For Your Information | May 19, 2022

May 19, 2022 | Volume 3, Issue 18

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Join Each Aggie Matters for Mental Health Awareness Month

Each Aggie Matters is UC Davis' Mental Health Movement uniting the campus community in an open and affirming dialogue about mental health. This Movement brings together students, scholars, staff, faculty, and other UC Davis affiliates to collectively raise mental health awareness, de-stigmatize mental illness and cultivate mental health as a state of flourishing. Find a list of mental health and wellness events throughout the month

Anti-Racism 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 assembled a number of resources for Action and Learning. Please find them on our website.

A MESSAGE FROM VICE CHANCELLOR TULL

Dear Friends,  

It has been heart-wrenching to learn of yet more murders of innocent people by those who are violent followers of white supremacy or ethnic superiority theories. There was a death of a Taiwanese man in Laguna Woods, CA., and 5 other Taiwanese church-goers were wounded in the shooting. In Buffalo, NY, a(nother) mass shooting resulted in the killing of 10 people, with three others wounded in a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood. In both Buffalo and Laguna Woods, the very clear motivations of hatred were not left up to speculation. It leaves us saddened, angry, and numb yet again, and for some, fear and concern are heightened.  On Sunday, Chancellor May said in a statement:

Racism, hate and violence should have no place in our country. We must remind ourselves of this repeatedly, because there are too many incidents that try to take us backward instead of forward. Our Principles of Community are there to remind us of how we strive to respect and value our diversity.

As we seek to combat hate, racism, Antisemitism, and so many more ills of society, I would like to share some news that I hope will lift your spirits. Last Friday, our UC Davis School of Medicine held its commencement ceremony, and it was beautiful to see our new doctors and their loved ones cross the state with joy and elation. I was particularly moved by a section in the ceremony where our students, these new doctors, recited their oath. There is a portion of the oath that was shared in more than 20 languages by students who spoke them. Then the group of new grads as a whole recited the full oath in English. I want to highlight that oath here:

Now being admitted to the high calling of the physician, I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the care of the sick, the promotion of the health and the service of humanity.

• I will practice medicine with conscience and in truth. The health and dignity of my patients will be my first concern.
• I will hold in confidence all that my patients relate to me.
• I will not permit considerations including those based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or any of the other differences among people that have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred to influence my duty to care for those in need of my service.
• I will respect the moral right of patients to participate fully in the medical decisions that affect them.
• I will assist my patients to make choices that coincide with their own values and beliefs.
• I will try to increase my competence constantly and respect those who teach and those who broaden our knowledge by research. I will try to prevent, as well as cure, disease.
• I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.

Well done to our new doctors. This pledge and the doctors who recited it should give us some renewed hope. Let us all reflect on or consider writing our own pledges, formal or informal as we continue our work, and continue to care for one another.

Warmest Regards,
Renetta Tull

Lavender Graduation & Award Nominations

Lavender Graduation is coming up (registration link here), and one of our beloved traditions at Lav Grad is to honor two students with $500 and an award. These awards are our center’s opportunity to recognize and thank the members of our community who give so much to us in their time here. Nominations for both awards due May 29.

LGBTQIA Advocacy Award - The LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Award is an award given to an outstanding graduating scholar who has gone above and beyond in their work advocating for and addressing LGBTQIA+ Community issues and needs at UC Davis. Nominate yourself or someone else for the 2022 LGBTQIA Advocate Award!

Angelina Malfitano Award - Angelina was active on campus in a wide range of activities, and brought her value for promoting social justice to all of them. Nominate yourself or someone else for the 2022 Angelina Malfitano Award!

