Category Archives: Archive

For Students Archive

Drake Together Compact

President Martin sent a message to all students Thursday, Aug. 6, introducing the Drake Together Compact — an agreement all students must sign to ensure compliance with Drake’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Beginning move-in week, students will be prompted to review and electronically accept the terms of the Drake Together Compact when they sign into MyDUSIS. Every student must complete the process by no later than Aug. 28.

Visit Drake’s COVID-19 website to familiarize yourself with all of Drake’s COVID-19 policies and protocols.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

COVID-19 symptoms and prevention training due by Aug. 31

In last week’s employee update, President Martin asked each of us to do our part to protect the health and safety of the Drake community by completing a 15-minute training course on COVID-19. In keeping with our #DrakeTogether Commitments, please complete the COVID-19 training course, presented by Chris Nickell, director of Environmental Health & Safety, by no later than Monday, Aug. 31. The course is available to all employees through Blackboard and can be accessed via my.drake.edu. Upon selecting the Blackboard link under “Commonly Used Apps,” employees can access the course via the left hand menu under the “Courses” tab by clicking on the course entitled “Drake University Awareness Training for Returning to Campus During COVID-19” and following the instructions within the course. 

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer 

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

IT service portal update, remote support reminder

As some faculty and staff return to campus, here’s a reminder about how best to get assistance with your campus tech needs.

In order to comply with campus social distancing requirements, the support center in lower level Carnegie Hall is closed for walk-in assistance and is open by appointment only.

Please either visit our IT service portal at service.drake.edu/its or call 515-271-3001 to learn more about the tech resources available or to receive assistance with any issues. Please note that the tech support phone line is currently unavailable due to storm damage.

We continue to update our online resources including our knowledge base filled with guides to help you answer your most pressing tech questions, our service catalog where you can report issues or request assistance, and remote support capabilities so our techs can provide support from a distance. Due to our most recent update, you will be asked additional questions about any issue to ensure we are triaging requests appropriately.

— Carla Herling, ITS

HR Information Archive

Join a free online tobacco cessation program

The American Lung Association (ALA) is offering a free one-year membership to Freedom from Smoking Plus (FFS Plus). This interactive online program works on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and includes telephone, chat, and email support.

Freedom from Smoking Plus assesses your readiness to quit and guides you through a three-part process from getting ready to quit, to quit day, and finally, staying smoke free. There are online tips and tools to keep you on track as well as access to ALA tobacco cessation counselors. You may also visit the Freedom from Smoking online community to interact with others who are working to break their tobacco addiction.

To join this program, click on the link: bit.ly/ALAFFSPLUS. Users can set up a profile to begin the self-paced, nine-module course.  FFS Plus includes 12 months of continuous support.

FFS Plus normally costs $99.95 but the ALA is offering it at no cost for a limited time. So, if you are a tobacco user who is contemplating quitting, now is the time to join.

Should you have any questions, please contact the American Lung Association’s National Tobacco Team at freedomfromsmoking@lung.org.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Students Archive

Student finance and registration one-stop shop

The Offices of the Registrar and Student Accounts (including cashier), previously located in the lower level of Old Main, have joined the Office of Student Financial Planning in the main level of Carnegie Hall to create a “one-stop” student experience for all matters related to student finance and registration. Because billing and financial aid are closely related to course registration, this restructuring will provide a more seamless service for Drake students.

However, this change also increases the potential for foot traffic to Carnegie Hall. For your safety, we strongly encourage you to make an appointment prior to visiting the Offices of Student Accounts, Registrar, or Student Financial Planning (see details below):

  • Office of Student Financial Planning: Visit the Student Financial Planning profile in Starfish to schedule appointments, view contact information, and more.
  • Registrar: Visit the Registrar webpage to view our services, common FAQ’s, how-to instructions, and more. Contact registrar@drake.edu for virtual assistance, questions, or to schedule a virtual or in-person appointment.
  • Student Accounts: Visit the Student Accounts webpage to access contact information for our office, as well as other helpful billing information.

Whenever possible, virtual meeting options such as video or audio calls will be encouraged. Microsoft Teams is available to all Drake students and provides a great platform for screen sharing, file transmission, and other powerful features.

If you visit Carnegie Hall, please be aware that the north doors (facing Carpenter Avenue) are designated as entrance-only. The south door (facing Cole Hall) will be designated exit-only. To access ITS Support in the lower level of Carnegie, use the ramp on the east side of the building (facing Old Main).

Welcome back, and we look forward to serving you!

