Category Archives: Campus Announcements Archive

Amazon gift card contest for the most creative photo of Virginia Woof

The results are in. The name of Cowles Library’s bulldog statue is Virginia Woof. Congratulations to Angela Cornett, a first-year student majoring in Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, who submitted the winning name.

Cowles Library is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to the person who takes the most creative photo of Virginia Woof. To be in the running, take a picture that includes Virginia Woof. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 13. Use #VirginiaWoofBulldog in your post and tag Cowles Library (facebook.com/CowlesLibrary, twitter.com/cowleslib, and instagram.com/cowleslib). Be creative! The winning photo will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on Monday, May 14. By entering the contest, you give Cowles Library permission to share your photo.

Carrie Dunham-LaGree, Cowles Library

Motorcycle awareness month

As spring (finally) arrives, more people are heading outdoors to take advantage of the sunshine and higher temperatures, including motorcyclists. Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to safety. Despite accounting for only 3 percent of vehicle registrations and 0.7 percent of miles travelled, motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of total traffic fatalities. Over half of those fatal accidents involved another vehicle. Interaction with other vehicles puts motorcyclists at great risk. Unfortunately, accident and fatality rates for motorcycle drivers have continued to increase over the past decade. Here are some tips to keep yourself and motorcyclists safe.

  • Share the road. Make a conscious effort to remember that more motorcycles will be on the road during warmer months.
  • Double check blind spots. Motorcycles are smaller and much harder to see in blind spots.
  • Look carefully in all directions before pulling onto the street. Motorcycles can be difficult to spot and their small size may make them seem like they are further away than they actually are.
  • Look twice before making left turns. Look once for cars and once for motorcycles.
  • Give motorcycles space. Often times motorcyclists will downshift to slow down rather than apply the break, this means they may slow down without activating brake lights.
  • Let them swerve. Hitting potholes or other items in the road can be very dangerous for motorcyclists, so it is important that they have space to maneuver.
  • Make your intentions known. Use turn signals when turning or changing lanes.
  • Watch for turning motorcycles. A number of older motorcycles do not have self-cancelling turn signals that many people are accustomed to, therefore some drivers may forget to turn off their signals.

Tips for motorcyclists:

  • Work on your driving skills. Make sure you are properly licensed and have had plenty of practice operating your motorcycle.
  • Wear protective equipment such as helmets and long sleeve shirts and pants.
  • Wear reflective apparel to be more easily seen.
  • Exercise extreme caution when driving at night. Always use lights when driving at night.
  • Follow the rules of the road. Follow speed limits, stop at stop signs and red lights, etc.
  • Keep your motorcycle in road ready condition. Make sure your vehicle is safe to drive, especially if it has been stored away all winter.

It is important to remember that there are no small accidents or “fender benders” for motorcycle drivers. They are completely exposed on the roadways and keeping them and other drivers safe takes effort from everyone. If all drivers learn to share the road, accidents and fatalities can be reduced significantly, and it all starts with awareness. May is officially recognized as ‘Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month’ with the goal of increasing driver awareness of motorcycles on the road.

In addition to motorcyclists, warm weather draws more runners, bicyclists, and pedestrians outside. It’s important for drivers to take extra caution when driving around these groups as they are extremely vulnerable around traffic.

If you are interested in learning more about motorcycle awareness or are looking for a motorcycle safety course, you can find more information by visiting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website.

Chris Nickell, Environmental Health and Safety

Attend a demo of myDrake, Drake’s new campus portal

Drake’s new campus portal, myDrake, will launch in June. myDrake will replace the current portal, blueView, and will be a gateway to other campus sites, applications, and tools.

Join us in Cowles Library, Room 201, on the following days for a demonstration of the new site and a chance to ask questions.

Wednesday, May 2, from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, May 3, from 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 4, from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m.

— Carla Herling, ITS

 

 

Title IX resources and reporting options

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month ends, remember that there are a number of resources on campus to assist you or someone you know. Drake’s resources and policies are available on the Title IX webpage and include the Sexual and Interpersonal Misconduct policy, resources for support, and other types of campus assistance with safety, housing, or classes. Both the web page and the policy identify reporting options for individuals who have experienced or witnessed sexual violence or assault, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, dating/domestic violence, or stalking.

