Vol. 24, No 1 | Spring 2017A N E W S L E T T E R F O R F A M I L I E S O F B E R K E L E Y U N D E R G R A D U AT E S

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Bears Spring into New Semester

I’m always thrilled for the opportunity to communicate with Cal Parents, especially as we begin a new year.

As we know, this year will bring many changes, from a campus perspective to a global one. The message I’d like to share with you for 2017 is: How do we embrace change?

Here are some of the ways I’ve approached change as the Dean of Students at UC Berkeley.

The first step is to understand the goals of change, and when it comes to this campus, I can assure you that UC Berkeley’s objectives are clear: We want to create a warm, welcom-ing, safe, and inclusive community for all of our students and support them throughout their time at UC Berkeley and beyond as proud Cal alumni.

Now, that’s a big challenge. UC Berkeley is diverse and dynamic — this is what makes us innovators and leaders. We need to work to preserve UC Berkeley, the world’s premier public university, as a place that views diverse backgrounds, ideas, voices, and experiences as enriching and valuable to the educational experience.

Which brings me to the second step of embracing change: Take steps, small or large.

In this newsletter, you’ve read about Berkeley’s workshops to raise awareness with

students regarding hazing. We also shared news about our new Golden Bear Orientation model, designed to provide a unified onboard-ing experience for all students. Whether a step we take reaches an individual student, a small cohort or the entire student body, it is one more way we can embrace change.

As 2017 gathers steam, this campus and my office will continue to take steps: We’ll explore new ideas, programs, and policies to ensure that our students, your children, experience UC Berkeley in a way that chal-lenges them academically, and supports them

socially, emotionally and mentally. We will also need to continue making difficult budget decisions this year, but with a focus on having the least impact possible on the student expe-rience.

As we take these steps, we need your sup-port. We welcome your voices. Let’s celebrate diversity and embrace change together. I also invite you to keep in touch and stay up-to-date on Berkeley student life via my Twitter account (@DeanGreenwell) and by visiting the Dean of Student website: deanofstudents.berkeley.edu.

Take care and have a Caltastic day,

A message to Cal Parents

JOSEPH DEFRAINE GREENWELLAssociate Vice Chancellor and Dean of StudentsPreferred Gender Pronouns: He/Him/His326 Sproul Hall 510.642.6741Student Affairs, University of California, BerkeleyConnect with me via Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Web | LinkedIn

How has your first year been as ASUC President? What were some of your office’s accomplishments?William Morrow: First and foremost, there has been a campus leadership transition, as Chancellor Nicholas Dirks submitted his intended resignation this past August. I was selected to serve as the undergraduate stu-dent representative on the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee to UC President Janet Napolitano. In this capacity, I worked to ensure the utmost transparency and inclusion of student opinion in the search process. The search is expected to yield a new chancellor before this March’s Regents Meeting.

Additionally, ASUC Office of the Presi-dent has taken the student lead on advocating on campus-specific challenges. A challenge this last semester was the #Fight4Spacesof-Color and #Fight4QueerandTransSpaces Movements, which for a very salient cause occupied the ASUC Student Union’s Book-store, a primary revenue source for the ASUC.

I served for over two months as a mediator in negotiating a resolution to this challenge that should be finalized soon. I will continue working with them in negotiating a long-term path forward for a permanent space.

Finally, in the wake of the passing of two Berkeley students this past summer in instances of terrorism abroad, I urged the Student Regents to ensure that the topic of UC student safety abroad was put forward to the UC President and Regents, resulting in the publishing of a report, which is a starting point toward better identification of security threats in places where students go abroad.

UC Berkeley has endured a good amount of tragedy this fall. In the light of all this loss, how do you encourage your fellow students to go on?WM: Losing fellow classmates and friends in such tragic ways is incredibly difficult. Each of these incredible individuals who have

passed touched so many folks on this campus, so it is important that students in grief never feel alone. There are hundreds of other stu-dents struggling with the same feelings too. It is okay to grieve and take time for your emotions. Utilize the counseling and other resources for mental wellness offered by the University. This campus community must be a supportive space, and it is the responsibility of every community member at UC Berkeley to reach out to one another to check in, now more than ever.

