For Your Information | June 25, 2020

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Dear Friends,

To Boldly Go. This is the title of UC Davis’ Strategic Plan. I have a hard copy of the document in front of me daily as a reminder (along with copies of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision and the HSI Taskforce Report). I’ve been pondering this charge … “To Boldly Go” for a few weeks, and have been thinking about how we as a campus can really “Go Boldly.”

Goal 3 of the Strategic Plan notes that we will “Embrace diversity, practice inclusive excellence and strive for equity.” In light of the current unrest, I’ve been pleased to see ~40 ally statements from various UC Davis departments, schools, colleges, labs, and units on campus that denounced the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark, and too many others. Many statements acknowledged that racism, in all of its ugliness, is unfortunately still alive. Acknowledgement is a key step! Letters also discussed commitments to be firmly anti-racist, discussed amplification of Black Voices, and shared snippets of plans of actions. There are many examples, but a few include the Manetti Shrem Museum’s commitment to take us up on our charge to “Reflect, Learn, Plan, and Act,” the College of Biological Sciences’ amplification of the voices of Black faculty by CAMPOS Scholars Professor Crystal Rogers and Professor Wilsaan Joiner (who are affiliated with the School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Medicine, respectively), and the History Department’s list of resources which includes a link to the 1619 Project that discusses the history of enslaving Black people on American soil. Histories are important. Last week, we celebrated Juneteenth and UC Davis Historians Professor Justin Leroy and Professor Gregory Downs discussed how sustained slavery lasted beyond the Emancipation Proclamation. Professor Maisha T. Winn and Professor Lawrence “Torry” Winndiscuss the importance of understanding both histories and futures in segments of their work within the Transformative Justice in Education Center in the School of Education. Examining history is powerful, and it is needed, as we plan for a stronger future. 

In the coming weeks, we will be moving from Ally Statements to inviting submission of Action Plans. Several letters and Ally Statements on the Resources for Racial Trauma website have early plans embedded within the paragraphs, and we will be extracting those and highlighting them on a new section of our DEI website. DEI will be developing a toolbox of resources to assist with these plans, and share ways to meet the goals set forth by the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision. I extend thanks to Dean Rao Unnava and Elizabeth Moon in the Graduate School of Management (GSM) for their invitation to participate in last week’s “Call to Action” design-thinking session, complete with breakout rooms and interactive documentation. The GSM’s faculty, staff, and students took the lead to ask tough questions about how they are addressing racism and how they can make improvements. The most poignant part of the session for me was when one of the members of this new GSM “Action for Diversity” Community Group, said that all could benefit from sitting in the discomfort of the “uncomfortable reckoning.” If I’d seen this comment on Twitter, I would have replied with a finger emoji that points to the comment, and a single word: “This.” This uncomfortable reckoning is necessary, and it is part of going boldly! As we sit with discomfort, and go boldly, we also have to take care to not cause more harm along the way. Please be proactive in making mental health resources available to faculty, staff, and students. Thank you to all of the units that are providing mental health services, and to departments and units that see needs for additional services and are taking the initiative to provide them. 

As we seek to be anti-racist, and to carry out the mission of Goal 3 in “To Boldly Go,” we must be led by our values, and continue to stand against discrimination. DEI’s Stance on support for DACA notes that the fight continues. The Supreme Court’s decision for Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, notes that: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – is certainly a “no-brainer.” Further, upstanding against attacks on Asian communities must continue, as bigotry related to COVID-19 has not ended. 

This summer, we will be working with and for you. We will be working with King Hall’s Dean Kevin Johnson (School of Law) on a transparent process for the Campus Safety taskforce which will convene its first meeting on July 27, 2020. Plans for the taskforce include a close examination of histories, both at UC Davis and within the US. We will not take a break, as we will continue to publish this DEI "For Your Information” newsletter every two weeks (look for it every other Thursday). We’ll also be updating our DEI website so that we can share items such as an updated diversity data dashboards for our schools and colleges, highlights for the Administrative Advisory Committees (AACs) and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on both the Davis and Sacramento campuses (e.g., the African-American Faculty and Staff Associations - AAFSA), attention to items brought forward by the new UC Davis Native American and Indigenous Advisory Committee (NAIAC), and more.

In “new and good news,” We congratulate and welcome the School of Nursing’s new (and 1st!) Associate Dean for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Congratulations Dr. Kupiri “Piri” Ackerman-Barger!

We also bid a fond farewell and our very best wishes to long-time DEI advocate and Executive Assistant Linda Mijangos on her retirement, and to AVC Raquel Aldana who is transitioning from her administrative role to King Hall for a 100% faculty appointment as Professor of Law. 

