A three-part series of active-shooter training exercises this month at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts will conclude this Thursday (Sept. 20). Police and fire vehicles and personnel will begin staging in and around the building at 7:30 a.m., and the drill will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; sound effects simulating gunfire will be used.

Officials issued a revised notice to the public.

• Arboretum Drive at La Rue Road and the small parking lot (P3) behind the Mondavi Center will be closed except to police, fire and role players.
• There will be no other road closures for the exercise, and the exercise is not expected to affect pedestrian traffic in front of the Mondavi Center.
• The Davis-Sacramento campus shuttle will adhere to its regular schedule of stops in front of the Mondavi Center.

Previous coverage: “Police and Fire Test New Tactics in Active-Shooter Drills”

New round of anti-bullying training

Staff Development and Professional Services has posted a second round of training sessions on the topic, “Is It Bullying? Awareness and Strategies.” In Phase 1, as announced by Chancellor Gary S. May in July, all managers and supervisors are strong encouraged to take the training and to do so by July 2019.

Approximately 1,800 staff members fall into the manager-supervisor category. Those who have not gone through the three-hour training can find the fall schedule and registration links here — the schedule shows nine sessions on the Davis campus and eight on the Sacramento campus.  

Organizers said these training sessions fill up quickly, so, the earlier you sign up, the better.

‘Gatekeepers’ on the mental health front

New sessions of “Gatekeeper” Training are open on the Davis campus — classes for faculty and staff to equip them with skills and knowledge to comfortably and confidently speak with students about mental health concerns, and refer the students to appropriate mental health resources. The term “gatekeeper” derives from the fact that faculty and staff often serve as students’ gateways to help.

The free training is offered as part of a study sponsored by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Student Health and Counseling Services, and the Division of Student Affairs.

All classes will be held from 1:50 to 4 p.m. in the Main 2 Conference Room, Student Health and Wellness Center: Friday, Sept. 28; Friday, Oct. 5; Thursday, Oct. 18; Tuesday, Oct. 23; Friday, Oct. 26; Thursday, Nov. 1; Friday, Nov. 2; Thursday, Nov. 8; Thursday, Nov. 15; and Tuesday, Nov. 27.

If you or your department is interested in a training, send an email to the study team, specifying one of the training dates. In return, you will receive an email from “Support UCD Wellness Study” with the subject line, “Invitation to a UC Davis Pilot Study of Training to Support Student Mental Health,” and instructions for completing a pretraining questionnaire.

For more information, contact Professor Carolyn Dewa by email, or you can send an email to her research assistant, Bushra Shaikh.

Tobacco-waste focus groups

Breathe Free UC Davis is seeking participants for focus groups to provide feedback on the development of a tobacco-waste tracking tool. UC Davis is developing the tool in partnership with California State University, San Marcos.

The focus groups will meet for two hours; refreshments will be provided — and each participant will be paid $40.

Two focus groups will meet Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the Main 1 Conference Room on the third floor of the Student Health and Wellness Center.

• Students — 2:30-4:30 p.m.
• Staff and faculty — 5:30-7:30 p.m.

If you are interested, send an email to breathefree@ucdavis.edu.

MU courtyard hardscape nears completion

The Memorial Union North Courtyard, which has been undergoing renovation over the summer, is scheduled to reopen this weekend — just in time for the first day of the fall quarter.

Most concrete work will be complete, but some concrete and landscaping work will continue into November, project manager Susan Collopy said. The northernmost entrance to the Amazon store will remain closed, but all other MU doors off the north courtyard will be open.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.