Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share important changes to UC policy regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment and to offer a reminder about the resources available to the ANR community. All UC locations have been working together to update policies and procedures, and a few recent changes deserve special notice.
The UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy now requires every ANR employee to notify the Title IX office when they receive information from a UC student about an alleged violation. Although most ANR academics and staff do not have regular contact with UC students, it's important to be aware of this new policy requirement.
Moreover, all ANR academics and managers/supervisors must notify the Title IX office when they receive information of alleged sexual misconduct from any member of the ANR community, including reports from program participants, volunteers, as well as reports from ANR employees.
John I. Sims recently was named the new Title IX Officer for ANR, replacing Linda Marie Manton, who retired in December. In this role, John is the contact point to respond to alleged violations and can be reached at (530) 750-1397 and jsims@ucanr.edu.
Confidential counseling and referral services for ANR academics and staff employees are available through the UC Davis Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) at (916) 734-2727 and www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/hr/hrdepts/asap.
Finally, the updated policy also includes a new training requirement for all employees. This training program will better prepare all of us to fulfill our obligations and learn about our roles and responsibilities. Academics and supervisors — who have been required to take such training for several years — will see new, updated content in their training and will maintain their current training schedule. Non-supervisory staff will be required to complete a 50-minute, web-based sexual harassment prevention training by May 1, 2016. Ongoing training for all employees will be required annually.
You can expect to receive more details about the new training requirement in the coming weeks.
For more information on how to prevent and respond to sexual violence, visit the ANR website http://ucanr.edu/sites/DiscriminationSexual_Violence.
Preventing and responding to sexual violence is a duty we all share. Thank you for being a part of the solution.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
The University of California is proposing revisions to Staff Policy 21 – Selection and Appointment, which applies to staff employees in the Professional & Support Staff and Managers & Senior Professionals personnel groups and to Senior Management Group members.
The revisions are intended to clarify the selection and appointment process. There is expanded content on background checks, including a new section on how to review and assess the background check results, and a new section on reference checks.
The proposed policy is posted on UCnet: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/tools-and-services/administrators/policies/proposed/ppsm-21.pdf
Employees covered by this policy who wish to provide comments on the proposed revisions may submit them to rgsanchez@ucanr.edu by Friday, March 4, 2016.
The University's mileage reimburse rates for expenses incurred in connection with the business use of a private automobile will decrease in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rates published in IRS Notice 2016-1. The following new rates are effective for expenses incurred on or after Jan. 1, 2016:
- The reimbursement rate for the use of a private automobile for University business travel will decrease from 57.5 cents a mile to 54 cents a mile.
- The reimbursement rate for driving or shipping an automobile in connection with a move or relocation will decrease from 23 cents a mile to 19 cents a mile.
I would like to remind the campuses that we are considered a public agency. As such, we should use University resources in a prudent manner. University employees traveling on official business shall observe normally accepted standards of propriety in the type and manner of expenses they incur, and avoid any expenditure that would appear extravagant or lavish under the circumstances.
Business and Finance Bulletin G-28, Travel Regulations, will be revised to include the mileage rate change. If you have any questions, please call John Barrett at (510) 987-0903.
Nathan Brostrom
UC Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking public comment on the development of a policy to increase access to the results of federally funded agricultural research. Dr. Catherine Woteki, the USDA's Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics announced today that USDA will receive comment at two live teleconferences and via email through Dec. 9, 2015.
"Our goal is to help stakeholders understand and participate in planning for an increase in public access to scholarly publications and scientific data funded by USDA,” said Woteki. “We see this increased access as an opportunity to raise the profile of the field of agricultural research, highlighting its many contributions to scientific innovation and its value to society. Stakeholder insights are vital to planning this new era of open access so we can best meet the needs of society and of scientists.”
The two webinars and their topics have been scheduled as follows:
- Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, 11 a.m. Pacific Time: Policy impacts related to scholarly papers
Participant Instructions
The conference begins at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. Eastern Time) on Nov. 23, 2015; you may join 10 minutes prior.
Step 1: http://ems7.intellor.com/login/700719
Step 2: Instructions for connecting to conference audio will then be presented on your computer. If you will be connecting via the AT&T Connect Participant Application, we strongly recommend that you install version 11.5 prior to the conference. If you are unable to do so, we recommend you join the conference using the Web Participant Application. If you are unable to connect to the conference by computer, you may listen by telephone only at 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633 using 0387588# or Find an Alternate Number. If you need technical assistance, call the Help Desk at 1-888-796-6118 or 1-847-562-7015.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, 11 a.m. Pacific Time: Policy impacts related to scientific data
Participant Instructions
Please copy and paste these instructions and provide to participants only.
The conference begins at 2:00 PM Eastern Time on December 04, 2015; you may join 10 minutes prior.
Step 1: http://ems7.intellor.com/login/700706
Step 2: Instructions for connecting to conference audio will then be presented on your computer
You will be connected to the conference with the AT&T Connect Web Participant Application - there is no software download or installation required. If you are unable to connect to the conference by computer, you may listen by telephone only at 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633 using 0392090# or Find an Alternate Number. If you need technical assistance, call the Help Desk at 1-888-796-6118 or 1-847-562-7015.
The public can also submit comments in writing by either sending them online to: (USDAresearchaccess@nifa.usda.gov) or mailing them to:
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
c/o Paul Tanger, Institute of Food Production and Sustainability
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 2240
Washington, DC 20250-2201
Comments will be received through Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015.
In 2013, the current administration directed federal science agencies to develop plans to increase access to the results of federally funded scientific research. Since then, USDA has been drafting a public access policy for federally funded scholarly publications as well as for scientific datasets produced with the use of federal funds.
The listening sessions should be of particular interest to stakeholders who have an interest in the public access of federally funded agricultural research data. These stakeholders include federally funded researchers, industry scientists, producers, universities, libraries, publishers, users of federally funded research results, and civil society groups.
For more information on public access to scholarly publications and digital scientific data policy development and implementation plans, visit http://www.ree.usda.gov.
After a concerted effort over the summer, the University of California's Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment is now ready for its final review and vetting.
To read the proposed revised Presidential Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence, visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/VAWA/SHSV_Employee_Comment.
If you have any questions or wish to comment on the policy, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu no later than Oct. 31, 2015.
