Are you stressed out just thinking about managing your stress? You’re not alone. COVID-19 and other events surrounding 2020 and 2021 have contributed to our increased stress and anxiety.

Although we may not be able to eliminate life’s stressors, Drake’s DU Well program is inviting faculty and staff to join us for a few stress-relief activities the first week in November.

Start the week off attending a yoga flow or meditation class in the Bell Center on Nov. 1.  Then take a break and enjoy the following events, being held in the Olmsted Center:

Nov. 2 – Watch the movie Inside Out showing in Sussman Theater from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Nov. 3 – Play 9 holes of mini golf in Parent’s Hall North from 11 am.–1 p.m.

Nov. 4 – Attend the Benefits and Wellness Fair in Parent’s Hall South from 9–11 a.m.

Details on this and other DU Well programs can be found in the Employee Wellness section on myDrake.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Open Enrollment is the time of year when faculty and staff have an opportunity to elect or change their benefits for the upcoming plan year, which will begin on Jan. 1, 2022. We want every eligible employee to be aware of this opportunity to review the generous benefits offered by Drake and elect benefits which best support them and their eligible dependents.

During the annual open enrollment period, employees can review and make changes to their current participation for the following Drake benefits:

• Health insurance (which includes vision care)
• Prescription drug coverage
• Dental insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (health care and dependent care)
• Voluntary Life Insurance

Drake’s annual open enrollment period for the 2022 Plan Year begins Nov. 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2021. All benefit elections made during the enrollment period will become effective Jan. 1, 2022.

While we are not able to share benefit changes until Nov. 1, we can remind you of the new Broadlawns partnership, which will create special pricing for employees participating in Drake’s health insurance effective Jan. 1, 2022. This new partnership will supplement the choices already available to eligible employees and their dependents.

We are also excited to announce we will soon have a beautiful, informative digital benefits guide to share with you. It will contain Plan Year 2022 information and provide a detailed and easy-to-digest overview of the core benefits offered to Drake employees and their eligible dependents. We can’t wait to share it with you!

SAVE THE DATE for the Benefits Fair on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall South. More information about the Benefits Fair and open enrollment will be coming soon.

— Marlene Heuertz, Benefits Specialist, HR; Maureen De Armond, Executive Director, HR

Important Reminder: Employee’s on Drake’s health plan who wish to receive a wellness health insurance premium discount in 2022, need to complete a physical with their designated Primary Care Physician (PCP) between Dec. 1, 2020, and Nov. 30, 2021, and submit a Physician Exam Completion Form by Dec. 2, 2021.  This is the only option to receive the discount in 2022.

Besides receiving a premium discount, an annual physical is a great way to receive important health information through age and gender specific examinations, schedule recommended preventative screenings, and create a doctor-patient relationship.

If you have not scheduled your annual physical yet with your PCP, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

Please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu with questions.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

There is a vast amount of information on nutrition, but healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated.  To help sort it all out, we have brought back the Eat Right for Life challenge.

This five-week program began Monday, Oct. 11, but you can still join. It works well as both a starter program for our first timers and a refresher program for those tackling it again.

During the challenge you will read a chapter a week from the book Eat Right for Life by Ann G. Kulze, M.D., assess your current eating habits, select a weekly nutrition goal from a list provided, and track your progress. Along the way you will receive additional resources and tips.

To register for this challenge, email linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Are you stressed out just thinking about managing your stress? You’re not alone. COVID-19 and other events surrounding 2020 and 2021 have contributed to our increased stress and anxiety.

Although we may not be able to eliminate life’s stressors, Drake’s DU Well program is inviting faculty and staff to join us for a few stress-relief activities the first week in November.

Start the week off attending a yoga flow or meditation class in the Bell Center on Nov. 1. Then take a break and enjoy the following events, being held in the Olmsted Center:

Nov. 2 – Watch the movie Inside Out showing in Sussman Theater from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 3 – Play 9 holes of mini golf in Parent’s Hall North from 11 am. to 1 p.m.

Nov. 4 – Attend the Benefits and Wellness Fair in Parent’s Hall South from 9 to 11 a.m.

Details on this and other DU Well programs can be found in the Employee Wellness section on myDrake.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

On Sept. 21, President Martin announced that Broadlawns plans to construct a 12,000 sq. ft. medical clinic at 29^th Street and University Avenue. The clinic will be open to employees, students, and the public.

In addition to providing accessible, quality healthcare, the Broadlawns partnership will allow employees participating in Drake’s health plan to realize significant savings when they utilize Broadlawns providers.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, employees and their covered dependents will experience lower co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums for Broadlawns services.

