UC Blog
Nominate UCCE academics for service awards by April 1
Nominations are being accepted for the 2024 ANR Distinguished Service Awards, which are sponsored by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Academic Assembly Council.
Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to recognize outstanding achievement by yourself or your colleagues. The biennial ANR Distinguished Service Awards recognize service and academic excellence in UC Cooperative Extension over a significant period of time. Awards highlight the use of innovative methods and the integration of research, extension and leadership.
The purpose of these awards is to recognize and reward outstanding accomplishments in six areas:
- Outstanding Research
- Outstanding Extension
- Outstanding New Academic
- Outstanding Team
- Outstanding Leader
- Outstanding Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Winners of individual awards will receive a certificate and $2,000. Winners of the team award will share $5,000. Complete award criteria and instructions for submitting nominations are at http://ucanr.edu/sites/UCAAC.
To nominate someone, fill out the online survey at 2024 ANR Distinguished Service Awards and submit all materials in the nomination packet by 5 p.m., April 1, 2024 to Daniel Obrist (dobrist@ucanr.edu).
For more information, feel free to contact the Academic Assembly Council Program Committee:
- Daniela Bruno, dfbruno@ucanr.edu
- Safeeq Khan, msafeeq@ucmerced.edu
- Keith Nathaniel, kcnathaniel@ucanr.edu
- Susie Kocher, sdkocher@ucanr.edu
- Nicole Marshall-Wheeler, nmarshall@ucanr.edu
- Giuliano Carneiro Galdi, gcgaldi@ucanr.edu
For more information about Academic Assembly Council, visit its website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/UCAAC.
Employee Comment: Proposal to rescind presidential policy on hoverboards
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposal to rescind the Presidential Policy on Hoverboards. The policy is proposed to be rescinded to address the following key issues:
- The policy was envisioned as a temporary, emergency policy to address fire risks created by individuals charging hoverboard batteries in or on UC properties.
- Since the policy was adopted, the following developments have occurred:
- Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) testing and listing for lithium ion-powered equipment and batteries has become more prescriptive.
- The California Office of the State Fire Marshal released a guidance document (23-003) in April of 2023 related to the storage and charging of these types of devices.
- California Assembly Bill 712 was signed into law in July of 2023 and requires landlords to allow tenants to recharge micro-mobility devices in their units. UC Legal has determined this Assembly Bill does apply to UC housing.
- The UC Council of Campus Fire Marshals released guidance in August 2023 specific to this type of equipment and its use at UC locations.
- With technology evolving rapidly, the University is better served by relying on outside standard-setting bodies, such as UL, and best practice guidance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The proposed revisions to the policy may be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than March 13, 2024. Please indicate “Hoverboard Policy Recission” in the subject line.
New password for Guest WiFi at ANR building in Davis
As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a secure and efficient network environment, we would like to inform you of some upcoming changes to our guest WiFi access in the ANR building at 2801 Second Street in Davis.
On Feb. 26, we will be implementing enhanced security measures, which will include a change in the guest WiFi password. The new password will be printed on the IT Help Desk door in the ANR building in Davis for a duration of 7 days, starting from Feb. 26. During this time, please update your personal devices with the new password to ensure uninterrupted access to the guest WiFi.
Additionally, to further enhance security and maintain proper tracking of network usage, we will be introducing a new splash page for guests connecting to the guest WiFi. This splash page will require some basic information to be filled out to help us keep accurate records of who is accessing the network.
Here are the key points to note:
New Guest WiFi Password: The new password will be displayed on the IT help desk door from Feb. 26 for a period of 7 days. Please update your devices during this time.
Splash Page: A new splash page will be introduced for guests connecting to the guest WiFi. Guests will be prompted to provide some basic information to assist in maintaining accurate network usage records.
IT Support After 7 Days: If you are unable to access the new guest WiFi password within the 7-day period, or if you encounter any issues, please submit a ticket to the IT help desk via email at help@ucanr.edu
Staff Devices on Guest WiFi: To ensure the efficiency of our network, we kindly request that staff members connect their personal devices to the guest WiFi.
ANR Staff WiFi will remain the same. All ANR employees should use the standard ANR Staff WIFI for any ANR-owned devices such as laptops or ANR-owned cell phones.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work to enhance the security and efficiency of our network infrastructure. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to help@ucanr.edu
Thank you!
