Berkeleyan

News Briefs
Minigrants deadline, Hoffer essay contest, and more...

20 October 2004

Deadline nears for service- learning minigrants

Faculty who are teaching spring courses that integrate community and public-service activities into the academic curriculum are eligible to apply for grants of $1,000 to $2,500 through the campus’s Service-Learning Instructional Minigrant Program.

Applications for spring 2005 are due by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 3, at the Service-Learning Research and Development Center, 615 University Hall, #1040. All applications will be reviewed by the campus’s Service-Learning Faculty Policy Committee. Awards will be announced by Nov. 19.

For information, and to download a cover sheet and application, visit gse.berkeley.edu/research/slc/grants.html. For assistance in developing a minigrant proposal, or for information about services available through the center, e-mail afurco@uclink4.berkeley.edu or call 642-3199.

Topic announced for Hoffer essay contest

“Wordiness is a sickness of American writing.” So said writer- philosopher Eric Hoffer, who in 1970 donated $10,000 to endow an annual campus writing competition, the Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize.

Berkeley staff, faculty, and students are invited to tackle a designated topic in 500 words or less — 300 words more wordy than Hoffer originally specified. This year’s theme is “But what I’d really like to do is….” The topic is intentionally open-ended, allowing writers to be creative. Judges assess entries solely on “originality of thought and excellence in writing,” says Anne Repp of the Committee on Prizes. “It’s the only contest,” she notes, “open to the entire campus community.”

Submissions must be hand-delivered by the author to the Committee on Prizes Office, 210A Sproul Hall, by 4:30, Friday, Jan. 28, 2005. For information on submission requirements, visit students.berkeley.edu/fao/prizes/proselli.html.

BSFO event honors campus authors Oct. 25

The Black Staff and Faculty Organization and the Cal Student Store will host a brown-bag event on Monday, Oct. 25, to honor two members of the campus community for their contributions to the newly released book Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul, a compilation of 85 stories. The Cal contributors are Jarralynne Fletcher Agee, a senior analyst in human resources, and Berkeley native and Cal alum Carol Ross-Burnett ’72. The reception, which will include readings by the honorees, will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in 652 Barrows Hall.

Spanish-English guide to admissions available

In an effort to reach out to the Latino community — which by 2008 is expected to make up the largest group of California’s high-school graduates — the University of California has just published a second edition of “Great Futures Start Here” or “Un futuro brillante comienza aquí,” a popular bilingual guide outlining admission requirements, financial-aid and student-housing options, and other essential admissions information.

The free 36-page booklet may be obtained by calling (866) 204-4589. An online version, in PDF format, is available at universityofcalifornia.edu/collegeprep/greatfutures.pdf.

For a new fact sheet providing an overview of other UC outreach efforts, see “Spanish-language and ethnic media initiatives at UC” at universityofcalifornia.edu/news/ucethnicmedia.pdf.

Ethnic staff organizations to welcome Birgeneau

All campus staff are invited to attend a reception in honor of Chancellor Birgeneau sponsored by the Coalition of Ethnic Staff Organizations. The event will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 3, in the Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way. Light refreshments representing various cultures will be provided. Supervisors are authorized and encouraged to grant paid administrative leave to enable staff to attend. For information, contact Debbie Fong at 643-9430 or dafong@berkeley.edu.

Autumn in Asia at Botanical Garden

The UC Botanical Garden is offering a guided walk through the garden’s Asian Area, led by horticulturist and Asian-plant expert Elaine Sedlack.

Cost for the class — held from 10 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Nov. 7 — is $12 for non-members, $8 members; fees include garden admission. Early registration is encouraged, as space is limited; call 643-2755.

Campus lectures showing on UCTV

This month’s schedule of UCTV programming on cable and satellite TV includes, as usual, a number of recent events from the Berkeley campus. Viewers can see political commentator Molly Ivins’ recent Mario Savio Memorial Lecture, airing at 9 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 27; “Decision 2004: Jobs and the Economy,” a panel discussion featuring Berkeley economist Alan Auerbach and speakers from the Hoover Institution, the California Federation of Teachers, and the California Chamber of Commerce, at 10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 29; and former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart (D-Colo.), speaking on “National Security in the Age of Terror,” at 9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 28.

UCTV programs are available on the DISH satellite network’s nationwide channel 9412 and on local cable channels 28 and 33. They can also been seen online in streaming video, using RealPlayer, at www.uctv.tv/ondemand.