Just a reminder that the location for key returns (and pickups) was changed to the Student Services Center this year. If you have an office/classroom key to return at the end of the semester, please stop at the Student Services Center rather than Facilities. We encourage you to turn in any keys that you are no longer using.
—Sara Heijerman, Students Services Center
Thank you to all who participated in this year’s Drake Student Survey. 1,419 students completed the survey out of 4523 contacts (31 percent response rate). We appreciate the engagement and want to give an update on our plans to respond to this information.
While we need additional time to fully analyze the data, here is a quick rundown of some findings.
These represent positive findings regarding students’ overall experiences at Drake.
This month, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment will be sharing unit-specific results, compiling a summary of longitudinal results, and analyzing survey comments to identify areas of success and challenge. In the fall, we will pursue specific strategies to promote the use of this data across the University. We look forward to turning this important feedback into action.
—Kevin Saunders, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake is now accepting nominations for the Iowa Character Awards, which annually recognize individuals, organizations, and communities who demonstrate good character. Nominations are due May 9—learn more in the Drake Newsroom.
Faculty and staff wore their Drake pride during the first Bulldog Days!
Don’t forget—Drake employees can now wear jeans with their Drake gear every Friday!
Does your office or team do a great job of wearing their Drake pride? Let us know to come grab your photo: oncampus@drake.edu.
The sidewalk between Olin Hall and Fitch Hall will be closed starting May 15. The sidewalk from 27th Street and Forest Avenue running south along Olin Hall will also be closed for the summer. The sidewalk between Olin and Fitch will reopen in August prior to the start of the fall semester.
Please refer to the Summer 2017 Sidewalk Closures Map for specific locations of the sidewalk closures.
The southwest entrance of Olin Hall will be closed starting May 15. The northeast entrance will become the main entrance to Olin Hall for the summer. This will allow Weitz to complete site work at Collier-Scripps Hall and the Science Connector Building.
The map also shows other sidewalk changes near Fitch Hall and Medbury that will occur during the summer months. The schedule for these particular changes is currently being developed. The completed schedule will be shared in a future OnCampus. If you have questions please contact Jolene Schmidt at jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.
—Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning & Management
ITS encourages you to go out to password.drake.edu and set up your recovery options today to make your next password change, or forgotten password reset, easier.
When you sign in at password.drake.edu, you’ll be prompted to set up a Support Center question and answer to verify your identity. You will also be encouraged to set up at least one recovery option in case you forget your password. You can provide answers to a set of security questions, provide a non-Drake email address, or provide a cell phone number.
Only once you set up one or more of these recovery options, will you be able to easily reset your password yourself if you forget it in the future.
—Carla Herling, ITS
The University Archives & Special Collections honors the Year of the Fan celebration of “Mr. Drake” Paul F. Morrison with a special exhibit: “Racing Through Time: A History of the Drake Relays.” Curated by Political Papers Archivist Hope Bibens, the exhibit is in the Collier Room on the 2nd floor of Cowles Library. Along with reproductions, the exhibit also includes original documents, historical photographs, and memorabilia. The exhibit is part of a collaboration between University Archives and Drake Athletics to preserve the rich history and tradition of sports at Drake.
—Hope Bibens, Cowles Library
Please take a few minutes to complete this online survey to help us improve your Recreational Services experience. The last time we conducted this survey, it helped us prioritize some changes within our facilities. We updated the locker room showers and have added some new equipment in the Fitness Studio.
The Reasonable Accommodation For Qualified Students With Disabilities policy, currently found in the Faculty Manual, has been revised and retitled Reasonable Accommodations. This policy is posted for review, and can be found on the Policy Library under Policy Development and Review.
The original policy, as written, applied only to students; however, Human Resources also administrated reasonable accommodations for employees through the Americans With Disabilities Act policy. The new policy combines all of the policies regarding reasonable accommodations of both students and employees and also offers new procedures and resources, as well as updated definitions.
In compliance with Drake’s Policy Development, Approval and Communication policy, the two-week review period will be through May 1. Please take a moment to review the revised Reasonable Accommodations policy and related procedures. If you have any comments or concerns regarding the new policy, please send them to dupolicies@drake.edu.
—Katie Overberg, Title IX Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Policy Specialist
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend a fun, casual open house for the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) with catered snacks and beverages. NSSE is a national survey that helps Drake assess student engagement across the campus. The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment will hold this event in Cowles Library, Room 201, on Thursday, April 20, from 1 to 3 p.m. At this open house, the Drake community can learn about the results of NSSE as it pertains to five areas:
We encourage all members of Drake’s campus to come engage with other faculty, staff, and students about how all members of the campus community can work together to improve student engagement and the student experience, and also to celebrate the good work that the Drake community is already doing. For any questions about this event, please contact Gregory Lin (gregory.lin@drake.edu).
—Gregory Lin, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
