Category Archives: For Staff Archive

IMPORTANT: Course material requests due March 15

The deadline for submitting course material requests for the upcoming summer semester is March 15. Receiving material requests as soon as possible enables the Book Store to source the most affordable books for students and provide top dollar to students selling books back at the end of this semester. With the Book Store’s Online Adoption Tool, selecting course materials is fast and easy.

Access the online adoption tool

Visit www.drake.bkstr.com. Go to Books in the top navigation and under the Information heading, click Online Adoptions. If you need additional training to use the Online Adoption Tool, contact Donna Hallstrom at donna.hallstrom@drake.edu.

New User?

Follow the steps listed above. Click on Register Here and complete the required fields. Enter 1623 in the Book Store Supplied Password field.

Download the 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, please contact Donna Hallstrom at donna.hallstrom@drake.edu.

— Donna Hallstrom, University Book Store

All Staff Council introduces new committee

All Staff Council added a new committee this year, the Special Interest Committee. The committee explores initiatives, questions, and/or concerns presented to All Staff Council through research, planning, and collaboration with appropriate offices on campus.

The Special Interest Committee has made two recommendations that are moving forward.

Recommendation 1: Add Human Resource policies to the Drake website. In addition, add an explanation of why there is a difference between exempt and non-exempt vacation time in the time card directions section.

Exempt staff begin with 160 hours of vacation, and non-exempt staff begin with 80 hours of vacation. Non-exempt staff use 37.5 hours as their workweek with five 30-minute lunches paid. Over the year, the 2.5 hours they get weekly for their paid lunch amounts to 130 hours. This equates to 16.25 days, which is more than two weeks of vacation time. It’s important to note that some staff do not get a paid lunch.

Recommendation 2: Add to the Drake website and HR policies that full-time staff members in exempt positions, who have 9-, 10- or 11-month contracts, have the opportunity to be paid over 12 months. Faculty already have this opportunity; therefore, the committee recommends that it be offered to staff members as well.

It should be noted that non-exempt staff would not be able to defer their pay because they must be paid on a payroll basis to include overtime earned in the pay period. This does not include Head Start employees as they must pay all employees within the program (fiscal) year and would not be able to defer pay into another program/fiscal year.

Additionally, the committee is working on creating a staff mentoring program scheduled to launch in August 2018.

The Special Interest Committee is interested in your suggestions. If you have a question, issue, or concern, reach out to Pam Pepper at pam.pepper@drake.edu or extension 4558. The committee will review your inquiry and respond. All suggestions are kept confidential.

Pam Pepper, All Staff Council Special Interest Committee Chair

Meeting on inclusive learning environments

The next in our series of meetings focused on creating inclusive learning environments will be at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in the Olmsted Center, TMR 132. These meetings provide an opportunity for anyone on campus to come and discuss the challenges, successes, and failures we have faced as we try to navigate the difficult issue of creating inclusive learning environments. For questions, contact Art Sanders at arthur.sanders@drake.edu.

—Art Sanders, Associate Provost

March phishing education

ITS will send emails that mimic real attacks as part of its phishing education in March. As a reminder, here are some indications that an email may be dangerous:

  • A strange sender, or one that you don’t expect
  • A request to take ‘urgent’ or ‘immediate’ action
  • Links or attachments that don’t match the message content or that you don’t recognize

Slow down and take a second look before acting. If you receive an email that you suspect is phishing, don’t click any links, download any attachments, or reply. Instead, forward the email as an attachment to informationsecurity@drake.edu.

Additional training will be assigned to faculty and staff members 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

Call for proposals: Nelson Institute Global Pressing Issues grant

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs invites proposals for a two-year grant that will fund interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects that address a global issue of broad public importance. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance Drake’s involvement in addressing pressing global issues, thus helping to position Drake as a global knowledge hub in service to local, national, and international communities.

Over the past three years, the Nelson Institute has funded the following projects:

  • Assessing, collaborating, and empowering to improve water quality in rural Uganda
  • Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines immigrant and refugee narratives through collaborative research with youth
  • Drake’s presence in the Toledo District of Southern Belize: Maximizing our impact while minimizing our footprint

One project will be funded from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. The deadline for proposals is May 4. Proposals should be sent to Denise Ganpat at denise.ganpat@drake.edu. Award notification will occur by June 1. Teams are encouraged to consult with Jeffrey Kappen, assistant professor of international business and interim director of the Nelson Institute, at jeffrey.kappen@drake.edu, as they prepare their proposals. The Nelson Institute will provide $20,000–$30,000 in support of the selected project, depending upon demonstrated need. Project leaders are encouraged, if necessary, to seek additional funding from on- and off-campus sources. View the full call for proposals and criteria.

Denise Ganpat, Provost’s Office

University Marshal, Assistant Marshal nominations open until March 9

Drake faculty are invited to submit nominations to the Deans’ Council for University Marshal and Assistant Marshal. The marshals oversee and participate in Drake commencement and other ceremonies. Submit nominations by Friday, March 9, prior to Spring Break.

University Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for University Marshal must 1) hold the rank of professor, 2) be actively engaged in the life of the University through all-university leadership and service, and 3) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

Assistant Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for Assistant Marshal must 1) have been recognized by their academic unit or by the University for excellence in teaching, scholarship, or service, and 2) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

The University and Assistant Marshals are appointed by the president, upon the recommendation of the Deans’ Council. The term is for five years, renewable at the discretion of the president. Nominations can be directed to Drinda Williams, administrative assistant to the provost, at drinda.williams@drake.edu.

University Marshal Joseph Schneider, Ellis and Nelle Levitt distinguished professor of sociology and department chair, and Assistant Marshal David Wright, professor of journalism and mass communication, are stepping down as Drake’s Marshals following the 2018 commencement.

Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning lunch

The first Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunch of the semester is Friday, March 2, at 12 p.m. in Medbury Hall, Room 201. The lunch discussion is an opportunity for those engaged in SoTL projects at any level—from just thinking about starting one, to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL—to share ideas, seek advice, or ask questions of colleagues engaged in the process. While it is too late to register for a lunch, you are welcome to come and bring your own lunch.

— Art Sanders, Associate Provost

University Book Club to read “Arrowood”

The University Book Club is reading “Arrowood” by Laura McHugh this spring, an eerie tale set in Keokuk, Iowa. The book is available for checkout at Cowles Library.

The club will meet Tuesday, April 3, at 4:45 p.m. at Smokey Row to discuss the book. Faculty and staff are invited to join.

Contact ascspecialevents@drake.edu if you are interested in participating in the discussion, to receive future book club information directly to your email, or if you have any questions.

In addition, the book club is accepting book selection ideas for the next fiscal year. Please send book suggestions to ascspecialevents@drake.edu.

Previous selections include:

  • “The Kind Worth Killing” by Peter Swanson
  • “Thirteen Ways of Looking”  by Colum McCann
  • “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown
  • “The Nest” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
  • “Hidden Figures” by Margo Lee Shetterly
  • “Bottomland” by Michelle Hoover
  • “Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari
  • “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn
  • “Arrowood” by Laura McHugh (current selection)
  • “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand (upcoming summer selection)

All Staff Council, Special Events Committee

Tech Tuesday session March 6

Join ITS staff for the next session of Tech Tuesday on March 6 from 2 to 2:50 p.m. in the Dial Center Large Conference Room.

The session will focus on keeping your identity safe six months after the Equifax breach. Led by Peter Lundstedt, director, information security and compliance.

Sign up for the March 6 session and other upcoming sessions.

Carla Herling, ITS