For Your Information | April 15, 2021

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Dear Friends, 

We were already having a tough week, and this week has been particularly charged. Chancellor May shared a statement with his sentiments about the tragic killing of Duante Wright. My own short message on social media noted ongoing trauma related to the Chauvin trial, with information about mental health resources for faculty and staff. We know that there is hurt, and we urge flexibility with schedules and duties as our communities make efforts to move forward.  I also wanted to share that if you missed UC Davis Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’s (HEDI) latest recorded presentation, “Asian Solidarity in Action,” please take some time to watch it; you’ll be glad that you did. Once you’ve finished watching that video, you might consider looking at some of the other videos in the series as they do a tremendous job of talking about structural racism, and coping in challenging times. There are even some short meditations to provide an opportunity to breathe and receive a sense of calm during the viewing.

Last summer, there were many voices of allyship after the death of George Floyd, and we gathered those letters and statements as part of our new DEI website on Anti-Racism. We mentioned in newsletters over the past several months that statements that recognized harm and hurt were greatly appreciated. Our campus stepped up and was not silent. DEI also shared that we were looking forward to sharing some of the next steps. In keeping with that promise, I’m pleased to share the UC Davis DEI Strategic Investments document, which shows that our campus has demonstrated ACTION! The "UC Davis Strategic Investments" document shares just some of the many investments that have been made to support our communities, particularly in light of the need to address implicit and explicit bias, racism, and structural inequalities. Thank you to all of the campus leaders in our schools, colleges, and units who have worked hard to move these initiaitives forward!

Our units on campus are not just working here in Davis and Sacramento, we are happy to share that colleagues from Davis have been involved in a collaborative effort with other campuses in the UC to create resources for anti-racism.The Northern Cohort of CORO – the System-wide Leadership Collaborative has developed a prototype for an Anti-Racism Learning and Reflection Tool. The link to PDF for the prototype of this matrix can be found here http://bit.ly/UCAntiRacismTool, and the Self Assessment/Reflection Qualtrics Survey (prototype) version of the tool is here: http://bit.ly/AntiRacismSurvey. We’re going to be talking more about this tool in the coming months. Congratulations to “NorCal CORO” (Davis, Berkeley, San Francisco, Merced, Santa Cruz) and thank you for your tremendous work!

I really love being here at UC Davis, and I appreciate the tremendous work that all of the members of our campus community continue to put into making this an anti-racist university. Our work is not done, and we have a ways to go, but we are not stagnant. We are moving, and I thank you for joining us on this journey!

Warmest Regards,
Renetta

UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development (UCWI)

UC Office of the President has announced a call for nominations. UCWI is an experiential professional development program designed to elevate women in leadership at the university. Ideal candidates are mid-career employees, both faculty and staff, who are women-identified professionals or support women-identified professionals, and demonstrate the potential to advance their careers at UC. Eighteen participants will be selected from across UC Davis to attend one of the three 2021-22northern California virtual cohorts. Scheduling of the selected participants into the three cohorts (Fall 2021, Winter 2022 and Spring 2022) will be coordinated by UC Office of the President. The $1,050 registration fee for each participant will be paid by the Office of the Chancellor. The programs will be virtual, so no travel will be required. Please submit your nomination by Friday, April 23. More information about the program can be found here.

Next Generation Campus Safety Task Force Seeks Your Feedback

The Next Generation Campus Safety Task Force seeks your feedback and perspective of campus safety at UC Davis. Your thoughts and stories will inform the task force and assist with making final recommendations to the Chancellor. We ask for input from the entire UC Davis community. You can write freely with the following: Personal stories; Suggestions for the task force to include in their report; General thoughts about campus safety at UC Davis. You may also choose to respond to the questions that were asked at the various town halls earlier this year: 1. What are our shared UC Davis values and how should our campus safety infrastructure reflect those values? 2. What does the "next generation" of campus safety look like? 3. How can UC Davis "advance campus safety"? This form allows you to share your stories and experiences, along with those from other students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members.

