DTS is sending out a short survey to all faculty regarding their technology usage in the classroom. Please watch your email inbox for a survey link on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Your participation will help us determine how to best create future exceptional learning environments at Drake.
Category Archives: Campus Announcements Archive
From the Associate Provost
J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule
It will soon be time to construct the J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule. Each school/college assembles the schedule of their classes, and they will have deadlines sometime very early in the spring semester. If you have questions about J-Term classes (such as how to develop an intensive three-week learning experience, which faculty or staff have successfully organized on-campus J-Term classes and are willing to discuss with others, or what compensation rules are), feel free to contact Associate Provost Art Sanders (arthur.sanders@drake.edu).
Interested in teaching an FYS next fall?
It is time to start considering teaching a First Year Seminar in Fall 2016. If you are interested, visit the FYS Resource page, where you will find sample syllabi and other information about the program. And at the bottom of the page you will find the FYS Course Proposal form. (Please note: If you are a full-time faculty member and you are planning on building FYS into your schedule, you still need to fill out this form.) If you have questions, or want additional information about the FYS program, contact arthur.sanders@drake.edu.
Final FYS discussion
This coming Friday, Dec. 4, will be our final lunch/discussion for FYS instructors and those who are considering teaching an FYS in the future. For information about the event and to RSVP, go to http://tinyurl.com/fyslunch-dec
—Submitted by Art Sanders
All Staff Council Holiday Food Drive
As part of the Drake community, we hope you’ll join us in coming together to collect much needed food and personal items for families in need. Our donations will stay in the Drake neighborhood and be delivered to CROSS Ministries on 24th Street.
When: Monday, Nov. 23–Thursday, Dec. 3
Where: Drop boxes are located at the Bell Center, Cartwright Hall, Olmsted Center, and School of Education. You may also bring your donation to the Holiday Pancake Breakfast on Thursday, Dec. 3
How can you help: A list of highly needed items are listed below—we hope you’ll select a few from the list and drop off at one of the designated locations.
Food
- Proteins (peanut butter and canned meat/fish)
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruit
- Canned soup
- Dried pasta
- Breakfast items (including cereal)
- 100% fruit juice
Personal/Hygiene Products
- Laundry soap (greatest need)
- Toilet tissue (greatest need)
- Disposable diapers
- Baby wipes
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Dish soap
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Kleenex
- Paper towels
- Sanitary napkins and/or tampons
CROSS Ministries is a nonprofit homelessness prevention agency with the Presbytery of Des Moines. They provide direct financial emergency assistance, food, and personal hygiene products to low- and no-income households. www.crossministriesdm.org
United Way/Iowa Shares campaign results
Thank you to everyone who pledged:
- 208 total donors
- 53 new participants to the campaign
- 15 leadership gifts of $1,000+ (an increase of six leadership gifts from 2014)
- $50,126 total raised: $44,967 for United Way; $5,159 for Iowa Shares
Together, we are affecting the lives of central Iowans and providing learning opportunities for our students who serve at more than 35 agencies supported by the campaign.
Click here to see if your received an incentive.
—Submitted by Renee Sedlacek, Interim Director, Community Engagement and Service Learning
Safety on campus during winter
When ice and snow blanket campus, it’s important that individuals recognize the hazards of slippery surfaces. Here are helpful hints to help reduce the risk of falling when slippery conditions exist:
- Wear boots or overshoes with slip-resistant soles. Avoid walking in shoes that have smooth surfaces, which increases the risk of slipping.
- Be aware. Be alert to the possibility that you could quickly slip on an unseen patch of ice.
- Walk cautiously. Your arms help keep you balanced, so keep hands out of pockets and avoid carrying heavy loads that may cause you to become off balance.
- Walk “small.” Avoid an erect, marching posture. Look to see ahead of where you step. When you step on icy areas, take short, shuffling steps. You should also avoid walking on your toes or heels. On an icy or slippery surface, you want as much of the sole of your boot or shoe to connect with the surface as possible.
- Use special care when entering and exiting vehicles; use the vehicle for support.
Falls on ice can occur very quickly and usually there is very little opportunity to plan your landing. Regardless, there are a few precautions that can be taken to help reduce the severity of injury.
When a fall occurs:
- Attempt to relax your muscles. It is very natural to tighten them in anticipation of landing on the ground. Injuries can be lessened when the muscles are relaxed.
- Try to avoid landing on your knees, wrists, tailbone, or spine. When possible, you should attempt to fall on a fleshy part of your body, such as your side.
- It’s important to attempt to adjust your body to avoid striking your head. If you begin to fall backwards, you should attempt to lift your head to prevent it from hitting the ground first.
Walking on icy and slippery surfaces can be hazardous. The best way to prevent a fall is to avoid the situation. But when avoidance is not possible, you should apply these tips. They can help to make the difference between a minor and a serious injury or, better yet, no injury at all.
