For Your Information | May 28, 2020

Volume 1, Issue 6

by Thomas O'Donnell
May 28, 2020

Quick Summary

UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF LAW’S “FIRST GENERATION ADVOCATES” GRADUATE
SMUD RELEASES MAPPING TOOL THAT IDENTIFIES AREAS IN NEED BASED UPON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY

Download a PDF version of this newsletter

Dear Friends,

It’s the end of May and our campus community is eagerly awaiting word regarding how we might proceed with operations in both the near and distant future. As we prepare for the “next,” I would like to know if you’ve started to think about what we might be able to do “post-COVID” that will be *better* than the ways that we conducted business before the pandemic and the shelter-in-place directives. We’ve started to ponder this question informally.

We’ve learned that there are faculty who have a better appreciation for students’ home lives and their relationships with their families. We’ve learned that academic advisors and admissions team members have had more interaction with family members, often answering questions from both the student as well as others who are in the home. We’ve learned that colleagues are having opportunities to build stronger relationships across the causeway, and that people are better able to participate in virtual activities because a potential inconvenience of travel has been eliminated.

We’ve also learned that we have unique opportunities to practice more compassionate leadership. We don’t have to micromanage situations. We can trust students and co-workers to manage their own time to get their work done. We can appreciate the constraints that people may have as they juggle family, external pressures, economic concerns, physical and mental health, self-care, and productivity. We can also appreciate when our students and colleagues bring their full selves into view. In my own meetings over the past few months, I’ve been able to think about a few things, and I’m sure that you have observed some of these situations below as well.

We have been introduced to others who are within their homes, and appreciated their families or those who live with them. We see them seek to be respectful, move out of lines of sight or the camera’s view, or stop to ask a question.
We’ve been patient, understanding, and appreciative of people who live alone and want to be on Zoom longer, want to tell jokes and engage in laughter, or share their feelings.
We have watched as colleagues and students have held their children or pets during sessions.
We’ve learned more about people by seeing their art or books, and have appreciated learning more about them and what they deem important.
We’ve appreciated when people bring their coffee or food to the meeting because after all, they need sustenance, and that shouldn’t be denied.
We’ve appreciated seeing people take a break and shift from sitting in a chair, to moving to a sofa, or even transition to sitting on a bed for comfort – and it’s all ok.
We’ve seen, heard, or read (through emails, texts, Zoom chats, or social media posts and DMs) people’s fears and concerns, but we’ve also shared their joys and accomplishments, whether direct or peripheral.

Across the country, we’ve seen the messages that say that we are in this together and we have to declare that it is not enough to say it. Our actions must reveal it. This means that we care for one another, and that includes caring about people whom we don’t even know, or people who have different lived experiences. It means that we reaffirm and actualize a commitment to our Principles of Community – whether we are on campus or not. Finally, it means that despite our physical separation and distancing, we must treasure our opportunities to connect and be in community with others, virtual or otherwise. We can increase our caring and understanding, be upstanding in our treatment (and the observation of others’ treatments) of fellow human beings, and most importantly, we must choose to recognize, cherish, and facilitate everyone’sopportunity to think, to breathe, and to live.

Kind Regards,

Renetta G. Tull
Vice Chancellor

UC DAVIS WINS RECOGNITION FOR DIVERSITY, INTERNATIONALIZATION

Did you see the recent News article that UC Davis, and two other campuses have been distinguished above all others in the nation for their diversity and internationalization? Read the full press release here.

WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES AND NEWS

Do you have a good DEI story you’d like to share with the community? We would welcome guest authors to publish news and stories on our website and feature in our bi-weekly newsletter. Please contact Tom O’Donnell for more information.

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Academic Diversity | AVC Raquel Aldana

CINDY RUBIO GONZALEZ PROMOTED TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

The Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) and the Vice Chancellor’s office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion would like to extend an enthusiastic “Congratulations!” to Dr. Cindy Rubio González for her promotion to Associate Professor effective July 1, 2020.

It was just last month that we shared her appointment as Faculty Assistant to the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the College of Engineering.

Dr. Rubio is currently an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Her work spans the areas of Programming Languages and Software Engineering, with a focus on program analysis for automated bug finding and program optimization. She is particularly interested in the reliability and performance of systems software and scientific applications. Her research aims to design and build tools to help developers write more reliable and efficient software. For her doctoral dissertation, she designed and applied static program analyses to find error-propagation bugs in large software systems.

Dr. Rubio is a recipient of a DOE Early Career Award 2019, NSF CAREER award 2018, a Hellman Fellowship 2017, and is a member of the inaugural cohort of CAMPOS Scholars in 2014. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2012, her M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and her B.S. in Computer Engineering from Saltillo Institute of Technology (Mexico). She also holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from the Autonomous University of Coahuila (Mexico).

UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF LAW’S “FIRST GENERATION ADVOCATES” GRADUATE

UC Davis School of Law is renowned for its supportive and diverse community and for its commitment to the ideals of social justice and equality espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in whose memory the law school building is dedicated. As part of this commitment, King Hall is dedicated to maintaining a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds. Under the direction of Dean Johnson, King Hall’s First Generation Advocates program was created to promote diversity and maximize the academic, professional, and personal success of students who are the first from their families to earn a college or professional degree as well as students from low-income backgrounds. READ MORE

Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed

THE WIFI BUS

SacRT has teamed up with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the City of Sacramento to equip buses with free wireless hotspots in communities with limited high-speed internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first three hotspots went live on Monday, May 4, and an additional seven buses were deployed to other “digital desert” communities across Sacramento during the week of May 11. These will provide opportunities for distance learning, telework and telehealth. A downloadable, “The WiFi Bus” app is being developed that will have the ability to track the buses week to week. This app will also provide a heat map, letting us know where the app is being downloaded, so buses can be moved closer to where the users are. FIND THE WIFI BUS

SMUD RELEASES MAPPING TOOL THAT IDENTIFIES AREAS IN NEED BASED UPON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

SMUD released a new mapping tool that uses collective data to identify areas in the region most in need. The Sustainable Communities Resource Priorities Needs Map provides key data that will help inform resource allocation and reduce growing economic disparity in Sacramento County. The “Priorities Needs Map” is a tool we can use to help us determine community priorities by regions and to build collaborative partnerships with non-profits and CBOs to seek grant funding opportunities to address their needs. As a member of the Sustainable Communities Partnership, UC Davis can play critical role in seeking funding and developing initiatives to address the needs of our surrounding communities and DEI can play a leadership role in these efforts for our institution.

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

ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY

UC Davis Health Office for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion is working with several local organizations to help help provide food support to food-insecure newcomer households, prioritizing our “Anchor Institution Mission” in vulnerable communities surrounding the health system. Now more than ever, the region’s most food insecure families are looking to anchor institutions and community-based organizations, like UC Davis, Center for Fathers and Families, and Opening Doors, to help guide and support them during COVID-19 crisis and through coming periods of food insecurity. This project will address food insecurity for the most vulnerable community members, including the elderly, undocumented immigrants, refugees, and asylees. The project will cross-reference locally owned grocers with ODI clients addresses to prioritize vulnerable newcomer households.

OFFICE OF STUDENT AND RESIDENT DIVERSITY

The Office of Student and Resident Diversity has been in contact with numerous students who are wanting to help out and feel productive during this time. They have had a lot of students offer to help out with the Diversity Revisit Day for admitted students, and a couple of groups are already hosting additional sessions for both the admitted students and their families. Dr. Jain shared this list of what current students were doing in the community during Revisit:

Translate health education documents into multiple languages
Conduct outreach to assess vulnerable patients
Identify and collect PPE from the community
Support for front-line providers (childcare, etc.)
Triage assessment of patients experiencing homelessness

EVENTS

Thursday, May 28

Human Resources Virtual Job Talk
We're constantly adapting and growing, and our commitment to seeking out a diverse and talented workforce remains. We know a lot of people are struggling and we want the community to know we’re still open for business and recruiting. We want to give people a peek behind the curtain to understand and demystify our hiring process. The goal of our virtual job talk is for applicants to feel confident they’re putting their best foot forward when they apply, 12:00 - 1:00pm. LEARN MORE

Friday, May 29 - Saturday, May 30

Davis Feminist Film Festival – Live Streaming for Free!
The Davis Feminist Film Festival (DFFF) is a grassroots festival of short films from around the world. In its 15th year, and increasingly international in scope, the festival is a true campus community partnership that uses art as a springboard for exploring social issues often ignored by mainstream media. Each day hosts a fully different lineup. No film will stream more than once. We welcome and encourage you to register for both days! LEARN MORE

Tuesday, June 2

Disability Awareness in the Workplace
This course focuses specifically on awareness building and ways in which we can create a more inclusive workspace for our colleagues who are disabled. It will feature a technology tools discussion with Josh Hori from the SDC, in addition to invited guest speakers from the Health campus, 8:30am-12:00pm. REGISTER HERE

Mortgage Refinancing Workshop
Join Gina Richardson, Financial Educator at SAFE Credit Union, for a virtual Mortgage Refinance Workshop that discusses the benefits of refinancing a home in today’s current financial climate. Gina will cover common misconceptions of refinancing, the importance of working with a Mortgage Officer before considering a refinance, and pros and cons of refinancing. 12:00 - 1:00pm Register to attend this workshop on Zoom.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Davis Campus ASAP Drop-in Support Groups
Please visit the webpage: ASAP Training, Workshops and Drop-In Support for upcoming dates and to register

UCD Health Campus ASAP Drop-in Support Groups
If you have any questions, concerns, feedback, or would like to receive the zoom link and password, please reach out to ASAP at (916) 734-2727 or email the program director, Carol Kirshnit. Upcoming sessions include “Calming Fear and Anxiety” and “Hopes and Fears: Looking Ahead to the New Normal”

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.

“Rest and Revive”
Join Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being for a 6-week email campaign (June 1-July 6) for strategies that will guide and support adopting behaviors that allow us to rest and revive, particularly during these difficult times. The campaign will focus on supporting sleep-promoting habits, including eating, exercising, social connection, gratitude and relaxation. LEARN MORE and REGISTER

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, and thank you for all that you do!

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