Berkeleyan

News Briefs

04 October 2006

Total-compensation info for 2007: medical premiums, salaries, UCRP

The UC Office of the President has just issued final medical-plan rates, and new pay bands, for 2007. Your individual rate will depend on your pay band, plan choices, and the family members you cover. The At Your Service website (atyourservice.ucop.edu) has an article on this subject with an example of the new rate and pay bands and links to rates for all plans. To view this information in advance of this year's Open Enrollment period (Nov. 1-21), visit At Your Service and click on the "Final 2007 Health Insurance Rates: Start Planning Now" article (under Current News). Embedded in the article is a link to a recent compensation update for all employees that includes information about increases in medical-plan premiums, as well as about salary merit and equity increases and resumption of employee contributions to the University of California Retirement Plan. If you encounter difficulty in accessing this information, contact your department benefits counselor for assistance or e-mail the campus benefits office (benefits@berkeley.edu) with your mailing address.

Those with more specific benefits questions may likewise e-mail benefits@berkeley.edu. Salary, merit, and equity questions should be forwarded to Scott Dinkelspiel at scottd3@berkeley.edu or 642-2799.

Homecoming weekend, Oct. 6-8, features football and much more

The campus community and the public are invited to join Berkeley alumni and parents for this weekend's campus Homecoming celebration, featuring a busy schedule of 30 lectures by campus faculty along with tours, open houses, events specifically for parents of Berkeley students, and the Homecoming football game against the Oregon Ducks.

Highlights of the lecture schedule include, on Friday: Michael Nacht, dean of public policy, speaking on "National Security in a Turbulent Era" (9:30 a.m., Lipman Room, 8th floor, Barrows); Robert Reich, former U.S. labor secretary, on "Where is America Going?" (11 a.m., Lipman Room); China expert Orville Schell, dean of journalism, on "Interpreting China" (11 a.m., Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering); Sally Fairfax and Lynn Huntsinger, both from Environmental Science, Policy and Management, on "Follow Your Food: Exploring the Foodie Landscape of the Bay Area" (2 p.m., Alumni House), and law professor Jesse Choper on "The Future of the New U.S. Supreme Court: Liberal or Conservative?" (2 p.m., Lipman Room).

On Saturday, Oct. 7, hear astronomer Alex Filippenko on "Hearts of Darkness: Black Holes in Space" (10 a.m., Lipman Room), civil engineer Raymond Seed on "Lessons from Hurricane Katrina: Can We Save California's Delta?" (10 a.m., Sibley Auditorium), and journalist Lydia Chavez on "The Immigration Issue" (2:30 p.m., Alumni House).

For detailed information on featured events, as well as registration, visit homecoming.berkeley.edu.

New UC childcare spaces available in January 2007

The Haste Street Child Development Center - the first new campus childcare facility in seven years - is nearing completion, and with it comes space in the campus's Early Childhood Education Program for 74 additional children of students, faculty, and staff beginning in January 2007. The new facility - winner of a UC/CSU award for Best Integrated Design Process - will include a cutting-edge facility for research conducted by scholars from education, social welfare, and psychology.

For space availability and other information about the Early Childhood Education Program, contact Marina Moreida at Residential and Student Service Programs (642-1827 or moreida@berkeley.edu).

Cal for the Cure Walk, for breast-cancer awareness, set for Oct. 11

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and faculty, staff, and students are invited to join the campus's fourth annual Cal for the Cure Campus Walk, from 12:10 to 1 p.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The 20-minute walk sponsored by Health*Matters - the wellness program for faculty and staff - is an opportunity to honor co-workers, family, and friends affected by breast cancer and to highlight the importance of reducing one's risk for breast cancer through early detection, healthy eating, and exercise.

The walk begins on the south side of the Campanile; it will be followed by light refreshments, a short performance by the UC Berkeley Men's Octet, and an activity to personalize early-detection cards that can be shared with co-workers and friends. No enrollment is required. For information on breast-cancer resources and local Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities, see uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/healthmatters/calforthecure.shtml or call 643-4646.

Oct. 9 store reading to showcase new book on Bancroft Library

Charles Faulhaber, director of the Bancroft Library, and poet/essayist Steven Vincent will discuss a new book on the Bancroft Library at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 9, at Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. in north Berkeley. Their 208-page celebratory anthology - Exploring the Bancroft Library: The Centennial Guide to Its Extraordinary History, Spectacular Special Collections, Research Pleasures, Its Amazing Future & How It All Works - includes richly illustrated in-depth essays, many of them by campus authors, on the library's history and operations, how materials are acquired and conserved, and important archival objects. Contributors include Anthony Bliss, Gillian Boal, Walter Brem, William Brown Jr., Jack von Euw, David Farrell, Todd Hickey, Robert Hirst, Theresa Salazar, and Richard Cándida Smith. The editors will present a digital slide show as part of their talk.

McNair Scholars Program deadline is Oct. 12; info session this Friday

Applications are being accepted through Thursday, Oct. 12, for the campus's federally funded McNair Scholars Program, whose mission is to increase the number of Ph.D. degrees earned by students from underrepresented groups. Recipients receive a $2,800 stipend to support a research internship, faculty mentoring and tutoring by campus graduate students, fee waivers for GRE test-preparation and graduate applications, and assistance in applying to and financing graduate studies at top institutions.

An information session - on the application, the review process, the program's mission, and research issues - will be held Friday, Oct. 6, from 3 to 4 p.m. in 344 Campbell. Applications are available from Academic Achievement Programs, 2515 Channing Way or from Tim Randazzo at randazzo@berkeley.edu. For information, e-mail Randazzo, call 642-7935 or visit www-mcnair.berkeley.edu/default2.html.

Cal Rec Club members eligible for Berkeley Rep discounts

Members of the Cal Rec Club are eligible for half-price advance tickets to preview performances at Berkeley Repertory Theater throughout the season. Tickets, at $16.50, are available at the Berkeley Rep box office (2025 Addison St.) and are based on availability; a Recreational Sports Facility membership card is required. Box-office hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 7 p.m., or phone 647-2949.

Flu-shot clinics coming later this fall

University Health Services at the Tang Center expects to receive its full allotment of flu vaccine this fall, though word from the manufacturer is that delivery is delayed, with the supply expected to begin arriving in November. Thus, this year's campus drop-in flu shot clinics will be held in November and December - in plenty of time for the flu season, says Pam Cameron, assistant clinical director at the Tang Center. In addition to getting a flu shot, Cameron recommends flu-prevention measures, including frequent handwashing. Find more flu-prevention tips and the flu-shot clinic schedule (once the vaccine arrives) at www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/news/flushots.shtml.