On Campus - Stories October 26 , 2001 - Vol. 54, No. 21 IOWA LEADERS TO SPEAK AT DRAKE FORUM MONDAY NIGHT SYMPOSIUM ON ANTHRAX SET FOR NOON TODAY NEW BLACK CULTURAL CENTER OPENS THIS AFTERNOON INTERNATIONAL WRITERS VISIT DRAKE TODAY CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN AT EVENING OF SWING BALL TONIGHT DRAKE STUDENTS, STAFF TO PAINT HOUSE ON SATURDAY 'HAUNTED HOOPS' SET FOR SUNDAY KINGS' SINGERS TO PERFORM, CONDUCT MASTER CLASS AT DRAKE TICKETS GO ON SALE THURSDAY FOR MADRIGAL DINNERS LEADING THEOLOGIAN TO SPEAK AT DRAKE NOV. 5 CONSTRUCTION CORNER: UPDATE ON HELMICK COMMONS HOSPITAL PRESIDENT TO SPEAK AT LET'S DU LUNCH NOV. 7 WORKSHOP BY ACCLAIMED BUSINESS CONSULTANT RESCHEDULED

Drake University will host "The Role of the University in Times of National Crisis," a forum discussing higher education and the importance it plays in times of national crisis on Monday, Oct. 29. The event will start at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium.

The forum, which is open to the public, will feature prominent Iowa figures such as Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, University of Iowa President Mary Sue Coleman, retired Meredith Corp. Chairman Jack Rehm, Des Moines Register President and Publisher Mary Stier, Drake University President David Maxwell and Robert Hariman, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of rhetoric and communication studies at Drake. Hariman recently was named associate provost for interdisciplinary programs at Drake and will begin his new duties at the start of the spring semester.

The forum will be moderated by Michael Gartner, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former president of NBC. Gartner said he plans to raise the following issues:

• How the university should go about educating its students and its community and fostering robust debate between and among people.
• How the university can provide a safe haven - physically, emotionally and intellectually - for its students, faculty and community.
• How the university can serve as society's conscience as well as society's healer.
• How the university and the community deal with student demonstrations.
• How the university and the community deal with censorship and academic freedom.

In addition to these issues, the panelists will talk about the role of the university in the various crises of the past 60 years including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, assassinations and AIDS. They also will address today's terrorism.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to join the Coalition of Black Students in celebrating the opening of the new Black Cultural Center at 1149 28th St. There will be a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. today (Friday, Oct. 26). In addition, there will be a second celebration at 9 p.m. today featuring free food and music.

The new center, which is adjacent to La Casa Cultural, replaces the former Black Cultural Center at 3303 University Ave.

Seven writers from the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa will visit Drake University today (Friday, Oct. 26) to participate in a panel discussion on "Literature and Politics" and to read from their works.

The program, which will start at 4 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room, will address the relationship between politics and literature, reflecting a wide range of viewpoints and opinions. Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program, will moderate the discussion.

The participating writers are Rehman Rashid, a journalist from Malaysia; Thongbay Photisane, a poet from Laos; Aida Nasrallah, a poet from Israel; Ghassan Zaqtan, a poet from the West Bank; Yawo Weka (Victor) Aladji, a fiction writer from Togo; Antonije Zalica, an essayist and filmmaker from the Netherlands; and Sitok Srengenge, a poet from Indonesia.

The International Writing Program, which is the oldest and most celebrated international writing program in the world, is a unique residency program that brings together the writers of the world. Since its inception in 1967, it has become world-known as a community of influential thinkers and artists brokering avenues of communication - a United Nations of writers.

Drake Jazz Ensembles will play haunting tunes at the Evening of Swing Halloween Ball, which runs from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. today (Friday, Oct. 26) in the Mainstay, 25th Street and Forest Avenue. The bands will play music of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Brian Setzer and more.

Costumes and dancing are encouraged. Drinks and desserts will be available for purchase. Table seating will be provided. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Approximately 100 Drake students and nine Drake staff members have signed up to paint the house and garage of an elderly couple living near the campus on national "Make a Difference Day" Saturday, Oct. 27.

The project, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, will start at 9 a.m. at 1123 26th Street - the home of Lou and Lucy Mace, longtime residents of the Drake neighborhood. Their house, built around 1900, hasn't been painted in at least 11 years.

Sodexho Facility Services at Drake is donating white paint for the project and local painting contractor Ken Agee is contributing labor, materials and equipment.

Free food for participating students and staff will be provided by McDonald's, Kum & Go and the West End. The Drake Area Business Association also is supporting the project.

Larry Molenburg, Drake's real estate manager and the University's representative on the Beautify Des Moines Committee, is coordinating the effort. He expects the students and staff to finish the painting and complete some yard work as well by 3 p.m. Saturday.

"This is the first time Drake has participated in 'Make a Difference Day,'" Molenburg said. "It's a great way to get students involved in community service and to show that the University is pitching in to improve the neighborhood."

Central Iowa area basketball fans can catch a sneak preview of the Drake men's and women's basketball teams by attending the Bulldog Haunted Hoops at the Drake Knapp Center Sunday, Oct. 28.

Doors to the Drake Knapp Center open at 4 p.m. with festivities scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Activities include "Trick or Treating" for kids 14 years and under wearing a costume, and men's and women's team introductions followed by 12-minute intrasquad scrimmages from each program.

