For Your Information | March 19, 2020

Volume 1, Issue 1

Quick Summary

  • COVID-19 – How are you coping?
  • DEI Leadership Updates
  • Temporary Suspension of Academic Diversity Programming
  • AIM For Community Health Initiative

Dear Friends,

We are experiencing a series of rapid changes nationally, locally, and on campus. We know that change can cause uncertainty, and we are writing this newsletter to both share what we know related to the COVID-19 crisis, and provide updates for DEI that we hope will bring a sense of balance. Within DEI, we have weekly, internal, email updates. However, in the wake of this challenging time when we will be seeing less and less of one another over the coming weeks, we wanted to share information more broadly. This version of our update is being shares with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders. Our DEI office includes three units: the Office of Academic Diversity (OAD) - Davis, the Office of Campus Community Relations (OCCR) - Davis, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OHEDI) - Sacramento. We also have three centers, CAMPOS, CAMPSSAH, and the Center for Reducing Health Disparities. The updates below reflect reports from these units, some UC-wide information, and the directives that are coming from the campus. 

Campus leadership meetings are now occurring daily at 8 AM. Decisions for campus operations are guided by a combination of directives and conversations that are coming from federal, state and local governments, the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), and feedback from our local campus community (all locations.) Thought and care is being given to the best ways to attend to physical and mental health and wellness for the entire campus community, while considering access to education, basic needs, new paradigms for faculty, and accommodations for employees.

The Chief Diversity Officers Council for the UC, (representing each of the 10 campuses of the UC, and the UC Office of Diversity and Engagement) will be providing a 15-point guidance titled, “ Equity and Inclusion during COVID-19”  that will be published on UCOP’s website. Here is a preview, e.g., points 12 & 13:

  • CDO Guidance Point #12: Do not use terms such as “Chinese Virus” or other terms which cast either intentional or unintentional projections of hatred toward Asian communities. And do not allow the use of these terms by others. Refer to the virus as either “COVID-19” or “Coronavirus” in both oral and written communications. 
  • CDO Guidance Point #13: Support the health care workers who are on the front line of this pandemic. Help ensure that they get the rest they need, can attend to personal and familial needs, and are supported as health care workers and as people.

We will look forward to sharing the full guidance with all 15 points in the coming days, and hope that they will be helpful as you continue your work. 

Below you will find information that was discussed during our Tuesday DEI All-staff Zoom meeting, along with subsequent updates from the campus. Please continue to take care of yourselves. We’ll do our best to support you.

Kind regards,

Renetta G. Tull
Vice Chancellor

COVID-19 – How are you coping? 

Are you feeling stressed? Anxiety? Need some coping ideas?

Join us by Zoom with special guest speaker Hendry Ton, MD, MS 
Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis Health

Friday | March 20, 2020 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Hosted by UC Davis Health, Latinx Staff & Faculty Association and supported by the Office of Health, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

DEI Leadership Updates 

As we are receiving news daily about COVID-19 from our loved ones and family, social media, and news outlets, Chancellor May noted that official messages for UC Davis will be posted each Friday. Updates that occur during any other day of the week will be captured and repeated in the subsequent Friday update. Please read information that is shared on UC Davis’ website .

Please check your email inboxes for these messages: 

  • COVID-19 Community Reporting Protocol - Provost Hexter’s letter to the UC Davis Campus Community. 3/17/20, 3:18 PM.
  • Dateline UC Davis: Responding to Coronavirus. 3/17/2020 2:45 PM

Noting that Yolo County has issued a “Shelter-in-Place” Directive from March 19 – April 7, as of Thursday, March 19, UC Davis has updated campus directives to include the following:

Instruction. All in-person instruction should cease. All instruction that can be delivered remotely should continue.

Finals.  Students are strongly encouraged to take their online finals from their place of shelter. However, to ensure that all students have access to computers and WiFi to complete their online final exams, the library ,  computer labs ,  study spaces   and classrooms will remain open through Sunday, March 22. All individuals who utilize these spaces should observe appropriate social distancing.

IT.  The  IT Express Service Desk  will remain open for students and faculty who need assistance with questions about campus technology through finals week. Email IT Express at  ithelp@ucdavis.edu .

Research.  Per the  March 17 Research Guidance  by the Office of Research, researchers are expected to ramp down non-critical, on-site research activities.

Personnel whose work is necessary to ensure the ongoing viability of research, including supply chain management, safety services, and people who support the well-being of research animals, essential plant populations and the maintenance of research materials that are perishable or not easily replaced, must continue their work.

DEI business operations will continue , however   we are experiencing unprecedented times, and many of DEI’s programs have been cancelled and/or postponed until further notice. There will be no new DEI programs/initiatives/events for the remainder of the academic year and select existing programs will be re-designed for remote delivery. 

