Category Archives: For Staff Archive

For Staff Archive

Virtual town hall for staff Oct. 22, hosted by HR and ASC

All Staff Council (ASC) and Human Resources are looking forward to co-hosting a virtual town hall for staff on Friday, Oct. 22. It is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. and can go as late as 3 p.m., depending on the number of attendees and questions. Attend via Teams here. We know this is a busy time of year for everyone, so if you cannot make the town hall, we will provide a summary along with a link to a recording in next week’s OnCampus.

So far, we have received many thoughtful questions. If you have a burning question, there is still time to submit questions to ASC. We have received a few questions we thought we could answer here in hopes of reserving as much time as we can at the town hall for the more complex and discussion-provoking topics.

We look forward to receiving more questions. Your questions will help us plan the agenda. We hope to see you at the virtual town hall!

Q: If you are able to share more about the benefits of using Broadlawns at this time with us, that would be great!

A: Great question! Please check out next week’s OnCampus for a bit more information. But note, Open Enrollment starts Nov. 1. Throughout the month, HR will be sharing a lot of information about benefits for plan year 2022, including additional details about the new Broadlawns partnership, which takes effect on Jan. 1. With the start of Open Enrollment, HR also will be rolling out a beautiful digital benefits guide that we think will be really helpful to employees and their families. It will contain core information about Broadlawns pricing, but more detailed information will be provided throughout the month of November. Keep an eye out for HR communications in November.

We are happy to share that Broadlawns will have a presence at the Benefits Fair on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Parents Hall South.

As a reminder: if you ever have specific questions about your benefits, please feel free to directly contact Drake’s Benefits Specialist Marlene Heuertz (marlene.heuertz@drake.edu).

Q: Could we allow rollover of a certain number of vacation days into the following year that need to be used by a specific deadline?

A: This question comes up frequently. Unfortunately, this is not an option that is available with our current leave structure, as we are not able to carry over the financial liability from one fiscal year into the next. True, we did allow this once due to COVID—as an exception—with review from our tax accountants.

This is not to say that we cannot revisit how vacation leave, sick time, and other forms of leave are handled at Drake—but that would be a big (big) project. It may be helpful to gauge how pressing this is compared to other projects that will also be time consuming—we can revisit this at the town hall, if there is interest.

In the meantime, we encourage all staff to plan out vacations with the ebbs and flows of the academic year in mind. We understand COVID has made such planning extremely difficult in the past two years and we know it has been frustrating to see unused vacation time end with the fiscal year. Let’s all hope that planning will be easier in 2022.

Q: Are you considering letting us use sick time to cover the time of annual appointments?  With us now having to go to our PCP for our insurance coverage, it would be nice to be able to use sick time and not vacation for these appointments.

A: Another great question. We had to do some historical research to get to the bottom of why the current sick leave policy is drafted like it is. Turns out, way back in June of 2004, someone asked this same question! Drake recognized that we really do want to encourage staff to seek routine and preventative care. At that time, the decision was made to not revise the sick leave policy, but instead to provide staff with a second personal day. The short answer: the reason why staff get two personal days per year is because one of them was intended to be used for routine and preventative care. People hired since 2004 would not necessarily know this history, so there you go.

Q: Under what conditions are staff empowered to tell their manager they don’t want to have in-person meetings, but would rather hold them via Teams or Zoom?

A: An employee certainly could ask whether there is an option to attend a meeting remotely. However, managers do get to direct their employees to attend meetings and events in person. The only conditions where an employee could arguably refuse to follow such directions would be if the employee was out on protected leave (like FMLA) or sick and physically unable to come to work. Without knowing more about what the question-asker has in mind, this is the short answer. If there is a follow-up question, please submit it!

Q: What options will be open to staff moving forward for remote work?

A: We know staff are really anxious to learn more about this important topic! The task force reviewing remote work, flexible schedules, and the like has finalized its recommendations. Those recommendations were just presented to the President’s Council on Oct. 13. Please see today’s OnCampus with a separate article on the task force’s work. It provides more details about what happens next.

— Andy Verlengia, on behalf of All Staff Council; Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

For Staff Archive

Staff Task Force on remote work shares recommendations

On Oct. 13, the President’s Council received an overview of the task force’s recommendation on the future of remote work and flexible schedules. We are happy to share that these recommendations have been given the greenlight to proceed. Now, the real work begins! Here is an overview of the next steps in the process:

Oct. 22–Nov. 5: You can comment on draft policies: Two new policies and one revised policy will be posted for comment. One of the new policies, Customized Work Arrangements, will supersede current policies addressing Telecommuting and Flexible Work Schedules. The other new policy introduces the Dress-For-Your-Day concept to campus. There are also some suggested updates/clarifications to the policy addressing University Closing, Delays and Class Cancellations. Starting this Friday, Oct. 22, you can review these policies and offer comments here. Depending on the nature and volume of comments and questions submitted by campus, these drafts may undergo additional revisions.

