UC Davis Retirees' Association
October 2023 Report
Submited by: Emily Galindo, President
Since the Spring 2023 CUCRA meeting, the UC Davis Retirees Association has continued to meet on a regular basis in person. Our board has experienced some membership changes with the resignations of our membership coordinator and our past president.
The UCDRA president and vice president attended the CUCRA facilitated northern campus meeting held in Berkeley in August. Participating in this gathering allowed for an opportunity to discuss common issues experienced by all of the boards.
UC Davis retirees continue to receive free parking privileges through a simplified method of registering two vehicles per retiree. This allows easy access to campus and hospital parking lots without a physical permit or requiring the use of a mobile app.
Our Retiree Center staff experienced changes over the summer, with the welcoming of a new assistant director, Amanda Crisman. We are also happy to report that the Center has secured office space on the UC Davis Health System Campus in Sacramento. This will allow for staff to provide daily in person support for medical center retirees. Monthly coffee socials hosted by the Center began in July and are attracting retirees interested in an opportunity to gather with old and new friends. Planning has also begun to hold social events and other activities of interest to retirees in Sacramento.
Our joint fundraising committee with the UC Davis Emeriti Association successfully raised more than $48,000 for the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center. This will provide funds for housing insecure students. In September, the UCDRA awarded scholarships to three staff recipients in conjunction with Staff Assembly's annual awards process.
Finally, UCDRA and UCDEA board members have been enthusiastically planning to host the Fall CUCRA/CUCEA conference on the Davis campus in October. This will be a hybrid event, but we are especially eager to welcome fellow retiree board members back to our campus following the pandemic disruption of the past few years. In addition to our usual meetings, we will be offering a tour of our on campus brewery and hosting dinner.