All posts by Kayla Bell-Consolver

Campus Announcements Archive

Suicide Awareness Month programming

Welcome back to campus, Bulldogs. September is Suicide Awareness Month and we have a variety of events this month to support you. The Drake Counseling Center is collaborating with a variety of organizations on campus to remind you that hope and healing is possible.

Please join us at our events:

Free Movie Friday:
Sept. 8, 6–7:30 p.m., Sussman theater

  • Join us for free popcorn, drinks, and a panel following the movie to discuss ways to prevent suicide and support others.

A Room Full of Sisters
Sept. 9, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Upper Olmsted

  • Event will be open to women+ students (the plus indicates any students that identify as or have been socialized as women). This event will provide resources on navigating a PWI, relationships, finances, graduate school, and critical conversations between women. We will have guest speakers from the Des Moines community and Drake university. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow and learn ways to improve your relationships and future. Make sure to register!

Suicide Awareness Walk (Walk begins at 10:15)
Sept. 16, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Helmick Commons South

  • Join us in walking with us to bring awareness to suicide prevention, hope, and receive various campus and community resources.
  • Free QPR Gatekeeper Trainings – QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. These are the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

As a reminder, students have access to Uwill, a platform for immediate access to teletherapy! You can sign up at app.uwill.com. Through this app, students have access to a 24/7/365 crisis hotline: 833.646.1526. In addition, you can always use the national suicide helpline when needed by contacting or texting 988.

Remember, that no matter what you are experiencing, you are not alone, you belong here, and there is help available, including our counseling center and various community resources. Visit our website to learn more about these resources and our services: drake.edu/counselingcenter/

Two things are true: Your life has meaning and It’s okay to seek help. You are not broken and we are here to help you, especially at the Drake counseling center.

We hope to see you throughout September.

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Drake Counseling Center

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Welcome new Slay Fund Director Jill Allen

The Slay Fund for Social Justice welcomes a new faculty director, Jill Allen, for the 2023–2024 academic year. The Slay Fund for Social Justice is a wide-ranging endowed fund which aims to (1) support programs and initiatives which directly advance social justice and (2) continue important ongoing efforts around advancing social justice work in the Drake community. This fund is made possible through the generous support of Drake alumni, Brent and Diane Slay, who have shared in Drake’s commitment to elevate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice conversations and encourage social justice action.

Allen, an Iowa native and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, joined the Drake faculty in 2015 and specializes in prejudice reduction interventions related to STEM education and understanding the social consequences of sexual objectification among women and men. In addition to teaching courses which resonate with social justice themes, such as Psychology of Gender and Psychology of Prejudice, Allen’s scholarly pursuits target key psychological mechanisms (i.e., belonging, motivation) to mitigate the negative consequences of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination for stigmatized groups. “It is privilege to carry forward the Slays’ vision to provide exceptional social justice opportunities on Drake’s campus and within the Des Moines community,” adds Allen. “The types of experiential learning opportunities, leadership development, and mentoring programs sponsored by the Slay Fund have the potential to change a student’s trajectory, as well as to open hearts and minds toward diverse viewpoints.”

To learn more about the Slay Fund for Social Justice, or to discuss a possible grant proposal, please visit https://www.drake.edu/slay/ or reach out directly at slayfund@drake.edu.

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

HR Information Archive

Explore the new HR internal website

A few weeks ago, Drake HR made the big move to Sharepoint with our new internal website. And we did not just move what we had on the old site to the new site, we re-envisioned this employee resource from the ground up.

You can access the new page through the updated my.drake.edu page or jump to it at this link: https://drakeedu.sharepoint.com/sites/HumanResources.

There are a few pages you may enjoy taking a look at. We are fond of our Employee Perks page, which is under the Benefits tab. You can check out a great line up of BUILD classes for this fall through the Learning and Development tab. We know a lot of employees enjoy our well-being programs. We now have a new DU Well page dedicated to well-being related activities and information.

We tried to organize the site in a way that would be intuitive. We have also added many new pages for dedicated topics that simply did not exist before, including a New Employee Welcome Center, What to Expect When Expecting, and a whole site dedicated to Student Employment.

We believe having a robust and easy-to-navigate HR website illustrates our commitment to communication and transparency. While we love the new site, there is certainly room for improvement. We would love to hear what you think: What do you like? What isn’t your favorite? What should we add? How can we make additional improvements to assure this page supports and informs you on human resource topics? Please send any feedback to drakehr@drake.edu. You can also use our feedback survey link and share your thoughts in the Comments and Suggestions section.

— Maureen R. De Armond, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Committees comprised of faculty and staff support employee benefits

As a reminder to existing Drake employees and a “good to know” to new employees, Drake has two standing committees that help support Drake employee benefits:

The Drake University Investment Review Committee focuses on retirement benefits. It kicked off the academic year on Aug. 23. The committee includes faculty and staff and long-term outside consultants, Well and Good (who recently merged with PlanPilot). One of the hot topics discussed is a new federal law, called the Secure Act 2.0. While some specific aspects of the law, and its implementation timeline, remain in the air, it will likely offer high income earners additional avenues to save for retirement (such as shifting to a Roth IRA for catch-up contributions for those over the age of 50 who earn more than $145,000). As soon as there is more certainty to the “what” and “when” of the Secure Act 2.0 changes, TIAA will partner with Drake University on communications. To learn more about the likely changes this law will make, visit TIAA’s Secure Act 2.0: What You Need to Know page.

