New interim police chief named...

UC Davis Police Capt. Leslie Brown will assume the role of Interim Chief upon the departure of current interim chief Rita Spaur.

Spaur left UC Davis on March 15 to become police chief at UC Merced. Brown joined the campus last November. She formerly was a lieutenant with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

In her interim duties, Brown is charged with maintaining the department's delivery of protection and service to the campus and UC Davis Medical Center communities. Her appointment will continue until early May, when a new police chief is expected to be on campus.

Call made for grant promoting extramural funding...

The Committee on Research is now accepting applications from members of the Academic Senate for insurance and seed grants to promote extramural funding.

Insurance grants are awarded as "insurance" to faculty who have made applications for external funding and are disbursed if the external application is unsuccessful. Last year, about 20 percent of these applications were funded.

Seed grants provide start-up money aimed at major new initiatives, preferably by teams of faculty who are preparing to apply to a specific extramural funding source for the development of unique research or facilities. About 8 percent of these applications were funded last year.

Applications are due March 31. See http://academicsenate.ucdavis.edu/committee_cor_frg_guidelines.htm or contact (530) 752-4918.

Comments sought on sexual harrassment policy...

UC Davis' sexual harrassment policy (Policy and Procedure Manual Sect. 380-12) is being revised.

The change comes in the wake of December's systemwide revision of UC's sexual harassment policy. Those revisions included an updated definition of sexual harassment, clarification of the obligation to respond promptly to reports of sexual harassment, provisions for improved training of managers and supervisors, and a statement on free speech and academic freedom.

• workgroup of UC Davis and health system academic, staff and student administrators has drafted revisions to define responsibilities of campus officials, managers and supervisors more clearly, modify the informal review complaint process, and reduce duplication of investigations.

Comments are sought by March 30 on the proposal, located at http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/ Policy/Development, and can be sent to Beverly Wilcox, in Human Resources, via campus mail, or to bmwilcox@ucdavis.edu. Comments are requested by March 30.