The Davis and Sacramento campus IT units this week launched the first public phase of the Identity and Access Management (IAM) initiative, to create a common database of the information that is used in gaining access to the university’s computer networks.

Up until now, this information has been stored in hundreds of applications, with the data being duplicated many times over — which is the root cause of the many different passwords that people struggle with at UC Davis.

“Across both our campuses, we have been using an array of digital repositories to store and manage millions of identity records — for most everyone who comes in contact with UC Davis, from faculty, staff, students, physicians and medical staff, to consultants and guests from around the world,” said Peter M. Siegel, UC Davis chief information officer. “Having so many separate repositories, some of them more secure and reliable than others, makes no financial, practical or business sense.”

As partners, the campuses are developing a next generation system that will be able to effectively link identity data to any campus system, and support secure business, clinical, research or educational transactions.

Learn more.

UCOP announces tentative deal with CUE

The UC Office of the President announced Nov. 8 that the university had reached a tentative, five-year labor deal with the Coalition of University Employees, or CUE, regarding wages, benefits and working conditions for more than 12,500 clerical employees systemwide.

The deal marks the first time in many years that UC had settled multiyear contracts with its major unions, according to a news release from UCOP.

The news release stated that CUE members will vote on the contract proposal this month, and that contract details would be available at a later date.

Read the complete news release, including information about UC’s earlier deals with three other unions.

22 donors separate Aggies and Hornets

UC Davis gave more blood but Cal State Sacramento brought out 22 more potential donors — giving the Hornets their first win in the four-year history of the Causeway Classic Blood Drive.

A perpetual trophy goes to the university with the most registered participants, regardless of whether each person actually goes through with a donation, after going through the screening process.

The final tally showed California State University, Sacramento. with 1,800 registered participants vs. 1,778 for UC Davis, where the Causeway Classic Blood Drive took place last week, Nov. 1 and 2.

“Even though UC Davis didn’t win this year, the fact remains that the patients are the real winners of this competition,” said Brie Leon, account manager for the Sacramento-based BloodSource, which collects the blood and runs the contest.

The Davis campus blood draw netted 1,472 pints, compared with 1,367 for Sacramento State — for a grand total of 2,839.

“Each student, staff and community member who came out to donate reminded me of why we do this blood drive competition: to save more lives, and we achieved that goal.”

Sexual harassment prevention training

Life Theatre Services is returning to UC Davis to present another interactive workshop in sexual harassment prevention.

New and continuing supervisors are required by state law to undergo at least two hours of sexual harassment prevention training every two years — and the upcoming program will satisfy that requirement, according to Moira Delgado of the Davis campus’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Program.

Life Theatre uses professional actors to dramatize real-life scenarios that illustrate both overt and subtle forms of sexual harassment. The workshop comprises a number of short scenes, and, after each one, a facilitator invites the audience to talk directly with the characters.

The workshop is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, in Ballroom A at the Activities and Recreation Center. Participants are advised to arrive at least 15 minutes early, in order to sign in.

Space is limited; sign-ups are being taken on a first-come, first-serve basis via the UC Learning Center online registration system (search for “Life Theatre”).

2 ways to donate food this holiday season

One food drive is under way, and, days after it ends, another will begin.

• Mail Services’ sixth annual holiday food drive began Nov. 1 and runs through next Friday, Nov. 18. Canned and dry goods are being sought — simply put them with your outgoing mail. Davis campus donations go to the Food Bank of Yolo County, and Sacramento donations go to the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

• Campus Recreation’s third annual food drive is scheduled from Nov. 21 to Dec. 16, with the organizers asking for canned food, peanut butter, low-sugar cereals and 100 percent fruit juice, all for the Food Bank of Yolo County. Collection bins with holiday bows are due to be set up at the Activities and Recreation Center, the Craft Center, the Equestrian Center and Outdoor Adventures.

Game Day Challenge: A low-waste effort

The Aggies are hoping for the most points and as little waste as possible when UC Davis takes on North Dakota in football on Saturday (Nov. 12) at Aggie Stadium.

The most points, of course, would give us a win in the Great West Conference, while our efforts at keeping trash to a minimum could give us a repeat win over other colleges and universities in the Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise Game Day Challenge.

Each institution picks its own Game Day, then measures how much trash comes out of the stadium. The contest comprises five categories: waste per person, diversion rate (diverted to recycling or composting, as opposed to landfill), greenhouse gas reduction, recycling and organics reduction.

The Aggies entered the competition for the first time last year, and topped 74 other colleges and universities in diversion rate. The winning stats: The Aggie Stadium crowd of 6,835 generated 885 pounds of trash, and only 90 pounds went to the landfill. The other 795 pounds went to recycling and composting — for a diversion rate of nearly 90 percent.

Waste minimization is not a one-time thing at Aggie Stadium.

“We’re starting the season strong and we’ll keep getting the diversion numbers higher as we get towards Game Day,” said Michelle La, coordinator of the campus’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Program.

Last forum on future of athletics

The last forum on the future course of UC Davis Intercollegiate Athletics is scheduled for next week: 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 16) in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom.

The campus also has set up an e-mail account for thoughts and suggestions: athletics@ucdavis.edu. The deadline is Nov. 30.

Comments are being gathered at the forums and by e-mail in connection with the forthcoming recruitment of a new athletics director.

"Our selection of the new director, along with the broader discussions of the direction of our athletics program, will help define the overall reputation of UC Davis as a world-class public research university," Katehi said in an Oct. 24 e-mail to the campus community. "Your voice is essential to and will have a critical impact on the selection we ultimately make."

Read more about the search for a new athletics director.