Berkeleyan

News Briefs
Flu shots, Homecoming, Cal for the Cure, and more...

07 October 2004

Flu shot recommendations during the vaccine shortage

University Health Services has scheduled flu-shot clinics for the campus and community (college-age and above) as follows: Tuesday, Oct. 12; Friday, Oct. 22; Monday, Nov. 1; Wednesday, Nov. 10; and Thursday, Dec. 2.

All clinics will be held from noon to 6 p.m. in the Class of ’42 Room on the first floor of the Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way. These are drop-in clinics; no appointment is necessary. The cost is $20 (or $4 for students with SHIP).

This week it was announced that the 48 million doses of influenza vaccine produced by Emeryville’s Chiron Corp. were determined unusable by Britain’s equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Centers for Disease Control has requested that Americans voluntarily ration the remaining doses so that there will be enough to cover those most at risk.

UHS director Dr. Pete Dietrich says the Tang Center will post the CDC guidelines regarding prioritized groups at its flu-vaccine clinics; they will also be available on the UHS website (www.uhs.berkeley.edu).

“We are not screening people’s medical records or demanding any proof that they are in one of those documented groups,” says Dietrich. “We want to adhere to CDC guidelines and encourage people to make the right choice based on their level of personal responsibility.”

Those given priority according to the revised guidelines are persons age 65 or older, persons between age 2 to 65 with chronic health problems, women who will be pregnant during the flu season, children 6 to 23 months, health-care workers engaged in direct patient care, residents of nursing homes and long-term-care facilties, and out-of-home caregivers and others who have contact with children younger than 6 months.

Influenza usually occurs in the U.S. from about November until April, with the optimal time for vaccination running from October to mid-November. It takes about one to two weeks after vaccination for the antibody against the flu virus to develop.

For information, visit www.cdc.gov/flu or call 642-1814. To track flu activity by region, visit www.flutrack.com.

Oct. 15-17 is Homecoming Weekend

Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 15 to 17, is a great time to explore all the Berkeley campus has to offer — museums, lectures by top faculty, tours of the campus, activities for parents, and a variety of athletic events, including the Cal vs. UCLA Homecoming football game (on Saturday, Oct.16). A $15 Weekend Pass covers admission to seminars, tours, open houses, and athletic events (not including the football game). For information, visit homecoming.berkeley.edu or call 888-UNIV-CAL.

Rename a ’zine, win a gourmet dinner

“Framing the Questions,” the campus’s online magazine of the humanities and arts, is seeking a new name, and members of the campus community are invited to submit suggestions.

The new name, says Matthew Tiews of the Townsend Center, should be short enough to serve easily as a domain name (e.g., newname.berkeley.edu) and should be catchy and attractive to audiences on and off campus. It should evoke the arts and humanities, whether directly or tangentially, and should be compatible with the ethos of the other online publication from the College of Letters and Science, ScienceMatters@Berkeley.

Because the renamed magazine will likely use a subtitle to define its contents, the new name does not need to incorporate any explanatory terms.

The winning entrant will be acknowledged in the new publication and will receive a $150 gift certificate toward dinner for two at Chez Panisse. Send entries via e-mail to Matthew Tiews (mtiews@berkeley.edu). There is no limit on the number of entries per person. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 15.

Cal for the Cure walk on Oct. 15 promotes breast-cancer awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and faculty, staff, and students are invited to join the Cal for the Cure Campus Walk for Breast Cancer on Friday, Oct. 15. Sponsored by the campus Breast Health Committee and Health*Matters, the walk is an opportunity to honor co-workers, family, and friends touched by breast cancer and to raise awareness of the importance of early detection.

The 20-minute walk begins at 12:10 p.m. on the south side of the Campanile, with a welcome from Jenny Lipow, daughter of retired campus librarian Anne Lipow (who died last month of breast cancer). It will be followed by light refreshments and an activity to personalize early-detection cards.

No enrollment is required. For information, see uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/healthmatters/calforthecure.shtml or call 643-4646.

CLAS events highlight immigration issues

The Center for Latin American Studies will host two events on immigration issues this month. The first is a video premiere of A Death in the Desert, the story of one of the 3,000 people who have died trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the last decade. The screening is at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall. The following day, Oct. 21, immigration experts will offer their perspectives on the topic. California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) will be among the speakers. The forum will be held at 4 p.m., also in the Geballe Room.