Open enrollment deadline: Nov. 23

Before you get too busy with your Thanksgiving plans, remember: You have only until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, to complete open enrollment for 2011.

You must take action if you wish to change medical plans or sign up for the ARAG Legal Plan, if you wish to add your 23-, 24- and 25-year-old children to your coverage, or if you need to add any other dependants. You also must take action if you wish to set up a flexible spending account, or renew such an account — renewal is not automatic.

In connection with open enrollment, the UC Davis Medical Group has advised that it is accepting new patients. So, if you are in a health plan that does not include the UC Davis Medical Group, you may want to switch during open enrollment to a plan that does.

Here are the plans that include the UC Davis Medical Group as a provider: Anthem Blue Cross PLUS (with or without Medicare), Anthem Blue Cross PPO (with or without Medicare),
Anthem Lumenos PPO + HRA, Core Medical (with or without Medicare), Health Net Blue & Gold HMO, Health Net HMO, Health Net Seniority Plus Medicare Advantage HMO (UC retirees, through UC only) and Western Health Advantage HMO.

More information on the UC Davis Medical Group.

The UC Davis Medical Group has facilities in Davis, Sacramento, Carmichael-Citrus Heights, Natomas (as of January 2011), Elk Grove, Roseville, Rocklin, Auburn, Rancho Cordova and Folsom.

Davis campus benefits representatives are scheduled to present one more general overview of open enrollment: 10:30 a.m.-noon Monday, Nov. 22, in 182 Human Resources Administration Building, Orchard Road just west of La Rue Road. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

More information on open enrollment is available online. Employees without computer access should contact their department or unit offices, or the Davis campus or UC Davis Health System benefits office:

• Davis campus — (530) 752-1774
• UC Davis Health System — (916) 734-8099

UCOP announces deals with UAW, UPTE

The UC Office of the President on Nov. 17 announced that it had reached a tentative agreement on a three-year labor contract with the United Auto Workers, representing UC's more than 11,000 academic student employees — teaching assistants, graduate student instructors, readers and graders, all of whom work part time.

The agreement is subject to union ratification, in a process that is expected to take several weeks.

Meanwhile, the Union of Professional and Technical Employees recently ratified a new labor agreement for UC health care and professional employees in the HX bargaining unit, according to a Nov. 1 news release from UCOP. The HX unit includes these titles: dietitian, child life specialist, clinical lab scientist, cytotechnologist, orthoptist, nuclear medicine technologist, mental health therapist and case manager.with the university.

Faculty workshop on outreach

A brown bag workshop is planned for Nov. 29, to advise faculty on the “Elements of Effective Outreach Programs for Competitive Grant Applications.”

The workshop is being sponsored by university Outreach and International programs, and the Office of Research.

Organizers said a panel discussion will address existing outreach programs at UC Davis and access to funding sources, as well as existing partnership opportunities and assessment of outreach programs.

The workshop is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Institute of Governmental Affairs Reading Room, 360 Shields Library.

RSVPs are requested by Nov. 24, to uoipstudent@ucdavis.edu. For more information, contact Jennie Konsella-Norene, jknorene@ucdavis.edu.

More information.

'Departments' search button added

A “departments” search button has been added to the UC Davis home page, right next to the “pages” and “people” search buttons near the top right-hand corner.

The department search function brings up the same information formerly found in UC Davis’ print directory, the telephone book-sized volume that was last published for during the UC Davis Centennial, 2008-09.

The university discontinued the print directory for reasons of cost and sustainability, and because the online directory can be updated quickly and easily, without waiting for the next print version to come out.

The online directory is the product of Information and Educational Technology, in collaboration with the UC Davis Health System. Read more.

Green ranking for motor vehicle fleet

UC Davis boasts a very green motor vehicle fleet — judging by its fourth-place ranking this year in the privately-sponsored Government Green Fleet Awards program.

The awards program is an offshoot of the 100 Best Fleets program, also industry-sponsored. This program recognizes high performing fleets in North America.

In the green fleet awards program, UC Davis is the only university or college in the top 20. The 2009 green rankings showed UC Davis in 11th place.

The campus fleet includes more than 300 vehicles that run on electric, hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, biodiesel or flexible-fuel engines.

Read more about the fleet's green ranking.