returning to new routines

We're all doing our best to welcome students back to campus this fall. This after nearly 18 months of rolling with the punches while we work — whether that has meant wearing masks, managing uncertainties, juggling childcare, or worrying about the health of ourselves and the people we love.

It’s understandable that following campus emails and policy changes might not have been your top priority. Thank you for doing your best and following along! We’re sending this email to all Davis campus employees, to help you catch any details you might have missed from preparations so far.

We hope your fall quarter starts smoothly! Please be patient with yourself and kind with our community, as we roll our way into some new Aggie routines.

We’re making plans for a few more Digest emails like this throughout the year, so tell us how you feel about this edition and how we might better serve your needs next time.

/public health

• Thanks for complying with the UC vaccine mandate: More than 90% of our campus community is fully vaccinated, and many employees who have requested an exception to the University of California COVID-19 vaccine mandate may still be awaiting final decisions. Find FAQs about the mandate, vaccinations and the exception process.  
   
• Wear your face covering: Everyone is required to wear face coverings indoors and in mass transit, and if you’re unvaccinated, then you must also do so outdoors in crowded places. Check rules for face covering and other public health policies.  
   
• Get tested to protect yourself and others: New routine testing requirements start this month for all employees, no matter how often you access campus facilities. Get tested every 14 days if you’re fully vaccinated or every four days if you’re unvaccinated. 
   
• Continue to take the Daily Symptom Survey: You still need to take the Daily Symptom Survey when you come to campus this quarter: https://symptomsurvey.ucdavis.edu.  
   
• Cooperate with contact tracing: Employees and students must report if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 and also report if they’re officially identified as a close contact. Find out whether you’ll be notified when someone with COVID-19 is on campus.  
   
• Managing public health at events: Before you host an event with food or drinks or with many attendees, you will need to know the current public health-related guidance, which now includes entrance requirements and event safety plans. Check Campus Ready event guidance. 
   
• Take COVID-19 leave if needed: Emergency Paid Sick Leave is available for employees through Sept. 30 for quarantine, isolation, providing care or other specific pandemic-related reasons. Check the COVID-19 leaves updates if you need to request leave.  
   
• Travel for work, if you need to: While non-essential university travel is still not recommended, UC Davis employees with essential travel are directed to follow CDC travel guidance, get relevant approvals and follow campus policy to register any business trip. Find details about travel requirements and the registration process.  

/on campus

• Pack your patience: As more students and employees line up for routine COVID-19 testing, be prepared to show up on time for your testing appointment, consider biking or walking if possible to the ARC to avoid impacted parking lots, follow directions and be kind. Brush up on protocol for our free, fast saliva tests.
   
• Pay to park with ParkMobile: f you plan to drive to campus, the lowest parking rates are now available on a daily basis through ParkMobile, the pay-to-park app. Set up your account using your UC Davis email address.
   
• Find out if you need a new key card: More than 40 campus buildings have upgraded from their previous key control systems to the new AggieAccess system. Check if you need to get new AggieAccess credentials before you come to campus.
   
• Prepare to be re-routed: Detours for the Big Shift continue into 2022. Stay updated with day-to-day diversions by checking the project’s interactive detour map.
   
• Call if we missed a problem with your office: While Facilities Management teams have been scouring campus in preparation for fall quarter, if you encounter a problem with your workspace, please call (530) 752-1655 with urgent requests or file a work order for a non-emergency issue.

/wherever you work

• Formalize your flexible work arrangement: If your job’s location or schedule has changed, you will need to develop a Flexible Work Agreement with your supervisor. Deadlines and processes vary by unit, but you can find forms, a process overview and your Flexible Work Liaison for more details.
   
• Or attend a webinar to learn more: Hear how UC Davis is supporting flexible work planning for staff on the Davis campus, with a model that promotes consistency, objectivity and equitable outcomes. Register for the Sept. 14 webinar to learn more about the planning process and tips for productive dialogue.
   
• Catch up on wellness strategies for these times: Tips are now available from the “Navigating the New Normal” webinar focused on managing social conflict, return-to-campus anxieties and healthy practices for work. Review the slides or watch the video for more.
   
• Update your home address in UCPath: Routine but important employment updates will be sent by mail soon, so make sure your home address is accurate.

/other preparations

• Know your ventilation from your filtration: To help mitigate the risk of viral infection and balance potential air quality issues due to smoke, Facilities Management teams have installed higher-rated air filters where feasible and increased the amount of outside air supplied to spaces, where allowed (except during wildfire smoke events). Find details, including building-specific information.
   
• Know wildfire season plans: Learn how UC Davis makes decisions using the Air Quality Index and plans related to wildfire smoke, outdoor workers, indoor air quality, power outages and campus operating status. Find out how we plan for wildfires and potential impacts.
   
• Reduce water use in the drought: You can help campus reduce water use during this drought, especially if you notice leaks or water waste such as a running toilet, faucet problem or broken irrigation. Find out how to report water problems.

/returning to better habits

• Take a stretch break: Whether between long computer sessions or in the middle of a meeting, taking 4-15 minutes to move can help reduce injuries and missed work days. Try these stretching videos with UC Davis trainers in the WakeBreak playlist.   
   
• Get outside: Taking meetings outdoors, eating outside, exercising and connecting with nature offer benefits to our health and well-being. Find resources for getting “Healthy Outside” as the fall quarter starts.
   
• Compost at work: New centrally located “zero waste” bins make composting an option for 19 buildings on campus, with plans to expand to more than 70 buildings soon.
   
• Find where the new compost bins are located.
• Drink more water: New hydration stations on the Davis campus allow community members to fill their water bottles with clean, free drinking water. Find a map of water stations on campus and learn more about the UC Healthy Beverage Initiative.
   
• Reuse and recycle: Cleaning out your office? The Recycling from A-Z guide can help you find ways to reuse, donate or recycle just about anything on campus.
   
• Consider ‘greening’ your workspace: Whether you work in an office, in a lab or even in your home, now might be a good time to incorporate some improved sustainability practices. Get started on the green workplace certification process.