For Your Information | May 13, 2021

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In Memoriam: Cruz Reynoso, UC Davis and California Icon

Professor of Law, Civil Rights Advocate, State’s 1st Latino Supreme Court Justice. Born into a farmworker family, Reynoso spent a lifetime fighting the prejudices he first encountered during his childhood in Southern California. He spent five decades working in public service, advocating for workers, immigrants and the indigent before becoming the first Latino member of the state Supreme Court in 1982, and the recipient, in 2000, of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. To the School of Law community, he was the civil rights icon who always had a moment to talk in the halls, about the law, public service or just how things were going. Read the full article on Justice Reynoso’s life and legacy.

Honoring Tanya Whitlow

Tanya Whitlow, Director of the Leadership in Engineering Advancement Diversity and Retention (LEADR) program, passed away on May 9 after a valiant battle with breast cancer. Tanya was dedicated to supporting and ensuring the success of underrepresented students in the field of Engineering and worked tirelessly to be a resource and advocate for all students. Tanya Whitlow was a consummate professional in engineering student affairs for more than 25 years at UC Davis. She designed, developed, and directed the (LEADR) Program - a program with the mission to recruit, retain, and graduate, diverse student populations from the College of Engineering. Please enjoy the attached video tribute and please share with others as we celebrate Tanya’s life and contributions. In community, The African Continuum

Message from Vice Chancellor Tull

Dear Friends, 

We pause to celebrate the lives of UC Davis icon Cruz Reynoso and compassionate engineering student success leader Tanya Whitlow. Both had tremendous impacts on the School of Law and the College of Engineering respectively, but they were particularly dedicated to the students at UC Davis, and lasting influences on the people they met. 

This week, I highlight three units making significant efforts to improve their DEI positions. 

Congratulations to Graduate Studies on the success of their recent Anti-Racism Symposium. The Symposium was part of a larger effort on the part of Graduate Studies to make meaningful and transformative, positive change in graduate education. The website for the Graduate Studies Anti-Racism Initiative notes, “UC Davis Graduate Studies opposes racial bias in any part of graduate education and training, and yet acknowledges that racism has shaped the development of academic research, methods of training graduate students and postdocs, and the make-up of faculty, students, and postdoctoral scholars.” Kudos to Graduate Studies Vice Provost and Dean Jean-Pierre Delplanque; Symposium organizers:  Dr. Devin Horton – Graduate Diversity Officer (STEM), and Elizabeth Sturdy - Director of Graduate Mentoring and Advising; the Graduate Studies Anti-Racism Scoping Team, the graduate students who sparked the call to action, and the faculty and staff who presented and are sharing and developing anti-racist practices for research and graduate education. 

Congratulations to the Department of Physics and Astronomy on the completion of their indepth climate survey. The website notes, “The results of the inaugural UCD Physics & Astronomy Climate Survey were released on April 20th, 2021! This survey was a joint venture between the departmental climate survey committee, departmental leadership, the UCD Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI), the UCD Office of Budget and Institutional Analysis (BIA), and the entire department community. It represents the first ever such survey for an individual department on campus and part of a larger effort by the department to address issues of climate, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”  Complete information and links to the report can be found here. Thank you to the UCD Physics & Astronomy Climate Survey Committee, consisting of the following graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and research scientists, and faculty: Rose Baunach, Steve Carlip, Robin Erbacher, Pratik Gandhi, Brian Lemaux, Morgan Walker, and David Wittman. 

Also worthy of note is the DEI Committee within UC Davis Development and Alumni Relations (DEVAR). The DEVAR DEI Committee, led by Sam Alavi and Craig Jackson, developed a full report on DEI activities and practices that corresponded directly to the university’s D&I Strategic Vision: https://diversity.ucdavis.edu/about/strategic-plan. The report shared several highlights, and a few will be noted here:

1. 1.  DEVAR employees will be required to complete an implicit bias training every 2 years.
   2.  The following preferred qualification has been added to all position descriptions: Awareness, knowledge, and skill in applying diversity, equity, and inclusion to one's work. A profound belief in the value of a diverse and safe workforce and a commitment to achieve this goal through collaboration and team building, working cooperatively with a diverse group of department and campus constituencies.
   3. Focus on diversification of the UC Foundation Board, prioritizing fundraising for retention centers and similar Student Affairs initiatives, and understanding diversity in development broadly. 

