Head Coach Niko Medved and his staff invite all Drake faculty and staff to attend an open practice today, Oct. 10, at 3:45 p.m. in The Knapp Center. Faculty and staff are encouraged to come get a glimpse of this year’s men’s basketball team before the season kicks off. Attendees are welcome to come and go as they please and are not obligated to stay for the entire practice. Attendees should enter through The Knapp Center lobby and proceed downstairs to the men’s basketball practice facility.

For questions, contact Aaron Katsuma at 515-271-3894, aaron.katsuma@drake.edu.

—Tom Florian, Drake Athletics

Phi Beta Kappa is trying to compile a campus membership roster. If you are a faculty or staff member who was inducted into this academic honor society, please email Karen Wallace at karen.wallace@drake.edu.

—Karen Wallace, Law School

The Drake Social, hosted by the Provost, will be held Thursday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m., in the Shivers Hospitality Suite. There will be no town hall meeting prior to the social, so plan to join us for purely social time. Wine, beer, and soft drinks will be served, as well as popcorn and snack mix.

—Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office

The Office of New Student Programs is looking for staff and faculty who were the first in their family to earn a four-year degree to help support and engage with first-generation students on campus.

First-generation staff and faculty are encouraged to wear a “First Gen Bulldog” button Oct. 23–27 to show support for current first-generation students and to help them identify with faculty and staff who understand their experiences.

To conclude the week, a lunch will be held Oct. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Cowles Library, Room 201. The lunch will be casual with pizza provided. Feel free to drop in and out as needed. First-generation faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend.

If you are interested in participating by wearing a button and/or attending the lunch, please fill out a survey.

This initiative is part of the Office of New Student Programs’ efforts to grow Drake’s support and resources for first-generation students. Approximately 10–14 percent of first year students at Drake are the first in their family to pursue a four-year degree. Click here for more information and to watch a video of faculty, staff, and students sharing stories and advice on the first-generation experience.

For questions, contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu.

—Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

As a reminder, Drake is transitioning its procurement card program from Wells Fargo to PNC Bank. For background information on the change, see the Sept. 26 OnCampus article.

Next steps for Cardholders:

Log in and set up PNC Visa IntelliLink access

PNC Visa IntelliLink system will be the new system utilized to review and reconcile purchasing card transactions monthly. All users will receive login instructions via email the week of Oct. 9. It is recommended that users log in and set up their account prior to picking up the new purchasing card.

Read and understand the Purchasing Card Policy

The policy was recently updated to reflect new program changes and requirements. Be sure to read the policy in its entirety. All cardholders will be required to sign a purchasing card user agreement upon card pickup to confirm they have read, understand, and agree to follow the University’s purchasing card policy and procedures.

Pick up your new card at one of the day/times listed below

At the time of pickup, you will be required to show ID (Driver’s License or Drake ID), turn in your old Wells Fargo purchasing card, and sign a new purchasing card user agreement. The cardholder must be present to pick up their cards. Accounting staff will be available during the times below to answer questions regarding the new card program.

PNC Visa IntelliLink Website Training

User guides for the PNC Visa IntelliLink website are being developed. Once they are complete, they will be made available online under the PCard Forms and Resources section.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming transition of the procurement card program, please contact your program administrators at pcard@drake.edu.

—Meghan Settje, Financial Reporting Manager

The deadline for submitting course material requests for the upcoming J-Term and spring semester is Oct. 20. Receiving material requests as soon as possible enables the bookstore 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 bookstore’s Online Adoption Tool, selecting course materials is fast and easy. Also, download 6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks to learn about different types of course material purchasing options.

Access the Online Adoption Tool

• Visit 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 Bookstore Supplied Password field.

—Donna Hallstrom, University Book Store

As a reminder, the deadline to submit midterm grades is 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 23. Midterm grades can be entered through blueView, MyDUSIS, and Blackboard 9. For instructions or questions on grade-entry, contact Kevin Moenkhaus, associate registrar, at kevin.moenkhaus@drake.edu or 271-3902.

Please submit all midterm grades––not only D or F grades––for first-year students, and D or F grades for upper-class students. It’s important to note, because of the documented impact on student persistence and support, some college and school leaders have asked that faculty submit all grades for all students (first year and upper-class) so please follow the direction of your dean.

If you have not yet formally assessed your students, and would like to submit an alternate form of assessment that indicates you believe a student is performing satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily as of midterm, please contact Kevin Moenkhaus for instructions.

Academic performance is an essential ingredient to helping students persist and succeed at Drake. As you are aware, research indicates that mid-term grade entry is an important feedback mechanism for students to understand their progress to-date, so they can make necessary adjustments and seek out resources and support. It also helps to celebrate students who are doing well and hold them to high standards. Mid-term grade deadlines are timed to allow students to make informed decisions about their progress.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to student success.

—Sue Mattison, Provost