Drake students, faculty and staff helped area elementary, middle and high school students kick off the new school year with the 2005 Back to School Bash at the John R. Grubb YMCA on Sunday. The first 300 students received free school supplies. The event also featured a free basketball shoot-out with coaching provided by members of Bulldog men's and women's basketball teams. Winners earned free T-shirts. "It really went well," said Deidre Howard, a sophomore broadcast journalism and political science major who helped coordinate the event. "The kids and the parents had a good time. We gave away almost all the school supplies, all three of the TV stations were there and we had more than 500 people including parents. Drake really represented itself well." Drake students ran a carnival for elementary and middle school students with field games, a disc jockey, food and refreshments, inflatable games and beloved Drake mascot Spike made an appearance for the kids. Drake President David Maxwell praised the event, which is in its second year. "It's a great idea and one that I know was greatly appreciated in the community," he said. "I suspect that we'll see impact down the road as these students, who learned about Drake while in middle school, start thinking about going to college and about coming to Drake. I'm delighted that the Des Moines community had a chance to learn what remarkable and committed students we have at Drake." Eric Johnson, Drake assistant professor of education, delivered a motivational speech to students and parents about the value of education. Youngsters also got to meet and interact with current Drake students and faculty, who answered questions about college life, academics and financial aid. "I loved looking at the smiles on the faces of the children and the comments from the parents and others in the community who expressed appreciation for the Drake students and what they were doing for the children," said Wanda Everage, vice provost for student affairs and academic excellence. Drake's Center for Global Citizenship will host and co-sponsor, along with Iowa Sister States, a major campus-community conference titled "Islam in America: Finding Common Ground." The purpose of the conference on Sept. 9 and 10 is to promote a better understanding of Islam as a religion and of the diverse cultures and experiences of Muslims in American society. The conference will begin with a lecture, which is free and open to the public, by Aminah McCloud, associate professor of Islamic studies at DePaul University. The lecture, titled "Exploring Diversity Among American Muslims," will start at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. Professor McCloud founded the Islam in America Conference at DePaul, which houses The Journal of Islamic Law and Culture and the Islam in America Archives. She is the author of many books and articles, including "African American Islam" and is at work on a book to be titled "The Religion and Philosophy of the Nation of Islam." The conference will continue Saturday, Sept. 10, with lectures by nationally recognized authorities on Islam and the Muslim experience in America. Other opportunities include musical, cultural and book exhibits as well as several breakout workshops on various themes, including Women in Islam and the Experiences of Muslim Immigrants. Pre-registration is required for those who wish to attend the all-day Saturday portion of the conference. Students may attend the Saturday conference without charge (if they eat lunch elsewhere on or off campus), but must also pre-register. Students may pre-register by sending an e-mail message to Craig was one of two finalists selected last summer by the Cedar Falls Public Art Committee to create a site-specific sculpture to serve as a focal point for the Parkade. Craig was commissioned in September and began fabrication in October and completed the sculpture in June. "The sculpture was developed through consideration of Cedar Falls' architecture and landscape, the Cedar River and the sense of renewal and energy present along Main Street," Craig said. "The sculpture was designed to invite a shifting of perspectives over time that presents a multiplicity of viewpoints ranging from the organic to inorganic. The specific range of associations through both form and color are site inspired to complement the character of Cedar Falls and the downtown community." Children and adults can still sign up for voice and instrument lessons for the fall semester at the Drake University Community School of Music. Instruction is available for children and adults in piano, voice (age 15 and older), strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, organ and music theory. Tuition is $20 per lesson plus a $20 enrollment fee for new students. Faculty and staff receive a 20 percent discount. Openings also remain for the new Tuneful Tuesdays programs for children. "Musical Mice" is designed for children ages 3 through 5, while "Music Explorers" is for children ages 5 through 7. Both classes will begin Tuesday, Sept. 13, and meet at Drake University's Harmon Fine Arts Center. The instructor, Francine Griffith, is a musician and music educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Participants will explore the fundamentals of music in a nurturing environment. Age-appropriate activities include vocal exploration, singing, moving, listening, playing percussion instruments, storytelling and pretend play. "Musical Mice" meets every Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:05 p.m. A caregiver must accompany the children. Tuition is $138 and the class is limited to eight students. "Music Explorers" meets every Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. A caregiver's presence is optional. Tuition is $156 and the class is limited to 12 students. For additional information or to enroll in any of these programs, contact Christine