Distribution Services and the bookstore are taking orders for caps, gowns, tassels and hoods, for use by faculty and administrators in spring commencements.
Distribution Services has a loan program that provides caps, gowns (M.D., Ph.D., Master and Bachelor), tassels and UC doctoral hoods at no charge, with individual departments usually doing the ordering for their faculty members. Deadline April 28 for June commencements.
The bookstore rents non-UC doctoral hoods, and UC hoods for any degree other than a Ph.D. Faculty members and administrators are advised to order through their departments. Deadline April 14 for June commencements.
More information, including links for ordering.
Registration opens for Information Security Symposium
Registration is now open for UC Davis’ 2017 Information Security Symposium, which will again deliver two days of labs, talks and workshops on cybersecurity in higher education.
Because the last few conferences have sold out, this year’s event has room for 450 people, or about one-third more than two years ago. The conference occurs every other year, and this year the semiannual UC Cybersecurity Summit has been added to the lineup.
The theme for 2017 focuses on the top five security functions: identify, detect, protect, respond and recover. More than five dozen labs, talks and workshops are planned.
The event occurs June 20-21 at the Conference Center and the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Registration fee is $95, and includes materials, breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Read more at the symposium website. If you have questions or comments, please contact the planning team by email.
Stack parking ends as spring begins
With winter quarter in the rearview mirror, stack parking has ended — at least for now.
Transportation Services (TAPS) “stacked” more cars into the Quad Parking Structure and Lot 47 by allowing people to park in the aisles. The campus contracted with attendants to move the cars if they were blocking the cars of people who wanted to leave.
The campus needed the extra space in winter because of inclement weather, when more people drove to campus. Now, with the weather turning drier and warmer, more people will be walking or biking to work.
Come fall, though, stack parking may return — as TAPS keeps a close eye on parking availability. The department also plans to keep encouraging drivers to switch to alternate forms of transportation, like biking or carpooling.
TAPS sets up locked cage for bike parking
People who bus or drive to campus and then hop on a bike now have another option to consider for more secure storage for their bicycles: a locked cage inside the Quad Parking Structure.
Transportation Services (TAPS) announced that the cage — with racks for 26 bikes — is available as of this week.
The cost of a space in the cage breaks down to $10 a month (or $8 a month for goClub members), but cyclists must commit to an entire fiscal year (or what’s left of this one). The total cost comes to:
- $30 for the remainder of the 2016-17 fiscal year, through June 30 ($24 for goClub members)
- $120 for the 2017-18 fiscal year, starting July 1 ($96 for goClub members)
A $20 deposit is also required.
Interested? Go to the TAPS office or call 530-752-8277.
UC will reverify family members’ health-plan eligibility
The UC Office of the President will reach out to faculty, staff and retirees in early April to verify that certain of their family members covered by UC-sponsored health plans are in fact still eligible for such health coverage.
UCOP announced that Secova Inc., working with UC Human Resources, will contact employees and retirees who, prior to Dec. 31, 2014, enrolled spouses, domestic partners, grandchildren or legal wards in UC health coverage, and previously provided the appropriate documentation to verify the eligibility of such family members.
Officials said the reverification process will be much easier than the initial eligibility verification, since Secova needs to verify only that your family member or members are currently eligible. Secova will request only one document for each dependent.
If you are contacted by Secova, you must submit your completed and signed verification form and other required documentation by May 12. Failure to respond to or comply with Secova’s requests may result in the de-enrollment of your unverified dependents.
Eligibility of spouses, domestic partners, grandchildren and legal wards can change over time due to divorce, separation or changes in tax status — thus explaining why UC is conducting this recertification project, to ensure that the university is covering only those family members who continue to remain eligible for UC-sponsored health insurance. UC is not asking employees or retirees to provide documentation to verify any other family members at this time.
April 15 deadline for 2016 flexible spending claims
Speaking of benefits … Did you have a flexible spending account in 2016, for either dependent care or health care expenses, or both? The deadline for submitting claims is near.
- Dependent care — If you had money left in your dependent care FSA at the end of 2016, you had until March 15 to spend that money on eligible expenses. Now you have until April 15 to submit your claims. You cannot carry over remaining funds past your grace period, even if you have re-enrolled in the dependent care FSA.
- Health — If you were enrolled in the health FSA through Dec. 31, 2016, you had until the end of the year to incur eligible expenses for the 2016 plan year, and you have until April 15 to file claims for those expenses. After the April 15 deadline, unused funds up to $500 will carry over to the 2017 plan year and be available for reimbursement in early May. Unused funds greater than $500 will be forfeited.