Cowles Library’s partner services are getting into full swing. The Writing Workshop (English department), the Speaking Center (Joan McAllister) and Academic Achievement’s extended hours and tutoring services are now available.
—Submitted by Marc Davis, Coordinator, Program Staff Services, Planning & Projects
Drake University and the Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship offers students a unique learning opportunity to earn a Global Ambassador certificate. The purpose of the program is to:
Students in the Global Ambassador certificate program participate in a variety of classes, cocurricular experiences, a credit-bearing study abroad experience, and service-learning. Additionally, participants enjoy several special opportunities with visiting speakers and scholars. The program capstone is a group learning experience designed to put the concept of global citizenship into practice by educating the campus and/or community about a global issue or cultural perspective.
Advisers are reminded that this certificate program complements a student’s central program of academic study. Students in any major can apply. Advisers can find more information and the downloadable application at www.drake.edu/cgc/globalambassadorprogram/
—Submitted by Drake International
Cowles Library is pleased to announce a new e-book collection, Business Expert Press. This collection includes more than 300 ebooks oriented to concise, practical course readings and reference works for business students. Plus, there are no complicated Digital Rights Management to negotiate, fully downloadable PDFs, and unlimited users!
For more information, please visit the Cowles Library blog.
—Submitted by Marc Davis, Coordinator, Program Staff Services, Planning & Projects
Theatre for social change
Last spring, students from Art of the Interview together with Law, Politics, and Society major Clare VanEchaute interviewed Drake women on campus about their experiences with gender violence. The interviews turned into a series of theatre scenes entitled “How It Goes.” Last spring, the students performed the piece to Roosevelt High School students in Petra Lange’s Women in Literature course, sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice and the Drake Sociology program. We hosted the high school students for breakfast and had a discussion afterwards. We also listened to their poetry readings as part of an exchange.
At Drake’s Welcome Week, “Sex, Drugs, & Drake” included two of the scenes from “How It Goes” into the performance. Alysa Mozak was an advocate for the scenes’ inclusion because they captured the experiences with gender violence on campuses.
The process and theatre piece generated rich learning for students and an opportunity to learn about interviewing, sociological research, an important social issue, and how to use theatre for social change.
—Submitted by Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair
John Graham elected to VASTA board of directors
John Graham, associate professor of theatre, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), an international organization dedicated to advancing “the art, research, and visibility of the voice and speech profession.”
—Submitted by John Graham
Drake granted neuroscience honor society charter
Over the summer, Drake was approved to shelter a chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience. Drake’s is the 53rd charter issued since the society was established in 2006 and the first in Iowa. Brian Sanders, professor of psychology and neuroscience, will be the faculty adviser for the chapter.
Drake has approximately 60 neuroscience students who are active in summer research opportunities at major research institutions and the Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences (DUCURS).
The decision to issue a charter for Drake was unanimous. Comments from the reviewers included:
About the Writing Workshop: Peer tutors staff the workshop, all of whom have taken at least one training course to familiarize themselves with writing theory and pedagogy. Tutors help students identify areas of difficulty and work with them on a range of issues including fluency, organization, development, analysis, and argument. Tutors also help students copyedit their work as needed. Tutors do NOT write papers for students, nor do they simply act as proofreaders. All work on development and copy reading takes place within the context of the student’s own writing.
How to sign up: Students can sign up at https://library.drake.edu/writing . This site is also linked to on the English website. The website itself will give students directions on how to proceed. Typically, an appointment is for 30 minutes. Students can sign up for more than one session if they choose. They may also request that a tutor keep a regular time slot available for them if they would like to come in each week. If students are having difficulty signing up, they should call the Writing Workshop at 271-4712. They could also email me with any concerns (jody.swilky@drake.edu).
Location: The Writing Workshop is located in Cowles Library, Room 47, on the lower level. Hours are available:
Communication with professors: If you refer your student to the workshop, please let us know via email (jody.swilky@drake.edu). Have them bring the assignment they are responding to, as well as any writing they have done to complete the assignment. As part of the first visit, tutors always ask students if they have been referred. If a student is referred, the tutor will send an email letting you know that your student has attended and will briefly describe what work was done. If you do not receive an email from us, your student did not attend. If a student attends on his or her own, we do not inform professors unless the student specifically asks us to.
Workshop services: In addition to tutoring students, workshop tutors are available to speak briefly to classes about the workshop. If you would like a tutor to come to your class, please call or email me. Please also feel free to call or email me with questions about writing, working with students for whom English is not a first language, or with questions about any student who is having particular difficulty with writing. You can also learn more about the workshop in the Writing Workshop brochure.