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Academic Diversity | AVC Lorena Oropeza

2022 ADVANCE Award Symposium–Inclusivity, Equity, and Ethics in Research and Data Science

We are excited to be back in person to honor the recipients of the 2020 and 2021 ADVANCE Scholar Award. This year the symposium will feature presentations by three of our award recipients on the topic of "Inclusivity and Ethics in Data Science" and a poster session. Speakers include:

Diane M. Beckles (Plant Sciences), "A conversation about biotechnology serving equity in food systems" 

Chen-Nee Chuah (Electrical and Computer Engineering), "Experimental Data Science in Large-Scale Networks and Accessible Smart Health Systems"

Luis Carvajal-Carmona (Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine), "The need to diversify DNA databases and precision medicine tools: implications for advancing health equity"

CAMPOS Scholar Jesús Velázquez Receives 2022 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award

Assistant professor Jesús Velázquez, a material chemist in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, is one of 18 faculty in the U.S. selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars for 2022. These faculty are within the first five years of their academic careers, have each created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education. Each Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar receives an unrestricted research grant of $100,000. Read the article.

Office of Campus Community Relations | Interim AVC Mikael Villalobos

UC Davis Book Project: 2021-2022 Event Recordings Available

The UC Davis Campus Community Book Project has wrapped up our 2021-2022 program, which spanned 38 events with over 3,500 participants and in collaboration with 32 campus and 8 community partners. We will return in fall with our 2022-2023 program, on the theme of transformative justice and alternatives to policing, and we expect to make the announcement of next year’s featured book and author in the coming weeks. In the meantime, stay connected by checking out our event recordings, available on the book project resources page.

In its twentieth year, the Campus Community Book Project in 2021-2022 focuses on the theme of social justice in practice and features How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Visit the book project events page and subscribe to our online calendar for up-to-date event information and registration links. We also invite you to follow the book project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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

Understanding the Impact of Structural Racism on Mental Health

Dr. Ruth Shim encourages us to learn about the impact of structural racism on our lives and in our work through the new self-directed learning course - Structural Racism Revealed. You are invited to be a part of a monthly self-paced educational journey to reveal, reflect, and better understand structural racism and learn active ways to interrupt it. For a total of 20 days over the next 4 months, beginning in June, as a community, we will commit to read, watch, and listen to the provided educational content and answer self-reflection questions to deepen our understanding of structural racism. Learn more and sign up to partipcate. 

EVENTS

May 20, Friday

CAMPSSAH Spring Salon | 12:00pm
Please join us for a panel discussion with recent CAMPSSAH Faculty Scholars as they discuss how the theory and practice of intersectionality shapes their work. Featuring: Zinzi Clemmons (Assistant Professor, English); Shingirai Taodzera (Assistant Professor, African American and African Studies); Ariana Valle (Assistant Professor, Sociology); Kathleen Cruz (Assistant Professor, Classics); Michael V. Singh (Assistant Professor, Chicana/o Studies); Emily Celeste Vázquez Enríquez (Assistant Professor, Spanish and Portuguese. Zoom Registration.

May 21, Saturday

ADVANCE Award Symposium - Inclusivity, Equity, and Ethics in Research and Data Science| 9:00am
We are excited to be back in person to honor the recipients of the 2020 and 2021 ADVANCE Scholar Award. This year the symposium will feature presentations by three of our award recipients on the topic of "Inclusivity and Ethics in Data Science" and a poster session. The symposium will consist of three plenary talks and a poster session. Deeper discussions on inclusivity and ethics in data science are needed in the scientific community and this symposium brings together the research and commitment to mentoring, social impact and public outreach of our speakers. Learn more and register.

May 24, Tuesday

Why Black Students Say No to UC Davis – IDEA Brown Bag | 1:00pm
This hybrid session is designed to provide insights that can support UC Davis in its priority to increase the representation of African American students along with students from historically underrepresented minority communities and marginalized backgrounds. Dr. Lewis will highlight what’s working and what opportunities for improvement exist to support UC Davis’ commitment to diversity, equity, access and inclusion as highlighted in Goal #3 of the campus strategic plan, To Boldly Go and the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision for UC Davis. Dr. Lewis will share key findings and recommendations from her 2021 study that explored why African American first‐year students admitted to the University of California Davis declined their offer of admissions. Register here.

May 26, Thursday

Democracy by Participation: The Life and Legacy of Cruz Reynoso | 5:00pm
Join us at the Peter J. Shields Library for a celebration of the life and career of Cruz Reynoso (1931-2021), the first Chicano Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, former professor at the UC Davis School of Law, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Speakers, including members of the Reynoso family, will explore questions of identity and democracy in 20th-century California. Visit the companion exhibit, which draws on the UC Davis Library's collection about Reynoso, in the Shields Library lobby. Register here.