If you have questions about sexual and interpersonal misconduct or Drake’s policies and procedures, please contact Title IX Coordinator Katie Overberg at 271-2982 or titleix@drake.edu. If you would like to get involved with other individuals working to prevent sexual violence or to support those who experience violence, please contact Violence Prevention Coordinator Lynne Cornelius at 271-4141 or prevention@drake.edu.

Define the Line. Respect the Line. is a Drake initiative to raise awareness of prevention efforts as well as resources and support the University provides as it pertains to sexual and interpersonal misconduct. Define the Line. Respect the Line. emphasizes that while everybody has the right to determine their own line when it comes to sexual behavior, there is one clear line at Drake: sexual or interpersonal misconduct is not tolerated, accepted, or ignored. Think, talk, learn, listen, and act in a way that respects this line—we are all part of Drake.

Katie Overberg, Title IX coordinator

Fiscal year-end purchasing guidelines

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2018) approaching, below are recommended guidelines for efficient and effective year-end processing of purchases.

Accounting for departmental expenses:

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Drake is required to report transactions in the proper fiscal period. For that reason, expenses are recorded in the period when goods are received and/or services are rendered. In short, items expensed to a FY18 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2018.  Factors such as budget allocation, invoice receipt, or payment issuance would not have an impact on the application of expenses within a fiscal period.

Exceptions to this general rule apply when a benefit of service or receipt of item extends into multiple fiscal years. In such cases, the following guidelines will be applied.

  • Expenses less than $5,000 will be charged against the fiscal year in which the majority of the expense will be incurred. For example, if a subscription is purchased for $3,000 and covers the period of 7/1/17 through 12/31/18, the expense would be charged to FY18.
  • Expenses greater than or equal to $5,000 will be split into the fiscal years according to the percentage of benefit received during each fiscal period. For example, if a subscription is purchased for $10,000 that covers a period of 7/1/17 through 6/30/19, $5,000 would be charged to FY18 and $5,000 charged to FY19.

The University’s guidelines for year-end purchases are subject to external audit. As you make purchases during this period leading up to and overlapping our fiscal year end, it is important to note when the goods or services were received so they are expensed according to reporting requirements. If the timing of receipt is not clearly noted on the invoice, it would be beneficial to help call the receipt date to accounting’s attention by clearly marking the appropriate fiscal year for the expense, based on the above guidelines, on the pay request.

Please contact accounting at extension 2125 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions.

Year-end timeline:

In order to facilitate efficient and effective year-end processing, the following timeline is recommended for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

Deadline Action Additional Information
April 30

 

 

June 1

Initiate final FY18 purchase orders and computer order requests Please contact Monita Jackson at x3918 or itspurchasing@drake.edu for computer order requests.

 

Please contact Caron Findlay at x2424 or caron.findlay@drake.edu with any questions you have regarding purchase orders.

June 15 Complete FY18 purchases with vendors All purchases should be completed by this date in order to allow for settlement of the transaction and receipt of the goods or services by June 30.  

 

Clear outstanding FY18 Travel Advances Please contact accounting at x2125 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you have regarding outstanding travel advances.

 

Review FY18 account activity through May All accounts should be reviewed in Banner on a timely basis throughout the fiscal year. Any corrections for July17 through May18 activity should be submitted to accounting by this date.

 

June 29 Submit all FY18 payment requests All payment requests for FY18 are to be submitted to Accounting.

 

 

July 18 Submit requests for FY18 restricted or endowed spending transfers.

 

All requests for restricted or endowed spending should be submitted to Kathy Veach at kathy.veach@drake.edu by end of the business day.

 

July 20 Final review of FY18 account activity At this point, only June transactions should need to be reviewed. Corrections for June are due to accounting by this date.

 

All prior months’ activity should have been reviewed and corrections submitted as stated above in the timeline.

Pcard statements and required documentation should be submitted electronically by the deadlines established within the new program guidelines.

— Heather Travis, Finance and Administration

Relieve stress and stay fit with GroupX

The end of the semester can bring many challenges and stressors. Exercise has been shown to increase energy and release stress-reducing endorphins. Attend GroupX classes at the Bell Center now through the end of the semester to ramp up your energy, focus, and eliminate stress. If you attend 15 classes, you’ll get a free T-shirt or tank top. Sign up for classes on the free IMLeagues app or online at imleagues.com.