Matthew Davis
Senior Network Engineer
Guidance on political activities from UC's Office of General Counsel
UC's Office of General Counsel has issued an advisory on political activities. Below is an excerpt.
The University strongly supports public and civic engagement by members of the University community, in both their professional and personal capacities. At the same time, as both a Section[1] 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization and a state entity, the University is prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in political campaign activities: 1) supporting or opposing candidates for elective public office (“electioneering”); and 2) supporting or opposing measures that have qualified for the ballot. These restrictions apply to the activities of the University overall, as well as to activities of individual University faculty and staff acting in their capacity as representatives of the University and/or using University resources.
This advisory, previously issued in 2019, is being re-issued now in light of the upcoming election cycle to remind the University community of the applicable rules and about the importance of complying with them.
… It is important for all University employees to comply with these rules. There are potential criminal and civil penalties for misuse of public resources, and, in the case of the federal rules that govern tax-exempt charitable organizations, the University's tax-exempt status could be revoked (and/or substantial tax penalties imposed) by an activity that constitutes electioneering.
Please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/2024/02/ogc-guidance-on-political-activities.html for details.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at ammegaro@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1218.
Anne Megaro
Government and Community Relations Director
COVID-19 guidelines change
On Jan. 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health updated its COVID-19 Isolation Guidance, Testing Guidance, and the State Public Health Officer Order.
The updates impact Cal/OSHA's COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations and the requirements related to isolating positive cases and testing of close contacts. To ensure that we maintain a safe workplace and safe ANR programming, and comply with public health and occupational safety requirements, all ANR employees must still follow these guidelines.
The updated Quarantine, Isolation, and Return to Work Guidelines and Quarantine, Isolation, and Return to Work Summary Chart can be found on the ANR Environmental Health & Safety website.
Based on the changes to the guidelines by Cal/OSHA and CDPH, UC ANR will adjust and implement the new guidelines for COVID-19, as follows:
If you test positive for COVID-19:
- Report your COVID-19 test or symptoms to the UC ANR COVID-19 safety team at https://ucanr.edu/covidscreening
- Stay home if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
- You may return to working in-person when all of the following are true:
- More than 24 hours have passed since the onset of symptoms,
- You have no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications,
- Symptoms are mild and improving.
- If you have symptoms other than fever, you may voluntarily isolate until symptoms improve or until after Day 10. Day 0 is the symptom onset or positive test day.
- If symptoms are severe, if you are at high risk of serious disease, or have questions concerning care, contact your healthcare provider.
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others through Day 10 after the start of symptoms or testing positive. You may remove your mask sooner than 10 days if you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.
- A negative test is not required for return to work.
If you had close contact with someone with COVID-19:
- Wear a well-fitting mask or respirator around others (at your worksite, indoors, in vehicles, in the field when working near others, etc.) for at least 10 days after exposure.
- Monitor yourself for COVID-19 symptoms. If you develop new symptoms, testing is recommended.
- If you are at a higher risk of severe disease or if you've had contact with someone at higher risk of severe disease, testing is recommended.
- You may still voluntarily get tested after the exposure.
- If you test positive, follow the guidelines for testing positive.
The definition of “Close Contact” remains the same.
Close Contact definition: Close Contact occurs through proximity and duration of exposure. Someone who shared the same indoor airspace with an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period is considered Close Contact. Spaces that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls (e.g., offices, suites, rooms, waiting areas, bathrooms, or break or eating areas that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls) must be considered distinct indoor airspaces.
In large indoor spaces greater than 400,000 cubic feet per floor (such as open-floor-plan offices, arenas or large meeting spaces, warehouses, large retail stores, or manufacturing/processing facilities), close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during the confirmed case's infectious period.
Exception: if you or the Close Contact were wearing a respirator or an N95 mask at the time of interaction.
For more information on the updated guidelines by Cal/OSHA, visit:
- COVID-19 – What Employers Need to Know - Fact Sheet: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/Non-Emergency-regs-summary.pdf
- COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/Coronavirus/Covid-19-NE-Reg-FAQs.html