May 25, Wednesday

Heal the Healer | 12:00pm
A weekly lunch hour self-care and mindfulness session for community members supporting refugees. Facilitators: Iffat Hussain MSW-LCSW is a Program Director at the Turning Point Mental Health Urgent Care which is an innovative service in Sacramento County. Dr. PC How is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UC Davis where she serves as the Associate Medical Director of the Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center and the Associate Program Director for the psychiatry residency program. Khoban Kochai serves as the Assistant Director for Anchor Institution and Culture/Climate. Registration will only allow you to choose one date but once you have the Zoom link, you are welcome to attend as many sessions as you like. Register here.

May 28-29

Bulosan Center Filipinx Studies Conference
A program with full details of panels, presentations, workshops, and details will be shared in the coming week. Register here.

June 1, Wednesday

Equity Summit and Social Justice Awards | 4:00pm
UC Davis’ Equity Summit brings together educators, community members and experts from a range of disciplines to address key social issues of our time. It coalesces people, ideas and institutions to deepen strategies, shape actions and create solutions. It recognizes some of our current social justice warriors. It brings change to the table and inspires activism. Register.

June 2, Thursday

Achieving Full Professor for Associate Professors – Bag Lunch Session for Faculty | 12:10pm
This highly informative and interactive session will feature a panel of faculty from diverse academic disciplines who have recently promoted to Full Professor. Our faculty panel will share their successes and challenges in achieving this next career step and answer your questions about the process of promoting to Full Professor.  You may register for this session on the Academic Affairs website by selecting this bag lunch session. Feel free to eat your lunch during this engaging presentation and discussion.

RECOMMENDED READING

In addition to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, May is also Jewish American Heritage Month. UC Davis Researcher Services Librarian Adam Siegel is back with book recommendations that explore and celebrate Jewish contributions to American history, culture and society. Check out this video of Adam discussing his picks, which he says reflect "some of the amazing richness" in the library's collection on the Jewish American experience. 

📚 Dakota Diaspora: Memoirs of a Jewish Homesteader by Sophie Trupin 

📚 American Yiddish Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology by Benjamin and Barbara Harshav 

📚 From Immigrant to Ethnic Culture: American Yiddish in South Philadelphia by Rakhmiel 

Peltz 

📚 There Once was a World: A 900-Year Chronicle of the Shtetl of Eishyshok by Yaffa Eliach 

📚 “And Prairie Dogs Weren’t Kosher”: Jewish Women in the Upper Midwest Since 1855 by Linda Mack Schloff 

📚 Philadelphia Jewish Life 1940-2000 by Hunter Davies and edited by Murray Friedman 

📚 La République des Lettres by Asher Salah 

📚 Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews by Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Resources for Trans and Non-Binary Employees
UC Davis is committed to supporting trans and non-binary employees in the workplace. Resources for employees; resources for supervisors; policies and laws; health benefits; reporting options; community and individual support. Find the resources here.

11 Suggested Actions toward Anti-Racism in the Office and on Your Own
Written by the UC Davis Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and based on the Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’s Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan, the “Being an Ally Requires being Anti-Racist: 11 Suggested Actions toward Anti-Racism in the Office and on Your Own” provides practical suggestions for everyone.

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.

11 Suggested Actions toward Anti-Racism in the Office and on Your Own
Written by the UC Davis Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and based on the Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’s Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan, the “Being an Ally Requires being Anti-Racist: 11 Suggested Actions toward Anti-Racism in the Office and on Your Own” provides practical suggestions for everyone. 

Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center
The mission of Aggie Compass is to help mitigate the effects of food and housing insecurity on students, while working to change policy, systems and environment that will affect long term change. The Aggie Compass is a comfortable space for students to build community and learn about basic needs resources, pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, receive CalFresh enrollment assistance and help finding stable housing.

If you need help with food or housing insecurity concerns, financial or mental wellness, please visit their 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.

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/