Finally, as cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in California and across the country, we note that health and safety in this pandemic are paramount, ask that you be diligent with wearing your face coverings, and practice safe physical distancing in public. 

Thank you for your support, and thank you for the work that you are either doing, or planning to do – in the midst of conducting and providing stellar research, teaching, programming, and services. Thank you for sitting with the reckoning, acknowledging the pain, providing resources for healing, examining histories, and boldly planning our UC Davis future with action-oriented commitments to diversity, real equity, to true inclusion. 

Kind Regards,

Renetta G. Tull, Vice Chancellor

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Linda Mijangos Retires
Thank you Linda for your decades of expertise and devotion to UC Davis. We hope your retirement is as successful as your career!

Raquel Aldana Returns to Law School Faculty
After three unrelenting years of helping the university fulfill its mission as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity, Raquel will now bring that same energy to her classroom and research.

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

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Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, SCOTUSblog
The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. READ

Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, SCOTUSblog
An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. READ

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UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office of Campus Community Relations | AEVC Rahim Reed

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The Office of Campus Community Relations is providing the following events to the campus community as opportunities to engage in learning and dialogue (limited space available and Zoom registration is required):

Making the Unconscious Conscious: Understanding and Mitigating Bias – June 22nd, 12pm-2pm

• Registration link - Session description  

Understanding Microaggression: Towards Greater Diversity Consciousness – July 1st, 10am-12pm

• Registration link - Session description   

Film Screening - Race the Power of an Illusion

Description: The division of the world's peoples into distinct groups - "red," "black," "white" or "yellow" peoples - has become so deeply imbedded in our psyches, so widely accepted, many would promptly dismiss as crazy any suggestion of its falsity. Yet, that's exactly what this provocative, new three-hour series by California Newsreel claims. Race, the Power of an Illusionquestions the very idea of race as innate biology. Yet race still matters. Just because race does not exist in biology does not mean it is not very real, helping shape life chances and opportunities.

• The Difference Between Us (Episode 1) – July 16th, 11am-12:15pm • Registration Link  
• The Story We Tell (Episode 2) – July 22nd, 11am-12:15pm • Registration Link  
• The House we Live In (Episode 3) – July 28th, 11am-12:15pm • Registration Link
• Debrief - Film Screening: Race the Power of an Illusion – July 31st, 11am-12:15pm

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2021-2022 CAMPUS COMMUNITY BOOK PROJECT (CCBP)
The Campus Council on Community and Diversity (CCC&D) invites all members of the campus and greater community to nominate books related to the topic of “social justice in practice” for the 2021-2022 Campus Community Book Project (CCBP). As an educational institution, we endeavor to explore and engage thoughtfully about issues that impact our lives, directly and indirectly, with the goal of building a community that promotes diversity. You can read more about the 2021-2022 call for book nominations at here.

The Campus Community Book Project aims to foster dialogue among students, faculty, staff, and residents of the surrounding areas about important social issues.  It also promotes learning about varied perspectives and ideas concerning the chosen topic.

We welcome nominations of books that meet the following criteria: 

• Compelling and thought-provoking to engage us in dialogue about contemporary controversial issues and to raise questions that have many possible answers.
• Well-written, accessible, and engaging to a general audience.
• Short enough to be read within the time frame usually allotted for coursework.
• Provocative and intriguing to as many members of the community as possible, to invite diverse participation and integration into discussion groups and courses across disciplines.
• Written by someone who is still living.
• Author is a guest to the campus.

Any published work that is still in print in paperback – including non-fiction work, plays, novels, collections of short stories or essays – is eligible. An additional consideration for the recommended title is that the book's author will be available to speak as part of the Mondavi Center's Speakers Series for the 2021-2022 season.

To make a nomination or if you're interested in serving on the CCBP Selection Committee, contact Sunny Dosanjh at ssdosanjh@ucdavis.edu. Please include the book’s title and author, plus a short description and explanation of why the nominated title complements the topic and represents a worthy selection. The CCBP Selection Committee will begin reviewing nominations in late July, so recommendations are requested by July 24, 2020.

You can read about the 2020-21 selection, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me by author-cartoonist Ellen Forney here.

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

OFFICE OF STUDENT AND RESIDENT DIVERSITY HEALTH EQUITY ACADEMY
Seventeen high school students participated in the Office of Student and Resident Diversity’s first-ever virtual Health Equity Academy, June 17-20. The students learned daily from a different medical student who taught about the human system and held an interactive activity. Daily two health professionals shared their journey and experience as a health professional with the students. All students worked in teams and completed research projects on a topic that address a public health issue in their community.  The next HEALTH academy will be held in the fall and will also be virtual, dates will be posted on the OSRD website.

