Berkeleyan

News Briefs

03 June 2005

CDOP program to end; application deadline is June 30

The Career Development Opportunity Program (CDOP) is being suspended; final applications for funding through the program will be accepted in the Office of Human Resources through 5 p.m., Thursday, June 30.

Since the program's inception in August 2002, more than 3,500 staff at Berkeley have taken advantage of CDOP funding. Campus employees learned of the demise of the popular career-development program via a CalMail message from Steve Lustig, acting vice chancellor of Business and Administrative Services, last Friday.

"The program has been funded," Lustig said, "by a special systemwide assessment that may no longer be available in the next fiscal year....This program has been extremely well received and successful, and we regret the need to suspend it at this time. Campus administration is exploring alternatives with Office of the President."

Active, non-academic staff remain eligible to apply for 2005 funding under the program. Applications (with supporting documentation) received by the June 30 deadline, including those already received before last Friday's announcement, will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until they have all been processed or until the available funding is expended, whichever comes first. However, because of the time needed to process applications and the expected volume of applications as CDOP ends, employees are asked to pay and register for any course they're taking and request reimbursement from CDOP.

The CDOP website (hrweb.berkeley.edu/learning/cdop.htm) includes program guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions. For information not found on the website, e-mail cdop@berkeley.edu or call 643-5747.

City, campus agree on LRDP; joint planning foreseen for downtown area and transit

UC Berkeley and the city of Berkeley reached an agreement May 25 to settle a lawsuit over the campus's 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The settlement is part of a landmark agreement that will provide for a joint planning process to revitalize the city's downtown area and promote transit alternatives.

The agreement, which followed months of negotiations, calls for the city and university to work together to develop a Downtown Area Plan that would guide new public and private development projects. It is designed to promote revitalization of the city's core, protect historic resources, encourage transit-friendly development, and accommodate the university's growth.

The settlement addresses parking and traffic concerns by reducing to 1,270 by the year 2015 the number of new parking spaces allowed without additional review under the LRDP (2,300 new spaces had been proposed). This reduction is contingent upon the implementation by 2010 of a new AC Transit "rapid bus" route on Telegraph Ave. and the city's consideration of a dedicated lane for transit buses.

The campus will allocate $1.2 million per year for sewer infrastructure, fire services, neighborhood improvements, and joint transportation efforts — up from the approximately $500,000 currently provided annually. This allocation will be increased 3 percent each year as a cost of living adjustment. The campus also agreed to explore a use-tax pilot program that, if feasible, may direct hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to the city.

For details, see www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/05/25_lrdpagreement.shtml.

Cal staff-appreciation Summerfest is June 22; bus to shuttle staff from off-campus sites

"The Road to Cal" is the theme for Cal Summerfest 2005 — the campus's 19th annual staff-appreciation day — scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 22, at Memorial Glade.

Supervisors are authorized to grant two hours of administrative leave so that staff may enjoy the program, which will include a "Life After Five" showcase of staffers' crafts, hobbies, and collections, in addition to live entertainment, refreshments, carnival games, prizes, and booths for staff organizations. The first 1,700 staff to arrive at the event will also receive a Cal Summerfest 2005 t-shirt.

Bus service to and from Summerfest for staff working outside the central campus will leave from San Pablo Ave., outside the Marchant Building, at 1:45 p.m. and every 30 minutes thereafter. It will make additional pickups at the corner of Carleton and Milvia streets, across the street from 1995 University Ave., and at University Hall (University Ave. and Oxford St., at the entrance to campus). The last departure from Marchant will be at 3:45 p.m., and the last return drop-off will be at 4:30 p.m. Call 643-5708 for shuttle details.

Those interested in volunteering at least an hour of their time during Summerfest can register on the event website, summerfest.berkeley.edu. To participate in the Life-After-Five Showcase, contact Kit Fornoff at kitc@berkeley.edu or 643-8369. For general information about Summerfest, e-mail Michael Cooper at mjcooper@berkeley.edu.

Charter secondary school, set to open this fall, is recruiting students

A new charter school co-designed by UC Berkeley and Aspire Public Schools, opening this fall, is recruiting East Bay students for its early college program. The new school is set to accept 120 sixth- and seventh-grade students at the site of the former Golden Gate Elementary School in North Oakland, near San Pablo and Alcatraz avenues. A number of campus staff have already enrolled their children in the program.

The school's goal is to strengthen skills and abilities of students who face barriers to higher education, such as being the first in their family to attend college or coming from low-performing schools. The program will assist students taking college courses while in high school, smooth the transition for students moving from high school to college, and improve educational equity.

For information, call 251-1660, ext. 113. Enrollment forms are available at the Aspire office, 426 17th St., Suite 200, in Oakland, and online at www.aspirepublicschools.org.

Campus team steps up its effort for AIDS Walk

Members of the campus community are invited to participate in the 19th Annual AIDS Walk San Francisco, which takes off from Golden Gate Park's Sharon Meadow at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, July 17.

The UC Berkeley AIDS Walk team effort will receive an extra boost this year from Library employees Aija Kanbergs (of Moffitt Library) and Charlotte Rubens and Shannon Monroe (from Doe). The three hope to stir up team spirit by offering Cal team T-shirts, as well as breakfast and lunch for all Berkeley walkers. They have joined in the organization of this campus-sponsored event in honor and memory of the many employees the Library has lost to AIDS — more than a dozen in the space of a decade.

The 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) walk takes about two to three hours to complete. There is an opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. and a post-walk concert at 12:30 p.m. Berkeley walkers are invited to come to the Cal table before and after the walk to sign in, meet other members of the Cal team, and pick up their shirts, souvenirs, and food.

Campus-community members may participate by walking, by sponsoring a team member, or by making a donation in the Berkeley team name. There are three ways to sign up: online at www.aidswalk.net/sanfran; by phone at (415) 615-9255; or by mail (registration cards are available in AIDS Walk display stands located in waiting rooms and lobbies across campus). Be sure to enter the Berkeley team number: 0087. To make a donation in the team's name, visit the website listed above, marking the Berkeley team number in the appropriate box.

For information, contact campus team leader Marybeth Darusmont at University Health Services (643-5285, mbd@uhs.berkeley.edu); for specific information about campus HIV/AIDS resources, contact University Health Services at 642-7202.

Applications available for Fulbright fellowships

The U.S. Fulbright Scholars' Program sends scholars and professionals each year to more than 140 countries to lecture or conduct research. The deadline for next year's fellowships for the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program is Aug. 1, 2005. Other Fulbright deadlines are Nov. 1, 2005, for the International Educational Administrators Seminar Program in Korea and Japan; Feb. 1, 2006, for that program in Germany; Nov. 1, 2005, for the German Studies Seminars Program; and a rolling deadline for the Senior Specialists Program.

Applications are available online at www.cies.org or at the Graduate Fellowships Office, 316 Sproul. For further information, see the above website, call 642-7665, or e-mail brmount@berkeley.edu.