March 2011

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Email and Academic Freedom

March 26, 2011 in In the news by TBG | Comments closed

History matters. Just ask Bill Cronon, a world renowned University of Wisconsin historian who now finds himself embroiled in the ongoing dispute over public-employee unions and an emerging debate over academic freedom.

A quick re-cap: During the weeks-long protests that shut down the Wisconsin state capitol, Cronon tried to situate the Republican’s anti-union bill in the state’s and the nation’s historical context. This effort culminated in two publications that have attracted the ire of Wisconsin’s Republican Party.

  • First, Cronon published a blog post about the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is the architect of much of conservation legislation sweeping the nation.
  • Second, in a New York Times editorial, he argued that the policies of Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, are not only undoing a century of social reforms that are in large part the work of Republicans, but also break with the state’s bipartisan tradition of transparency and mutual respect.

On March 17, two days after the blog was published, but four days before the op-ed appeared, the University of Wisconsin-Madison received an email from the Republican Party of Wisconsin formally requesting under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) all of the email’s from Cronon’s state email account (i.e., @wisc.edu) which reference terms such as “union”, “rally”, “Republican”, and “Scott Walker.”

In another blog post, Cronon makes a convincing argument that this request is intended to embarrass, punish, and a silence a critic—a misuse of FOIA that threatens academic freedom.

As academics and members of a public university, this is an issue that affects all of us. What do you think? Does this change how you use your @berkeley.edu email account?

Here’s a sampling of the relevant news pieces. For a more complete list, see Cronon’s blog.

Rainy day hike: Steep Ravine trail

March 23, 2011 in Things to do by TBG | Comments closed

Webb Creek in Steep Ravine Canyon. Image by dotpolka.

In the midst of a solid week of rain, venturing outside for fun may be the thing furthest from your mind. But the spring, even on those rainy days, is actually the perfect time to go for a hike in the Bay Area.

One of the best places to go is Steep Ravine Canyon on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. Tom Stienstra, the Chronicle’s outdoor guru, calls it “California’s best rain hike.” Webb Creek, which runs down the center of the canyon, comes to life in wet weather. Over two miles the trail crosses the creek eight times and culminates in a small waterfall that’s at its most spectacular when the creek is full. Towering redwood trees create a canopy that protects hikers from the worst of the weather.

On a nice day, combine the Steep Ravine trail with the Matt Davis trail for a seven-mile loop that takes  you from the side of Mt. Tamalpais down to Stinson Beach and back again.

Another good rainy day hike that’s further afield is to Little Yosemite in the Sunol Regional Wilderness.

First day of Spring

March 20, 2011 in Photos by TBG | Comments closed

Spring is here! After a week of cold rain, it may not feel like it, but without a doubt longer, warmer days lie ahead.

Earthquake preparedness

March 18, 2011 in In the news by TBG | Comments closed

For the last week, Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami and its ongoing nuclear crisis have captured the nation’s attention and sympathies. On the West Coast these events have also raised questions about our own safety during future earthquakes and from the radiation plume that has reached our shores. Potassium iodide is selling out, although scientists and public health officials insist that so far the radiation from Japan does not pose a health risk to Californians. While fear of exposure to radiation, whether well founded or not, feels more immediate, concern about earthquakes should not be ignored. In the Bay Area, the question is not if there will be another big earthquake, but when. Yet at least half of all Californians don’t have an emergency preparedness kit. So, take this opportunity to develop an earthquake plan and create or update your disaster kit.

If you need guidance, see our post on preparing for an earthquake.

The County of San Francisco also has a helpful step-by-step guide to preparing for a variety of disasters.

You can find the latest campus coverage of the disaster in Japan here.

The Berkeley Graduate is hiring!

March 10, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | Comments closed

Are you a graduate student? Do you like blogs? If the answers to these questions is yes, then here is some exciting news: the GA is looking for a new project coordinator for the Berkeley Graduate.

The project coordinator’s main responsibilities are managing this blog, maintaining regular posting, and publishing a welcome edition of the Berkeley Graduate that’s distributed at the new graduate student orientations in August. This is a year-long, part-time job.

For a complete description of the position’s duties and requirements, please see the job description on the GA website. To apply email a coverletter, CV, and writing sample to Elizabeth De La Torre at projects@ga.berkeley.edu.

Around the campus in 80 days: Astronomy

March 7, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by Philippe Marchand | Comments closed

View from the Astronomy Department's Space Sciences Lab. Image by Ianan.

On March 1, Elizabeth de la Torre (GA Projects Coordinator Liaison) and Philippe Marchand (GA Internal Coordinator) met with Astronomy graduate students as well as a few guests from the neighboring Physics department. Topics discussed ranged from graduate student representation on campus to upcoming GA events and resources for students and student groups.

One student who had volunteered to serve as graduate representative on a campus committee mentioned potential communication problems between the campus administration, the Graduate Assembly and students serving on committees, and suggested that the GA systematically follow up on committee appointments.

Students in attendance also discussed the Lower Sproul revitalization project, and suggested the idea of a graduate student pub on campus or, if that’s not possible in the short term, instituting a regular graduate student event (“Grad Night”) at the Bear’s Lair.

Unwanted riders: bacteria on the BART

March 6, 2011 in Bay Area basics by TBG | Comments closed

BART in an earlier era. Image from nadja robot.

If you’ve ever felt somewhat squeamish before taking a seat on the BART, a new study, commissioned by the Bay Citizen and carried out by a researcher at San Francisco State University, suggests your suspicion that those blue cushions are less than sanitary may be correct. A single randomly sampled BART seat contained fecal and drug-resistant bacteria (as well as other harmless, commonly occurring bacteria). Still Dr. John Swartzberg, a professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, says that the likelihood of infection is low. A BART spokesman called the results unsurprising, considering that last year BART police received over 200 complaints of urinating and defecating and over 1000 complaints of eating, drinking and smoking. He counseled riders to wash their hands and use the hand sanitizer available in BART stations.

BART’s fabric seats, intended to be more comfortable than those found in other public transportation systems, appear to be the culprit because they are more difficult to clean. When BART debuted in 1972, comfort was one of its selling points.  Now cleaners spend each night working on the dirtiest seats. Each week 300 to 500 seat cushions are sent to the dry cleaner to be disinfected. In the worse cases, BART replaces all the cloth seats in a car. Hopefully, when BART debuts its new cars in 2017, they will include seats that are easier to keep clean.

For the full story and related content, visit the Bay Citizen.

Answers

March 2, 2011 in Teaching by Julie Ward | 1 comment

Outdoor discussion section. Image by genista.

When I was about to start teaching English in a Mexican elementary school six years ago a good friend encouraged me: “You’ll be fine—you’re the one with the answer key.” It’s a widely accepted assessment of the teacher-student relationship and, I admit, it’s gotten me out of sticky situations both teaching elementary school and as a GSI at Berkeley. What’s tricky is when the questions have nothing to do with the numbered lists in the back of the book. That’s when standing in front of the classroom, chalk in hand, becomes precarious.

While teaching in Mexico, I developed an elaborate behavior system involving rewards as well as warnings, time-outs, and, when all else failed, a visit to Miss Isa, the school’s director.

One of my students, a sweet boy whom I couldn’t help but favor, but who seemed to be incapable of remaining seated or quiet for more than three minutes, had finally made it to the end of the line: Miss Isa.

Even with a clean slate on Monday, by Tuesday his name was on the board with two checkmarks. As though commanded by a mysterious force, while everyone else busily illustrated their family trees, Erikc wandered across the classroom to play with the stuffed bear peeking out of a classmate’s backpack.

“That’s the fourth time, Erikc. You are going to have to go see Miss Isa.” I hated hardening my sympathies into sternness, but I was at a loss. Read the rest of this entry »

Around the campus in 80 days: Materials Science and Engineering

March 1, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by Philippe Marchand | Comments closed

Hearst Mining Building, home of the Materials Science and Engineering Department. Image by greenwithevil.

On Feb.24th, GA and UAW2865 representatives attended a meeting of the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Graduate Student Council. Discussion topics included funding and work conditions, both for GSIs and GSRs.

As in many science and engineering departments, MSE graduate students are primarily supported by external research grants, although there is no guaranteed funding package upon admission in the department. Externally-funded students rely less on Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) work and are less affected by campus budget cuts. This said, the students present were concerned about the existence and enforcement of regulations regarding graduate student work conditions. (In the words of one student: “Your research advisor controls all your life.”) They expressed interest in the idea of a UC ‘Graduate Student Bill of Rights‘ that would set standards and expectations for how graduate students should be treated by their department and advisor.

This is the first year in the recent past where MSE is represented at the Graduate Assembly. GA funding has been beneficial for this department’s social events. However, students have reported to us that they would like the GA to promote its own programs and events better to students who are not already involved.

“Around the campus in 80 days” continues this week with meetings in Astronomy (March 1st) and Chemistry (March 2nd).

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