This serves as an update to our plans for modifying workplace protocols for the month of July. We continue to work toward a return to full on-campus operations as we prepare to welcome students back to campus for the 2021–2022 academic year.
As previously communicated, employees no longer need to register their personal travel.
Work-related travel is allowed, but requires approval by the President’s Council leader for your area.
Departments may continue to increase on campus operations gradually over the month of July. There are no limits on office density, but managers should ensure that 3-feet social distancing is possible.
Departments may begin to hold in-person meetings, so long as 3-feet social distancing can be maintained.
For now, masks will continue to be required inside University buildings. We continue to monitor vaccination rates to assess our ability to make modifications to this policy.
These guidelines will be reviewed in July. Changes for the month of August will be communicated by July 26. Guidelines are subject to change based on new developments in the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination rates within the Drake or local community.
Faculty and staff are invited to submit course proposals for the First Year J-Term Experience pilot program. The purpose of the First Year J-Term Experience is to help students apply reflective, experiential learning focused on one pillar of the institutional mission: meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. This zero-credit opportunity will provide students with a transcriptable experience.
Ransomware attacks don’t just affect businesses; colleges and universities are also prime targets for attacks. Within the last thirty days, educational organizations have been the target of more than 6.1 million malware attacks, while the second-most affected industry (business and professional services) has only seen 900,000 attacks. An analysis of ransomware campaigns within higher education found that ransomware attacks against colleges and universities have more than doubled since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to increased frequency, the average ransom demand grew from an average of $8,000 in 2018, to $170,000 in 2020. Some high-end demands have exceeded $1 million.
The FBI’s Cyber Division recently warned that ransomware poses a growing risk for higher education, as cybercriminals are focusing on colleges and universities. This warning hit home in June as Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) was forced to temporarily shut down operations as a result of a ransomware attack.
Warnings from the FBI and the recent DMACC incident are reminders to remain ever vigilant in protecting University data. Be careful with every email you receive, especially those that ask you to click on a link or verify personal or financial information. To assist with recognizing fraudulent emails, especially in light of this continuing trend, ITS will continue to simulate phishing and assign training to those most susceptible as part of our larger cybersecurity strategy. If you believe you’ve been targeted by phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to) for next steps.
Drake University has updated the Cellular Phone Policy that was originally developed in 2009. The University will continue to not own cellular phones for the use of individual employees except in limited situations. Employees whose job functions include the frequent need for a cellular phone may receive a stipend, in the form of a cell phone allowance. Eligibility for the cell phone allowance will be confirmed by managers and approved by the applicable President’s Council member in accordance with eligibility factors listed in the policy. The amount of the cell phone allowance is changing to be more reflective of cellular phone billing practices while still acknowledging that job functions may require some level of business-related use of an employee’s personal cell phone.
All interested members of the Drake community are encouraged to review and comment on these policy revisions by July 26, 2021. The policy is slated to be effective as of August 1, 2021.
Below are some opportunities to help you become proficient in Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses before Fall 2021.
Training Options
Blackboard YouTube Playlist Follow the Blackboard YouTube playlist for access to 50+ video tutorials on the Ultra Course Experience. NOTE: This option may cover tools unavailable at Drake and may not provide rationale for decision making.
Drake Online “Design Dialogue” Sessions Drake Online staff hosted a series of “Design Dialogues” each focusing on a different topic related to Blackboard Learn Ultra. Recordings of the Design Dialogues are available on their Faculty Resources page.
Blackboard Learn Ultra Instructor Orientation course The Blackboard Learn Ultra Instructor Orientation course is available in Blackboard Learn. Every Drake faculty member has been enrolled as a student in this self-paced course. We strongly encourage you to complete this course so you can start preparing for fall. If you cannot locate it or need access, please submit a Blackboard Issue request.
Understanding the Ultra Experience Webinar Recordings The Understanding the Ultra Experience Webinar Series includes four topics, re-recorded monthly to reflect software updates. Please be sure to select the most recent series (at the bottom of the page):
NOTE: These Blackboard-sponsored opportunities require a one-time registration
Learn Ultra Base Navigation
Learn Ultra Course Design
Learn Ultra Course and 3rd Party Tools
Grading and Managing the Gradebook
Drake faculty members who have attended these webinars have found them incredibly helpful and worthwhile.
Hands-on Building in Ultra Sandbox Courses Learn Ultra sandbox courses were made available to most faculty members in Fall 2020. If you don’t have a sandbox course in Learn Ultra and would like one or need any additional sandbox courses, please submit a Blackboard Site Creation request.