Oct. 26: Task Force Debrief: From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., members of the task force will facilitate a virtual debrief providing an overview of its recommendations and offer context for how and why certain decisions were made. We think this will be an informative session, particularly for anyone who is interested in offering feedback on the policies. You can join this session here.

Nov. 3: HR Monthly Email: Human Resources’ monthly email for November is going to be jam-packed full of information. Not only will it address Open Enrollment, but we’ll share the task force’s memo that went to the President’s Council. The memo will provide additional information about the process followed by the task force, its diligence, and the rationale behind its recommendations.

Nov. 5: Review Comments: The task force will reconvene to review the comments and questions offered during the policy review process. It may very well be that the draft policies will benefit from some revisions. We have some draft FAQs, but we may want to add more to strengthen this resource. While the policy review process proceeds, the task force will be working on a detailed guide to help staff and managers. This draft, too, may need some revisions based on the policy feedback received.

Nov. 10: BUILD Class for Staff: Please consider attending the 2–3 p.m. BUILD session on Moving Forward: Discussing Drake’s Updated Flexible Work Arrangement Policies and Practices.

Nov. 17: BUILD Class for Managers: If you are in a supervisory position and think some of your employees may be interesting in customized work arrangements, please attend this BUILD session: Supervisor Spotlight: Thinking Through Flexible Work Arrangements—Key Variables & Considerations. This training will be from 2–3 p.m.

Upon Demand Training: Departments or units that would like Human Resources to provide training or be available to answer questions about the new policy and CWA process can make a request by emailing drakehr@drake.edu. Please use the email subject line “CWA Assistance Requested.” We are happy to work with managers to schedule a time that works for them and their teams. We can facilitate a formal training or just make time to answer questions.

But wait, there’s More! Once the policies are finalized, we will offer additional details about next steps. Managers will also receive special communications, so that they are informed and supported. If there is demand, we will also schedule additional training sessions. More to come!

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Latinx Affinity Group lunch

Drake Latinx faculty and staff are invited to get together for lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 27, in Hubbell Dining Hall. We will have meal tickets available for pick up at the Student Life Center in Olmsted starting Tuesday, Oct. 19. We will also have someone to welcome and hand out tickets at Hubbell on Oct. 27 from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

We look forward to this time together to get to know other Latinx faculty and staff on campus. We hope you will join us!

— Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Bright College presentation, mid-term grading party this Friday

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two informative articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

On Friday, Oct. 22, my office is sponsoring two events.

First, we’ve invited Craig Owens, dean of John Dee Bright College, to be (virtually) present to talk about the semester-long John Dee Bright College Faculty Fellowship. Bright College, Drake’s newest academic division, is currently recruiting faculty who might wish to take part in co-teaching an interdisciplinary seminar or leading a practicum for a semester in the next two years. Compensation includes a combination of course release, stipend, and faculty development funding. Faculty at any rank from any college, school, or division are welcome to join Craig for a virtual lunch-adjacent conversation about these opportunities on Friday, Oct. 22, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Email nicki.kimm@drake.edu to register/get the Zoom link. More information about Bright College is available at www.drake.edu/bright.

Second, we’ll be hanging out in Mars Cafe from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, having a MID-TERM GRADING PARTY. Stop by, drink some coffee, do some grading or other mid-term work, see colleagues you’ve not seen in a while, or meet those you’ve never met, talk pedagogy and assessment and mid-term evaluation practices.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Two resources if you’re feeling stressed

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two informative articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

We heard at Faculty Senate this week that our students are feeling under pressure as we “return to normal.” They find themselves questioning the way that normal felt/feels, and they ask specifically for more “grace” from us, their faculty. I’ve been hearing a similar thing from faculty friends and colleagues—a sense of already feeling exhausted (and it’s barely mid-term!), stressed, and overwhelmed.

I’m not going to ask that we pretend that we’re not living through exceptional times, and I’m certainly not going to ask that we pretend we’re not stressed and exhausted and occasionally frayed.  But, I will suggest that we will better serve our students (and ourselves) if we take some time to recenter and ground, to breathe and relax, to remember our purpose as faculty and staff committed to higher education.

To those ends, I’ve found these two resources helpful and share them in the hopes that you’ll find a bit of time to engage with one or both, and feel a bit more settled, and less stressed.

First, this article from FacultyFocus, offers some great suggestions.

Second, this video of an address by Joshua Eyler made the rounds at the beginning of summer. Revisiting it now offers a powerful and poignant reminder not to lose track of ourselves, or our students, during the transition back to “normal times.”

