Staff Assembly Chair Lin King says the assembly's mission can be broken down into three main points: communication, representation and celebration.

King, program manager of R4 Recycling, outlined the Staff Assembly's mission statement during a brief address March 15 at the assembly's spring quarter meeting. About 75 members attended the lunch hour event in Memorial Union II.

The assembly's communication effort, King said, is a two-way street: to and from employees. King, who became chair last August, said he has revived the assembly newsletter, now called Staff Voice instead of Staff News, available quarterly by e-mail and on the assembly's new Web site. "We welcome any articles or ideas from staff or departments," he said by e-mail after the meeting.

King said general meetings, per the assembly's bylaws, are required each fall and spring. "In fact, due to overwhelming request, we will probably hold another meeting this spring to address the changes to the UC Retirement Plan, UC budgets, and classification and compensation issues," he said.

Representation, he said, involves informing the administration of staff views — something that he called "vitally critical."

Finally, King said, the assembly is committed to celebration with events like TGFS, or Thank Goodness for Staff. This year's TGFS picnic is scheduled for May 10 in Shields Grove at the west end of the arboretum.

During the spring meeting, TGFS Co-Chairs Marge Bruckner and Mark Ottinger gave a recap of planning efforts and asked for volunteers to help with the event.

Also, Laura Townsley advised that staff scholarship applications are due by April 14, and Maggie Overbaugh announced an April 24 deadline for nominations for Citations for Excellence. Scholarship and citation recipients are due to be announced at TGFS.

King also noted the date of this year's UC Davis Day at Great America, June 24, when the university community has the opportunity to visit the Santa Clara amusement park at discounted prices.

In other news from the assembly meeting:

• James Cubbage said April 27 is the date for this year's Take Our Daughters-Sons to Work Day. He said the event is aimed at children 8 to 12, and they can be sons, daughters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren. He noted that the day is not just about exposing children to the working world, but exciting them about higher education — and UC Davis in particular.

Cubbage asked staff to pass along information about campus activities that might be of interest to the children who participate in Take Our Daughters-Sons to Work Day. The activities must be scheduled from 12:30 to 4 p.m., Cubbage said.

He said these activities can be the same ones featured on Picnic Day five days earlier, which would give departments and units another chance to promote their programs without having to start from scratch.

• Associate Executive Vice Chancellor Rahim Reed spoke to the assembly about the university's Comprehensive Diversity Action Plan. It comprises a decentralized effort "to build a more inclusive community," Reed said, with university units promoting diversity and inclusion within their own units and receiving support and resources from the administration.

He noted that "diversity without inclusion is hollow. … It creates no sense of community."

• King announced that the assembly office has moved from shared space with the Academic Senate to the Human Resources Building, and that the assembly is in the process of hiring a full-time employee.
• King encouraged members to check out the assembly's new Web site: http://staff.ucdavis.edu. The telephone number remains the same: (530) 752-0988.