Campus police have launched a campaign against distracted driving, using the department’s newest vehicle — a three-wheel Polaris Slingshot motorcycle — to draw attention. Officer Ray Holguin likens the Slingshot to a D.A.R.E. car, referring to vehicles used to draw attention to Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

Look for the Slingshot on the Quad, at athletics events and elsewhere. You can also try out a virtual reality simulation of driving while distracted. 

Police especially hope to reach young and inexperienced drivers, international students and visitors, and out-of-state students — to educate them about the risks of distracted driving. Activities such as texting, eating or even applying makeup behind the wheel are a major cause of death and injury in young drivers. 

The campaign, which is a partnership with the California Highway Patrol, debuted Feb. 14 at men’s and women’s basketball games at The Pavilion. 

For more information, send an email to officer Holguin, ‪rholguin@ucdavis.edu.

UCDHS presents community forum on Zika virus

The UC Davis Health System will present a community forum on the zika virus, this Saturday (Feb. 20). The program is scheduled from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the MIND Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento.

The organizers said speakers from the health system, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Sacramento County Public Health will cover the following topics: What is Zika virus disease? How is Zika virus transmitted, and where is the outbreak currently located? What are the pregnancy concerns? How can we prevent infection from Zika virus?

Speakers: Dean Blumberg, associate professor and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, UC Davis Children’s Hospital; Olivia Kasirye, public health officer, Sacramento County; Veronique Tache, assistant professor, maternal-fetal medicine physician, UC Davis Health System; Chris Barker, adjunct assistant professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; and David Schrimmer, chief, Division of Obstetrics, UC Davis Health System.

Chancellor to give State of the Campus address

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi is on the agenda for next week’s meeting of the Academic Senate's Representative Assembly, to deliver her annual State of the Campus address.

The meeting, open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in the multipurpose room at the Student Community Center. Katehi’s address is the first item on the agenda.

‘Big Ideas’ for campaign: Deadline March 1

UC Davis faculty and staff have two more weeks to submit their “Big Ideas” intended to keep UC Davis at the forefront of academia — well-reasoned ideas for audacious, forward-thinking programs and projects that could be among the focal points of the university’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign.

The call for “Big Ideas” went out in October, and the deadline is March 1. More information is available here; look for the “Submit a Big idea” button at the bottom of the page. Ideas are being reviewed by a Campaign Steering Committee (administrators and faculty) in partnership with students and staff.

Read about the next steps.

Services planned for Francisco Alarcón and Jim Sochor

Francisco X. Alarcón, longtime lecture in Spanish — The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is hosting a memorial service from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 19) in MU II, Memorial Union. Alarcón, a poet and activist, died Jan. 15 at age 61. Read his obituary.

Jim Sochor, longtime football coach — A celebration of life is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, at Aggie Stadium, free and open to the public. The program, organized by Intercollegiate Athletics, will include tributes by former NFL players Rolf Benirschke and Ken O'Brien. Sochor served at the helm of the Aggie football program from 1971 to 1988, during which time he amassed 156 career victories, 18 conference championships and 18 NCAA postseason appearances. An enshrinee of the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame, Sochor is credited for establishing a philosophy later known as "Aggie Pride." He died Nov. 24 at the age of 77. More details on the celebration of life will be available on the athletics website. Read his obituary.

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