When was the last time that you looked at your paystub? Your paystub provides more information than just pay. It provides information about benefits, deductions, and taxes, as well as the amounts that Drake contributes toward the benefits that you enjoy as an employee.

Paystub anatomy 101

View a sample of a paystub for a Drake employee who makes $50,000 a year and is paid on a monthly basis. This sample is for the last pay period for 2017 (December) and, for simplicity, this sample does not include pay period information and only includes year-to-date totals. This is to better display pay and benefits information on an annual basis. Actual paystubs include pay period specific information.

The top of the paystub

• Your Drake ID number, name, and address
• The pay date and pay period

Earnings section

• Includes job title, type(s) of earnings, and amount totals. For this example, only regular hours worked is listed as an earnings type.
• If applicable to you, this section includes items such as overload pay and cell phone stipend for those paid monthly, and holiday, vacation, sick leave, personal for those paid bi-weekly.

Benefits, deductions, and taxes section

• Provides the amount you have paid in taxes
• Lists the amount you have contributed to elected/eligible benefits. This example includes family dental, flexible spending medical, family medical, TIAA mandatory, and TIAA voluntary.
• Provides the amounts that Drake has contributed to not only your elected and eligible benefits, but also the benefits that Drake pays for on your behalf, such as the flexible spending fee, life insurance, and long-term disability.

Federally taxable benefits section

• Includes other taxable benefits, the most significant being graduate tuition waiver. This particular employee received a value of $10,000 worth of tuition benefit and only had to pay the applicable taxes.
• Since the undergraduate tuition benefit is not taxable, it is not displayed on your pay stub. For the 2017-18 academic year, tuition for entering first-year students is $38,916 and for returning students is $36,112, so you need to add this and/or any part-time undergraduate tuition benefit to your total benefits for the year.

In this example, Drake provided a total of $19,683.04 in employer contributions and an additional $10,143.31 in taxable benefits. Therefore, for 2017, this employee has total benefits with a value of nearly $30,000.

Now it’s your turn

If you haven’t reviewed your paystubs in a while, or if you have never viewed your pay stub online, it’s easy:

• Log in to blueView
• Select the Employee tab
• In the Payroll Information channel, click on the Pay Stub link
• From the drop-down menu, select the Pay Stub Year that you want to look at and click on Display; To view your year-end totals for 2017, select Pay Stub Year 2017
• From the Pay Stubs for 2017 list, select December if you are paid monthly or the last pay stub in December for bi-weekly.

—Gary Johnson, Human Resources

Those on Drake’s health plan can save approximately $300 in 2019 by completing a wellness screening this year. If you are on Drake’s health plan and currently enrolled in the Wellness Premium Incentive Program, you must complete a wellness screening annually to retain your savings. There are three ways to complete your screening:

1. At a participating Hy-Vee (available July 1—Sept. 15)
2. On campus through UnityPoint Health (opens Sept. 4 with screening dates in October)
3. With your physician and fill out a Physician Wellness Screening Results Form

If you have a physical—with bloodwork—between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, the results can be submitted as your wellness screening.

• Take a copy of the Physician Wellness Screening Results Form to your appointment.
• Your physician must sign the completed form and you or your physician must fax it to 1-855-827-6307. Results will be forwarded to Wellmark.
• The signed form must be received by Sept. 30, 2018.
• It is up to you to ensure your physician’s office submits the appropriate paperwork by the Sept. 30 deadline. To determine whether your paperwork has been received, contact Wellmark on their 24/7 helpline at 1-877-252-8412.

New this year: You will NOT be required to complete an online wellness assessment. You only need to complete the wellness screening to receive the premium incentive.

For questions, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 515-271-1880.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

The list of good and bad foods changes each year, and it is difficult to determine fact from myth. Are eggs a good source of protein or a cholesterol nightmare? Are carbohydrates healthy or hurtful? Join Anne Cundiff, Hy-Vee dietitian, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311, as she reveals food facts and myths.

Participants will earn BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

An online registration form for this class is accessible through the blueView Employee tab, in the Learning and Development Channel under Human Resources.  You may also contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Provisions in the new tax law may impact you in several ways. TIAA’s Tax Reform webinar on Feb. 21 from 12 to 1 p.m. will help you understand how the changes may affect your financial planning. View registration information.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

If you would like a special challenge this spring, then Couch to 5K may be for you. This program is designed to take almost anyone from the couch to completing a 5K (3.1 miles) in nine weeks. You just need to commit to training 30 minutes a day, three days a week, at a time that works for you.