The DEVAR DEI report was extensive and covered several bases in addition to those listed above. Thank you to VC Shaun Keister, and the DEVAR DEI committee: Craig L. Jackson, Jr. (Co-chair), Sam Alavi (Co-Chair), Lamia Hajani Braun (Vice Chair), Becky Frantz (Secretary), Michelle Thompson (Treasurer), Sorangi De Leon (External Subcommittee Chair), Bahiyyah Muwwakkil (Internal Subcommittee Chair), Melissa Harris (Culture Subcommittee Chair), Erin Mross, Jessie De La Trinidad, Kilby Graham, Michelle Tafoya, Debra Coleman, Thomas Whitcher, Cardi Maharaj, and Nikol Mack. 

There are a variety of efforts being undertaken across campus! This week alone, I was able to hear updates on the Campus Staff Experience survey and upcoming recommendations for change, solutions to issues experienced by faculty – developed by the four teams of FRIENDS - Faculty Retention and Inclusive Excellence Networks—Designing Solutions (An Advancing Faculty Diversity Project), current outcomes from the UC Davis SEA Change initiative(solutions for STEM Equity Achievement), and undergraduate student success recommendations from the members of the Aggie Launch Collective.  (See the brief article on the Collective, highlighted on the national Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity site.) 

Our campus continues to do great work. Thank you for your commitment and to the hours of work that you are dedicating to truly make UC Davis a great campus for everyone!

Warmest Regards,
Renetta

DEI Leadership and Resilience Video

The video recording for DEI’s “Discussion on Leadership and Resilience” event on March 9, 2021 is now available! This discussion features Dr. Angela Byars-Winston from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Beronda Mongomery (a UC Davis alumna) from Michigan State University. Topics covered include leadership and resilience in academia, leadership as a platform for vision and purpose, creating a personal definition of success, authenticity, and taking care of self. You can watch the recording on our website’s homepage.

Join the 2021 Program-level Assessment Capacity Enrichment for Equity (PACE4E) Cohort!

Creating equitable learning environments for all students is a collective responsibility at UC Davis. The Academic Assessment Team in the Center for Educational Effectiveness is now recruiting teams of equity-minded faculty, staff, and students to join the 2021 PACE4E cohort. PACE4E is a cohort-based coaching program through which undergraduate departments can: enact our campus’ commitment to promoting equity in UC Davis courses and programs; develop capacity in ten of the essential skills required to implement equity-centered, sustainable, meaningful, and utilization-focused assessment of student learning; and develop capacity to document those equity-minded assessment practices in their program review self-study reports. Don’t wait! Applications for this program are open from May 10 to 31, 2021! Apply now!

Applications for the brand-new UC Davis Redwood SEED (Supported Education to Elevate Diversity) Scholars Program are now open!

The UC Davis Redwood SEED (Supported Education to Elevate Diversity) Scholars Program, is a new program designed for students ages 18-23 who have intellectual disabilities. Through this four-year program, students will study on campus at UC Davis and enjoy support from peer mentors in academics and health and wellness. Redwood SEED Scholars will take part in internships both on and off campus with the goal of competitive, integrated employment. Learn more here.

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Academic Diversity | AVC Lorena Oropeza

A CAMPSSAH Salon

The Center for Multicultural Perspectives on Social Science, Arts, and Humanities presents a conversation with faculty scholars on research and life through the pandemic. There will be an open and informal discussion following brief presentations by each scholar. Featuring:

• Stacy-Ann Elvy, School of Law, “A Commercial Law of Privacy and Security”
• Beenash Jafri, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, "Decolonizing Diasporic Film"
• Benjamin Weber, African American and African Studies, "Rethinking Human Rights through the Imprisoned Black Radical Tradition"

Summer Writing Retreat Application Deadline Extended

Application deadline: Monday, May 17, 2021

P.L.A.C.E. with CAMPSSAH is opening the call for the inaugural Summer 2021 Writing Retreat. PLACE will host a small group (5-6 faculty) to engage in a weeklong writing retreat. This writing retreat in late summer is geared toward faculty working to complete a big task (e.g. writing an introduction, a book proposal, or a chapter in a book project) and who would benefit from uninterrupted, concentrated writing time, and structured feedback by peers and a professional writing instructor within a setting where their meals and lodging are provided. 

