ANR Update

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: Town Hall follow-up FAQs

Town Hall follow-up FAQs 

FAQs have been developed to address questions asked during the May 28 Town Hall meeting concerning safety measures related to COVID-19, budgetary impacts and more. Please visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/safety/files/327731.pdf to read the questions and answers. 

Celebration Corner

BIG congratulations! Together we raised over $88,000 in new support across the state with our second annual Big Dig Day campaign. This is an increase of more than 3x the individual giving from last year. In these unprecedented times, this show of support demonstrates the impact we're having in our communities and the value that donors place on our work.

More than $65,000 of support was designated to 51 counties. We received 773 gifts from 678 donors. Thank you for your participation—and thank you to our donors who extend our reach and help us fulfill our mission for a healthier California. Please share our thank you video with your contacts!

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

Black Lives Matter, Pride Month, budget and Big Dig Day

It's hard to believe it is already Friday; this week has certainly been chaotic. While dealing with the challenges of a pandemic that may be entering a second wave soon, we've all had to process a great deal of emotion over the death of George Floyd and anger over the ongoing injustice against the Black community. As I said earlier this week, our mission to serve California can never fully come to fruition if Black Americans and other historically victimized groups continue to suffer hatred and bias. Easy enough to say, but what does that mean going forward?  

This week, the most important action was to quickly make it clear where we stood on the situation and offer emotional support to our colleagues and communities of color. Let me be clear: Black Lives Matter. It's hard to know if our messages were the best they could be, but they were offered with sincerity and the hope of stimulating productive discussions. Those discussions are critical to next steps; we have to think and learn and then identify where and how we can enhance our programs and policies to build that healthy, peaceful and prosperous California for all.  

I'm not sure what those next steps will encompass, but I am sure that, working together, we can design actions that will help us achieve that goal. As we work toward that, I ask all of you to be open to new ideas and have patience with each other. We are all flawed human beings that are doing the best we can while dealing with a pandemic, an uncertain economy, sheltering-in-place and all the other upheaval that has been thrown at everyone this past few months.

One action that I would like to offer right now is to read this very thoughtful article and one of the best explanations of "white privilege" I've seen. These easy-to-understand, everyday examples are shared with compassion despite the hurt they caused; every white person needs to read this. If your reaction to that is to say, "I don't need to read this because I'm not a racist," then you are probably one of the people that need to read it the most.

Another action is to recognize that June is Pride Month, when we celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and raise awareness of issues facing them. As we offer support to our communities of color, it's important to recognize that this is another group that has long fought to be safe and respected. For people of color who are also LGBTQ+, the challenges they face are often magnified as are the threats. 

In June, every Wednesday at 6 p.m., you are invited to join UC ANR colleagues to view films about LGBTQ+ communities and participate in discussions after the shows from the comfort of wherever you are sheltering in place. The length of each session will vary with the length of the film. Register for the ANR Pride Film Fest at http://ucanr.edu/pride2020 to get the Zoom link.

Before I close, I'm sure many of you have been following our budget situation and actions taken by the state legislature. At this time, we don't know for sure how large of a cut we may be facing, but are preparing for various scenarios. We'll share more detail on that next week. I can commit to you that any actions taken on the budget will prioritize our people. You – our academics, programmatic staff and the support staff that enable them all to be successful – are our most important infrastructure. Without you, the mission cannot be delivered!

To help support that mission, we must raise funds. It was a very hard decision to continue with our Big Dig Day today, given the ongoing angst infusing our communities. I'll be the first to admit, it may not have been the right decision on some levels; on the other hand, many of these funds are used to serve communities in need. The good news is that as of 2:30 p.m. today, we have raised $51,000, which already exceeds individual donations last year. We still hope to hit our goal of $70K before 7 p.m. tonight. If you are able, please visit ucanr.edu/bigdig to give and/or share it with others that may be interested.

In closing, the last action I'll suggest for this week is for you to please take care of yourself. Sleep in this weekend, get out into the sun, spend some quality time (Zoom or in person) with family and friends. Take part (safely) in a protest of some sort or find another way to support our Black community. 

Best wishes and warm regards to all,

Glenda

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

 

Big Dig Day, June 5

Even as we are experiencing pain, fear, anger and hopelessness in reaction to current events, we know the worst of times can bring out the best in people.

As we prepare to launch our Big Dig Day campaign, we recognize fundraising messaging can and should be sensitive to the difficult time our country is enduring on so many levels.

People want to help. So we will continue to invite our donors, neighbors, colleagues, family and friends to support the work we do to bring people together for a healthier California—and world beyond.

The mission and work of UC ANR are important. We have provided critical resources to communities in California during the depression, war-time, civil unrest and pandemics. With the support of our employees, our stakeholders and the communities we touch, we will grow our programs and continue to share the knowledge of the University across California.

I hope all of you will join me in supporting Big Dig Day tomorrow, June 5. I know not everyone is in a position to make a financial gift, but there are many ways to support—change your Facebook profile frame to UCANR Big Dig, post on social media, and send an email to your network sharing the Big Dig site ucanr.edu/bigdig. Now more than ever, we need to be reaching out.

If you need help with messaging or have questions about ways to be involved, please contact Emily Delk on our Development team (eddelk@ucanr.edu).   

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

A moment of silence and reflection

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of Senate Chair Bhavnani, please read the attached statement from the Academic Council and join the UC community in honoring George Floyd and other victims of police murder and brutality with a minute of silence and reflection at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, June 4. The time was selected because it is the time that George Floyd's memorial service is scheduled to begin.

As the Council members aptly state, we must work to combat systemic oppression and to create an environment that is more inclusive of and welcoming to African Americans along with other historically victimized groups. 

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President  

UC ANR stands firmly by values of diversity and inclusivity

Dear Colleagues,

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the wave of emotions we are all feeling. Our nation has been shaken by the tragic death of yet another unarmed Black man, George Floyd. This brutal event, followed by protests by those who are grieving, has now led to a level of violence that has been shocking to all of us. A great many of us are experiencing pain, fear, anger and hopelessness. Let me assure you, that the leaders of UC ANR, including myself, stand firmly by our values of diversity and inclusivity and denounce all forms of bigotry. To those within our community who have suffered from such bigotry, we stand with you and with everyone who stands against racism, racial profiling, police brutality, and injustice. 

I strongly support the statement released by President Napolitano and Regents' Chair John Perez on behalf on the UC system. Among other points, it recognizes that silence is complicity: “No matter how difficult, we must individually and collectively reflect on the lives lost unnecessarily, and address head on the systemic problems and challenges we all face as a society.” President Napolitano further stated that one of UC's bedrock principles is “…that all people are equal and deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. We all deserve to live, work and go about our lives without fear."

Although we may feel hopeless and despair, we can be part of the solution. As stated in our UC ANR Principles of Community: “Members of the far-reaching UC ANR community have the right to work in an environment that promotes fairness, trust, respect, and physical and emotional safety and security.” Such principles are not just for the workplace, they need to extend to all interactions we have with others.  Let's continue to take action and confront bigotry while striving to create the open and equitable society that we are all entitled to.

California's strength is its diversity; our UC ANR mission has always been to serve all segments of the state's population. I ask that everyone think proactively about how we can help our communities move forward. Whether you are helping small farmers reach new markets, preparing our youth to participate in civic engagement, helping limited-resource families access resources, or working on any of our many other wide-ranging programs, you truly make a difference in the lives of all Californians. You, the multi-talented ANR staff and academics, are responsible for that, and I deeply thank you for your work and dedication. 

There is much work yet to do. The UC ANR Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Alliance is building institutional support for all ANR personnel to learn and contribute to these efforts. I hope you will join as well.

We care about every one of you. Please stay safe and be sure to care for yourself and your loved ones in this difficult time. 

Best wishes and warmest regards,

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

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