Remote Work:  VC Tull authorized DEI staff to telecommute prior to the Yolo County “Shelter-in-Place” guidance. Please continue to follow the guidelines in the “Temporary Remote Work Agreement.” Please ensure your direct supervisors are aware of your intentions and any modified schedules. Managers are empowered to make decisions concerning remote work arrangements for their department. Consider proactively working with eligible employees, including student employees, to develop plans for moving to remote work.

Remote Work FAQ

ePerformance Reminder:  Please remember to prepare and review information, and trainings related to the new ePerformance process. Read more here.

Health Information

UC Davis hospital  is beginning precautions and safe guards. “No visitors” and social distancing policies are in place. Telehealth transitions are currently in place to limit spread of COVID-19. Limiting visits to hospital/physician's office can slow down infections.

SOCIAL DISTANCING  is our  best defense  against this virus.  FLATTEN THE CURVE.

If you are experiencing any cold/flu/COVID-19 or other symptoms, please stay home/telecommute – until your symptoms pass.  What coronavirus does to the body: COVID infection process, symptoms

UC Davis Health - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Important Information and Resources

What to do with a positive test result. When you have personal knowledge of testing positive yourself  for COVID-19 , or an immediate family member testing positive, or know of a colleague who has tested positive, please adhere to the campus reporting protocol and immediately  notify:

-Davis – 

  1. Campus Privacy Office at privacy@ucdavis.edu
  2. For faculty and staff, Occupational Health at occupationalhealth@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-6051 

or

  1. For students, Mary Macias at Student Health at memacias@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-6559

Kirsten C. Stevenson
Interim Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer

Leave:  Employees are eligible to receive a one-time allotment of up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave, for use in certain circumstances. These hours can be used before or after the use of any accrued leave or other paid leave, provided that such use shall not adversely affect the delivery of essential services, including healthcare services.

Special considerations for older adults, those with serious medical conditions. Everyone 65 years of age and older and those with serious chronic medical conditions (including immunosuppressed) should self-isolate. These employees may work remotely if operationally feasible, or they may use any available leave balances.

HR Guidance for Supervisors, Managers and Employees  -  Telework During Disruptions resource page  offers guidance designed for supervisors, employees and departments to help set up temporary remote work arrangements quickly and successfully. New consolidated State of California COVID19 website.

Updates & Announcements

Office of Academic Diversity - AVC Raquel Aldana

Recruitment Advisory Committee for Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies
AVC Aldana is participating as part of the RAC for the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies this week. There was a sizable pool of applicants, and seven individuals were selected for interviews.

Global Education for All Committee 
AVC Aldana has served on GE4A for the past two years and on the Curriculum Subcommittee for a year. This week, the Curriculum Subcommittee will discuss developing high level guiding principles/parameters for global learning graduate/professional certificates, among other agenda items.

Public Engagement Working Group
Provost Hexter appointed AVC Aldana to work on the Public Engagement Working Group, as part of the Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement. This week’s meeting is focused on reward and recognition strategies for faculty who engage with public scholarship and service.

Resolution on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements
On February 5, 2020, a petition bearing the signatures of at least 50 members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate of the University of California was submitted regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements:

Resolution: We, the undersigned members of the UC Davis Academic Senate, petition for a ballot on the following resolution, according to the procedure described in Davis Division Bylaw IV.17:

Resolved:  ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statements shall not be mandatory for the appointment or for the advancement of faculty.

The Davis Division membership was notified of an impending ballot and to initiate the collection of pro and con arguments on February 10, 2020. The divisional membership was notified that the online balloting was opened on February 25, 2020 and would be closed on March 10, 2020. The online ballot results were reviewed by the Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction on March 11, 2020 and are reported as follows:

-Total eligible voters: 3,097. -Required to pass: Majority

Vote received:
Yes:         426
No:           441

The Davis Division of the Academic Senate therefore declared the Resolution defeated.    

CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH News
CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH are receiving nominations for up to seven new CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH faculty. Four of these nominations are allocated to CAMPSSAH and three to CAMPOS. Information on eligibility and the nomination’s process can be found here .  The deadline to nominate is May 1.

CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH sent out invitations to many faculty at UC Davis with a demonstrated commitment to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion to become an affiliate. Affiliates.  Based on these invitations, we have started to build a strong collaborative community of faculty interested in developing new research, teaching and mentoring methods to support diversity at UC Davis, in addition to mentoring our CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH scholars. To get to know our affiliates, visit here  for CAMPOS and here  for CAMPSSAH. If you wish to nominate a faculty member to become an affiliate, please do so  here  for CAMPSSAH or  here  for CAMPOS. 

Temporary Suspension of Academic Diversity Programming
Following a very successful launch on February 26 of our FRIENDS UCOP grant focused on improving climate for Associate Professors, the team of four faculty leads held the first of six rounds of in-person Communities of Practice meetings during the first week in March. Last week we notified the teams that we would suspend FRIENDS COP meetings until the end of Spring Break. In light of UC Davis’ most recent communication deciding to move the Spring Quarter on-line, we are currently discussion our best path forward and will be sending out a communication about this soon.

CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH are suspending all programming until further notice. This included the final CAMPOS research colloquium in Spring, a brunch for CAMPSSAH scholars, and potentially an orientation for both Centers currently projected for May and an end of Spring Quarter celebration to welcome the new affiliates.

After significant preparation with our colleagues in Enrollment Management, we had scheduled a meeting with the HSI Taskforce to discuss UC Davis efforts toward achieving HSI designation. This meeting is now scheduled May 4. We are considering whether to also reschedule a meeting with a focus on UC Davis’ academic diversity efforts currently scheduled on April 1 to a later date or hold this in an online platform.  

UCOP has suspended a meeting scheduled this Monday until April of the Chicanx/Latinx Advisory Council (CLAC) to the President this week. AVC Aldana and Professor Lorena Oropeza serve as the UC Davis representatives of the CLAC. Both serve on the subcommittee focused on advocacy around issues affecting the Chicanx/Latinx UC community members. Other subcommittees focus on leadership development and promotion opportunities for Chicanx/Latinx staff in the UC System and another is focused on Academic Diversity.

The UCOP HSI initiative has suspended indefinitely the UCLA HSI showcase that was to take place in April. The twelve UC Davis representatives have been notified. For now, this group will be asked to weigh in on a UCOP HSI Initiative Report whose draft will be circulated in late April to early May. AVC Aldana, AEVC Rahim Reed, and Professor Marcela Cuellar serve as UC Davis representatives.

We learned this week that two important national fora in which UC Davis was to have a presence on HSI matters have been moved to an online platform. AVC Aldana and Professor Cuellar will co-present on UC Davis R1 HSI Vision at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in lieu of an in-person presentation and VC Tull, AVC Aldana, Alicia Garcia and Claudia Escobar will participate in HACU’s Capitol Forum in April online. AVC Aldana’s participation in the inaugural Academic de Liderazgo will also occur online.

Office of Campus Community Relations - AVC Rahim Reed

Diversity Education and Training Classes & Workshops
OCCR previously scheduled just above two dozen trainings, classes and workshops, and working with clients and considering their needs and we have transitioned to remote/virtual learning (webinar). In some cases, when it can be accommodated, trainings have been rescheduled/postponed. As a unit, we have decided to postpone the upcoming 2-day diversity awareness workshop until summer as our venue cannot guarantee the social distancing recommendation(s).

Diverse Supplier Forum
The Diverse Supplier Forum scheduled for March 26, 2020 and co-sponsored by OCCR and the Procurement Supply Department has been postponed until late July in response to new protocols issued related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Soaring To New Heights Staff Luncheon
The Soaring to New Heights Staff Diversity and Community Awards Luncheon scheduled for April 7th has also been postponed until further notice. 

Campus Council on Community and Diversity
The Campus Council on Community and Diversity meeting for April 2020 has been canceled. The June 2020 meeting is still on the calendar but may be held remotely via a zoom conference call. Additional information regarding the meeting will be provided in the near future.  

Administrative Advisory Committees (SWAADAC, DIAAC, & SDAAC)
The Administrative Advisory Committees meetings scheduled for the remainder of March and for April 2020 should be held via zoom conference call or canceled in observance of the current COVID-19 protocols in place to protect everyone’s safety and health. An update will be provided regarding the status of meetings scheduled for May and June.    

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

On March 17 from 8:40-9:30 a.m., Charlene Green, M.A., L.M.F.T., Administrative Director, Office of Student and Resident Diversity is presenting at the Keck Graduate Institute Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program Tour for the School of Medicine Admissions Overview at the SOM.

AIM For Community Health Initiative: Recognizing that 40% of a person's health is determined by their social and economic environment, UC Davis Health has embarked on a new initiative called Anchor Institution Mission (AIM) for Community Health to help improve the economic health of some of Sacramento’s underserved communities. We aim to become an economic “anchor” for our neighborhoods through efforts such as enhancing access to education and jobs, supporting local businesses and neighborhood organizations, and working with other education institutions, large businesses, and the city government to leverage our collective resources to support community vitality. Stay tuned for more!

Education Innovations-Supporting Educational Excellence in Diversity (SEED) Curriculum.  This curriculum started when students approached the office for help addressing microaggressions and bias in the curriculum content. A task force of students, faculty, and staff worked together to develop faculty development curriculum under the leadership of HEDI’s Director for Faculty Diversity Education, Puja Chadha MD. We have just finished training our 100th faculty member to identify and address microaggressions and bias, and the results show statistically significant improvements with a very large effect size (1.65). What this means is that a participant who scored in the 50th percentile would score above the 90th percentile after the curriculum!

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