For Your Information | July 23, 2020
Volume 1, Issue 10
Quick Summary
- Big Boost in Chicanx/Latinx Students Admitted to UC Davis
- Film Screening: Race - The Power of an Illusion
- UC Davis Nursing School Names New Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Dean
- 2020 ADVANCE Scholar Award Recipients Named
Download a printable version of this week's newsletter
Dear Colleagues,
Greetings! Our July issues were technically scheduled to be a bit shorter than usual to give our staff a little break and time for self-care. While this issue is short, I would like to draw your attention to a few items:
- Congratulations to the new Chancellor’s Diversity Fellows, Dr. Diane Beckles, Department of Plant Sciences; Dr. Colleen Bronner, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Dr. Milmon F. Harrison, Department of African American and African Studies; and Dr. Margarita Jimenez-Silva, School of Education! (For more information on their award see below!)
- I invite you to share in a fond virtual community farewell for Dr. Vajra Watson, on Monday, August 3, 2020 to celebrate her contributions to UC Davis, and to celebrate her new role at California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Watson is the Director of the Office of Research and Policy for Equity, and Founder of the Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) program, which has received national acclaim. Dr. Watson is well known for her equity scholarship and heart for the community. She will be greatly missed as she leaves UC Davis to become the new faculty director of the Doctorate of Educational Leadership Program Sac State! Please read much more in the full article in this week’s UC Davis Dateline.
- The SAYS program will be jointly managed by the Office of Undergraduate Enrollment and DEI, and will have the university-sponsored leadership of Ms. Patrice Hill and Ms. Denisha Bland. Connections with additional campus partners are also underway. We will greatly miss Dr. Watson, but we are looking forward to continuing her legacy and having SAYS as part of our units so that UC Davis can support the tremendous work that SAYs does for students and the community.
Coming soon! Our office is working with Audit and Management Advisory Services (AMAS) and the DEI-Executive Leadership Team of deans and campus leaders (DEI-ELT) to develop a UC Davis 2020 Campus Climate Review that will include development of plans to put the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision into action, and implement the 5 Goals. There will be a full description of the roll-out next month.
Campus-wide DEI training and workshops will continue throughout the year, and departments will be encouraged to work with offices such as (but not limited to) the DEI Education and Training Group, and the Transformative Justice in Education Center (TJE) to conduct deeper dives and to have individualized consultations. Campus-wide anti-racism workshops and sessions started in July, and the Transformative Justice in Education Center will give a campus-wide workshop on August 26, 2020 to address transformation in terms of their 5 Pedagogical Stances: Histories, Race, Justice, Language, and Futures. We’re looking forward to working with AMAS, the TJE, and other campus partners to assist our colleges and schools with developing their action plans.
Thank you for your commitment to justice.
Kind Regards,
Renetta G. Tull, Vice Chancellor
Announcing UC Davis’ Inaugural Chancellor’s Fellowships for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Chancellor Gary S. May and the UC Davis Academic Senate have announced the inaugural recipients of the Chancellor’s Fellowships for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The honored faculty members are: Diane Beckles, Department of Plant Sciences; Colleen Bronner, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Milmon F. Harrison, Department of African American and African Studies; Margarita Jimenez-Silva, School of Education. Read the Announcement
Big Boost in Chicanx/Latinx Students Admitted to UC Davis
You have probably seen the exciting news that UC Davis admitted a record number of new undergraduates for fall 2020, including an all-time high of nearly 30,000 California residents. Additionally, thanks in part to the hard work of our Pioneros, so far this year, we have a nearly 9% increase in the number of Chicanx/Latinx students admitted to UC Davis. That is an increase of 673 students.
Racial Trauma Resources
A culmination of many stressors, including ongoing racism leading to the disproportionate loss of lives of people of color across America, has left our community traumatized and seeking answers. At UC Davis, we affirm our support for Black lives, acknowledge racism and connect with a shared commitment to address it. The office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion has created a website with resources to support our community as we continue to find ways to build and strengthen our diverse culture at UC Davis. LEARN MORE
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? Please send us your information through this online form
UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed
FILM SCREENING: RACE - THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION
The Office of Campus Community Relations invites you to engage in learning and dialogue with your campus community while coming together, remotely, to watch this three-part documentary. Space is limited and Zoom registration is required.
The division of the world's peoples into distinct groups - "red," "black," "white" or "yellow" peoples - has become so deeply imbedded in our psyches, so widely accepted, many would promptly dismiss as crazy any suggestion of its falsity. Yet, that's exactly what this provocative, new three-hour series by California Newsreel claims. Race - The Power of an Illusion questions the very idea of race as innate biology. Yet race still matters. Just because race does not exist in biology does not mean it is not very real, helping shape life chances and opportunities.
- "The House we Live In" (Ep. 3) – July 28, 11am - 12:15pm • Registration Link
- Debrief - Film Screening: Race the Power of an Illusion – July 31, 11am-12:15pm
Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | AVC Hendry Ton
UC DAVIS NURSING SCHOOL NAMES NEW HEALTH EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DEANThe Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis announces the appointment of Piri Ackerman-Barger to the newly created position of associate dean for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In this position, Ackerman-Barger leads the school’s efforts to create a diverse and welcoming setting in which to learn, work and collaborate. She also designs initiatives so the school’s learning environments, workforce, programs, services and partnerships are more diverse and inclusive. She reports to UC Davis Health Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hendry Ton and to Stephen Cavanagh, dean for the School of Nursing. Read the full announcement here.
