UC Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy on University of California Research Data and Tangible Research Materials. The policy is a new policy that describes the responsibilities of the campus leadership and its researchers concerning the access to, and retention and maintenance of research data and tangible research materials produced during the course of University research. The policy addresses the following key issues:

• The policy affirms that the Regents of the University of California own all research data and tangible research materials.
• Research data and tangible research materials must be retained as long as required by funders, publishers, campus policy, compliance or regulatory bodies, applicable law, relevant agreements, and in accordance with the standards of the principal investigators' scholarly disciplines. 
• When principal investigators leave the University, research data and tangible research materials remain the property of the Regents of the University of California, however, Principal investigators may generally take copies of Research Data generated under their research projects.

The proposed policy is posted at https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Administration/Business_Operations/Controller/Administrative_Policies_-_Business_Contracts/Policy_and_administrative_handbooks/ANR_Administrative_Handbook/Recent_Updates/

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than April 7, 2021. Please indicate “Research Data and Tangible Research Materials” in the subject line.

The Controller's office is pleased to announce the publication of the UC ANR Administrative Responsibilities Guide (ARG). 

The ARG provides general guidance and support for all personnel with administrative and/or financial oversight responsibilities. It is a guidebook to the expertise and assistance available from central administrative support, and is designed to define and clarify areas of accountability.  

The ARG is wide-ranging in nature, in contrast to UC ANR's Policy and Procedure Manual, which provides detailed information and instructions. 

Questions regarding the ARG may be directed to Catherine Montano at cmontano@ucanr.edu.

A new Presidential Policy which ensures that all University-issued identification documents display personal identification information that recognizes an individual's accurate gender identity and lived name.

In brief, the policy stipulates that the University must provide the minimum three equally recognized gender options in university information systems — woman, man, and nonbinary — and an efficient process for current students, employees, and UC alumni and affiliates to retroactively amend their gender designations and lived names in information systems, on university-issued documents, including eligible academic documents.

This policy is effective as of November 6, 2020, with full implementation of the policy and procedures to be completed no later than December 31, 2023. This policy has undergone the full systemwide review process and will be posted online at http://policy.ucop.edu/.

You can also view the Letter from the President, the new Presidential Policy and Appendix I here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Administration/Business_Operations/Controller/Administrative_Policies_-_Business_Contracts/Policy_and_administrative_handbooks/ANR_Administrative_Handbook/Recent_Updates/

UC ANR has been using a web-based daily “clearance to work survey” to ensure that employees who are working onsite or engaged in in-person field work, research, or extension activities are free of COVID-19 symptoms. An offline or paper version of the survey is also available for volunteers or employees who cannot access the online survey. Symptom screening is a statewide recommendation for all employers and is required by UC guidance for campuses and ANR locations that have personnel working onsite. The UC Symptom Screening Task Force guidance also states that arrangements must be made to require the same or equivalent screening not only of students, academics, and staff but also guests, contractors, vendors, and members of the public who are permitted access to UC facilities.

To comply with this UC systemwide guidance and to increase the protection of our employees, beginning August 3, all visitors to UC ANR facilities must also complete a Visitor Clearance Survey prior to entry. Only visitors who receive a “Cleared to Enter” result will be allowed access. Visitors who are denied entry should be provided information about other ways to interact with UC ANR remotely, such as information available on websites, scheduling a phone consultation, video meetings, etc.

When visitors from a UC campus or vendors whose employer has a symptom screening process can demonstrate that they have already passed their institution's screening, those results will be acceptable to enter the UC ANR facility. Additionally, for UCCE offices, a County's symptom screening process will be acceptable to enter the UC ANR spaces.

To maintain privacy, UC ANR personnel will not record or retain the responses of any person's Visitor Clearance Work Survey, but will only keep a record of the final survey result, i.e.: “Cleared to Enter,” or “Stay Home,” using a daily visitor log or sign-in sheet to record survey clearance status.

The UC ANR Visitor Clearance Survey and additional instructions and details about the survey are posted on the UC ANR COVID-19 webpage: http://ucanr.edu/covid19 under “Standards for Resuming In-Person Activities.”