Category Archives: Campus Announcements Archive

Campus Announcements Archive

From the Provost: Week of April 11

President’s Inauguration
In three weeks, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, we will celebrate the inauguration of Marty Martin as the 13th president of Drake University. I am writing now to encourage everyone to join us at The Knapp Center to witness this rare and important event, one that has happened, at most, just 12 times in our 134-year history. As a reminder ALL classes will be suspended from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on the 28th. Normal class schedule will resume at 3:30 and evening classes will meet.

It has been 17 years since we last welcomed a new president. We want to make it possible for all members of the Drake community—faculty, staff, and students—to honor Marty Martin at the formal initiation of his presidency, to witness this historic moment, and to celebrate with him the start of something big. There will be pomp, there will be circumstance, there will be a good time had by all.

Provost Mobile Office Hours: This week you can find me on Tuesday, April 12, at Cowles Library Cafe, 1–2 p.m., and on Friday, April 16, at Olmsted Coffee Shop, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

Managed print update

Over the next few weeks, Drake’s new managed print vendor, LRI, along with Caron Findlay, director, purchasing and business services, will be scheduling meetings with departmental printing representatives to confirm device needs. These meetings will help determine which device model is appropriate for each department. In these meetings, they will also begin the process of scheduling delivery and installation of new devices and coordinating the removal of current Xerox devices. Additional information on the timeline for installation of and training on the new devices will be forthcoming.

—Carla Herling, Web Services Communications and Training Specialist

Campus Announcements Archive

From the Office of the Provost

Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Workshop. June 13–June 15. RSVP to marc.pinheiro-cadd@drake.edu. 

Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) is a growing movement that enhances students’ abilities to utilize language skills by applying them in other disciplines. This workshop will inform faculty members about CLAC and describe how they can assist students in reinforcing and furthering their knowledge of other disciplines through the second language they have studied. Students will be able to acquire information about the discipline and recognize the distinctive viewpoints only available through the second language. Workshop participants will learn how to create a “linked” course—one that supports a course currently being taught but that utilizes curricular materials written in a second language and from a particular cultural perspective. (For more information, please see the CLAC Consortium’s website: http://clacconsortium.org. Drake is an institutional member.) 

For example, a course on the politics of the Middle East might be linked to a one-credit-hour course in which the students read and discuss texts in Arabic. The students return to the politics course and tell the students and professor what they learned from sources not generally accessible to most students. Another model has instructors incorporating elements of CLAC into an existing course without adding the additional one-credit-hour course. These are two models, but there are many other possibilities about which workshop participants will learn.

This is the second CLAC workshop held at Drake. Last summer, 12 faculty members attended the workshop and of those, eight have implemented a version of CLAC principles in a class. In October 2016, Drake will host the 10th Cultural and Languages Across the Curriculum’s national conference (http://clac2016.wp.drake.edu). 

Ten participants will be paid $200/day for each day of the two-and-a-half-day workshop. We will meet from approximately 9a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday. Lunches will be provided. Those who then develop a linked course will receive an additional $500 after the revised syllabus has been submitted to Marc Pinheiro-Cadd.

Details on the facilitator will be forthcoming soon.

 We hope you will join us in June.

Provost Mobile Office Hour:  Thursday, 1–2 p.m., Cowles Library Cafe

—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

Year-end purchasing guidelines

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2016) approaching, Finance and Administration has provided some 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 FY16 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2016.  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: are 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 July 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2016, the expense would be charged to FY16)
  • 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 July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017, $5,000 would be charged to FY16 and $5,000 charged to FY17)

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 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.

In order to facilitate efficient and effective year-end processing, the following timeline is recommended for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016: Year-End Purchasing Timeline

I would encourage you to contact accounting at x3168 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you might have.

—Heather Travis, Associate Chief Financial Officer/Controller

Campus Announcements Archive

Vendor selected for managed print on campus

In fall 2015, a campus-wide committee, led by Finance and Administration and Information Technology Services, was formed to review managed printing and select a new vendor. After extensive committee work and significant campus input, Drake has selected Laser Resources, Inc. (LRI), a local Des Moines company, as the new campus vendor for managed printing. During the summer, leased Xerox devices will be replaced and user training will be provided. Additional details and specific timelines for replacement and training will be forthcoming as the implementation schedule is finalized. We look forward to working with our new partner, LRI, to bring high-quality printing services to campus.

