ANR Update

Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy updated

Dear Colleagues, 

I am writing to remind you that 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 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. 

Regards, 

Glenda Humiston
Vice President 
Agriculture and Natural Resources 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

ANR timeline for staff performance appraisals differs from campuses

On March 5, ANR Human Resources launched the 2017-18 Annual Staff Performance Appraisal Process. The UC Davis campus has also announced their annual “call” for staff performance appraisals. Please be aware that ANR has a separate process and timeline. Please do not utilize the UC Davis online system for submitting Summary of Accomplishments and Employee Performance Appraisals.

It is critical that all units meet the May 14 deadline for submitting proposed overall ratings. 

This timeline is subject to change with prior notice:

• Mar 1-Mar 23: Employee prepares Summary of Accomplishments (SOA) Supervisor option: Employee prepares Self-Assessment using the Performance Appraisal form
• Mar 23-May 11: Supervisor meets with employee to review SOA Supervisor drafts Employee Performance Appraisal Supervisor confirms agreement on proposed rating with second-level supervisor 
• May 14: Proposed overall ratings and draft appraisals due to ANR Human Resources
• May 14-Jun 1: HR reviews proposed ratings for consistency, and confirms final ratings
• Jun 1-Jul 31: Supervisor meets with employee to communicate overall rating

If you are uncertain about the process, please reach out to your supervisor or contact Mary Vlandis at (530) 750-1321 or maryvlandis@ucanr.edu. 

Forms and more information regarding the ANR process are available on the Staff Human Resources webpage http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRSPU/Supervisor_Resources/Performance_Management.

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

ANR to seek alternate funding for 4-H shooting sports

Many of you may have seen the article that was published last Friday in the Sacramento Bee: “This Sacramento-area school district gets more NRA money than any other in the U.S.” It reported that several local school districts and the University of California system received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the National Rifle Association between 2010 and 2016. UCOP spokeswoman Dianne Klein was interviewed and explained that UC ANR runs the statewide 4-H youth development program and that the NRA grants went to 4-H shooting clubs. "Going forward, ANR will not apply for any such grants from the NRA Foundation," Klein said.

We have received many questions concerning this article and the position that UC has taken. Although I was unavailable to give an official UC ANR comment that day, we had already begun looking into this situation and were developing a similar message. The challenge for ANR is that this is a very polarizing issue and there is no position we can take that will satisfy everyone. We have stakeholders who passionately believe 4-H should not offer the Shooting Sports program at all while others feel that we are questioning their support for gun ownership if we discontinue accepting funds from the NRA. There are many perspectives on this challenging issue; ANR will do our best to serve most of our stakeholders while not yielding to societal pressures at either extreme.

The 4-H Shooting Sports program is popular among 4-H families and based on a National 4-H curriculum that provides instruction in the safe handling of firearms and archery equipment, develops self-confidence and leadership skills in 4-H participants, and instills appreciation for conservation and outdoor recreation. Youth have opportunities to compete in state and national meets and strive to qualify for Olympic teams. We have had 4-H youth in California earn college scholarships in the shooting sports.

As with all 4-H programs, the Shooting Sports program relies on adult volunteers who are trained in positive youth development and to deliver curriculum developed by academics. Furthermore:

• 4-H Shooting Sports programs are offered in most UCCE county programs, with more than 4,000 youths enrolled in California.
• ANR Risk & Safety Services has participated in the development and implementation of the 4-H Shooting Sports policies, procedures and specific safety protocols; and monitors compliance with UC ANR Firearms Policy & Procedures in an ongoing basis.
• Disciplines include archery, muzzle loading, air pistol, rifle and shotgun along with hunting and outdoor skills.
• 4-H Shooting Sports programs do not involve or endorse assault style weapons and do not use any humanoid targets or images.

As one of the nation's largest youth development programs, Cooperative Extension stands behind the integrity of our research-based programs that produce hands-on learning in science, health and well-being and civic engagement. 4-H does not endorse or oppose any legislation or political stance.

Having said that, there are times when we must demonstrate our values. UC has done that previously by divesting to end apartheid and refusing to accept funds from tobacco sales. Our decision to not pursue NRA funding for youth programs has nothing to do with the Second Amendment or opinions on best ways to ensure child safety. We are parting ways with the NRA now because they have become a polarizing, divisive force across the US and their recent treatment of young adults does not align with 4-H values on civic engagement.

UC ANR will continue to support our 4-H Shooting Sports program while also joining with the many sporting goods stores, corporations, and school systems that are rejecting ties to the NRA. We hope that you will work with us to use this as a teachable moment on public discourse and the responsibilities of major institutions to take a stand on behalf of their values. We will need your support to develop alternate funding moving forward, while also helping to promote civil dialogue on a challenging issue.

