UC Davis now has a place on campus where anyone can use assistive technology to help them with school and research.

The grand opening of the Center for Accessible Technology (CAT) took place last week in honor of October being National Disability Awareness Month. The center includes several electronic and ergonomic resources that assist disabled students, staff and faculty.

“(CAT) offers more information about people with disabilities and how they use their products with computers, as well as give (them) access to what everyone already has access to on campus,” said Joshua Hori, co-chair of the Student Disability Center’s Electronic Accessibility Leadership Team.

Dave Ritz, a counselor with Disability Management Services, emphasized that the center is not just for disabled students.

“We tried to make a lab where everybody could go. There is no distinction if you’re faculty, staff or student. You can use the technology on this campus to do your homework or research,” Ritz said.

CAT is located in Shields Library room 163 next to the reserves desk. It is staffed Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We have a room that is really accessible to everyone,” said Alyssa Ng, a junior managerial economics major who works in the center. “We have a lot of software as well.”

Software programs available in the center include Job Access With Speech (JAWS), a text-to-voice software that assists visually disabled people with navigating the computer, and Dragon Naturally Speaking, a software that converts spoken words into written text.

In addition to the learning programs, the center provides large-screen adjustable monitors, adjustable tables and chairs and various styles of keyboards and mice. The variety of resources allows people with disabilities the opportunity to readily access the technology that is available for everyone on campus.

“It’s a spot where, even if you have no disability, you can learn to use some of this stuff because it’s pretty amazing,” Ritz said.

“It can be fun to learn about assistive technology and learn about things that people do to operate differently in an electronic environment,” said Cathy Kudlick, history professor who chairs the Electronic Accessibility Committee.

The Electronic Accessibility Committee brought about the initiative to create a more accessible computing center. The committee aimed to share resources from different departments and make them available in one location.

Departments that contributed to the center include the Student Disabilities Center, Academic Technology and Services Department, Shields Library, Human Resources and Environmental Health and Safety.

The technology available in the center is fairly limited and not a lot of people know about it. The center brings all these different resources together and teaches people what’s out there, Kudlick said.

More information about the center is available at cat.ucdavis.edu.

MICHELLE MURPHY can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Approximately 134 university administrators and supervisors participated in a two-day leadership challenge development program this fall, designed to hone skills key in increasing leadership effectiveness.

Participants listened to keynote speakers and received a copy of The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner.

“Developing leadership in an organization is crucial to its health and wellness,” Carina Moore, director of Staff Development and Professional Services, said.

The cost of the program totaled slightly more than $1,000 per individual. Staff Development and Professional Services funded approximately half of the cost for each participant, while the remaining investment came from the participants’ departments.

With the current financial state of the university, this seems like an inappropriate way to spend money, said an anonymous participant of The Leadership Challenge.

“The university needs to be made more transparent,” the source said. “I would like to know where each dollar is going.”

The money used to fund the leadership program is not coming from the same pot of money used for student services, Moore said. Staff Development and Professional Services is diligent in reserving funds for programs that they feel will genuinely benefit staff.

Individuals dedicated to applying the skills developed during The Leadership Challenge will strengthen the education at the university and the institution as a whole, Moore said.

One of the best aspects of the program is receiving feedback from one’s staff and co-workers, said Robin Tapia, human resources management analyst for the College of Letters and Sciences. It is important to know how well one is communicating and inspiring others.

“UC Davis is known within the University of California as having one of the most robust staff development programs,” Moore said.

Sonoma Leadership Systems, a private company, which focuses on leadership development, training and coaching for organizations and individuals, hosted the program. UC Davis is the only educational institution that uses Sonoma Leadership Systems, whose clients include, Apple, Chevron, Oakland Police and several banks.

It feels wrong to spend money on this kind of program when people are losing their jobs, said an anonymous source.

“Most of the information about being a better leader was common sense,” the source said. “We could have just read the book they gave us and learned the same techniques for being a better leader without having to pay someone thousands of dollars.”

Not every individual is a right match for the program, Moore said. Some people find it difficult to hear constructive criticism of their work performance. However, feedback was generally positive.

While program attendance was optional, department managers were able to recommend the program to any staff members they felt would benefit from the experience.

When Tapia heard two more sessions were being organized later this month, she recommended the program to a number of individuals in her department.

“We need to continue investing in the staff here and attracting talented individuals for the future,” Moore said.

KATIE LEVERONI can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Tom Dezell, author of Networking for the Novice, Nervous or Naïve Job Seeker, recommends that college students begin searching for internships this winter. The Aggie had a chance to speak with Dezell and hear his advice about networking.

Can you tell me more about looking for winter internships?

It’s very important to have some practical field experience on your resumes when you get out there. Reach out, find some firms or companies that are in the field that you’re hoping to get your degree in and see if over winter break, you can come in and do an internship. Just research some firms you’re interested in and check and see if they’ve got internships programs. Find some people, maybe some alumni at your school, and see if they work in companies that would tend to need people in your major and see if they could recommend you as an intern. Talk to friends of your parents. Talk to parents of your friends who are in fields you’re interested in and see if they could give you insight about their companies and if they need interns. It’s very important in addition to your degree, when you get out in the labor market, to have some type of practical experiences.

Why would a company want to hire someone for only three weeks?

People like to mentor young candidates and help them along. Often over winter break they’ve got people taking leave and vacations so they’ve probably got some extra stuff to be done. It also gives them the opportunity to maybe check out potential people for if they might have openings later on. It could be a real win-win situation. It gives them a chance to see how you do, how you interact, how quickly you pick things up. 

How exactly do you network into a winter internship?

First think about what types of companies would be good for you to have experience with, depending on what your major is. When you identify them, try to figure out a way to find potential contacts you have that would be at those firms. They could be anything ranging from friends of yours, friends of parents or parents of friends. Check with the career center at your school and see if they know of any graduates that are working in [certain fields] or at certain companies. Go to a social networking site like LinkedIn. Look up a company you’re interested in and see if there are any connections there of people either that you might know or graduates of your school that you could maybe reach out to and ask about possible winter internships.

Can you tell me more about how to create a resume that stands out?

Keep it very concise. Stick to one page. Keep in mind that nowadays, if you’re posting it online, the way it’s going to be searched is by key words. Any of the jobs you’re applying to, just check thoroughly through the requirements for the job and make sure you’ve got strong key word matches toward what they’re requiring for degree, any certification or experience in certain things or any computer software you know. Also quality assurance – make sure your resume is well proofread. Sometimes just one little error or one little grammar mistake will be all that folks need to discard your resume. Have somebody else proofread it. 

What advice would you give to college students in general?

If students are getting ready to graduate, [they should] make sure to check out the career center at school and use all the resources available to them. People are finding jobs. It’s taking a bit longer than in the past. Get tips from the people who are finding success and find out what are the things they’re doing and how are they going about their search. Define what you really want to look for and really work out a strategy where you can articulate what it is you want and how a career in that field is something you’re hoping for. And take advantage of a lot of people willing to offer you expertise. As you graduate you’re going to find plenty of people who come up to you and say, “Hey congratulations. Anything I can do to help you search for a job, let me know.” Take them up on that. That starts allowing you to begin to develop your network skills. Even if something is not in their field, they might know somebody and they can give you some tips about where to look or recommendations about who to contact. Believe me, if you make a good impression, you’ll find out if they’ve got some openings. 

AKSHAYA RAMANUJAM can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Watch your language!

A sophomore student was referred to the office of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for sending e-mails containing hostile and abusive language to a university official. After an apparent disagreement over waiving her late registration fee for Summer Session I, the student sent an e-mail to the university employee handling her appeal, which contained abusive language and vague threats against the employee. Using such language in an e-mail to a university employee is a violation of university policy. The student received an administrative notice, which is a formal notice of the rules governing the university. It also serves as a warning, should the student be referred again.

A case of mistaken “identification”

A junior student was referred to SJA for using another student’s ID card to access the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC). This constitutes unauthorized use of university facilities and using another student’s ID card is considered to be a misuse of a university document. When asked about it by the supervisor at the ARC, the student claimed that “everybody was doing it.” The student’s name was kept on file by SJA, which is not technically a disciplinary sanction, but simply a record of the incident to be kept until the student’s graduation.

Wrong form

A sophomore student was referred to SJA for allegedly copying during a pop quiz in his upper-division chemistry class. The quiz was only one question long and the student arrived at an incorrect answer that happened to be the correct answer for a different version of the quiz than the student had received. This led the TA to believe that the student had been copying answers and work from another student who had the other version of the quiz. The student eventually admitted wrongdoing and accepted the sanction of disciplinary probation for one full academic year. Disciplinary probation means that, should the student be found in violation again, he or she would likely be suspended or dismissed from the university.

CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS are compiled by student members of Student Judicial Affairs.

Representatives with United Auto Workers 285 were scheduled to meet with the UC bargaining committee on Oct. 27 in Los Angeles. However, UC representatives did not attend in any official capacity, said Molly Ball, UAW representative at UC Davis.

Steve Montiel, UC spokesperson, said he could not confirm nor deny Ball’s claims as to how official the meeting was. The university extended UAW’s contract deadlines again to Nov. 15 and plan to hold another day of bargaining on Nov. 9.

“We remain optimistic as to the prospect of a contract, but there are still standing issues,” he said.

Ball said that UC representatives came to the meeting, but without any contract proposals.

The union, which represents over 12,000 Academic Student Employees such as teaching assistants, tutors and readers throughout the UC system, and the university have been involved in contract negotiations since May.

– Janelle Bitker

UC Davis’ WarnMe emergency alerting service will be put to the test on Thursday just before noon.

Emergency officials urge faculty, staff and students to update their contact information with WarnMe at warnme.ucdavis.edu. They will be sending out test messages to over 87,000 work and personal e-mail addresses, 26,500 SMS text devices and roughly 1,000 pagers.

In an actual emergency, messages would inform recipients of the nature of the emergency and provide further instructions.

– Janelle Bitker

UC officials announced yesterday that they’ve reached an agreement with the University Professional and Technical Employees union (UPTE) on a new labor contract.

UPTE is comprised of roughly 2,800 health care professional employees. Negotiations began in May 2009, and a tentative agreement was reached on Sept. 29, 2010.

Highlights of the agreement include wage step increases of approximately 2 percent, continued medical benefits with UPTE contributions to monthly premiums and increased employee contributions of 1.5 percent to the UC Retirement Plan starting July 1, 2011. The contract is extended through Dec. 31, 2011.

– Janelle Bitker

UC Davis alumnus Harris Lewin is returning to campus as the new Vice Chancellor of Research. Lewin finished his doctorate at UC Davis in 1984 and went on to become a researcher and faculty member at the University of Illinois for the past 26 years. Lewin’s annual base salary will be $370,000, compared to previous Vice Chancellor Barry Klein’s salary of $237,400.

What factors were taken into consideration in making your decision to come to UC Davis and taking on this new position as Vice Chancellor?

First, the position offered me the opportunity to do big things and move the institution forward on many levels, especially in interdisciplinary research and technology transfer. The second thing was that I firmly believe in Chancellor Linda Katehi’s leadership and her commitment to really raise the profile of the University of California, Davis. Also, I am an alum and I care deeply about the university. I would like to see every graduate student have the opportunities that I had when I completed my degree in 1984.

What is your vision for the future of research at Davis and how do you plan to achieve these goals?

I believe Davis should be in the top five public universities and in the top 10 in research funding. The vision is really to bring Davis to super elite status among the public universities, and to do that you have to have the resources to invest in the best and the brightest faculty and students and to enhance the research info structure. That means having the highest research capabilities in terms of research laboratories, as well as Internet connectivity and all other aspects of the research info structure that will allow faculty to achieve those goals.

In the last year Davis has changed some of its faculty while increasing their pay. Meanwhile, student fees are on the rise. What do you think of the expected fee hike and the protests that may follow?

I am sorry to see that is happening, both the raising of student fees and protests that will likely follow. However, with the state reducing its funding to the university and the university facing skyrocketing costs, the university has no choice but to raise fees to cover those costs. The students certainly do have the right to protest and their voices should be heard. The campus administration needs to do everything possible to keep the university affordable for Californians. I know a lot of discussion is going on at the campus level. I am sure the university will do everything it can to provide scholarships for those most in need.