How has the UC Berkeley community surprised you in its resilience and unity?WM: The resilience of the UC Berkeley community in the wake of such sorrow and tragedy is inspirational. And it speaks to the incredible individuals our community lost. These individuals were resilient and brave, and there is no better way for our commu-nity to honor their lives than to embrace that spirit of resilience everyday.

Q&A with ASUC president William Morrow

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UC Berkeley’s Moffitt Library now offers a unique studying experience after renovations in the fall semester revamped two floor to pro-vide spaces for students to write on the walls, rearrange furniture, eat and drink, talk above a whisper and more.

Unlike traditional libraries, Moffitt no longer has shelves of books, which now are housed at the Main (Gardner) Stacks. Moffitt is now the only library on campus open for 24 hours a day, five days a week.

Donors helped fund the $15 million mod-ernization project; the campus also performed significant maintenance work on the building’s infrastructure.

Workspace at Moffitt is now 30 percent larger, says Elizabeth Dupuis, associate uni-

versity librarian for educational initiatives and user services. “That’s an extra 600 seats — 300 more per floor... I suspect Moffitt will become a hot spot throughout the year.”

Students now encounter spaces that invite chatter and collaboration, including rooms that can be reserved. They can also borrow laptops, iPads, chargers and projectors at the technology lending desk, get walk-up help at the student technology help desk, and work on assignments with others in a studio that offers the latest conferencing tools.

A BearWALK escort will be stationed on the fourth floor from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. for students who would like a student community service officer to safely walk them to their near-campus destination.

UC Berkeley revamps Golden Bear orientation

ON CAMPUS by Christopher Merchant

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UC Berkeley’s revamped and revitalized Golden Bear Orientation is the latest development in a storied tradition of wel-coming new undergraduate students and their families and supporters to campus.

New student orientation provides the spark to invigorate a student’s years at Berkeley, inspire them to explore their passions, to encourage them to understand the meaning of being a Berkeley student — and, of course, it’s a great chance to have some fun.

Our new orientation model has some modernized features including sections on online prepping, advising, and enrolling, as well as on-campus activities that will engage students academically and connect them socially

Golden Bear Orientation takes off from what, for many years, we fondly called Cal Student Orientation (CalSO). For about 50 years, our campus held new student orientation via CalSO during the summer before fall semester begins.

Over the past year, university leader-ship, including administration and faculty, have engaged in discussion about the undergraduate experience, and, specifi-cally, the role of new student orientation. The outcome resulted in changing our approach to welcoming new undergradu-ates to UC Berkeley.

Beginning in fall 2017, we will host one comprehensive and lengthy orientation for incoming students shortly before the start of classes, as opposed to shorter summer sessions that were held under the CalSO model.

We also plan to recruit and train more than 1,000 student leaders, which is a win-win both for incoming and current students.

Ultimately, the new Golden Bear Orientation model seeks to provide our new Golden Bears with one common experience, nurture a sense of belonging, harness new technologies and adapt to changing needs, and lay the foundation for each student to build a strong intellectual identity.

Berkeley hosts third annual hazing prevention week with special screening eventDuring the fall semester at UC Berkeley’s third annual Hazing Prevention Week, nearly 500 students gathered for a screening of Goat, a film starring Nick Jonas and James Franco that depicts hazing rituals in a fraternity. The film is based on a memoir by Brad Land, which chronicles his experiences at Clemson University in South Carolina. After the screen-ing, students engaged in an open, honest discussion of the controversial initiation rites depicted in the film and how to prevent hazing in real-world scenarios.

The conversation was hosted by CAM-PUSPEAK, an organization that organizes workshops and speaking events at universities to educate and inspire college students. A pro-fessional expert on hazing and representatives from HazingPrevention.org were also there to take questions from students and offer advice. UC Berkeley was one of only five campuses in the nation to host a free premier of the film and offer conversation about its themes.

“For me, joining the Greek community was my way of finding a family and a home here,” senior cognitive science major and Panhellenic Council President Divya Thomas said after the screening. “Thinking of an organization where we call ourselves sisters or brothers, it makes me sick to think people would be willing to hurt each other to call each other family… That’s not what family should mean.”

