About Blue Cluster and UC Davis

Your department is a part of Blue Cluster, an administrative unit which serves several departments and institutes in the social sciences within the College of Letters & Science. What this means in practice is that the core administrative staff with whom you work need not serve as generalists for the entire Davis faculty population, but can instead get to know you and ensure that when they work with you, it's work informed by their experience with the department and your direct colleagues. 

Our campus is a large and complex beast; as such, while Blue Cluster staff are happy to help you in their areas of expertise, they may need to refer specific issues to other offices. The "usual suspects" include:

• Academic Affairs is the Vice Provost's office which provides administrative services around leaves, labor relations, faculty promotions, and other matters of relevance to the academic community.
• Graduate Studies is the Dean's office which oversees graduate degree programs, and advises on related matters including graduate student employment and funding.
• Human Resources is the university's central HR office. Two of the key functions therein are the Benefits office (who are the experts on your healthcare and other benefits), and Disability Management Services (DMS). DMS is very helpful if you require reasonable accommodation to perform your duties, whether temporarily or permanently; they help ensure that the process of how that accommodation is determined is equitable, to protect you.
• The Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) is the place to go if you are concerned about a student, or if you believe a student has committed academic misconduct.
• The Office of Research (OR) serves as the primary campus resource for matters relating to research funding. Check out their site for information and training relating to funding opportunities and award management.
• Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) is the campus's primary resource for immigration services and issues. Blue Cluster staff frequently collaborate with SISS staff to help with your visa(/etc.) needs, but SISS runs trainings and info sessions which may be of interest to you and any international visitors and/or visiting scholars you may wish to host. 

Academic Affairs maintains a New Faculty Resources page which is very worth checking out, too!

General Information

Absence from Campus

Notionally, faculty must be present from the beginning of the Fall Quarter through the end of the Spring Quarter. There are many types of leave available, however – from sick days, to a week of professional development leave, to full sabbatical. For more information, please visit our Sabbaticals and Leaves page. 

Key Contacts & Services

• IT Support & Software: For all computer help, purchases, or software questions, contact lshelp@ucdavis.edu. Microsoft Office is provided for free. Note that purchasing other software requires pre-approval and can take quite some time.
• Lockouts and Emergencies: For urgent situations relating to the building, e.g. lockouts, call Facilities directly at 530-752-1655 (24/7). In case of emergency, please do call 911 (UC Davis has an on-campus police department).
• Room Reservations: To reserve a meeting room, email ecnrequests@ucdavis.edu (for Economics faculty) or history-requests@ucdavis.edu (for History faculty).
• Keys: Schedule a time with Olga Orozco using her Calendly link to pick up your keys.
• Staff Directory: Contact information for all staff is on the Cluster website.

Office & Administrative Needs

• Hours of Operation: Administrative hours are 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Staff have hybrid schedules posted online, but everyone is in-person on Tuesdays.
• Business Cards & Furniture: You can use your start-up funds to purchase business cards or furniture. For all purchases, work with Rani Nijjar by emailing blueclusterbuy@ucdavis.edu. You can check AggieSurplus for used furniture before buying new.
• Shipping: To ship large items, email blueclusterbuy@ucdavis.edu. This will be charged to your start-up or research funds.
• Security: Please remember to lock your office if you leave it unattended. The SS&H building is undergoing seismic retrofitting, so hours are restricted to 8 AM - 6 PM on weekdays. Emails will be sent regarding any weekend closures.

Printing & Copying

• General Printing: Contact LS IT to set up your computer for printing. You receive an annual printing allocation on July 1st. You can also use start-up funds to buy a personal printer for your office, for which you would buy your own toner.
• Research Copying: Use your assigned copy code for research copies only. This code has an annual allocation that also renews July 1st.
• Exam & Midterm Copying: The department covers the cost of printing exams and midterms. Email your request to ecncopywork@ucdavis.edu (for Economics faculty) or historyexams@ucdavis.edu (for History faculty) and specify paper color or other special needs. See the turnaround schedule below.

Exam Printing Request Schedule

Note: If you miss the deadline, you can request an exam printing code from the front desk in 2216 SS&H.

Finances & Travel

• Accounts & Proposals: Stephanie Ivory manages your startup/internal accounts, while Debbie Hoelscher and the Research Service Center manage extramural grant awards and proposals.
• Travel & Reimbursement: Book travel through the ConnexUC portal in AggieExpense to get automatic travel insurance. After your trip, send all receipts to blueclusterbuy@ucdavis.edu within 45 days to ensure your reimbursement is not taxed.
• Taxes: Be aware that your relocation package is subject to payroll taxes.

Teaching

Scheduling

When you're teaching, you may be understandably-eager to know details like "what am I teaching", and "when am I teaching that". 

Mercifully, each of our departments is able to chart its own course where "what" is concerned. A teaching call will be sent out well in advance of each academic year in which you are able to list your preferences. The department's faculty leadership will work with staff experts to get you assigned to courses with alignment as close to your preference as is possible. 

The Cluster itself is a bit less assured as to the "when". Your day and time preferences are collected alongside your course preferences, and each department does its best to align the day and time of your course with your preferences. The Registrar's Office (OUR) governs almost all teaching space on campus, though, and has the final say on the times and locations of courses in accordance with their own policies and the demands of campus as whole. With that said, our Cluster maintains a good relationship with OUR's scheduling team, and in most cases is able to work assignments out to each party's mutual satisfaction.

Course Management

• Canvas: The university uses Canvas for course management. A blank site is created for your courses each quarter; you will need to configure and publish it.
• Textbook Orders: You will receive a link to the "VERBA" system to walk you through ordering textbooks. Contact Olga Orozco with questions.
• Lecture Capture: Some classrooms can record lectures. If you want this feature, notify the department scheduler, Courtney Sanchez.
• Grades: You must submit grades for all courses, TAs, and research students within 72 hours of the final exam. Submitting late can negatively impact students.

Student Policies & Support

• Academic Integrity: It is recommended to include a strict policy against academic dishonesty on your syllabus. If you suspect a student is cheating during an exam, calmly collect any unauthorized materials, allow them to finish the exam, and report the incident to Student Judicial Affairs afterward.
• Prerequisites: Advising staff manage prerequisite checks and administrative drops for most courses. The only exception is for University Honors Program (UHP) courses, which you are responsible for reviewing.
• Adding/Dropping: The department does not typically issue Permission to Add (PTA) codes. Direct students with questions about adding or dropping courses to the undergraduate advising center or their College's Dean's Office.
• Student Disabilities (SDC): You will receive official accommodation letters from the SDC for students with disabilities. The SDC can also help arrange proctors and rooms for testing.
• Students in Distress: Familiarize yourself with the resources available for students in distress, such as the Red Folder. You can also consult Anya Gibson or your undergraduate program chair for student concerns.

Working with TAs and Readers

Your intrepid Graduate Program Coordinator is the staff lead for the assignment of your graduate student instructional support – Kaitlin Aparicio in Economics, and Sharmila Shinde in History. They will send you a "Description of Duties", the formal record of what you expect your TAs and Readers to do, and will introduce you to your teaching team once assigned. If you have any questions about supervising your TAs/Readers or wish to raise any issues, your Program Coordinator is also the first staff member with whom to speak. You can also read a bit more about supervising student employees here. 

Getting Situated in Davis

• Housing: The housing market in Davis is a bit tight; whether you are considering renting or buying, it's possible to give up the convenience of biking to work but save money (or get more space for the same money) in surrounding communities like Woodland, Dixon, and West Sacramento. For a more metropolitan experience, downtown Sacramento offers several transit links to Davis. The Housing page on the UC Davis Front Door website offers a very excellent guide to finding housing options, as well as a guide to UC resources intended to support your housing security (e.g. the Mortgage Orientation Program).
• Transportation: Davis is well-connected to surrounding communities, including Sacramento, through a variety of public transportation options. Bus services are available from YoloBus and SacRT. A dedicated route, the Causeway Connection, offers a direct link between the main UC Davis campus and the UC Davis Health campus in Sacramento. For train travel, both Amtrak and SacRT provide rail services (including links to Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART). These transit networks also offer ground transportation options to the two major nearby international airports, Sacramento International (SMF) and San Francisco International (SFO). Within Davis, one can rely on the unusually-good Unitrans bus network.
• Health and Wellbeing: As noted above, the Benefits Office is the best place to go for insurance and retirement questions, as well as assistance relating to your health, vision, and dental plans. UC Davis also offers several free and confidential wellness services, including the Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) for counseling, the Ombuds Office for conflict navigation, the CARE Center for survivors of violence or stalking, and the Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program (HDAPP).

HR & Onboarding Checklist

(This information is provided at HR onboarding and repeated here for convenience.)

• Set up your accounts: Get your UC Davis Computing Account and enroll in Duo Authentication, which is mandatory.
• Complete UCPath tasks: Log in to UCPath to sign the patent agreement, set up direct deposit, and complete your W-4. Until you set up direct deposit, checks will be mailed to your home address.
• Enroll in Benefits: You have 31 days from your hire date to select your benefits. Coverage is retroactive to your hire date. Register for a Benefits Orientation webinar to learn more.
• Get Your Employee ID: Email employeeID@ucdavis.edu with a professional photo with white background, your 8-digit UC Path ID number, full legal name, department name, campus mailing address, and the department chair's name as your supervisor.
• Sign up for WarnMe: Register for the campus emergency alert system at warnme.ucdavis.edu.
• Complete Required Training: Log in to the Learning Management System (LMS) to complete mandatory trainings on Cyber Security, Ethical Values, and Sexual Harassment.