It’s the shortest month of the year, but that doesn’t mean it was a slow, quiet month (this is 2021, after all). Significant new opportunities and options were created for faculty and professional staff to enhance their wellness, performance development and enterprise learning.
So, here’s what was heard around campus this month:
DEI Spotlight: February
The Office of Equality and Diversity proudly presents this month's DEI Spotlight, recognizing individuals and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committees across campus for their work to advance DEI and belonging at Drexel. In this final week of Black History Month, the Office of Equality and Diversity is spotlighting: Tasha Gardner, EdD, director of the Center for Inclusive Education and Scholarship; Allen Riddick, director of supplier inclusion for Procurement Services; and Ahaji Schreffler, director of programs for the Office of Global Engagement. Read the full feature on the OED website.
Local Restaurants Pop Up at Northside Dining Terrace
Local restaurants — and the people who make them possible — are one of the cornerstones of our communities. This term, Drexel Campus Dining is proud to partner with restaurants, food trucks and area chefs to bring you authentic, local favorites and global flavors. Discover the personalities and passion from the neighborhood and beyond at Local Restaurant Row, a pop-up located at Northside Dining Terrace (203 N 34th Street, connected to Kelly Hall), Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Featured restaurants, with more to come, include:
- Beginning the week of Feb. 22: El Merkury is a Central American street food and churro bar in the heart of Center City.
- Beginning the week of March 8: Located in Aston, Pennsylvania, Plum Caterers features an array of BBQ staples, sandwiches and sides – made fresh and with love.
- Beginning the week of March 29: Located in Center City, Puyero Venezuelan Flavor describes itself as a piece of home, bringing authentic Venezuelan flavors to the heart of Philly.
- Returning in the spring: Started by two longtime friends who moved to Philadelphia over 25 years ago, Pita Chip Mediterranean Grill celebrates the rich flavors of their Syrian heritage in a fast-casual setting.
- Returning in the spring: Formerly Tipsy Bistro in University City, Tipsy Café & Catering showcases contemporary dishes with a fusion of flavors from Hawaii, Vietnam, Philadelphia and Florida.
Visit @DrexelDining on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to learn more about Local Restaurant Row’s current featured guest restaurant!
New Dragon Dialogue Series: Together Is Better
The Dragon Dialogue Series features curated conversations and workshops covering a broad range of mental health and emotional well-being topics. These events offer Drexel employees opportunities for conversation and guided exercises to enhance their well-being as 2021 progresses. You can register in Career Pathway for the sessions of your choice:
- Self-Care During COVID-19: March 16, 12–1 p.m.
- Compassion Fatigue: Find Empathy for Yourself and Others: April 13, 1-2 p.m.
- Respecting Differences: How to Navigate Uncomfortable Conversations: May 11, 1–2 p.m.
Please contact Wellness Consultant Monica Fauble with questions at mfauble@drexel.edu.
Expanding Personal Development Opportunities Via Non-Credit Courses
As of last fall, non-credit courses are eligible for tuition remission for employees and eligible family members, offering personal development and intellectual growth opportunities. Drexel is delighted to share that non-credit tuition remission applications are now available through DrexelOne. For eligibility information and application instructions, please check out the related feature in February’s HR @ Your Service Newsletter.
Performance Development & Goal-Setting
Drexel Human Resources recently surveyed professional staff on the new performance development process and learned the following key takeaways from your feedback:
- The reduced complexity of the annual process was appreciated; we will continue to work toward a simpler process.
- The focus on future development instead of past performance created space for more conversation between professional staff members and their managers; we will keep the momentum and offer more learning experiences and resources to support those conversations.
- There was concern that without a goal-setting step, professional staff members and their managers wouldn’t have a shared direction; this year, everyone is asked to set one or two goals to act as guideposts.
Professional staff members and their managers should collaboratively set one or two goals to work on between February and September 2021. Please document goals in Career Pathway, which allows you to track progress. For additional information on goal setting, please visit the Performance Development webpage.
Introducing Enterprise Learning
The goal of Drexel's enterprise learning is to provide required online courses as well as optional learning opportunities to foster skills, knowledge and connections that are meaningful and essential to Drexel faculty and professional staff. To learn all about enterprise learning, including the first course, Drexel University Information Security Compliance, please visit the HR website.
