Office of Academic Diversity   
-AVC Raquel Aldana

Academic Senate DEI Resolutions
In our last newsletter, we reported on the outcome of the first academic senate resolution pertaining to statements of contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion. This first reso-lution, which sought to eliminate the mandatory use of diversity statements in hiring and promotion (though they are not currently required in promotion), failed to pass by a very close margin. In contrast to the first resolution, the second resolution on diversity state-ments seeks to affirm rather than contest the value and desirability of using diversity statements. It reads in full:

Statements describing Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are a useful part of a holistic review in the appointment of new faculty.

The Academic Senate notified the academic senate faculty by e-mail on March 30 that voting on this resolution is now open and will remain open until no later than 4/13/20. Only members of the academic senate faculty are eligible to vote. Voting is secure and anon-ymous. You must register your vote by signing in to the Academic Senate system. 

Immigration and COVID-19
COVID-19 is also deeply impacting US immigration laws and practices in ways that may impact our faculty, staff or students directly. Recently, DACA students sent a  letter  to the US Supreme Court making a compelling case why DACA must be preserved, especially during COVID19. Our final share of communication is the first  video  in a new series called Immigration Short-Takes explains some of these changes in a brief presentation titled Immigration in a time of COVID-19.

Center of the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (CAMPSSAH) and Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS)
CAMPSSAH and CAMPOS is accepting  nominations  for the 2020-2021 cohort of faculty scholars. Department Chairs, in consultation with Deans, may nominate candidates that have been selected to interview for a UC Davis Academic Senate faculty position within the current recruitment cycle/academic year if they meet one or more of the review criteria. The nomination materials for the 2020-21 cohort will be accepted on a rolling basis with  a deadline of   May 1, 2020 .

Discourse Surrounding Black & Mixed-Race Women's Hair
Cinema & Digital Media/MURALS student Chara Charis Andrews is producing a film about the discourse surrounding Black and Mixed-Race Women’s Hair. Ms. Andrews is men-tored by CAMPSSAH scholar Branwen Okpako and Dr. Kimberly Nettles-Barcelón. The film should be completed by the end of spring quarter. In the meantime, she will be pre-senting at the Undergraduate Research Conference. When the details of her presentation become available, we will share them. In the meantime, please visit the film’s  trailer .

2020 ADVANCE Scholar Award
CAMPOS is excited to announce the call for nominations for the 2020 ADVANCE Scholar Award. The ADVANCE Scholar Award program is available for mid-career and senior Academic Senate and Academic Federation faculty who advance diverse perspectives and gender equity in STEM through their teaching, research and service. Two 2020 ADVANCE Scholar Awardees will be selected, one from the Academic Senate and, new this year, one for the Academic Federation. The recipients will receive a small cash award and will deliver a distinguished campus lecture in fall 2020 at the Award Symposium. Nominations can be made by UC Davis faculty, staff, postdocs and students.  Deadline for nominations is May 15, 2019.  Visit  here  to nominate a STEM faculty member.

Atmospheric Scientist and CAMPOS Affiliate Named UC Davis Teaching Prize Winner
CAMPOS Affiliate Scholar Professor Kyaw Tha Paw U won this year’s  UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement which recognizes exemplary teaching, research and service. Professor Paw U is a professor in the Land, Air and Water Resources Department and serves as a member of the CAMPOS selection committee. 

Reminder: CAMPOS Research colloquia are canceled Spring 2020. We look forward to renewing our series as soon as possible. Visit here for information about our  most recent research colloquia .


Office of Campus Community Relations
-AVC Rahim Reed

Diversity Education and Training Classes and Workshops
OCCR previously scheduled more than two dozen trainings, classes and workshops, and working with clients and considering their needs and we have transitioned to remote/ virtual learning (webinar). Our Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training team is providing UC Davis Health IT with roughly 18 sessions of our  Making the Unconscious Conscious: Understanding and Mitigating Bias  course with a goal to reach all 600+ of the employees in their unit. Despite the challenges that have arisen from COVID-19, we have successfully modified the course to deliver via Zoom, and we are on track toward achieving our goal by June!

Additionally, we are following suit with our remaining DEI related courses available through SDPS to help ensure UC Davis staff still have the ability to access and complete our courses. Our aim is to provide staff access to our courses in order for our colleagues to utilize as a part of their performance management goals.

Also, to note, our undergraduate First Year Aggie (FYAC) course,  Who Are You?: Exploring Identity and Diversity  this quarter has been successfully modified to an online platform for students who enroll this quarter. 

We are working diligently to assist departments across Campus to build inclusive learning environments. On Friday, April 3, we are assisting the College of Engineering with their Zoom TA Orientation to Create Inclusive Classrooms and on Sunday, April 5, we are providing a Zoom presentation to Student Housing’s Orientation Team Leads on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and housing.

Campus Council on Community and Diversity
The Campus Council on Community and Diversity meeting for this month has been canceled. The June 2020 meeting is still on the calendar but may be held remotely via a Zoom conference call. 

Administrative Advisory Committees (SWAADAC, DIAAC, & SDAAC)
The Administrative Advisory Committees meetings scheduled for the remainder for April should be held via Zoom or by conference call. An update will be provided regarding the status of meetings scheduled for May and June.
 
Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
-AVC Hendry Ton

On March 21, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola , Director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UCDH was interviewed by Telemundo to discuss anxiety due to isolation and how to combat it.  ¿Ansiedad por aislamiento? un médico explica cómo puedes combatirla  may be found  here .

On March 31, Dr. J ann Murry-García , Associate Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing led  Let’s Do Our ABCs! (Actively Building Connection and Community), an interactive dialogue on Zoom. Dr Murry-García reminds us to take time to write brief thank you messages to those in our UCDH community who are on the front lines, including nurses, physicians, lab techs, and environmental service workers.

Also, this past Tuesday, March 31, Drs. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola and Elizabeth Vasile from the Center for Reducing Health Disparities , partnered with The National Alliance on Mental Illness of California and the UCD Clinical and Translational Science Center to provide a training on Principles of Community Engagement. This webinar high-lighted key examples from community-based organizations of sustainable community engagement projects and COVID-19 resources when working with the community. 

Today, April 2  from 12:00 -1:00 p.m, join AVC Hendry Ton for a virtual discussion on  Coping as a Community: COVID-19: Initiating Compassion, Giving and Hope . Register via the Eventbrite  link . The link to the webinar will be sent out to those registered is a means to control for "Zoom-bombing" aka "Zoom trolling." 

Here is a  link  to last week’s webinar given by AVC Ton for you to view and share. Also, here is a brief story (including the viewing notes) on The Insider  here .