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Academic Diversity | Interim AVC Lorena Oropeza

ADVANCE Scholar Award | Call for Nominations

The ADVANCE Scholar Award is available for mid-career and senior Academic Senate or Academic Federation faculty who advance diverse perspectives and gender equity in STEM through their teaching, research and service. Two 2021 ADVANCE Scholar Awardees will be selected and will receive a small cash award. The intent of the ADVANCE Scholar Award is to encourage research, leadership, and outreach to underserved communities and/or mentorship of under-represented students, and to highlight and celebrate the contributions that STEM faculty at UC Davis have made to their fields through outstanding scholarship and mentorship. Nomination Deadline: June 1, 2021. Details about nominating a scholar for the ADVANCE Scholar Award can be found here.

P.L.A.C.E. with CAMPSSAH Announcements

We are pleased to announce Susan D. Brown (Associate Professor, Internal Medicine) has been selected to receive a Post-Tenure Start Up Award. Professor Brown elected to utilize the award ($4,000) to enroll in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity’s Post-Tenure Pathfinders Program to help launch into the next phase of her career at UC Davis. Professor Brown’s research in identifying interventions to help racially and ethnically diverse women prevent chronic diseases in an interdisciplinary way and includes the participation of those women in her research speaks to the foundational goals of the P.L.A.C.E. grant. Read the full announcement here.

Additionally, Jon D. Rossini, Associate Professor, Theatre and Dance, was selected to receive a Manuscript Workshop Award. Rossini’s manuscript, Pragmatic Liberation and the Labyrinth of Free Association: Rethinking Politics through US Puerto Rican Drama uses the US-Puerto Rico colonial relationship as a frame for thinking through issues of justice and equity and the pragmatic challenges of revolutionary thinking. This award will allow Rossini to bring together several subject-matter experts to help him work on several chapters within the manuscript and prepare it for submission to a press. Read the full announcement here.

Finally, Assistant Professor of Music Juan Diego Díaz has a new book! Africanness in Action: Essentialism and Musical Imaginations of Africa in Brazil was just published by Oxford University Press. When many people think of African music, the first ideas that come to mind are often of rhythm, drums, and dancing. These perceptions are rooted in emblematic African and African-derived genres such as West African drumming, funk, salsa, or samba and, more importantly, essentialized notions about Africa which have been fueled over centuries of contact between the "West," Africa, and the African diaspora. These notions, of course, tend to reduce and often portray Africa and the diaspora as primitive, exotic, and monolithic. Díaz explores this dynamic through the perspectives of Black musicians in Bahia, Brazil, a site imagined by many as a diasporic epicenter of African survivals and purity.

Please visit our webpage for more details and award requirements.

Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed

Save the Date! Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community Ceremony 

Chancellor Gary S. May, Vice Chancellor Renetta Garrison Tull, and Associate Executive Vice Chancellor Rahim Reed cordially invite you to attend an on-line event to honor the recipients of the Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community on Wednesday, April 28 at 5:00PM. These awards were established to honor achievements that contribute in substantial ways to the development and well-being of our diverse and evolving community. Register here. Award Recipients:

Undergraduate Student Award
Emily Aguilar Gonzalez
UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program

Graduate Student Award
Veronica Padilla Vreisman
Earth and Planetary Sciences

Postdoctoral Researcher Award
Victoria Ngo
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing  

Staff Award
Kawami Evans
Student Housing and Dining Services

Academic Federation Award
Mary Louise Frampton
Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies

Academic Senate Award
Harry Cheng
UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM)

Community Member Award
Jose Bodipo-Memba
SMUD

Department Recognition Awards
Safety Services
MIND Institute
Mondavi Center

Panel Discussion with Ellen Forney

Earlier this week, the Campus Community Book Project hosted a panel discussion with Ellen Forney, book project featured author, on mental health self-care, advocacy, and activism and her latest book Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life. Panelists included: Ellen Forney, book project featured author; Claire Adams, UC Davis undergraduate & Ambassador, Each Aggie Matters; Puja Chadha, Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Associate Director of Education, Center for Reducing Healthcare Disparities; & Director of Faculty Education, Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Megan Macklin (moderator), Program Manager, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. You can find the recording of this event, and many others from this year's program, on our CCBP Resources Page. (link: https://ccbp.ucdavis.edu/resources). The 2020-21 book project features a yearlong program around graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney, and the overall theme of mental health. 

Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | AVC Hendry Ton

Position Announcement | Health Professions Education Specialist

We are pleased to share that the Office of Health, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (HEDI) is recruiting a new member to our team as a Health Professions Education Specialist. This is a full-time positions that will report directly to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for HEDI. This position will support the administration, coordination and development of diversity education programs, along with special projects as directed by the Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) for Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion, the Diversity Education Director(s) and the CAO.  The position is also responsible for supporting the technology and communications needs of the unit such as online curriculum development, website maintenance, listserv and newsletter development and dissemination. Please view the full job description and application information, see Job ID: 16294. Applications will be accepted through April 16, 2021.

Call for Letters of Interest: Supporting Education Excellence in Diversity (SEED) Program

Are you a UC Davis School of Medicine early-career faculty (MD, PhD, or MD/PhD) at the Assistant Professor level or above (minimum 4 years experience), with at least 2 years of experience in teaching and/or efforts that address equity, diversity and inclusion at an academic institution and want to advance diversity education efforts across UC Davis Health?

If so, please consider submitting a letter of interest in serving as a co-facilitator for the Supporting Educational Excellence in Diversity (SEED) program, to the Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. If you are interested in being considered for this role (.10 FTE for 1 year term with possibility of renewal or extension, starting January 2021-December 2021), please provide a letter of interest (2 page maximum) that addresses the following:

• Minimum of 2 years experience in small group facilitation and large group teaching at an academic institution.
• Your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrated knowledge and tact in navigating complex issues in diversity, equity and inclusion. 
• Adaptive to change, ability to engage proactively in project quality improvement efforts.
• Preferred Qualification: Obtained a certificate of completion for the Supporting Educational Excellence in Diversity (SEED) training.

Please submit your letter of interest no later than Monday, May 3, 2021. Submit your letter here.

EVENTS

April 15, Thursday

Cultural Studies Colloquium: Lorena Oropeza | 4:00PM
Professor Oropeza will discuss her new book The King of Adobe: Reies López Tijerina, Lost Prophet of the Chicano Movement. This biography offers a fresh and unvarnished look at one of the most controversial, criticized, and misunderstood activists of the civil rights era. Most famous for leading an armed raid on the Rio Arriba courthouse in 1967, Reies López Tijerina demanded that Americans attend to an overlooked part of the country’s history: the United States was an aggressive empire that had conquered and colonized the Southwest and subsequently wrenched land away from border people—Mexicans and Native Americans alike. Register here.

April 16, Friday

Anti-Asian Racism and Mental Health | 12:00PM
This workshop will educate participants about ways to disrupt racism and how to provide support to people that have experienced hate and harassment. Join us in a safe space and professionally guided discussion for participants to understand the correlation between racism and mental health. This workshop does not train participants to be clinicians; instead, it is designed to teach participants about the Six Intervention Tools used to interrupt racist acts and how to provide practical support and assistance to coworkers, friends, and family that have experienced racism. This is a one-hour session equipped with interactive case studies, polling questions and small group discussions for participants to practice the Six Intervention Tools. Register here.

April 22, Thursday

Manetti Shrem, Art Studio Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Arnold Joseph Kemp in Conversation with Sampada Aranke | 4:30PM
The materials employed in Arnold J. Kemp’s interdisciplinary practice absorb or reflect light while mirroring likeness, becoming haunted and ghostly metaphors for absented and obfuscated black bodies. Kemp will give a poetry reading, then discuss the relationship between language and the aesthetics presented in his paintings, photographs and sculpture with Manetti Shrem Museum scholar- in-residence Sampada Aranke. Kemp’s exhibition Arnold Joseph Kemp: I would survive. I could survive. I should survive, curated by Arnanke, is on view through April 25, 2021. Register here.