Throughout the years, the Berkeley admin-istration has had a no-tolerance policy for hazing. Raising awareness about the issue and ensuring students are equipped with proper support and resources for dealing with any sit-uation that causes them emotional, physical, or psychological distress is critical, and Berkeley is committed to creating and preserving a cul-ture that makes students feel safe and included.

For additional support and resources for a hazing issue, students and families can call the 24-hr hotline: 1-800-NOT-HAZE. (1-800-668-4293).

Moffitt Library overhauled for education in the 21st century

“I suspect Moffitt will become a hot spot throughout the year.”

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New football coach Cal welcomed Justin Wilcox back to UC Berkeley when he was named head coach of the Golden Bear football program on Jan. 14. A former linebackers coach at Cal in the mid-2000s, Wilcox served as a defensive coordina-tor for the next 11 seasons, directing some of the top units in the country during that time.

Throughout his stint as linebackers coach from 2003-05, the Bears posted a combined 26-12 record and advanced to three bowl games. Since then, he’s helped Boise State, Tennessee, USC, Washington and Wisconsin to another 10 bowl appearances.

“Cal Athletics is about high academics, it’s about a comprehensive student-athlete experi-ence, and it’s about winning championships,” said Director of Athletics Mike Williams. “We have found a coach in Justin Wilcox who embodies all of those principles. Justin is a smart, driven person of high character with a proven record of success at the highest levels of college football.”

Fans will get their first chance to see Wilcox’s Bears in action at the spring game starting at 11 a.m. on Cal Day (April 22) at Cal-ifornia Memorial Stadium. Admission is free.

Golden Bears Spring ActionThe Golden Bears are going strong with the vast majority of teams in action, giving Cal fans the opportunity to see them in action on campus.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball programs jumped out to strong starts to the year and close out their home slates at the end of February before heading toward the postseason.

Men’s preseason first-team All-American Ivan Rabb paces the men, while last year’s National Freshman of the Year Kristine Anigwe leads the women’s squad.

Men’s and women’s gymnastics are ranked among the top 10 in the country, while the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams, with a number of Olympians on both rosters, are once again in the hunt for national titles.

Baseball, softball and rugby are just some of the many options for the spring, with complete schedules, team information and student-athlete features available on calbears.com.

Kristine AnigweIvan Raab

Program Co-directors David Ortega Director of parent services & communicationsKarla Rodebush Interim directors of parent philanthropy & engagement

Cal Parents Board Chairs Susan and Mike Gillfillan

calparents.berkeley.edu calparents@berkeley.edu | 510/642-7147

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SAVE THE DATE

Cal Parents Weekend at HomecomingOctober 20-22, 2017

Parents Weekend at Homecoming is UC Berkeley’s premier annual gathering for thousands of alumni and parents. The event is a fun-filled weekend back on campus for family events, alumni parties, faculty seminars, special tours, museum and library open houses, the Homecoming football game vs. University of Arizona, and much more. Registration begins in July at parentsweek-end.berkeley.edu.

Commencement Golden Bear and Olympic champion swimmer Dana Vollmer knows a lot about winning — and losing — and getting back in the pool to try again.

So when she took the Winter Commence-ment stage at Haas Pavilion Sunday and faced a crowd of some 500 about-to-be-new-gradu-ates — and their beaming friends and families — she had a lot to tell them about how to face their futures:

“I challenge you to tackle the unknown, be open to learn from everything and everyone, and whatever you do, stay positive,” Vollmer said, relating examples from her own life. “Your dream life is out there. You just have to be brave enough to create it.”

Vollmer, who led the Golden Bears to their first NCAA team championship in 2009, was a four-time Olympic gold medalist before having a baby, Arlen, last year. Then, she came back and won another three medals in last summer’s Olympics in Rio. Her keynote com-mencement speech followed remarks by Chan-cellor Nicholas Dirks and other dignitaries.

Spring commencement will be held on Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. in California Memorial Stadium. For more information on spring commencement, go to commencementberkeley.edu.