What would your advice be to a student interested in progressing in the field of research?

Being a researcher to me is the most intellectually rewarding profession. Researchers are the most respected members of our society. To be a researcher is a privilege. Students interested in research should definitely do an undergraduate research project. I know that Davis has many programs to support undergraduate research. Every student interested in research should take advantage of that while at Davis. This is what distinguishes a major research university from a four-year liberal arts college where there are no such opportunities for undergraduate students. So, do everything you can to get yourself into a lab and be helpful. Never give up if research if your passion. Discovery is the basis for innovation and innovation is necessary for creating new economic opportunity and a better world.

JASPREET BAHIA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

With ASUCD senatorial elections beginning Nov. 9, a new campus slate has emerged to compete against LEAD and the independents: BOLD.

Comprised of current senators, former LEAD members and fresh faces, BOLD’s mission is to better serve the interests of the UC Davis campus than the senate has done in the past.

“The reason we created BOLD was because we were really frustrated at the lack of results at the table, specifically at the senate table,” said Adam Thongsavat, a senior history major, former independent senator and BOLD pioneer. “If I were to graduate today, there would be little that the senate table has done to make student life better.”

BOLD hopes to improve the campus by implementing more long-term bills that will also benefit future students and support the business units, Thongsavat said.

“I would rather tackle a big issue and plant the seed for a future student than run on some bullshit thing like more staplers in the computer labs,” Thongsavat said. “BOLD’s message is really simple: let’s do things that matter, let’s do things that will have a real impact.”

He also said that, unlike the structure of LEAD, BOLD has a clear and unified stance on the issues the members want to address.

“LEAD is just a body; it doesn’t stand for anything anymore. It’s just for getting people elected,” Thongsavat said. “When we talk about BOLD … it’s much more cohesive. I think it’s going to work much better.”

Rudy Ornelas, a junior sociology major and director of legislation and policy, explained that the purpose of LEAD’s slate is to be comprised of individualistic minds.

“The point of LEAD is to have a forum for individuals to come together and work on individual ideas,” Ornelas said. “That’s the way LEAD has always been.”

He also said that LEAD candidates are better suited to serve the student body, and historically have proven themselves to do so in the 10 years that LEAD has existed on campus.

“LEAD has shown results, whereas former LEAD or now BOLD hasn’t actually proven themselves,” Ornelas said. “They can claim to be new, but they’ve all been in the association and they haven’t proven results before. How can we trust them to show results now?”

Additionally, the executive office under LEAD management has created 200 new jobs in the association and has generated more funds toward campus units this year, Ornelas said. Thus, he does not understand why the slate is sometimes heavily criticized.

Ornelas also said he is upset about an online video that was released by AggieTV introducing BOLD as a new campus slate. In the past, AggieTV has created videos for individual candidates, but business units are prohibited from endorsing a specific slate, Ornelas said.

In response, Megan Frantz, a senior American and technocultural studies double major and incoming director of AggieTV, said in e-mail interview that both candidates and slates have always been invited to create a video, and the purpose of the videos is just to encourage students to vote.

AggieTV was not endorsing BOLD by creating that video, Frantz said.

Will Quinn, a senior environmental policy and planning major and chair of the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, created a Facebook group called “Defeat LEAD (again).” However, Quinn said that he is against the concept of slates, rather than just LEAD specifically.

He said a slate that has been around for 10 years starts to rely on its name as a kind of brand recognition, and the candidates running under that name may not recognize the original goal of the slate anymore.

“LEAD has almost become synonymous with ASUCD,” Quinn said. “If the symbol is stronger than the message, then you’re no longer electing people, you’re just electing a brand name. Obviously BOLD could become that just as easily if they came into power and I don’t think that’s any better.”

Quinn also said that he would like to see a mix of representatives at the senate table.

“Just like a democracy, there should be a mix” Quinn said. “I get concerned when you get that one brand name taking over the system and nobody is questioning it anymore.”

Both Thongsavat and Ornelas state that the candidates of their respective slates are the most qualified and the most committed to serving the student body. However, it is the voters’ responsibility to research all of the candidates, including the independents, and decide for themselves.

MARTHA GEORGIS can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.