For Your Information | August 6, 2020

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Dear Colleagues,

This issue is going to press on July 31, 2020, and will be distributed on Thursday, August 6. I extend thanks to our team for keeping the newsletter’s publication schedule during vacation periods. My segment this week includes a focus on a message that Jim Carroll, AIA, Associate Vice Chancellor & University Architect, for UC Davis Design and Construction Management is sharing with the construction community, and agreed to have shared here: 

“University of California, Davis is a diverse and inclusive institution that strives for equity in everything we do. Our message is best understood through our Principles of Community which we live by each day.  

Throughout campus you will see messages supporting our entire community. Though we may come from different backgrounds and may have different beliefs, on campus we share a strong belief in inclusion and that our varied backgrounds makes us stronger. 

Should you come across a personal message of support, please respect yourself and others by allowing these narratives to remain in place without defacing or altering the message. While we may occasionally observe gestures of disagreement in these public messages, at UC Davis tolerance and respect allow us to achieve much more while working together. 

In the design and construction community, it is not our role to post or alter these messages, but instead to diligently complete our work in support of those that follow.”

The request in this message is one that I ask of our entire community. 

As you plan your continued training and awareness of issues related to equity and anti-racism, please draw your attention to the slate of courses below offered by our Diversity & Inclusion Education and Training unit on Microaggressions, Understanding Diversity and Social Justice, Understanding Unconscious Bias, and Unpacking Oppression. Many of you have already registered for sessions, and as they fill up, we will be looking at ways to expand offerings. We also ask you to continue to hold Wednesday, August 26, 11 AM for our 1-hour campus-wide session by the Transformative Justice in Education Center that will discuss the “5 Pedagogical Stances: Histories, Race, Justice, Language, Futures.” This talk will allow us to continue our campus dialogues on recognizing and addressing issues of bias and structural inequalities. The talk will fit nicely with other awareness-building that UC Davis has offered this summer such as:  participating in racial healing circles, going to your units’ meetings and town halls, reading the Resources for Racial Trauma, attending the Feminist Research Institute’s Anti-racism workshop (if you missed it, please see their updated July 2020 post on Impacts of Anti-Blackness in Research Cultures), DEI’s viewing and discussion of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” film series, and other events.  

All of these awareness-building opportunities are assisting with broadening understanding as we prepare for a Fall 2020 campus climate review with Audit and Management Advisory Services (AMAS) which will assist with becoming re-acquainted with UC Davis’ D&I Strategic Vision and the guidelines for implementation.  As schools, colleges, and units consider updates to their own action plans and visions, we ask that new or updated plans be aligned with the 5 goals of the D&I Strategic Vision, which are directly connected to Goal 3 of UC Davis’ Strategic Plan: To Boldly Go.

Finally, please continue to take care of yourselves. We still have sessions to help with COVID-19 and coping, and information sessions such as Cómo prevenir la COVID-19 en nuestras comunidadas Latinx, the Spanish iteration of our webcast on Preventing COVID-19 in Our Latinx Communities, hosted in partnership with the Sacramento Latino Medical Association (SALMA), the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and the UC Davis Health Latino Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA). We continue to wish you a healthy and safe summer.

Kind Regards,

Renetta G. Tull, Vice Chancellor

Joint Statement from the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Solidarity with the Undocumented Community

We write to express our collective support for our Undocumented community at UC Davis and beyond. We center their humanity and acknowledge the continued strength and fortitude demonstrated despite facing numerous barriers including unjust and inhumane immigration policies. We remain committed to advocacy and supporting our Undocumented community through our words and actions. Read the full statement here.

Racial Trauma 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 created a website with resources to support our community as we continue to find ways to build and strengthen our diverse culture at UC Davis. Learn more.

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.

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed

Educational opportunities to enrich our awareness and knowledge about racism 

Diversity & Inclusion Education and Training, a unit of the Vice Chancellor’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is offering an early roll out of four courses on the topics of Microaggressions, Social Justice, Bias, and Oppression this pre-fall season. Their respective descriptions and official titles are below; those titles can be used to find and enroll in the courses via the UC Learning Center (LMS); a service managed by SDPS for the UC Davis campus. All sessions will be via Zoom. We hope to see you there! 

• Microaggressions - Towards Greater Awareness and Understanding

As cultural beings, we are products of our socialization. Our socialization includes conditioning in how we understand differences and our identities and how those identities are understood and experienced at the individual and structural levels. Using the work of Derald Wing Sue, this session explores the phenomenon of microaggressions in everyday life by increasing awareness of common occurrences; understanding its impact on those who experience them; and exploring strategies on how to mitigate and respond to them.

• Understanding Diversity and Social Justice

Through personal sharing, group exercises, and dialogue, the ever persistent and ever changing dynamics of personal and societal structures which support inequality will be examined. Participants will also engage in learning skills to become allies for social equity.

• Unpacking Oppression

Participants will explore the cultural barriers that perpetuate oppression at the institutional level. In addition to oppression theory, the course provides an opportunity to increase awareness regarding power and privilege with the goal of fostering a more inclusive and equitable campus environment.

