June 2023 Division Message: Recognizing Juneteenth, Celebrating Pride, End-of-Year Updates, and more

Monthly Student Affairs updates, info, events and shoutouts

Recognizing Juneteenth, Celebrating Pride, Updates, and more

Dear Student Affairs Colleagues and Friends,

Commencement 2023 is just around the corner – three cheers! I extend congratulations to each of you and our student-centered partners across UC San Diego for advising, guiding, coaching, mentoring, teaching, engaging, challenging, healing, and supporting our newest Triton alumni. With summer quickly approaching, this is an excellent opportunity to celebrate not only our graduates, but also each of you for your student centeredness throughout the year.

I would also like to wish everyone a joyous pride month! Our colleagues in the LGBT Resource Center have opened up registration to walk with UC San Diego in the July 15 San Diego Pride Parade.

In the coming weeks, UC San Diego will also explore what the Juneteenth holiday means for Americans, celebrate Black excellence, and center ways in which all communities can observe, reflect, and educate in commemoration. I encourage you to visit the Juneteenth website on Blink to learn about some special events taking place this month in celebration of our rich Black culture and history.

Finally, our next division update will hit your inboxes in August 2023, wherein we will share our annual progress report on our units’ anti-racism commitments (more on this below), and I invite you to begin thinking about submitting nominations for the third annual Student Affairs Staff Awards taking place on October 31. Nomination forms will be shared on the DSA Listserv in August.

The HUB Basic Needs Center Turns 5

The beyond basic community of staff and past/present student leaders celebrated the five-year anniversary of this important campus initiative, while commemorating the student leadership legacy that has uplifted Basic Needs at UC San Diego since the Center's doors opened in Winter 2018.

The June 2 celebration took place in the recently renovated Student Center courtyard, with tunes by the Deejays & Vinylphiles Club, culturally reflective food, interactive art, and gratitude for our graduating student leaders.

Our First Big West Championship

UC San Diego baseball was recently crowned as outright 2023 Big West Champions! The Tritons finished their conference season with a 21-9 record to earn UC San Diego’s first Big West title across all membership sports – in just their third season of NCAA Division I competition. During a campus celebration held last week, the team was presented with the championship trophy in front of Price Center Plaza.

Annual Update on our Commitments to Address Anti-Blackness

During the summer of 2020, the Division of Student Affairs made public commitments to more actively address anti-Blackness at UC San Diego.

As part of this initiative, the division outlined an accountability process designed to regularly assess the effectiveness of our efforts, and report publicly each August on our collective progress toward these commitments.

2023 Commitments Progress Reports Due July 21, 2023

If your unit submitted commitments, you will have already received a link to the 2023 Anti-Racism Commitments Google folder wherein you may update/revise your unit’s status on each commitment. The deadline to submit progress for inclusion in this year’s report is Friday, July 21, 2023.

As we prepare to assess how our division has progressed on these commitments during the last year, we must also acknowledge the immense efforts that have been made prior to the development of our original commitments, as well as the continued, ongoing work ahead.

Mandatory Compliance Training

As a reminder, all employees must complete required online trainings within 30 days of hire and renew them regularly – including Cyber Security Awareness, Sexual Violence Prevention, and Ethical Values and Conduct. The Division of Student Affairs is actively hiring students for the Summer and Fall quarters, so please ensure that your new employees (including students) complete their required trainings immediately upon hire.

Update on SPUR: Scaling Paid Undergraduate Research

At an event on May 25, The Design Lab launched the DEVELOP phase of SPUR: Scaling Paid Undergraduate Research @ UC San Diego at the Design & Innovation Building. The purpose of the event was two-fold:

To share what we learned during the WORK phase; and
To form teams to DEVELOP new ideas for evaluation.

Watch this video to hear remarks on the program to date, and to hear what we’ve learned during this campus-wide initiative.

To learn more and to join a team, please complete the quick SPUR Registration Form.

Assessment Day Recordings

If you weren’t able to join us on May 11 for Assessment Day 2023, I encourage you to visit the Assessment Day website to view session recordings on topics like ‘Data Feminism,’ ‘Examining Undergraduate and Graduate Student Experiences,’ and more.

Congrats, Juanita!

Please join me in congratulating Juanita Razo Dueñas, who was recently promoted to Director for Student Success Programs (SSP). As a member of the SRS Leadership Team, Juanita will continue to lead ongoing efforts and initiatives promoting student belonging, engagement, persistence, and retention in support of several distinct populations at UC San Diego. Together with the SSP staff, Juanita will continue advancing these university and division goals through equity-mindedness, development of strategic partnerships, and a strong sense of care for the community.

Juanita has served as Interim Director since July 2022, during which time she has proven to be a highly collaborative, compassionate, and action-oriented leader. Her unyielding commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for students is evident in her approach to the daily work of each program under SSP.

Congrats, Maria!

Maria Rodriguez, Student Success Coordinator with the Chancellor's Associates Scholars Program (CASP), was recently featured in UC San Diego Today’s Take 10 with a Triton series.

The story details Maria’s journey as a first-generation college graduate into a career that focuses on student success – wherein she works to reconnect alumni to the CASP program and supports continuing and graduating students with their career and professional development goals.

All Campus Commencement
June 17, 2023

In addition to the all-campus ceremony on June 17, visit commencement.ucsd.edu for details about undergraduate college, professional school, and Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs ceremonies, as well as volunteer opportunities.

New Student Convocation
September 26, 2023

The New Student Welcome Convocation serves as the formal entrance of our incoming students into UC San Diego’s scholarly community. As a bookend to Commencement, Convocation provides an opportunity for our newest Tritons – all first-year undergraduate students, transfer students, and incoming graduate students – to hear from campus leaders and engage with faculty at the start of their collegiate journey.

The 2023 ceremony – taking place on September 26, 2023 – marks the 18th year of this important campus tradition.

Instruction Begins
September 28, 2023

The first day of instruction for Fall Quarter 2023 will be Thursday, September 28, 2023. Mark your calendars; it’ll be here before we know it!

Third Annual Student Affairs Staff Awards
October 31, 2023

The annual Student Affairs Staff Awards are designed to encourage Student Affairs team members to showcase their work, celebrate each other, and recognize the creativity and student-centered innovation that consistently emanates from our division. This year’s winners will be announced at the Student Affairs Fall All-Staff meeting on October 31, 2023.

Student Veterans Resource Center: 10-Year Anniversary
November 9, 2023

During Fall Quarter of next year, the Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC) will celebrate its ten-year anniversary by hosting an event to culminate their campus-wide Veterans’ Week. You’re invited to stop by on November 9, 2023 and wish the Center a happy birthday, while recognizing the achievements of UC San Diego’s student veterans.

Let me know if you would like to take a walk on campus, grab a cup of coffee together, or hop on a Zoom to connect – just send me an email at vcsa@ucsd.edu.

Until I see you next, take good care and if your schedules allow for it, please do get some rest and relaxation in this summer session whenever possible.

Be Well,