— Offices of the Registrar, Student Accounts, and Student Financial Planning

Campus Announcements Archive

Panopto planned outage Aug. 15 from 8–11 p.m.

On Saturday, Aug. 15, our Panopto Cloud infrastructure will be undergoing maintenance to improve ongoing performance. As a result, Panopto will be unavailable between 8 and 11 p.m.

During the upgrade, you will not be able to access videos on your Panopto site, and any attempts to upload new videos will result in a “Server unable to connect” message.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the support center at 515-271-3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report your issue.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Fall book ordering information, summer rental returns

Remember, you can shop online 24/7 at www.drake.bkstr.com. Select “pick up in store” to save on shipping. Bulldog Bucks work for online shopping, as well.

If you have summer rentals due, check-in is available in-store or you may ship your package to the University Bookstore (make sure to include your information in your package).

The University Bookstore hours for Aug. 3–14 are Monday–Friday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The Bookstore will be closed for lunch and cleaning from 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. each day. Keep an eye out for an update in the coming weeks regarding store hours after Aug. 14.

— Katie Wilz, University Bookstore

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Move-in curbside check-in assistance needed

On Aug. 15, 16, 17, and 18 we will welcome students back to campus. This year’s move-in process will be unique, and Residence Life needs faculty and staff assistance to make it as welcoming of an experience as possible. You may sign up for 2- and 4-hour shifts here.

Volunteers will report to the Carpenter front desk on Aug. 15 and 16 and Morehouse front desk on Aug 17 and 18 to receive instructions and the necessary information to properly direct the students arriving for move-in. Your role is to stand outside the student’s car, check the student’s dash sign to confirm they have completed preliminary information and their COVID-19 test (if they have not, re-direct them to the Olmsted lot). Step-two is to check the student’s government ID to verify who they are, and if they’ve completed their COVID-19 test, hand the student a check-in packet to fill out while in their vehicle. Once the student has completed the check-in packet, they will remove their student ID and room key, place signed cards back in the envelope, and return the envelope to you for filing. Lastly, volunteers will inform the student that once the vehicle is unloaded, they need to move the vehicle to a residential parking lot so others may pull up, complete check-in, and unload. At this point the student will begin moving in. Students may have three additional symptom-free individuals to assist—face masks are required.

Volunteers are encouraged to wear Drake apparel and their professional name badge. This helps students and families recognize your welcoming presence and to see the full breadth of support we provide our students.

Volunteers must be symptom-free, and face masks are required.

— Ryan Arnold, director of community engagement (pitching-in, because we’re all in this together)

Strategic Updates Archive

Campus construction project update

Bulldog Plaza:
Building our Future on the Foundations of Our Past . . . literally.

During our excavation to place the footings for the new granite walls along University Avenue in front of Old Main, we discovered the foundations of a previous building. The existing foundations mirrored nearly the same path needed for our new project, and were proving to be nearly impossible to remove given their size. We verified with our structural engineer, and in the end, chose to embrace the past, and use the abandoned footings as our new base.

Over the next few weeks, the project will really begin to take shape with the completion of the granite wall, sidewalk, and plaza paver installations, including the masonry base construction for our newest bulldog sculpture on campus. Remaining construction items are planned for completion the week of Aug. 24. As the construction activities wrap up, temporary fence will be removed, with site restoration, grading, and landscaping to continue. Funding for this project is made possible through multiple philanthropic gifts.

Hubbell Dining Renovation:

We have had an incredible summer of construction at Hubbell Dining Hall. While students are counting the days until the start of the fall semester, contractors, design teams, and Drake staff are working hard to make that a return to the new, instead of the old. The thousands of planning, design, and construction hours needed to transform Hubbell Dining Center are nearing the finish line. The new finishes, kitchen spaces, and serving stations, are just a part of the improved overall dining experience available for students returning to campus in a couple of weeks.

Our teams have also been working diligently on providing a safe dining experience compliant with other COVID protocols we are using throughout campus.  Funding for this multi-million dollar remodel is provided by our dining partners, Sodexo.

— Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning & Management

News & Achievements Archive

Dean Chesnut installed as chair-elect of the AACP Council of Deans

Dean Chesnut took an oath as the 2020-2021 chair-elect of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Deans Administrative Board in July during the 2020 virtual AACP annual meeting.

The mission of the Council of Deans is to identify and address major issues related to the conduct of professional, post-professional and graduate education, research and service in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences.

— Kaylyn Maher, Dean of Pharmacy & Health Sciences