With graduation ceremonies from Wednesday through Sunday (June 13-17), a lot of students will be donning their caps and gowns for photos at iconic locations around campus. Perfectly natural.

But here’s something that isn’t: plastic confetti! It sticks around in grass and soil and is likely to be washed into the Arboretum Waterway when the rainy season starts up again— degrading water quality and possibly affecting the health of wildlife.

This week the Arboretum and Public Garden posted an article with this headline, “Glitter is Litter,” asking grads to use eco-friendly alternatives to plastic confetti and advising on the availability of biodegradable tissue paper confetti, bubbles and ribbon wands (while supplies last) at several popular photo spots.

Read more on the Arboretum and Public Garden website.

See the commencement-graduation calendar here.

Wednesday (June 13): Spare the Air

A bright green counter on the website of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District lists the number of Spare the Air days in 2018 so far: zero.

More Spare the Air days could be in our near future: Thursday is also expected to have unhealthy levels of ozone for sensitive groups.

The district called 17 Spare the Air days in both 2017 and 2016.

Pre-College Program offers discounts

With space available in six sections this summer, the UC Davis Pre-College Program for high school students is offering discounts to children of UC Davis staff and faculty. The program, run by UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education (formerly UC Davis Extension), gives participants the opportunity to explore college life and various majors.

The summer program comprises three sessions of about three weeks each. Costs vary but discounts of at least 30 percent will be applied. Here are the open sections:

• Session I (June 23-July 14) — Design, Art and Technology; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Language and the Mind. Campus housing is limited; otherwise, commuter students welcome. Apply by Thursday, June 21.
• Session II (July 21-Aug. 11) — Food and Agriculture Technology; Graphics, Interaction and Architecture.  On-campus housing or commuter students. Apply by Friday, July 6.
• Session III (Aug. 3-21, with slightly earlier departures accommodated) — Coastal and Marine Sciences. Residential students only. Apply by Wednesday, July 18.

Contact Jessica Loudermilk by email for more information.

Campus eliminates charge for DSA parking

Disabled staff, faculty and students will no longer be charged for parking on the Davis campus, effective July 1, provided they display a valid Department of Motor Vehicles-issued disabled-person parking placard and a no-cost DSA (disabled) permit provided by Transportation Services, or TAPS.

“Years ago, the university reduced the cost to disabled individuals for a DSA permit,” said Kelly Ratliff, vice chancellor of Facilities, Operations and Administration, which includes TAPS. “By ending the practice of charging for DSA permits altogether, our university is demonstrating a commitment to better accommodating individuals that make this a more diverse campus.

“I’m incredibly proud of this decision and our support for all students, staff and faculty with disabilities. It signals our university’s desire for inclusivity and shows another way that we’re striving to make the university better every day.”

Coach named for beach volleyball

Ali (Daley) McColloch, who played volleyball at Long Beach State (earning the freshman-of-the-year honor in the Big West Conferences) and UCLA, and continued in the sport professionally for a decade, is UC Davis’ university’s first head coach of beach volleyball — one of two new women’s sports programs.

She made her beach debut in 2012, notching a seventh-place finish at the National Volleyball League Santa Monica tournament with Oregon alumna Jaclyne Jallos. McColloch joined the AVP Pro Beach Tour in 2013, posting ninth-place showings in Salt Lake City and Huntington Beach. She has since enjoyed third-place finishes on the AVP tour in 2014, ’15 and ’16, plus a pair of wins in 2016 in the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean) Volleyball Confederation.

Read more in this athletics news release.

Women’s basketball gets marketing assist

The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced UC Davis as one of 30 institutions nationwide selected to participate in the 2018-19 NCAA Women’s Basketball Advancement Program, designed to raise awareness of women’s basketball and enhance attendance.

The program connects participating universities with consultants in marketing and branding. The work begins this month for the upcoming season.

Areas of concentration include social media use, digital advertising, student marketing, season ticket marketing, single-game ticket marketing, public relations planning and event presentation.

The UC Davis women’s basketball program over the last two seasons posted a combined 53-15 record. In 2017, the Aggies competed in the NCAA Tournament, and this year made their second appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, or WNIT, hosting a game for the first time and advancing farther than ever before, to the quarterfinals.

Read more in this athletics news release.

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