Eaton on wavelengths, Gara on taxes. Petridis with interplanetary travel, Porter with Zelda. Plus, millennials are not ruining everything, and even five more reasons for optimism! Read all about all this and more in the Spring 2018 issue of Blue. Online at alumni.drake.edu/magazine.
— Beth Wilson, University Communications
Faculty and staff, take advantage of discounted tickets for the Drake Relays. View special pricing for package and single-session tickets. Visit The Knapp Center Ticket Office and show a valid Drake ID to receive the discounted price.
For more information, contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or visit www.godrakebulldogs.com.
— Ryan Harris, Athletics
You are invited to relax, connect, and celebrate with colleagues at the All-Staff Council Sapphire Awards on Wednesday, May 9, from 2 to 3 p.m. in Levitt Hall. This annual event honors Called to be True Blue Award recipients from the 2017-2018 academic year, with Sapphire Awards going to top individual and group award winners.
Please join us for refreshments, entertainment, and connection as we come together to honor your hard work and commitment, while giving special recognition to colleagues.
—All-Staff Council
Are you ready for Relays? The week-long festivities (April 20-28) include so much more than world-class athletic competition on the Blue Oval. Here are a few ways for faculty and staff to make the most of their Relays experience.
Watch a paint fight
Street painting has long served as the unofficial kickoff to the festivities surrounding the Drake Relays. Watch as students take part in the tradition and paint a square on Painted Street. The event starts Friday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Beware, if you want to stay paint free, you may want to observe from a distance.
Attend an adorable (slobbery) beauty pageant
Watch as 40 English bulldogs strut their stuff on the pupwalk (no catwalks here!) at The Knapp Center at noon on Sunday, April 22, during the 39th annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest. The bulldogs will compete for the illustrious cape, crown, and throne, and the honor of being the official bulldog mascot for the 2018 Drake Relays. The contest is free to watch and coo over, and you’ll be able to vote for your favorite pup to take home the Porterhouse People’s Choice Award during the contest.
Lace up your shoes
You don’t have to be an elite athlete to run at the Drake Relays. Hit the pavement during the Road Races or the Grand Blue Mile. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Drake Road Races, which will be held Sunday morning, April 22, and include a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon, with all runners finishing on the Blue Oval. Then, on Tuesday, April 24, compete, jog, trot, or walk in the Grand Blue Mile in downtown Des Moines. The one-mile street run is for runners of all ages and aspirations and starts in front of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park before making its way down Locust and Grand.
Grab lunch from a food truck on Forest Avenue
Drake community members looking to get out of the office and explore Relays over lunch can dine at food trucks parked on Forest Avenue on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 28. Forest Avenue will be closed to traffic between 27th Street and 29th Street from Thursday, April 26, at 2 p.m. to Saturday, April 28, at 5 p.m. The closure will allow Relays vendors, such as food trucks, to set up outside of the stadium and safely interact with the community. No vehicles will be allowed through the area during this time.
The Vault at Capital Square
A must see event, The Vault at Capital Square allows you to get up close and personal with world-class vaulters as they take to the skies inside the atrium at Capital Square on Wednesday, April 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Alumni Awards Ceremony
The entire campus community (no need to be a Drake grad) is encouraged to attend the Alumni Awards Ceremony. The ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate our most distinguished alumni. This year’s award winners demonstrate outstanding professional accomplishments and loyal leadership to Drake and their communities. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to register to attend the ceremony on Thursday, April 26, at 5:15 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium.
Relays Distance Carnival
On Thursday, April 26, distance runners take the track with the 800-meter race beginning at 4:30 p.m. Don’t miss the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 7 p.m.—think seven-and-a-half laps with hurdles and water jumps.
Meet up with fellow Bulldogs and former students
Catch up with former students, old friends, classmates, and perhaps Griff during one of the many receptions and tent parties. Be sure to attend the All-Alumni Tent Party, for a won’t-want-to-miss Friday night party. You don’t have to be a Drake alumna/alumnus to attend! Other meet-ups include the Greek Reunion, Young Alumni Brunch, LGBTQ+ Reception, and SJMC Alumni Reception.
Spot an Olympian
Keep your eyes peeled for greatness. The Drake Relays attract some of the world’s best athletes. On Saturday, April 28, catch a glimpse of Andre De Grasse, a three-time Olympic medalist, set to compete in the men’s invitational 100 meters. In 2016, De Grasse won three medals at the Rio Olympics, including bronze in the 100 meters, behind Usain Bolt.
