Adams Leadership Convocation award nominations due this week
Nominations for various leadership awards will close midnight this Friday, March 31. Take the time to submit a nomination for an individual or organization that has gone above and beyond in their contributions to campus!

—Meaghan Baeza, Student Leadership Programs

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2017) 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 FY17 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2017.  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 7/1/16 through 12/31/17, the expense would be charged to FY17)
• 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 7/1/16 through 6/30/18, $5,000 would be charged to FY17 and $5,000 charged to FY18)

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 x2125 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you might have.

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, 2017.

—Heather Travis, Finance and Administration

ITS has been developing a new and improved password change tool for the last few months. Set to launch on April 10, this new tool will make it easier for students, faculty, staff, and all campus constituents to reset their passwords or recover forgotten passwords.

Instead of having to call the Support Center to reset a forgotten password, everyone will be able to reset their own password. The first time anyone uses the new password change tool, they will be asked to answer security questions, provide a personal email address, or enter a personal mobile phone number. If you later forget your password, this information allows you to recover it without Support Center assistance.

The password tool will still be located at password.drake.edu, just with improved functionality and usability. Passwords will continue to expire annually, with email notifications from ITS to inform users of the need to change their passwords.

Strong passwords are the first line of defense to keeping personal and institutional data safe. Want to learn more about how to create them? Try this password game from Carnegie Mellon University.

—Carla Herling, ITS

ITS is making updates to network infrastructure. As a result, internet access and access to Drake online resources will be unavailable between 5 and 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 2. This upgrade is being made to ensure that our back up services are automated from our data center in Shakopee, Minn.

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, ITS

All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to nominate individuals and student organizations that have shown exceptional leadership and contributions to the Drake community. The recipients will be awarded at the Adams Leadership Convocation on Friday, April 21.

All nominations are due by midnight on Friday, March 31. Criteria and nomination forms for the various awards may be found here: http://bit.ly/AdamsConvocation 

Awards categories include:

Individual Leadership Awards
Class Year Awards: Top First-Years, Sophomores, Juniors (P1), Seniors (P2)
Outstanding President/Chairperson
Outstanding Student Organization Officer
Outstanding Residence Hall Leader
Wanda Everage Peer Mentor Award
Drake Service Award for Individual
Organization Adviser of the Year
Ron & Jane Olson Outstanding Global Service-Learning Student Award

Student Organization & Programming Awards
Drake Service Award for Student Organization
Outstanding Student Organization
Outstanding Educational Program
Outstanding Social Program
Outstanding Equity & Inclusion Program
Outstanding Weekend Alcohol Alternative Program
Outstanding Collaboration Award

Oreon E. Scott Outstanding Senior of the Year 
The Oreon E. Scott award nomination process, requires a letter of nomination from faculty, staff, and/or students highlighting the senior’s achievements in the areas of scholarship, leadership, involvement, and service. More about the nomination process for this award can be found here.

—Meghan Baeza, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

This past week ITS began using a new system for tracking service requests. If you submit a request online, or call the Support Center, you’ll see a different look and feel to the emails you receive. This is the first step toward the launch of a new campus-facing service portal coming in May. Watch OnCampus for more information and upcoming opportunities to try out the new system for yourself. You can also hear more about this and other upcoming ITS projects at Thursday’s Town Hall. Feedback? Let us know at carla.herling@drake.edu.

—Carla Herling, ITS

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