Congress today (Dec. 23) extended the 2011 payroll tax cut, but the action came too late for UC's Jan. 1 payroll, which had already been processed at the old rate.

The old rate is 6.2 percent — 2 percentage points higher than the 2011 rate. Thus, your take-home pay will go down.

But don't worry: UC will make up for it retroactively after reprogramming the payroll system to reflect today's congressional action, extending the 4.2 percent deduction for two months.

UC will implement the change as soon as possible, according to a Dec. 20 statement from the UC Office of the President.

“Thus, any change in rate will be reflected on the employee’s paycheck after implementation of the rate change in our payroll system, along with any needed correction to retroactively withhold at the lower rate,” the statement reads.

Sustainability conference: Call for proposals

The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference is being held at UC Davis for the first time, this coming June, and the organizers have put out a call for proposals from people who would like to make presentations.

The conference, jointly organized by the UC and California State University systems, California community colleges, and private colleges, highlights cutting-edge case studies as well as research, curriculum development and community partnerships.

As the sustainability planner at UC Davis, Camille Kirk said she is particularly interested in projects about this campus. Which would mean, if you are submitting a proposal, you need to check the "Local Track" box.

"However, that said, more than anything I just want people to submit high-quality proposals," Kirk added.

In calling for proposals, the organizers said they are seeking speakers who have crossed silos within their institutions to create sustainable change, infuse concepts of sustainability into curriculum, and/or to pursue research questions related to sustainability — especially in cases in which the research has or could be applied to campus sustainability.

“We are especially excited about proposals where a connection has been made across academic and operational departments,” the organizers said.

The conference website is here and the call for proposals is here. The deadline is Jan. 20.

The butterfly hunt begins soon

Beer for a butterfly. That’s what you’ll get — or the cash equivalent — if you collect the first cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) of 2012 in Yolo, Solano or Sacramento counties.

Professor Art Shapiro of the Department of Evolution and Ecology has been running the “Catch-a-Cabbage-White-Butterfly-Win-a-Pitcher-of-Beer” contest since 1972.

The butterfly must be delivered live to the office of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, 2320 Storer Hall.

Over the contest’s history of almost four decades, the first flight has varied from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22 — with Jan. 20 as the average date.
Shapiro, a noted butterfly expert who maintains a website on butterflies, usually wins. He caught the first cabbage white butterfly of 2011 at 1:21 p.m Jan. 31 in Suisun City, Solano County.

More information, including the rules.

— Kathy Keatley Garvey

Vacancy rate drops to 2.5 percent

The apartment vacancy rate in the city of Davis decreased to 2.5 percent and the average rent decreased 1 percent, according to an annual UC Davis survey.

Student Housing conducts the Vacancy and Rental Rate Survey, now in its 36th year, to provide the campus and Davis community with information for planning.

Last fall, the apartment vacancy rate was 3.4 percent, and the average rent decreased by 0.55 percent.

A total of 132 of 178 complexes with five or more rental units responded to the survey this fall; the newly opened UC Davis West Village participated.

According to the survey report, the number of apartment units increased by 405, to 9,129, and 229 were vacant.

The average monthly rent this year for unfurnished two-bedroom apartments — which account for 43 percent of the units in the survey — rose by 0.24 percent, from $1,237 to $1,240. Average rents declined for studios and four-bedroom apartments.

According to the report, economists and urban planners consider a vacancy rate of 5 percent to be the ideal balance between the interests of the landlord and tenant.

UC Davis is scheduled to begin construction in 2012 on Tercero Phase 3, a 1,200-bed housing project to open in the fall of 2014.

Today, about 4,725 students live in residence halls; an additional 476 families and single graduate students live in Orchard and Solano parks, and 1,535 students reside in privately managed housing complexes on campus.

The complete survey report is available online.

— Julia Ann Easley