The Student Disability Drop-In Center in the Memorial Union will have a grand opening at 1 p.m. Wednesday (May 30). All are welcome to stop by and celebrate this wonderful new resource on campus with: light refreshments, giveaways, staff meet-and-greet, and demonstrations of assistive technology.

Located on the MU’s first floor (just off the lounge in the east wing), the new center will serve as a more visible hub for students to ask questions and set up appointments for more in-depth visits — while at the same time fostering a sense of community.

“We want to have a presence that’s more central on campus,” said Jennifer Billeci, director of the Student Disability Center. The main office is in the Cowell Building on the north side of campus, a location that Billeci said can take some effort to reach for people with mobility disabilities.

The office in the Cowell Building will remain for confidential appointments, but the new location in the MU will help with outreach, quick questions or problems with technology, she said. It will also give students who are served by the center another place to gather.

“We also want to add a sense of community for the students we serve,” Billeci said. “There will be small groupings of furniture where people can sit with each other and talk.”

The Student Disability Drop-In Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Learn about the Student Disability Center’s specialized academic and mobility support.

Student-athletes on academic roll

UC Davis Athletics continues on an academic roll, with seven teams posting perfect scores of 1,000 in multiyear Academic Progress Rates and 10 teams leading their leagues in multiyear APR.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association reports multiyear APRs annually for all Division I teams, measuring eligibility, graduation and retention each quarter or semester going back four years. The latest data cover the academic years 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Within each sport, the NCAA gives Public Recognition Awards in each sport, to teams that achieved multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all teams in that sport. Seven UC Davis teams made the cut with perfect scores: Women —  Basketball, field hockey, golf, softball and tennis. Men — Golf and tennis.

The complete APR report shows the following UC Davis teams as league leaders in multiyear APR: baseball, men’s golf, men’s tennis, softball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, women’s tennis and women’s water polo (all in the Big West Conference); field hockey (America East Conference); and football (Big Sky).

Football has now led the Big Sky in multiyear APR for six years straight — every year since joining the conference — the second-longest active streak in the nation within the sport, trailing only Bryant.

Also included in the NCAA’s recent listings were 12 UC Davis teams that recorded perfect single-year scores for 2016-17: Women — basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo. Men — baseball, golf and tennis.

Wildland fire training at Russell Ranch

UC Davis will host wildland fire training on Russell Ranch starting Monday (June 4) and continuing through Friday, June 15, Fire Chief Nate Trauernicht announced.

The Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility is along Russell Boulevard west of Highway 113. “If folks see smoke to the west on those days, it's for training,” Trauernicht said.

The Fire Department is holding the burns in cooperation with the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, adjacent to Russell Ranch.

Trauernicht listed these participants: UC Davis, Davis, Dunnigan, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland and Yocha Dehe fire departments (all the members of the West Valley Regional Fire Training Consortium), along with the Sacramento Fire Department.

Besides training for firefighters, the prescribed burns also help native habitats on the ranch, Trauernicht said. “And it’s a great opportunity to practice with all of our regional partners,” he said.

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