New vice chancellor appointments at BerkeleySome exciting administrative changes were made at UC Berkeley this semester: Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D., began serving as interim vice chancellor of student affairs. He will replace Harry LeGrande, who retired after more than 35 years at Berkeley. Steve pre-viously served as associate vice chancellor for Residential & Student Service Programs (RSSP). In his stead, David A. Surratt, Ed.D., agreed to serve as interim associate vice chancellor for RSSP. David was previously the associate dean of students.

“It is such an honor to step into this new role and continue advocating on behalf of our students,” Sutton said. “Watching each student develop into a global citizen who will use their unique leadership capacity to affect positive change beyond Berkeley is a distinct privilege.”

Surratt was equally excited about oppor-tunities in his new role.

"Working within the residential and stu-dent services program has been an opportu-nity for me to contribute to Berkeley in a new way since arriving to campus nearly four

years ago and starting out within the dean of students office. I'm excited about the oppor-tunity to help shape the student experience not only in how we serve our students' hous-ing and dining needs but also how we shape their informal learning outside of the tradi-tional classroom setting.”

Chancellor search continuesFollowing Chancellor Nicholas Dirks’ announcement at the beginning of the fall semester that he will be stepping down, University of California President Janet Napolitano continues in the search for UC Berkeley’s next chancellor alongside 12 other members of the search advisory commit-tee. The committee represents UC Berkeley staff, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, Regents, and the UC Berkeley Foundation. Napolitano intends to make her final recommendation early this year to the University of California Board of Regents, the state governing body that decides chancellor appointments for the UC system.

FACEBOOK LIVE!

• Monday, March 6, 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - AVC/Dean of Students Joseph Greenwell• Tuesday, March 21, 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm - UHS Medical Director Dr. Anna Harte

and SHIP Manager Bahar Navab

Join in on two Facebook Live sessions with Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students Joseph Greenwell and University Health Center’s Medical Dr. Anna Harte and SHIP manager Bahar Navab and ask questions that will be answered in real time. For more information, go to facebook.com/calparentsberkeley and join in on the great conversation.

Dana Vollmer

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During our third annual online fundraising blitz, donors like you raised more than twice the amount as last year, resulting in the biggest Big Give yet: $11.6 million from more than 9,000 gifts! This support provides vital resources for hundreds of campus programs and stu-dent services, and helps our faculty and students in the lab and in the classroom. This year’s theme was the Berkeley Effect: if a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas, then surely the generous hearts, good deeds, and innovative leaps of UC Berkeley could spark transformative change all over the world. Here’s a broad look at what Big Give supported this year, demonstrating the Berkeley Effect for the greater good.

Donors demonstrate the Berkeley Effect

THE BIG GIVE by David Peterkofsky

California Donors:

8,351(78.8% of all donors)

Non-California Donors:

1,937(18.3% of all donors)

International Donors:

305(2.9% of all donors)

Alumni Donors:

5,504(52% of all donors)

Non-Alumni Donors:

5,089(48% of all donors)

First-Time Donors:

2,081(19.6% of all donors)

Current Student Donors:

683(6.4% of all donors)

Current Parent Donors:

1,733(16.4% of all donors)

Faculty and Staff Donors:

926(8.7% of all donors)

You are the Berkeley Effect. We’re so grateful for generous Cal Parents like you. Thank you!

By Tracy Flanigan

As I write this, I can’t help but notice as I look down that I am wearing a big soft sweat-shirt with the word “Cal” emblazoned on the front in six-inch navy script. I wear it not for inspiration, but rather as routine as I often find myself wearing Cal gear around the house, to the grocery store or simply over to a friend’s house to drink a glass of iced tea. It is comfortable, familiar and my pride in it has become a source of who I am, however peripheral my relationship might be to this fine institution.

My daughter, Anne, is a junior at UC Berkeley majoring in Media Studies. We are from a small town of around 13,000 people in the southwest corner of rural Missouri. As far as I can tell, no one in our town has ever gone to Cal, but from the moment we checked the admission decision on my old personal com-puter and saw the word “Congratulations,” we were intrigued. One week later we found ourselves on a plane to California, and having been sold, one week after that on a return trip, where my daughter tried out for and made the Cal Dance Team.