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston
vice president

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages 

RECs develop new funding model

The Research and Extension Center (REC) System is a key component of UC ANR (Cooperative Extension + Agricultural Experiment Station + Research and Extension Centers + Statewide Programs). Each of the nine RECs is unique and offers a wide array of opportunities to research and extension personnel within the University of California, and to our external partners. UC ANR will continue to deploy funds to support research projects. However, these funds do not go as far because salaries, benefits, and infrastructure expenditures continue to rise, while state and federal support for the Land Grant systems continue to decline or remain flat.

To address these budgetary issues, cost increases must be offset by increasing the proportion of research costs covered by research projects. We project that approximately 25 percent of today's central funding will need to be redirected to cover increases in personnel salaries and benefits, deferred maintenance, strategic investments to ensure long-term operation of the REC System for generations to come, and increases in operating expenditures that are not included in research expenses. Increased expenses will be covered over time through a combination of fund development, increased revenue generated through increased programming and services, increased efficiency of business operations, and a reduction in the current level of research funding by UC ANR which, at present, averages approximately 80 percent across all REC supported projects.

For over a year now, we have been working to secure a bright future for the REC System by looking at the research that is conducted at each REC and considering how we do business now and in the future. In addition to the current work and programming that occurs at each REC every day, there is incredible untapped potential for new research and programs. Improved understanding of the cost to conduct research has been a key part of the review process undertaken at each of the centers over the past year. A deep dive into the accounting and cost structure has occurred at each facility; identifying the lines of service at the facility and the costs to provide those services. The FY 2018-19 cost structures for each center have been submitted to the UC ANR Rate and Recharge Committee for review this past week. Following review, the REC System will receive feedback and recommendations for changes to be made prior to rate approval.

We aim to have the full cost structures approved by late April 2018. Concurrent with the effort to identify costs for each line of service is work by each REC director to identify the level of funding that will be available in their individual budgets to reduce those costs to support research projects at each facility. We anticipate these rates will be available in late April for projects conducted in FY 2018-19 and with estimates for FY 2019-20 available at the same time.

Continuing a long tradition of supporting impactful research at each REC to solve agricultural and natural resource issues remains our highest priority. Ramp up of fund development efforts and identification of new or additional income opportunities at each REC will take time as will the ability for these strategies to offset research costs. In the meantime, the REC directors have identified that providing extra financial support to UC academics who have been in their jobs 6 years or less is critical to the success of new and early career UC academics. To the extent that UC ANR funding permits, extra financial support may also be provided to support exploratory or high risk/high reward projects, projects that extend critical, underfunded, long-term research, and projects conducted by PIs who are first time users of the REC.

While the current budgeting efforts come with uncertainty and discomfort in the short-term, change is needed to secure long-term success. The leaders of each REC and UC ANR senior leaders are committed to transparency of research costs, exemplary customer service and investment into facilities and infrastructure that further our ability for sustained growth of the REC System.

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston, vice president

Wendy Powers, associate vice president

Tu Tran, associate vice president, Business Operations

Jeff Dahlberg, director, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Jairo Diaz, director, Desert Research and Extension Center

Jose Fernandez De Soto, director, Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Beth Grafton-Cardwell, director, Lindcove Research and Extension Center

Darren Haver, director, South Coast Research and Extension Center

Bob Hutmacher, director, West Side Research and Extension Center

Jeremy James, director, Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center

Kim Rodrigues, director, Hopland Research and Extension Center

Rob Wilson, director, Intermountain Research and Extension Center

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

2018 Call for Cooperative Extension positions update

Colleagues,

The 2018 Call for Cooperative Extension (CE) positions was released on Feb. 7 with the aim to identify positions that address programmatic gaps and emerging needs. The call, including the new process flowchart and timeline, criteria, proposal template and interactive academic footprint maps are posted at http://ucanr.edu/2018callforpositions.

Here's a quick update:

• CE Advisor position proposals – The county directors and REC directors have narrowed their list of proposed CE advisor positions to 27. They have discussed these with program team leaders and statewide program/institute directors. Through ongoing two-way communication, we encourage them to work with program teams, statewide programs/institutes and external stakeholders to develop those proposals. At their May 10 meeting, county directors and REC directors will further narrow to the 20 proposed positions for submittal May 15. The list of 27, and those that aren't moving forward but can be picked up by other groups such as program teams and statewide programs/institutes, are posted along with more detail on their next steps.

• CE Specialist position proposals – Conversations for the proposed CE specialist positions have also begun. Through two-way communication, department chairs, CE specialists, Agricultural Experiment Station faculty will engage with program teams, statewide programs/institutes and external stakeholders to develop positions. The list of department chairs to contact is posted, as will be proposal ideas when available (no later than April 20). The final list of 20 proposed positions will be submitted by May 15.

The information described above can be found on the proposal ideas web page at http://ucanr.edu/2018positionproposalideas.

We thank the ANR network for actively engaging in this participatory process to strength and rebuild CE positions statewide.

Sincerely,

Wendy Powers

Associate Vice President

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

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