Berkeleyan

News Briefs

31 May 2006

Berkeleyan schedule update

The Berkeleyan publishes next on July 20. For up-to-date campus news during weeks we're not publishing, visit the UC Berkeley NewsCenter, newscenter.berkeley.edu.

Summerfest, aka Staff Appreciation Day, will be June 21

Cal Summerfest 2006, Cal's 21st Annual Staff Appreciation Day, will be held Wednesday, June 21, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Memorial Glade. Attractions will include live entertainment, refreshments, staff presentations of their crafts and hobbies, carnival games, prizes, and giveaways, all in a festive setting. Free shuttle services will be provided.

Attendees will be required to show their Staff ID card to receive food and prizes. The Cal Summerfest planning committee is also recruiting volunteers to help with the event. Visit summerfest.berkeley.edu for more information.

Comment session June 5 on draft EIR for stadium, southeast campus

The campus is inviting the public to a session on Monday, June 5, to hear comments on the draft environmental impact report (EIR) on the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects. The projects include Memorial Stadium improvements and retrofitting (including a new student-athlete training center), a new law and business building, improvements to the current facilities of the law and business schools, a parking structure and new sports field at the current site of Maxwell Family Field, restoration of five houses along Piedmont Avenue, and improvements to the area's landscape and public open spaces.

The session will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Andersen Auditorium at the Haas School of Business. The event begins with a 30-minute presentation on the project by university officials.

A 61-day public-comment period for the draft EIR began last month and extends through 5 p.m., Friday, July 7. The document is online at www.cp.berkeley.edu; copies are available for viewing on campus in the A&E Building (Room 1) and in 210 Wurster, and at the downtown and Claremont branches of the Berkeley Public Library. Comments may sent to secampus@cp.berkeley.edu or to Jennifer McDougall, Capital Projects - Facilities Services, 300 A&E Building, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1382. Questions may be directed to her as well, 642-7720.

UC compensation updates are available online

Several campus and UC websites provide news updates and background information on the ongoing controversy over UC compensation policies and practices. For a Public Affairs report on the May 17 UC Board of Regents meeting, at which compensation was a key topic, see berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/05/18_regents.shtml. For UC Office of the President's comprehensive website on salaries and compensation, visit universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/separationagreements.html.

Voter information for June 6 ballot available on IGS website

Information useful to voters in preparation for the June 6 California primary election is available on the website of the campus's Institute of Governmental Studies. There, IGS library staffers cover two propositions as part of their "Hot Topics!" series: Prop. 82 (establishing a right to voluntary preschool for all four-year-olds) and Prop. 81 (a $600 million bond for public library construction and repair). The site offers summaries and links to more detailed background, as well as a spreadsheet listing endorsements on the propositions. See www.igs.berkeley.edu/library, center column.

Health*Matters adds offerings to its summer fitness schedule

Health*Matters will offer special activities over the summer to encourage active lifestyles for good health, weight management, and injury prevention. The schedule features a Step-Up-to-Fitness Workshop (offered three times: June 20, July 18, and Aug. 15) and Ballroom Dancing for Fitness and Fun (Latin salsa on June 21, swing dance on July 26). Additionally, Health*Matters' walking group meets at the campanile three times weekly through the summer (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). All of the above activities take place from 12:10 to 1 p.m. For details, see uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/healthmatters, select "Get Active This Summer," and enroll on ICE (registration not required for the walking group).

Applications for Presidential Chair Fellows are due July 3

The Presidential Chair Fellows Program each year offers 10 to 12 ladder-rank faculty an opportunity to attend a two-semester series of workshops and seminars focused on teaching and learning. Topics include course and syllabus design, the development of instructional and assessment strategies, and new methods of pedagogy. Applications are due Monday, July 3. For information, see teaching.berkeley.edu or contact Steve Tollefson (tollef@berkeley.edu or 642-0875).

Fulbright programs accepting applications

Applications are being accepted by the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange. While foreign language skills are needed in some countries, most lecturing assignments are in English. Some 80 percent of the awards are for lecturing. Applications are available from the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), online at www.cies.org or apprequest@cies.iie.org. Upcoming deadlines are as follows:

. July 17 for the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program, which provides short-term Fulbright grants of two to six weeks. U.S. faculty and professionals collaborate on curriculum and faculty development, institutional planning, and other activities abroad.

. July 17 for the Fulbright New Century Scholars Program, through which 30 academics and professionals collaborate for a year on a topic of global significance. For 2006-07, the research theme is "Higher Education in the 21st Century: Access and Equity."

. Aug. 1 for the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, through which 800 U.S. faculty and professionals lecture abroad, conduct research, or participate in seminars in a wide variety of fields (for two months to an academic year).

Support the Cal team for 2006 SF AIDS Walk

Members of the campus community are invited to participate in the 20th Annual San Francisco AIDS Walk on Sunday, July 16, by registering for the UC Berkeley team, working as a volunteer, sponsoring an individual team member, or making a donation to the team. There is no minimum contribution. Last year, of the $3.6 million raised by the 10K walk, the Cal team contributed nearly $25,000; the team's goal for this year is $30,000. Campus walkers can visit the Cal table (open at 8 a.m.) to sign in, meet fellow participants, and pick up T-shirts and food. There are three ways to register: on-line (www.aidswalk.net/sanfran), by phone (415-615-9255), or by mail (registration cards can be found in many offices and lobbies across campus). Enter the Berkeley team number, 0087. For information, contact Cal team leader Marybeth Darusmont at mbd@uhs.berkeley.edu, 643-5285.

Tang Center summer series for caregivers focuses on elder care

Issues that caregivers face when taking care of elders is the topic of a summer brown-bag lunch series offered by Maureen Kelly, CARE Services' elder-care counselor for campus faculty and staff. Each of the four sessions, held from 12:10 to 1 p.m., will cover a different topic facing caregivers; coping strategies and community resources will be explored.

The session topics are: "The Caregiving Relationship: Role vs. Identity" (June 13), "Caregiver Challenges: Resisting Help" (June 27), "Caregiver Stress: Competing Demands" (July 18), and "Change and Loss: Caregiver Grief" (Aug. 1). To register for one or more of the sessions, enroll on ICE at hrweb.berkeley.edu or call 643-3430.

Systemwide faculty-diversity task force reports its findings

On Tuesday, May 23, UC's systemwide Task Force on Faculty Diversity reported its recommendations on recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty, to a summit meeting attended by leaders from each campus. One of the group's key findings is that while the pool of underrepresented minority scholars is growing, the demographic profile of the UC faculty has changed only slightly. A copy of the report and information on the task force are available at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/facultydiversity/report.html.