Staff town hall postponed

Next week's staff town hall with the chancellor and provost has been postponed, due to a death in the chancellor's family. The forum had been scheduled for Monday.

Officials are working to reschedule the town hall.

Campus-city fire consolidation put on hold

The UC Davis and the city of Davis fire department consolidation plan has been put on hold.

The consolidation effort, which began in mid-2010, had so far brought together campus and city fire administrations, with one chief (the city's Bill Weisgerber) and one assistant chief (the campus's Nate Trauernicht). Also, the city took on dispatch duties for both departments.

The city will continue to provide combined dispatch, but the administrative merger is ending. As a result, Trauernicht is back to being the chief of the campus Fire Department, by appointment of Vice Chancellor John Meyer.

Trauernicht became UC Davis' interim chief after Joe Perry's retirement in 2010, and he kept the interim title until the consolidation effort began later that same year.

“We’re pausing, but we made great progress and are continuing to work together, on a number of fronts, in this interim period," Trauernicht said. "We will use the days ahead of us to innovate and explore possibilities of all types to collaborate with our partner agencies and improve the service we provide to our community and the greater Yolo County community.”

Trauernicht said he and Chief Weisgerber look forward to continued progress toward shared services and programs and have agreed on continued Principles of Collaboration.

Kickoff events for Wellness Challenge

Ready, get set, go! The 2012 Mind Body Wellness Challenge begins today (Jan. 27): Adopt a new, healthy habit, maintain it for seven weeks — and, hopefully, for a lot longer after that.

Because, the organizers say, if you keep up a new habit for seven weeks, you have a good chance of turning that healthy habit into a lifelong change.

The Wellness Challenge is free for staff, faculty, students on the Davis and Sacramento campuses, and anyone else, even people who are not affiliated with UC Davis. People who register will receive regular e-mail messages with motivational tips, ideas for staying on track and links to useful resources.

Don’t forget to sign the patent amendment

The UC Office of the President sent out reminders last week about an amendment to the university’s Patent Acknowledgment — and the need to sign it (electronically).

UC is asking all faculty and staff to sign the amendment, and also is asking for signatures from visitors who use UC research facilities and resources.

The reminders — by e-mail or U.S. mail, for people with e-mail addresses on file — went to people who had not yet signed.

The reminders include a link to the amendment and an electronic signature page.

Researchers, in particular, should be aware that their signatures are required in order to participate in activities covered by agreements in which the university has made legal commitments regarding inventions and patents.

More information, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available online.

63 Aggie volunteers in the Peace Corps in 2011

UC Davis earned a top-25 ranking among colleges and universities with the most undergraduate alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in 2011.

Based on fiscal year data as of Sept. 30, the corps counted 63 Aggie alums among its ranks — good for 23rd among large colleges and universities (enrollment 15,001 or more).

The Aggies include Erica Gallegos, a 2007 graduate with a degree in community and regional development, who is working as an education volunteer in Panama, according to a Jan. 25 news release from the Peace Corps. The Fairfield native taught kindergarten and sixth grade in Bay Area classrooms prior to signing up for the Peace Corps.

“My motive in this life is to give of my energy, time and skills in everything I do,” she said.

Historically, UC Davis ranks 16th in the nation in Peace Corps volunteers — with 1,381 Aggies having service since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961.

UC finalizes health, pension rates for UPTE

The UC Office of the President announced Jan. 23 that it had finalized an agreement that sets health plan rates and pension contributions for the University Professional and Technical Employees bargaining unit, representing about 8,700 employees.

UPTE members, who include researchers and technical workers, will contribute 3.5 percent to the UC Retirement Plan retroactive to July 1, 2011, and 5 percent starting July 1, 2012. These are the same rates that the general UC employee population and other unions pay.

In addition, UPTE has agreed to pay the same 2012 and 2013 health rates as the rest of the employee population.

UPTE members voted to ratify the agreement in mid-January. Negotiations were limited to health and pension benefits under the existing contract, which ends June 2013.

1,025 find blood bank in new home

A move to a new location always makes you wonder if people will find you. But the ASUCD Blood and Marrow Drive did just fine Monday and Tuesday this week.

“Our new location at The Pavilion (at the ARC) worked out well, and students and faculty found us,” said Brie Leon, account manager for the Sacramento-based BloodSource blood bank.

BloodSource registered 1,025 altogether; some people, however, ended up not giving blood, for a variety of reasons — and BloodSource ended up with 794 pints. In addition, more than 80 people signed up for the marrow registry.

Leon said 323 people were new to the campus blood bank.

“We had a few people come in who mentioned that blood donors had saved their lives and they came in to pay it forward,” Leon said. “These people are the reason we do what we do.”