In November, I’m setting aside development time to talk together about the lessons we’ve learned in the past 18 months (both the practical/pragmatic/pedagogical, and the more ephemeral), as well as finding ways to extend grace to our students when we are feeling decidedly …. clumsy (not graceful).  Please consider joining, as well, for the book group on BurnOut in November, and The Slow Professor in December (details to follow, next week).

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

New, internal Continuous Improvement site

A new, internal Continuous Improvement website has been created as a reference for all unit-level Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs) and Continuous Improvement Planning in general.  It’s a great reference to see the objectives, measures, targets, and initiatives for each unit on campus, including the University as a whole.  This also replaces the prior “conversations” site.

It also has supporting information on Continuous Improvement Planning along with many resources, white-papers, templates, and more.

Please use this as a resource to see how other areas around campus achieve these four main goals:

  1. Align activities to strategic priorities
  2. Improve communications
  3. Monitor performance
  4. Drive purposeful action

As always, please reach out with any questions.

— Nate Reagen, President’s Office

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Update: Teams calling project, next phase

Back in January, ITS began the extensive project of upgrading the campus phone system. The first phase, now complete, involved moving faculty and staff extensions to Microsoft Teams. For the next phase, ITS staff is transitioning department extensions and conference room phones to Teams calling, and determining if any extensions are no longer required.

All indoor red security phones and outdoor blue emergency phones across campus will remain in place. Other public area phones will be removed, unless identified as essential.

In addition to the campus security phones, students, faculty, and staff can use the free Rave Guardian mobile phone app. The app includes a panic button with a direct connection to Public Safety. Learn more.

You can learn more about the Teams calling project by visiting the FAQ page. For questions, contact Jeff Regan at jeffrey.regan@drake.edu.

— Carla Herling, ITS

For Staff Archive

All Staff Council, Human Resources to host virtual town hall for staff Oct. 22

All Staff Council and Human Resources are excited to co-host a town hall for Drake staff on Friday, Oct. 22, at 1:30 p.m. The town hall may go as late as 3 p.m. depending on the number of attendees and questions. Staff are invited to join via Teams.

On Oct. 5, we invited staff to submit questions to All Staff Council to help us build an agenda that speaks to your interests. If you have a burning question, there is still time to submit questions to ASC. Please know we will reserve time during the town hall for attendees to ask questions and share ideas, suggestions, and recommendations.

To date, we have received dozens of great questions—many inquiring about staff compensation and the future of remote work. Questions touching upon these topics will prompt larger discussion suitable for the virtual town hall. In next week’s OnCampus, we will share a draft agenda for the town hall and we will address a few of the simpler questions for which there are reasonably straight forward answers.

We look forward to receiving more questions from staff to help us plan the virtual town hall. We hope to see you there.

— All Staff Council/Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Tuition exchange eligibility, tuition rebate waiver policies updated

Financial Aid and Human Resources have teamed up to enhance and clarify Drake’s policies and resources relating to Tuition Exchange Eligibility and Drake’s Tuition Waiver. The updated policies are posted now.  If you have any questions to pose or comments to share, you can click here to provide such feedback on either or both policies.

Tuition exchange eligibility
The big change is a great one: Drake has removed the one-year of service requirement to make it easier for new employees to access this benefit. This change results in tuition exchange eligibility more closely mirroring the Tuition Rebate Waiver policy. We hope this new standard will mean more Drake employees, and their dependents, will be able to take advantage of this great benefit without delay.

Additional edits to the Tuition exchange eligibility policy update language to reflect the application processes currently used by our two exchange partners: Tuition Exchange, Inc. (TE) and Council of Independent Colleges and Universities Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). Of particular note is the elimination of the “points system” that was used to determine which employees are approved by Drake for “export” through tuition exchange. Because Tuition Exchange, Inc. eliminated its Balance Sheet requirement (which required approximately equal imports/exports), schools are no longer limited in the quantity of students they can approve for export. Accordingly, Drake will approve for export all applications from eligible employees.

Tuition waiver
This policy has been renamed and will be referred to as the Tuition Waiver Policy, as the word rebate created confusion. Name change aside, most of the edits are minor, but the policy does now place greater emphasis on the need to submit applications for the Tuition Rebate prior to class registration. Although late applications have historically been approved, delayed submissions create administrative hardships and can impact employees’ payroll deductions. These problems can easily be avoided if applications are submitted in a timely manner.

One important change to note: the limitation on the number of dependents that can use the Tuition Waiver at one time (two dependents) no longer includes dependents who are utilizing tuition exchange. We hope that this change will also allow more Drake employees and their families to take advantage of this wonderful benefit.

A new resource page has been developed for Drake Tuition Benefits. Questions related to tuition waiver policy can be directed to maureen.dearmond@drake.edu. Questions related to the application process for Drake’s tuition benefits can be directed to ryan.zantingh@drake.edu.

— Ryan Zantingh, Student Financial Planning/Maureen De Armond, Human Resources