It is important to note that the option to seek care through Broadlawns is simply that: an option. Drake’s Wellmark plan and benefits will be unimpacted by the Broadlawns partnership. This new partnership provides another layer of options and choice which you and your covered family members are empowered to consider. We know that choice in healthcare is important to Drake employees, and while we are looking forward to the new clinic, the additional options this partnership will create for Drake employees is news we are proud to share.

If you have not recently driven by Broadlawns Medical Center or one of their community clinics, you might be surprised to learn of many of the new facilities in the Broadlawns network of providers. Broadlawns facilities have undergone significant renovations and enhancements, as Broadlawns continues to invest in cutting-edge technology to provide state-of-the-art medical care. Soon, we’ll have Broadlawns resources within walking distance of campus.

Between now and open enrollment, we will be sharing additional information about the expertise, services, and resources Broadlawns offers. In the meantime, you can click here to learn more about Broadlawns clinics & services or medical staff. Please watch for additional updates and, as always, please be sure to review open enrollment information as it is shared. It will be November before we know it!

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

There is a vast amount of information on nutrition, and it is easy to get confused by all the related studies and theories. But, healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. To help sort it all out, we are bringing back the Eat Right for Life challenge.

This five-week program begins Monday, Oct. 11. It works well as both a starter program for our first timers and a refresher program for those tackling it again.

During the challenge you will read a chapter a week from the book Eat Right for Life by Ann G. Kulze, M.D., assess your current eating habits, select a weekly nutrition goal from a list provided, and track your progress. Along the way you will receive additional resources and tips.

To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Can you believe it? Human Resources has not been fully staffed since June 2020. At times, we were down three people out of a seven-person team. This has made for some challenging times.

On Monday, Sept. 27, we were thrilled to have Trevon Smith join the HR team. We now have a full bench—we even have a student employee! Exciting times for us and we hope this will mean quicker response times, increased training opportunities, updated processes, and greater service for you when you need HR assistance or have a question for us.

Trevon joins us in a new role—HR Generalist. Trevon joins us from the insurance world and has a wealth of HR experience. He’s a certified HR professional, has an extensive background in benefits and disability, and he is delightful.

We will be positioning Trevon as our “go to” HR professional to help employees with HR questions. He’ll be able to assist with common questions, triage inquiries when volume is high, and redirect more complex and time-consuming matters to the right subject matter experts. We want to give Trevon a few weeks to settle into the new role. Then, we will share with campus details about a new HR customer service model—which we think will better serve you in many ways.

As you may recall, Teresa Downs joined our team last month and she really hit the ground running. With a focus on data, she’ll often be behind the scenes, but she will be helping us with workflow and our internal processes. Her work will have a direct impact on our ability to quickly and efficiently serve Drake employees.

Anthony Leto has been moved into a Talent Acquisition role and we definitely have our work cut out for us there. The recruitment space right now is both challenging and unpredictable. You may see us trying out new tactics to more proactively attracts candidates. We will work on long-term strategies, but we, like many other employers, are facing unique challenges in attracting good candidates right now. With certain positions, this has not been an issue. With other positions, it’s been tough. We will now have more dedicated time to attend to both short- and long-term recruitment practices.

While we have a long list of projects to tackle, we are thrilled to have the key pieces in place. Thank you for your support and patience. More to come later this month about our new customer service model.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

As a reminder, the first 100 faculty and staff who stop by the Human Resources Office at 319 Old Main with proof they have received a flu vaccine will receive a Drake 24 oz. Tritan Sports Bottle.  We also have a limited supply of Drake 1 oz. hand sanitizers with a travel clip top.

Getting the flu vaccine is recommended every year. However, with the continuing threat of COVID-19 and all its variants happening at the same time as the flu season getting a flu shot and reducing your risk of contracting the flu is especially important this year.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and fight the FLU!

Drake University recognizes the importance of community involvement and encourages faculty and staff to participate in volunteer and service activities.  This benefit is an excellent reflection of Drake’s Core Value of Commitment to Mission, which encourages us to serve not just our students, but also our communities.

The Drake University Community Service Leave benefit allows non-bargaining, non-grant funded staff employees to voluntarily participate, with pay, in community service activities that occur during regularly- scheduled work hours, with manager approval.

Full-time staff may receive up to eight hours of paid time to engage in community service leave each fiscal year.  Part-time staff, working 20 or more hours per week, may receive up to four hours of paid community service leave each fiscal year.

If you are looking for a great way to get involved, a list of volunteer opportunities can be found at drake.edu/volunteer.

Please note that employees wishing to provide community service leave must complete a Community Service Leave Request Form.

For more information, please view the Community Service Leave Policy.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources