Dear DFA members,
I am forwarding to you an invitation that Walter Leal is sending out. While this is not a DFA event, I think this will likely be of interest to you. In a followup message he added: “If you are a UC Davis faculty member, I strongly recommend that you participate in this conversation tomorrow at 4 pm, even if you cannot stay for the entire event. See registration below. There is a little something unique to UC Davis that you should know about it. It is not about the impending ballot.”
Sincerely,
Jesse Drew, Chair of the Davis Faculty Association
Dear UC Colleagues, there were about 60 comments on President Drake’s response to our letter, with many great questions, including the one in the subject line. Other questions included healthcare cost figures, op-eds, cybersecurity training, a systemwide vote of no confidence, and unionizing.
To address these questions, I am hosting a Zoom call (UC Faculty Conversation) to discuss the pros and cons of these ideas/suggestions this Thursday, Nov. 21st, at 4 p.m. (Time is of the essence and is not on our side.) I have arranged a large room with 1,000 “seats.” It requires registration; it is not a generic ZOOM meeting. I am sending this registration link only to faculty who signed the letter: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r8ZmrCDUTKS32wi6FjF3xA
How are we going to make this work?
We will allow everyone to participate in some format, but to streamline the process, we will have faculty giving introductory remarks (ca. 3-4 min) about each topic. Tentative program (to be updated)
Peter Burke, UCI – Information Cybersecurity Investments Plan – Lack of communication and potential effects on faculty
Kalju Kahn, UCSB & Walter Leal, UCD – The Declining Percentage of our Employer’s Contribution to Medical Plans
TBD – Systemwide Vote of No Confidence
Magdalena E. Wojcieszak, UCD & Robin Russin, UCR – Op-Ed
Lesli Salzinger, UCB & Sabeeha Merchant, UCB & UCLA – Unionizing: The Pros and Cons
This will be a conversation among faculty with common interests. We are not in a position to decide, but we can certainly share our thoughts and answer “the big question” of our next steps.
If you would like to contribute to the prelude to the discussions, feel free to let me know. I would love to include colleagues from other campuses who have not been represented among the speakers above.
I won’t be perfect, but it will be worth your while. I hope you join us.
All the best, WL
Walter S. Leal, Ph.D., Hon. FRES, FNAI
Distinguished Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Distinguished Scholarly Public Service awardee, UC Davis Academic Senate
University of California-Davis