SAFE SPACES FOR DIALOGUE FOR THE BLACK/AFRICAN DIASPORA COMMUNITY
Black/African American employees, students and residents have been negatively impacted by the continuous racism in America and are experiencing psychological trauma. HEDI with the support of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has offered a safe space for UC Davis Black/African Diaspora community (faculty, staff, residents & students) for dialogue on an as needed basis. HEDI worked with their partners, Drs. Chase Moore and Tiffany Mimms, therapists known for their work with racial trauma, to create spaces specifically to support African American/Black employees, residents and students. Contact Dr. Adrienne Lawson for more information: alawson@ucdavis.edu or 916-606-9815 business cell.

PRESERVE OUR LEGACY: ADVANCING AFRICAN AMERICANS IN NURSING & WELLNESS
HEDI is hosting the annual Preserve Our Legacy: Advancing African Americans in Nursing & Wellness Conference in collaboration with Yes2Kollege and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing on August 25, 2020 as a virtual event via Zoom and Facebook Live. The guest speaker is Dr. Monica McLemore, UCSF, associate professor in the Family Health Care Nursing Department, an affiliated scientist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, and a member of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. Her research is grounded in reproductive justice. There will also be a panel of nurses discussing their journey as a nursing student to a career in nursing. Registration coming soon.

Maricel Lumaquin of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing - 2020 CUCSA Kevin McCauley Memorial Outstanding Staff Award Recipient
The Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) has named Maricel Lumaquin the 2020 Council of UC Staff Assemblies Kevin McCauley Memorial Outstanding Staff Award recipient. The Kevin McCauley Memorial Outstanding Staff Award is designed to recognize staff members at the University who are supportive and inclusive of UC staff, and encourage equity, diversity, and community, are forward thinking, and do not compromise quality. Maricel is the data analyst at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She is an advocate for staff engagement and diversity & inclusion. She served in the School of Nursing’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee and Staff Engagement Survey Committee. Read the story here.

Office of Academic Diversity | AVC Raquel Aldana

RAQUEL ALDANA RETURNS TO LAW SCHOOL FACULTY
On July 1, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity, Raquel Aldana, will return to teaching and her research full time when she joins the faculty in King Hall at the UC Davis School of Law. Aldana was the inaugural hire in 2017 for her position and in her three distinguished years touched nearly every corner of the campus. We wish her well and look forward to many more years of collaboration. An interim appointment for her position will be announced in the near future.

KUDOS TO CLERGÉ AND LA TORRE
CAMPSSAH Faculty Scholar Orly Clergé (Sociology) received the American Sociological Association’s Mary C. Douglas Prize for Best Book in the Sociology of Culture Section of the for her book The New Noir: Race, Identity, and Diaspora in Black Suburbia. CAMPOS Faculty Scholar Anna La Torre (Cell Biology and Human Anatomy) was promoted to Associate Professor. Congratulations to both for well-deserved recognition of your scholarship!

UPDATE ON PROGRESS TOWARD ACHIEVING HSI DESIGNATION
UC Davis has made important progress toward our goal of achieving federal Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation since our last communication on this subject on October 1, 2019, which may open up opportunities to pursue HSI sources of funding. While our HSI ideals go well beyond funding implications, UC Davis recognizes that access to financial resources is essential to advancing many of the recommendations in the HSI Task Force report. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (VC-DEI) has been charged to take a leadership role in communicating with federal agencies, coordinating with partners on campus, and engaging with stakeholders on these funding opportunities. We are also working closely with the Office of Research (OR) and Budget and Institutional Analysis (BIA) to ensure that we provide available accurate information as you, stakeholders on campus, consider these funding opportunities. Please read the full statement here.

Related news: the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center recently published a series of FAQs regarding the recent Supreme Court decision concerning DACA. They cover topics such as employment, travel, and future litigation. You can find them here and a downloadable PDF to share.

Walter Robinson’s Random Acts of Kindness Week may have ended (June 9-19), but the opportunity to continue his legacy has not. This year, we challenge you to perform “Random Acts of Kindness” that intentionally promote equity. What changes, big or small, can you make to implement equity–in your department, the institution, your community? Become a Guardian Scholars Mentor, or contribute to the Guardian Scholars Program; contribute to Council of African American Parents Walter Robinson Scholarship or the Walter A. Robinson SMASH Scholarship. Walter A. Robinson (September 26, 1952 - June 7, 2019) was a revolutionary change agent and trailblazer in education. His commitment to providing pathways to higher education for under-served and underrepresented communities set the national standard for effective, compassionate and impactful academic outreach that is culturally and socioeconomically specific because he understood that “one size doesn’t fit all.” Robinson started at UC Davis as the executive director of Undergraduate Admissions in 2011 and was elevated to associate vice chancellor in 2015, tasked with establishing the Enrollment Management office

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EVENTS

Thursday, June 18 – Thursday, July 16

The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Around the World

The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the University of California, Davis, present The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Around the World, a five-part series of leadership conversations about the future of the university and of international education, including the role internationalization has in advancing university missions.

