Facilities safety inspector Rosie Hall was flabbergasted when she learned last Thursday that she was one of nine UC Davis staff members to receive a campus Diversity and Affirmative Action Achievement Award. Recipients were recognized that day at the Soaring to New Heights luncheon, the annual multicultural and diversity celebration organized by the Staff Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee.
The committee also offered special diversity citations to a student and associate dean, as well as to the Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Department. Three Disability Awareness Committee awards also were presented at the event.
"I am speechless that I am being recognized for doing what I think all people should do," Hall said. "We should be more community-minded and participatory."
What Hall does is make the campus a more welcoming place for employees, taking a special interest in supporting women working in trades professions. She said that in the early 1980s she was the first female carpenter hired by the state. Since being hired by the campus in 1998, Hall has paved the way for tradeswomen at UC Davis.
"Just by being out there and being sociable and supportive, you might save someone some grief," she said.
Hall is a member of the Staff Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee and the Chancellor's Committee on Diversity. She volunteered at Human Resources' first Job Fair last June. In addition, Hall - who has Canadian Blackfeet Indian heritage - teaches a coil basketweaving class at the craft center.
Her activities are representative of the other award winners, who work to ensure that each member of the UC Davis campus has an equal chance of success.
"I want to do what I can to make science interesting, fun, exciting and open to everyone who wants to study it," said special citation awardee Jacob Blickenstaff, a physics teaching assistant and doctoral student.
Blickenstaff, a former high school teacher, was honored for the campus workshops he has conducted that show instructors how to create a classroom atmosphere free from gender or other biases.
Recipients will be honored with a plaque Tuesday night at a Chancellor's Residence reception. Other honorees and their achievements, according to nominators, include:
Shelley Booth, advising coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions: Booth is a member of the affirmative action and diversity committee and other campus groups supporting inclusiveness.
Lisa Brodkey, director, Sexual Harassment Education Program: Brodkey provides information to the campus about harassment awareness and prevention and encourages a respectful atmosphere in the workplace.
Shaundra Brown, leadership coordinator, Student Housing: Brown advises two diversity committees and works with 1,400 students to incorporate lessons of diversity into their leadership development.
John Ingianni, inspector-planner-estimator, Facilities Services: Ingianni is a long-standing member of the Disability Awareness Committee and the affirmation action and diversity committee.
Pat Kearney, director, Student Housing: Kearney promotes a respect for diversity when hiring her staff members. She has also helped expand the family housing policy on campus to include domestic partners.
Richard Ronquillo, student affairs officer, Student Housing: Ronquillo works with students from Chicano-Latino and Asian-Pacific Islander backgrounds on residence hall cultural activities and helps these students feel safe on campus.
Anita Royston, Early Academic Outreach Program family community programs coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Services: Royston organizes the annual Fall Family Gathering for families of prospective UC Davis students. Last year, the program included workshops conducted in Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Hmong. Royston also works with the Parent University program in Sacramento's low-income Franklin Villa area.
Fred Wood (special citation), associate dean, undergraduate education and advising, College of Letters and Sciences: Wood promotes awareness of diversity issues in the college, leading to the hiring of more staff members from underrepresented minority groups.
Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Services: Director director Gary Tudor and senior associate director Leslie Campbell lead one of the most ethnically diverse units on campus. The department offers financial and in-kind contributions to numerous campus cultural events. Staff are given time to participate in diversity awareness events.
Andrea Romero, management services officer, Environmental Design: Romero was presented with the Deanna Falge Award, which honors the former campus affirmative action compliance officer. The award recognizes an ongoing and long-standing - five or more years - promotion of UC Davis' equal opportunity and diversity objectives.
Romero has promoted a bias-free workplace and mentored a diverse group of employees over the years. The diversity and affirmative action committee co-chair was one of the founders of the Soaring to New Heights Celebration.
Disability Awareness Awards:
James McElroy, general manager, Unitrans; and Walter Mellor, shop manager, Unitrans: They are committed to hiring and retaining employees with disabilities, offering them accommodations, cross-training opportunities and trial employment.
Karl Reinking, finance and ancillary manager, Central Storehouse: Reinking provides internship and mentoring opportunities to clients of the campus's Disability Management Services. He's also hired an intern from the program.