For Your Information | May 5, 2022

Volume 3, Issue 17

by Thomas O'Donnell
May 05, 2022

Quick Summary

Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community
P.L.A.C.E with CAMPSSAH Manuscript Workshop
World Health Day (Pt. 2) - Food as Medicine

Download a printable version of this week's newsletter

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

Law Professor Brian Soucek Publishes Essay, “Diversity Statements”

Universities increasingly require ‘diversity statements’ from faculty seeking jobs, tenure, or promotion. But statements describing faculty’s contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion are also increasingly under attack. Criticisms first made in tweets and blog posts have expanded into prominent opinion pieces and, more recently, law review articles. Behind all the rhetoric, the arguments made about diversity statements are, at heart, legal claims–and serious ones at that. Soucek’s article examines the criticisms and developing a framework to address them and guide universities on how they can require and evaluate diversity statements–should they want to–without violating either the Constitution or the academic freedom on which their mission depends. Read the full article.

A MESSAGE FROM VICE CHANCELLOR TULL

Dear Friends,

I am very pleased to highlight the 2022 awardees of the Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community! Chancellor May honored the awardees on Tuesday evening, in a program led by Int. AVC Mikael Villalobos. I had the honor of sharing the awardees’ stories. You will see a short summary below in the OCCR section, and I will highlight the honorees here as well.

Thu Pham developed a strong passion for promoting health equity which was shaped through her 4.5 years of volunteer experience at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic and the Vietnamese Cancer Awareness, Research and Education Society (VN CARES). At these two non-profit medical organizations, Thu serves as the Patient Assistance Program Co-Director. She helps low-income, uninsured and undocumented patients obtain free brand-name medications, generic medications and medical devices used for chronic condition management.

Rebecca Litman is a final-year MBA candidate at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management (GSM), concentrating on strategy and organizational behavior. During the 2020-2021 academic year, Becca was the student representative on the GSM Faculty Committee on Diversity, where she prioritized projects that promote inclusion and encourage underrepresented minority candidates to pursue their education at the GSM. She was also a leader in the GSM Action for Diversity initiative’s 21-Week Anti-Racism Challenge, which focused on understanding and rejecting anti-Black racism.

Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community award winners

Alexandra Colón-Rodríguez has developed several mentoring and outreach programs, including the Bridge to Neuroscience Workshop to increase exposure to neuroscience for the Hispanic population and the Northern California Society of Toxicology Mentoring Program. Since joining UC Davis, she has been actively involved in science outreach from K-12 to undergraduate students and has done so through in-person and virtual workshops. More recently, she founded the STEAM100X35 initiative, which focuses on amplifying the work of Puerto Rican women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) and encouraging the next generation through outreach activities.

Maria Blanco (not pictured) is the director of the University of California’s Immigrant Legal Services Center. She served as a commissioner on California’s first Independent Redistricting Commission, which produced congressional and legislative maps after the 2010 Census. She was appointed to the education transition team for President Obama in 2009, where she reviewed the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. She serves on the boards of the California Endowment, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Centro Legal de La Raza in Oakland, and until recently, the Public Policy Institute of California.

Orlando Carreón is a Teacher Educator at the University of California, Davis. His interests include teaching and researching within a decolonial and social justice framework to disrupt how discourses of race, culture, ideology, and power affect BIPOC communities. Current topics include effective teaching practices of Latinx youth; Ethnic Studies; Teacher Education; and Culturally Sustaining practices. Dr. Carreón has over 15 years of experience as an Educator, and is currently dedicated to develop Grow Your Own Teacher programs where local communities can create pathways for students to become teachers.

Tiffani Johnson has a research portfolio that reflects her commitment to improving the quality of care for underserved children. Her interdisciplinary research program is focused on race and racism and its impact on child health. She is currently exploring root causes of inequities in the healthcare and early childhood education settings, including research on racism and bias and its impact on the health and well-being of children. Dr. Johnson pursued a career in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) to combine clinical mastery with health services research that creates a platform to help children have equal access to opportunities that allow them to attain the highest quality of health.

Congratulations to all of the awardees and to the OCCR team on their good work!

Warmest Regards,
Renetta Tull

Graduate Studies Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium

Please join Graduate Studies and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Office of Academic Diversity for the Second Annual Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium on May 12-13, 2022. This two-day symposium will include campus-wide conversations on anti-racism in graduate education and a special event for graduate students and postdocs on the topic of managing racism in the classroom.

Day 1: Remote Sessions Open to the Public
Thursday, May 12 | 9 - 11 a.m. | Register Here
Day 2: Racism and Anti-Racism in the Classroom
Friday, May 13 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Gibeling Room, 1220 Walker Hall | Register Here
Lunch will be served. Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 10.

The UC Davis Group Mentoring Program is Back!

