Berkeleyan

News Briefs

06 February 2008

Applications sought for Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund

The campus is inviting local community groups to apply for grants from the Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund for 2008-09. Nonprofit organizations and neighborhood groups based in the city of Berkeley are eligible to apply for funding for projects in partnership with the campus to improve the quality of life for city residents.

Through a competitive process the fund will distribute $212,000 in 2008. Grant proposals are due by May 1, and awards will be announced in August.

The fund will host two workshops for interested applicants in February and March. Dates will be posted on the fund's website (communityrelations.berkeley.edu/ccpf) and will be available by phone at 643-5299. Additional information about the fund and a grant-application package are also available online. Questions may be directed to the campus's Community Relations Director, Irene Hegarty, at 643-5296 or hegarty@berkeley.edu.

In its first two years the fund awarded grants to 28 diverse projects in the areas of educational enrichment, the arts, homeless services, the environment, historic preservation, and neighborhood improvement. Since its inception in 2006, the fund has awarded more than $405,000 in grants to community-based organizations. Annual allocations to the fund will be made through the year 2020.

AFSCME rejects UC's proposal for contract extension

The University of California announced on Jan. 30 that the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union (AFSCME) has rejected UC's proposal to extend through June 2008 the current contract for more than 7,000 service employees. The proposal would have provided for approximately $2.8 million in wage increases for employees in a variety of positions throughout the UC system.

UC and AFSCME have been bargaining over a new contract for UC service employees since October 2007. AFSCME has filed a request for impasse with the Public Employment Relations Board; the university has decided not to oppose that filing, but as of presstime has issued no response to the union.

Additional information about these negotiations is available from UC's Office of the President at atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies/labor_relations.

Faculty and staff can now give to the campus via payroll deduction

Campus employees now have the option to make donations to many Berkeley programs via payroll deduction. Faculty and staff can log onto givetocal.berkeley.edu/ways/payrollDeduction.cfm to learn about the option, submit an authorization form using a CalNet ID, and begin making monthly contributions. Gifts can be made in this way to the Chancellor's Challenge - a program that matches gifts made by faculty, staff, and students to any need-based scholarship or graduate-fellowship fund - or to any campus fund administered by the UC Berkeley Foundation. A full list of funds is available at givetocal.berkeley.edu/atoz; details on the Chancellor's Challenge are at givetocal.berkeley.edu/ourpromise.

Questions about the new service may be directed to Steve Cervantes, Manager of Gift Administration, at 643-9789 or by e-mail at scervantes@berkeley.edu.

Library pilots instant-messaging reference

The Library is piloting two new reference services using instant-messaging (aka "chat") technology, to see what types of questions lend themselves to these models, and to assess their usefulness in engaging students. Both pilots started in the fall and are continuing during spring.

The instant-messaging reference service run by Doe/Moffitt Library staff targets students in the humanities and social
sciences needing quick help with library research or locating library material. They can IM a librarian at www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/dmchat.html Tuesday through Thursday, 1-5 p.m., and Sunday, 4-8 p.m.

The Library also offers chat-reference services in government information, engineering, physics, mathematics and statistics, and physics and astronomy. For more information on these and other options, visit www.lib.berkeley.edu/Help/research_assistance.html.

Musical valentine available from UC Choral Ensembles

UC Choral Ensembles is offering singing Valentine's Grams for next week's holiday. This year's serenade includes four-part harmonies of the songs "Come Go With Me" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Recipients will receive a long-stemmed rose and a card, personalized by the sender. Valentine Grams will be delivered Tuesday-Thursday, Feb. 12-14, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Prices are $30 for campus delivery, $40 for delivery to most off-campus Berkeley locations. Previous customers should request a $5 discount.

Valentine Grams can be purchased at 72 César Chávez Student Center (basement level) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at least two days before the delivery date. For information, call 642-3880.