Organizers of the Campus Community Book Project have selected the theme of “violence-gun violence” for the 2019-20 book and put out a call for nominations. The organizers also welcome volunteers for the selection committee, which will start reviewing the nominations in July.

“The theme aims to capture a contemporary issue that is at the forefront of our national consciousness,” said Megan Macklin, book project coordinator in the Office of Campus Community Relations. “Today more than ever, the issues of violence and especially gun violence demand our attention. Violence has found its way into our schools, workplaces, protest lines and communities.

“It has permeated our everyday language as a part of discourse. And, with the #MeToo movement, we’re in the midst of a reckoning with violence against women, as well.”

The Campus Community Book Project is sponsored by the Office of Campus Community Relations, the Campus Council on Community and Diversity, and the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost.

The book project theme can change from year to year. For 2018-19, the organizers called for nominations of books that promote “community building” — leading to the selection of The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A committee will convene in June to coordinate programming to go along with The Book of Joy in the fall.

Meanwhile, the selection committee will be reviewing the “violence-gun violence” titles for the next year. Nominations should be sent by email to Macklin, the book project coordinator, by July 13. Nominations should adhere to the criteria spelled out here.

Volunteers are sought for The Book of Joy planning committee and the 2019-20 book selection committee. Contact Macklin by email for more information.

E-Invoicing arrives (discounts could follow)

Supply Chain Management is rolling out a program to streamline data entry for invoices from some of UC Davis’ largest suppliers — in a new process offering the potential of paying them faster and earning discounts for the university.

Under the new e-Invoicing program, suppliers are asked to send invoices to a third-party vendor, Transcepta, which scans the invoices for accuracy and automatically enters them into UC Davis’ Kuali Financial System. This substitutes for the traditional method of the accounts payable team manually entering invoices into Kuali.

“E-invoicing is a huge time saver for anyone who’s spent time reconciling purchases,” said Mike Kuhner, division manager of Accounts Payable and Banking Card Services. He added, “It also cuts the chance of people entering errors into Kuali, which causes even further delays when invoices get kicked back.”

Many suppliers offer a 2 percent early payment discount, so, with speedier processing, UC Davis can capture those discounts more often.

Read more on the Finance, Operations and Administration website.

Campus adds collection bin for old medicines

Don’t throw them in the trash, don’t flush them! We’re talking about old and-or unwanted medicines, controlled or noncontrolled.

Here’s where you can dispose of them safely, year-round: in a new collection bin in the lobby of the campus Police Department on Kleiber Hall Drive.

The bin is connected with a campaign called “Don’t Rush to Flush: Meds in the Bin, We All Win!” — overseen by the California Product Stewardship Council. It worked with The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) of UC Davis and the Police Department to bring the campaign to UC Davis.

Joanne Brasch, a lecturer in Textiles and Clothing and a special projects manager with the California Product Stewardship Council, secured the TGIF grant for the campus bin project.

The project has a “green” goal of keeping medicines out of water systems. The California Product Stewardship Council also aims to rid homes of medicines that can fuel the prescription drug epidemic and related crime, or which could harm children and pets.

In the university setting, UC Davis Student Health and Counseling Services determined via a 2017 survey that 68 percent of undergraduates resorted to flushing unwanted-expired medications or putting them in the trash.

From now on: Use the bin! Empty your medications into a bag, then drop it in. No personal information, no needles.

Medical center retains Level I trauma status

UC Davis Medical Center has been reverified as a Level I trauma center, the highest level possible, by the American College of Surgeons. The UC Davis hospital has the only level I trauma center for both adults and children in inland Northern California and one of only two in California.

In addition to providing evidence-based treatment for injuries due to falls, car accidents, fires, gunshots and other incidents, Level I centers are leaders in trauma training, research and outreach.

“Our team works tirelessly to provide world-class care to patients while also improving trauma outcomes worldwide and reducing injuries in our own community,” said Joseph Galante, chief of trauma and acute care surgery. “This reverification is due to their talent and commitment.”

Read the UC Davis Health news release.

Behavioral health plan satisfaction survey

UC is once again gathering opinions of university-sponsored behavioral health benefits, mailing paper surveys to a random sampling of about 1,100 people who used these benefits in 2017.

DSS Research, an independent research firm, is conducting the survey, and all responses are anonymous and confidential. Answers will never be matched with respondents’ names.

The annual survey helps UC capture member experience in areas such as getting timely treatment, the quality of information from the insurance plan, treatment options and overall plan experience. UC uses the feedback to help with planning and shaping offerings for future years. 

Read more in this UCnet article.

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