FBI Compiled List--Not Kaczynski
On April 17 the campus issued a correction to information reported by several news organizations regarding a list of professors' names tied to the Unabomber suspect.
Several stories reported that the names of 25 Berkeley mathematics professors were on a list found in the Montana cabin of bombing suspect Theodore John Kaczynski. That information was incorrect and appeared due to confusion and miscommunication among reporters, campus police and the FBI.
After the stories appeared, the FBI clarified the situation telling campus police that the list was not found in the cabin and that it was compiled by the FBI--not Kaczynski -- as agents continued to investigate the case.
Human Organs:
To Sell or Not?
Harry Wu, human rights activist and executive director of the Laogai Research Foundation in Washington, D.C., is one of several speakers who will explore the current and future medical practices concerning the sale of organs at a conference on campus April 26 to 28.
The conference, "Commerce in Organs: Culture, Politics and Bioethics of the Global Market," is free and open to the public. It is the inaugural event of Berkeley's Program for Critical Studies in Medicine, Science and the Body.
Sessions will be at Clark Kerr Campus Conference Center Friday, April 26, from 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday at 10 a.m., Wu will speak in the Maude Fife Room in Wheeler Hall.
The conference brings together anthropologists, historians, physicians and human rights activists from the Middle East, South and East Asia, Europe and the U.S.
There has been a decade of spirited debate over a new trans-national commerce in human organs--kidneys, corneas, liver tissue and heart valves--to facilitate transplantation. The sale of organs has been condemned by many international medical and human rights organizations, but not by professional societies of transplant specialists.
In India, kidneys are sold on the open market through newspaper ads placed by doctors looking for healthy, living donors. In South Africa, the cadavers of poor, mostly black victims of urban violence are sometimes "looted" (without prior consent) for usable organs.
In China, the bodies of executed prisoners are used to supply fresh organs. The commodification and sale of human organs for transplantation is a source of terror in shantytowns worldwide.
Among the conference speakers are Nancy Scheper-Hughes, professor and chair of anthropology and medical anthropology at Berkeley, who will speak on "Theft of Life: The Globalization of Organ Stealing Rumors," and Eric Stover, physician, former executive director of Physicians for Human Rights and current director of the campus's Townsend Center for the Humanities.
For further information, please call 642-3391.
I-House Gala Will Honor International Achievers
International House is sponsoring a gala benefit Wednesday evening, May 1, to honor two individuals for distinguished contributions on an international scale, CNN correspondent Peter Arnett and I-House alumnus Arun Sarin, currently vice chair and director of the board of AirTouch Communications and CEO of AirTouch International.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Arnett, one of the world's leading international correspondents, has spent more than 35 years covering issues from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, Bosnia and Haiti.
Arun Sarin, a native of India who lived in I-House from 1975 to 1978 while completing his MBA at Berkeley, will be honored as the 1996 International House Alumnus of the Year.
Tickets for the evening, I-House's major awards ceremony and fund-raising event of the year, are $200 per person. Chancellor Tien will serve as honorary host for the evening, and KCBS food commentator and restaurateur Narsai David will oversee the menu. For more information, call 642-4128.
Earlier in the day, Arnett will present a lecture for interested students, faculty and staff, "The Struggle for Journalistic Freedom of Expression: From Vietnam and the Gulf to Bosnia." The lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, at 1:30 p.m. in the Home Room at I-House.
Exquisite Indian Baskets
Pomo Indian baskets by the late Mabel McKay and other master weavers are featured in an exhibit at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology through early September.
Pomo baskets have been internationally recognized for their exquisite appearance, dazzling range of technique, fineness of weave, and diversity of form and use. Pomo baskets will be combined with other examples of the museum's collection, including beautiful feather-covered baskets.
Graduate Student Instructor Awards
Outstanding graduate student instructors from colleges and departments across campus will be honored in a ceremony May 1 hosted by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center.
The Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award goes to graduate students who show effectiveness as instructors and capacity to motivate and inspire, and who demonstrate proficient skills in presenting course material.
In addition, the award winners are invited to compete for the Teaching Effectiveness Award. At a ceremony April 24, the outstanding GSIs selected to receive this award will be honored.
Their essays will be published in a booklet distributed to departments and the GSI center.
Garage Sale
An assortment of UC surplus items will be offered for sale Wednesday, May 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Marchant building, located at 1000 Folger St. off San Pablo just south of Ashby. Used articles to be sold include office furniture, file cabinets, desks, tables, chairs, computer equipment, typewriters and miscellaneous items. For more information, call 642-1186 or 642-5374.
Preschool Openings
The University Preschool, located at the Harold E. Jones Child Study Center, currently has a few openings for the 1996/97 academic year, beginning Aug. 14.
Berkeley staff and faculty families with children who will be at least two years, nine months in August are welcome to apply. The program offers full-day, developmental preschool from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The University Preschool is a joint program of the Institute of Human Development and University Child Care Services.
For information, call 642-7031.
How to Write a Good Novel
Author James Frey, author of "How to Write a Damn Good Novel," once again will teach Berkeley Extension's "Fiction Intensive" writing program this summer. The week-long, residential program is scheduled for June 23 through 29 on the Berkeley campus.
Frey focuses on structural elements--such as character, conflict and plot--that can be taught and applied to any story. His method apparently works. More than a dozen of his students from this class have gone on to publish books with major New York publishers.
The fee for the week is $995. Enrollment is limited to 20. Participants will be selected on the basis of a submitted manuscript, due May 7. For more information, call 642-1063.
Credential Programs
Berkeley Extension has been approved by the California State Commission on Teacher Credentialing to offer adult education and vocational education credential programs for teachers. Formerly, Extension offered stand-alone courses to assist people in getting credentials, but this is the first time a complete credential program will be offered. The program is designed for working professionals, with classes scheduled in the evenings and on weekend. For information, call 642-4111.