The second standing committee is the Drake University Benefits Committee, which is also comprised of faculty and staff and long-time consultants: Mark Becker & Associates (who recently merged with Gallagher). This committee focuses on our self-funded health insurance plan, dental plan, vision plan, flexible spending accounts, life insurance policies, long-term disability insurance, and other related benefits and perks. During this time of year, Drake HR is meeting with our vendors and consultants to anticipate what changes, if any, may be appropriate or needed for the following plan year. Due to our Open Enrollment schedule, by November 1, when Open Enrollment starts, we have to have all decisions for January 1 set in stone. More information to come about the work of the Benefits Committee in the coming months.

If you would like to learn more about Drake’s employee benefits and perks, please visit Drake HR’s new internal website and checkout the pages linked below the Employee Benefits tab! As always, you can reach out to Drake HR with any questions or suggestions that you have. You can best reach us at drakehr@drake.edu.

— Maureen R. De Armond and Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

For Students Archive

IFC Recruitment Week is Sept. 5–9

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) formal recruitment week will begin Tuesday, Sept. 5, and will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 9. Our recruitment process is free and non-committal, with food and drinks being provided by chapters throughout the week. If you are interested in the recruitment process, signup. For more information about IFC and recruitment, follow us on Instagram @drakeuniversityifc or check out our website drakefsl.com/ifc.

— Cody Butenhoff, Junior

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Sprout Garden Spruce Up event Sept. 6

Join All Staff Council on Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 2–4 p.m. to spruce up the Sprout Garden and Food Forest. Help with weeding, harvesting, and other important tasks.

No experience is necessary. Gloves and tools will be provided and you can come and go as your time allows. Please dress for the weather and wear something you don’t mind getting a little dirty. Close-toed shoes are recommended. Bring sunscreen and a hat if you prefer.

To sign up, visit https://givepul.se/a64btj.

Refreshments will be provided by the All Staff Council Events & Community Service committee. The Sprout Garden is located at 1270 30th Street in Des Moines.

— Elissa Johnson

Campus Announcements Archive

New on-campus employment website is live

We are excited to announce a website dedicated to on-campus employment. It was designed to support students looking for on-campus employment, those who already have on-campus positions, and the supervisors who oversee student workers.

The section headings include: Everything Students, How to Get Started, All about Timesheets, and a Supervisor’s Toolkit. Within the site, you will find information and resources, including frequently asked questions for students and supervisors, information specific to international students, and more.

We invite you to spend some time on the website: https://drakeedu.sharepoint.com/sites/OnCampusStudentEmployment.

Our hope is that this new page will provide students and supervisors with the information they need to support all facets of student employment. While we think the new page is great, there is surely room for additional improvement. Please provide us with feedback and suggestions by emailing student.employment@drake.edu. Your ideas and suggestions are both welcomed and greatly appreciated.

— Marli Jefferson, Human Resources

Strategic Updates Archive

Meredith Hall renovations wrap up in time for fall semester

Meredith Hall, home to Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), Bright College, and many College of Arts and Sciences programs, is wrapping up renovation work and will be ready to serve students for the fall semester. Faculty and staff with offices in the building started moving back into their spaces last week.

The renovation work began in December 2022 with the intent to preserve the building’s historically significant architecture, while making the facility more environmentally friendly and better suited to the teaching and learning styles of today.

Throughout the planning and renovation process, Drake Facilities Planning and Management worked in close coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to ensure the building remains eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The completed project includes improvements to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, new LED light fixtures, a solar array installed on the roof, new ceiling systems, new bottle-filler drinking fountains, and technology upgrades throughout the building. Areas within the building were also reimagined to include a new student collaboration space and zip spaces. A new film viewing room was created in the lower level that includes salvaged seating from Varsity Theater.

Another notable aspect of the renovation included returning the signature metal exterior to its original shade of black, as it was when it was first constructed in 1965 and received international attention for its Mid-Century Modern architectural appeal.

Picture of Meredith Hall when it opened in 1965.

Meredith Hall was designed by world-renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and part of the renovation project includes restoring the building’s courtyard, which is distinct among Mies’ designs.

Improvements to the courtyard include new landscaping and furniture to match Mies’ original intent of furnishings from the Knoll 1965 collection.

The Drake Facilities Planning and Management team also worked closely with SHPO to add padded cushioning to the original wooden seats in both of Meredith Hall’s auditoriums. To maintain the original design and aesthetics of the seats, Drake worked with the original manufacturer, Carroll Seating Company, on the renovations in which the original seat backs and bases will be used. In fact, the same person who designed the seats in 1965 worked to help renovate those same seats now.

Read about all the infrastructure updates, new sustainable features, and enriched teaching and learning opportunities on the Meredith Hall Revitalization web page.

“Our ultimate goal of updating this historic facility was to create learning spaces that meet the needs of today’s students while retaining the building’s key historic features,” said Michelle Huggins, planning and design manager, Facilities Planning and Management. “We want to ensure that people another 50 or 100 years from now will walk into this space and be just as impressed as they were in 1965 when the building first opened.”

— Heather Winslow, Facilities Planning and Management

For Students Archive

SPSS Statistics 29 now available for install

SPSS Statistics 29 is now available for install on Drake-owned computers.

To install this software on a Windows computer, navigate to the Company Portal. Search for the software, and follow the install instructions. For more information and detailed steps on using the Company Portal, please see Using Company Portal (How-to).

To install this software on a Mac computer, navigate to the Self Service application. Search for the software, and follow the install instructions. For more information and detailed steps on using Mac Self Service, please see Adding Software to your Drake-owned Mac Computer (How-to).

If you have issues installing SPSS 29 or would like assistance, please submit a Software Request ticket, call 515–271–3001, or visit the lower level of Carnegie Hall.

— Greg Christie, ITS