All posts by Theresa Howard

Campus Announcements Archive

Walk for racial justice Saturday, June 20

The Drake Law Black Law Student Association and Drake OUTLaws (LGBTQ law student organization) invite you to #TakeAWalk with your friends, family, and fellow professionals on Saturday, June 20.

We will gather at the Iowa State Capitol at 10 a.m. to #TakeAWalk to the National Bar Association Memorial, “A Monumental Journey,” for a brief program. As we proceed, we will walk alongside familiar and unfamiliar faces to further the dialogue about racial justice and equality.

  • This is a family-friendly event.
  • Participants are encouraged to wear face masks. (Some disposable face masks will be provided if needed).
  • Bottled water will be provided.
  • The NBA memorial is located at the corner of Grand and 2nd Avenues in Hansen Triangle Park, less than a mile walk from the Capitol.

We hope that you will show your support for equality and justice, and your desire to be part of the solution, by joining us at this remarkable event.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Staying safe around always-listening devices  

With the overwhelming popularity of always-listening devices including Amazon Echo, Google Home, and smartphones, you’ve probably heard stories of these devices joining in on conversations without being prompted. It might have even happened to you!

These devices are also not designed or built with security in mind, which often leaves them vulnerable if your home network is not securely configured.  

Here are some tips to protect your private information, and conversations, from these always-listening devices: 

  • Review and delete voice recordings. Your device stores your search and activity history to create a customized experience. To protect your privacy you can review and delete these recordings from the device. 
  • Mute the microphone. You can mute the microphone to ensure that your device is not listening and recording when you are not using it. It won’t record until you turn the microphone back on.
  • Don’t link accounts with sensitive information to your device. If you have any accounts containing personal or university information, don’t link those accounts to your device. This will prevent that information from being impacted by any potential breach.
  • Change the settings to manually manage data stored by the device. Managing what data is connected with your account will give you more control over the information that is being stored and will make it easier for you to delete your history.
  • Turn off your device when you’re away. If your device doesn’t have a power button, simply unplug it.

By creating habits to better control these always-listening devices, you can protect your personal information and prevent this modern twist on phishing.

ITS will continue to simulate phishing attacks and assign training to those most susceptible. If you believe you’ve been targeted, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to). 

— Peter Lundstedt, ITS 

 

 

 

HR Information Archive

Five tips to reduce eyestrain

With more employees working on laptops from home, eyestrain can become a real problem. Symptoms such as dry eyes, blurred vision, and headaches often occur after long-term use of computers and other digital devices.

Although most individuals can’t avoid long-term screen time, there are some simple things you can do to help prevent eyestrain.

Take a break. It is not easy to break away from your computer. Working from home you may find yourself spending more time staring at your screen. Nevertheless, taking breaks is not only good for your eyesight, but also your mental health. Set a timer to go off every hour.  Then step away from your computer for 5 minutes. Stretch, take a walk, or get a glass of water.

Check the lighting and reduce glare. Bright lighting and too much glare can strain your eyes and make it difficult to see objects on your monitor.  Consider turning off some of the overhead lights and instead using lamps that provide indirect soft lighting. Close blinds or shades if the sun creates a glare on your screen, and avoid placing your monitor directly in front of a window.  If necessary, place an anti-glare cover over the screen.

Adjust your monitor. Position your monitor directly in front of you about an arm’s length away so that the top of the screen is at or just below eye level.  It helps to have a chair you can adjust too.

Adjust your screen settings. Enlarge the type for easier reading and adjust the contrast and brightness to a level that is comfortable for you.

Try some eye exercises. One cause of computer eyestrain is focusing fatigue.  To help with this, look away from your computer at least every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object (at least 20 feet away) for at least 20 seconds.  Some call this the 20-20-20 rule.  Another exercise is to look far away at an object for 10-15 seconds, then gaze at something up close for 10-15 seconds.  Then look back at the distant object.  Do this ten times.  Also, remember to blink frequently during the exercises to reduce your risk of computer-related dry eye.

Other ideas include using eye drops such as artificial tears, wearing proper eyewear, and if the indoor air is dry, trying a humidifier. Finally, if you experience eyestrain that is severe or lasts a long time, discuss the condition with your doctor.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

GroupX fitness incentive and prizes

GroupX is here (virtually) to help you stay active through the summer. Classes are prerecorded for you to take at your convenience and posted to the Drake Rec App. New classes are released daily, but you can go back to complete any past class. For added motivation to stay active, Rec Services is holding a drawing and giving away five incentive prizes to participants. For every five classes you take from June 15–Aug. 15, you will receive one entry into the drawing. There are no limits on entries. For questions, email wellness@drake.edu.

— Emily Madsen, Recreational Services

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Campus network access changes coming soon

Over the past several months, ITS has been working on a project requested by the Board of Trustees to improve the overall security of the Drake campus network.

We are implementing a system called network access control (NAC), which will allow us to manage access to Drake services based on a person’s campus role and/or the type of device they are using to connect to the network. This change has already been implemented for students since migrating to the eduroam wireless network this past fall.

Additional roles and access levels for faculty and staff and specific types of devices will be introduced in late July. Watch for more information about these changes in the coming weeks.

— Carla Herling, ITS

News & Achievements Archive

Valdovinos appointed to NIH study section

Maria Valdovinos, professor of psychology, has been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, for the term beginning July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2026.

Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements, and honors. Service
on a study section also requires mature judgment and objectivity as well as the ability to work effectively in a group—all qualities Professor Valdovinos will bring to this important task.

Study sections review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on these applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. These functions are of great value to medical and allied research in this country.

Congratulations to Professor Valdovinos on this unique opportunity.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Masterclass Live Pie Baking with Provost Mattison

Take a break and clear your mind during this stressful time and learn how to make a delicious apple pie with Provost Sue Mattison. Provost Mattison will make her famous apple pie live on Teams while the audience has the opportunity to ask her questions—preferably about baking and to get to know her a little more (no work-related questions please). 

The event is Monday, June 22, from 3–4 p.m. and the link to the event can be found here. 

All attendees will be entered into a raffle for a parking pass for next year. Attendees who ask a question in the Q&A box will be eligible to win Bulldog Bucks. Participants who bake along and send in pictures of their apple pie to ascspecialevents@drake.edu will have the opportunity to win Bulldog Bucks and Griff socks!

However you want to participate is up to you—just watch, ask questions, or bake along—but we hope you will participate in this fun, virtual, family-friendly event.

Apple Pie Ingredients:
3-ish cups all purpose flour
A bit of salt
A little milk or an egg white
1.5-ish cups sugar—I like the grainy “sugar in the raw”
2.5-ish sticks unsalted butter
1/4-1/3 cup vegetable shortening
4 Granny Smith apples
Cinnamon
Ground Ginger
Ground Cloves
Ground nutmeg

— Sponsored by the All Staff Council Events & Community Service Committee

For Students Archive

Spain and Morocco Zoom info session

The “Spain & Morocco: Exploring the Intersections of Ethics and Culture” J-Term 2021 travel seminar will have a Zoom information session on Wednesday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. CT. Attend to learn from instructors Professors Cris Wildermuth and Amy Pfeifer more about the course, the excursions and activities included in the program, and ask any questions you may have about the travel seminar.

Access the Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. using the password “adventure.”

Learn more about all of Drake’s 2021 travel seminars, including how to apply.

— Nathan Jacobson, Drake International