I hope that everyone has taken the opportunity to continue to check in with yourself and with those that you care about. There have been so many unspeakable tragedies in the last few weeks that it breaks my heart. I know everyone processes this information differently and many of you may be personally impacted, so I want to remind you: take the time to feel and do something that brings you joy, the best you can.
Next month (yes, it’s already about to be February) is Black History Month. This is our dedicated time to reflect on our important and rich shared history, look at how far we’ve come, and how much work we have yet to do together. Please take some time to engage in learning, listening, and/or acting in a way that furthers our collective progress. More about how you can connect is below.
I also want to take a moment to recognize the four campus staff members who were most mentioned in the Staff@Work survey - Sandy Barbosa (HDH), Carlo del Frate (ITS), Rosie Castaneda (Enrollment Management), and Rashinda Hutchinson (Financial Aid). It takes a lot for people to take the time to mention someone, so this speaks volumes to their exceptional work and contributions to the UC San Diego community! If you know these folks, give them a personal round of applause. Even if you don’t, do it anyway, from wherever you are reading this. It takes a lot of energy to share good energy, and we are all grateful for it! If you would like to see the full list of staff and positive accolades, visit the Tritonlytics website: Staff@Work Survey (ucsd.edu).
Happening Now and Soon
- The new wellness website: https://wellness.ucsd.edu
- Currently available staff/faculty housing at the Framework Apartments
- Updates on the IdeaWave campaign and People Proposition
- Updates on campus health and safety
- Updates from your Staff Association representatives
Enhancing the Employee Experience IdeaWave Campaign Next Steps: As you all know, the campaign ended on January 13, 2023, but the engagement in furtherance of the UC San Diego People Proposition never stops! We are now collecting all of the ideas and comments into categories of:
- The ideas we can control and implement at UC San Diego. We will connect with the idea submitters, as well as commenters who added substance, to form workgroups and/or action plans and keep you all informed of progress.
- The ideas we can influence UC systemwide. Again, we will connect with the idea submitters, as well as commenters who added substance, to formulate a plan to present to the relevant systemwide partners.
- The ideas that will benefit from more clarity around already existing information, procedures or processes. We will provide clarity to the idea submitters and invite their engagement on how to make the information more accessible to all.
Black History Month: There will be several opportunities to get involved and celebrate Black History Month both locally at UC San Diego and systemwide. Housing, Dining & Hospitality, has partnered with the UC San Diego Black Staff Association to host “Celebrating the Joy and Resistance of the African Diaspora,” a day of food, music, dance, education, inspiration and celebration on February 15, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cafe Ventanas. Stay tuned for a Black History month notice and website and find out other ways to Celebrate Black history with the UC.
SAVE THE DATE for President Drake’s Town Hall: President Drake will hold a systemwide UC Town Hall on February 24, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To find out how to register and submit questions, check out the UC News article.
Neurodivergent Support Groups Facilitated by FSAP: These support groups are for UC San Diego campus employees who have been diagnosed with and/or experience challenges associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and/or Learning Disabilities (LDs). Remaining sessions for Campus staff are scheduled for Thursdays in Winter 2023 - 2/9, 2/23, 3/9. Join via Zoom. For information on more FSAP classes, support groups and workshops, please visit the FSAP page.
Triton Treats: Join the Staff Association on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for Triton Treats: Cookies at the Epstein Family Amphitheater.
UC San Diego Extended Studies HR Leadership Remote Event: One of the best ways to gain clarity on our leadership development is to see other leaders' actions and contrast them with ours. The real-life stories and openly shared learning lessons in this session will allow us to gain insight on how to fine-tune our own HR leadership. The event is scheduled for February 8, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Register for the event and receive the link. Highlights of the offering include:
- The action that precedes strategizing
- The power of your dashboard
- The intended and unintended influence of setting standards
- Making ourselves irreplaceable
- HR as Congress
If you are interested in other UC San Diego Extended Studies programs, please check out their website.
Policy Changes
I am excited about this new policy because as President Drake articulated in his letter issuing the policy, “Abusive conduct compromises the vital mission of the University to educate students and serve the residents of California by interfering with an individual’s participation in or benefit from instructional, research, employment, or other programs sponsored by the University. Abusive conduct also undermines the University’s ability to achieve inclusive excellence. It is therefore essential that all members of the University community understand the risk that abusive conduct poses to the University’s ability to thrive as an institution.”
The Abusive Conduct Policy covers abusive conduct and retaliation by and against members of the University community in the workplace and applies to all UC employees (including student employees), unpaid interns, and third parties.
To better understand the concept and definition of abusive conduct, I encourage all employees to review the Frequently Asked Questions section of the policy to help understand what does and does not constitute abusive conduct under the policy.
UC COVID Vaccine Policy Change: After an extensive consultation period that found strong support within the university community for moving forward with a COVID-19 vaccination requirement, UC’s final policy regarding required COVID-19 vaccinations has been approved. There is also a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions about the policy for employees that address many questions and concerns. The highlights of the changes are that the primary vaccine series is still mandated and the boosters are strongly recommended with an ability for employees to opt out. More information on how to make sure you are in compliance as well as updated web pages are coming soon.
News and Resources
New Normal Updates: In alignment with our New Normal and continuous assessment of Cal-OSHA legal requirements as well as our campus data, there are many updates on the Return to Learn (RTL) and Human Resources (HR) pages to assist you in navigating many types of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, in your day to day work. Please review the RTL pages and HR pages for the most up to date information, including:
Thank you for reading this far! This is a lot of information which will hopefully help you navigate your day-to-day work. No one person can make all of this happen, so thank you to all of you who have a part in making this an awesome place to bring your whole self. Take care of yourself and each other. See you at the Town Hall!
