UC faculty and staff are invited to participate in a free webinar on identity theft on Tuesday, April 10.

Three presentations are planned, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., and registration is under way. UC officials said space is limited, and, therefore, people should sign up early.

ARAG, the presenter, is the same company that provides the legal expense plan available as a benefit to UC employees.

UC officials said the webinar will offer information on how to safeguard your identity, what steps to take to minimize the impact if you are a victim of identity theft, and where to get help.

Registration is being conducted online, via separate links for each presentation:

• 10 a.m.
• Noon
• 2 p.m.

Questions? Contact Maura McLoughlin, ARAG account manager, by e-mail, maura.mcloughlin@ucop.edu.

Ticket sales extended for Soaring to New Heights

Ticket sales have been extended to Monday (April 2) for Soaring to New Heights, the Davis campus’s annual staff and faculty celebration of diversity.

The original deadline was Friday (March 30), but that is a university holiday. 

Only 500 tickets are being sold, and they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis until they are gone.

This year’s event, the 22nd annual, is scheduled from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, in Freeborn Hall. The event features an international buffet lunch, plus an information fair and entertainment, and the presentation of the Diversity and Principles of Community Achievement Recognition Awards, and the Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award.

Ticket are $5 each, available from the campus ticket office at Freeborn Hall, in person or by telephone, (530) 752-1915.

Complete ticket information.

TGFS: Administratrors asked to help out

Campus administrators are being asked once again to take on a very special assignment, as servers at the annual Thank Goodness for Staff picnic.

"This is a celebration in recognition of the hard work and contributions of our staff," said Karen Hull, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources. "A part of the tradition is for administrative personnel to help in serving the food and drinks during this very special celebration."

Hull sent an e-mail asking for volunteers, and advise those who received the message: "If you are unable to attend, I ask you to identify an administrative colleague who can attend for you."

This year's TGFS is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, on the Hutchison IM Field.

Volunteer sign-ups are being taken online. Sign-ups are requested no later than 5 p.m. April 25.

Updating '50 Years of Bicycling in Davis'

Bicycling advocate Ted Buehler filled the Varsity Theatre in 2007 for his UC Davis master’s thesis presentation, “50 Years of Bicycling in Davis, California.”

At 4 p.m. Sunday (April 1), he is set to make an appearance at the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis, giving a talk that draws from his thesis research, covering such topics as the seeds of bicycle support when UC Davis became a general campus of the UC system in 1959, and the planning and building of Davis’ first official bicycle lanes in 1967.

Buehler also will comment on bicycle advocacy in Davis since 2007 and possible nest steps for Davis, the organizers said.

The hall of fame is at 303 Third St. (at the Third and B street corner of Central Park). Admission is free for members; otherwise, you need to pay the hall of fame’s regular admission: $5 general, $3 students and seniors.

Windows computers need security patch

UC Davis’ IT security coordinator is urging all Windows computer users in the campus community to immediately apply the Microsoft MS12-020 security patch, released in mid-March.

In a message to the campus, Robert Ono wrote:

"The Microsoft MS12-020 security patch for Windows operating systems corrects a vulnerability that permits remote code execution — without authentication — on a computer that has Windows remote desktop protocol (RDP) services enabled. Exploit code for this vulnerability has been leaked to the Internet. This RDP vulnerability affects current versions of the Windows operating system.

"If you have questions regarding whether MS12-020 has been applied to your university computer, please consult your unit technical support staff. For your home computer, you can run Windows update to apply this security patch.

Read more from IET’s TechNews.

Training and development survey

UC Davis employees are being asked to indicate, via an online survey, their training and development needs.

Staff Development and Professional Services last conducted a survey like this two years ago, drawing some 800 responses. “The survey results were extremely useful in shaping our program,” a spokeswoman said. “We were very pleased to hear comments and ideas for improvement.”

The new survey should take no more than five minutes of your time, “to help us provide you with programs and resources that support your professional and personal development.”
The survey is open until April 6.