Thursday, June 25

Listen. Learn. Act: A Conversation with Antiracism leaders in our community

Join International House Davis for a conversation with local Antiracism leaders/activists/artivists/radical collaborators as they discuss their work to fight white supremacy, transform racist systems, create equitable policies and unveil individual and structural implicit bias for the community. Click here to register for the Zoom webinar: https://bit.ly/2Nbeg7W

Racism as a Public Health Crisis

The UC Davis Health Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in collaboration with Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, and sponsored by Building Resilient Communities, invite the community to join our discussion with a panel of health care providers, as they address racism in the current, world climate and how it plays a part in the health disparities of the African American community. Learn more and register.

Friday, June 26

Racial Healing Circle

A technique for proactively building authentic dialogue and relationships to create collective impact. Join the UC Davis Health Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for our virtual racial healing circle, facilitated by Mercedes Piedra, Director for UCDH Office for Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Rangineh Azimzadeh Tosang, Founder of Solh Resolutions International. We are creating a safe space for supportive dialogue to build a community of belonging for a collective impact on racial justice. Register

The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Around the World

The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the University of California, Davis, present The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Around the World, a five-part series of leadership conversations about the future of the university and of international education, including the role internationalization has in advancing university missions.

Online events bring together senior leaders in academia for critical global and regional discussions on the consequences of COVID-19 and what they mean for global engagement and the future of both international education and higher education, in 2020 and beyond. For more information and to register visit the Global Affairs website.

• The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Africa: Thursday, June 25, 9-10 a.m. PDT (4-5 p.m. UTC)
• The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Asia and Oceania: Thursday, July 2, 6-7 p.m. PDT (July 3, 1-2 a.m. UTC)
• The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Europe: Thursday, July 9, 8-9 a.m. PDT (3-4 p.m. UTC)
• The Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Latin America: Thursday, July 16, 9-10 a.m. PDT (4-5 p.m. UTC)

Friday-Saturday, October 9-10 

2020 Improving OUTcomes Conference 

To bring together health care and allied service providers throughout the Sacramento region to improve health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) people and their families. LEARN MORE

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RECOMMENDED READING

“UC Davis faculty call out anti-Black racism in academia,” Davis Enterprise
CAMPSSAH Faculty Scholar Orly Clergé, STEM Graduate Diversity Officer Devin Horton, and Ph.D. students Rana McReynolds and Veneese Brown contribute insight about #BlackInTheIvory. READ

Harris, Michelle, Sherrill L Sellers, Orly Clergé, and Frederick W. Jr. Gooding, ed. Stories from the Front of the Room: How Higher Education Faculty of Color Overcome Challenges and Thrive in the Academy. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
Research demonstrates that faculty of color in historically white institutions experience higher levels of discrimination, cultural taxation, and emotional labor than their white colleagues. Despite efforts to recruit minority faculty, all of these factors undermine their scholarship, pedagogy, social experiences, promotion and retention. This edited volume builds upon the existing research on faculty of color, however, it also departs from the existing literature and unravels the socio-emotional experiences of being in front of the classroom, in labs, and in the Ivory Tower for faculty who are in multiple racialized social locations. READ

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

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Featured Resource | LGBTQIA Resource Center

From AB540 to the Women’s Resources and Research Center, discover academic, career, and counseling services; student organizations and social events; volunteer, internship and employment opportunities; meditation spaces, and more. Visit their website here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

LGBTQIA Resource Center Provides an open, safe, inclusive space and community. The LGBTQIA Resource Center promotes education as well as space for self-exploration about all sexes, genders and sexualities and their intersections with other identities.

UC Davis School of Medicine Gender and Sexual Diversity student interest group Supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) students, residents, fellows and patients.

UC Davis School of Medicine Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Group Activities include networking, holding quarterly potlucks, developing programs, enhancing institutional climate of inclusion, equity and opportunity, working with AAMC and other medical schools to advance LGBT in medicine and science nationally

UC Davis Health PRIDE Serves LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of UC Davis Health and in the Sacramento area with education, awareness and support

Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance Promotes the general welfare and interests of the Asian Pacific American faculty, staff and students at UC Davis

Asian American Association (AAA) ​at UC Davis A student-run, non-profit organization that serves to unify the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities on campus

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. 

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!

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.

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