I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about the relationship between technology and change. Perhaps you subscribe to the perspective of an anonymous pundit who said, “Technology does not drive change – it enables change.” Or, perhaps you resonate with Aldous Huxley’s view that “Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” Either way, there is no denying that technology and change are inextricably linked in our global, digital world.

I recognize that I can choose to see changes as threats or opportunities, even though sometimes it’s difficult to tell one from the other. This recognition helps me try new things, admit when I’ve failed, and gives me strength to try again. Change is inevitable, but we can work together to ensure that we embrace its opportunities and try to avoid its threats.

ITS is constantly aware of the pace of change related to technology innovation. Already, this year has brought changes to our ERP system (Banner), our campus portal (blueView), our business intelligence capabilities (Drake BI), and to employee file storage (OneDrive). Additionally, we’ve replaced nearly 400 computers for faculty and staff across campus. Right now, we’re supporting campus partners as they work to launch a new student employment site, a new online benefits management system, and a new student success platform.

The summer promises even more changes. ITS staff will be updating the technology in Sussman Theater and classrooms across campus. We will be expanding wireless network capabilities in residence halls to enable students to more easily connect their electronic devices. Our team will continue to support employees as they transition to OneDrive cloud storage and will begin to make cloud-based departmental file storage available across campus. The new myDrake campus portal will launch in June and blueView will be fully retired in early September.

We are also continuing to improve our reliability, service, and support for the campus. We make our ITS scorecard available publicly to hold ourselves accountable. This year we are focusing on one important change to our scorecard – the Service Request Management Index (under Reflection). This index of five performance criteria measures how well we resolve issues on first contact, meet our time commitments, keep you informed of the status of your requests, and ensure your satisfaction. Improving this index is our highest performance priority for the next year.

Unfortunately, not all change focuses on opportunities; sometimes change must be made to address external threats. I continue to be highly concerned about threats to the security of our campus information. ITS is launching two-factor authentication for all users of the University’s remote access network (VPN) and the new Banner 9 system. Long-term, we will implement two-factor everywhere we store sensitive information. We will also be exploring ways to reduce administrative privileges on University-owned computers while still enabling users to install necessary applications.

I’m grateful to work with an outstanding team of professionals who act every day to ensure that the campus technology is meeting the needs of its faculty, staff, and students. If you see one of our ITS team members today, please let them know you appreciate their hard work, just as they appreciate yours.

As always, feel free to reach out to me or any member of our ITS staff if you have questions, concerns, or feedback.

Enjoy the (final) arrival of spring weather and have a safe, happy, and productive summer.

— Chris Gill, ITS

ITS is making updates to Banner/DUSIS. As a result, access to myDUSIS, Banner, eTranscripts, Banner INB, Job Submission, Workflow, and some blueView functions will be unavailable between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Faculty, staff, and students will still be able to log into blueView, but some functions will be down.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work to keep the Banner system up to date with the latest patches and upgrades. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report your issue.

— Carla Herling, ITS

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

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

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

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.

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

— Heather Travis, Finance and Administration

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