All posts by Ashton Hockman

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Celebrating our Core Values

To celebrate our core values, we have created videos on Joyful Accountability and Generosity of Spirit (with more to come). Please take a look!

Everyone also has access to an inventory of Core Value recognition cards. You are encouraged to use these cards to recognize and thank your peers. Each college dean and unit leader has a supply, so if needed — just ask!

Lastly, e-cards representing each of the Drake core values are now available for use in Peerceive, Drake’s online recognition tool.

Nate Reagen, Chief of Staff

HR Information Archive

Make a healthy start to the new year

If the holidays were tough on your fitness and nutrition routine, now is the time to get back on track.

Drake Recreational Services offers employees body composition analysis, fitness assessments, and personal training sessions. Body composition analysis breaks down the percentage of fat, bone, water, and muscle in your body and what that means when determining certain health risk factors. A fitness assessment is designed to evaluate your health and fitness. It provides baseline measurements of your current endurance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Employees may also register for personal training sessions where a customized exercise program will be designed for you. For pricing information or to schedule an appointment, send an email to wellness@drake.edu.

Drake employees may also schedule an appointment with Sodexo campus dietitian Lucas Flaherty at lucas.flaherty@drake.edu. His services include 1-on-1 dietary consultation, allergy management, disease management, and meal ideas/recipe guidance.

A full list of Drake employee perks and discounts can be found in myDrake by clicking on the Human Resources App  at the top of the page. From there, click Benefits, then Additional Benefits, and finally Perks and Discounts for Drake Employees.

Linda Feiden, HR Wellness & Recognition Specialist

Campus Announcements Archive

Changes coming to OnCampus: Single source submission policy, Events moving to University Calendar

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 15, you will notice a few changes to OnCampus, and for those who submit news and announcements, a slightly new submission process.

OnCampus serves as a key internal communication resource, distributing 30 to 40 news items each week. Submission have often pertained to events, which are now promoted via the University’s online events calendar, which was launched earlier this fall and announced in OnCampus. Starting next month, OnCampus will no longer include event submissions as they belong instead on the online calendar; this should greatly improve the readability of OnCampus and ensure the content is relevant and easily consumable.

The “featured events” section of OnCampus will include three events each week that will be chosen at the discretion of University Communications and Marketing. All other events (meetings, lectures, athletic events, fine arts performances, discussions, faculty and staff development sessions, town halls, etc.) should be submitted to the University calendar. In every edition of OnCampus, there will be a button that drives readers to the calendar for a comprehensive list of events. For information and how-to guides on how to use the calendar, see the OnCampus article published earlier this fall.

If you’re worried about missing events, consider adding relevant event categories to your personal calendar. Within the calendar, select the category you want on the right-hand side of the page, such as “Arts & Entertainment.” A new page will open listing the events within this category. Click on the appropriate calendar icon at the top of the page (Google, Outlook, iCal), and all future events in this category will automatically be added to your calendar.

The second change coming to the newsletter pertains to the submission process. Historically, there have been multiple ways to submit news to OnCampus. In order to make the process simple and more efficient, we are asking faculty, staff, and students to submit all OnCampus stories using the online submission form on the OnCampus website. Please review the submission guidelines before submitting your news item.

For questions, contact Ashton Hockman at ashton.hockman@drake.edu.

—Ashton Hockman, University Communications and Marketing

 

 

 

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Big Ideas submission period begins Monday

How do we ensure that Drake University is great for years to come? With Big Ideas. Drake’s Big Ideas initiative invites faculty, staff, students, and volunteers to submit ideas that have the potential to make a powerful and momentous impact on Drake, the region, and the world.

Proposals can be submitted beginning Monday, Jan. 14. The submission window will remain open for one month, closing Feb. 15.

The initiative invites the University community to take a shared ownership in defining Drake’s future. Submitted proposals will be reviewed by the Big Ideas Steering Committee, with select proposals being used by University Advancement to attract and inspire private giving in the years ahead.

Visit the Big Ideas website to read more about what is a Big Idea, the submission process, and project timeline. The website also contains a FAQ to help you better understand the initiative. Those with Big Ideas are encouraged to reach out to a member of the Steering Committee for questions and as a resource as they develop their proposal.

Beginning Monday, faculty, staff, and students (through a campus champion) are encouraged to submit bold, transformational ideas that will help solidify Drake as a leading institution for generations to come.

