Anil Chandra has lived many lives in the university’s Human Resources department over the past 30 years. He’s worked in accounting, compensation, labor relations and employment.

"You name it," he said. "I’ve worked in all the places except benefits."

For the past seven years, Chandra has been employed in the affirmative action/equal employment opportunity and diversity office. He has stayed put in one office for a while now, but his analyst-and-consultant post has provided him with plenty of variety, he says.

In the beginning of his tenure in the office, Chandra said his primary responsibilities were reviewing workforce demographic data, dealing with minor informal complaints and offering basic education about affirmative action across campus.

In recent years, however, his duties have been expanded to include resolving campus complaints of discrimination, dealing with settlements, and offering discrimination and mediation education. Chandra now also makes sure the university is in full federal compliance for the equitable treatment of job applicants and staff.

Promoting diversity on campus is now a much bigger part of his responsibilities, as well, he said.

Chandra also makes himself visible on campus so that staff knows whom to turn to when they want to discuss discrimination or diversity issues. He and his colleague, Sylvia Reyes, also make presentations to community organizations in Woodland, Sacramento and Solano County.

"We do community and public relations with them saying, ‘The university is representative of all communities,’" Chandra said. "We are very inclusive and want under-represented people from those communities to apply for jobs at UC Davis."

Chandra is also chair of the Asian-Pacific American Systemwide Alliance, which promotes the welfare and interest of Asian Pacific Americans among the staff, faculty and student body on campus.

Chandra is a native of the Fiji Islands. He came to the United States in 1970 after marrying his wife, Vina, who was living in Sacramento.

"A year later I was at UC Davis," he said.

Chandra lives with Vina – a library assistant III in the Serials Department of Shields Library – in the Southport area of West Sacramento. The Chandras’ son, Ravi, works in the Financial Aid office on campus. The couple’s daughter, Gita, works for a public relations firm in New York City.

Away from home, Chandra enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and swimming, especially in Hawaii.

"I’m from the Fiji Islands," Chandra said. "We like living close to the ocean or near water."

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

I’ve always like the arboretum. I do a lot of walking, and I like walking there and looking at the flowers and trees. The arboretum has changed significantly over the years.

What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy resolving conflicts between people on campus. If I can get people to come together, it really makes me happy. It’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed here for so long.

And the least?

Dealing with people who have no regard for other people’s rights. Supervisors and managers who just don’t treat their staff right. I’ve had people who have come into my office crying their eyes out. Also, trying to get people to work together who don’t want to. But I’m willing to do that.

What’s something that’s always on your desk?

My water bottle is always on my table. I read somewhere that you should drink more water.

What’s something about you that people would be surprised to know?

All my friends and associates on campus know me pretty well. The only thing they might not know is that I was in the military in Fiji during the Vietnam War.

We trained the Aussie and Kiwi soldiers in the bush. They didn’t know the jungle. We trained them there before they were shipped off to Vietnam.

Read any good books lately?

I’ve been reading a book called Fear by L. Ron Hubbard. This book was written about 30 years ago, and it’s about a professor who doesn’t believe in the supernatural. The professor loses his hat and four hours of his life, and tries to find out how he lost it. It had an ending I didn’t expect – how he lost the four hours. •