At the Farmer’s Market: Lucero Strawberries

May 7, 2010 in $10 or less, Guest blogger, Things to do by Katie Kadue | 1 comment

This season’s new veggies will put a spring in anyone’s step (asparagus! fava beans! peas!), but amidst the market’s sea of green, fresh-picked fruit is hard to find. Autumn’s apples and winter citrus still show up at Bay Area farmer’s markets, as well as sun-dried reminders of summer’s peaches and plums, but fructose fiends have long been ready for a change. Not a moment too soon, strawberry season has arrived.

Karen Lucero, of Lucero Organic Farms in Lodi, started bringing her Seascape strawberries back to Berkeley Farmer’s Markets in April. (They’re also available at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Market, and Sundays at Temescal.) As Karen’s sometime market helper, I hold out samples by their stems to offer passers-by. Not many refuse a bite of bright ripe berry, but the cognoscenti sometimes will demur: “Oh, save the sample; I know they’re good!”

My opinion’s not unbiased, but Karen’s berries are a well-established market favorite, the preferred shortcake-toppers of Berkeley shoppers and the pastry chefs at Chez Panisse (strawberry soup? ok!). Lucero is a family-run, all-organic farm, which, since strawberries are among the “dirty dozen,” is worth keeping in mind. Most conventional strawberries are high-yield hybrids that owe their bright color and hefty size to heavy doses of fertilizer, water, and pesticide – this often makes them tasteless, too. Lucero’s Seascapes may not produce as much, but Karen and her husband, Ben, prize them for their flavor. The Luceros also minimize watering, which, ecological benefits aside, stresses the plants just enough, Karen says, to concentrate their nutrients and flavor. As a bonus, their distinctive long stems make for easy dipping in chocolate sauce (or a lucky mouth).

So take a break from your seminar papers, walk to the market, and stock up on some strawberries (and look out for cherries, which should show up soon). Not that the fruits of intellectual labor aren’t satisfying, but sometimes they’re not; and a basket of berries will always hit the spot.

Graduate Student Profile: Lynn Xu Walks, Jumps, Writes for Joy

April 30, 2010 in Guest blogger, Things to do by Katie Kadue | No comments

“Graduate student” can be a totalizing identity. It can also be a fraught one, depending on your discipline (those of us in Comp Lit, for example, may be said to be “always already in crisis”). But we graduate students do sometimes manage to emerge from the devastating weight of questions like “Can contradiction be redeemed as determinate negation?” and “What am I doing here?!?!” to do other things, and identify in other ways. Lynn Xu, a first-year in the Comparative Literature department, is also a poet, which she sometimes finds at odds with academe. (Her poems have appeared in 1913, Best American Poetry 2008, Tinfish, Octopus, The Walrus, and elsewhere.) But if Lynn is always or ever in crisis, she’s also the kind of person who will, with glee, wish you weeks full of “happiness, humor, and disgust.” I’ve had worse weeks. (And if you’d like any of these things in your week, heavy on the happiness/humor side, you can come hear Lynn read with recent Pulitzer Prize-winner Rae Armantrout.)

During the academic year, Lynn may take notes for future poems, but most of her time and mental space is devoted to coursework. That doesn’t mean, though, that her lyrical spirit lies dormant. “Academic (critical) work asks so much from the imagination, but refuses to acknowledge it (the imagination) as an expression of the thought, as a form of expression inherent in the thinking,” she says. I suspect she’s not the only potential PhD who sympathizes with the grumbling so familiar in extramural discourse: a lot of academic writing is deadeningly dry, suppressing the imaginative impulse instead of fleshing it out. Though Lynn believes poetry itself can be a form of critique – and is writing a manifesto on the topic for a methodology course – she finds this mentality meets institutional resistance. “Criticism does not have take the form of the essay. But in school it does.  And a very restricted sense of the essay at that.”

When she’s not walking the rope between academic writing and creative writing, Lynn likes to walk the streets and trails of Berkeley. She also helps run a small press, Canarium Books. Though conscious of complaints about the institutionalization and over-production of poetry (the poets churned out by MFA programs, for example, and the poems they then churn out themselves), Lynn, who received her MFA from Brown, doesn’t think contemporary poetry is consigned to mediocrity. “The solution cannot be: stop writing poetry, or: stop publishing poetry,” she says. “Rather, it must be: to increase the quality of the conversation.  And hopefully our press does this.  All our authors I believe are luminaries in the craft.”

Lynn’s own luminous writing is, I find, peripatetic, peppered with paraprosdokian. Her lines have been described as “equal parts elegance and flippancy while staying all song.” In “Language exists because,” she writes: “Language exists because nothing exists between those / who express themselves. All language is therefore / a language of prayer.” Indeed, trying to write my seminar paper, I can’t help but feel that my language is a performance of prayer – a prayer that the thing will end itself. I don’t think that’s what she means; but I’m glad Lynn and her poems exist.

To read Lynn’s poems, go here.

To hear Lynn read, go here:

Rae Armantrout and Lynn Xu (music from Wee Giant)
Friday, May 7th, 7pm
Studio One
365 45th Street (@ Broadway), Oakland (near the MacArthur Bart)

Personal Finance Workshop

April 28, 2010 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | No comments

Your taxes are finally filed, but money is still on your mind. Then you won’t want to miss tomorrow’s free workshop on managing personal finances. Adam Messinger of Merrill Lynch will lead the discussion on financial planning in uncertain times, how to make investment decisions, and current market conditions, among other topics. If you want to get advice on how to become a better steward of your finances, come to 5634 Tolman Hall from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Thursday, April 29.  As an added bonus, food from the SF Soup Company will be provided.

This workshop is organized by the Graduate Minority Outreach, Recruitment and Retention (GMORR) and the Graduate Support Services Projects (GSSP). Contact them with any questions at gmorr@ga.berkeley.edu and gssp@ga.berkeley.edu.

Women of color dialogues: An open discussion by and for women of color

April 22, 2010 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | No comments

After successfully celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Empowering Women of Color Conference, the Women of Color initiative (WOCI) wants to keep the dialogue among Berkeley’s women of color communities going. WOCI invites you to a discussion of the ideas, issues, and concerns that are important to you on Friday, April 30, from 12-2 pm at Anthony Hall. Lunch will be provided!

Science education outreach opportunities for graduate students

April 15, 2010 in Campus resources, Guest blogger by Felix Moser | No comments

The other week, I attended a talk by Dr. Rena Dorph, the Director of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (REA) at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS). The talk and discussion that followed—which were hosted by the Science, Technology, Engineering Policy group (STEP) here at Berkeley—centered around how senior scientists and science and engineering graduate students could help meet some of the challenges encountered by K-12 science education in the US. Graduate students and a smattering of educators and outreach program facilitators filled the room. Their concern was palpable as Dr. Dorph listed some of the appalling statistics that haunt science education in the Bay Area:

  • Most elementary educational programs commit less than 1hr/week to science.
  • 40% of science teachers say they feel unprepared to teach science.
  • Most science teachers receive little or no professional development.

The list went on, but some of the main problems were obvious: science education was taking a back seat to subjects required for testing, there were few resources available to science teachers, and there were few opportunities for students to explore science after school.

Fortunately, there are simple steps that senior scientists and graduate students can take in their spare time to help address many of these problems. By volunteering in after school programs like the ones at LHS, we can excite students about science. We can co-teach lessons, like in the Science and Health Education Partnership program at UCSF, or simply provide support to science teachers who are uncertain about a subject area. We can mentor high school students as summer researchers, such as in the Summer High-School Apprenticeship Research Program. For more ideas, check out the Science, Technology & Engineering Policy Group‘s website. In short, there are many great ways to get involved with educational outreach as a graduate student or even as a full-time scientist or engineer. And if the fun of mentoring and the skills gained by teaching kids aren’t enough to convince you, then consider that the NSF is beginning to reward investigators and scientist for their outreach efforts and even requiring outreach efforts on some grants.

Two Graduate Women’s Project events this week

April 10, 2010 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | No comments

The Graduate Women’s Project invites you to participate in two events this coming week.

First, a Shiatsu/Tui Na Massage Workshop with Hena Rainge. Come for a night of learning and sharing easy massage techniques that release neck, shoulder, arm and back pain. In this workshop you will be fully clothed and perform the techniques with a partner while they are sitting or lying on the floor. Please bring something comfortable to lie down on and a pillow or towel for your head. This is a hands-on class, so please dress comfortably in sweats, tee shirts, leggings or shorts. The workshop will be held Tuesday, April 13, from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Tan Oak Room of the MLK Jr. Student Union. Babysitting will be available and dinner will be provided.

Photo by Anomalily

And second, a graduate women’s study hall. Are you buried under your work? Need help getting motivated and focused? The Graduate Women’s Project can help! Come study with other graduate women next weekend. The food is free, the coffee is hot, and the company is fresh! For studying in a friendly, relaxed environment, stop by Anthony Hall anytime between 11 am and 6 pm on Saturday, April 17th.

The student lending law

April 6, 2010 in In the news by Colleen Morgan | No comments

Photo by Darren Hester

It’s a sad truism that if you are a graduate student, you are probably in debt.  While rumors of Obama forgiving all student loans floated around during his campaign, realistically it was unlikely to happen. Still, it was with eager anticipation that I read all of the news sources I could find about the overhaul of the student lending laws.

The Christian Science Monitor helpfully offered a run-down of key components of the legislation:

* Improved repayment options! New borrowers can cap their repayments at 10%, down from 15%.  Sadly, this is only for new borrowers, so it doesn’t apply to my old debts.

* A streamlined federal loan system! So, all loans now originate from the same source. No real change here.

* Competitive loan servicing! Wait, this means we get better customer service? So they will be nicer to me when they tell me to pay up?

* Support to stay in school and manage debt! $750 million for classes on financial literacy for low-income students. This is probably a good thing, but I’m wondering how much time cash-strapped low-income students will divert from their classwork and jobs to attend supplementary classes.  Will this be mandatory?

* More Pell grant money! Sadly, the amount of money does not match the enormous fee hikes that many colleges are imposing this year.

There is also an additional $4 billion dollars to go to community colleges and historically black institutions. As a former community college attendee, I wholeheartedly support this part of the bill.  I was a transfer student and some of my best students at Berkeley are transfer students; I hope that this money will help our valuable, cash-strapped community colleges.  Still, the financial impact on my student loans–nada.

So, Derek Thompson from The Atlantic is accurate in his assessment of what the student lending law means for borrowing students: not a whole lot.

Boat Cruise 2010!

April 5, 2010 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | No comments

Photo by Kevin

The Graduate Social Club invites you to cruise the Bay on Saturday, April 24th, from 8-11 pm. Boarding in Oakland, we’ll set out right around sunset for a night of drinks and dancing as we sail between the skylines of San Francisco and the East Bay. This event has always been a lot of fun, and it will sell out quickly (last year it took only 3 hours), so put your name on our email list to get updates on when you’ll be able to buy your tickets. Just send a quick message to gsc@ga.berkeley.edu.

Tickets this year are $40, which is slightly higher than last year, but this will get you not only a full three hours on the boat, but an open beer and wine bar, appetizers, multiple DJs on two different floors, and a chance to see the city and mingle with other grad students on board the beautiful California Hornblower. We can accommodate up to 650 people, both Cal students and their guests, so tell all your friends to sign up for the email list and get ready to go cruising!

Hope to see you all there,  Alex and Ashley (your GSC co-chairs)

Women of Color Collective: Women’s (Her)story Month Campaign

March 30, 2010 in Campus resources by TBG | No comments

How much can a student group accomplish in a year? Quite a bit, if the Women of Color Collective (WOCC) is your model.

Last spring a group of friends at Boalt Hall decided to form WOCC to combat the isolation and alienation they felt as women of color in the law school. Their first effort—to be an active presence during admit week—was a huge success. This fall, thanks in large part to WOCC’s work, Boalt welcomed the largest number of incoming women of color students in its history.

WOCC’s numbers have grown to include 60-80 active members, and the scope of its activities has kept pace. In addition to organizing a series of community building events, the organization has embarked upon a more focused spring campaign to educate people about the underrepresentation of women of color on the law school faculty. While women of color constitute 25% of Boalt’s student body, they comprise just 5% of its tenure-track faculty.

To draw attention to women of color in the legal profession, and particularly those in academia, WOCC has organized a series of amazing events for Women’s (Her)story month. For the kick-off event on March 1, they invited women and women of color faculty and alumna to share their stories about breaking barriers at Boalt. Speakers included an alumna who wrote Silence at Boalt Hall, a book about the history and impact of Proposition 209, and two female professors who filed a sexual discrimination grievance against the University after their initial tenure applications were denied. For many participants, this panel was a clear reminder that the challenges facing women in the legal profession, and especially women of color, are not a thing of the past, but an ongoing issue.

The final women’s history month event, which will be held this Wednesday, March 31, is a lunchtime paper talk, followed by a small tea. In the law school, the Faculty Appointment Committee (FAC) makes all hiring decisions and often chooses to interview a very small number of people of color, hiring even fewer. To draw attention to the talented people of color in the applicant pool, WOCC has invited two distinguished women of color professors from USC and UNLV to present their scholarship. (Even before this event, WOCC had already made its mark on this year’s hires. In part because of WOCC’s input to the FAC and its outreach to candidates, the FAC extended offers to four people of color. Three have already accepted, thereby bringing the total junior faculty of color to five and doubling the number of junior women of color.)

It’s not too late to participate in WOCC’s Women’s (Her)story Month campaign. Attend “The Difference Women of Color Make” Wednesday, March 31 in 240 Boalt Hall from 12:45-1:45 pm. This paper talk will be followed by tea with the visiting scholars from 3:30-5:00 in 10 Boalt Hall. If you’re interested in staying informed about WOCC’s activities in the future, please email boaltwocc@gmail.com.

Two fun Grad Assembly events this week

March 29, 2010 in Graduate Assembly by TBG | No comments

The GA is holding two great events this week. Whether you’re still in vacation mode or have your nose to the grindstone, there’s something for everyone.

Photo by josh.liba

Tuesday, March 30, join the Graduate Support Services Project and the Graduate Minority Students’ Project for a study hall in Anthony Hall from 5:30-8:00 pm. All graduate students are welcome and dinner will be provided!

Wednesday, March 31, don’t miss the Grad Social Committee’s Spring Social! It’ll be from 6-9 pm in the Pauley Ballroom (MLK Jr., Student Union). For $4 (or $3 when you bring your own cup) you get pizza, beer, and a chance to socialize with grad students from across campus. Grad socials are always a blast, so be sure to grab your friends for this once-a-semester event.

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