This weeklong retreat is geared toward CAMPSSAH Scholars (particularly those working on book projects for tenure) and Associate-level Faculty Affiliates (particularly those working on book projects for promotion to Full Professor). All Senate faculty are eligible to apply, with preference given for faculty who are CAMPSSAH Scholars or CAMPSSAH Affiliates. Applicants must be engaged in work that centers a critical, intersectional lens – particularly on race, gender, sexuality or class inequalities.

Please visit our webpage for more details and award requirements.

Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed

Police Accountability Board Announces Spring 2021 Public Meeting & Launch of Database

The UC Davis Police Accountability Board (PAB) will hold its Spring 2021 public meeting on Wednesday, May 19th, 4:00 – 5:00 pm via Zoom. Held each quarter during the regular academic year, PAB public meetings provide opportunities for Davis and Sacramento campus community members and others, including people from our surrounding communities, to learn more about the board’s work and how to file complaints, and to raise concerns. The meeting is informal and follows an "office hour" format. To attend, please register here—all are welcome.

Accountability and transparency are important values not only for law enforcement, but also for civilian oversight of law enforcement. The Police Accountability Board recently launched a database (pab.ucdavis.edu/database) that includes the following information on all inquiries received by the PAB since its formation in 2014: 1) Case number,2) Report date;3) Method of filing; 4) Complainant demographics (when provided); 5) Allegations; 6) Case status; 7) Outcome; 8) When a formal investigation was charged: Investigator's findings, PAB's findings and recommendations, Chief of Police's responses to the PAB's findings and recommendations.

This database will be updated periodically as new inquiries are received and as cases move through our pipeline. Should you have any questions, or if you would like to provide feedback on the database, please contact the PAB at pab@ucdavis.edu. You also may contact the PAB anonymously through the Police Accountability Board Feedback/Suggestion Form.  More information on the Police Accountability Board can be found at pab.ucdavis.edu.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is May 20th!

UC Davis has organized a virtual GAAD event that includes presentations and a keynote by Regine Gilbert, a user experience designer, educator, and international public speaker. 

According to the GAAD foundation, the purpose of GAAD Day “is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.” Please visit the GAAD webpage for more information and registration links.

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

HEDI Blog is now live! 

The Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion blog is now live. Check it out!

We continue to encourage article submissions from students, faculty, staff, and community members that provide relevant and timely insight into topics related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for our readers. Information and submission instructions here.

MCAT Scholarship Opportunities

The Office of Student and Resident Diversity has two scholarship opportunities open for MCAT support:

MCAT Preparatory Scholarship | Deadline: June 7, 2021

In collaboration with the UC Postbaccalaureate Consortium and California State University Sacramento, the California Wellness Foundation will offer scholarships for a MCAT Preparatory Course. Applications to this course are available for current students and alumni within the California State University and University of California system. Included in this scholarship is the opportunity to be connected with the MiMentor community. Apply here.

CA Healthcare Workforce Pre-Medical Scholarship | Deadline: June 25, 2021

The CA Healthcare Workforce Pre-Medical Scholarship, sponsored by UC Davis School of Medicine, Office of Student and Resident Diversity, offers MCAT preparatory course and exam funding for learners interested in caring for underserved populations throughout California, particularly urban and rural areas. Both course completion and exam must be completed by September 30, 2021. Learn more.

EVENTS

May 13, Thursday

Book Project: Mental Health & Immigration in the AAPI Community | 12:00PM
Featuring “Coffee Talking Out of Mental Coffin”, a 5-minute documentary about JR Kuo (Founder, CoffeeWithJR & mental health speaker, trainer, and coach) and his mental health journey as an immigrant. The film will serve as a medium of reflection for guided discussion about the intersectionality between mental health, the impact of immigration within Asian American communities, and Asian American cultural identities and experiences. Learn more and register here.

Staff/Faculty Womxn of Color Support Group | 12:00PM
This group was brought together in 2019 by Dr. Gill and Cecily to support womxn of color employed at UC Davis. The intention is to offer a safe and encouraging space to support healing, growth and development in the personal and professional lives of womxn of color. Hosts: Dr. Satinder Gill, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Academic and Staff Assistance Program Cecily Nelson-Alford, Director, Women’s Resources and Research Center. Consent for participation is necessary, please contact drgill@ucdavis.edu for more information. The groups meets bi-weekly year round on Thursdayx (next meeting 5/27).

May 19, Wednesday

Racial Healing Circle | 6:00PM
We are creating a safe space for self-reflection to promote racial equity and healing. Learn more and register here.