Raising Awareness of Eating Disorders
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and Drexel’s Disability Resources and the Drexel WELL Center are here to offer support. Many people struggle from time to time with their body image; however, health concerns and social isolation from the pandemic have produced the perfect storm for eating disorders. Symptoms of eating disorders commonly manifest in physical, emotional and behavioral ways, but are not always visible. Eating disorders can include but are not limited to: anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Despite common misconceptions, eating disorders affect persons of all demographics and backgrounds.
What resources are available to individuals at Drexel with eating disorders?
- Drexel’s Disability Resources provides reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, which include eating disorders and co-occurring conditions.
- In addition, the Drexel WELL Center provides free treatment through its clinical trials and fee-for-service treatment through the WELL Clinic.
- Drexel's Counseling Center offers a variety of services for students experiencing eating and body image concerns.
- The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) provides the following resources and information about managing an eating disorder in the workplace and supporting colleagues with eating disorders:
- NEDA Brochure [PDF]
- What Is an Eating Disorder? [PDF]
- Eating Disorders in the Workplace [PDF]
- Eating Disorders: How to Help [PDF]
Drexel Compliance Hotline — New Look & COVID-19 Reporting
The Drexel Compliance Hotline website recently underwent a facelift to improve user-friendliness, but still functions in the way it always has. Drexel community members can make a report, follow-up on a report, and locate the Drexel Compliance Hotline phone number (1.866.358.1010).
You can also report COVID-19 concerns online via Make a COVID-19 Report (Online Only). If you know of a recent (or upcoming) situation in which people in the Drexel community may have been exposed to COVID-19, especially due to a health and safety violation, please let us know. COVID-19 reports can only be made online.
The Drexel Compliance Hotline is an easy-to-use, confidential reporting hotline managed by a third-party vendor, EthicsPoint. It is open 24 hours a day by phone or web portal for you to report actual or suspected serious violations of state or federal laws and regulations, Drexel’s Code of Conduct or any other University policy or procedure. The information you provide will be investigated promptly and fairly. You may remain anonymous when making a report, but you can choose to leave your name and contact information, without any fear of retaliation. Please direct questions about the Drexel Compliance Hotline to compliance@drexel.edu.
Flexible Spending Account Updates
The Consolidated Appropriations Act passed in December 2020 allows employers to make temporary changes to the rules governing healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA), providing greater flexibility at a time when the pandemic continues to disrupt the way we access medical and daycare services. Effective immediately, Drexel employees can make prospective changes to their health care and/or dependent care FSA contributions at any time, without the requirement of a qualified life event. For detailed information, please review the FSA item in February’s HR @ Your Service Newsletter.
Look Out for Your 2020 1095-C Form
The Affordable Care Act requires employers who offer health care coverage to report certain information about employees and their covered dependents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Further, Drexel is required to provide you with a 1095-C Form that captures pertinent data about health care coverage for you and your covered dependents during 2020. This year, the IRS extended the time frame for issuing Form 1095-C from Jan. 31 to March 2, 2021. As soon as the documents are available, they will be mailed to your home address and made available electronically through the My Drexel Benefits link located in DrexelOne. Once received, you will want to keep a copy of the form with your other tax records. You should consult your tax advisor with any questions about federal or state filing requirements. If you have questions about the information provided on the form, please contact the Drexel University Benefits Center, powered by benefitexpress at 844.690.3992.
Physical Inventory of Research Equipment and Asset Tagging
A three-week physical inventory period is underway of equipment purchased with grant funds to ensure compliance with federal regulation 45 CFR Part 75.320 (d), which requires an inventory of this kind every two years. In addition, any equipment that was not tagged by General Accounting during the past fiscal year due to the closure of campus during the COVID-19 pandemic will be tagged, which will include research and non-research funded assets. Custodians and/or business managers of these assets received an email and a reminder that relayed further information, including COVID-19 protocol and process details. If you have any questions regarding the upcoming physical inventory, please contact Patty Russo at pjr27@drexel.edu.