Help us get back to “normal” — report your vaccination
All members of the Drake community are encouraged to help alleviate the threat of the pandemic by getting vaccinated. And, once you are fully vaccinated, please report that to the University. Required campus safety protocols in the fall — including mask wearing and social distancing — will be determined by how many people on campus are vaccinated. The sooner everyone gets vaccinated, the sooner we can loosen restrictions. Take photos of your vaccination card and email to contacttracing@drake.edu.
Alumni news
Ellie Detweiler, JO’19, discusses how she obtained her dream job doing public relations on Broadway in this podcast. Ellie has been working at the Broadway PR firm DKC/O&M since graduation, much of the time during Covid from her home in Cedar Rapids. But she recently headed back to New York City to help promote the reopening of Broadway, including the first show back, “Springsteen on Broadway.”
Become an SJMC mentor!
The SJMC is once again creating a mentorship program to welcome our incoming first-year students. We’re also expanding this program to include sophomores this year, recognizing that many of them may have never stepped foot on campus due to Covid.
SJMC juniors and seniors: Would you be interested in serving as a mentor or “Big” for these students? You would be paired with at least one other current SJMC junior/senior student and several new students to help build connections in the weeks prior to moving to campus. It’s our hope that you’ll commit to:
- Sending a welcome message to the new students (either individually or via group) within the first few weeks of July, offering your availability to answer any questions they may have about Drake and their transition to college.
- Hosting a virtual connection within the month of July or the first week of August, either via video conference or text.
- Attending an SJMC in-person gathering with these “new” students in conjunction with Welcome Week events. The University is still finalizing the Welcome Week schedule, but we’d love for these small “SJMC Families” to meet up and connect in person. We are also planning to bring back the Dean’s Ice Cream Social in the first week of classes, so that would be another perfect event to meet up.
- Connecting with each new student at least once in the Fall 2021 semester to check in on their transition and offer any additional advice/connections you can.
- Participating in fun activities held in conjunction with JMC 30. Dr. Catherine Staub is still finalizing the JMC 30 schedule for Fall 2021, but there will likely be opportunities to share your expertise with our newest SJMC Bulldogs.
We hope this experience will help them build relationships with outstanding students like you and identify opportunities they may want to explore (like Drake Mag, The Times-Delphic, Drake Broadcasting System, PRSSA, Drake Political Review, Ad Club, student government, Student Activities Board and more).
Interested? Contact Associate Dean Kelly Bruhn (kelly.bruhn@drake.edu) for more information or to volunteer.
Have a news item for the Memo?
The SJMC Monday Memo (and other days of the week as needed) is a newsletter to keep members of the wider SJMC community updated on School news, achievements, events and opportunities. If you have an item for the Memo, please send it to Dean Kathleen Richardson (kathleen.richardson@drake.edu) or SJMC webmaster and multimedia professor Chris Snider (christopher.snider@drake.edu). SJMC alums and other professionals can also subscribe to the Monday Memo via email here: http://eepurl.com/bPNbxn