Sept. 15 - Chancellor Town Hall recap, students: show your ZotPass
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Tolkienesque grove by McGaugh Hall. Photo by Ian Parker
Each day, a UCI expert will answer one of your questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.
For today’s Ask the Expert, we are recapping the Campus Dialogues Fall Welcome Town Hall hosted by Chancellor Gillman and featuring a variety of campus leaders.
The campus COVID-19 vaccination levels were shared, as of the time of the Town Hall:
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92% of faculty and staff are fully vaccinated
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5% of employees have authorized exemptions or accommodations
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97% of employees are compliant with the UC COVID-19 vaccine policy
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95% of students in housing are vaccinated
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About 90% of all students are fully vaccinated
Bryant Garth, interim dean of the School of Law shared how they have been in person for three weeks with very positive feedback. Students are enthusiastic and faculty are seeing increased student engagement. There have been a few COVID-19 cases but the campus infrastructure in place is handling those exceptionally.
Town Hall regular David Souleles, director of UCI’s COVID-19 Response Team shared the layered approach to keeping the campus as safe as possible citing vaccine as the key to allowing us to reopen in person. Several hundred beds are set aside for students who may need to quarantine or isolate. But – and this is new – if you are called because you are a close contact, but you are fully vaccinated and not showing symptoms, then you will not need to isolate under current guidance.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer Ramona Agrela reminded viewers of the wellness resources available for employees, which can all be found at https://www.hr.uci.edu/wellness/.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Willie Banks shared some upcoming events and activities for students beginning with new student convocation on Sept. 20. The events are listed on the web page https://campusgroups.uci.edu/events. There are also resources for second year Anteaters at https://students.uci.edu/secondyear/.
Athletic Director Paula Smith gave an update on intercollegiate athletics reporting that we have 18 Division 1 programs, all of which will have a traditional schedule of competitions this year. Those schedules are available at https://ucirvinesports.com/calendar and for watching a competition virtually, go to https://ucirvinesports.com/coverage.
Julia Lupton, a professor in the School of Humanities, shared on arts and culture initiatives and the Illuminations program, which is free of charge and accessible to everyone. More information and a list of events are located at https://illuminations.uci.edu.
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Ria Carlson provided an overview of UCI’s information hub for all things COVID and the return to campus. The UCI Forward website can be accessed directly from UCI’s home page or at https://uci.edu/coronavirus/ and is updated daily. Once in the site, viewers can locate information by audience or by subject.
Viewers were reminded of what to do if there is a COVID-19 case: contact UCI’s COVID Response center at 949-824-9918 or covid19@uci.edu. Do not cancel class, close an office, figure out the close contacts – there is an infrastructure for all that as well as for cleaning the exposed area, and the COVID Response Center is the best place to start.
The livestream of the Town Hall is available on the Campus Dialogues page at UCI Forward.
Previous recorded events from the Dialogue Series:
Return to Campus: Facilities & Environmental Health
Navigating the New Hybrid Work Environment
Managing Campus Public Health & Individual Care
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Students: show your ZotPass!
Starting this Fall, students on campus may be asked to “Show Your ZotPass!” to ensure compliance with the UC COVID-19 Vaccination Program, the Daily Symptom Check, and applicable testing requirements. When your Daily Symptom Check is submitted, you will receive a confirmation ZotPass showing your status for the day. The ZotPasses look like this:
UCI Police Department data dashboard launches
Furthering UCI’s commitment to transparency and accountability, the UCI Police Department data dashboard is launched. Updated monthly, available data includes statistics related to police stops and arrests, use of force, and weapons-drawn incidents, as well as crime statistics.
Field study focuses on student reflections
Student reflections of a historic time — 2020-present — are being recorded and archived as part of the School of Social Ecology’s field study project that was created last year when the pandemic caused schools and businesses to shut down or limit activities. More than 180 students, who all have been trained in oral history and ethnographic techniques, have contributed to the project so far.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
UC scores top spots in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 university rankings
Six University of California campuses are among the top 10 public universities in America, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings. The magazine also placed eight of UC’s undergraduate campuses on its coveted list of the top 100 public and private universities across the country.
EVENTS
Reimagining the Latinx Experience in America
Thursday, noon (sponsored by UCI Law)
Researcher Workbench Seminar
Thursday at 1 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Health)
Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.
UCI IN THE NEWS
With pandemic lingering, Orange County universities strive for in-person experience
The Orange County Register, Sept. 15
Cited: David Souleles, director of UCI’s COVID-19 response team
Opinion: Democrats should finally close the carried interest loophole for the wealthy
The Washington Post, Sept. 14 (Opinion)
Author: Victor Fleischer, tax law professor
10 years later, was the Occupy Wall Street movement effective?
Marketplace, Sept. 14 (Audio)
Guest: David S. Meyer, professor of sociology
COVID-19 NOTIFICATION AND RESOURCES
New campus cases
One on-campus employee and one on-campus student tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.
Remember to upload your vaccine record
Vaccination is a critical step toward our campus's fall return. Help our community by uploading your vaccine record.
Potential workplace exposure
UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.
For COVID-19 questions
UCI Forward - information on campus status and operational updates
UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health
UCI Coronavirus Response Center - available at covid19@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-9918
Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services - assistance with vaccines and vaccine uploads; available at contacttracing@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-2300
Program in Public Health chatline - answers to questions about COVID-19
For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.