Help Drake reduce energy usage and utility costs this winter. Please follow these five simple steps before you leave for break.
— Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator
All Staff Council (ASC) nominations are open for the 2024–2025 academic year. Do you know a staff member who would like to make an impact to strengthen the staff experience on campus? Are you interested in joining All Staff Council yourself? Submit a nomination here—self nominations are welcome! https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6fyNzyhNsDe0ZIW
Nominations are due Wednesday, Feb. 14, by midnight.
Learn more about ASC at https://drakeedu.sharepoint.com/sites/AllStaffCouncil.
— Heather Winslow, On behalf of All Staff Council
On-campus buybacks and rental returns are happening at the Bulldog Shop now through Friday, Dec. 15. Make some extra cash by selling textbooks you’re finished using. Regardless of when or where books were purchased, we are buying them. And, if you have rentals to return, you don’t even need a box. Just drop the book off, and you’re done. Rentals are due by Friday, Dec. 22.
Can’t make it to the on-campus buyback? Don’t worry, you can also sell books online anytime for credit.
— The Bulldog Shop
Construction on Morehouse Hall will begin this month. The former residence hall will be transformed into a lively student center that will serve as a gathering place and home base for more than 150 student-led campus organizations.
Eleven million dollars has been raised for the project, and total construction costs are expected to be 100% donor-funded. The project is made possible in large part by the many donors who have contributed to The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave and Bold. The revitalization project is estimated to be complete in January 2025, just in time for the Spring 2025 semester. Read more about the project.
We will continue to share updates on the progress of this project.
— Heather Winslow, Capital Projects, Facilities Planning and Management
Join Drake professors Chris Porter and Chris Snider for a virtual lunch and learn about generative AI tools on Dec. 15—with a holiday theme. Porter and Snider will introduce tools for creating text, images, video and more. Sign up here.
— Chris Snider, Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication
During Finals Week, only same day, urgent appointments will be scheduled. To schedule, call us at 515-216-5100 the day of or the day before you would like to be seen.
Please also visit us at Meredith Hall, Room 203, from 1–3 p.m. during Bulldog Balance to have on campus relaxing, engaging, and soothing activities. You deserve a break!
Visit drake.edu/counselingcenter/ for more information.
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake Counseling Center
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:
After the initial meeting(s) with the Director of Writing to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $250. After completing the project and attending the final meeting, participants will receive an additional $250.
Participation is limited to 10 individuals.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Madison Bemus (madison.bemus@drake.edu) by Friday, December 15.
If you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu).
— Megan Brown, Professor of English
Gear up for the last two weeks of the semester, Bulldogs! Bring your favorite blanket for a deep rest reset with our Yoga Nidra workshop on Dec. 5. This workshop helps promote stress relief and rejuvenation just in time for finals week. Need to rally before finals? We’ve got you covered for that too! Light up the night with our Holiday Glow Light party on Dec. 8. Sign up for these, as well as our regularly scheduled classes, on the Drake Rec App and invite your friends! Our last GroupX class of the semester will be Barre Fusion on Wednesday, Dec. 13, we hope to see you there!
— Gail Witte, Rec Services
Bulldogs United in Learning & Development (BUILD) provides faculty and staff learning opportunities throughout the academic year that address technical, soft, philosophical, and very practical skills. BUILD is a great platform for learning new ideas as well as an opportunity to collaborate with others from across campus.
The Spring 2024 schedule is now available for viewing and registration is open. Please take a moment to check out the classes on the Drake HR website under Learning & Development. Click on BUILD – Upcoming Sessions for the full list, including detailed descriptions. There is an online registration link to a Qualtrics survey that makes signing up easy.
Most classes are only an hour in length, and many are facilitated by our own faculty and staff. This is a great way to invest in yourself, support your colleagues, and take in the culture that Drake has to offer.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
During the educational sessions offered in November, Wellmark shared some additional programs that are available to health care plan participants at no additional cost. So, if you are on Drake’s healthcare plan, you can check out these additional perks. We have added these items to our Perks Page. If you have not checked out that page yet, you are missing out! There are a lot of perks to being a Drake employee.
#1: Free Identity Theft Protection
What it is: Drake employees and their dependents who are enrolled in Drake’s healthcare have access to identity protection services at no cost. Wellmark has a partner agreement with IDX Identity. It just takes a few minutes to enroll. The program will conduct an immediate scan of the information you provide (such as personal email accounts, bank accounts). Once you create an account, you’ll be sent alerts, you can periodically check your dashboard, etc. They also offer a number of other services, including a private search browser and password checker.
How to find it: Log into myWellmark and scroll to the very bottom of the webpage, on the bottom left you will see “Identity Protection” (under “DO MORE” and “Contact Us”). When you click on that link, you’ll first see a screen where you need to copy the enrollment code. When you go to enroll, have your Wellmark insurance card handy. To create an account, you will need to provide the Group No. and your ID number (which is listed directly below your name). After you create your account, you will need to verify your email address and then you will be able to log in. Provide as much or as little information as you like and test out the different tools.
What I Learned: Both of my personal email accounts had recently been hacked, one as recently as Sept. 30, 2023! They offered “What should I do?” guidance (I updated my passwords and will be extra leery of suspicious emails).
#2: Blue 365
What it is: Oh boy! You are going to love Blue 365. Blue365 offers premier health and wellness discounts and is free to join. You can sort by topic to check out all current deals on topics such as: apparel & footwear, fitness, hearing & vision, home & family, nutrition, personal care, and travel.
How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home”. Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. You can learn more about all of the different vendors and discounts offered through Blue 365 by clicking on Visit Blue365 (on the right side of the screen under Member Discounts). Once on the Blue 365 site, you’ll need your health insurance card handy to create an account.
What I learned: Deals are added and expire regularly—so check back regularly to see what is new and still active. At present, you can get discounts on things like: Garmin equipment, Blue Apron, Nutrisystem, Skechers, Crocs, Reebok, Kind bars, Jabra earbuds, pet insurance, Chewy, Walt Disney World, Budget/Avis, and many other vendors. So many deals. Check it out!!
#3: BeWell 24/7
What it is: Health questions can arise no matter the time of day. From your child’s earache to side effects from a new medication, BeWell 24/7 can help. You can call the BeWell number day or night to get answers from real health care professionals and put your mind at ease. By using this resource you can:
How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home.” Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. You can learn more about BeWell 24/7 on this page. To access this service call 844-84-BEWELL (844-842-3935).
#4 Pregnancy Support Program
What it is: This site provides expecting parents with support by:
How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home.” Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. If you click “Learn More” on the Pregnancy Support Program tile, you will land on a new page with a number of resources—including a prenatal assessment, “Count the Kicks” and “Text4Baby”.
— Maureen R De Armond, Human Resources