Category Archives: Campus Announcements Archive

Campus Announcements Archive

Sewer smoke test notice

The City of Des Moines will be performing sewer smoke testing in the Drake area sometime in the next two weeks. During the examination, a dense grayish/white smoke will be blown through the sanitary sewer lines from manholes. Smoke may appear from roof drains, catch basins or vent stacks. In addition, the smoke may appear from cracks in the pavement above the sewer lines, from lawns or around buildings with foundation drains and in basements by way of floor drains, sinks, or other plumbing fixtures.

The smoke used for the tests is non-staining and will disappear rapidly without leaving a residual odor. The testing should be completed by Oct. 26. If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact Environmental Health and Safety Director Chris Nickell at 271-3804.

—Submitted by Andrea McDonough, Senior Administrative Services Specialist

Campus Announcements Archive

From the Provost, Oct. 5

Office of Sponsored Programs
After 12 years of serving the University, assisting faculty and programs to obtain millions of dollars in grants, Jayne Smith, director of sponsored programs, is leaving Drake to join the Iowa Department of Education, where she will serve as an educational consultant to the state community colleges. Jayne’s last day will be Oct. 14, and she is working with faculty with grant applications currently in process or pending to provide whatever assistance she can before she leaves.

Fortunately, we are in the final stages of hiring a senior grant specialist, a position that has been open since last November. We should have that position filled within the next few weeks. We will also initiate a search for a new director of sponsored programs. In the meantime, I ask anyone who is anticipating a FEDERAL grant between Oct. 14 and Dec. 1 to contact me with the name of the grant and PI, the agency (e.g..NSF, NEH, NIH, DOD) to which it is being submitted, and the expected date of submission.

There will be a reception for Jayne on Oct. 14, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Levitt Hall, where you will have an opportunity to thank her for her years of good work at Drake and wish her well in her new endeavor.

Save the Date
I am pleased to announce that the next Drake social, open to all faculty and staff, will be on Thursday, Oct. 29,  4–6 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to The Knapp Center. Attendees will receive one complimentary ticket for beer or wine. Water, soda, etc. are also on the house. Nearby parking is available in Lot 2 east of Shivers at the NE corner of Forest and 25th St.

Open Office Hour
This week appearing at the Olmsted Cafe, 10–11:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 8.

—Submitted by Joe Lenz, Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

From the Office of the Provost: Week of Sept. 28

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Religious Holidays
The release of the Climate Survey Report serves as a good occasion to remind the campus that in 1974, the University Senate adopted the following action:
“. . . that faculty members be urged to provide an opportunity for students to make up work missed as a result of legitimate absences, including observances of religious holidays.”

Consistent with the Senate action and our ambition to be a more welcoming and inclusive community, I urge all faculty members to provide students with an opportunity to make up work missed due to religious holidays. Since there are many cultures and faiths, University events cannot always be scheduled to avoid conflict with all holidays. Students should make their holiday needs known to faculty in advance, so professors can make arrangements for the appropriate accommodation. Further, I ask that when scheduling events, people check the calendar to avoid conflicts, if possible.

The list of religious holidays for the 2015–2016 academic year can be found at the Calendar link on the Provost’s Office web page.

Drake Social Club
Thanks to everyone who attended—more than 150 of you—the Drake Social on Thursday, making it, so I am being told, a big (and welcome) success. A shout out of thanks goes to Cherie Moen for managing it and making all the arrangements. Given the response, we are already looking for two more dates for this semester—stay tuned for future announcements.

Open Office Hours
If you are looking for me, this week you will find me on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 3–4:30 p.m. at Cowles Cafe.

—Submitted by Joe Lenz, Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

Fire Drill Oct. 7

Drake University will hold a campus-wide building evacuation/fire drill on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, at 9:10 a.m. in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act and in conjunction with National Fire Prevention month. Fire alarms will be activated in all campus buildings to signal the start of the drill. All buildings will be locked down during the fire alarms. During lock down, buildings can be evacuated, but cannot be re-entered. Members and guests of the campus community will need to evacuate all Drake University buildings at this time. Please dress according to weather.

This drill will be coordinated through the Office of Public Safety (271-2222) working with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (271-3804) and Facilities Services (271-3955). Please report any fire alarm malfunctions or evacuation problems to Facilities or Public Safety. Your cooperation in this very important campus safety exercise regarding the Drake Emergency Response Plan is appreciated and required by law.

As a reminder:

  • Please evacuate when the alarms sound.
  • If it is cold, please wear a coat.
  • Buildings will be locked down during alarms.
  • Buildings can be evacuated but cannot be re-entered until the drill ends.