All fans attending the Bulldog Haunted Hoops will get free Drake men's and women's basketball posters. Members of the Drake men's and women's basketball teams also will be available to autograph the posters.

Individual game and season tickets are now on sale at the Drake Athletic Ticket Office. For tickets, call xDOGS.

Six Englishmen known as the king' singers will perform a concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium. The concert, sponsored by the Civic Music Association, costs $35 for adults and $10.50 for students. Tickets are available through the Civic Center Box Office and TicketMaster.

The king' singers also will conduct a master class from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium. Coordinating the class will be Aimee Beckman-Collier, director of choral activities at Drake, and Linda Vanderpool, choral director at Hoover High School. Participating choirs are Drake Chamber Choir, Ankeny High School Choir, Waukee High School Choir, Hoover High School Choir, Des Moines Childrens Choruses and Westminster Church Choir. The master class is free and open to the public.

Ticket sales will begin at noon Thursday, Nov. 1, for the annual Christmas Madrigal Dinners, which will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 9, at Olmsted Center. Last year's performances were sold out within 24 hours.

The after-dinner concert will feature the Drake Chamber Choir and other entertainers such as jugglers, dancers, a magician and Musica Antiqua. The menu includes Cornish game hen, wild rice pilaf, spinach salad, baked apple, scones, flaming pudding and wassail. Vegetarian meals are available. Tickets are $35 per person and reservations are required. For reservations, call the Drake Fine Arts Box Office at x3841.

Marcus Borg, one of America's leading theologians and the Hundere distinguished professor of religion at Oregon State University, will present a lecture titled "Taking the Bible Seriously, But Not Literally" at Drake University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 25th Street and University Avenue.

Described by The New York Times as "a leading figure among the new generation of Jesus scholars," Borg is the author of 11 books. His titles include "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time," the single best-selling book by a contemporary Jesus scholar; and "Reading the Bible Again for the First Time," one of the 10 best-selling books on religion. He also is the author of "The God We Never Knew" and "The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions."

Borg has appeared on NBC's "Today Show," PBS's "Newshour," ABC's "Prime Time" and NPR's "Fresh Air." He also has lectured widely overseas and throughout North America, including the Chautauqua and Smithsonian Institutions. Borg received his B.A. from Concordia College, Minn., his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, N.Y., and his Ph.D. in theology from Oxford University.

"Taking the Bible Seriously, But Not Literally" is sponsored by the Drake University Department of Religion and Philosophy. The event will be followed by a reception and book signing in Levitt Hall in Old Main. For more information, e-mail Jon Torgerson at jon.torgerson@drake.edu.

Weather permitting, the first phase of Helmick Commons will be completed the week of Nov. 1. New concrete walkways and an irrigation system are now being installed. Approximately two dozen trees (oaks, maples, bald cypress and Kentucky coffee trees) are scheduled to be planted during the next two weeks, weather permitting.

In the spring, after the ground thaws, grass seed and ground cover will be planted, and work will begin on a new outdoor campus gathering place called the "agora." This area will be named after Drake alumni Jack Kragie and Liz Newell. A reflecting pool also will be created.

Dave H. Vellinga, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, will discuss the future of health care at the final Let's DU Lunch event of the fall season on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The Let's DU Lunch series, which is open to the public, is sponsored by Drake University's Central Iowa Alumni Chapter and the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The luncheon will start at 11:30 a.m. in the Younkers Tea Room in downtown Des Moines.

Mercy Medical Center is an acute care facility that includes 24 family practice and specialty clinics and 13 rural affiliate facilities. Mercy employs 5,100 individuals with a medical staff of 730 physicians.

For reservations, call the Drake Office of Alumni and Parent Programs at X3848. The cost of the luncheon is $15.

Nationally renowned business consultant, speaker and author Richard Chang will conduct an interactive workshop on "Turning Passion into Performance" Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Drake University. The workshop, originally set for Sept. 19, was rescheduled due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"This workshop was timely before Sept. 11, but it's even more timely now in light of all the new national and international issues we're facing," says Connie Sanderson, director of Drake University's Center for Special and Professional Studies. "Igniting passion in employees to improve performance and strengthen the loyalty of employees is more important now than ever."

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Chang will address how organizations can build a certain future in an uncertain world.

"People need motivation. They need inspiration. They need something to believe in," Chang says. "Individuals seek a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and a sense of comfort in what they do. Not only do they crave these things at home, but in their workplaces and their social activities. By paying attention to these motivating forces, organizations can energize their people and, in turn, their operations."

The one-day workshop will teach participants how to nurture workplace and personal passion, through a seven-step Passion Plan Model. Chang's recent book, "The Passion Plan at Work, Building a Passion-Driven Organization," will be the centerpiece of the workshop. Chang also will discuss how to align corporate strategies with employee performance, using the Performance Scorecardd methodology he invented.

This workshop is being offered by Drake University's Center for Special and Professional Studies. The day-long program will be held in Olmsted Center on the Drake University campus and costs $395, which includes three of Chang's best-selling books, continental breakfast and lunch. Drake faculty and staff receive a discounted fee of $200. To register or for more information, call the center at x2592 or e-mail csps@drake.edu.