Air conditioning for campus will be turned on the morning of April 22. This is a week later than normal due to the cool overnight temperatures, which have delayed the switch from heat to air conditioning.
Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management
Orthodontia expenses can be reimbursed through Drake’s Health Care Flexible Spending Account. Although the reimbursement process can be somewhat challenging, the tax savings can be very beneficial.
Reimbursement for orthodontia expenses aligns with the payment/treatment schedule established by your orthodontist. Should you pay for orthodontia in full prior to treatment, the reimbursement schedule will align with the treatment months.
To learn more about this FSA benefit, contact Advantage Administrators at 800-383-1623, or visit their web site at www.AdvantageAdmin.com.
Marlene Heuertz, HR Benefits Specialist
Drake Athletic Operations is hiring for their Event Staff team to help at the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee. Help is needed to monitor parking lots, setup/tear-down, and more. Shifts are broken into four hour time slots but can be flexible to your schedule. These are paid positions with lunch, snacks, and drinks provided.
If you are interested and available to help, please contact Zach Elsbecker, assistant director of athletic facilities, at zachary.elsbecker@drake.edu.
Zach Elsbecker, Assistant Director – Athletic Facilities
Need some new Drake Gear? The University Book Store has added new clearance items and has taken additional markdowns on items, which means 25–50% saving on select merchandise in men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.
Katie Wilz, University Bookstore Manager
Reminder: The deadline for submitting your course material requests for the fall semester was yesterday, April 15. If you have not yet submitted your materials, please do so as soon as possible. Receiving your list of materials now allows us to source the most affordable books for your students and provide top dollar for students selling books back at the end of this term. With our Online Adoption Tool, selecting your course materials is fast and easy.
Access the Online Adoption Tool
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Download the 6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks to learn about Follett’s different types of course material purchasing options. If you have any questions about the Online Adoption Tool or how to save students money, please contact Donna Hallstrom at donna.hallstrom@drake.edu.
Donna Hallstrom, University Book Store
As a reminder, the University has an UAS (drone) policy and approval process. Drake is within five miles of the Des Moines International Airport. This proximity to the airport creates a no-fly zone unless several approvals are obtained to meet FAA regulations. Those requirements can be found online, as well as the B4U Fly Map App.
There is also a formal Drake UAS approval process to fly on campus that must meet FAA regulations and requirements. View the Drake approval process.
For questions, contact Kelly Foster or Donna Blunck.
Donna Blunck, Director, Risk and Insurance
The Des Moines Corporate Games is an eight-week company based competition (June 1–July 31) that promotes teamwork and company pride. Events range from team-based to individual and competitive to recreational. Whether you are a trivia buff or a triathlete, there is an event for you.
All activities are held in the evening and on weekends, and are free (except for golf cart rental). You may participate in one or more events and they are open to all full-time and regular part-time employees, interns, and retirees. Drake is competing against other local companies for a chance to win individual and team medals as well as the Corporate Games trophy, so we need as many people as possible to be a part of these games and show our Drake pride.
For registration information, email linda.feiden@drake.edu.
Events: Bags, 3-on-3 Basketball, Basketball Shooting, Blood Donation, Bowling, Burst Your Thirst Online Challenge, 4K & 8K Cross Country Race, Cycling Tour Ride, Disc Golf, Dodgeball, Duathlon, Fitness Walk (Ames & Des Moines options), 4-Person Best Shot Golf, Meals from the Heartland, 5K & 10K Road Race, Sand Volleyball, Spikeball, Track & Field Competition (held on the Drake Blue Oval), Triathlon, Trivia Challenge, Tug of War, Ultimate Frisbee, Yoga, and Zumba (Ames & Des Moines options).
Linda Feiden, Human Resources
With 1,680 donors coming together to collectively give over half a million dollars, this year’s All In is one for the record books.
Featuring a new site with live countdown, results tracking in real time, nationwide and international heatmaps, and an extensive slate of matching gifts or challenges covering almost every area at Drake, the community of alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends showed up and went All In.
The day also brought lots of great social media traffic with then and now photos, Drake stories, and fun videos featuring Drake “celebrities,” students, and of course–Griff!
Thank you so much to those of you who took this opportunity to share, celebrate, and support Drake with your gift during the All In challenge. One more very important result is the winner of the Provost Mattison pie raffle. A winner was randomly selected from all faculty and staff members who gave and this year’s lucky recipient of a homemade apple pie is Dustin German, Assistant Director of Ticket Sales and Community Engagement in the Athletics department. Congrats Dustin and thank you to Provost Mattison for offering up your baking expertise each year.
Becca Widmer, University Advancement
In order to improve the campus parking experience for faculty, staff, students, and visitors, Drake will implement a new parking structure and rates beginning in the fall 2019 semester.
Effective Aug. 1, 2019, parking lots on campus will be divided into seven, color-coded zones. Commuter lots will include Lot 16: Olmsted (yellow), Lot 13: Wifet Plaza (red), Lots 18 and 18N (green), lots east of 27th Street (orange), and lots west of 27th Street (grape). View map.
Commuter lots will also be divided into two payment tiers. Parking permits for the 2019-20 academic year will cost $250 for high-demand zones (yellow, red, and green). While low-demand, peripheral-campus zones (orange and grape) will cost $125. Campus members will have the option of purchasing a parking permit within the zone of their choice, and based on their desired price point.
Pricing for 2019-20 parking permits was carefully determined following a third-party, comprehensive study, which measured parking trends, usage, and future demand. The study revealed that even after the removal of three parking lots due to construction, there remains adequate campus parking (more spots than permit holders). The new zone system is designed to provide a more predictable parking experience for the Drake community and evenly distribute parking across campus.
Those who register for a parking permit next fall will receive a hang-tag that corresponds with their designated parking zone. On Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., commuters will be required to park in their assigned zone. Those who park in lots other than their designated zone may be ticketed.
Residential parkers, as in the past, will be assigned to a residential lot (blue). View Map. Residential students are strongly encouraged not to bring a car to campus and instead walk, bike, take a DART bus, or rent a car through the Enterprise car-sharing program, WeCar. WeCar vehicles are parked at dedicated spots near campus, and members can rent a vehicle anytime and then return it to where they picked it up.
The University hopes the new parking regulations will advance Drake’s sustainability efforts by increasing the use of alternative modes of transportation. In addition to WeCar, alternative transportation options include free DART bus rides (with Drake ID) all over Des Moines and a discounted rate to ride BCycle bicycles. There are four BCycle stations close to campus; bikes are $3 per trip or $20 per year with unlimited 60-minute rides.
For questions regarding the new parking rates and structure, view an FAQ or visit the Public Safety web page. Questions may also be directed to Scott Law, executive director campus public safety and operational services, at scott.law@drake.edu.
— Scott Law, Executive Director Campus Public Safety & Operational Services
Beginning this week, the parking lots south of University across from Old Main and Cole Hall between 26th and 27th Street (Lots 5 and 8) will not be available to Drake commuters due to continued work on the Nelson Construction & Development project. Commuters can refer to the Drake University Map for alternative parking options. Fencing will also be going up this Thursday.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Public Safety.
Kelly Foster, Facilities, Planning, and Management Project Manager
