Human Resources’ Talent Management Center of Expertise is seeking applications for the university’s 2017 Group Mentoring Program. The six-month program will start with orientation on Monday, March 6.

“Our UC Davis community has consistently expressed interest in mentoring as a professional career development tool,” the program organizers said. “After a successful 2016 pilot program with over 30 mentees, we are offering the 2017 program for up to 60 mentees.” The program also is seeking mentors for the 2017 program.

Here are the eligibility guidelines and application links:

• Mentees — Up to PSS Grade 5, career status, at least one year with UC Davis. Application.
• Mentors — PSS Grade 5 and above, career status, at least one year with UC Davis. Application.

The program, held on the Davis and Sacramento campuses, comprises approximately 32 hours, inclusive of professional development activities and estimated travel time. 

“We anticipate great interest in the 2017 program, designed to promote a culture of leading by example and support professional development, and we look forward to participation from across the UC Davis organization.”

Applications are being accepted through Friday, Feb. 10, and applicants will be notified of their status by Feb. 17. 

Orientation will be held March 6 in Sacramento, and workshops are scheduled for June 14 in Davis and Aug. 15 in Sacramento. Small-group mentoring meetings will be held monthly; dates and locations will vary by group.

Questions? Send an email to Judy Isaman, senior training analyst, UC Davis Health Training and Development.

Career Tracks Information Sessions

The Career Tracks team in Human Resources has scheduled two in-person information sessions and four webinars in February. Career Tracks is being implemented as a replacement classification system for nonrepresented staff positions across the UC system.

The information sessions and webinars will offer updates on the implementation at UC Davis and provide opportunity for discussion.

Questions or comments? Send an email to careertracks@ucdavis.edu.

In-person

• Monday, Feb. 13 and 27 — 11 a.m.-noon, Main Conference Room 1 (third floor), Student Health and Wellness Center

Webinars

• Wednesday, Feb. 15 — 10-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 22 — 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 28 — 11 a.m.-noon and 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Webinar instructions: Log in here AND call 866-740-1260. Use Access Code 9870869.

TGFS tasters needed

Thank goodness for volunteer opportunities like this one: Be on the tasting panel to ensure our Thank Goodness for Staff picnic will be delicious!

The panel will comprise six staff members, three of whom who are vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free. The tasting session is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Volunteers must sample all the items provided for tasting, provide constructive feedback, be available for any follow-up questions or clarifications on the food tasting — and be a positive ambassador for TGFS 2017 (scheduled for Wednesday, May 24).

Interested staff members need to complete a short application and submit it by Friday, Feb. 10.  Questions? Send an email to Carla Datanagan. 

Lighting problems under repair

Last week’s lighting safety walk turned up 167 problems, including burned-out bulbs and overgrown vegetation obscuring light fixtures — issues that are getting immediate attention.

Facilities Management and the Police Department organized the walk, which drew about 40 students and staff members the night of Jan. 26.They broke into teams to cover five zones.

“With over 18,000 exterior lights on campus, we expect a handful of bulbs to burn out daily,” said Joe Carbahal, superintendent, power and lights. “These walks help us find smaller bulbs that have burned out, like those attached to building exteriors. The larger road and pathway lighting is all electronically monitored, so we know right away when those need attention.”

While electricians will make quick work of the simple fixes, bigger projects — say, to renovate lighting systems or bring new lighting to darker areas — will require more extensive planning. Carbahal and his team are working on those plans and will share upcoming project details with Dateline soon.

All members of the campus community are encouraged to immediately report any lights that are malfunctioning, and any areas that might need better lighting. Call the Facilities Management Customer Support Center, 530-752-1655.

New water supply due in March

The Davis campus’s switchover to a new primary water source is expected to occur as early as mid-March. The water from the Sacramento River will be processed in the new regional water treatment plant in Woodland before being piped here as a replacement for well water.

The pipeline is completed — all we are waiting on is a pump station that will boost the water pressure. Plentiful rain this month held up the construction on the south edge of Russell Field, where the pump station is being built in conjunction with a set of restrooms for Campus Recreation and Unions.

The campus is receiving its new water supply as a partner in the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency. The two cities are already using the water, making the switchover with very few problems. Campus preparations mirror what the cities did, said Mike Fan, who leads the Utilities unit in Facilities Management. “We’re confident that our work flushing the water lines to remove sediment, pre-treating the system with a corrosion inhibitor, and rigorous water quality testing will allow us to experience the same success.”

The water’s arrival will not be met with much fanfare, and many people may not even notice the change. The water will be softer (and thus water softeners may no longer be necessary), and many people say it tastes better.

Note to researchers: The water’s chemical makeup is different than the well water that now comes out of campus taps. Labs that use reverse osmosis and/or deionized water will get the same quality water they are getting now; the RO and DI equipment will simply be processing a different water supply. However, if your research is calibrated to the pH, mineral content and other factors associated with the campus’s well water, you should send an email to the project team to discuss possible mitigation options. 

Read more about the surface water project.

Student volunteers offer help with tax preparation

The nonprofit organization Students in VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is back in action, offering free tax assistance for low-income people.

“Our IRS-certified interns provide free income tax preparation to qualified households and individuals within the Yolo County area at weekly Davis tax sites,” the organizers said in a news release.

Last year, Students in VITA helped prepare 419 tax returns that netted $325,600 in tax refunds to the community.

Here are the locations, dates and hours:  

• New Harmony Community Center, 3030 Cowell Blvd. — 5-8 p.m. Mondays and Fridays through April 15 (excluding March 20-31 during final exams and spring break)
• Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library, 315 E. 14th St. — 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through April 15 (excluding March 25 and April 1)
• UC Davis (Garrison Room, second floor, Memorial Union) — 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 28 and March 7

Appointments can be arranged online and are highly encouraged as they are prioritized. Walk-ins also are welcome; however, please expect some wait time. What should you bring?

More information is available on the Students in VITA website. Questions? Contact Students in VITA by email.

10,000 students say, ‘So long, SmartSite’

The campus is three-fourths of the way home. Seventy-five percent of instructors who are teaching with a learning management system (LMS) this term are using UC Davis Canvas.

That’s up from 60 percent last fall, and explains a major change in LMS use among students. Last autumn, almost all students had at least one class apiece in Canvas and SmartSite, and so the students used both systems. Now, so many instructors have adopted Canvas that about 10,000 students don’t need to use SmartSite this term.

UC Davis Canvas is replacing SmartSite over the course of 2016-17, and spring 2017 will be the last quarter when SmartSite will be used for teaching. Approximately 1,700 published courses are using UC Davis Canvas this winter, up from about 1,250 at the start of fall quarter.

Read the latest quarterly message from the Move to Canvas team.

— TechNews

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