MLK celebrations set for tonight The all-University celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will include a performance by the Langston Hughes Players and the Drake Gospel Choir, poetry readings by Drake students, reflection by Eric Johnson, assistant professor of education. The celebration will take place at 7 p.m. on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main. A dessert reception and discussion will follow immediately in Levitt Hall in Old Main. Singers are invited to join the Drake University-Community Chorus by attending the first rehearsal at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Monroe Recital Hall on the lower level of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. The chorus, which is open without audition, rehearses from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays throughout the spring semester under the direction of Aimee Beckmann-Collier, Drake director of choral studies. For more information, call x2841. Frank's controversial book asserts that middle and lower class Americans vote against their economic interests by supporting the conservative Republican agenda. He writes that Republicans cover an agenda that benefits the rich and corporations in issues such as morality and religion. The Los Angeles Times called Frank one of "our most insightful social observers." Commentator Molly Ivins wrote of "What's the Matter with Kansas?," "I promise y'all, this is the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests. And Frank explores the subject with scholarship, understanding, passion, and-thank you, Mark Twain-such tart humor." The Drake Center for the Humanities, Women's Studies Program and School of Journalism and Mass Communications co-sponsor the event. For more information, contact Matt Esposito at x4121 or Goldford's work has focused on American constitutional theory, based upon the proposition that in the United States we articulate and argue the basic questions of political theory-justice, liberty, equality, the proper role of government, etc. - in terms of U.S. Constitutional interpretation. In May 2005 Cambridge University Press published his major work, "The American Constitution and the Debate over Originalism," and his current project involves developing a general theory of the Establishment Clause with regard to the interrelationship of government, law, and religion. All interested faculty, students, and staff are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Joseph Schneider at x2158 or "Doubletake" will feature "AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers," showcasing the 100 best-designed books and covers of 2004 as selected by a jury of national renowned and influential book designers. The winners of this annual competition were chosen from nearly 1,000 entries. Categories range from trade, reference and children's books to university and museum publications. The nationally touring exhibition, which also includes limited-edition and special-format books, opened in New York City, then traveled to the San Francisco Center for the Book before coming to Drake. Together with the very traditional and long-standing book collection, "Doubletake" offers audiences the opportunity to view "365 Annual Design Competition 26," hailed as the country's premier design competition, setting the standard of good design for the profession. Through the exhibition of winning selections from this competition, considered the best communications design produced in 2004, the AIGA addresses its commitment to evaluating design in the broader context of commerce and culture. The opening reception for "Doubletake" will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in the gallery in the Harmon Fine Arts Center. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. In conjunction with "Doubletake," the Anderson Gallery will be offering audiences "DoubleTalk," two public lectures given by nationally recognized graphic designers Joe Duffy and Tim Frame. Admission to each lecture is $10 for members of AIGA and the Art Directors Association of Iowa and $20 for non-members. Student members attend free. The cost is $10 for students who are not members. To register to attend the first lecture, visit Duffy is one of the jurors of the 365/26 jury committee and chairman of Duffy and Partners, an inventive integrator of design and branding with advertising. His most notable work includes brand and corporate identity and design development for leading global companies such as BMW, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Starbucks and Sony. His lecture will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Meredith Corp. Conference Core, 1716 Locust St. A reception will be held just outside the conference space at 5:30 p.m. Frame, chairman of Tim Frame Design and a nationally recognized multi-discipline design consultant, will give a lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in Levitt Hall in Old Main. A reception will precede the lecture from 5:15 to 6 p.m. in Levitt Hall. The Anderson Gallery will be open one hour prior to the lecture. The Anderson Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, call x1994 or visit The Drake Center for Global Citizenship, the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation and Humanities Iowa will host a celebration of Israeli and Palestinian cultures