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

Message from Leadership

Over the past few weeks, the HEDI team have been working with partners to plan and take action to address structural racism and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have developed a 4-point plan that includes things that we have done or are doing, things that we will do, and things that you and your department can do. You can find our action plan here. We consider this a living document and will update this as we identify new strategies and make progress on existing actions. We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and what you are doing to address racism and inequities, so feel free to contact us.

Office of Academic Diversity

2020-2021 CAMPOS Faculty Scholars Announced

Under the leadership of Vice Provost Phil Kass and CAMPOS Faculty Director Mariel Vazquez, CAMPOS continues to thrive beyond the term of UC Davis ADVANCE (2012-2019). The vision became a reality through the creation of the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS). This year, we welcome our sixth cohort of three exceptional CAMPOS Faculty Scholars. They join twenty-eight current CAMPOS Faculty Scholarsrepresenting eight colleges and schools and twenty-four different departments. “I am very pleased with the high-quality nominations received this year,” said Mariel Vazquez, “and I am thrilled to welcome two new scholars from the medical school and our first scholar from the Statistics department.” Please read more about the newest CAMPOS scholars here.

Jairo Fúquene Patiño
Statistics, College of Letters and Science

Tiffani Johnson
Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine

Theanne N. Griffith
Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine

Professors Leveraging a Community of Engagement (PLACE) with CAMPSSAH Awarded UCOP Advancing Faculty Diversity, Improved Climate and Retention 2020-2022 Grant

CAMPSSAH Faculty Director, Kimberly Nettles-Barcelón received an award of $225,000 through President Napolitano’s allocation to support improve campus climate and retain faculty. “PLACE with CAMPSSAH” will focus on three areas: community building, leadership development, and recognizing faculty contributions. PLACE will consist of writing communities composed of CAMPSSAH Faculty Scholars and Affiliates to engage across disciplinary boundaries and promote the publication of scholarship at various junctures of their career trajectory. It also will support post-tenure faculty with startup funds and supplemental conference travel grants for childcare expenses.

EVENTS

August 6, Thursday

Summer 2020 Alumni Career Mentorship Webinar Series

August
06 Native American - Careers in Medicine/Health
13  African American - Careers in Law
20 Women of Color in Leadership Roles

Alumni Career Mentorship Webinar Series – Native American: Careers in Medicine/Health | 4:00PM

On behalf of Undergraduate Admissions (UA) and the African and African American Alumni Association, Chicanx/Latinx Alumni Association, and Native American Alumni Association, we want to congratulate our incoming students on their admission to UC Davis. During the upcoming summer months, UA will be hosting the inaugural Alumni Career Mentorship Webinar Series for our incoming Freshmen and Transfer students. Register Now

August 13, Thursday

Cómo prevenir la COVID-19 en nuestras comunidadas Latinx | 7:00PM

La Health Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Oficina para la Igualdad, Diversidad e Inclusión de la Salud) de UC Davis en colaboración con la Sacramento Latino Medical Assocaitin (SALMA) (Asociación Médica Latina de Sacramento), la Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) (Asociacieon de Estudiantes de Medicina Latinos) y la Latinao Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA) (Asociación de Profesorres y Personal Latinos) invitan a la comunidad a unirse a nuestro panel de profesionales de atención médica mientras abordan las desigualdades en la monunidad latina y comentan y descartan los mitos alrededor del coronavirus. https://diversity.ucdavis.edu/events/como-prevenir-la-covid-19-en-nuestra-comunidadas-latinx

August 21, Friday

Growing as a Community: Advancing Racial and Health Equity | 12:00PM

As our communities grapple with the historic social injustices across our nation, it’s important to hear from our leaders about the importance of adopting an equity and anti-racism lens to aid in the healing of racial trauma for the wellbeing of our communities. Join us for the next installment in our series - Growing as a Community: Advancing Health and Racial Equity. We will discuss the following: Anti-racism strategies we can utilize on our campus; Coming to terms with our own biases; The need and importance for physicians and healthcare workers to uphold health and racial equity in our workplace, home, and communities; Next steps for healthcare leaders to advance health and racial equity. Please register here: bit.ly/GrowingasaCommunity8-21

RECOMMENDED READING

"A.D.A. Now!”

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is considered the most important civil rights law since the 1960s. Through first-person stories, we look back at the making of this movement, the history of how disability came to be seen as a civil rights issue, and what the disability community is still fighting for 30 years later. Includes a “further reading” list. Listen now

Virtual Job Events ‘Expand Our Reach’

The Leadership Recruitment and Diversity Services Team has developed tools and resources aimed at connecting with the diverse community of job-seekers who want to start their careers with UC Davis. Read about the tools and efforts

Please also see the lists of Recommended Reading on our Racial Trauma Resources webpage here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES            

Accessibility at UC Davis
At UC Davis, we are committed to making our programs, activities and services accessible and to providing equal opportunities to individuals with disabilities. This website summarizes the rights of individuals with disabilities under university policy, federal law, and state law, and provides information about accessing University programs and facilities for the campus community. We hope that, whether you are a student, employee, or visitor, this website will help you meet your accessibility needs, as well as the needs of those with whom you interact on a regular basis.

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. 

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 to diversity, equity and inclusion!

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