— Drake Wellness

Online Programs update

This month, Online Programs welcomed 13 new online graduate students to the second part of term for the spring semester, bringing its total number of students to 27. The program has also received more than 150 applications. These numbers surpass initial enrollment projections for the program’s first semester.

Other highlights of the month include preparation for the online launch of the Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration programs. Online Programs has been working closely with the College of Business and Public Administration to ensure that everything is ready for its newest online students. There is a tremendous amount of work necessary to ensure that online students receive the support they need throughout the admissions process. This work involves collaborating with several offices on campus, including Graduate Admissions, the Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, University Communications, and Information Technology Services.

Saving the best news for last, our new website, online.drake.edu, is live. Although the website will be in a constant state of evolution, as most sites are, our foundational pages are live. Our next steps are to include student success and support information and faculty resources.

Don’t forget that you can visit with Online Programs at the Olmsted Coffee Shop on the third Thursday of every month between 1 and 2 p.m. If that time doesn’t work, please feel free to contact Christina Trombley at christina.trombley@drake.edu or at extension 2506.

Christina Trombley, Online Programming

Drake to gather sustainability metrics

Members of Drake’s Sustainability Committee have begun gathering data to measure the University’s current sustainability performance and compare it to peer institutions. Using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™(STARS), the committee will explore a wide variety of sustainability elements—from energy and waste to curriculum and research to campus and public engagement to purchasing and investment—and will require information from a wide variety of faculty and staff. Learn more. For questions, contact David Courard-Hauri, david.courard-hauri@drake.edu.

— David Courard-Hauri, Environmental Science and Policy

Summer program for high school students interested in health careers

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ BullD.O.G.S. in Healthcare program will take place June 28-30 on Drake’s campus. All high school students in grades 10-12 during the 2018-2019 academic year are welcome to attend.

BullD.O.G.S. (Drake Opportunities for Gaining Skills) in Healthcare introduces students to careers in healthcare by educating them on opportunities in health sciences and inspiring them to explore different pathways.

Students will participate in hands-on laboratory experiences, educational sessions, and interactive discussions with students and faculty in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to understand how to best prepare for a career in healthcare. A special emphasis is placed on promoting careers in athletic training, occupational therapy, and pharmacy.

The overarching goal of the program is to expose students to a wide variety of healthcare opportunities and educate them about how they can best prepare for a career in the health professions.

If you know of a high school student interested in a career in healthcare, please encourage them to register. Registration closes Friday, May 25, at 12 p.m. Due to the costs involved in providing an overnight experience on campus, there is a $185 registration fee. Financial assistance may be available to students who qualify. Payments will be accepted through Monday, May 28, at 12 p.m. Participants who have not paid the registration fee by this date will forfeit their spot in the program. Refunds will not be granted for cancellations made after May 28.

For more information about the program’s goals, activities, and requirements, visit the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences website, or contact Jessica Lang, director of enrollment services, at jessica.lang@drake.edu or 515-271-3018.

Jessica Lang, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Paul Morrison Service Week: April 18-25

Paul Morrison Service Week will be celebrated April 18-25 to honor the legacy of the late Paul Morrison. Stop by the Olmsted Breezeway during the week to pick up some swag and let us know why being involved in the community is important to you. Service projects and community events will be happening all week, including a Drake Neighborhood Spruce-Up and Social at Drake Park on Wednesday, April 25.

Drake Neighborhood Spruce-Up and Social

Hosted by the National Alumni Scholars, LEAD 100 students, and the Drake Neighborhood Association, the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on April 25 in the Walgreens parking lot on 31st Street and University Avenue. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Students hope to clean-up Greek street, campus, and the neighborhood. This is a great opportunity to serve with friends, connect with community members, and create positive local change while preparing for Relays. After the clean-up, participants are invited to a social with neighborhood residents at Drake Park. Everyone planning to attend is encouraged to register. Students who register in advance will receive a free T-shirt, while supplies last.

View a full list of events during Paul Morrison Service Week. Many require pre-registration. Thanks to the many groups on campus and in the neighborhood who are collaborating to hold this weeklong celebration.

For questions, contact Layne Burdette at layne.burdette@drake.edu, Amanda Martin at amanda.martin@drake.edu or Christina Teufert at christina.teufert@drake.edu.

Layne Burdette, Class of 2021, & Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning & Service