You will receive a training plan and weekly emails with tips and encouragement for those times when you may need an extra nudge. In addition, when you finish the program, we will form a team and complete the Drake Road Race 5K on April 22. This year’s course finishes on the iconic Blue Oval in Drake Stadium.

If you are interested in this challenge, please email linda.feiden@drake.edu. There will be an informational meeting Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 11:30 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Drake Room. The training program will begin the following Monday, Feb. 12.

One more note: Registration is open now for the Drake Road Races and Grand Blue Mile. On Feb. 6 only, you can register for the Grand Blue Mile for only $10 at www.grandbluemile.com, which is half off the regular registration price and includes a commemorative technical shirt. If you complete both the Drake Road Race 5K and the Grand Blue Mile (called the Bulldog Double), you will be awarded a special commemorative medal.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Do you want to learn CPR but don’t have time for a four-hour class? The American Heart Association is offering a free Hands Only CPR class. This is not a certification course.

Hands only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest. The AHA still recommends CPR with compressions and breaths for infants and children, victims of drowning, drug overdose, or people who collapse due to breathing problems. However, with this class you will learn two easy steps that can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

Join us on Friday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m. in Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311, for this quick and simple training class. In 30 minutes, you will learn a skill that could save a life.

Participants will earn BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester. Additional BUILD information, including an online registration form, is accessible under the blueView Employee tab in the Learning and Development section of Human Resources.

Email Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu for more information.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Drake’s online recognition tool, Peerceive, is a quick and simple way to show recognition to colleagues. Recognizing employee contributions, and creating meaningful recognition and awards programs, are an important part of the Drake culture.

The Peerceive dashboard includes easy-to-use tools to send electronic kudos or e-cards. Kudos are a way for co-workers to express gratitude for a unique contribution to the workplace. They can be sent as often as you wish and to any employee (or group of employees) in any department. E-cards are an electronic version of a hand written note. Use these to tell an employee happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, or wish them well.

Recipients will receive an email letting them know they received a kudos or e-card. A link will take them to the site where they can view the message.

You can access Peerceive on blueView under the Employee tab. Peerceive is located in the right-hand channel. It can be bookmarked for easy access. Your username is your Drake email address and your initial password is your employee number, including any leading zeroes.

The portal is simple to use, but if there are questions, a Peerceive User Guide is available.

For additional information, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

In January, Drake welcomed six full-time staff members:

Molly Painter, Teacher Associate Substitute, Head Start

Ariadna Gonzalez Agostini, Teacher, Head Start

Bonita (Bonnie) Ehler, Budget Coordinator/Administrative Assistant, International Center

Julie Yankey, Director of Partnerships and Special Programs, International Center

Jeffrey (Jeff) Currie, Classroom Support Technician, ITS

William (Bill) Winslow, Assistant Duty Engineer, Facilities Planning and Management

— Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

We have all grown up hearing that certain foods are good for you and others should be avoided. However, the list of good and bad foods changes each year, and it is difficult to determine fact from myth. Are eggs a good source of protein or a cholesterol nightmare? Are carbohydrates healthy or hurtful? Join Hy-Vee registered dietitian Anne Cundiff on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Room 310 and 311, as she helps us navigate through this food maze.

Participants will earn BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

An online registration form for this class is accessible through the blueView Employee tab, in the Learning and Development Channel under Human Resources.  You may also contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

If you would like a special challenge this spring, then Couch to 5K may be for you. This program is designed to take almost anyone from the couch to completing a 5K (3.1 miles) in nine weeks. You just need to commit to training 30 minutes a day, three days a week, at a time that works for you.

You will receive a training plan and weekly emails with tips and encouragement for those times when you may need that extra nudge. In addition, when you finish the program we will form a team and complete the Drake Road Race 5K on April 22. This year’s course finishes on the iconic Blue Oval in Drake Stadium.

If you are interested in this challenge, please email linda.feiden@drake.edu. There will be an informational meeting Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 11:30 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Drake Room.  The training program will begin the following Monday, Feb. 12.

One more note: Registration is open now for the Drake Road Races 5K, 10K, and half marathon.  Check the website for pricing. Also, if you are interested in participating in the Grand Blue Mile on April 24, registration opens on Tuesday, Feb. 6, with a one day flash sale pricing. You can sign up for only $10 at www.grandbluemile.com, which is half off the regular registration price and includes a commemorative technical shirt. If you complete both the Drake Road Race 5K and the Grand Blue Mile (called the Bulldog Double) you will be awarded a special commemorative medal.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources