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Summer Job Opportunity at the GA

April 29, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | Comments closed

The Graduate Assembly is looking to fill a part-time, temporary position to plan the 2011 New Graduate Student Orientation. In the capacity of Graduate Support Service Project Coordinator, this position would run from June 1, 2011 to August 31, 2011.

Responsibilities:

In collaboration with the Graduate Division, you will plan, coordinate, and implement the New Graduate Student Orientation. As the date and venue are already set (Tuesday, August 23, 2011 @ Dwinelle Hall), you will be responsible for the following details and other related tasks:

  • securing a keynote speaker
  • organizing a coordinating committee
  • weekly planning meetings
  • coordinating all logistics, including room allocation, trash &
  • recycling, lunch time activities, workshops, technologies, signage, etc.
  • communicating via phone and email with participants
  • creating an orientation packet that includes programs and other informational materials
  • other related tasks, as needed

Qualifications:

  • knowledge of UC Berkeley campus resources
  • experience coordinating institutional events
  • some computer skills (Word and Excel)
  • good time management
  • attention to detail
  • ability to work within diversity
  • strong communication skills
  • very organized

Interested parties should send by email a cover letter and current resume to gssp@ga.berkeley.edu. Please email the same address with further questions. We are looking to hire ASAP, so please send documents when you can. Position open until filled.

Off the beaten track: Hakone Gardens

April 13, 2011 in Things to do by TBG | Comments closed

The hill and pond garden. Image by Glenn Franco Simmons.

With tax time upon us and end of the semester responsibilities looming, graduate students may be seeking some much needed tranquility this month.  Tucked into the base of the Santa Cruz mountains, Hakone Gardens, the oldest Japanese-style gardens in the Western Hemisphere, could be just the ticket.  This 18-acre estate includes a koi pond, waterfalls, a zen garden, a bamboo garden, and a tea garden. Come in April and you’ll catch the wisteria blossoms at their peak. The entrance fee is $5 for adults. The gardens, which were the filming location for Memoirs of a Geisha, are a ways from Berkeley, so bring a picnic lunch and plan to make an afternoon out of your trek to the outskirts of Silicon Valley.

Be sure to leave time for the excellent koi pond.

The GA’s April Events

April 1, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | Comments closed

It’s the last full month of the semester and the GA has some fantastic events in store to round out the 2010-2011 school year.

  • Saturday, April 2, Graduate Women’s Project Study Hall, from 10 am to 5 pm in Anthony Hall. There will be coffee, tea, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, with vegan options available.
  • Sunday, April 3, Student of Color Study Hall, from 10 am to 4 pm in Anthony Hall. Coffee, tea, and lunch will be provided.
  • Wednesday, April 6, Sex Slaves: Minh’s Story: Screening with Q&A, from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Multicultural Center in the MLK Jr. Student Union. The Gender Equity Resource Center is screening an MSNBC film about Minh, a former Cal student who survived sex trafficking in the South Bay.
  • Wednesday, April 13, GMORR Brown Bag Seminar “Maintaining Your Academic Integrity,” from 12 pm to 1 pm in the Multicultural Center in the MLK Jr. Student Union. Dr. Zeus Leonardo from the Graduate School of Education and other faculty members will speak about the intersection of diversity and academic integrity.
  • Thursday, April 14, Catalyzing Knowledge in Dangerous Times, the Center for Race and Gender’s ten year anniversary conference, will be held from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm in 370 Dwinelle Hall. The conference explores “the ways in which knowledge is politicized, embodied, and imagined within a volatile political climate that targets education as a racialized and gendered battleground for defining legitimacy, visibility, and access.”
  • Saturday, April 16, Cotton Candy and Cal Day Open House at Anthony Hall from 11 am to 2 pm.
  • Thursday, April 28, Reception for Women Graduate Students and Faculty of Color, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Women’s Faculty Club. Babysitting will be available.
  • Friday, April 29, the GSC’s Boat Cruise, will depart Jack London Square at 8 pm and return at 11 pm after cruising the San Francisco Bay. Tickets are $50 and include unlimited beer, wine, and appetizers. Berkeley graduate students and their guests are welcome to this 21+ event.

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.

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.

GA March events

February 28, 2011 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | Comments closed

The GA has a wide variety of events planned for March. Here’s what’s scheduled for just the first week and a half. We hope to see you there! And be sure to check the calendar for more.

March 3: Delegate Assembly Meeting, 5:30-7:30 pm, Eshleman Hall. Check in with your representatives to get the latest news.

March 6: Graduate Student of Color Study Hall, 10 am – 2 pm, Anthony Hall. All are welcome and refreshments will be provided.

March 6: Graduate Diversity Beer and Pizza Reception, 4-6 pm, Multi-Cultural Center in the MLK, Jr. Student Union. Come welcome prospective students of color to campus.

March 9: GMORR Brown Bag on “Academic Writing: Grants, Papers, and Publications,” 12-1 pm,  Stephens Lounge in the MLK, Jr. Student Union.

March 10: The Graduate Social Club‘s Spring Social, 6-9 pm, Pauley Ballroom West in the MLK, Jr. Student Union. Enjoy pizza and beer with friends and other graduate students from around campus.

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