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    October 8, 2025

   Vol. 6, No. 8       

A publication from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, 

Fall quarter is well under way, and I hope the energy of a full campus community inspires you and serves as a reminder of our goal to empower every Triton to succeed.  

UC San Diego has such a wide range of departments, units and services that it can be difficult to remain aware of all we offer to students and instructors. This issue, I’d like to highlight the Teaching and Learning Commons, an integral part of our campus offering services and support that empower and benefit the entire Triton community.  

Led by Faculty Director David Song-Ruiter, Ph.D. in collaboration with a Senate-Administration Senior Council, the Commons partners with educators spanning all ranks and schools and is directly visited by about 25 percent of the undergraduate community each year. Read my latest blog post to learn more about the Commons and how they advance teaching excellence and student learning. Their documented impact on our academic community is something we can all be proud of. 

This academic year offers new opportunities for every instructor or learner to engage with the Teaching and Learning Commons. Have you found a service offered by the Commons helpful? I would love to hear about your experience – let’s connect during my office hours. 

Wishing you all a successful fall quarter!  

Elizabeth H. Simmons 

Just a reminder that the easiest way for us to talk is to schedule time during my office hours.

Click the button below to find out about ways we can chat! 

The Teaching and Learning Commons: Everyone is an educator. Everyone is a learner.  

The Teaching and Learning Commons is an integral part of our campus that has services and offerings that can empower and benefit the entire Triton community – undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, and our broader campus community.

Learn more about the Commons' work to reduce equity gaps and advance teaching excellence, and their full suite of offerings for faculty.

Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx history and culture with this year's theme, Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future. 

2025 Latinx Heritage Month Events Calendar

A month-long celebration of UC San Diego postdocs: Postdoctoberfest. 

Download the Postdoctoberfest Zoom background and pick up a Postdoctoberfest button at the GEPA office. 

Thursday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. in Mandeville Auditorium.

The UC San Diego community is invited to a conversation with Justin Lee, author of this year’s Common Read book, “Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree With – and Maybe Even Change the World.”

For free tickets and to submit author questions, visit the ArtPower website.

Thursday, October 9, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at LionTree Arena 
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 3 to 7 p.m. | Online via Handshake 

UC San Diego Students, Alumni, and Postdocs can connect with 100+ top employers. 

Friday, October 17, 2025, 10:00 a.m. at Mandeville Auditorium 

The annual Culture, Art, and Technology (CAT) Conversations will feature Dr. Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician, educator, author, and concert pianist. 

She will discuss her most recent book, "Unequal: The Math of When Things Do and Don't Add Up,” and how mathematics can help us make sense of the world in creative and unexpected ways. 

 RSVP for the free and public event followed by a book signing. 

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Matthews Quad 

Thursday, October 23, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. 

Resource webinar hosted by GEPA and ISEO for current international graduate and professional students. 

Thursday, November 6, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Mathews Quad 

A resource fair and carnival for first-generation college students. 

Sign up to table at the event by Oct. 10 

The new Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood (RWNLLN) houses 2,400 students and features suites, study lounges, wellness spaces, a café and academic classrooms. Instructors who think the new classrooms in RWNLLN might be suitable for their upcoming classes should speak with their Department Class Scheduler and let them know they’d like to request a new RWNLLN classroom for winter quarter classes or beyond. 

View the RWNLLN GA Classroom List for classroom specifications and seat counts. 

NEW MAKE-UP TESTING POLICY 
The TTC Pepper Canyon Hall location was created primarily as a resource for administering secure accommodated testing and, secondarily, for make-up tests. However, an unanticipated and growing use of the TTC seems to be allowing students to take their tests earlier than the scheduled in-class test for reasons of convenience (e.g., travel) rather than necessity, which has reduced availability for accommodated students, especially during final exam week. Therefore, starting Fall Quarter 2025 there are two new policies: 1) unaccommodated students needing to schedule a make-up exam during finals week will have to wait until week 10 to reserve a seat (to prioritize seats for accommodated students); and 2) make-up tests (finals or otherwise) can only occur after the in-class test has already taken place. Read the full memo. 

You can work with the Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF) in Applied Physics and Mathematics (now with more seats) to securely administer all your tests, enabling you to implement frequent mastery-based assessments, allow for flexible testing schedules, give students second chances (i.e., retakes), and/or use class time for more instruction or review. Fall 2025 is already full but reach out to the TTC to use the CBTF in a future quarter. 