from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. The event will feature authentic food, music, art and books from both cultures. Tickets are $10, which includes food. Admission is free for Drake students and children 10 and under. Other organizers include the Iowa Council for International Understanding, American Friends Service Committee, Arab American Institute's Iowa Arab American Leadership Council, Church World Service, Des Moines Area Religious Council, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, Jewish Community Relations Commission and Muslim Community Organization. For more information, contact Iowa Council for International Understanding at The Drake Theatre Arts Department was featured in the Spotlight article in the December issue of Stage Directions magazine under the headline "More than a laboratory of learning, Drake University bridges the gap between academia and the real world." John Pomeroy, chair of the department, is quoted as saying "Our thought is that a theatre student who comes to Drake is interested in working professionally in theatre. So we are an active part of the professional theater world and pay careful attention to its expectations." The article notes that Drake's theatre arts program has 70 students with declared majors, including acting, directing, design and tech, musical theatre and theatre education. To view the article, visit In other theatre news, costumes from Drake's recent production of "Picnic" were nominated to be included in the Festival Costume Parade for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival - Region V. This honor was extended to only 19 of the hundreds of productions adjudicated in the region this past year. Costumes for "Picnic" were designed by Josie Poppen, theatre costume designer, and Megan Benzig, student assistant costume designer. "The War That Made America" combines a commitment to historical accuracy with a compelling filmed portrayal of the dangerous world of the 18th-century frontier. A primary focus of the series is the critical military importance and strategic diplomacy of Native Americans in the conflict between the English and French for the expansion of their colonial empires. This was a war the British won, but the fruit of their victory contained the seeds of the Revolutionary War. Johnson and Case also designed costumes for "John and Abigail Adams," another PBS program that will air on Jan. 23. Case was an apprentice/intern on the productions, working under the direction of Johnson, who taught at Tufts University and now runs her own costume company, Maganda Designs, in the Boston area. Beckmann-Collier summed up the tour on one word - "Fabulous." Eric Saylor, Drake's music historian, accompanied the choir on the tour. He was impressed with "the enthusiasm the students showed for the many different venues in which they performed and the excitement they felt in singing Renaissance music in churches that were in use during the Renaissance." Photos of the tour and journal entries written by students are available on the Drake Web site at The posters feature: Caldbeck, ED'72, began her career at her Drake in 1989, moving quickly to the alumni director's position in 1991. In 1998, Caldbeck assumed a larger managerial role in Drake's Office of Institutional Advancement during a transition period between vice presidents and was the office's primary leader for the next three years. "There is no 9-5 in Diane's day," said John Amato, president of the Iowa College Foundation and a former Drake staffer. "As long as I have known her, she has always been the last one to leave the office at night. She has never shunned responsibility and knows what it takes to get the job done at a level to which she is accustomed." Caldbeck has served on the CASE VI District Board and on various conference planning committees. In 1998 she helped organize the CASE regional conference in Des Moines, which included a popular skywalk golf tournament. Her commitment to CASE didn't stop at the district level. She just ended her term as an alumni commissioner for CASE in the spring of 2005. She has attended and spoken at numerous special conferences and several annual assemblies. The center provides direct legal representation and other social services to abused and neglected or delinquent children in the greater Des Moines area. "The Greater Des Moines Community Foundation's generous grant will increase our ability to address the spectrum of issues our child-clients present while increasing our ability to attract funding and become self-sufficient," said Suzanne Levitt, executive director of the Drake Legal Clinic. The Community Foundation provides financial resources to local projects in the areas of arts and culture, education, health, human services and community betterment. "The goal of the Community Impact Grant program is to assist innovative and results-based projects, partnerships and opportunities throughout the area," said Johnny Danos, president of the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation. "The foundation is pleased to continue to play a role in facilitating growth, supporting innovative ideas and increasing the quality of life for our residents." The foundation is a charitable public foundation established to improve the quality of life in greater Des Moines by initiating programs, coordinating resources and supporting