View a full list of 2018 Drake Relays events. Faculty and staff may visit the Drake Athletics Ticket Office and show valid Drake ID to receive a discounted ticket price to track and field events.
— University Communications
Computer orders processed by ITS must be ordered no later than April 30 due to the end of the fiscal year. Our computer vendors have a higher volume of orders in the spring, which often results in product backorders. Additionally, ITS technicians shift their focus to projects after the end of the spring semester. Adhering to this deadline will ensure that your order arrives in a timely manner and that vendor invoices get processed by the end of the fiscal year.
Standard computer equipment usually ships from the vendor within one to two weeks. Once we have a complete order received on campus, it can take up to three additional weeks for installation. ITS technicians perform multiple configuration steps to prepare each computer for deployment.
Timing is important throughout the fiscal year, not just at year-end. If you have an open position in your department that will require a new computer, please submit your order as early as possible. We cannot guarantee that our vendor will have stock available at all times. The earlier we receive your computer request, the easier it will be to have the equipment ready for the new employee’s start date.
For detailed information on purchasing computers through ITS, please see the IT Service Portal article, Computer Purchasing Guidelines and Standard Computer Models (FAQ).
— Alicia Mann, ITS
Drake’s developing Core Values provide rich subject matter for Learning Symposium break-out sessions focused on trust, transparency, and communication. This year’s Drake Symposium theme is Building Trust: Leading the Conversation. Those who have attended campus presentations and engaged in conversations regarding the Core Values may already be thinking about how these might impact how we work together at Drake. The Learning Symposium is a great forum for developing our collective understanding of these Core Values and to think about next steps.
Proposals are now being accepted from faculty and staff for break-out sessions. Break-out sessions should be 45 minutes in length, and they may take a workshop or panel discussion approach. Proposals for poster displays are also being accepted. The deadline for proposal submissions is Wednesday, April 18.
The 2018 Learning Symposium will be Monday, Aug. 20, and this year, it will be held on campus at the Olmsted Center.
Please visit the 2018 Learning Symposium web page for addition information and proposal guidelines.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
Attackers are constantly looking for a weak link within an organization that can be used to gain a foothold. Once inside, they are free to steal information or money, or wreak havoc on critical systems. Quite often, that weak link is us. When we open links and attachments that we don’t recognize or appear too good to be true, we invite in those that seek to cause us harm.
Over the last six months, security researchers have found that attack methods are evolving. As more organizations provide better education and advanced filtering tools, phishers are improving their grammar usage, spelling, and formatting to convince recipients to let down their guard. We must continue to stay one-step ahead of their tactics.
ITS will send out emails in April that use these same tactics. When you receive any email, slow down and take a second look before acting. Look carefully for ‘red flags’ throughout the message, including the sender, subject, overall message content, links, and attachments. If you receive an email that you suspect may be phishing, forward the email as an attachment to informationsecurity@drake.edu.
Additional training will be assigned to individuals who repeatedly click links or open attachments in phishing emails, simulated or not.
For more information on how to report phishing emails, see the IT Service Portal guide, Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).
— Peter Lundstedt, ITS
Faculty (excluding Law): The deadline for submitting course material requests for the fall term is April 15. Receiving your list of materials as soon as possible allows us to source the most affordable books for your students and provide top dollar for students selling books back at the end of the term. With our Online Adoption Tool, selecting your course materials is fast and easy.
Access the Online Adoption Tool
New User?
Download “6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks” to learn about Follett’s different types of course material purchasing options. If you have any questions about the Online Adoption Tool or how to save students money, contact Donna Hallstrom.
— Donna Hallstrom, University Bookstore
Faculty and staff can purchase discounted tickets for the Drake Relays. View special pricing for package and single-session tickets. Visit The Knapp Center Ticket Office and show a valid Drake ID to receive the discounted price.
For more information, contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or visit www.godrakebulldogs.com.
— Ryan Harris, Athletics
A faculty and staff social will be held Wednesday, April 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Shivers Hospitality Suite. All faculty and staff are invited to enjoy beverages, popcorn, and snack mix, while relaxing with friends and colleagues. Watch your email for the Provost’s trivia question to earn an additional drink ticket. There will not be a town hall discussion prior to the social.
— Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office
