INDEX

• Virtual town halls Aug. 31 for employees with student loan debt
• Campus firefighters are back after 12-day Six Rivers assignment
• Say hello to the new academic year with campus poster calendars

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Virtual town halls on loan debt

#UCStudentDebtChallenge — a joint initiative by UC faculty experts, the Academic Senate and UC Human Resources — is hosting two virtual town halls (a morning session and an afternoon session, same program) Wednesday (Aug. 31) for UC employees who have educational loans from the federal government, offering information on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, whereby public servants like UC employees can reduce their debt.

Besides the loan forgiveness program announced by President Joe Biden last week, UC employees “are also likely eligible for cancellation of your entire remaining federal debt following 10 years of working full-time for UC (or another qualifying employer) and making loan payments,” #UCStudentDebtChallenge said in an email to employees.

Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, program has been expanded under a time-limited waiver that is set to expire Oct. 31, according to the email, adding that borrowers who were previously ineligible or missed payments can now receive PSLF.

So far, the average loan balance forgiven under PSLF nationally is over $60,000 per borrower, according to the email.

Check your eligibility and start your application here. “We expect a surge of applicants who will need their UC employment certified well before the Oct. 31 deadline, so it's important to apply right away,” the email stated.

The Aug. 31 town halls will feature experts from the U.S. Department of Education, UC faculty and UC Human Resources to explain how PSLF works and how to apply. Here is the schedule:

• 10-11:30 a.m. PDT
• 2-3:30 p.m. PDT

Registration is required and can be arranged here.

“Even if you do not have federal loans, we need your help to educate our colleagues,” the email stated. “By helping our co-workers cancel their student debt, we can make UC an even better and more equitable place to work. 

“Thank you for joining with us to help all UC employees become student debt-free.”

Fire crew returns from Six Rivers

After two weeks away from campus, a team of UC Davis firefighters has returned from the the Six Rivers Lightning Complex fire northeast of Eureka. The team left to assist with the fight against the blaze on Aug. 8 and returned Aug. 19, Fire Chief Nate Trauernicht said.

Capt. Paul Rush, engineer Derek Carthy and firefighters Mike Cullen and Meggie Elledge served aboard Brush Truck 34, part of a Yolo County strike team under the leadership of UC Davis fire Capt. Steve Dunn.

Say hello to 2022-23 calendars

Say goodbye to August 2022 and hello to September through next August on the 2022-23 campus poster calendar, created by the Office of Strategic Communications and sold by UC Davis Stores.

The calendars are priced at $3.59 each. Order online here, or find them at the Campus Store (Memorial Union), The Market at the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center) and the Downtown Store (630 2nd St., at F Street, Davis). See store hours here.

Contact weborders@ucdavis.edu if you prefer to pay by department recharge.

Take a look at the calendar and download it for free.