—Managed Print Committee

Campus Announcements Archive

Important campus safety updates

27th Street has closed
As part of the STEM@DRAKE construction project, 27th Street has permanently closed. No parking or thru traffic is allowed; two handicap spaces at the south end of the west side of the street (next to Opperman Hall) will remain open. The section of roadway between the gate on 27th and Carpenter now allows for two-way traffic to and from the Jewett parking lot. Many of the sidewalks along 27th Street have also been shut down. For an overview of closures, visit the Building STEM@DRAKE website.


Campus parking regulations
Vehicles may only be parked on the Drake campus in clearly designated legal parking spaces. All vehicles must have a Drake parking permit or a temporary parking  permit which may be obtained at Short-term/Daily Parking Permits.  Areas posted with signs restricting parking (handicap, service vehicles, loading zones, fire lanes, etc.) must be observed and complied with. Parking in any travel lane, taking more than one parking space, blocking another vehicle, or parking on the lawn are all prohibited. It is neither possible nor desirable to post all areas on campus where vehicles may not park. Vehicles are prohibited from all lawns, except when specifically authorized. Driving or parking on any sidewalks or pedestrian ways is strictly prohibited. For a more extensive explanation of parking regulations and towing rules, please go to Parking Information.

Front Door software
Drake Public Safety, Student Life, and Information Technology Services are happy to offer all Drake students, faculty, and staff a patented laptop security product designed to help you with theft prevention, information protection, and recovery—free of charge. (Please note no software can guarantee the security of your electronics.) Visit the Front Door Software website to sign up with your Drake email account.
Safe Ride Program
As a reminder, for your safety Drake is now operating its own evening bus system. The bus runs each night:

  • Sunday–Wednesday, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.
  • Thursday–Saturday, 8 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

We are also happy to let you know that we will offer extended hours during the Drake Relays. April 28–30, the bus will run from 8 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. each night.

—Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety

Campus Announcements Archive

Important construction updates

27th Street Closure
As part of STEM@DRAKE construction, 27th Street will close permanently today, March 14. No parking or thru traffic will be allowed; two handicap parking spaces at the south end of the west side of 27th Street (next to Opperman Hall) will remain open. Sidewalks along 27th Street will also be shut down. For an overview of closures, visit the Building STEM@DRAKE website.


Electrical Shutdowns This Week
Today, March 14, a scheduled electrical shutdown will occur from approximately 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The affected buildings include Olin, Bell Center, Fieldhouse, Fine Arts (North), The Knapp Center, and Shivers. This scheduled shutdown is a part of the electrical projects that need to be completed prior to the construction of the two buildings on the campus.  The rain date for the shutdown is March 15.

On March 19 and March 20 an additional scheduled electrical shutdown will occur. Below is a list of the affected buildings and expected time of the power outage for each building:

March 19

  • Olin Hall—2 to 4 hours
  • Bell Center—12 to 16 hours
  • Fieldhouse—12 to 16 hours
  • Knapp Center will be out for both days
  • Shivers will be out for both days

March 20

  • Olin Hall—6 to 8 hours
  • Knapp Center—8 to 10 hours
  • Shivers—8 to 10 hours

Rain dates will need to be found later in the spring semester or early summer.  If bad weather is predicted, we may start on March 18, depending on scheduled events. If a decision is made to start on March 18, all individuals in these buildings will be notified. If you have questions regarding these scheduled electrical shutdowns please contact Jolene Schmidt, director, operations and support services, at jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.


Temporary Sidewalk Closure
The sidewalk between Olin and Medbury will be closed March 14–18 to install a drainage pipe that crosses in that area. Users of this sidewalk will need to either walk south around Medbury or north along Forest Avenue and around Olin Hall. We understand this is an inconvenience, however we would like to take care of this work over spring break to minimize any disruption.