With classes back in full swing and a multitude of activities taking place on campus we want to take this opportunity to remind those of us who operate golf carts and other vehicles on campus to always put safety first. It is important to keep in mind that there are a large number of pedestrians on campus and the potential for serious accidents can be very high. Here are a few safety tips to follow when operating a golf cart around campus that can help keep everyone safe:

1. Always inspect your cart or vehicle before operating. It is important to make sure that your cart is functioning properly before operating it.
2. Always use caution when driving around pedestrians. Keep in mind that pedestrians have the right away. If necessary pull over and stop to let pedestrians by.
3. Use caution when entering or exiting pedestrian walkways. This is especially important for blind spots where you may not be able to see pedestrians using the walkway.
4. Park in appropriate spots. Never block pedestrian walkways or access to emergency equipment such as fire hydrants.
5. Keep your arms in legs inside the cart at all times when it is moving.
6. Never ride with more passengers than seats. It is also important to keep everyone, including the driver, inside the cart at all times while operating a cart.
7. Avoid distractions while driving. Your primary focus when driving should be driving. Make sure to stay off your phone and don’t allow yourself to become distracted by passengers.
8. Do not drive with items obstructing your view. It is important to always be able to see where you are going when operating a vehicle of any kind.

Another important thing to keep in mind when operating golf carts and other vehicles around campus is that not everyone will be paying attention when walking. Students and other pedestrians might be engaged in conversations or listening to music and there’s a good chance they won’t see or hear you driving near them. This makes it all the more important that those who operate carts take their time, drive slowly, and watch for pedestrians.

Chris Nickell, Environmental Health and Safety

Want to be notified of technology outages by text? Opt in by texting DrakeITS2018 to phone number 226787. Text messages will only be sent between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The list is cleared at the end of each academic year, so if you were signed up last year, please re-enroll. We will continue to also post outage and news on the ITS website, IT Service Portal, and our ITS Twitter account.

If you run into issues signing up for the service, first try responding HELP to any error message you might receive. Sometimes the service isn’t configured correctly for your carrier. If that doesn’t work, contact your cell phone provider to make sure they have enabled short code texting.

Questions regarding this new service? Call 271-2356 or email carla.herling@drake.edu.

Carla Herling, ITS

At most universities, space is a scarce and valuable resource. Here at Drake we try to utilize every square foot available. Storage rooms can be found in every possible location across the campus.

That has also brought up a concern lately with items being stored on floors. Even though they are climate controlled, it is not always a good idea to store items on the floor as the items can become susceptible to getting dirty, incurring water damage, or taking up an unnecessary amount of storage space.

We encourage everyone to organize items, so that items can be found easily when needed, and create walkways to make for easy access. If you are going to store items on the floor, be sure you take every precaution to protect items from damage. It is recommend to raise items off the floor several inches or place on shelving units, use plastic or other containers to protect valuable stored items from getting damaged or wet.

Facilities Planning and Management thanks you in advance for your cooperation and support.

Manny Toribio, Facilities Planning and Management