Berkeleyan

News Briefs

24 August 2006

Nominations for outstanding-staff award are welcomed

Nominations are being accepted for this year's Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Awards (COSA), an annual program honoring staff who have made significant contributions to the university or community. The deadline for nominations is
5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8. Any member of the campus community may nominate a career staff member or staff team. Chancellor Birgeneau will honor COSA award winners at a reception in November.

To nominate an individual or team, complete the nomination form at csac.chance.berkeley.edu/COSA_descrptn.html and forward it to Lillian Brock, Office of Human Resources, at llbrock@berkeley.edu or 207 University Hall, MC 3540. For further information, contact Jimmy Manibusan (642-2517, fjimmy@berkeley.edu).

Domestic partners would receive death benefits under new proposal; deadline for comments is Aug. 28

The campus community is invited to comment on proposed revisions to the UC Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM), which covers staff employees not represented by a union. The changes involve the addition of "domestic partners" to several policies - namely PPSM 2 (a definition of terms), 21 (pertaining to appointment) and 83 (concerning death payments to employee survivors). Staff may comment on the proposed revisions until 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 28. Send comments to the Office of Human Resources via e-mail (newhr1@berkeley.edu) or campus mail (addressed to Assistant Vice Chancellor Jeannine Raymond, OHR, 207 University Hall, MC 3540). The proposed revisions are online here.

Export-control help

Faculty and staff engaged in research now have a detailed map to help them navigate the murky waters of federal export-control laws, which carry maximum fines of $250,000 and 10-year prison terms for violators.

A new website, created by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, provides comprehensive information about the complex set of restrictions governing physical shipments of equipment and materials as well as the transfer of data to people and entities outside the United States. In addition, so-called "deemed export" regulations limit the sharing of controlled scientific and technical data with foreign nationals inside U.S. borders.

The site includes a list of "do's and don'ts" for researchers, a "decision tree" for those wondering whether restrictions apply to their own projects, and a large number of helpful links. It can be found at research.chance.berkeley.edu/echome.cfm.

Cal team earns a 'gold' at S.F. AIDS Walk 2006

The Berkeley campus Cal Walks Team qualified for the second year in a row as one of the top 20 teams at the San Francisco AIDS Walk. Out of 978 registered teams in this summer's fundraiser, Cal Walks ranked No. 19 (earning it "Gold Team" status) and placed second in the "schools" category, after UC San Francisco. The Berkeley team had 391 walkers and garnered $33,761 in donations, 39 percent more than it raised in 2005. (Its fundraising goal, established by the chancellor, was $30,000).

Cal Rec Club members now eligible to use facilities at other UC campuses

Under a reciprocity agreement adopted recently by the UC Recreation Director's Council, faculty and staff members of the Cal Rec Club (CRC) are now admitted free to UC recreational-sports facilities systemwide throughout the year. To gain access, faculty/staff CRC members need to present a guest pass and a valid UC faculty- or staff-ID card (the passes, good for one week at a time, are available at the membership desk in the lobby of Berkeley's Recreational Sports Facility). At specialty facilities such as aquatic and equestrian centers, visitors pay the standard campus faculty and staff rate; those spending more than a week at another campus may purchase passes and memberships at that campus's faculty and staff rate. The new policy follows from a similar one, adopted in June 2005, extending reciprocity to UC students. For information, contact Eric Craypo, ecraypo@berkeley.edu or 643-8034.

Next UC student regent is from Boalt

Berkeley law student Benjamin Allen has been named to sit on the UC Board of Regents for 2007-08. He will serve as a non-voting regent-designate until his term as student regent begins on July 1, 2007. The current student regent is Berkeley alum María Ledesma, now a UCLA graduate student.

Regent-designate Allen, a Santa Monica native, received his B.A. in history from Harvard and master's in Latin American Studies from Cambridge. He has worked as communications director for U.S. Rep. José Serrano (N.Y.), as an assistant editor for the Mexico City-based monthly Business Mexico, and as a judicial clerk at the United Nations court set up to try those accused of involvement in the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Government Affairs has new organizational home base

As of Aug. 21, the campus Government and Community Affairs unit is part of the Chancellor's Immediate Office, as it has been at various points in the past. In announcing the unit's move from University Relations, the campus development arm, Chancellor Birgeneau said, "Building strong relations for Berkeley at all levels of government - federal, state, and local - has become an increasingly important priority for the university and for me personally." The unit is now based in 336 Sproul and reports to Associate Chancellor John Cummins.

Costantinidis to fill budget AVC post

Teresa Costantinidis will serve as the campus's new Assistant Vice Chancellor - Budget beginning Sept. 1. Constantinidis has served on campus for more than 20 years, including stints with the campus Budget Office and the Office of the Vice Chancellor and Provost; since 2003 she was at the Haas School of Business, serving as senior assistant dean and chief operating officer. The AVC for budget's areas of responsibility include the campus's comprehensive resource plan, management of the annual budget-planning process, and serving as a liaison between the Budget Office and campus academic and administrative officers.

East Reading Room renamed to honor former chancellor

Doe Library's East Reading Room has been formally renamed the Heyns Reading Room in honor of Roger Heyns, who served as Chancellor from 1965 to 1971. He served during the height of student dissent and anti-war protests and played a key role in expanding outreach to minority students and in the founding of the schools of public policy and journalism.

CSHE series features scholarly papers on higher education

Six new papers are now available online through the Research and Occasional Papers Series of the Center for Studies in Higher Education. Studies on maintaining access to UC and on developing graduate students of color for academic careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields are among the new offerings.