Beloved former football coach Jim Sochor’s family asked for his memorial service to have a lively, festive atmosphere — like a football game! — and so it will be this Saturday (April 30) at Aggie Stadium. “A Tribute to Jim Sochor: His Life and Legacy” is free and open to the public, starting at 10 a.m. (a half-hour earlier than originally announced).

The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh will provide entertainment, the program will be divided into two halves (with a halftime break), and a “Fifth Quarter Huddle” (reception) will take place on the field — officially Jim Sochor Field — after the ceremony. Whole Foods is providing drinks and light refreshments, although fans are encouraged to bring their own beverages and snacks as well.

Sochor, known as much for the success of his Aggie teams over 19 seasons, 1970-88, as for his establishing the philosophy known as “Aggie Pride,” died Nov. 24 after a long illness. He was 77.

The speakers list comprises former players Paul Hackett, Bob Biggs, Rolf Benirschke, Ken O’Brien and Scott Barry; coaches Cy Williams and Jennifer Gross; and family friends Joan Smith-MacLean and Mike Campbell.

More information is available on Intercollegiate Athletics’ Jim Sochor tribute website.

Aggie athletes’ Academic Progress Rate beats average

With an average Academic Progress Rate of 988, Aggie intercollegiate athletic teams beat the national average of 979 out of 1,000 in the NCAA’s latest APR report, released last week.

Four teams posted perfect scores: women’s golf, tennis and water polo, and men’s cross country. Three other teams also led their respective conferences: football, softball and baseball. Altogether, 17 out of the Aggies’ 23 varsity programs scored in the top three in their respective conferences.

The NCAA tracks academic progress — as determined by athletes’ eligibility to compete and their continued enrollment — over four years; the new data covers the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years.

Read the complete news release from Intercollegiate Athletics.

‘Health Insurance After You Retire’

In advance of UC Davis’ most popular retirement date, July 1, the Health Care Facilitator Program announced two presentations on “Health Insurance After You Retire.”

The meetings — one on the Davis campus and the other in Sacramento — are designed for employees who intend to retire within the next year or so, or who have that time frame in mind for retirement.

The program includes a review of retiree health plan eligibility rules and costs, a discussion of medical plans for people who plan to move outside of urban California or out of state, and information on how UC retiree plans coordinate with Medicare.

The meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday, May 10 — Noon-1:30 p.m., auditorium, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento
• Wednesday, May 11 — Noon-1:30 p.m., Ballroom B, Activities and Recreation Center, Davis

Seating is first-come, first-served, for employees and their spouses/domestic partners (no reservations). Feel free to bring your lunch.

Can’t make one of the meetings? Do you work at a university location outside of Davis or Sacramento? The Health Care Facilitator Program website includes a streaming video version of “Health Insurance After You Retire,” in three parts: http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/hcf (click on “Presentations for Employees” in the index on the left-hand side of the page).

Doing the right thing with e-waste and b-waste

If you hold an e-waste collection, they will come — and there they were, lined up in their cars and trucks, waiting to deliver electronic waste to the Hopkins Services Complex last week. Aggie Surplus hosted the collection the afternoon of April 19, inviting campus units to drop off their electronic waste for free.

The 4½-hour collection netted some 25 tons of materials — all of which will be recycled or otherwise responsibly disposed.

“A huge thank you to Distribution Services and Aggie Surplus for running the e-waste event,” said Camille Kirk, assistant director in the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability. “What a success!”

UC Davis also had success in this year’s RecycleMania Game Day Basketball Competition, wherein universities around the country endeavored to minimize waste from basketball games. Each participating school reported waste collection data from a single game of the school’s choosing.

The results came out last week, showing UC Davis tied for second place in the diversion category, with a diversion rate of 92 percent as tallied at at the last men’s game of the season, March 3. That is, of all the waste collected that night in The Pavilion, 92 percent went to recycling.

Sue Vang, program manager, Waste Reduction and Recycling, part of the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, credited a successful collaboration among her unit, Intercollegiate Athletics, Dining Services and Pride Custodial.

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