April 23-25 

UC Davis Global Learning Conference
Undergraduates, graduate students and alumni are invited to register and attend the second annual Global Learning Conference from April 23-25. This conference is FREE and ONLINE, with opportunities to network with like-minded students and professionals. Learn to articulate and market your global skills in your career search while advancing your personal and professional goals.  Connect with potential employers, showcase your experience in your resume and cover letter, hear from seasoned professionals in a variety of global fields, connect with peers, and explore resources and opportunities for your global future. Learn more here or Register Now!

April 28, Wednesday

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day
In this international event held annually, people are asked to make a social statement by wearing jeans as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence. Post photos to social media, using the hashtag #ucdavisdenimday. Tag @ucdcare to be featured in the CARE compilation.

Foundations of an Anti-racist Pedagogy | 12:10PM
Racial inequities persist on campuses, in curricula, and in classrooms. In this faculty workshop, Dr. Kem Saichaie (CEE) and Dr. Cecilia Gomez (CEE) will lead participants through an exploration of how to take action toward building an anti-racist curriculum with anti-racist pedagogical and assessment practices -- proactively and responsively. We will also discuss actionable steps toward building an anti-racist presence along cognitive, social, and teaching dimensions. Register here.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power and Assault on Campus | 5:00PM
A discussion with the authors, Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan. Register here. Presented by the Love Lab and CARE.

April 29, Thursday

CAMPOS Research Colloquium: Crystal D. Rogers, “Regulating neural crest cell fate and survival during embryonic development” | 3:10PM
Neural crest cells are ectodermally-derived embryonic stem cells that give rise to more than 30 adult tissue derivatives including craniofacial bone and cartilage, teeth, inner ear structures, pigment cells, and the peripheral nervous system. Failure in the specification, migration, or differentiation of these cells can lead to defects such as cleft palate, deafness, or peripheral nerve disorders among others. The epigenetic and molecular specification of ectodermal derivatives drives subsequent morphogenetic events. To understand the complex mechanisms that control the development of ectodermally-derived cells, our lab focuses on defining the relationship between transcriptional regulators, cell adhesion molecules, and signaling pathways during neural crest development. Please email Mariana Galindo-Vega for Zoom.

April 30, Friday

Check the Syllabus! Re-Examining our Syllabi with an Equity Lens | 1:00PM
What we say in our syllabus (and what we don’t say) can be consequential, not only in terms of providing students with basic information about a course, but also in setting the tone for how we hope to interact with students and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed. In this hands-on workshop, Dr. Rachel Stumpf (CEE) will engage participants in a set of exercises to review one of their own syllabi from an equity lens and to identify opportunities for establishing a more inclusive classroom environment using the syllabus as a foundation. Both faculty and graduate student instructors are invited to participate in this workshop. Participants should bring a digital or paper copy of a syllabus they would like to review and revise. Register here.

May 5, Wednesday

Leveraging the Power of the Interactive Lecture for Equity, Engagement, and Inclusion | 12:00PM
The ways in which we structure our classes are consequential for student learning: a lack of structure can have negative impacts on student learning, while aptly-designed and well-placed structures can support and enhance student engagement in course content. It is now recognized that incorporating structures into our lectures is a key element of inclusive pedagogy. In this workshop, Dr. Patricia Turner (CEE) will explore, with participants, the Interactive Lecture and how this mode of lecturing allows instructors to use structures such as anticipatory sets, concept maps, Frayer Models, and hierarchies in online and in-person lectures in ways that make lectures more engaging and more inclusive. Register here.

May 6, Thursday

Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium | 9:00AM
Graduate Studies is pleased to announce the inaugural Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium at UC Davis. Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the symposium seeks to highlight best practices in anti-racist approaches to graduate education, particularly in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the ensuring racial reckoning of 2020. Registration opens April 6. Learn more here.

