Berkeleyan
25 ways to avoid the mall
Holiday shopping opportunities abound on campus
01 December 2004
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ASUC Art Studio
Now in its 25th year, the annual ASUC holiday art sale will be held Dec. 7 to 11, from noon to 5 p.m. The sale features wares from more than 60 Bay Area artists, including photographs, ceramics, prints, paintings, jewelry, and textiles. Works are made by students and professional artists, with 30 percent of all proceeds allocated to support educational programming at the public art facility. Gift certificates for classes are also available. The studio is located on the north side of the Cesar Chavez Student Center. Call 642-3065.
The Bancroft Library
More than 320 historic prints from the Bancroft Library’s collection are newly available to frame in a variety of sizes — from portfolio (14” x 11”) to colossal (66” x 52”). The images are divided into categories including animals, advertisements, cityscapes, maps, landscapes, and people. Customers might wish to give the gift of wearable art, choosing from alternatives that include t-shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, camisoles, and even infant one-pieces. Visit bancroft.berkeley.edu/friends and click on Zazzle.com.
Bear Backer Youth
A $100 donation to Bear Backer Youth in honor of a friend is two gifts in one: The recipient selects any exercise class offered through the Cal Rec Club, and a Cal Golden Teddy Bear will be donated to a child at Children’s Hospital and Research Center of Oakland. Call 643-1299.
Berkeley Art Museum
Along with art books, jewelry, and cards, BAM’s museum store stocks eclectic items that will appeal to the aesthete on your list. Select from a series of film-themed posters produced exclusively for the Pacific Film Archive by celebrated Berkeley artist David Lance Goines, Chinese shard boxes, the exhibition catalog for “Threshold: Byron Kim 1990–2004,” and much more. Call 642-1475.
California Alumni Association
A membership ($50/year or $25/year for those who have graduated in the last three years) will keep your favorite alum connected to campus with a subscription to California Monthly magazine, special discounts, and free library privileges. Dues also support many scholarship programs. See alumni.berkeley.edu or call 642-3706.
Cal Athletics
The excitement the Golden Bears have been generating is likely to eclipse the holiday season for many Cal football fans. What could be more fitting than a Ted-Head t-shirt (available now only in size M) or a football media guide? Both can be purchased from the Athletics Ticket Office in person or by calling (800) GO-BEARS. Basketball media guides are also available.
Cal Performances
 Jack DeJohnette, Gary Peacock, and Keith Jarrett will perform at Zellerbach Hall on March 9 as part of Cal Performances’ spring season. |
Cal Rec Club
A gift membership provides the fitness buff on your list access to Hearst Pool and the Strawberry Canyon pool and fitness center, the Golden Bear Recreation Center, and the Recreational Sports Facility. Facilities to be enjoyed at those venues include racquetball, handball, squash, and tennis courts, running tracks, weight rooms, and two outdoor fields for soccer and softball. Also available are passes to a variety of classes, including rock climbing, sailing, and aerobics, as well as group or private instruction in tennis, golf, yoga, or self-defense, among others. Visit calbears.berkeley.edu/calrecclub or call 642-7796.
Cal Spirit Groups
A special appearance by Oski will liven up any get-together (for $300). Cal blue-and-gold striped ties ($100) and the Cal Dance Team’s 2005 calendar ($15) are also available. Proceeds support Cal Spirit Groups. Call 643-8102 or e-mail dmilano@berkeley.edu.
Cal Student Store
In addition to the usual blue-and-gold gear, the Cal Student Store is now stocking “Road to the Rose Bowl 2005” t-shirts — the perfect choice for anyone on your list with Golden Bears football fever. Plush versions of Oski abound, along with books, electronics, watches, and software. The store is located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union. See www.calstudentstore.com or call 642-9000.
Chronicle of the University of California
Organized around historical themes, the Chronicle of the University of California documents UC’s past (with a decided focus on Berkeley) to maintain its institutional memory for current and future members of the Cal community. Its lively text, photos, and drawings also make for an entertaining read. Back issues are available, as is the most recent issue, called “The Arts and Culture.” Upcoming issues will be titled “Changing Places: Californians Abroad, Visitors Here” and “Agriculture, Viticulture, and Gastronomy.” Copies are available in the Cal Student Store and at local bookstores. For information on the Chronicle of UC or to subscribe ($20 for single copies, $36 for two issues), visit
sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/chronicle or call 643-9210.
Emma Goldman Papers
Emma Goldman (1869-1940) fought for free speech, women’s equality, reproductive rights, and union organization, and opposed the mandatory conscription of young men into the military during World War I. She espoused such timeless sentiments as “The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is the greatest and only safety in a sane society.” An array of Emmarabilia — coffee mugs, t-shirts, posters, magnets, greeting cards, and posters — sporting the activist’s words can be purchased online (sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman) or in person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 2372 Ellsworth St. Call 642-4708.
Also available is a CD, “Banned Book Week Event,” that features Cal notables including Robert Hass, Victor Fischer from the Mark Twain Project, and staff from the Emma Goldman Papers reading excerpts from works that have been banned (only available to in-person customers).
