This Friday, Nov. 17, is the last day to take the ITS Phishing Quiz. Take the short quiz to learn how to identify email phishing and keep yourself safe online. Thanks to some local businesses and campus partners, ITS is giving away six great prize packages. Everyone who completes the quiz will be entered into the prize drawing. Take the quiz today.
Carla Herling, ITS
Nov. 13–17 marks International Education Week, an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.
During the week, Drake students, faculty, and staff can try international foods at Hubbell Dining Hall or Quad Creek Cafe, talk to a resident assistant about internationalization programs in the residence halls, and network with campus contacts who have been abroad or are from another country.
Stop by the Olmsted breezeway this Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn about international education, passports, and more. Tables may include food, passport applications, study abroad and other information, and prize drawing(s).
As a culmination to the week, Drake International will host an open house on Friday, Nov. 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. in their new home at 1213 25th St. (former Ray Center). The campus community is invited to come and see their newly renovated space, meet the International team, and enjoy snacks and beverages.
–Annique Kiel, Drake International
Campus building hours will be adjusted for the Thanksgiving holiday. Most of campus will close at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22, and will remain closed to the general public through the end of the week. Students, faculty, and staff can still enter their authorized buildings with their Drake Card. For the majority of buildings, regular access will resume on Sunday, Nov. 26.
Contact Public Safety at 515-271-2222 for door access emergencies during this time. For non-emergency related questions, please email studentservices@drake.edu.
Cowles Library open hours/after-hours can be found on its website.
—Sara Heijerman, Student Services
Do you know someone who should earn an alumni award? Drake and the National Alumni Association Board are proud to honor exceptional graduates each year during the Drake Relays at the Alumni Awards Reception. These awards recognize the significant contributions of our alumni to their alma mater, their profession, and their community. Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2018 Alumni Awards. Submissions must be completed by Monday, Dec. 11. Please direct questions to Nicki Kimm in Alumni Relations at nicki.kimm@drake.edu or 515-271-2463.
Meredith Ponder, University Communications
On Saturday, Nov. 18, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., all Banner (DUSIS) services will be unavailable. Access to blueView, MyDUSIS, DUSIS (INB) Forms, Workflow, eTranscripts, Job Submission, and ODBC (Microsoft Access) will be unavailable. This outage will allow ITS to install necessary software upgrades for the Banner/DUSIS system.
If you continue experiencing issues after the outage has ended, please call the Support Center at 515-271-3001, or report your issue using our Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its.
–Carla Herling, ITS
Last month, more than 350 faculty and staff shared feedback about University Communications via the Survey of Administrative Services. Thanks to all respondents, nearly half of whom work with University Communications regularly (i.e. at least every few months). The positive feedback provides affirmation and encouragement, while the constructive feedback will help the team improve processes and further strengthen the University’s communication and marketing efforts.
Nearly three of every four respondents who said they regularly work with University Communications reported that they are satisfied with the department’s services. The highest scoring areas, and the mean in a five-point aggregate scale, were:
There were also three clear areas that need improvement:
In terms of specific services, all survey respondents—whether they work regularly with University Communications or not—are most satisfied with campus communications (4.19) including OnCampus and leadership messages, and with alumni communications (3.84) such as Blue magazine and eBlue digital newsletter.
Strategic communications planning (3.43) and student recruitment communications (3.32) are the areas perceived as needing the most improvement. The University Communications team has already begun putting more focus on these two areas, and they will remain priorities going forward.
All other services provided by University Communications scored above 3.50; that suggests fairly solid performance all-around.
Some of the initiatives already underway to improve performance within University Communications include:
The survey feedback will serve as a blueprint heading into 2018, as University Communications works to better support the University’s mission and continuous improvement initiatives. In the meantime, you can learn more about University Communication’s expertise and explore the department’s online toolkit.
–Dave Remund, University Communications
There are only four days left to give as part of Drake’s United Way campaign. The campaign is going well, and we’re excited about the progress. Thank you to those who have participated. Remember, our goal is to achieve approximately a 20 percent participation rate; donating is entirely optional.
If you are interested in contributing, donating takes only a few minutes. An email from United Way with a donation link was distributed to campus on Nov. 6. Contributions may also be designated to specific organizations, such as the Ray Center, the Drake Adult Literacy Center, or the Boys and Girls Clubs.
If our campaign goal is met, all employees will receive the full day off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (instead of a half-day). Other incentives include basketball tickets, Drake merchandise (there’s still some left to give away!), and more. See the incentives page or visit the campaign page to learn more.
For questions on the campaign, contact your campaign ambassador or Nate Reagen at nate.reagen@drake.edu or ext. 2949.
Nate Reagen, President’s Office
An overview of upcoming benefit plan changes will be provided by Mark J. Becker, Drake benefit consultant, today at 2 p.m. in Olmsted Center, Room 310. Wellmark representatives will also demonstrate how to conduct cost comparisons and prescription drug searches on the Wellmark website during the meeting.
—Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources
Drake Women’s Basketball will host the fourth annual Baby Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 3, during halftime of its game against Creighton. Children 18 months and younger are eligible to compete. This is a crawling-only competition. We invite you to register your baby or encourage friends and family to do so. Be sure to sign up early as space is limited. Registration is open now until all slots are filled. Racers will receive two complimentary tickets to the game for parents/guardians. All contestants will receive a Drake Bulldogs baby bib for their efforts. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers.
Register by clicking here or by visiting DrakeTix.com/BabyBowl.
Questions? Please contact Tom Florian, assistant director of ticket sales, at 515-271-4949 or thomas.florian@drake.edu.
—Tom Florian, Drake Athletics
Holiday Trimmings is a six-week program designed to encourage you to maintain or lose weight over the holiday season. If you have trouble dodging festive yet fattening foods, like pecan pie, sausage stuffing, and egg nog, this challenge is for you.
Beginning and ending weights will be recorded, and throughout the challenge you will receive healthy holiday tips. Everyone who maintains or loses weight will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win prizes.
For more information, or to register to participate, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu with the subject line “Holiday Trimmings.” Deadline to register is Thursday, Nov. 16.
A packet of information will be sent to those who register. Read through the packet carefully and start the challenge on Monday, Nov. 20.
Let’s make this a happy and healthy holiday season!
—Linda Feiden, Human Resources