The sandbox courses:
Provide a risk-free environment for hands-on practice in a Learn Ultra course.
Allow you to build/prep a new course in Learn Ultra (which can later be copied into a live course, if desired).
Need More Help?
Contextual Help In the bottom right corner, of any page in Learn Ultra, look for the purple question mark and click on Blackboard Help to be re-directed to articles to help you learn more about the feature you are using.
Drake printers/copiers are leased from and maintained by Laser Resources Inc. (LRI). Our current lease period expires this summer and we are entering into a new agreement with LRI. As part of this lease renewal, we are re-evaluating campus needs and trying to more effectively manage printing costs.
A project team, made up of staff members from ITS, Student Services, Finance, and LRI representatives, meets weekly. In June, LRI staff held initial meetings with representatives across campus to discuss printing, scanning, and copying needs for their departments.
Through information gathered in these interviews, it was determined that Drake would be unable to reduce the number of devices as much as originally anticipated. As a result, Drake will be keeping some of the current fleet of devices in addition to leasing new ones. There will still be a reduction in the number of printers, but in a way that better aligns with departmental needs.
LRI is currently working on a proposal to take back to the project team. Once that proposal has been reviewed, follow up meetings will be held to inform departments of expected printer changes and the replacement timeline for their area.
More specific information on which devices will be in each location, and other changes, will be shared in future OnCampus articles.
The project team has created an initial Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at drake.edu/its/printing. Additional questions and answers will be added as the project progresses and more information becomes available.
Polk County is offering a vaccine lottery to help boost COVID-19 vaccination rates. From June 15 through Aug. 22 individuals who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson) can register at ImmunizePolk.org for a chance to win prizes.
If an individual’s name is drawn, they will receive a cash prize once they are fully vaccinated (2 doses of Pfizer/Moderna or 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson). Participants must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Polk County.
Cash prize drawings will be held weekly starting June 25. Every Friday 10 $1,000 prizes will be drawn, and every other Friday one $50,000 prize and one $5,000 scholarship in addition to the 10 $1,000 prizes will be drawn.
As a reminder, all Iowans 12 years of age and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The University strongly encourages any member of the Drake community who qualifies for immunization to receive it as soon as possible.
Faculty and staff should submit documentation showing completion of their vaccination series to contacttracing@drake.edu. The University is monitoring vaccination rates on campus and in the surrounding community as it makes decisions related to COVID-19 policies for the summer and fall.
The Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication placed seventh in the national Hearst Intercollegiate Writing Competition for 2020-2021.
The competition, often called “the Pulitzers of college journalism,” is a yearlong series of monthly contests in writing, photojournalism, audio, television and multimedia. Student winners earn points for their institutions. Three Drake students won writing awards this year in the categories of explanatory journalism and personality profile.
The competition is held in collaboration with the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, and currently 104 programs are eligible to participate. Drake was one of the few private institutions to place in the contest and by far the smallest university. Other institutions that placed in the top 10 in the writing competition were Syracuse University, Indiana University, Arizona State University, University of Florida, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Brigham Young University and Pennsylvania State University.
— Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The most visible sign of the vitality of a University can be seen by examining the success and achievements of its alumni. Drake University and the National Alumni Association Board of Directors are proud to honor exceptional graduates with the Drake University Alumni Awards. These awards recognize the significant contributions of our alumni to their alma mater, their profession, and their communities.
The 2021 winners are:
Distinguished Alumni Award: Holly Morrison Dierks, LA’76 Alumni Achievement Award: Timothy E. Orr, ED’83 Young Alumni Achievement Award: Ajenai Clemmons, AS’02 Community Service Award: Pam Schoffner, JO’72 Alumni Loyalt Award: Sharon Wilkinson, ED’68, GR’75 Young Alumni Loyalty Award: Philip J. De Koster, LW’10
The Drake community is invited to meet the winners and hear their stories in the Alumni Awards video series.
A new application, My Information, was added to the student, employee, and parent home pages of myDrake. The link goes to an updated screen with your personal information (see below). While on the page, you can add, update, or delete email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, and emergency contact information.
In addition to its temporary spotin the Commonly Used apps section, My Information is also located in the My Drake Profile section for students, the Human Resources section for employees, and the Parent Resources section for parents. For students, the My Information link replaces the My Contact Info, My Directory Profile, and My Addresses links. The MyDUSIS link and name will be phased out as the project progresses.
As the project continues and new features are launched, ITS will keep you informed by updating the project FAQ page and through future issues of OnCampus.
