Save the Date—Shred Event
The third annual all-Drake shred event is happening Thursday, April 20, 12–3 p.m. in the Olmsted parking lot. Bring all your confidential documents and have them shredded for free!

Protect Yourself from Tax Fraud
As the deadline for tax filing looms, the wave of scams from attackers trying to get their hands on your personal information is reaching its crest. The IRS estimates that identity thieves have stolen over $8 billion by filing fraudulent tax returns in the past several years, and the trend is remaining steady.

Scammers like to take advantage of stress and heightened emotions to trick you into taking actions that you would not normally take.

Here are some common tactics:

• Identity Theft: If your identity has been stolen in the past, thieves may use this information during tax season. The IRS reports large numbers of claims filed under others identities.
• Email Scams: Emails claiming to be from the IRS, tax preparers, employers, and others ask you to take immediate action, however the IRS and other agencies don’t communicate via email.
• Phone Scams: Callers will claim that you are subject to an audit or fines but that a credit card payment over the phone can resolve the problem quickly and without publicity. They also might notify you of a pending refund and ask for account information to deposit funds.

These tactics and others escalate through, and even after, the tax deadline. Don’t be fooled! Find out more information on combatting and responding to tax fraud on the Information Security website.

—Peter Lundstedt, Information Security Manager

All are invited to participate in a series of community conversations regarding the impact that arts and culture have on quality of life and economic development in central Iowa. Two of these conversations will take place on Drake’s campus: the first on Wednesday, March 22, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, and the second on Thursday, March 23, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room. To learn more and register, click here.

—Marty Martin

The Harmon Fine Arts Center will be closed on Tuesday, March 14, for a planned power outage in relation to the work on the cooling tower/chiller. If you have questions about building access, please contact Alina Grimm at alina.grimm@drake.edu.

Due to decreased traffic during Spring Break, we will be adjusting the building open hours to better secure the campus and improve resident safety—please note that this will not affect any “after-hours” card access.

Academic and administrative buildings will be closed on Saturday and Sunday (March 11, 12, and 18). Buildings will have open hours from 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. during the week of Spring Break (March 13–17). Regular hours will resume on Sunday, March 19.

To find hours for Cowles Library, please check their website.

—Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

ITS does regular maintenance to keep systems in order. This maintenance sometimes requires us to take down key systems. During Spring Break, we will be making upgrades to the Oracle database that supports the majority of Drake’s applications.

This upgrade will take place on Saturday, March 11, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. As a result, access to blueView, DUSIS (INB Forms), MyDUSIS, Workflow, ePrint (DUSIS document printing), ODBC (MS Access), and eTranscript delivery will be unavailable during this maintenance window. This work is being performed in order to upgrade our Oracle database to the latest version to keep up with security updates and new technologies, and also to better serve the Drake community.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or supportcenter@drake.edu.

—Carla Herling, Information Technology Services

Cowles Library Resources
Did you know Cowles Library has more than 250 databases available to Drake students, faculty, and staff? We’re highlighting these valuable resources on the Cowles Library blog. Learn more about how ProQuest Black Studies Center can help you!

Playaways and Audiobooks
Are you heading out of town for Spring Break? Before you go, stop by Cowles Library and pick up one of our playaways or audiobooks. Either option is a great way to enjoy a book while you’re on break. Check out the collection on the main floor of the library. Happy listening!

—Leslie Noble, Cowles Library

Earlier this semester we announced the schedule for Spanish conversation hours. Due to a variety of complications, the schedule has been revised. The updated schedule is:

• Mondays: 4–5 p.m.
• Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays: 2–3 p.m.

All meetings will be held in Meredith Hall, Room 204.
As before, all levels of Spanish speakers are welcome. The group supports all participants with an opportunity to practice Spanish and no long-term commitment is required to attend. A native speaker facilitates the conversation in Spanish in an informal setting.
For further information, contact Assistant Professor Inbal Mazar at inbal.mazar@drake.edu.

—Dorothy Pisarski, Drake International communications liaison

Drake’s Department of World Languages and Cultures has subscribed to a language learning resource, Mango Languages, available free online for students, faculty, and staff. You can use this to explore a new language, brush up on existing language skills, or gain a focused vocabulary for a specific purpose.

Mango Languages provides elementary language instruction and, in most cases, intermediate language instruction in 72 languages. Within their system, language learners can use flashcards, voice recordings to compare one’s own voice wave to that of a native speaker, an introduction to an expansive collection of vocabulary and other languages learning tools.

Mango also includes specialty courses such as “Carnival in Venice,” “Arabic Etiquette,” “Feng Shui,” “Spanish for Librarians,” and many more.

To access Mango, log in to blueView and click on the Campus Life tab. You will find Mango Languages listed on the right-hand side, in the eLearning Content Resources section. You will then be prompted to create a new account or access content through Guest Access. The benefit to creating an account is that the system will return to the place you left off when you stopped your previous lesson.

For further information, contact Associate Professor Marc Pinheiro-Cadd at marc.pinheiro-cadd@drake.edu

—Dorothy Pisarski, Drake International communications liaison

Drake students, faculty, and staff can use the discount code FSS5DGB to save $5 toward registration in the 5k, half marathon, or Bulldog Double.

Be the first to register for the brand new Bulldog Double. Finish in both the Grand Blue Mile on Tuesday, April 25, and either the half marathon or 5K of the Drake Road Races on Saturday, April 29, and receive your own 2017 Bulldog Double finisher medal to show off your Relays Week accomplishment.

All Drake Road Races participants receive a long-sleeve T-shirt and finisher medal, while the Grand Blue Mile participants receive a short sleeve T-shirt.

For the first time ever, as part of the Bulldog Double all finishers of the Grand Blue Mile and either of the Drake Road Races Half Marathon or 5K will receive TWO FINISHER MEDALS!

Your paid registration for the Drake Road Races also includes one paid admission to the Distance Carnival, the Thursday evening session of the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee, and a discount ticket rate of $17 to the Friday night session. A ticket voucher will be presented at packet pick-up for redemption at the Drake Athletics Ticket Office.

Early bird registration pricing is available until March 6. Don’t delay, register now for the best savings!

Grand Blue Mile | Tuesday, April 25 | 6 p.m. | Register Now | More Info

Drake Road Races | Saturday, April 29 | Half Marathon or 5K | Register Now

Bulldog Double | Griff – GBM and Half Marathon | Spike – GBM and 5K
—Ellen Lowe, Recreational Services

As we prepare for several changes in our campus in the year ahead, including the opening of two new STEM@DRAKE buildings, we are also carefully evaluating the effect these and other changes will have on parking. For example, various faculty, staff, and students provided input into the development of the 27th Street promenade and parking lot that is part of the STEM@DRAKE project, noting the importance of adding a parking lot adjacent to the new buildings.

Likewise, the University Parking Committee is addressing a variety of topics including changes to the parking rate structure and how to better handle visitor parking—particularly as it relates to the impact on permit holders. While proposals for parking rate increases are never popular, periodic reviews of rates and usage are necessary to ensure we keep pace with the cost of providing parking. Since the parking rates were last changed at Drake—in 2009—we have seen a steady increase in maintenance and repair costs as well as parking rates at other institutions like ours (the annual rate at Creighton University, a Midwestern peer, is $341 for students and $375 for employees).

With input from the Parking Committee, Director of Public Safety & Operational Services Scott Law will be meeting with various representative bodies on campus to discuss possible parking rate options. Based on feedback from those meetings, further refinements and changes to parking rates and regulations will be finalized so that changes can be communicated before the end of the semester.

Watch for additional communication from Scott Law in OnCampus regarding this topic.

—Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer