UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals who are employed or participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation or intimidation.
Our commitment includes complying with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment and sexual violence are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX.
To fulfill its obligations under Title IX and other related state and federal laws, including the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which amended the Clery Act, effective January 1, 2016, the University implemented an updated Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy. The updated policy outlines the University's procedures for responding promptly and effectively to reports of prohibited conduct such as sexual harassment and sexual violence, which includes sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and gender-based harassment. The policy prohibits retaliation against a person for the good-faith reporting of any of these forms of conduct or participating in any related investigation or proceeding. The University of California systemwide Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment is available online at http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH.
UC ANR's local procedures have been added to the Administrative Handbook and are available at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/255148.pdf on page 5. The procedures for reporting incidents are also located on UC ANR's Discrimination and Sexual Violence Prevention website under Reporting Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment.
To further support the UC ANR community, we recently expanded our resources by adding the UC Davis Center for Advocacy Resources and Education(CARE). CARE is the Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Sexual Misconduct, and it serves as a confidential resource for UC ANR staff and academics, as well as students, who have experienced any form of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic/dating violence and stalking. CARE provides 24/7 emergency response, crisis intervention and support services for survivors.
All UC employees (except those specifically identified and designated as confidential employees) are required to notify the Title IX Officer if they receive information from a student about a possible incident of sexual violence or sexual harassment. CARE and the UC Davis Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) can offer confidential consultations without reporting the incident to the Title IX Officer.
Any member of the UC ANR community may report conduct that may constitute sexual violence, sexual harassment, retaliation and other prohibited behavior by contacting the UC ANR Title IX Officer, John Sims, or another Responsible Employee. A Responsible Employee in UC ANR who receives a report alleging sexual violence or sexual harassment must promptly notify the UC ANR Title IX Officer even if the individual making the report requests that no action be taken. Responsible Employees include academic appointees, all personnel of the UC ANR Human Resources Office and directors, managers and supervisors.
Anyone who is aware of an act or acts of violence can anonymously report the incident by reporting the incident to The UC Whistleblower hotline at http://www.ucop.edu/uc-whistleblower or (800) 403-4744.
The University will respond promptly and effectively to any report of harassment and discrimination and will take appropriate action to prevent, correct and, when necessary, discipline behavior that violates University policy.
Creating an atmosphere free of violence, harassment and discrimination for everyone to work and learn is a responsibility that we all share. Thank you for helping maintain a safe and comfortable community for UC ANR members and stakeholders.
For more information, please visit UC ANR's Discrimination and Sexual Violence Prevention website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/DiscriminationSexual_Violence.
Recently hired academics are invited to join ANR leadership for the third Programmatic Orientation on Oct. 17-19 to discuss the mission of UC ANR and our varied roles in California and the university. Please hold the dates.
Take this opportunity to engage in discussions with colleagues about the resources and opportunities available through ANR as a division.
All UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists, academic coordinators, academic administrators and Agricultural Experiment Station faculty who have been hired in recent years and have not attended an ANR Programmatic Orientation in the past are welcome.
The event will be held at a research and extension center yet to be determined.
For more information, contact the UC ANR Program Support Unit at (530) 750-1256 or (530) 750-1260.
In accordance with the Earned Income Tax Credit Information Act, the university includes a notice with all Form W-2 statements notifying employees that they may be eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Please note below an important amendment to this required notice, notifying employees that they may also be eligible for the California EITC:
Based on your annual earnings, you may be eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit from the federal government (federal EITC). The federal EITC is a refundable federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. The federal EITC has no effect on certain welfare benefits. In most cases, federal EITC payments will not be used to determine eligibility for Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, low-income housing, or most Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments. Even if you do not owe federal taxes, you must file a federal tax return to receive the federal EITC. Be sure to fill out the federal EITC form in the federal income tax return booklet. For information regarding your eligibility to receive the federal EITC, including information on how to obtain the IRS Notice 797 or any other necessary forms and instructions, contact the Internal Revenue Service by calling 1-800-829-3676 or through its website at www.irs.gov.
You also may be eligible to receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit (California EITC) starting with the calendar year 2015 tax year. The California EITC is a refundable state income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. The California EITC is treated in the same manner as the federal EITC and generally will not be used to determine eligibility for welfare benefits under California law. To claim the California EITC, even if you do not owe California taxes, you must file a California income tax return and complete and attach the California EITC form (FTB 3514). For information on the availability of the credit, eligibility requirements, and how to obtain the necessary California forms and get help filing, contact the Franchise Tax Board at 1-800-852-5711 or through its website at www.ftb.ca.gov.
The 50th World Agricultural Expo was held Feb. 14-16, 2017, in Tulare. The three-day show was attended by 105,780 people representing 43 states and 71 countries, according to its website. UC ANR participated by hosting a newsmakers event for journalists and sponsoring four booths displaying information about the division's array of research and programs.
At the booths, 4-H members and UC ANR scientists greeted visitors and answered questions. Visitors were invited to take a picture with a UC ANR frame and post it to social media with the hashtag #UCWorldAg to be entered in a contest to win a FitBit.
On the first day of the show, reporters were invited to meet UC ANR scientists, who gave 3-minute descriptions of their research. Rose Hayden-Smith, editor of the UC Food Observer blog, was the emcee. The speakers were as follows:
- Mary Lu Arpaia, UC Cooperative Extension horticulturist, UC Riverside, based at the Kearney REC in Parlier,avocadoes
- Khaled Bali, UCCE irrigation water management specialist, based at KREC, automated irrigation systems
- Peggy Lemaux, UCCE plant genetics specialist, UC Berkeley, and Jeff Dahlberg, KREC director and UCCE specialist, plant breeding and genetics, $12.3 million study on sorghum
- Lupita Fábregas, UCCE 4-H Youth Development advisor and assistant director for diversity and expansion, outreach to Latino communities
- Maggi Kelly, UCCE specialist and director of the UC Statewide Informatics and Geographic Information Systems program, UC Berkeley, research using drones
- Doug Parker, director, UC California Institute for Water Resources, drought
- Alireza Pourreza, UCCE agricultural engineering advisor, based at KREC, early detection of huanglongbing disease in citrus
- Leslie Roche, UCCE rangeland management specialist, UC Davis, drought management on rangeland
- Samuel Sandoval Solis, UCCE specialist in water resources, UC Davis, groundwater management
UC ANR and UC Food Observer live-streamed the talks on Facebook Live and on Twitter via Periscope. UC Food Observer's Facebook video of the event has been viewed nearly 5,000 times.
On the second day of the expo, a seminar on the changing role of women in agriculture was presented by VP Glenda Humiston, CDFA secretary Karen Ross and president of American AgriWomen Doris Mold. The speakers noted that women have always been involved in agriculture, but cultural bias often left them feeling that their role was inferior to the roles of male family members. The USDA's next census of agriculture will have questions designed to count women as industry workers even if they might consider their husbands or fathers to be the primary operators of the farm.
Humiston told the audience there are many career opportunities for women in agriculture, not just on the farm. She encouraged the young women and girls in the audience to look for opportunities in allied industries. For career advancement, women can join professional organizations and serve on committees, take advantage of training programs and run for leadership positions.
The panelists suggested that women also identify mentors — both men and women — who can help steer young professional women into successful agricultural careers.
Seeking to sharpen your skills to advance your career? You now have 24/7 access to on-demand training. UC ANR has upgraded its relationship with Lynda.com, which offers more than 6,000 video courses taught by professional instructors.
Lynda.com now provides ANR users a personalized learning dashboard and allows creation of personal training playlists. With a valid ucanr.edu email address, you now have a free subscription to Lynda.com, an online library that teaches the latest software tools, business skills and leadership development through high-quality instructional videos. To learn more, we suggest that you watch this introductory video about the service, and watch the course "How to use Lynda.com."
To access:
- Login with your ANR portal account https://ucanr.edu/portal/
- Click on the "Lynda.com Learning" link under "My Links" on the left
- From this page, you can either setup your Lynda.com account or go to the Lynda.com login page https://www.lynda.com to login to your account.
Only ANR users with an "@ucanr.edu" email account can sign up for a Lynda.com account.
Benefits to using Lynda.com include:
- Unlimited access to courses on a wide variety of technology and disciplines
- Up-to-date content to keep skills current and to learn new skills
- New courses added every week
- Access to instructors' exercise files to follow along as you learn
- Closed captioning and searchable, timecoded transcripts
- Beginner- to advanced-level courses
- The option to watch complete courses or individual videos as you need them
- Earn certificates to post to your LinkedIn profile
- Download courses to use offline
Join us for our first “Learn it with Lynda.com” lunch and learn on Wednesday, March 15, from noon to 1 pm. Fill out this survey to RSVP.
For more information, contact Jodi Azulai at (530) 750-1239 or jlazulai@ucanr.edu.