After a brief hiatus during the pandemic, UC Davis Learning and Development is excited to relaunch the UC Davis Group Mentoring Program (GMP). Applications are currently being accepted from potential mentees and mentors from UC Davis and UC Davis Health. This 6-month professional development experience, running July to December 2022, pairs mentors with small groups of mentees made up of staff from across UC Davis and UC Davis Health. This virtual program includes a combination of large group as well as small group mentoring activities. Participants are able to expand and strengthen their networks and knowledge of the organization, while working on professional development topics. Visit the GMP website to submit a mentor or mentee application, as well as learn more about program goals, components, timeline, and eligibility. Applications will be accepted now until June 10.

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Academic Diversity | AVC Lorena Oropeza

P.L.A.C.E with CAMPSSAH Manuscript Workshop

P.L.A.C.E with CAMPSSAH will make financial resources available for a selected faculty at a key transitional moment in their career. Getting a project from rough draft to published manuscript is one of those moments at the associate professor level in the humanities and social sciences. This process can be facilitated by focused, critical readings by scholars in one’s field. PLACE will offer a grant up to $5,000 for one UC Davis faculty in the 2021-22 academic year. Modeled on similar, successful initiatives such as the UC Humanities Research Institute (UNHRI), the grant provides financial resources for the award recipient to convene a one- to two-day workshop that brings together chosen experts in the scholar’s field to help prepare a manuscript for submission to a publisher. Application details on our webpage.

CAMPOS Research Colloquia for spring quarter
The Research Colloquia showcase the fantastic research done by CAMPOS scholars and aims to continue building a diverse scientific community in STEM at UC Davis. All presentations will be on Zoom for the spring 2022 quarter. Learn more and find Zoom link here.

Here is our current schedule of speakers:
May 11  Fernanda Valdovinos, Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Policy; Natalia Caporale, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
May 18  Veronica Morales, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
May 26  Alexis Danielle Patterson, Associate Professor, School of Education
June 1   Tiffani Johnson, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine

Office of Campus Community Relations | Interim AVC Mikael Villalobos

Soaring to New Heights 2022 – Call for Nominations

On behalf of the Office of Campus Community Relations, we are pleased to announce the annual call for nominations for the 2022 Soaring to New Heights. Started nearly thirty years ago (1990), the annual Soaring to New Heights - Diversity & Principles of Community Achievement Awards recognizes campus employees who demonstrate diversity and Principles of Community efforts that exceed the expectations of their position including:

Advances awareness of affirmative action and/or diversity issues and concerns;
Models behavior consistent with the Principles of Community;
Advances a positive work environment that is inclusive and bias free;
Contributes substantially to achievement of affirmative action goals;
Participates productively in affirmative action and/or diversity programs; or
Demonstrates commitment to affirmative action and diversity through public service and community involvement

Please click here to submit a nomination application for one of the Soaring to New Heights Awards, or here for the Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award. Self-nominations are not accepted. Please submit all nominations no later than Friday, May 6, 2022 by 11:59PM. For questions email occr@ucdavis.edu.

Chancellors Achievement Award Recipients

The Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community were established to honor achievements that contribute in substantial ways to the development and well-being of our diverse and evolving community. The awardees exhibit exemplary service that embodies the Principles of Community through outstanding leadership in areas of social and/or cultural understanding, local or regional community involvement, and/or collaborations leading to increased knowledge or expertise in areas of special interest to the campus and outstanding efforts toward achieving and/or advancing a diverse and principled academic community, including exemplary service in the areas of student, staff, and faculty recruitment and development. This year’s awardees are:

Thu Pham, Molecular and Cellular Biology -- Undergraduate Awardee
Rebecca Litman, MBA Student, Graduate School of Management-- Graduate Student Awardee
Alexandra Colón-Rodriguez, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior -- Postdoctoral Awardee
Maria Blanco, Executive Director, UC Immigrant Legal Services Center -- Staff Awardee
Orlando Carreón, Supervisor of Teacher Education, School of Education -- Academic Federation Awardee
Tiffani Johnson, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine -- Academic Senate Awardee

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

World Health Day (Pt. 2) - Food as Medicine

Our UC Davis Health Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program continues to pioneer a true climate-friendly, source-transparent food service to our patients, visitors, and staff. At an average 2.5 million meals provided annually, our sustainable foodservice platform has continued work towards a food as medicine approach to health with long-term affective outcomes. We are strategically aiming to continue to build a ‘farm-to-hospital’ model in efforts to become a part of a larger Farm to Hospital Pilot Bill in 2022. We see this as an opportunity to not only align our clean food service goal, but also one that could truly benefit our local community. Read the article.

The Steve Fund Spotlights Hendry Ton

The Steve Fund is an organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color. They work with colleges and universities, non-profits, researchers, mental health experts, families, and young people to promote programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance for the mental and emotional health of the nation’s young people of color. Read the article.