Contact TTC for questions or assistance with RegisterBlast scheduling software, PrairieLearn CBTF software, or for a physical tour of TTC locations. 

View the updated Triton Testing Center website: tritontesting.ucsd.edu

Submission forms for 2026 UC San Diego Summer Programs are now open. To prepare and share the resources and information needed for these programs, the Summer Planning team is collecting preliminary information.  

The priority deadline for the submission form is Oct. 15, 2025.  

For questions, please email Director of Summer Planning Rocco Fragomeni. 

Thursday, Oct. 23, 10-11 a.m. via Zoom

Learn how to foster a Transfer Receptive Culture from the Triton Transfer Hub staff.  

Read the latest Student Information System (SIS) Project “Key Project Milestones and Progress” updates on: Triton Student System (TSS), Financial Support Payments Tool (FSPT), CourseLeaf, and uAchieve Transfer Articulation (TA). 

For questions, contact ESR. 

The Student Employment Office and the Teaching and Learning Commons’ Experiential Learning team have partnered to ensure that all UC San Diego casual/restricted student employment positions are fully represented in the Co-Curricular Record (CCR) catalogue by the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.  

You can help by contacting the project managers to check your department’s participation status: Helen Stapleton (hstapleton@ucsd.edu) or Laszlo Folks (lafolks@ucsd.edu) 

The Research Experience and Applied Learning (REAL) Portal is currently being revamped, with the new REAL Portal expected to launch later this Fall. The updated interface will provide one central location for experiential learning opportunities such as research, internships, service-learning, and on-campus jobs. 

In the meantime, supervisors can post opportunities on Handshake or contact elt@ucsd.edu for additional options. 

Students can search for opportunities on the Academic Internship Program InternLink or Handshake. 

November 4, 2025, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
HYBRID: Design Innovation Building, Room 208 or Zoom 

UC San Diego’s Chief Privacy Officer, Pegah Parsi, hosts a Privacy 101 Workshop, ideal for anyone handling personal data, IT professionals, managers, researchers, or any students, faculty, or staff who want to learn how to protect their own data. 

UC San Diego affiliated learners can register on UC Learning Center by Nov. 2, 2025, at 5 p.m. to receive course completion credit. 

The public can also register to attend in-person or via Zoom. Contact ucsdprivacy@ucsd.edu for registration assistance. 

The Hub Basic Needs Center provides Food Security Resources, Housing Resources, and Financial Wellness services to undergraduate and graduate students. Food security resources include the Triton Food Pantry, CalFresh, Food Recovery Network, and Grocery Shuttle. 

Food insecurity is a critical issue for college students nationwide and 2024 UCUES data showed that 51% of UC San Diego undergraduate students report facing food insecurity - threatening their wellbeing and academic success! 

But CalFresh, a state program that awards up to $298 a month for groceries, can help! More than 50% of UC San Diego students are CalFresh eligible, and ~60% of students enrolled receive more than $200 monthly.  

You can help by joining the many instructors who are including food support information in their student-facing communications, such as class syllabi, Canvas and slides. Use the resource downloads on the Collective Impact website. 

• USS Interactive Guidebook: On and off-campus resources

• USS Questions & Concerns from our Students

• What to Say & Do (in English and Spanish): Quick guide on how campus employees can respond to a warrant, subpoena or request for confidential student or staff information. 

Have a student who seems distressed? For support, you can contact Triton CORE, a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Program.  

HOW TO REACH THEM: 
Available Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Call UC San Diego Police Department’s (UCPD) non-emergency line at 858-534-HELP (4357) and ask to speak with Triton CORE. 

To schedule a TRITON CORE presentation, email tritoncore@ucsd.edu 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) introduces Triton Lighthouse: Immersive Care Program, a new campus-based initiative providing comprehensive support for UC San Diego students navigating mental health challenges. 

This short-term program offers individualized treatment plans with a range of services: skill-based workshops, therapy, case management, community activities, psychiatric support, and digital resources. Referrals are welcome! 

Register for a training on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 9 - 10:30 a.m. (Hybrid) 

• BIPOC Support Group 
• Black Community Support Group 
• First-Generation Professionals (FGPs) 
• Mindful Pause (Mindfulness Meditation Group) 
• Neurodivergent Support Groups 
• Parent and Caregiver Support Groups 
• Tritons Flourish