Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Term 2026
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- J-Term 2027
- Spring Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 33 of 33 terms
C
- Carp
- Carpenter residence hall, located near the Painted Street.
D
- D-Board
- The Drake Board of Student Communications, which oversees student media outlets like the newspaper and radio.
- D-SAB
- Drake Student Alumni Board, which connects current students with alumni.
- DBS
- Drake Broadcasting System, the student organization managing campus television and radio.
- DUBS
- Drake University Broadcasting Services, the student-run media production group.
F
- Flex
- Flex dollars, a form of campus currency included in meal plans for use at retail dining locations.
G
- GK
- Goodwin-Kirk residence hall, typically housing upperclassmen.
- Griff
- The name of Drake's official live bulldog mascot (e.g., Griff II).
H
- Hub
- Hubbell Dining Hall, the primary all-you-care-to-eat dining facility on campus.
- Hubbell
- The main campus dining hall located in the Hubbell Student Center.
I
- IFC
- Interfraternity Council, the governing body for social fraternities on campus.
J
- Jewett
- Jewett Hall, a residence hall known for its central location and courtyard.
K
- Kissing Bridge
- A bridge on campus where, according to legend, couples who kiss will eventually get married.
- Kissing Rock
- A large rock on campus where tradition says couples who kiss will eventually marry.
M
- Morehouse
- Morehouse Hall, a historic residence hall located near Old Main.
N
- Next Step
- The Next Step Cafe, a dining option located in the Olmsted Center.
O
- Olmsted Starbucks
- The full-service Starbucks located within the Olmsted Center.
P
- Painted Street
- A section of Carpenter Avenue where student organizations paint squares during the Drake Relays.
- PHC
- Panhellenic Council, the governing body for social sororities on campus.
Q
- Quad Creek
- The cafe and grill located on the lower level of the Hubbell Student Center.
- Quad Side
- The dining facility located within the Quads residence hall complex.
R
- Relays
- Short for the Drake Relays, a massive annual track and field event and week-long campus celebration.
- RHA
- Residence Hall Association, representing the interests of students living on campus.
S
- SAB
- Student Activities Board, the primary organization for planning campus-wide entertainment.
- SFC
- Student Finance Council, the body that manages and allocates student activity fees.
- Spike's
- Spike’s C-Store, a convenience store and snack bar located in the lower level of Hubbell.
- Stal
- Stalnaker residence hall, a common first-year dormitory.
- Starship
- The autonomous delivery robots used to transport food from campus dining locations to students.
T
- The Bubble
- The phenomenon of students feeling isolated from the rest of Des Moines due to the self-contained nature of campus.
- The Hub
- Hubbell Dining Hall, the primary all-you-care-to-eat cafeteria on campus.
- The Quads
- The collective name for the four interconnected residence halls: Carpenter, Crawford, Herriott, and Stalnaker.
- The Rock
- The Kissing Rock, a campus landmark that student organizations frequently paint to promote events or causes.
- The TD
- The Times-Delphic, Drake's student-run newspaper.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Aliber
- Aliber Hall, the home of the Zimpleman College of Business.
- Blue Light
- The emergency phone system located throughout campus for immediate contact with Public Safety.
- Bulldog Bucks
- A debit-like account on the student ID card used for laundry, printing, and local participating vendors.
- Cowles
- Cowles Library, the main university library.
- D-Card
- The official Drake University student identification card used for building access and meal plans.
- DART
- The Des Moines Area Regional Transit system; students ride local buses for free by showing their D-Card.
- FAC
- The Harmon Fine Arts Center, housing music, theatre, and art departments.
- Handshake
- The online portal used by students to find on-campus jobs, internships, and career appointments.
- J-Term
- The three-week intensive January Term where students take a single course between semesters.
- Meredith
- Meredith Hall, the primary building for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- Old Main
- The university's historic administrative building housing the President's office and Sheslow Auditorium.
- Olin
- Olin Hall, the primary facility for biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical sciences.
- Olmsted
- The Olmsted Center, Drake's student union containing the bookstore, coffee shop, and meeting rooms.
- Starfish
- The online academic success platform used for scheduling advising and tracking grades.
- Starship
- The autonomous delivery robots used to transport food from campus dining locations to students.
- The Knapp
- The Knapp Center, the multi-purpose arena used for basketball, volleyball, and major events.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 33 approved campus terms and 16 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.