—Submitted by Jody Swilky, the Elle and Nelle Levitt Professor of English, Writing Workshop Director
Drake Public Safety, Student Life, and Technology Services are happy to offer all Drake faculty and staff electronic device security software free of charge. This patented program—FrontDoorSoftware Loss, Recovery, and Personal Safety—is designed to help you to prevent theft, protect information, and recover lost or stolen devices.
We strongly encourage you to register your devices as soon as possible—you can register your professional and personal laptops, cell phones, and/or tablets. Once registered, you are covered for four years. To register, visit http://frontdoorsoftware.com/drake. You will need to use your Drake email to register a computer or tablet and the code “drake” to register a cell phone. The software is completely free and installs in seconds.
Once you register your device(s), the program does the following:
For a full overview of how the software works and the different features available, visit www.frontdoorsoftware.com/products/product.html
While this software is a great tool to help protect your property, no software can guarantee the safety of your electronics. Do not leave your devices unattended in public spaces, and be sure to lock your office door, car, home, or wherever your devices may be when you are not there.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Scott Law, director of Drake Public Safety, at scott.law@drake.edu or 515-271-3860.
—Submitted by:
Scott Law, Director of Drake Public Safety
Jerry Parker, Acting Dean of Students
Jeff Sabin, Head of Infrastructure and Security, Drake Technology Services
Drake University takes acts of sexual and interpersonal misconduct seriously and is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment. In keeping with this goal, Drake is requiring all students to complete an online educational program on sexual and interpersonal violence prevention. This effort also complies with the Violence Against Women Act and the Office for Civil Rights federal guidelines.
Student advisers and other faculty or staff who assist students with registering for classes should be aware that a hold will be placed on each student’s account until he or she has completed the online program—called Haven—which will prevent course registration for the subsequent semester. The mandatory portion, Part 1, must be completed by Oct. 15.
Using an online format to educate is the most efficient way to disseminate important regulatory information to college students. A Drake committee reviewed several online programs to make a final decision on utilizing Haven. Haven has also been the product of choice in many Iowa institutions of higher education—delivering positive student user feedback—which will position us for uniformity across the state.
Haven promotes student health and safety by educating students about the elements of healthy relationships, the importance of sexual consent, and the role of bystanders in creating safe, healthy communities. This science-based prevention program offers a confidential, personalized experience for each student, educating them on the issues associated with sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking while also taking into account their unique perspectives and experiences. It will also cover campus-specific policies, procedures, and resources.
—Submitted by Alysa Mozak, Coordinator for Sexual Violence Response and Healthy Relationship Promotion
Lorentzen Student Hatchery businesses will present at 1 Million Cups Des Moines on Wednesday, Aug. 19:
1 Million Cups Des Moines meets from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Science Center of Iowa. If you’re free, come down to support our students!
Three other Lorentzen students presented last week:
1 Million Cups (1MC) is a free, weekly, national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Developed by the Kauffman Foundation, 1MC is based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee.
The Lorentzen Student Hatchery was founded by John C. Lorentzen, BN’77, AS’77. The Hatchery will begin recruiting for summer 2016 participants in October 2015.
A total of 455 prospective students and their families visited Drake Aug. 3–7 for Iowa Private College Week. They enjoyed beautiful weather, and the giant blow-up Spike out on the lawn by Cole Hall was a fun photo op.
The Office of Admission would like to extend a thank you to all who helped make the week a success, including 25 faculty members, 40 Drake students, and 50 staff members and administrators. Additionally, the Office of Alumni Relations welcomed graduates and legacies back to campus daily at the Alumni House.
Due to the impressive number of Drake students who assisted with tours, tour size remained small, which is imperative for a quality tour experience.
“We received many positive comments from prospective students and families about how much they appreciated the opportunity to learn about a specific area of study through a visit with a faculty member. Hosting nine academic breakout sessions and small campus tour sizes for ten visit programs in five days is a reflection of the campus-wide team approach to recruitment that is a hallmark of Drake University,” said Deneen Dygert, associate director of admission.
The Office of Admission will continue to welcome prospective students and their families on an individual basis, Monday–Friday, throughout the rest of the year. The next visit programs are Campus Preview Days (Oct. 12 and Nov. 9) and Campus Preview Half-Days (Oct. 15 and Oct. 16).
—Submitted by Lilianna Bernstein, assistant director, admission
The 2015 Fall Convocation will be held this Friday, Aug. 28, at 1:30 p.m. in The Knapp Center. All staff and faculty are encouraged to attend this important event welcoming new first-year and transfer students to Drake. See faculty process, hear students speak, and witness the awarding of the inaugural Principal Financial Group Global Citizen Award.