Office of Academic Diversity
2020 ADVANCE SCHOLAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, through the ADVANCE Program and its Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives in Science (CAMPOS) is delighted to announce the 2020 ADVANCE Scholar Award recipients:
Chen-Nee Chuah
Electrical and Computer Engineering
and
Jesús A. De Loera
Mathematics
The ADVANCE Scholar Award highlights and celebrates the contributions that STEM faculty at UC Davis have made to their fields through outstanding scholarship and mentorship. The award aims to encourage excellence in research as well as leadership and outreach to underserved communities and/or mentorship of under-represented students. Please read the full announcement here.
CAMPOS Scholar Jasquelin Peña Joins Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
From studying environmental and molecular biogeochemistry to addressing water quality issues, Peña looks forward to sharing her knowledge and connecting with UC Davis students this fall.
Peña joined the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an associate professor starting this spring. Her research lies at the intersection of natural, managed and engineered ecosystems and aims to advance sustainable solutions to environmental quality problems. Read the story here
EVENTS
July 23, Thursday
Alumni Career Mentorship Webinar Series – Careers in Law | 4:00PM
On behalf of Undergraduate Admissions (UA) and the African and African American Alumni Association, Chicanx/Latinx Alumni Association, and Native American Alumni Association, we want to congratulate our incoming students on their admission to UC Davis. During the upcoming summer months, UA will be hosting the inaugural Alumni Career Mentorship Webinar Series for our incoming Freshmen and Transfer students. The first webinar this month will be hosted by Dean Kevin Johnson from UC Davis' Martin Luther King School of Law. Register Now
The Minneapolis Uprising: Abolition and the Struggle for a Police-free City | 4:00PM
In this panel, organizers from Minneapolis will talk about the decades of multi-racial and Black-led organizing that has led to these victories, reflect on the lessons and promises of the Minneapolis uprising, and discuss the path forward for abolitionist and Black liberation struggles in the US and globally. Learn more and register here.
July 24, Friday
Health Disparities: The Latinx Experience During COVID-19 | 12:00PM
Please join our Center Director, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola on Friday, July 24, 12pm-1:30pm for a presentation on Health Disparities and the Latinx Experience During COVID-19, which will be hosted by the Mendocino Latinx Alliance. This event will be bilingual, where attendees can choose a language (English/Spanish) option. Read more and register here.
July 28, Tuesday
Trauma-Informed Care and Services for Immigrant Families | 2:00PM
“Save the date” for a virtual three-part symposium on Trauma-Informed Care and Services for Immigrant Families, hosted by the Center for Reducing Health Disparities and the California Health Care Foundation. Experts will discuss the effects of trauma on immigrant families on a variety of topics. Register today for Part I, focusing on Trauma in immigrant families: Public charge, DACA and COVID-19 at https://tinyurl.com/UCDTrauma-InformedSymposium. Part II: Aug. 25 - How health systems and providers can deliver trauma-informed care to immigrant families. Part III: Sept. 22 - Financial impacts and policy solutions for trauma in immigrant families
July 17 - August 10
From Policing and Protest to Discrimination and Systemic Racism
This summer, the University of Virginia School of Law is convening a series of National Faculty Workshops on the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement and the broad array of legal questions it implicates — from policing and protest to discrimination and systemic racism. Each virtual workshop, open to all law faculty nationwide, will feature a single scholar who will present on a recent or current project and will be moderated by a member of the UVA Law faculty. Learn more here.
October 9-10, Friday-Saturday
2020 Improving OUTcomes Conference
This conference will bring together health care providers from the Greater Sacramento area to build transforma-tional leadership and community with the common goal of culturally competent care for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) people and their families. LEARN MORE
RECOMMENDED READING
"COVID fatigue" is hitting hard. Fighting it is hard, too, says UC Davis Health psychologist
It's time to develop coping skills, which include exercise and talking about our fears and stress. READ
“For Whom the Bell Tolls: COVID-19 Death Patterns in California,” UCLA Health, Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture
Report no.7 of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture addresses the effects of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Latino communities. As of July 8, 2020, a total of 6,519 people in California had died due to COVID-19‒associated conditions. These deaths did not occur randomly in the state’s population. Rather, they occurred more in some racial/ethnic (R/E) populations than in others. READ
Please also see the lists of Recommended Reading on our Racial Trauma Resources webpage here.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT)
Families that have school-aged children who qualify for free or reduced lunch (and aren’t receiving CalFresh/Food Stamps currently), are eligible to apply for a new federally funded, Pandemic EBT program. In response to CA school closures, families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school will soon receive a pre-loaded EBT card in the mail for every eligible child. This EBT card is separate from the traditional EBT card. Families that are currently active on CalFresh will automatically be mailed a card beginning in May 2020. For non-CalFresh households, an application is required before June 30, 2020. The online application will launch in late May. Please refer to this website for up-to-date information.
Free Transportation for Vulnerable Elderly Adults
United Cerebral Palsy is offering free (donation optional) trips to vulnerable adults over 65 years of age, individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, individuals with compromised immune systems, as well as to individuals with serious chronic medical conditions. They can accommodate wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices e.g. canes, walkers. In addition, they are available to do delivery trips such as picking up a pre-purchased grocery order, meals, prescription, pharmacy items, etc. For more information please visit their website.
The UC Davis Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion developed a COVID resources page on our website in English and Spanish to reach our communities and we are actively updating with new resources
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!