Schneider at x4011 or John Burney, dean of the Drake University College of Arts and Sciences, will trade his mortarboard and gown for an inspector's trench coat and cap when the Friends of Drake Arts present "Dinner a la Morte" on Saturday, Sept. 17. The murder mystery dinner theater, starring the Die Laughing Mystery Players of Dubuque, Iowa, opens the Friends of Drake Arts season. The acting troupe has been together for two decades and features, Burney, an accomplished actor and academic. Burney has appeared in numerous theatrical productions, including "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare," "Here Lies Jeremy Troy" and "Art." Burney, who has two master's degrees and a doctorate in modern European history, has published scholarly work on the history of France. Before joining Drake University in 2003, he was vice president for academic affairs at Loras College in Dubuque. "Dinner a la Morte" is set in the 1920s - a murder takes place and over what the Players term a "five corpse dinner," guests watch closely so they can guess whom the assassin is. Audience members meet suspicious characters, play detective and work with the inspector to unravel the clues. "It's a spoof," Burney said. "It's a comic murder mystery with lots of surprises, jokes and physical comedy with a little double-entendre thrown in for fun. It will be a real treat." The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Reading Room of Cowles Library, 28th Street and University Avenue. Cost for the event is $30, which includes social hour, dinner and the show. Call (515) 271-2018 or e-mail at A farm-raised law school professor who grows organic vegetables that he sells to local restaurants is hosting a national conference to help small-scale farmers like himself work with each other to break into a food system that is increasingly interested in healthy food products that aren't produced by massive companies. "Many people attending the conference have been involved in selling at farmers markets," says Neil Hamilton, who grew up on a 200-acre family farm in Adams County, Iowa, where his family has farmed since 1872. "This will give them access to producers, distributors and capitalization. It's a significant step for a producer looking for an opportunity to break into the food system." Hamilton is on a mission to spread the notion of what he calls "Food Democracy" - getting more information about food and agriculture into the hands of consumers. He believes that "producer marketing associations" are the next big thing in the Food Democracy movement, because they allow groups of small farmers producing everything from organic milk to free range pigs to join together to sell their products. This year's conference, the third annual National Workshop on State and Local Food Policy is titled "Creating Opportunity Through Joint Producer Initiatives." It is co-organized by center staff Christine Pardee, co-director of the State and Local Food Policy Project, and Doug O'Brien, senior staff attorney. The conference, which will be held at Drake's Olmsted Center on Sept. 8 and 9, will convene a diverse group of farmers, agriculture leaders, lenders and advisers involved with producer marketing initiatives. Topics discussed will include financing, ownership and control, and risk management techniques. Workshop participants will come from about 16 states and two countries, and include officials from Sysco, the world's largest institutional food supplier. Craig Watson, vice president for quality assurance and agricultural sustainability at Sysco Corp., will give a keynote address at noon on Thursday, Sept. 8. "His presence is significant," Hamilton says, "because it shows Sysco's interest in acquiring foods that have stories and are unique." Other presenters at the conference include Melissa Hughes, general counsel for Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools Inc. CROPP is a national cooperative, with approximately 700 members, and its "Organic Valley" brand is the nation's largest farmer-owned certified organic brand. The cooperative produces an extensive line of refrigerated dairy products, eggs, juices, produce, soy products and meat, all of which are certified organic. Established, highly capitalized groups as well as some of the newest informally networked cooperatives will share insight about real-world opportunities and challenges. Other highlights of the workshop include reports from Food Policy Councils throughout the United States and the premiere of the center's newest legal risk management book, "The Farmer's Legal Guide to Producer Marketing Associations," co-authored by Hamilton, O'Brien and Robert Luedeman. They developed this book specifically for producers who are considering establishing a producer marketing venture. For more information about the conference, visit the Web site at The following faculty members are on sabbatical leave throughout the 2005-06 academic year unless otherwise indicated: College of Arts and Sciences |
Ramesh Dhussa, assistant professor of cultural geography, presented a paper titled "Dumka: A Journey Through Half a Century," at the Eighth Annual Asian Urbanization Conference, held in Kobe, Japan, August 20-23. Linda Krypel, associate professor of pharmacy practice was invited to present a workshop at the American Pharmacists Association Self-Care Institute last June in Boston. The workshop was titled "Incorporating Complementary and Alternative Therapies into a Self-Care Curriculum Using Active Learning." Torgerson, who has conducted many travel seminars for Drake students in Cuba, arranged for Ramon Castro to have dinner with members of the North American Delegation to the Conference of Cuban and North American Philosophers. At the conference at the University of Havana, Torgerson gave a talk titled "Cuba: A 20-Year Retrospective."
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