Committee, and The Des Moines Register.

The debate will bring a large number of people to campus, including audience members, national media, campaign staff, and others. This creates a substantial amount of logistical planning, as well as parking and security concerns that all members of the campus community should be aware of. Please make note of the following:

• The Bell Center gym is restricted and open to only media today and tomorrow. The Bell Center is the site of the “spin room” where reporters can talk with the candidates and representatives following the debate.
• Old Main will close at noon today for security reasons and reopen tomorrow morning.
• Parking Lot 13 (South of Forest Avenue and adjacent to the Ray Promenade) is closed to campus today and reserved for media.
• Parking Lot 1A (adjacent to the Dial Center) is designated as the campaign visibility area. Parking is unavailable today through the end of the event.
• Parking Lots 16 (Olmsted Center) & 24 (Aliber Hall) are open to debate attendees as well as University Community members.
• The block of Carpenter Avenue west of 25th Street is closed today through the conclusion of the event.
• There will be a heightened police presence on campus today. Also, expect some traffic delays and temporary road closures as candidates and reporters arrive to campus.

Thank you for your help in ensuring that this is a positive experience for all of the individuals visiting campus, as well as for all members of our campus community.

— Scott Law, Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to watch the Democratic presidential debate at a bipartisan watch party on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in Cartwright Hall, Room 213. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. The debate will begin at 8 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. View parking guidelines. No RSVP required.

Learn more about the debate

During the week of Jan. 12, there will be construction related activity in the 2900 block of University Avenue between 29^th Street and Walgreens. This activity is related to planned relocations of three homes to the Sherman Hill neighborhood, currently planned for Feb. 11 starting at 9 p.m. (weather postponement date is Feb. 18). We are pleased that there is continuing interest in the purchase of endowment-held houses for the purpose of relocation and continued use. As we plan for future University and neighborhood uses and evaluate the feasibility of continuing to maintain and operate rental properties, a key part of our strategy is to seek opportunities to encourage home relocation. Over the past few years, four homes have been relocated from Drake property.

Not all of the vacant homes on this block are able to be moved due to structural damage or other conditions that prevent relocation. Some of those homes need to be removed in order to facilitate the process of relocating the other homes. That process will begin this week, with contractors scheduled to be on site on Wednesday, Jan. 15.  Drake has worked closely with Habitat for Humanity to facilitate the reclamation of items from within these homes. Steps have also been taken to abate any environmental conditions in the homes.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Kelly Foster at Kelly.foster@drake.edu.

Additional work is underway on plans for this area going forward. We look forward to sharing more on plans for the future in the coming weeks.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer 

Facilities, Planning & Management ( FP&M) has seen a significant increase in requests for capital planning and management services since the addition of the Design and Planning manager position (Michelle Huggins). Currently, there are over 20 projects in various stages of planning being managed within FP&M, including construction of the Harkin Institute, University streetscape improvements and updates to Hubbell Dining Hall. With increased demand for these services, has come the need to develop a process to manage the approval, scheduling, and managing of projects.
In the coming months, FP&M will redesign its process for requesting capital and project planning services. Much like the Portfolio Project Management Process in ITS, the process will assess and gain executive approval for facilities related project requests, allowing for a more systematic planning and execution cycle. 

As this new process is being developed (between now and April 15th), there will be a moratorium on new planning/design and capital project requests. If you currently have a request for design or planning services, you will be contacted with what to expect on your project during this moratorium phase. If you have a critical need during this period, please contact me directly and we can discuss the best approach for evaluation of your capital planning needs. 

Watch for more updates on the new process in future editions of OnCampus.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer 

The next Provost’s Drake Social will be Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the Shiver’s Hospitality Suite. The Provost is happy to make this year’s Socials family friendly. Therefore, if you have child care duties after work, please know you are welcome to bring children along. Partners are also welcome.

The December social will be preceded by a Town Hall at 3:30 p.m., in which President Martin will provide an update on the budget. The social will follow at 4 p.m.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

President Martin sent the the following video to faculty and staff in an email on Monday, Dec. 2. For questions on the Big Ideas initiative, please reach out to a member of the steering committee.

Big Ideas Steering Committee Members:
President Martin
Provost Mattison
John Smith, Vice President of Advancement
Venessa Macro, Chief Administrative Officer
Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer
Brian Hardin, Director of Athletics
Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer
All Academic Deans
Professor Carrie Dunham-LaGree, Faculty Senate President
Scott Law, All Staff Council President
Peggy Fisher, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Alejandro Hernandez, Board of Trustees Member
Jerry Parker, Dean of Students
Professor Renée Cramer
John Miller, Chair of the National Alumni Board
Nick Johnston, Student Body President

Please plan to attend a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at Shivers Hospitality Suite. President Martin will share an update on the budget. The town hall will begin at 3:30 p.m. and be followed by the Provost’s Drake Social.

The Drake Social is family friendly, and faculty or staff may include children and/or partners. Snacks will be provided, as well as soda, water, beer, and wine.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost