It is always a good idea to attempt to negotiate shipments to be Free on Board (FOB) Destination, freight paid by the vendor, and not charged back to Drake. This equates to free shipping. You can let them know that we are a nonprofit, typically do not pay for shipping, and cannot have the responsibility for the shipment while in transit. This works particularly well for capital equipment purchases. I can help you to negotiate with any of your vendors on this aspect. You may be surprised how much you can save on shipping costs simply by asking.

—Submitted by Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services

Drake staff members have received a number of fraudulent calls in the past several months with a caller attempting to sell them toner or to obtain P-Card numbers to buy toner. They know enough about our program and names of individuals on campus to appear as though know what they are talking about. Please do not give out your P-Card number to anyone over the phone for toner or anything dealing with Multi Functional Devices or printers. All supplies are included in our current contract so we do not buy them separately. Please also transfer all calls to me in regard to toner purchase requests. The caller will likely hang up before they are transferred as they are scams. Thank you!

—Submitted by Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services

In honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, campus buildings will be operating on a holiday access schedule. Faculty, students, and staff will need their Drake Card (ID) to access those buildings they are authorized to enter throughout the day. Cowles Library, Carnegie Hall, and Athletics facilities are on a separate schedule and not affected by this holiday closing.

—Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety

A scheduled electrical shutdown for the campus will occur during the Winter Break time. This scheduled shutdown is part of the pre-construction phase prior to the construction of new School of Education and the Science Connector Building.The electrical shutdowns will be on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29. The work will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. each morning. The following is a list of the affected buildings:

• Dec. 28: The electrical shutdown will affect The Knapp Center, Fieldhouse, Bell Center, Shivers, and the Greenhouse. The power outage will last approximately 12 hours. Once this work is completed, the power will not be reconnected to the Greenhouse.
• Dec. 29: The electrical shutdown will affect Jewett Hall, Olin Hall, and Cartwright Hall. The power outage will be approximately two to four hours.

The communication duct work will be completed on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. This may interrupt telephone and Internet services to Olin, Fitch, Harvey Ingham, Medbury, and Cline halls; Facility Services; Environmental Health & Safety; the Fieldhouse; and Bell Center. DTS will be sending out more information on the communication duct work next week.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director of Operations & Support Services