John Smith, University Advancement

Campus Announcements Archive

2019 mileage reimbursement rate

Drake reimburses mileage for use of personal automobiles by employees for actual miles driven during business travel. The reimbursement rate is based on the current standard mileage rate issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

Effective Jan. 1, 2019, the standard mileage rate issued by the IRS for the use of a car will be: 58 cents per business mile driven, up from 54.5 cents in 2018.

The standard mileage rate is evaluated annually by the IRS and is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

If you have any questions regarding the reimbursable mileage rate, please visit the IRS website, or contact Accounting at accounting@drake.edu.

Jenifer Baugher, Accounting

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Helping students with financial obstacles

Have you ever heard students say that they may not be able to return to school because a parent lost a job, or due to significant family medical expenses? Have you wondered how to help?
Federal regulations give financial aid administrators the authority to make certain adjustments (called professional judgements) to a student’s FAFSA to better reflect a student’s current financial circumstances. Professional judgments may result in an increase to the student’s eligibility for need-based assistance.

Student Financial Planning has developed the Special Circumstances Form designed to help a student report financial situations that are either not reported on the FAFSA, or have changed since the tax year on which the FAFSA is based. Our office will review these forms to determine if adjustments to a student’s FAFSA could be made.

I know that students frequently share their financial struggles with others around campus. Thank you for your partnership as we seek to increase awareness about this recourse for students encountering financial hardship. Please share this form with students who may need it, or direct them to Student Financial Planning for assistance.

Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

HR Information Archive

Join Weight Watchers at Work

Now is the perfect time to get into the habit of making healthier choices. If your goals include losing weight, then Weight Watchers at Work may be the solution.

Weekly meetings include a confidential weigh-in prior to the meeting, followed by a 30-minute class. Weight Watchers unique mix of face-to-face interactions with a trained leader, group support, accountability, digital tools, and the convenience of meetings in the workplace have helped faculty and staff to be successful in their weight loss goals.

The cost is $156 for a 12-week renewable series with a minimum of 15 paying participants. Payment may be made in a lump sum or split into three payments.

If you are interested in joining a Weight Watchers at Work series during the spring term, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Route 66 Challenge

This four-week wellness challenge begins Monday, Feb. 4. The goal is to make your way from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., along historic Route 66 by participating in activities that will get you moving and making smart lifestyle choices (7–8 hours of sleep, wearing your seat belt, etc.).

Participants will receive a travel packet which contains a scoring sheet, tracking log, and map. Weekly emails will help keep you on course and share notes about some unusual tourist destinations along the way. Challenge yourself or compete with co-workers to see who can reach Santa Monica first.

To get started, send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu with the subject line Route 66. Deadline to register is noon on Friday, Feb. 1.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Des Moines Performing Arts discount tickets

If you are looking for some new adventures in 2019, check out the schedule of events offered through the Des Moines Performing Arts. Drake employees receive discounted tickets to select shows and performances at the Civic Center, Stoner Theater, Temple Theater, and Cowles Commons.

Go to https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/etickets/, select Drake University under the Organization drop down menu, click Continue, enter the promo code EGROUPS1819 and hit Continue again. It will take you to a list of upcoming events. As noted on the website, discounts will be applied when selecting seats. Discounts are available for select performances and price levels. Some restrictions may apply.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Faculty and staff Blackboard online courses

Reminder: Two online courses, Drake University Online Information Security Awareness and Prevent Sexual Violence Together, were due to be completed Dec. 7. If you haven’t completed them, see the information below.  An additional course, Prevent Discrimination and Harassment Together, is to be completed by March 31.

These new online programs underscore Drake’s commitment to the safety and security of our people. You’ll view realistic scenarios based in a higher education setting and interactively answer related questions. Training is completed at your own pace and the courses may be accessed multiple times. Courses retain previously completed content and will return you to the place you last viewed course information. The Blackboard system will electronically record your status as “completed” when you finish each course.

Course access in Blackboard
To locate the courses log in to myDrake and click the Blackboard app in the shaded blue area near the top of the screen. Click Agree and Continue at the pop-up screen describing privacy, cookies and terms of use. Next, enter your Drake Banner numeric ID and password and you’ll be directed to the Blackboard home page. The courses are listed in the My Courses area of the page.

Need Help?
The home page of Blackboard includes a link to On Demand Help topics. If you have questions about the Information Security Awareness course, contact Peter Lundstedt, director, Information Security and Compliance.  For questions about the other courses, contact Mary Alice Hill, director, HR Partner Services, or Kathryn Overberg, Title IX coordinator and equity and inclusion policy specialist.

Mary Alice Hill, Human Resources