Now is the perfect time to get into the habit of making healthier choices. If your goals include losing weight, then Weight Watchers at Work may be the solution.

Weekly meetings include a confidential weigh-in prior to the meeting, followed by a 30-minute class. Weight Watchers unique mix of face-to-face interactions with a trained leader, group support, accountability, digital tools, and the convenience of meetings in the workplace has been a winning combination for many.  

The cost is $156 for a 12-week renewable series with a minimum of 15 participants and $186 for a 17-week series with 20 or more.  NEW THIS YEAR: Drake University will reimburse the fee for the first 20 employees who register AND attend at least 75% of the classes.  Meeting dates and times to be determined.  

If you are interested in joining a Weight Watchers at Work series, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu. 

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Please join the Human Resources department in welcoming our 13 new, full-time Drake University employees, for the month of July.

• Amanda Hoerres  / CPHS, Drug Development Fellow
• Richelle Williams / CPHS, Assistant Professor, Athletic Training
• Rachel Allen-McHugh / CPHS, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy
• Lauren McCarthy / Registrar’s Office, Transfer Student Advisor
• Lydia Roush / RaySociety, Program Coordinator
• Brock Yossi / Athletics, Assistant Director, Athletic Facilities
• Louis Poeppel / Athletics, Assistant Equipment Manager
• Emily Madsen / Athletics, Assistant Director, Rec.Service – Wellness
• Jeffrey Love / Public Safety, Campus Public Safety Officer
• Corey Kasperbauer / Public Safety, Campus Public Safety Officer
• Flor Soto Contreras / Head Start, CCP Monitoring Specialist
• Oziel Esquivel / ITS, Infrastructure Support Specialist
• Steven (Steve) Ramsey / Events Management, Assistant Events Manager

—Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

Are you saving enough to meet your retirement needs?  Are your assets properly allocated to balance the potential growth of your portfolio?

To get a clearer picture of your retirement goals, schedule an individual counseling session with Paige Philips, Drake’s TIAA financial consultant. Paige will be on campus, Thursday, Aug. 8, in the HR conference room.

To register for an individual counseling session, call 800-732-8353 or visit the TIAA website.

–Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

A newly revised policy, Acceptable Use of Information Resources, is now posted online for the comment period. Please take a few moments and review this policy. To submit comments, email dupolicies@drake.edu.  The comment period will expire Aug. 8, 2019.

–Debra Wiley, Human Resources

Please join the human resources department in welcoming our two new full-time Drake University employees, for the month of May 2019.

Thomas Lene, 5/28/2019, Athletics, Associate Head Strength Coach

Kendra Morehead, 5/15/2019, Drake International, Director, International Student & Scholar Services

–Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

Market proof your Drake retirement contributions.

Drake University sponsors both mandatory and voluntary 403(b) retirement plans as part of its overall benefit package. Full-time faculty and staff are required to participate in Drake’s Mandatory Retirement Plan after one year of full-time service. Upon eligibility, Drake contributes eight percent of annual base compensation while employees contribute three or five percent, dependent on position classification.

Additionally, all Drake faculty and staff are eligible to participate in Drake’s Voluntary Retirement Plan, regardless of the number of hours worked. Drake’s pre-tax savings retirement plans provide all employees an excellent opportunity to prepare for retirement.

To further assist you in your preparation for retirement, Drake is sponsoring A TIAA Financial Essentials Webinar, June 11. See this brochure to register for this live event.

–Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Join the fun this summer with HealthyU BINGO! Simply fill up a blank BINGO card (or two) during the month of June with healthy activities you complete from a list. Then take your completed card(s) to the Olmsted Center, Room 310/311 at noon on Tuesday, July 2, or Thursday, July 11, to play HealthyU BINGO for prizes. You are welcome to play one or both days.

To get started, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu. Deadline to register is Friday, May 31. All participants will receive a packet with directions, a list of HealthyU BINGO activities, and a blank BINGO card. There’s a broad range of activities to choose from, and you may complete them at Drake or at home, so don’t miss out!

–Linda Feiden, Human Resources

We are coming to the end of National Bike Month but are just entering the prime bicycling season. If you haven’t done so yet, dust off your bicycle, grab your helmet, and let’s get moving!

If you are looking for organized events around town, BIKEIOWA has a list. If you are looking for nearby trails or a bicycle route to work, check out the Iowa DOT Bikes Interactive Map or Travel Iowa. You may also consider downloading an app such as Google Maps.

If you don’t own a bike, there are a couple options around campus:

Drake Bike Library. Drake employees and students can check out a bicycle for the day for free by bringing their Drake ID to the Student Life Center in Olmsted. You must sign a liability waiver and will be given a helmet to wear and a key to the bike lock.

BCycle.  Drake employees and students can buy an annual pass at the discounted price of $20.00 (normally $84.80), to rent a BCycle for an unlimited amount of 1-hour rides.  BCycle memberships can be purchased at DesMoines.BCycle.com; using your drake.edu email address and the promotional code: Bulldogs2019.  There are four BCycle stations around campus, offering faculty, staff, and students a convenient way to bike around campus and Des Moines.

No matter what your age – give bicycling a try this summer!

-Linda Feiden, Human Resources

With summer quickly approaching, some Drake faculty and staff may be making plans for vacation time with family and friends. If you are looking for a fun family activity close to home, Adventureland Park may be the answer. Employees can purchase discounted tickets by following these three steps:

• Go to the following website: www.adventurelandresort.com/corp/
• Create an Adventureland account with your drake.edu email address
• You will be routed into their online discounted ticketing website to complete your purchase

The attached flyer has additional information, including prices.  If you have any questions, please email ross@adventurelandpark.com.

A full list of Drake Employee Perks & Discounts can be found in myDrake by clicking on the Human Resources App (top of page). Next click Benefits, and then Additional Benefits, and finally Perks & Discounts for Drake Employees.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Please join the Human Resources department in welcoming two, new, full-time Drake University employees for the month of April.

• Clayton (Doug) Grubb, Head Start/Teacher Associate Substitute
• Megan (Meg) Johnson, Harkin Institute/Administrative Assistant

Laura Schwarz, Human Resources