Christina Trombley, executive director of online programming, and Kara Wendelin, director of online student support, invite you to meet with them to discuss online learning. Christina and Kara will be at the coffee shop in Olmsted every other Thursday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., beginning this Thursday, March 22. They look forward to discussing online programs at Drake and answering your questions.
—Christina Trombley, online programming
Join Johanna Dunlevy from EFR this Thursday, March 22, at 10 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311 to learn how to become more mindful and think differently about everyday situations you encounter at home and in the workplace. How a person thinks and processes emotions is an important component of health and wellness—just as important as exercising and eating healthy. Becoming more mindful can improve emotional intelligence, reduce stress, and help manage change, and it can be practiced almost anywhere—in your car, at your desk, in the park, or at home.
Participants will earn Bulldogs United in Learning Drake (BUILD) credits and will be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.
Additional BUILD information, including an online registration form, is accessible under the blueView Employee tab in the Learning & Development section of Human Resources.
Email Debra Wiley at debra.wiley@drake.edu for more information.
— Debra Wiley, Human Resources
Strokes are the leading cause of serious, long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Common risk factors include being over 40 years of age, overweight, inactive, family history, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and smoking.
Stroke Detection Plus will be offering four screenings on Wednesday, March 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311. Screenings include:
These painless and non-invasive screenings are open to all Drake employees, spouses, and retirees. The cost is $99 for all four screenings payable at the time of your appointment. If you only wish to participate in one or two screenings, the cost is $45 per screening.
Appointments are required. Register online or call 1-877-732-8258 toll free. If you call, be sure to mention that you are participating in the Drake University event in Des Moines at the Olmsted Center.
View more information on the screenings.
Linda Feiden, Human Resources
A new schedule for GroupX Classes will start March 19 and go through May 10. Times and classes will change, so make sure to check out the new schedule and attend your favorite classes.
— Drake Wellness
The deadline for submitting course material requests for the upcoming summer semester is March 15. Receiving material requests as soon as possible enables the Book Store to source the most affordable books for students and provide top dollar to students selling books back at the end of this semester. With the Book Store’s Online Adoption Tool, selecting course materials is fast and easy.
Access the online adoption tool
Visit www.drake.bkstr.com. Go to Books in the top navigation and under the Information heading, click Online Adoptions. If you need additional training to use the Online Adoption Tool, contact Donna Hallstrom at donna.hallstrom@drake.edu.
New User?
Follow the steps listed above. Click on Register Here and complete the required fields. Enter 1623 in the Book Store Supplied Password field.
Download the 6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks to learn about Follett’s different types of course material purchasing options. If you have any questions about the Online Adoption Tool or how to save students money, please contact Donna Hallstrom at donna.hallstrom@drake.edu.
— Donna Hallstrom, University Book Store
Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration graduate programs presents the 101 Speaker Series: Healthcare Today.
This session, focused on healthcare, will take place Wednesday, March 14. Doors open at 11:45 a.m. and the program begins at 12 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions on a wide range of topics. Lunch is provided for the first 50 people who register. Registration is required. The series is open to the public and parking is provided free of charge. Bring your business card to be entered into a door prize drawing.
The 101 Speaker Series is designed to engage the audience through interaction with our local panel of experts. Panel experts include:
Nataliya Boychenko
AVP, Employee Benefits, Shareholder, Holmes Murphy & Associates
Scott Sundstrom
Vice President, Government Relations, Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield
Jami Little
Program Integrity Specialist, Iowa Medicaid Enterprise
Dianna Gray, College of Business & Public Administration
Glow-in-the-dark Hip Hop will be held Thursday, April 5, from 8:15 to 9 p.m. in the Bell Center Gym. The class will include black lights, body paint, and glow sticks! The first 50 students to register using the IMLeagues app will receive a tank top.
—Drake Wellness
Drake SJMC alumni and students were honored last month at the annual American Advertising Federation of Des Moines contest. Award winners are:
—Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
All Staff Council added a new committee this year, the Special Interest Committee. The committee explores initiatives, questions, and/or concerns presented to All Staff Council through research, planning, and collaboration with appropriate offices on campus.
The Special Interest Committee has made two recommendations that are moving forward.
Recommendation 1: Add Human Resource policies to the Drake website. In addition, add an explanation of why there is a difference between exempt and non-exempt vacation time in the time card directions section.
Exempt staff begin with 160 hours of vacation, and non-exempt staff begin with 80 hours of vacation. Non-exempt staff use 37.5 hours as their workweek with five 30-minute lunches paid. Over the year, the 2.5 hours they get weekly for their paid lunch amounts to 130 hours. This equates to 16.25 days, which is more than two weeks of vacation time. It’s important to note that some staff do not get a paid lunch.
Recommendation 2: Add to the Drake website and HR policies that full-time staff members in exempt positions, who have 9-, 10- or 11-month contracts, have the opportunity to be paid over 12 months. Faculty already have this opportunity; therefore, the committee recommends that it be offered to staff members as well.
It should be noted that non-exempt staff would not be able to defer their pay because they must be paid on a payroll basis to include overtime earned in the pay period. This does not include Head Start employees as they must pay all employees within the program (fiscal) year and would not be able to defer pay into another program/fiscal year.
Additionally, the committee is working on creating a staff mentoring program scheduled to launch in August 2018.
The Special Interest Committee is interested in your suggestions. If you have a question, issue, or concern, reach out to Pam Pepper at pam.pepper@drake.edu or extension 4558. The committee will review your inquiry and respond. All suggestions are kept confidential.
—Pam Pepper, All Staff Council Special Interest Committee Chair
The next in our series of meetings focused on creating inclusive learning environments will be at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in the Olmsted Center, TMR 132. These meetings provide an opportunity for anyone on campus to come and discuss the challenges, successes, and failures we have faced as we try to navigate the difficult issue of creating inclusive learning environments. For questions, contact Art Sanders at arthur.sanders@drake.edu.
—Art Sanders, Associate Provost