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One of �ٺ���Ƶ’ newest athletic teams will soon have a place to compete on campus. Four sand volleyball courts are under construction on a section of just north of the Quad Parking Structure, and are set to be used for competition by the women’s beach volleyball team in the spring.

The building site is adjacent to existing bleachers made from concrete — providing built-in seating for spectators. Even with the courts, Howard Field retains sufficient space for such intramural activities as two soccer games side by side.

Beach volleyball is one of two new women’s sports: Equestrian is the other; that team will compete at the �ٺ���Ƶ Equestrian Center.

Weather permitting, the volleyball construction project (including landscaping improvements) should be finished by the end of January. Much of the cost of construction is being paid by a donor who wants to remain anonymous.

Earlier this month, the Aggie beach volleyball team played an exhibition game at Hawaii — losing 1-3 to the powerhouse Sandbows (who won the Big West Conference championship and finished third in the NCAA tournament last season).

�ٺ���Ƶ beach volleyball will open the season March 9 at Stanford, and the Aggies’ first home game will be Saturday, April 13 — Picnic Day.

Bruce Gallaudet’s Inside Aggie Nation:

Possible tax consequence in expense reporting

Here’s a heads up to �ٺ���Ƶ employees who travel or entertain on behalf of the university: Effective Jan. 1, if you do not submit your expense reports within 60 days, the reimbursements will be reported as taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service.

“That means that even though the university may have paid the expenses, you will have to pay taxes on the reimbursement if it’s submitted late,” said Mike Kuhner, associate director of Accounts Payable and Banking Card Services.

The new policy is in accordance with UC policies and .   

“The easiest way to avoid getting taxed is to set a reminder for yourself to submit expense reports before the 60-day deadline,” Kuhner said.

The new rule applies to Travel card, direct billing (CTS) and out-of-pocket expenses.

Complete information is available on the .

AAAS Mass Media Fellowship

�ٺ���Ƶ is sponsoring a mass media fellowship in science and engineering through the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the summer of 2019 — a fellowship that is open to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students.

Three people with �ٺ���Ƶ connections will be in attendance to offer their insights into the program: AAAS Mass Media Fellows Ben Landis (�ٺ���Ƶ graduate, 2003) and Alexandra Weill (a �ٺ���Ƶ graduate student in ecology and plant sciences); and Stacey Pasco, former program director for the AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows, who now works as chief of staff and project director in the office of Interim Dean Debbie Ward at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.  

During the 10-week program, fellows collaborate with professionals at radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines. As part of their job, the student scientists and their host journalists strive to make science news easy for the public to understand. Fellows have worked as reporters, editors, researchers and production assistants at such media outlets as the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, Wired and Scientific American.

Faculty members are encouraged to alert their students to this opportunity. Application deadline: Jan. 15.

Bake-off is for bakers and tasters

Organizers of the Great Staff Assembly Bake-Off announced an extended deadline — to 5 p.m. Friday (Nov. 30) — for baker and taster sign-ups. The bakers, of course, are the competitors. The tasters are the official judges of the “people’s choice” awards.

The bake-off will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the multipurpose room at the .