EVENTS

May 5, Thursday

Eddie Comeaux, “The Fire This Time: Advancing Equity and Opportunity for Vulnerable Athletes in College Sports” | 3:00pm
The UC Davis Forums on the Public University and the Social Good. The centrality of commercialism in college athletics arguably puts the academic, physical, and social well-being of Division I athletes at risk. Although the NCAA’s amateurism principle was designed to protect athletes’ best interests, its effectiveness in the context of a multibillion-dollar enterprise remains unclear and, at times, contested. In this forum, Professor Eddie Comeaux will argue that the structural conditions in athletics that exploit vulnerable college athletes, especially Black athletes, are irreparable. In recognizing that the structural conditions within the athletic enterprise are beyond repair, he maintains that we are better positioned to engage in more equity-focused and justice-oriented practices that find sites of humanness, belonging, and joy for athletes, both on and off campus, and that create therapeutic mechanisms for healing and change. Learn more about Zoom and in-person attendance.

Eugene Lunn Memorial Lecture, Maya Phillips "Storytelling in the Multiverse of Madness" | 4:10pm
The UC Davis History Department invites you to the 2022 Eugene Lunn Memorial Lecture, which is free and open to the public at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis. The lecture will be followed by a reception. Maya Phillips is critic at large for The New York Times. She has written bracing essays covering books, theater, movies, and TV, locating them within broader cultural currents. Her forthcoming book, NERD: Adventures in Fandom from this Universe to the Multiverse, explores race, religion, sexuality and more through the lens of mass culture and its fandoms. “The multiverse,” she notes, “opens up stories to infinite possibilities, but it also complicates basic story structure and character development and risks alienating the audience and introducing endless contradictions. What can we learn from the multiverse as writers and readers of stories? What comes after the multiverse? And is madness all that we can wish for?”

May 6, Friday

A Conversation with Haben Girma and Paul Grossman | 9:30am
Haben Girma and Paul Grossman are prolific players in the fight for disability rights. Join us on May 6th at 9:30 am to hear their stories. There will be short Q&A sessions immediately following each presentation and an informal reception afterwards. The presentations and Q&A sessions will be livestreamed. You can select “in-person attendee” or “virtual attendee” when registering. If event capacity is reached, we will be checking in-person tickets at the door to make sure those who signed up for their ticket are guaranteed entry. Please note that in-person attendees will need to show their valid Daily Symptom Survey compliance email for entry. Face coverings are strongly encouraged for indoor events. Learn more and register.

May 11, 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 12, Thursday

Facilitating Spaces Centered On Dismantling White Supremacy Series Spring Quarter Meetup | 10:00am
Hosted by the The White Accountability & Anti-Racism Collective, this informal meetup, facilitated by CJ Venable, is designed to provide ongoing support and accountability to anyone starting or facilitating a white accountability group in their personal or professional life. By request, we will focus on challenges that may be faced in anti-racism accountability spaces and an accountability check-in on personal anti-racism goals. Zoom link.

Status of Women at Davis Administrative Advisory Committee, Gender Equity Summit | 1:00pm
Join colleagues, advocates, and campus leadership in conversations on issues that have disproportionately impacted women’s careers. This is a unique opportunity for collaboration, and to uncover solutions/resources within our campus communities. In-person in the Multi-purpose Room at the Student Community Center. View the current agenda and register here.

May 12-13, Thursday-Friday

Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium, “Let’s Talk about Racism in the Classroom”
Please join Graduate Studies and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Office of Academic Diversity for the Second Annual Graduate Anti-Racism Symposium on May 12-13, 2022. This two-day symposium will include campus-wide conversations on anti-racism in graduate education and a special event for graduate students and postdocs on the topic of managing racism in the classroom.

Day 1: Remote Sessions Open to the Public
Thursday, May 12 | 9 - 11 a.m. | Register Here
Session One: Sustaining and Advancing Anti-Racism Roundtable
Session Two: An HSI for Graduate Education Panel Presentation

Day 2: Racism and Anti-Racism in the Classroom
Friday, May 13 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Gibeling Room, 1220 Walker Hall | Register Here
A workshop for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Lunch will be served. Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 10.

May 16, Monday

Engaging Thoughtfully with Multilingual Students’ Writing | 11:00am
The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) is hosting a remote faculty workshop on May 16th from 11:00AM-12:30PM entitled: Engaging Thoughtfully with Multilingual Students’ Writing. The session will help faculty develop best practices for discussing and commenting on multilingual students’ academic literacy development. It will be facilitated by Dr. Brit Kelley (U.C. Davis, University Writing Program) and Dr. Kristen Schuster (King’s College London, Department of Digital Humanities). Details and registration can be found here.

May 18, Wednesday

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 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

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.

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/