Some updates and announcements...

[Bill Maurer]

  Dear social sciences lecturers, grad students, faculty, staff and researchers,

  Some updates and announcements:

  Two upcoming events:

  Post-Watch Party Discussion of The Fire This Time: Race at Boiling Point,
  June 26, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. Sponsored by the AAPI Womxn in Leadership
  at UCI. The University of California Humanities Research Institute
  sponsored and recorded a discussion among Angela Y. Davis (Emerita, UC
  Santa Cruz), Herman Gray (Emeritus, UC Santa Cruz), Gaye Theresa Johnson
  (UC Los Angeles), Robin D.G. Kelley (UC Los Angeles), and Josh Kun (USC),
  on race, racism and our times. You can watch the video ahead of time at
  https://bit.ly/3fzsZpo on your own, and then RSVP for the discussion to
  take place tomorrow at noon by registering at https://bit.ly/3daVLez.

  The Orange County chapter of the Public Relations Society of America
  is holding a 2-hour Implicit Bias Workshop for Communicators (which we
  all are!) open to all, July 8, 2020 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Register
  at https://www.ocprsa.org/event/implicit-bias-workshop-for-communicators/

  In the works:

  The campus' Office of Information Technology (OIT) is working on a
  webpage that will contain alternatives to Zoom for remote instruction
  where issues of censorship or other political considerations may lead
  some of us to use such alternatives. This is in response to concerns
  raised by myself and other members of our social sciences community. Some
  of the proposed solutions may not scale due to licensing restrictions
  and the like, and so they might need to be on an "as needed" basis,
  but let's see what they come up with.

  Mike Dennin's shop will be releasing a new website full of resources for
  remote instruction. Expect an announcement from his office. In addition,
  the online trainings his team has developed will be open to everyone,
  including an online course on using Canvas. We will be updating our own
  "Remote" site in the coming week or so, too. Stay tuned.

  Another message will come to faculty inboxes from the interim Provost
  and Vice Provost for Academic Personnel, regarding returning to campus,
  and promoting various accommodations with respect to academic personnel
  review timelines and flexibility in reviews. I'll translate, as needed,
  if people have questions, but most of this has already been announced.

  And finally:

  Yesterday was Giving Day, and thanks to the efforts of our development
  team, as well as several of our devoted alumni who made their own appeals
  to their fellow Anteaters, the School of Social Sciences received gifts
  totaling over $37K, from 73 individual donors, in amounts ranging from
  $50 to ... "undisclosed"! Not that I am competitive or anything, but we
  beat all the other schools except for Engineering (which had one gigantic,
  planned gift) and Medicine, with whom we are neck and neck. I'm pleased
  to say that some were specifically given in support of our Diversity,
  Inclusion and Racial Healing Ambassadors program, and our veterans'
  studies classes. To all those who participated, thank you! And to Tracy,
  Liz, Ian, and Melissa -- hats off and congratulations!

  Many people emailed asking to see the video produced
  for our recent staff retirees. Here it is--enjoy,
  and thanks to all who were involved in making it:
  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-6eUihTaeNdOskcBg9c9oRys_jgyZNMK/view?usp=sharing

  As promised, I am trying not to bug you too much, but will email as
  warranted. If you go to campus, or out and about, wear your mask, please!

  Bill