Drake University’s Learning Management System (LMS) review task force has conducted three of their proposed eight meetings during the fall semester. The team has established a foundation for understanding the future of LMSs and has developed criteria to use to review two LMS vendors. This is being accomplished through demonstrations and pilot experiences. For further information, please visit www.drake.edu/its/lmsreview and/or reach out to your area’s representative on the task force.

— Karly Good, ITS

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Ismael Hossein-zadeh, professor emeritus of economics.

Professor Hossein-zadeh joined Drake University faculty in the fall of 1988, where he taught classes in political economy, comparative economic systems, international economics, history of economic thought and development economics until his retirement in 2011.

His published work, consisting of three books and numerous scholarly articles, covers significant topics such as financial instability, economic crises and restructuring policies, currency-trade relations, globalization and labor, economics of war and military spending, and the roots of conflict between the Muslim world and the West. He is the author of the following books:

— Beyond Mainstream Explanations of the Financial Crisis: Parasitic Finance Capital (Routledge 2014);
— The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism (Palgrave–Macmillan 2007);
— Soviet Non-capitalist Development: The Case of Nasser’s Egypt (Praeger Publishers 1989).

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join the Healthiest State Walk on Wednesday, Oct. 2.  This walk is part of the Healthiest State Initiative and its goal of making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.

The walk will begin in the Olmsted Center breezeway at 12 p.m. and follow a one mile path around Drake’s campus.

We are again combining efforts with Sodexo’s Mindful Mile program.  Thanks to Sodexo and the Drake Athletics department we will have giveaway cooling bandanas, Grand Blue Mile tech shirts, and protein drink samples available, as supplies last, for faculty, staff, and students.  There will also be maps of the walking route and a hydration station in the breezeway to quench your thirst.

If it is raining or lightning outside we will move the walk to the indoor track at the Knapp Center.

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

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Drake will hold fire drills on Oct. 16, 17, 18, and 21 in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act and in conjunction with National Fire Prevention month. All drills will be conducted at 10:45 a.m. with the exception of the residence halls, which will be conducted from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 21. We have planned this to minimize disruption to classes, and the majority of academic buildings will be completed the week of fall break. This also allows us to have a more efficient utilization of our staff for these drills. The residence halls will be done from 6-9pm to increase participation in the residence hall evacuation.

Fire alarms will be activated in all campus buildings to signal the start of the drill. When the alarm sounds:

— Evacuate the building.
— Buildings will be locked down and cannot be re-entered until the drill ends.
— Remember to dress accordingly.

The fire drills will be coordinated through the Office of Public Safety (271-2222) working with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (271-3804) and Facilities Services (271-2706). Please report any fire alarm malfunctions or evacuation problems to Facilities or Public Safety. Your cooperation in this very important campus safety exercise regarding the Drake Emergency Response Plan is appreciated. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Fire drill schedule:

Oct. 16
Meredith  
Aliber     
Cowles     
Opperman 
Cartwright 
Harmon Fine Arts Center 
Howard
Carnegie 
Medbury
Collier-Scripps 

Oct. 17
Olin
Science Connector Building
Harvey-Ingham
Cline
Fitch
STAH
Occupational Therapy
3206 University Ave.

Oct. 18
Olmsted Center
Hubbell
Student Health
Alumni House
ROTC
Bell Center
Knapp Center
Fieldhouse
Tennis Center

Oct. 21
Cole
Old Main
Public Safety
University Communications
Kinne Center
Multi-use resource (old Ray Center)
Vote Smart
Legal Clinic
Dial Center
All residence halls (6–9 p.m.)

— Chris Nickell, Director, Environmental Health & Safety

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and it’s a great time to be reminded of the importance of protection information at work and school, at home and abroad. Here are a few things we can all do to stay safer online. 

Securely share information. If you need to share sensitive data (SSNs, grades, financial info, etc.) with someone outside of Drake, you can do so through encrypted email or OneDrive. Via email, just include the phrase “encrypted message:” in the subject. See more instructions. Sharing data through OneDrive brings people into the data rather than sending it out, and you can control what level of access those people have. See the “How do I temporarily share my files to others?” section of this article. 

Keep devices updated. Vendors regularly release updates containing security patches, and many require the app or device to be restarted. ITS remotely pushes patches to Drake-owned computers on a regular basis. Watch for reminders to update or restart, and act as soon as you’ve saved your work. 

Continue to watch for phishing. Phishing continues to be the main method for attackers to successfully breach organizations. It only takes one mindless click or download for malware to take hold and begin stealing information. 

Set up multi-factor on accounts. Using multi-factor authentication (MFA or 2FA) on user accounts prevents attackers from logging in, even when they know your password. Make sure you’ve set up MFA on financial, bill-pay, online shopping, and social media sites. 

Understand and maintain your digital profile. Every time you click, share, send, or post it creates a digital trail that can be exploited by criminals. To protect yourself from becoming a victim, you must understand, secure, and maintain your digital profile. Be familiar with and routinely check privacy settings to help you stay safe. 

If you have any questions about these tips, please contact the information security team at informationsecurity@drake.edu. 

— Peter Lundstedt, ITS