(COVID-19): Campus Health Updates
Section 1
***Please Click Here for Official Campuswide Updates***
Registrar's Office FAQ Page | Official University FAQ Page
5/1/2020 - Daily COVID-19 Graduate Division Update
Dear Graduate Students and Post-Docs,
Happy Friday and congratulations on making it through another month in this COVID-19 environment. It is also May Day, a celebration across Europe and North America that began as the ancient festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. I just returned from a walk (necessary after too much Zoom today!) and enjoyed the flowers. I hope you are all getting out and enjoying the flowers today too. We will keep this message short so you can get to your weekends and get off your screens, but there are a few key things we really want to remind you of today.
REMINDER: Call for Applications: Inclusive Excellence Ambassador Fellowship
In case you haven’t heard yet, we have created a summer fellowship opportunity in an effort for students who demonstrate a commitment to inclusive excellence during this difficult time. The Inclusive Excellence Ambassador Fellowship will provide a $5,000 summer stipend to support the research of 50 PhD and MFA students who have shown a commitment to inclusive excellence. Click here to read more about the opportunity and apply by clicking here. This is a very tight turnarond, because we want to get as much stability into your lives as quickly as we possibly can. That means you have just two weeks to apply. However, the application requires very little. Please do apply! Also, please note, this is only one of many efforts, including the existing GDDF, that we are rolling out in short order to shore up summer funding across campus. As a reminder, if you have lost your usual summer funding, please fill out this short form and tell us a little about it. The more we know, the more we can plan well and allocate even more resources to your needs.
REMINDER 2020-21 Applications for Continuing Student Fellowships Still Open!
More information about each fellowship is available at https://grad.uci.edu/funding/index.php
- Faculty Mentor Program (FMP), PhD only
- President's Dissertation Year Fellowship (PDY), PhD only
- Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship (GDDF), PhD and MFA
For more specific questions please contact:
FMP/PDY: Daniel Fabrega dfabrega@uci.edu
GDDF: Claudia Campos, cfcampos@uci.edu
Student Visa FAQ
Now is a confusing time, especially for our international students concerning visas. Please see this helpful FAQ list by clicking here.
UCI Libraries Still Open Remotely
As a reminder, UCI Libraries are still open with a number of remote services available. Here are some of the recent actions they’ve put in place.
- The Library Home Page has been updated to make their Remote Resources and Services more prominent.
- All requests for books or journals are being ordered in an online format whenever available.
- Films are ordered as streaming media whenever possible.
- They’ve have implemented the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service to help provide electronic access to a portion of the print collection held in the Libraries.
- Subject librarians are available to help out via email, phone, or Zoom with resource requests and to provide individual research consultations.
Virtual Wellness Resources Available for Students
Numerous virtual wellness resources and tips for working from home can be found through wellness.uci.edu or by clicking here. Below are some more specific resources:
- Live fitness classes through the ARC: https://www.campusrec.uci.edu/recreation-live.asp
- Test Kitchen Recipes and live cooking classes: https://www.campusrec.uci.edu/anteater-test-kitchen.asp
- Ergonomics while working remotely: https://www.ehs.uci.edu/PublicHealth/covid-19/Ergonomics%20for%20Remote%20Work%20and%20FAQ.pdf
SEMINAR: At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Stress and Coping During COVID-19
Friday, May 8 | 11 am - 11:30 am
This 30-minute informal conversation gives parents and caregivers a chance to ask leading child development experts pressing questions about helping their children cope with stress during the coronavirus pandemic. How can parents best support their children during this time? What sort of behavior changes should parents watch out for? Should parents limit the families’ exposure to news coverage surrounding the pandemic? How can parents take care of themselves so they can act as a healthy role model for their families? Participants will have the option to submit questions in advance or post them in real time during the event. Learn more.
REMINDER: Dean’s Office Hours
Just a reminder, I will continue to have my virtual office hours all throughout May. Please stop by, even if it’s just to say hello!
Dean’s Virtual Office Hours: https://uci.zoom.us/j/7277477057
- May the 4th Be With you! 9 – 9:30 AM
- Tuesday May 5th 11:30AM - noon
- Wednesday May 6th 1-1:30 PM
- Thursday May 7th 10-10:30 AM
- Friday May 8th 3:30-4 PM
Come to office hours in Star Wars costume or otherwise commemorate this very important and not at all silly holiday, and the best representative will have a treat in their email after. (Don’t get too excited, it’s probably going to be an Amazon gift card).
UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List
Inside Higher Ed, May 1, 2020- Stuck with off-campus housing
Phys.org, May 1, 2020- Mathematicians use machine intelligence to map gene interactions
KPBS, May 1, 2020- College-bound students jumped for joy when they got in. Now they’re weighing grim options
Stuff NZ, May 1, 2020- Coronavirus: Studies leave question of ‘airborne’ COVID-19 transmission unanswered
The Daily Star, May 1, 2020- Mental health in the time of COVID-19
London School of Economics, May 1, 2020 (Opinion)- Opinion: Democracy and its advocates must adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic
Orange County Register, April 30, 2020- The actual spread of coronavirus in Orange County is still a mystery
Chicago Sun Times, April 30, 2020 (Contributor)- Opinion: The importance of unions is more obvious than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Guardian, April 30, 2020- California closes Orange County beaches over COVID-19 fears – but how risky is a beach day?
Orange County Business Journal, April 30, 2020- UCI Health a Gilead site for COVID-19 Drug Trials
Orange County Register, April 30, 2020 (Opinion)- Opinion: Coronavirus and America’s Vietnam Syndrome
Orange County Register, April 30, 2020- ACLU pushes OC Sheriff Don Barnes to release 500 medically vulnerable jail inmates
Fox11, April 30, 2020- ACLU sues OC Sheriff, demanding release of inmates during COVID-19 pandemic
California Healthline, April 30, 2020- California to widen pipeline of psychiatric nurse practitioners
Orange County Business Journal, April 30, 2020- COVID-19: Tests double; KPC; UCI-Gilead; Devices; MemorialCare goes SoCo
Elemental, April 30, 2020- Kids are staring at screens all day. Is this really a problem?
Patch, April 30, 2020- The Coder School goes virtual, OC kids learn to code games & more
SupChina, April 30, 2020- China’s poverty-shaming social assistance system and the urgent need for reform
Voice of OC, April 30, 2020 -Coronavirus hospitalizations have been rising in OC, despite claims of ‘flattened’ curve
In Closing
We are about half way through Spring quarter, which is always a stressful time. Rolling straight from Winter to Spring and then going on and on can be draining. And for our law students, they are just finishing up, which is hard in its own way. Normally, I would tell you that you can do anything and be excited that summer is here soon. For some of you, though, summer might be even more stressful because of concerns about funding. Please let us know about funding you have lost by clicking here: And please apply for fellowships for which you are eligible for. Last, be on the lookout as CARES funding gets released, additional fellowships, GSRs, and TAs are formed, and so on. We are working fast, and we know how anxious you are. More opportunities are coming soon.
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.” - Anatole France
Use this time of anxiety to shift your worry into advanced thinking and planning. Let us do the hustling and the work, you do the dreaming and believing. Together, we will accomplish great things.
Wishing for more sunny days, but not too sunny, none of us have A/C!
On behalf of all of Graduate Division,
Gillian
Gillian Hayes
Kleist Professor of Informatics
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Dean of the Graduate Division