organizations that enhance education, community betterment, arts and culture, health and human services. The foundation manages assets in excess of approximate $90 million, administers more than 310 charitable funds created by Iowans and distributes more than $7 million in grants each year. To learn more, visit Learn to make beautiful music by registering for music lessons at the Drake University Community School of Music. Lessons for the spring semester begin the week of Tuesday, Jan. 17. Instruction is available for children and adults in piano, voice (age 15 and older), strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, organ and music theory. New this semester is a program of music theory instruction designed for the serious student considering a career in music. Faculty and staff members and their immediate families received a 20 percent tuition discount. Tuition is $336 for the 16-week semester with a $20 enrollment fee for new students. Various payment plans are available. To obtain more information or to enroll, call x4011. The Drake University Community School of Music is offering two 12-week musical experiences for young children beginning Tuesday, Jan. 24. Tuneful Tuesdays features "Musical Mice" for children ages 3 through 5 (pre-Kindergarten) and "Music Explorers" for children ages 5 (enrolled in Kindergarten) through age 7. Francine Griffith, a musician and music educator with more than 20 years of teaching experience, is the instructor for both classes. "We explore the fundamentals of music - with an emphasis on fun - in a nurturing environment through age-appropriate activities such as vocal exploration, singing, moving, listening, playing percussion instruments, storytelling and pretend play," Griffith says. "These classes are an exceptional opportunity for parents and children to discover the joy that music brings." Both classes meet in Drake's Harmon Fine Arts Center. "Musical Mice" will be held on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:05 p.m. A caregiver must accompany each child. Tuition is $138. The class is limited to eight students. "Music Explorers" will meet from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays. A caregiver's presence is optional. Tuition is $156. This class is limited to 12 students. For more information and registration, call Christine Schneider x4011. The Drake University Adult Literacy Center needs volunteers to help local residents improve their reading skills. Volunteers meet with adults twice a week to provide one-on-one tutoring, using an interactive, structured, multi-sensory approach. With their help, adult Iowans are motivated to make positive changes in their lives by improving their reading skills. Volunteers are badly needed. Nearly two out of every five Iowans read at the lowest literacy levels and frequently live in poverty, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Two one-hour overview sessions are offered for persons who want to learn more about volunteering as a literacy tutor. Potential volunteers may choose one of these overview sessions, which are prerequisites for the orientation. Sessions are set for: Tuesday, Jan. 17, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. or Thursday, Jan. 19, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Required orientation training sessions are set for 5 to 8 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 23 and 24. Volunteers are required to attend both sessions. All sessions will be at the Adult Literacy Center, 1213 25th St., immediately north of the Varsity Theater. Help someone experience the joy of finally being about to read a book, a menu and street signs. Open the world of written word - dramatic fiction, thrilling biography and history and unlock imagination for an adult today. To volunteer to tutor at the Drake Adult Literacy Center to call x3982. The Institute for Character Development at Drake University is currently accepting nominations for the 2006 Des Moines Register Iowa Character Awards. Iowa Character Awards honor nominees whose beliefs, attitudes and actions have consistently exemplified the Six Pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS!: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. Award recipients will be acknowledged at the Iowa Character Awards Banquet on April 21, 2006. Award Categories include: Business/Organization of Character Award, Character Advocate Award, Citizen of Character Award, CHARACTER COUNTS! Community Award, CHARACTER COUNTS! School Award , Educator of Character Award, Pursuing Victory With Honor Award and the School Administrator of Character Award. Nomination forms are available at www.iowacharacter.org or by calling x2293. The nomination deadline for the Iowa Character Awards is Feb. 1. The Institute for Character Development is a non-profit organization housed at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The Institute's mission is to "recognize, enhance, and sustain the positive qualities of Iowans in order to promote civility through character development." Through a statewide partnership with the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, the ICD works to mobilize character development initiatives in Iowa families, schools, workplaces and communities. The next issue of On Campus will be published on Monday, Jan. 23. |
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