—Submitted by Chris Nickell, Director, EHS

Campus Announcements Archive

Construction update: Sept. 21

Pre-construction work begins this week north of Harvey Ingham along Forest Avenue as part of the pre-construction effort for the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility and the new Science Connector building between Olin and Fitch Halls. This work will facilitate relocation of electrical and communication lines.  Between now and the end of the semester you will see digging and trench work, which will be noticeable to those in and around the area.  Fencing and signage will mark the work areas and efforts are being made to minimize disruption. Watch OnCampus and blueView for announcements about future work schedules and locations. If at any time you have questions or concerns please contact Venessa Macro at 271-3962 or Jolene Schmidt at 271-3957.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Campus Announcements Archive

Material handling safety

With renovations wrapping up in Harvey-Ingham and new construction set to begin later in the school year there has been a lot of office moving going on around campus. Throughout all of this activity it is important that we take time to touch on a very important safety topic: material handling. Injuries resulting from material handling are a leading cause of lost time at work. These injuries are the result of both repetitive manual tasks and single exposure incidents. It is often the single exposure incidents that lead to the most serious injuries because they happen without warning and can therefore be more difficult to prevent.

There are a number of ways in which injuries can occur from material handling and many factors can contribute to the severity of the injury. Material handling does not just refer to moving product in construction, the plant, or a warehouse; material handling involves any kind of lifting or moving, whether it be moving a stack of books or sliding a desk to a different side of a room. Some of the most common ways that injuries occur from material handling are:

  • Lifting or moving heavy objects
  • Twisting or bending at the back
  • Carrying objects too far away from your body
  • Reaching over head to grab or set down an object
  • Carrying awkwardly shaped objects or bulky objects without handles
  • Doing the same task over and over for an extended period of time
  • Falling or rolling objects
  • Handling materials without proper hand protection

It is also important to be aware of the environmental conditions as they can have a negative effect on your ability to move objects without injury. Working in cold weather can increase joint and muscle stiffness, while working in hot weather can lead to dehydration and fatigue. Everyone should take steps to minimize or eliminate the risks involved with material handling. Using the tips and guidelines below can help in the effort to reduce workplace injuries:

  • Use material handling equipment such as dollies and carts to minimize the stress on your body.
  • Ask for help with moving heavy or awkwardly shaped objects. The general rule is to ask for help if the object weighs over 50 pounds, but you should always use your best judgment and recognize your limitations.
  • Use proper lifting techniques anytime you need to pick something up:
    o Plan your lift and the path you plan to take.
    o Always bend at the knees and hips, not at your back.
    o Avoid twisting motions; turn your hips and feet when you need to rotate your body.
    o Keep feet shoulder-width apart.
    o Keep the item close to your body.
    o Take a deep breath before lifting.
  • Avoid carrying objects that obstruct your view.
  • Use gloves when carrying and moving objects.

As always, it is important to use common sense and get help when needed. If you experience any pain it is important to report the symptoms early, and take a break from what you are doing. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the Environmental Health and Safety Department.

—Submitted by Chris Nickell, Director, Environmental Health & Safety

Campus Announcements Archive

From DTS: Blackboard migration

As of Sept. 19, the summer courses Blackboard system is offline, part of our final migration process into the new Blackboard Hosting Environment. This means that you will no longer have access to bb.drake.edu, and will be re-directed to drake.blackboard.com. All summer courses will be moved, with the final courses moved by Sept. 28.

Though we don’t anticipate any files being lost, we recommend that instructors save their files and/or course content on their personal hard drive as a backup. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

—Submitted by Chris Gill, Chief Technology Officer

Campus Announcements Archive

Updates to policy development and approval process

Policy development and approval processes are outlined in the recently approved Policy Development, Approval and Communication policy. One key change is the use of a comment period during the policy development process, giving the campus community an opportunity to comment on policies before they become final. A working group is also developing a new policy library that organizes University-wide policies by type for easier reference. Watch for more information regarding this resource later this fall.

The Food Service Exclusivity Policy has also been approved and is posted as part of the University-wide policy library. This policy outlines changes to Sodexo exclusivity for catering services and provides alternatives for on-campus catering.

—Submitted by Andrea McDonough, Senior Administrative Services Specialist

Campus Announcements Archive

Faculty & staff: Sign up for interactive workshop

Enhancing Global Experiences Through Critical Reflection and Scholarship

Friday, Oct. 23, 12–4:30 p.m.
Courtside Club Hospitality Suite
The Shivers Basketball Practice Facility

This half-day interactive workshop, led by Patti Clayton, senior scholar, Center for Service and Learning at Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis, will focus on critical reflection and partnership strategies to enhance student learning in a global context, as well as discuss how teaching can be an opportunity for research while adding to emerging scholarship in service-learning. Participants will leave with critical reflection activities and ideas for developing their own scholarship as it relates to service-learning. Lunch will be served at noon and the workshop will begin at 12:30 p.m. This event is free to Drake faculty and staff.

12:30–1 p.m.—Establish conceptual frameworks to work within for the day (for SLCE, for GSL/ISL, for integrated design, for scholarship)

Overview of example scholarship related to critical reflection and partnerships

1–2:45—Designing critical reflection

2:45–3—BREAK

3–4:15—Inquiring into learning and partnerships (scholarship)

4:15–4:30—Wrap-up

Register today!

—Submitted by Maria Rohach, Global Learning Program Coordinator