Berkeleyan
News briefs
10 March 2004
‘Media at War’ conference set for next week
A high-profile conference co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism, Human Rights Center, and Office of the Chancellor will focus on “The Media at War: The U.S. Invasion and Occupation of Iraq,” March 16 to 18, at various campus locations. Media figures will participate, along with Human Rights Watch officials charged with monitoring the continuing events in Iraq.
Among the participating organizations are The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, CNN, ABC’s Nightline, CBS’s 60 Minutes, Le Monde, Al-Jazeera, and National Public Radio. Also joining the discussions will be academics from fields such as public health, medical anthropology, sociology, psychiatry, criminal justice, and communications.
With a few exceptions, all events are free and open to the public. For a detailed conference schedule, visit journalism.berkeley.edu/conf/mediaatwar/index.html and www.hrcberkeley.org.
Professional staff vote down union representation
Professional employees at the UC campuses and hospitals have voted against representation by University Professional & Technical Employees of UC (UPTE). Campus and hospital administrative professionals voted by mail either for or against having the union represent them. The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), which administered the election, reported the following returns, based on balloting by about 70 percent of those eligible to vote: campus administrative professionals staff: 2,637 for UPTE, 4,846 against representation; hospital administrative professionals: 181 for UPTE; 463 for no representation.
Faculty service-learning award nominations open
Each year, the campus honors a faculty member who utilizes service learning in his or her courses. Nominations are now open for the 2004 Faculty Service-Learning Award. To nominate a faculty colleague, fax a completed nomination form by noon Wednesday, March 17, to the Human Corps Awards Committee at 642-6105 or send it to 615 University Hall , MC 1040. For a copy of the nomination form, call 642-3199 and leave an e-mail address, or download the form from gse.berkeley.edu/research/slc/services.html.
Political philosopher offers three Tanner Lectures
Distinguished political philosopher Seyla Benhabib will present three free talks for the Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Interna-tionally regarded for her work on 19th- and 20th-century European social and political thought, Benhabib has also made important contributions to the history of modern political theory, the foundations of ethics, and feminist theory.
Her first lecture, “Reclaiming Universalism: Negotiating Republican Self-Determination and Cosmopolitan Norms,” is on Tuesday, March 16; the second, “Democratic Iterations: The Local, the National, and the Global,” will be given on March 17. The following day, Thursday, March 18, she will take part in a seminar discussion with commentators. All events are from 4:10 to 6:30 p.m. at Alumni House.
The Tanner Lectures aim to advance scholarly and scientific learning in the area of human values. Berkeley is one of nine institutions to have a Tanner Lecture series.
Mid-week meditation at Tang
An ongoing meditation group meets at noon each Wednesday in 3290 Tang Center. The 30-minute silent meditation is followed by a brief reading from Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, by the Vietnamese Buddist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. The session begins promptly at 12:10 p.m. with the ringing of a bell. After the reading, the group adjourns.
Care Services, the group’s sponsor, invites those with previous meditation experience to attend; no instruction is provided. For information, contact emmgomez@uhs.berkeley.edu or phone 643-3430.