—Submitted by Chris Nickell, Director, Environmental Health & Safety
Check processing during the holidays
Please note the following schedule for processing check requests to accommodate the upcoming holiday breaks.
Thanksgiving Week:
- Check requests larger than $25,000 were due to Accounts Payable by noon on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for processing on the Friday check run.
- All other check requests were due to Accounts Payable by noon on Friday, Nov. 20.
- Checks will be processed and available on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
- Normal check processing will resume on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Winter Break:
- Check requests are due to Accounts Payable by noon on Friday, Dec. 18.
- Checks will be processed and available as normal with the final check batch to be processed on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
- Normal check processing will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Thank you for your help in coordinating to ensure we meet all needs during the holidays.
Contact Jana Brem at x3168 or jana.brem@drake.edu if you have any questions.
—Submitted by Jana Brem, Accounting Manager
Important campus operations update
Thanksgiving break door access
Due to the University closing at noon on Nov. 25, we will be locking doors to most campus buildings at 1 p.m. Card access will still allow you to access your authorized buildings, they will just be locked to the general public. Regular door schedule will resume on Sunday, Nov. 29.
Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time, or email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.
Happy Thanksgiving!
—Submitted by Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office
Building heating for 2015–2016
Campus is now set for the heating season with all systems up and running and cooling generally shut down and being winterized. Because the bulk of campus is cooled with water based cooling systems, they must be drained and in many cases winterized to prevent freezing. Once this is done they cannot be turned back on until warm temperatures in the spring. Facility Services begins this process prior to temperatures dropping below 32 degrees.
The University has adopted uniform temperature settings for heating and cooling: heating temperature is 68 degrees and cooling temperature is 77 degrees. In 2003 the University Sustainability Committee recommended energy efficient temperature set points for University buildings to the President’s Cabinet, which ratified the recommendation at that time. The set points were guided by the federal recommended set points, those used in federal buildings, and those recommended by MidAmerican energy for maximum efficiency and energy sustainability. These set points are intended for common spaces, classrooms and labs, offices and administrative spaces, athletic facilities, and auditoriums. Residence hall rooms are still on their own control and can be regulated to suit the resident’s liking.
—Submitted by Mark Chambers, Director Facility Services
Scheduled electrical shutdowns
On Nov. 25, a scheduled electrical shutdown will occur from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., affecting the following buildings: The Knapp Center, Fieldhouse, Bell Center, and Shivers Basketball Practice Facility. This scheduled shutdown is part of the electrical project that needs to be completed prior to the construction of the new School of Education/Computer Science and Mathematics Building and the new Science Connector Building.
Another scheduled electrical shutdown will occur on Nov. 27, from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., affecting the Fine Arts Center and Olin Hall. This scheduled shutdown is a routine shutdown that occurs ever year the day after Thanksgiving. This allows Facilities Services to clean the electrical transformer on campus.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations & Support Servi
New interdisciplinary minor
The Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC) will offer a new plan of study, the Interdisciplinary Minor Language and Culture, beginning in spring 2016. It will be available in each of the languages WLC offers with the exception of American Sign Language. The new interdisciplinary minor will require 18 credit hours and will replace the Certificate of Competence in Language and Culture, which required 14 hours. For more information, please visit the WLC website.
—Submitted by Marc Pinheiro-Cadd, Associate Professor, Director of World Languages and Cultures
New website for Drake University Archives & Special Collections
Cowles Library is pleased to announce a new website for the Drake University Archives & Special Collections at https://archives.library.drake.edu. Located on the second floor of the Library, the Archives collects and preserves documents, artifacts, and images related to the history of Drake.
The new website features a search box for the Special Collections; Archives Finding Aids; links to the Drake Digital Collections; as well as the Political Papers Collection, which includes the congressional papers of Sen. Tom Harkin, Rep. Neal Smith, and the Iowa Caucus Collection. The site also provides links to eScholarShare, the scholarly repository for the University, and information about current exhibits and information regarding use of the collections.
University Archives and Special Collections welcomes students, scholars, and members of the general public to view and use the University’s historical primary source documents, including original letters and diaries, photographs, oral histories, and publications. Students are especially welcomed and encouraged to conduct research within these collections. University Archives and Special Collections staff are happy to work with instructors at Drake to incorporate primary source materials into the learning process. Arrangements can be made for classes or tours to be held in the Archives and staff are available to make presentations about the holdings or to work with faculty interested in including archival materials in the curriculum. For more information contact archives@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Marc Davis, Cowles Library
Mailing for the holidays?
Please prepare early for all your mailing and shipping needs for the holiday season, as this is a busy shopping and shipping season. We encourage everyone on campus to ship early when at all possible. To ensure timely delivery of cards, letters, and packages within the United States by Dec. 25, Drake’s Postal Operations is recommending shipping by the following dates:
- Dec. 14 for standard post-ground service for less than urgent deliveries and oversize packages
- Dec. 16 First Class Mail
- Dec. 21 Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations & Support Services