Faculty Club
“Christmas With the Monks” is the first recording from the Faculty Men’s Chorus of UC Berkeley, a group with a 103-year history. Led by Prior Milt Williams, the CD features the Monks, as they’re known, and the Solisti Brass, performing pieces including “Gaude-amus Igitur,” “Hail to California,” and the “Faculty Hymn” recorded at past Christmas parties at the Faculty Club.
Gift certificates for lunch or dinner dining at the Faculty Club are also available to members. Both the Monks’ CD and gift certificates are available for purchase at the Faculty Club’s front desk.
Intercollegiate Athletics
Just the tickets — that’s what the sports fan on your list will be happy to receive for the holidays. Send him or her to a favorite Cal sporting event, including men’s and women’s basketball, rugby, women’s water polo, baseball, and softball games. Visit calbears.ocsn.com or call (800) GO-BEARS.
International House
Students who come to Berkeley from locations around the globe create a unique community at I-House, where the Residents’ Resource Center stocks mugs, posters, key chains, postcards, umbrellas, and a selection of apparel including t-shirts, sweatshirts, and baseball caps, all bearing the I-House logo. Call 642-9459.
Jepson Herbarium
For the amateur botanist on your list, consider a book, t-shirt, mug, membership, or workshop offered by this institution devoted to studying the native plant life of California. Books for sale include the beautifully illustrated, out-of-print volume Trees of California, by Willis Jepson, founder of the herbarium. Newly available is The Pteridophytes of Mexico, a book on ferns and fern allies.
A $35 membership entitles recipients to the herbarium’s newsletter as well as discounts on workshops and classes. Classes on botanical and ecological subjects are held year-round at locations throughout the state. Call 643-7008.
Lawrence Hall of Science Museum Store
 Zoob: Just one of the toys available for inquisitive kids at the Lawrence Hall of Science Museum Store. |
Customers who present this Berkeleyan article will get a 10-percent discount on their purchases through Dec. 31, 2004.
The Mark Twain Papers & Project of the Bancroft Library
Mark Twain’s Helpful Hints for Good Living: A Handbook for the Damned Human Race (UC Press) is a collection of the humorist’s timeless takes on family life, private and public matters, ethics, health and diet, and personal style. Editors Lin Salamo, Victor Fischer, and Michael B. Frank culled the Mark Twain Project’s archive of Twain’s personal letters, autobiographical writings, speeches, novels, and sketches to assemble this dry-witted guide to the good life. Includes 36 photos (some previously unpublished) and “A Christmas Wish,” which was first published in New York World in 1890 and still seems relevant today. Available at the ASUC Bookstore and local independent bookstores.
 Select from Kachina dolls and other global gifts at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum store. |
Items selected from all corners of the globe are available from the museum’s gift store, including Burmese and Indonesian puppets, Kachina dolls, Mexican ceramic figurines, jewelry, hand-blown Christmas or-naments, textiles, and beads. During the store’s holiday sale Wednesday, Dec. 15, through Thursday, Dec. 23, faculty and staff will get a 20-percent discount. Call 643-7648.
Student Musical Groups
Student Musical Activities has produced a number of recordings. The latest, Musings, is from the all-male a cappella group, Noteworthy. Other available works include a CD from the Cal Marching Band, as well as CD and cassette recordings from the UC Men’s Octet, the California Golden Overtones, and the Cal Jazz Choir. All recordings cost $16 and can be purchased at the Student Musical Activities Center, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., with check, credit card, or exact change. For an additional $2 per item, purchases can be mailed. For more information, call 643-1347. The music is also sold at the Cal Student Store.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter
This year marked the Berkeley’s Wellness Letter’s 20th year of publishing practical advice on daily living from experts at the School of Public Health, other Berkeley researchers, and international scientists. Ranked as the top health letter by Money magazine and U.S. News & World Report, the Wellness Letter evaluates the often superficial and conflicting information about health found in the popular media. Annual subscriptions (12 issues) are available via the Wellness Letter’s secure server for $24 a year, a $4 savings on the regular subscription price. Visit www.wellnessletter.com/index.html.
UC Botanical Garden
Dig through pottery, books, jewelry, children’s books, seeds, UC Botanical Garden logo apparel, garden ornaments, and more at the Garden Shop to find a gift for the green-thumbed on your list. The garden’s one-day Holiday Plant Sale on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., features an unusual variety of bulbs; houseplants, including colorful begonias, bromeliads and tillandsias; rare lapageria vines; choice orchid species; cacti and succulents; and carnivorous plants. Admission to the garden is free for the plant sale, with a special half-hour demonstration, Caring for Carnivorous Plants, offered at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Free parking will be available in the university lot across from the garden. Call 643-2755.
Water Resources Center Archives & Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library
 “Driving the Bay” celebrates the golden age of bridge construction on San Francisco Bay. |
Cal Marketplace
You can purchase many Cal-related items from the comfort of your desk at
calmarketplace.org, an online gateway to the university’s goods and services. Sign up for the Cal Marketplace newsletter to be notified of special discounts and sales from participating campus departments and partners.
Give to Cal
If love for Cal outstrips a friend’s desire for material diversions, then consider a donation in his or her name to a favorite campus entity. Whether that might be the UC Berkeley Tree Fund, a college or academic department, an athletics program, the Library Fund, or another part of the campus community, Give to Cal’s secure site makes shopping for your favorite Cal friend a snap. Visit givetocal.berkeley.edu.