Banner is back online after a four-day outage, and along with it, myucdavis, SISWeb, SISDocs and other systems that rely on it.

A hardware failure took Banner offline early Friday (Oct. 7). The vendor replaced the hardware that afternoon, but testing revealed additional errors. The errors were repaired, and the vendor recommended further scans and testing. Because the Banner data files are large, that work continued throughout the weekend and Monday. Technologists turned Banner back on at 5 a.m. today (Oct. 11).

Storer Mall all lit up

A campus crew recently completed a lighting upgrade on Storer Mall, which runs east-west between California Avenue and Briggs Hall, adding nearly a dozen light poles to brighten what had been identified in a nighttime safety walk as a problem area.

The Utilities department’s exterior lighting crew installed 11 poles with LED lights and upgraded the six existing “lollipop” lights so they throw off more light. The path formerly received supplemental light as it shone from the windows of nearby buildings — but, with the implementation of energy efficiency measures, those lights are now turned off at night.

The new exterior lights operate just like others around the campus, powering up to 100 percent power when motion is detected, and down to 20 percent when there is no motion. In addition, they are dark-sky compliant (to limit light pollution) and can be monitored remotely.

UC announces contract deal with postdocs union

The UC Office of the President announced Monday (Oct. 10) that it had reached tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers union on a four-year contract covering more than 6,500 postdocs, including newly added positions at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The agreement fairly compensates postdocs for their contributions, provides support for employees with families and is financially sound for the university, according to UCOP’s announcement.

Union members are voting on the tentative agreement this week. The pact would replace a contract that expired Sept. 30.

Read the complete announcement, including contract highlights.

Free flu shots for staff and faculty

The Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being Program announced that it is has arranged for free flu shots from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Friday, Nov. 4, for staff, faculty and dependents 18 years old and up. (Correction: Shots will not be available for all dependents, as originally announced, but only for those 18 and up.) Shots will be given to the first 200 people who show up each day to the lobby of the Cowell Building (the former Cowell Student Health Center) on California Avenue.

The free shots are being made available without regard to your health plan affiliation. Note, however, that if you are a Kaiser patient, your medical records will be updated to reflect that you have received a flu shot. 

Questions? Contact Stacey Brezing by email or call her at 530-752-6094.

‘Community Survival Strategies’ workshop

The campus’s workshop on “Community Survival Strategies for Active Shooter Incident” will be offered twice on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and six more times through May. Here are the dates and times:

• Wednesday, Oct. 26 — 1:30-3 p.m. and 3:30-5 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 13 — 8:30-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-noon
• Monday, Feb. 13 — 8:30-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-noon
• Thursday, May 4 — 8:30-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-noon

The workshop presents three steps to follow to increase the likelihood of surviving an active-shooter incident. First you run, and if that’s not possible, you hide. Fighting is your last resort (the workshop includes a demonstration on how to take away a handgun). Other topics include the will to survive, weapon identification and identifying police capabilities.

Workshop leaders: Mary Macias, safety officer for Student Health and Counseling Services, and volunteer coordinator for the campus Police Department; and police officer Ray Holguin.

Registration is being taken through the UC Learning Center (Kerberos required). Search for “Community Survival Strategies,” then click “Register” to see all of the available dates and times.

Personalized calendars, courtesy Repro Graphics

Variable data on your free calendar includes a university-themed image of your choice (from 10 options), and different descriptions for different days of the year (you choose up to four days per month, to designate as you like: birthdays or anniversaries, or university holidays or special days like National Walk You Dog Day).

Orders are being taken online from now until Friday, Oct. 28. Questions? Send an email to Repro Graphics or call 530-752-2679.

Quarter Century Club to honor 262 employees and retirees

The UC Davis Quarter Century Club will hold its 77th annual dinner on Thursday, Oct. 20, welcoming 164 new members who have joined the ranks of employees with 25 years of service to UC Davis. The event also will honor 62 members who have reached the 50-year mark (counting their time on the job and years since retirement).

The club first met in 1939 and today has more than 4,000 members. Invitations have gone out to all of this year's 25-year and 50-year honorees — and their names are listed here.

The 2016 dinner is being held at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade Hotel. Details, including transportation options and reservation deadline, are included in the invitation. Questions may be directed to Bill Kuhlman, event manager, 530-754-2011.

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