May 20, Thursday

Global Accessibility Awareness Day | 12:30PM
UC Davis has organized a virtual GAAD event that includes presentations and a keynote by Regine Gilbert, a user experience designer, educator, and international public speaker. According to the GAAD foundation, the purpose of GAAD Day “is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.” Please visit the GAAD webpage for more information and registration links.

Lilia Soto, “Girlhood in the Borderlands: Mexican Teens Caught in the Crossroads of Migration” | 1:40PM
Join the Quarter at Aggie Square Multilingual Education Cohort and Dr. Soto who will be discussing her book Girlhood in the Borderlands: Teens Caught in the Crossroads of Migration. Register here.

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.

May 25, Tuesday

Nathalie Esteban Collin Memorial Lecture – Joanne Meyerowitz, “The Gender of Poverty: How Women Overseas Became the Deserving Poor” | 12:00PM
In this Nathalie Esteban Collin Memorial Lecture, Joanne Meyerowitz (Yale University) looks at late 20th-century campaigns to empower impoverished women overseas. At the very moment that conservatives vilified poor women in the U.S. as welfare cheats, anti-poverty advocates positioned poor women overseas as selfless and hardworking. Register online.

May 26, Wednesday

Soaring to New Heights Awards Celebration | 12:00PM
The Office of Campus Community Relations (OCCR) and the Staff Diversity Administrative Advisory Committee (SDAAC) invite you to virtually attend our annual Soaring to New Heights Awards Celebration to honor those who have gone above and beyond to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We are honored to present the Diversity and Principles of Community awards, the Disability Awareness Awards and the Calvin Handy Leadership Award to our well-deserving recipients for 2020 and 2021. Register here. 

Health & Well-Being of Filipin-x American Nurses During COVID-19: Implications for Implementing Support | 12:00PM
A panel discussion, presented as a part of the Diversity and Inclusion Dialogue Series. Register here.

Racial Healing Circle | 6:00PM
We are creating a safe space for self-reflection to promote racial equity and healing. This session will be offered in celebration of Asian American Heritage Month. Register here.

May 27, Thursday

CAMPOS Research Colloquium - Lillian Cruz-Orengo | 3:10PM
“The Great Wall Under Siege! Role of IL-20 sub-family cytokines at the blood-brain barrier during neuroinflammation”Email Mariana Galindo-Vega for Zoom link.

June 1, Tuesday

Lived Name and Gender Marker Implementation Committee Open Forum | 5:00PM
The campus Lived-Name Gender Marker Committee is hosting an open community forum to provide updates about the recent UC-wide policy regarding lived-name and gender marker. Learn more about our advocacy efforts in making UC Davis more Queer and Trans inclusive. This forum is also an opportunity for the Trans community to share their voice about current community needs. This forum will center the Trans community, for which we will provide gift cards to those in attendance who complete a short survey. Meeting ID: 917 1462 0864. For questions contact: dmroberts@ucdavis.edu.

RECOMMENDED READING

 

Launch of Bulosan Center for Filipino Research’s Academic Journal
Looking for reading recommendations for Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month? Consider Alon: The Journal for Filipinx American and Diasporic Studies, the new flagship academic journal of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies, based at the UC Davis Department of Asian American Studies. Alon was launched this spring by the Bulosan Center with support from the UC Davis Library. Learn more.

Paredes, A.D., Estrada, C., Venturanza, R.J., and Teranishi, R.T.; The University of California Hispanic-Serving Institutions (UC-HSI) Initiative, "La Lucha Sigue: The University of California's Role as a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution System," May 3, 2021.
This report is the first in a series that will examine issues of importance to Latinx students at UC. The report provides recent, foundational information grounded in data to provide readers an under-standing of the changing California demographics that have led to UC’s high Latinx enrollment numbers. 

M. Anne Visser, University of California, Davis, and Sheryl-Ann Simpson, Carleton University, “Growth of Local Latino Populations Linked to Increase in County-Level Immigration Policy Adoption,” UC Davis Center for Poverty and Inequality Research. 
Though immigration policymaking has traditionally occurred at the federal level, it is increasingly prevalent at sub-national levels, too. In a recent study, we examined the adoption of these policies at the county level in the United States. Specifically, we considered the implementation of migrant labor market regularizations (LRs) between 2004 and 2014. Read the brief.

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/