Year: 2007

It's 5:30 in the morning, and Rachel Geilenfeld was trying hard to remain dry. The tickets for Sunday's nationally televised Republican presidential debate at Drake University were free, but the price paid by the 23-year-old Mitt Romney volunteer was to be buffeted by rain and wind sneaking into an open-air tent.

ABC News is bringing two presidential debates to Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium and Sunday morning national television.

From start to finish, the March to ReEnergize Iowa is nearly 35 miles -- a long distance to walk. But helping to educate individuals about the potential they have to create change and reduce global warming is a short step, says Holly Jones, a Drake University student from Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Paul Morrison, also known as Mr. Drake, celebrated his 90th birthday July 25 with his Drake family. The 1939 Drake graduate has been working with the University for more than 60 years.

On Aug. 2-3, Drake University will host the Iowa Governor's Conference on Public Health, also known as Barn Raising VI, which will focus on "Celebrating Healthy Communities."

An increasing number of Iowa families are going hungry, according to a new report by the Drake University Agricultural Law Center. In addition, the report connects a lack of healthy food options and obesity in low-income households.

Drake University student Grant Wilson, co-owner of the independent video rental store Best Place Ever, is organizing a showing of the documentary "Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars" at the Varsity Theater on Sunday, July 22.

Drake University anticipates approximately 500 prospective students and their parents will visit campus during this year's Iowa Private College Week, which runs from Aug. 6-10 at 29 private colleges across the state.

Nicholas D. Kristof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, will deliver this fall's Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Drake University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled "Why Troubles in Darfur and Other Parts of the World Matter to Us."

After the first Russian lessons at the Network for Effective Language Learning conference, Pete Smith, assistant vice president of academic affairs at University of Texas-Arlington, quipped that no blood had been shed, or 911 calls made.