Berkeleyan
News Briefs
03 September 2008
Full-length Berkeleyan returns next week
This four-page issue, an artifact of the Labor Day holiday, focuses on campus arts and events for the fall. We return to our regular eight-page format next week.
Scholarly panel to assess the situation in Georgia
On Aug. 7, Georgia launched an attack on its breakaway province of South Ossetia, which has enjoyed de facto independence since 1992. The following day, Russian forces attacked Georgian units in South Ossetia and moved farther into mainland Georgia. The conflict has led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of refugees, and strained relations between Russia and the West, raising fears of a new Cold War.
A public talk sponsored by the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies and the Institute of International Studies, “Crisis in the Caucasus: A Round-table Discussion of the Conflict in Georgia,” will be held this Thursday, Sept. 4, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in 223 Moses Hall. Campus panelists will include M. Steven Fish, professor of political science; Johanna Nichols, professor of Slavic languages and literatures; Edward Walker, professor of political science and executive director of Eurasian and East European Studies; and Yuri Slezkine, professor of political science and director of the sponsoring Institute.
The Campaign for Berkeley kicks off with free staff, faculty events
This month the campus launches The Campaign for Berkeley, a major fundraising effort over the next five years to support scholarships, fellowships, professorships, and instruction and research. As important partners in the campaign, campus staff and faculty are invited — and encouraged — to participate in a series of public events to celebrate the campaign kickoff.
Campaign celebrations start with the UC Berkeley Music Festival and Picnic on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Campanile Esplanade (in front of the Bancroft Library and South Hall). Events continue through--out the week, culminating in a distinguished-faculty panel on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon in Wheeler Auditorium. All events are free.
Additional details are available at campaign.berkeley.edu. Watch your campus e-mail for updates.
UCPD seeks volunteers for Urban Shield exercise
The University of California Police Depart-ment (UCPD) is seeking volunteer role-players to participate in Alameda County’s Urban Shield law-enforcement-training exercise, Saturday, Sept. 13, through Monday, Sept. 15.
Urban Shield is a multi-agency, regional training event designed to test and enhance the emergency preparedness and response abilities of police departments for a wide variety of critical situations. Tactical-response teams from two dozen departments across the country will be deployed around-the-clock to handle a variety of simulations and scenarios, including incidents ranging from natural disasters to acts of terrorism.
UCPD, in partnership with the city of Berkeley Police Department, is sponsoring one of these Urban Shield events — a domestic-terrorism and active-shooter simulation on the Berkeley campus. The scenario will be run continuously, day and night, from 5 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Volunteer role-players from the campus community will help provide a realistic training environment. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for from three to 12 hours at a time, on either or both days. Some meals will be provided, and volunteers will also receive a commemorative t-shirt for their assistance. No particular training or experience is required.
Visit www.urbanshield.org or call UCPD at 643-1810 for more information. To volunteer, call the UCPD number.
California Assembly passes Researcher Protection Act
The California State Assembly last week approved Assembly Bill 2296, the Researcher Protection Act of 2008, on a bipartisan vote of 78-0. This action follows the California State Senate’s bipartisan unanimous support of the bill on Aug. 22.
The University of California strongly supports AB 2296, which would enhance law enforcement’s ability to protect all academic researchers and their families from acts of violence and intimidation, including those perpetrated by anti-animal-research extremists.
The bill next moves to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature.