All posts by Aaron Jaco

Weight Watchers at Work special offer

Weight Watchers’ unique mix of face-to-face interaction with a trained leader, group support, accountability, digital tools, and the convenience of meetings in the workplace have been a winning combination for many of your co-workers at Drake.

Weekly Monday meetings include a confidential weigh-in from 11 to 11:15 a.m., followed by a 30-minute class. Classes are held in Cline Hall, Conference Room 127.

The cost is normally $156 for the 12-week renewable series but Weight Watchers is holding a special limited time offer. Everyone who joins during the July 11 class (or renews) will receive a 12-week renewable series for $132.60—a 15 percent discount off the regular price. For those joining for the first time, you may start your 12-week series immediately or wait until the next series begins for the original group on Aug. 8. A minimum of 15 participants is required to hold our next series.

If you are interested in attending our Weight Watchers at Work series, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu. If you are interested but cannot attend the July 11 meeting, arrangements can be made. Contact Linda for details.

—Linda Feiden, Assistant Director, Wellness & Engagement

Preparing for new campus printers

On Wednesday, June 15, the first of the new managed printers will be installed on campus. The new machines will continue to arrive until the end of July.

In order to use the new printing system, we have to install new printing software on all Drake-owned computers.

  • For Mac computers, this will be an automated process. As early as this afternoon you will see a pop-up message in the upper right corner of your screen indicating the software has been installed on your computer. You will need to restart your computer, at your convenience, to complete the setup.
  • For PC computers, we will initially have campus techs install the necessary software as new machines arrive in buildings. We are, however, investigating a more automated process for ongoing printer software installations.

The first time you log on after restarting your computer, you will need to log in to Papercut with your Drake ID and password for authentication.

If you have any questions on the printing software installation, please contact the Support Center at supportcenter@drake.edu or 515-271-3001.

—Carla Herling, IT Communications Manager

Ordering University merchandise, stationery, and name tags

Budget managers can request user accounts for staff members wishing to use the Woolverton, Inc., and Competitive Edge e-stores, and place orders for Drake name tags by completing the “Access Request Form” on the University Communications web page.

Link to the Access Request Form:
http://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJ6BOe0UvqkWxJb 

Link to the University Communications merchandise, stationery & loanable items web page:
www.drake.edu/communications/resources/merch/

—Sara Sommerlot, Office Manager

Summer network upgrades

ITS, along with our vendor, Cisco, is performing a complete refresh of the campus wireless infrastructure, including removing obsolete and/or inadequate equipment from the campus network and replacing it with new, more reliable, higher capacity equipment. Technicians from Tesdell Electric will be working in buildings across campus, installing access points and wiring until the end of August.

The goals of the project are:

  • Improve wifi coverage gaps indoors
  • Improve overall network performance and reliability
  • Upgrade to the latest wireless technologies to future proof our investment

Over the next few weeks, we will focus on work in the residence halls (except for those being used for Orientation and other summer events) along with a few other academic buildings.

Watch for ongoing updates about this project in future issues of OnCampus and on the ITS Major Projects page.

—Carla Herling, ITS Communications Manager

Feedback on new email security protections

ITS recently implemented new protections into Drake’s email system, designed to guard against phishing attacks that have targeted faculty, staff, and students. This tool scans incoming external emails and detects malicious links and attachments, blocking them before they can reach our mailboxes. What’s your experience with it so far? Do you have any questions or concerns? Contact informationsecurity@drake.edu and let us know.

—Peter Lundstedt, Information Security Manager

Drake to hire data analyst

In an effort to enhance Drake’s capacity for data informed decision making, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment is posting a data analyst position. The data analyst will help to develop and implement data systems required to support continuous improvement and operational planning. This position will also develop capacity for accurate, accessible, and efficient reporting solutions that transform data into actionable information. For more information about the position, please review the job posting online.

—Kevin Saunders, Director of Institutional Research and Academic Assessment

Increased construction noise starting June 20

The installation of the GeoPier foundation system for Collier-Scripps Hall will begin on June 20, weather permitting. Those buildings and occupants in the immediate surrounding areas will experience noise and possibly minimal vibration as a result of the compaction of the foundation material. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Drake Public Safety (515-271-222) to report the issue.

University Bookstore relocation update

Plans to move the University Bookstore to Olmsted Center are underway. This move brings bookstore operations closer to students, faculty, and staff. The bookstore will be located on the west end of the first floor of Olmsted Center (west of the Pomerantz stage area). The Office of Events will move to existing office space in the lower level of Olmsted Center. The current bookstore location at 3003 Forest Ave. is being evaluated as the future site of Drake’s occupational therapy program. Watch for more information about the project in OnCampus.

—Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Welcome Mandela Fellows at reception

Drake is proud to host 25 Mandela Washington Fellows as a part of the Young African Leaders Initiative for six weeks this summer. Join us to welcome the Fellows at a reception hosted by President Marty Martin. The Drake community, along with those partners who will be interacting with the Fellows throughout their time here are welcome to attend! Please RSVP online by Wednesday, June 15, so we have a general idea of how many people to expect.

—Amanda Martin, AmeriCorps and Service-Learning Programs Coordinator