Tag Archives: operations

Campus Announcements Archive

Year-end purchasing guidelines

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2016) approaching, Finance and Administration has provided some recommended guidelines for efficient and effective year-end processing of purchases.

Accounting for departmental expenses:

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Drake is required to report transactions in the proper fiscal period. For that reason, expenses are recorded in the period when goods are received and/or services are rendered. In short, items expensed to a FY16 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2016.  Factors such as budget allocation, invoice receipt, or payment issuance would not have an impact on the application of expenses within a fiscal period.

Exceptions to this general rule apply when a benefit of service or receipt of item extends into multiple fiscal years. In such cases, the following guidelines will be applied.

  • Expenses less than $5,000: are charged against the fiscal year in which the majority of the expense will be incurred. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $3,000 and covers the period of July 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2016, the expense would be charged to FY16)
  • Expenses greater than or equal to $5,000: will be split into the fiscal years according to the percentage of benefit received during each fiscal period. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $10,000 that covers a period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017, $5,000 would be charged to FY16 and $5,000 charged to FY17)

The University’s guidelines for year-end purchases are subject to external audit. As you make purchases during this period leading up to and overlapping our fiscal year end, it is important to note when the goods or services were received so they are expensed according to reporting requirements. If the timing of receipt is not clearly noted on the invoice, it would be beneficial to call the receipt date to accounting’s attention by clearly marking the appropriate fiscal year for the expense, based on the above guidelines, on the pay request.

In order to facilitate efficient and effective year-end processing, the following timeline is recommended for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016: Year-End Purchasing Timeline

I would encourage you to contact accounting at x3168 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you might have.

—Heather Travis, Associate Chief Financial Officer/Controller

Campus Announcements Archive

Vendor selected for managed print on campus

In fall 2015, a campus-wide committee, led by Finance and Administration and Information Technology Services, was formed to review managed printing and select a new vendor. After extensive committee work and significant campus input, Drake has selected Laser Resources, Inc. (LRI), a local Des Moines company, as the new campus vendor for managed printing. During the summer, leased Xerox devices will be replaced and user training will be provided. Additional details and specific timelines for replacement and training will be forthcoming as the implementation schedule is finalized. We look forward to working with our new partner, LRI, to bring high-quality printing services to campus.

—Managed Print Committee

Campus Announcements Archive

Upcoming electrical shutdowns

On March 14, a scheduled electrical shutdown will occur from approximately 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The affected buildings include Olin, Bell Center, Fieldhouse, Fine Arts (North), The Knapp Center, and Shivers.  This scheduled shutdown is a part of the electrical projects that need to completed prior to the construction of the two buildings on the campus.  The rain date for the shutdown is March 15.

On March 19 and March 20 an additional scheduled electrical shutdown will occur. Below is a list of the affected buildings and expected time of the power outage for each building:

March 19

  • Olin Hall—2 to 4 hours
  • Bell Center—12 to 16 hours
  • Fieldhouse—12 to 16 hours
  • Knapp Center will be out for both days
  • Shivers will be out for both days

March 20

  • Olin Hall—6 to 8 hours
  • Knapp Center—8 to 10 hours
  • Shivers—8 to 10 hours

Rain dates will need to be found later in the spring semester or early summer.  If bad weather is predicted, we may start on March 18, depending on scheduled events. If a decision is made to start on March 18, all individuals in these buildings will be notified. If you have questions regarding these scheduled electrical shutdowns please contact Jolene Schmidt, director, operations and support services, at jolene.schmidt@drake.edu. 

—Jolene Schmidt

Campus Announcements Archive

Review finalists for managed print

Drake has selected two finalists for our Managed Print Refresh. Each finalist will showcase a representative selection of the printers proposed for our solution and answer questions you may have regarding this equipment. If you are interested in the new equipment possibilities, please come by and take a look. Light refreshments will be served.

The dates for these open houses, to be held in Levitt Hall, are:
Tuesday, March 8, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (Vendor: Marco)
Thursday, March 10, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (Vendor: LRI)

Campus Announcements Archive

Parking on campus

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Drake Public Safety would like to remind students, faculty,  staff, and other members of the campus community that vehicles parked in University lots must be registered and have an official parking decal properly affixed to the inside of the vehicle. Vehicles without a visible, valid decal are considered unregistered and are subject to ticketing and/or towing. You may register up to two vehicles.

Vehicles may only be parked in clearly designated, legal parking spaces. Areas posted with signs restricting parking (handicap, service vehicles, loading zones, fire lanes, etc.) must be observed and complied with. Parking in any travel lane, taking up more than one parking space, blocking another vehicle, or parking on the lawn are all prohibited. Vehicles may not be parked in Commuter lots overnight. Parking regulations are in effect year-round, including breaks in the academic calendar and the summer.

—Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety

Campus Announcements Archive

Managed print update

Drake has selected two vendors to assess our printing environment and propose a full plan to refresh our current system. These vendors, along with a Drake representative, will tour all University buildings that have printing equipment on Feb. 19, Feb. 22, and Feb. 23 in order to map their placement. If you have questions, please contact caron.findlay@drake.edu.

—Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing & Business Services

Campus Announcements Archive

Contracts reminder

Contracts for services or involving any activity on Drake property must be reviewed by Director, Risk and Insurance Donna Blunck to ensure sufficient insurance coverage and other contractual protections. Submit your contract to ducontracts@drake.edu with a message requesting insurance review.

Send signed contracts to ducontracts@drake.edu so the contract can be maintained in Drake’s central contract retention system. Exceptions to the central retention requirement include independent contractor agreements and agreements for transportation, hotels, or entertainment for one-time events at non-Drake locations. Those contracts are to be retained at the departmental level for a period of three years.

For more contracting information, including the policy governing who is authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the University, visit the Drake online contracting resource.

—Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

STEM@DRAKE construction update

The cold weather has not stopped the hard work of construction crews who began work in early February on the STEM@DRAKE buildings. With input from key impacted groups across campus—including those who teach or have offices near the construction site—several steps are being taken to minimize the disruption that can occur during a large building project. There will be times, however, when concerns or issues arise as a result of construction activity. When that occurs, faculty, staff, or students may contact Public Safety at 271-2222. Public Safety will address your concerns with appropriate construction or facilities personnel, depending on the issue.

Project updates can also be found on the Building STEM@DRAKE website.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Campus Announcements Archive

Reassessing managed print at Drake

In fall 2015, Finance and Drake Technology Services (now Information Technology Services (ITS)) organized a committee comprising members from around campus to review the current state of managed print at Drake, which is currently contracted with Xerox. Managed print encompasses 100 leased Xerox multifunctional printing devices (MFD) and 70-plus University-owned non-Xerox printers such as HP’s.

After identifying managed print issues and opportunities for improvement, members of the committee attended presentations by vendors—pre-qualified as able to offer a viable solution—to assess their capabilities. The committee has narrowed the original group to two companies that will be asked to do an assessment of campus and submit a proposal: Laser Resources, Inc., and Marco. This assessment will include mapping printer locations, tracking number of prints per machine, and discovering any additional unmet needs from the current devices.

Following is a rough timeline for the other activities in this initiative.

  • February/March: Assessment and detailed financial proposal to Drake from the candidates, including a plan for machine distribution.
  • March/April: Committee evaluation of proposals and selection of the vendor. Contract awarded.
  • June/July/August: Install machines, train users, and ensure all software is working before the beginning of the fall semester.

Once a vendor is selected, all leased Xerox MFDs will be replaced, but not the University-owned printers. The new vendor will be responsible for providing all machinery, ink, and repairs as needed.

We will continue to update you as we move forward in the process. Feel free to contact Chris Gill (chris.gill@drake.edu) or Caron Findlay (caron.findlay@drake.edu) with any questions regarding this initiative.

—Submitted by Kristin Dunn on behalf of Chris Gill, CITO, and Caron Findlay, Director Purchasing and Business Services

Campus Announcements Archive

CNN Town Hall today

Today, Jan. 25, Drake will host the CNN Democratic Presidential Candidate Town Hall in Sheslow Auditorium, which will be broadcast live. This event provides an excellent opportunity for Drake to once again be featured as a leading center of political discourse and deliberation.

As a campus community, we will be in the national spotlight, offering us a chance to demonstrate our collective commitment to respectful and civil discussion of current events and public policy issues. In addition to CNN, we will have hundreds of national and international media outlets on campus. Please be aware that your words and actions reflect on the Drake community as a whole.

The Town Hall will affect a number of spaces on campus, as detailed below.

Parking
Today, Lot 16 (Olmsted parking lot) will be reserved for those attending the forum. In addition, a few parking spaces in Lot 13 (just south of Forest Avenue by Wifvat Plaza) will be reserved for satellite trucks.

Street Closures
From 2 p.m. today until midnight, the following streets will be closed to traffic:

  • 25th Street, between University Avenue and Carpenter Avenue (including the west sidewalk, which will be closed to pedestrians)
  • Carpenter Avenue between 25th and 27th

Building Access
Beginning at 2 p.m. today a number of buildings will be accessible only to those with approved credentials:

  • Old Main will require credentials beginning at 2 p.m. All personnel will be required to leave the building by this time.
  • Sheslow Auditorium will require credentials all day on Monday.
  • Howard Hall will be closed at 2 p.m. on Monday.

We apologize for any inconvenience and urge you to plan accordingly.

—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost