All posts by Shelby Nelson

For Staff Archive

Call for All Staff Council Nominations

CALL FOR ALL STAFF COUNCIL NOMINATIONS 

Do you know a staff member who would like to make an impact to strengthen the staff experience on campus? Nominate them (or yourself!) NOW for All Staff Council. The following three-year positions are available: 

  • Chair-Elect: Sits on the Executive Board. Serves their first year as Chair-Elect, their second year as Chair, and their third and final year as Past-Chair. 
  • Governance Committee: Finalizes the structure of All Staff Council by developing rules. Conducts yearly elections and attends to any rules changes, recommendations, or policies proposed.  
  • Recognition Committee: Strives to make sure staff members are recognized and rewarded for a job well done, feel appreciated for the work they do, and are welcomed as valued members of the Bulldog community.  
  • Special Events/Community Service Committee: Develops and implements plans for special events on campus and creates awareness of community service opportunities available for staff participation. 
  • Special Interest Committee: Explores initiatives, questions, and/or concerns presented to All Staff Council through research, planning, and collaboration with appropriate offices on campus. 

Nominations are due Friday, February 14 by midnight. Elections will be held in the spring. Newly elected members will begin their three-year term on June 1, 2025. Learn more about All Staff Council here. 

—Shelby Nelson, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Campus Announcements Archive

End of Semester/Winter Break Campus Building Hours

End of the Fall semester: Building schedules will change for the Winter Break and the start/end of the semesters.  Following finals, we will adopt “administrative hours” for most campus buildings while classes are not in session (buildings will be open on weekdays from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm December 16–20).  Most extended hour student access plans will also be disabled for the break. 

Winter Break: Doors will be locked for the winter break from December 21st to January 1st.  Faculty and staff will still be able to utilize their authorized access plans (for example, 24/7 access to their office buildings), but extended hour student plans will continue to be shut off during this time. 

Start of J-term semester: “Administrative hours” (7:30am – 4:30pm) will resume for the staff’s return on January 2nd and 3rd, and then regular Monday – Friday academic year building hours and extended student access will resume at the start of J-term (January 6th).  Due to decreased weekend traffic during J-term, we will again lock buildings on the weekends through January and will be 100% back to our normal schedule when Spring semester starts, the week of January 27.   

If you have a scheduling conflict that will be affected by this door schedule, please speak to your building manager so they can put in a ticket to unlock the doors outside of our planned schedule.  Please note that not every building will follow this schedule exactly (Rec, Cowles, Law, and Olmsted often have some schedule variations), so feel free to check in at those buildings if you are unsure of their schedules. 

Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time. Feel free to email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.

Happy Holiday Season!

—Sara Heijerman, Finance & Administration

Campus Announcements Archive

Thanksgiving and Winter Break Campus Building Hours

Thanksgiving: Campus building hours will be adjusted for the Thanksgiving Holiday – most of campus will be closed Wednesday 11/27 through Saturday 11/30. Card access will still allow you to enter your authorized buildings, and most regular door schedules will resume on Sunday, December 1st.

End of the Fall semester: Building schedules will also change for the Winter Break and the start/end of the semesters.  Following finals, we will adopt “administrative hours” for most campus buildings while classes are not in session (buildings will be open on weekdays from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm 12/16-12/20).  Most extended hour student access plans will also be disabled for the break.

Winter Break: Doors will be locked for the winter break from December 21st to January 1st.  Faculty and staff will still be able to utilize their authorized access plans (for example, 24/7 access to their office buildings), but extended hour student plans will continue to be shut off during this time.

Start of J-term semester: “Administrative hours” (7:30am – 4:30pm) will resume for the staff’s return on 1/2 and 1/3, and then regular Monday – Friday academic year building hours and extended student access will resume at the start of J-term (January 6th).  Due to decreased weekend traffic during J-term, we will again lock buildings on the weekends through January and will be 100% back to our normal schedule when Spring semester starts, the week of January 27.

If you have a scheduling conflict that will be affected by this door schedule, please speak to your building manager so they can put in a ticket to unlock the doors outside of our planned schedule.  Please note that not every building will follow this schedule exactly (Rec, Cowles, Law, and Olmsted often have some schedule variations), so feel free to check in at those buildings if you are unsure of their schedules.

Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time. Feel free to email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.

Happy Holiday Season!

—Sara Heijerman, Finance & Administration

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Writing in Your Academic Field Faculty Development: Spring 2025

Written communication is important in almost any academic field, but the genres and accepted conventions of writing vary from discipline to discipline. In this project, we will discuss ways to integrate writing instruction into courses for which written communication is not necessarily the primary learning outcome, as well as courses that require students to communicate in field-specific ways (for instance, lab reports or business memos).

Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:

  • Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for one of their spring classes.
  • Attending hour-long meetings of all participants in the program in February, March, and April (or early May) 2025.  These meetings may be structured as two sessions each month, with half of the group at each session, to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
  • Requiring all students enrolled in their class to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.

After completing the project and attending the final meeting, participants will receive a $500 stipend.

Participation is limited to 10 individuals.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Madison Bemus (madison.bemus@drake.edu) by Monday, January 6.

If you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu).

—Megan Brown, College of Arts & Sciences 

For Students Archive

Claim Student Tickets to Drake Basketball

Students! Claim your tickets to basketball games, pack the Knapp, and continue to make the Knapp Center the toughest place to play in the MVC!

Here are some instructions for claiming your FREE student ticket

  1. Visit https://godrakebulldogs.evenue.net/
  2. Click on the Student Tickets Link at the top of the page
  3. Sign in with your Drake email
  4. Click on Men’s or Women’s Basketball single game tickets
  5. Click on the desired game
  6. Add 1 ticket and checkout

—Colin Salig, Athletics

HR Information Archive

Physical Forms for Wellness Premium Discount Due Dec. 2

If you are on Drake’s health plan and have not turned in your Premium Discount-Annual Physical Form – time is running out!  This is an annual requirement to receive the discount.

Employees on Drake’s health plan need to complete a physical with an in-network provider between Dec. 1, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2024, and submit a Premium Discount-Annual Physical Form by Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, to receive the wellness health insurance premium discount in 2025.

If you had your physical since Dec. 1, 2023, please fill out the form and turn it in now. If you haven’t scheduled your annual physical yet with in-network provider, you are running out of time.  If you cannot get into your provider before the deadline, please contact Broadlawns Medical Center on University – across the street from the Drake campus – to inquire about their availability.  Be sure to let them know you are from Drake and bring a copy of the physician form with you.

Please email linda.feiden@drake.edu with questions.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Yoga Nidra at the Bell Center

Join Drake GroupX on Dec 5th from 6:30-7pm for Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a relaxation and meditation practice that guides participants to a state of conscious relaxation, blurring the line between wakefulness and sleep. Practiced lying down, it involves systematic relaxation, breath awareness, and guided visualization to induce deep physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. Check the Drake Rec App for details and sign-up!

—Gail Witte, Recreational Services