Deaths
Harry Specht, dean of the School of Social Welfare for nearly two decades, died March 12 after a battle with throat cancer. He was 65.
Born in New York City in 1929, he experienced first-hand the social policy innovations of the New Deal. He focused his career on educating social workers to serve the poor and those most in need.
Specht earned an international reputation in social welfare and was an authority on community organization and social planning. His 1973 book, "Community Organizing," with George Brager, remains a standard text in the field.
Over the years, Specht's writings examined social work with what friend and colleague professor Neil Gilbert described as a "critical intelligence that (was) lively and incisive." Specht wrote more than a dozen books and 50 articles.
Gilbert added that Specht was "the single individual with the greatest influence on social welfare education in the last decade."
Most recently, Specht gained attention calling on the social welfare profession to return to its original mission of aid and service to the poor.
Around Cal
Testing, Testing
Ever wondered what goes on underneath all those manhole covers around campus? Here, Environmental Specialist I Hank Field samples the sanitary sewer wastewater at the West Entrance to make sure the university is complying with EBMUD's wastewater discharge requirements. These sewer checks are done six times a year.
Awards and Honors
Dwayne Banks, assistant professor of public policy, has received an Atlantic Fellowship in Public Policy from the British government. He will spend 10 months at Oxford University researching the role of the British National Health Service in funding, rationing and regulating life-extending medical technologies.
Ten American public policy experts were named March 3 as the first participants in this new international exchange, which aims to strengthen transatlantic ties by offering mid-career Americans the opportunity to learn first-hand from the British experience in confronting major issues of the day.
Oswald Siegmund, research fellow at the Space Sciences Laboratory, and his team from the Experimental Astrophysics Group received a NASA outstanding merit achievement award March 22 for their recent work on the joint US-European space mission SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), due to be launched in October from Cape Kennedy.
The Berkeley team supplied the project with four detectors of ultraviolet radiation in only 11 months, completing instrument delivery ahead of schedule and under budget.
Staff Enrichment
Employee Development And Training
For more information, for copies of the 1994-95 Employee Development and Training catalog or for information on how to enroll in classes, call 642-8134.
Manager as Career Coach: Developing Staff To Their Full Potential
March 29 and April 5, 8:30 am-noon, Room 24, University Hall
Learn about career development at Berkeley, get practical advice on how to integrate career development opportunities into the workplace, explore the roles a manager can play in staff career development, improve communication with staff by learning how to offer feedback.
CALS Project: Tutors Available
Campus employees interested in improving their writing, speaking, reading or basic math skills are encouraged to contact the CALS Project for free, one-to-one tutoring at convenient times and locations. For more information, call coordinator Jane Griswold at 643-5280 or e mail jgris@uclink.
Health*Matters
For information, call 643-4646.
Muscle Conditioning: Part I
April 7, noon-1 pm, 228 Hearst Gym, no enrollment necessary, free Learn the fundamentals of muscle conditioning and the crucial role it plays in fat burning, improved posture and prevention of osteoporosis. This seminar will explain why weight training is so vital to your workout and dispel common myths about weight training for women. For a muscle conditioning workout, attend Part II April 14.
Theater Performance
April 5, 12:10-1 pm, 106 Moffitt, no enrollment necessary, free
Cal students will present a theater performance about HIV/AIDS prevention that addresses safer sex, sex negotiation, alcohol/drug use and compassion.
Health Beat
Our Campus, Our Concern...HIV/AIDS In the Workplace
HIV/AIDS continues to affect our work environment through the loss of co-workers, friends and relatives. To build on the knowledge and support of our campus community, University Health Services is sponsoring several events in April.
On April 5, a multicultural group of students will present a theater performance about HIV/AIDS prevention (see Staff Enrichment, below). Many staff and faculty will be able to relate to this powerful performance as parents, individuals who are dating or employees working with young adults.
On April 12, a panel of UC employees with HIV and supervisors and caregivers of people with HIV/AIDS will share their experiences. Both these events will be from 12:10-1 pm in 106 Moffitt.
What Do We Know About HIV/AIDS in the Workplace?
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system--the body's defense against infections. Because deterioration of the immune system can take more than 10 years, a person with the virus can work and lead a long, plentiful life. "As long as the person feels well enough to work, they can work," says David Lyman, AIDS researcher and physician at University Health Services. "They pose no risk to themselves, their co-workers or the public."
Gradually, when the virus overcomes the immune system, the onset of full-blown AIDS begins. It becomes increasingly difficult to fight off simple infections and maintain a normal life. According to Lyman, at this point the impact of the disease may affect work attendance and productivity. While some people have no restrictions related to work, others may neeaccommodations, and still others might need to go out on disability, temporarily or permanently.
Sharing Your Concern
If you are working with someone with HIV/AIDS, you may feel emotionally pulled with questions ranging from, "Am I at risk?" to "How can I help?" Fears and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS are still common even though no cases of HIV/AIDS have ever been linked to sharing computers, telephones, bathrooms or other workplace equipment and spaces.
"Fifteen years of experience with this virus has proven that HIV is not transmitted through casual contact," says Lyman. "In fact, only activities such as unprotected sex or shared needles, where bodily fluids containing the virus are present, can significantly increase the risk of becoming infected with HIV."
You can work towards managing your fears by learning the facts about HIV/AIDS. Sadness and a desire to help are common when learning that someone you work with has HIV/AIDS. In offering your support, consider the usual relationship you and your co-worker share and remain within the boundaries of that relationship. Listen, be understanding, non-judgmental, sensitive, offer a meal or a ride, and most importantly, stay in touch. HIV/AIDS is like any other serious illness or disability in that people living with it need friendship and respect.
How Is the Campus Sharing in the Concern?
If you are an employee with HIV/AIDS or a supervisor, co-worker, friend or family of someone with this disease, there are several campus resources to assist you.
CARE Services provides confidential counseling, referrals, consultations and groups for departments affected by HIV.
The Benefits Office can answer complex questions about health insurance and other benefits. Staff and faculty with HIV/AIDS are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination in the workplace. For information on the act, call Vocational Rehabilitation.
In April, University Health Services is sponsoring several events about HIV/AIDS for the campus community. Watch Berkeleyan for details.
For More Help...
Campus Programs and Services: CARE Services for Faculty and Staff: 643-7754
Benefits Office: 642-7053
Vocational Rehabilitation: 643-6921
Educational Materials: "AIDS in the Workplace" and "Understanding and Preventing HIV Infection and AIDS" can be mailed confidentially through campus mail. Call Health*Matters to order: 643-4646.
Resource Hotline: Center for Disease Control national AIDS Hotline (24 hour): 1-800-342-AIDS.
This HealthBeat column was written by Michelle Moore, an intern with Health*Matters.