UC Merced’s Police Department has sworn in two new officers — Officer Raquel Rios and Public Service Officer Adam Ferdin — and promoted Jason Jacklitsch to sergeant.
Jacklitsch began his law enforcement career in 2001 and has worked for local agencies in Atwater and Merced. He joined the UC Merced Police Department in September 2015 as a field-training officer. Jacklitsch serves on the UC’s Systemwide Response Team, which responds to UC campuses for crowd control and protest activities.
Rios has been a law enforcement officer for 18 years, working in both Stanislaus and Merced counties before joining the campus department. Ferdin worked at Mercy Medical Center Merced as a security guard. In his new role as a PSO, he will patrol campus sites that include the Downtown Campus Center and the Heritage Apartments.
Chancellor Among Dignitaries to Honor Late Educator
Chancellor Dorothy Leland was one of several officials who spoke at the Jan. 19 building dedication for the late Denard Davis of Merced. The Merced County Office of Education renamed its main headquarters on 13th Street the Denard William Davis Administration Building. Davis, who was affectionately known as “Mr. D,” acted as a community advocate, educator, mentor and civil rights leader in Merced for over 40 years before his death in 2015. A longtime friend and supporter of UC Merced, Davis served on the selection committee that chose the first 10 recipients of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance.
Peruvian Government Highlights Aldenderfer’s ‘Golden’ Discovery
Professor Mark Aldenderfer in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts earned kudos from Peru’s government for his 2008 discovery of a 4,000-year-old necklace -- the earliest gold artifact found in the Americas to date. Aldenderfer published the discovery in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Science” in 2008, but Peru recently named the treasure one of the country’s Top 50 most significant finds. It received its own chapter in a book published by the Peruvian government. Peru honored Aldenderfer during a ceremony held last fall. Aldenderfer said the discovery is probably the most significant find he has ever made in his career.
City’s MLK Jr. Day Events Include UC Merced’s Davis, Pirtle
Several hundred people in Merced honored Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy during the city’s 22nd annual march and program. Participants walked from the fairgrounds along Martin Luther King Jr. Way to the Merced Theatre, where they saw performances and heard guest speakers that included UC Merced’s Darryl Davis and Whitney Pirtle. Davis, a campus police officer, is the president of the Merced County NAACP Branch 1047. Pirtle, professor of sociology in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, spoke about the influence Martin Luther King Jr. Day had in her life and highlighted African-American women who either fought during the Civil Rights Movement or have spoken out against inequalities.
Speakers Highlight Available Mental Health Resources
Health Promotion at UC Merced teamed up with several campus and community sponsors Jan. 10 to host an informational training session about mental health services and resources available to students, staff and faculty members. The two-hour session featured speakers from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and presentations from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Human Resources. NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for people affected by mental illness.