May 7, Friday

48th Annual UC Davis Alumni Awards | 5:00PM
The Cal Aggie Alumni Association’s 48th Annual Alumni Awards recognize the achievements of four eminent University of California, Davis, graduates, including a rising leader in veterinary medicine, a tech entrepreneur, and local and global public service professionals. Despite their wide-ranging careers, these Aggies share more than their alma mater — they are all stars in their fields who are dedicating their lives to improving the lives of others. Learn more and register here. 

Prem Jain, M.S. ’77
Distinguished Achievement Award 

Scot Marciel  ’81
Emil M. Mrak International Award

Kimberly A. Dodd, Ph.D. ’14, D.V.M. ’15
Young Alumna Award

Caroline Flores Cabias ’72
Aggie Service Award

May 21, Friday

CAMPSSAH Salon: A Conversation on Scholars’ Research and Life through the Pandemic | 12:00PM
Please join a panel discussion moderated by CAMPSSAH Faculty Director Kimberly Nettles-Barcelón featuring CAMPSSAH Faculty Scholars: Stacy-Ann Elvy, School of Law, “A Commercial Law of Privacy and Security”; Benjamin Weber, African American and African Studies, "Rethinking Human Rights through the Imprisoned Black Radical Tradition”; Beenash Jafri, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. “Decolonizing Diasporic Film.” Register here.

RECOMMENDED READING

Apoorva Mandavilli, “Could the Pandemic Prompt an ‘Epidemic of Loss’ of Women in the Sciences?” New York Times, April 13, 2021.
Even before the pandemic, many female scientists felt unsupported in their fields. Now, some are hitting a breaking point. Read the article. 

Mark Z. Barabak, “Conspirances run amok,” Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2021.
U.C. Davis History Professor Kathryn Olmsted spoke with a Times’s columnist about unhinged conspiracy theories motivating pro-Trump followers. Read the article. 

Karen Nikos-Rose, “COVID-19 Isolation Linked to Increased Domestic Violence, Researchers Suggest,” UC Davis News, February 24, 2021.
While COVID-19-related lockdowns may have decreased the spread of a deadly virus, they appear to have created an ideal environment for increased domestic violence. Extra stress in the COVID-19 pandemic caused by income loss, and lack of ability to pay for housing and food has exacerbated the often silent epidemic of intimate partner violence, suggests a new University of California, Davis, study. Read the article.  

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Reporting Concerns of Harassment and Discrimination
The Harassment & Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program (HDAPP) supports the University's commitment to a harassment and discrimination-free work and learning environment for all members of the UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR). 

If you are interested in reporting concerns of Harassment and Discrimination, please contact HDAPP to file a report and/or speak with a representative to better understand your options. Learn more about HDAPP here or go to HDAPP's website for more information.

Counseling Services Mental Health Resources Webinar [requires Kerberos log-in] One of the things we hear frequently from instructors about teaching in Spring 2020 is the extent to which they encountered students in their courses experiencing significant stress or crisis, yet they felt unequipped to help or direct students to resources. To help, Student Health and Counseling Services provided a Mental Health Resources Webinar. If supporting students in crisis is a concern for you, please watch this previously-recorded webinar. Webinar topics include an overview of mental health services on campus, how to make referrals, signs of distress and how to respond, and how faculty can support students in the classroom (remote or on-campus). Student Affairs has also provided this folder of faculty resources.

UC Davis Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion COVID resources page In English and Spanish to reach our communities and we are actively updating with new resources.

Content Submission Form

Do you have a DEI-oriented event, announcement, or article that you would like us to help promote through our DEI communication channels? Did your unit/department or a member of your unit/department receive recognition that demonstrates your commitment to DEI? If so, please send us your information through this online form.

We invite you to share and submit your thoughts and items for our newsletter (either current or future news and events) at diversityinclusion@ucdavis.edu

Thank you for your dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion!

#ThinkBigDiversity
https://diversity.ucdavis.edu/