Heard Around Campus — September
It’s now officially a new academic year and with that comes all sorts of news and upcoming deadlines that Drexel faculty and professional staff should be aware of for the month of September and the fall term.
Here’s what was heard around campus this month:
Performance Management: Self-Reviews Due Friday, Compliance Due Oct. 12
Professional staff performance self-reviews must be submitted by this Friday, Sept. 28 via Career Pathway. To access your self-review in Career Pathway:
1) Log in to DrexelOne
2) Select the Employee tab
3) Select Career Pathway under the Development and Certifications header
4) Scroll down on the Welcome page to the Your Tasks box
5) Select Complete Self-Review and follow the instructions
Faculty members should follow the evaluation guidelines set by their school or college. Additionally, all faculty and professional staff must complete the annual online compliance trainings by Oct. 12. Please review the Compliance Program webpage for details on each of the four trainings, including how to access them and whom to contact with questions. Visit the Drexel Human Resources website for complete information about the performance review process, including the annual timeline.
Special Enrollment Period for Long-Term Care Insurance
Genworth Life, Drexel University’s long-term care (LTC) insurer, is offering a special opportunity for eligible employees to apply for this voluntary benefit with reduced underwriting. From Sept. 24 through Oct. 19, all benefit-eligible employees under age 66 who are working 20 or more hours per week may complete a Modified Guaranteed Issue Comprehensive application, a streamlined process that only requires two health questions, plus your height and weight. (After Oct. 19, employees aged 18-65 will still be able to apply for coverage but will have to submit a full medical underwriting application.)
Active employees aged 66 and older may apply with full medical underwriting by completing a health questionnaire and providing medical records, a phone health interview, and/or a paramedical exam as requested by Genworth Life. Family members of employees (spouses or partners, adult children, parents or in-laws, grandparents, siblings) can also apply for coverage with full medical underwriting if they are between the ages of 18 and 75.
To learn more about the program, get a rate quote, or to apply online, visit genworth.com/drexel. Drexel will be hosting several hour-long information sessions about LTC the first week of October on all Philadelphia campuses. Registration is required in Career Pathway to attend. Click here for dates, times and locations.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month? The Office of Equality and Diversity will be hosting a number of events in honor of this national movement, including “Love Yourself First,” a wellness event in the Recreation Center lobby on Oct. 17; “How to Support a Survivor,” a bring your own lunch and learn on Oct. 25; and Purple Tuesdays, when volunteers will be at the Dragon statue at 33rd and Market streets with information and activities to help the Drexel community learn about this important issue.
Purple Tuesdays will take place at 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday in October. Information about all events will be posted to drexel.edu/bystander, and anyone interested can email OED Education and Prevention Specialist Reema Malhotra at rrm73@drexel.edu to get involved. Faculty, professional staff and community participants are welcome at all events, and there are additional opportunities for students to volunteer through Drexel Student Anti-Violence Educators (Drexel SAVE), a new peer education network.
What’s New With Campus Dining?
- U.C. Veg Open at Urban Eatery: The menu at Urban Eatery’s (34th Street & Lancaster Avenue) newest concept, U.C. Veg, offers plant-forward recipes on a rotating, seasonal basis. The fall menu will include sweet potato smash, roasted butternut tartines, roasted chickpea gyro, fall vegetable salad, chili con carne bowl, butternut squash risotto, roasted stuffed turk’y (vegan), as well as vegan chocolate zucchini and carrot cupcakes.
- Chick-Fil-A and Sushi Expanded Menus at Northside: Chick-Fil-A Express located at the Northside Dining Terrace (34th and Race streets) was renovated, and the menu now includes the chicken cool wrap, made-without-gluten grilled chicken sandwich, spicy chicken sandwich, grilled nuggets and fresh baked cookies. The sushi station expanded and now offers hot rice and yakisoba noodle bowls in addition to hand-rolled sushi.
- Reusable “Green” Containers at the Hans: The Handschumacher Dining Center (Creese Student Center) is now using sustainable, reusable to-go containers for take-out meals. Individuals may purchase a sustainable container for $8 (only $4 now through Oct. 31) at the Hans. Simply bring the container back to have it exchanged for a new, clean one, or a token to be used for a new container later.
Sign Up for a Farm Share That You Can Pick Up on Campus!
This winter and spring, eat well and support local farms with The Common Market Farm Share! Receive 12 bi-weekly deliveries of your choice of farm-fresh shares beginning this November!
Sign up today to pick up fresh and locally grown foods at Drexel University's Creese Student Center or at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Last day to register is Nov. 1.
Sign up for a fruit and vegetable Share before Friday, Oct. 5 and receive an early bird discount!
How to register:
1) Visit the Common Market Farm Share website.
3) Click “Sign Up” and browse share options.
4) Make your selections and confirm your payment option.
5) Select the pick-up location affiliated with your organization from drop-down menu.
6) Proceed to checkout to complete billing information.
7) Receive a confirmation email.
The Common Market Farm Share is a subscription to seasonal, local foods, all sourced from nearby family farms. Members receive their choice of share, including a small or large produce share (with the option to add on a dozen certified humane eggs), artisanal cheese share, antibiotic-free poultry share, full meat share, freshly baked bread share, and/or a plain or flavored yogurt share.
Questions about the farm share can be directed to Brittany Gondos, Operations Coordinator, Campus Services: bll55@drexel.edu
Construction Has Begun on New Fabric Discovery Center
Drexel University, in collaboration with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, is establishing a statewide “Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center” that will help companies, entrepreneurs and innovators take their advanced-textile concepts from prototype to product and prepare America's workforce for the quality jobs this growing sector is generating. Construction on the Center has begun at 3101 Market St., in the heart of Schuylkill Yards and adjacent to recently created spaces for the University's engineering programs. The space is expected to be ready for equipment in March 2019.
For more updates on major capital projects around campus, visit drexel.edu/facilities/design/currentProjects.
Diversity & Inclusion Spotlight: Goodwin College of Professional Studies
Through the Military Transition Program, Goodwin College of Professional Studies advisors provide academic support to military service veterans seeking full-time admissions to a program at Drexel University. This transition program offers a great deal of resources to help establish a path of success through a clear plan of study, strategies for adjusting to academic life at Drexel and collaboration with advising teams in the student’s desired major—available on-campus, online and in a hybrid format. As of the 2017-2018 academic year, the program was able to grant students full-time status, allowing them to apply for financial aid to supplement their Yellow Ribbon benefits. More than 100 veteran students have been given the opportunity to attend Drexel through the program.
This Diversity & Inclusion Spotlight was excerpted from the Inclusive Community Review: FY2017 Accomplishments (formerly called the Diversity Achievement Plan Accomplishments Supplement), an annual report celebrating the diversity and inclusion-related achievements of each of Drexel’s academic and administrative units. For general questions about diversity and inclusion initiatives at Drexel, please contact the Office of Equality & Diversity at oed@drexel.edu.