Since that time, we have become immersed in all things “Cal.” And there has been no happier immersion. The more we put into Cal, the more we get back. As our time at Berkeley moves on, we find ourselves saying, “Oh no, only three more semesters.” Now we find ourselves on planes all the time attending Cal football and basketball games, Cal Day, Cal Parents’ Weekend and even sneaking the occasional weekend to be on the Berkeley campus for no other reason than we love it. I’ll admit, sometimes when I watch my daughter dance at games or on Sproul Plaza, I cry. Berkeley has shaped who she is as a person, the way she understands the world… and yes, what I end up wearing every other day.

A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE

They’ll graduate before you know it!Give your student a

Cal Alumni Association membership! They’ll enjoy

alumni benefits while on campus and you’ll receive

California magazine at your home.

888.CAL.ALUM | alumni.berkeley.edu/join

CAMPUS LIFE by Gretchen Kell

STATE FUNDING AT UC BERKELEY 1974-PRESENT1974–75 49.2%1984–85 50.3%1994–95 33.7%2004–05 26.4%2014–15 13.2%

Source: UC Berkeley Office of Planning & Analysis; 2014–15 is the last year for which finalized data is available.

Pantry service spotlights a grow-ing campus need for food securityRegular deliveries of food, including free unlimited fresh produce, began arriving at the UC Berkeley Food Pantry this semester as the result of the popular pantry’s new partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

In its new location at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, the pantry is seeing about three times as many visitors as it did a year ago. In November, for example, 750 people visited the pantry, and on Dec. 2, before the start of Reading, Review and Recitation Week and the week of final exams, an all-time high of 200 students used the pantry in just one day.

“Our pantry has had a relationship with the food bank since last summer, when we starting picking up fresh produce there,” explains Ruben Canedo, chair of the campus’s Basic Needs Security Committee. “But since our move from Stiles Hall this past October, our user count has tripled, and we needed to reach out to the food bank for a whole different con-versation. We became the first university that it’s worked with.”

Becoming a full-fledged member of the food bank, which provides food for about 240 nonprofit agencies in Alameda County, was “a great step in the right direction,” says Clarissa Broughton, the food bank’s direct distribution

coordinator. Berkeley student parents in need at University Village also will be helped by the new arrangement.

“It used to be that students had difficulty affording tuition and textbooks,” she says, “but today, it’s about the cost of housing. Our hunger studies show that students will pay for housing, utilities and other essential bills, but then start cutting out medication and food,

which are the only things they can manipulate” to make ends meet.

The Cal Parents connection to the food pantry is strengthening. In December, 28 parents volunteered there during the final two weeks of the fall semester.

Beth and David Marks were among this cohort — and realized how strong the need for food security is for some students.

“The quality of the food and supplies in the pantry was impressive,” says Beth, whose son, McClain, is a freshman and a Cal rugby player. “We could see firsthand from the number of appreciative students that the pantry provides a valuable service on campus. We were proud to volunteer and thankful for the opportunity to represent the parent community.”

To learn more about the UC Berkeley Food Pantry or to contribute, visit pantry.berkeley.edu.

THE FACTS ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY AT UC BERKELEY

• Since 2010, one in five Berkeley students reported having to “skip meals to save money” in an undergraduate survey.

• In 2013, the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office launched the Food Assistance Program to assist food-insecure students who have maximized their financial aid package. To date, more than 200 students have benefitted.

• In 2014, the campus launched the pantry to provide emergency supplemental nutrition support to any undergraduate or graduate student in need. To date, the food pantry has provided support for more than 2,500 student visits.

Source: UC Berkeley Food Pantry

Cal Parents Beth and David Marks in the new Food Pantry

“We were proud to volunteer and thankful for the opportunity to represent the parent community.” —Beth and David Marks

By David Peterkovsky

Since UC Berkeley is a public university, many people believe that the State of California covers the vast majority of Cal’s budget.

The reality, however, is quite different. Today, the state funds just 13 percent of Berke-ley’s overall operating budget (tuition, research funding, philanthropy, and other sources cover the rest). It’s a far cry from just 30 years ago, when state funding was at 50 percent.

Meanwhile, enrollment at Berkeley has grown substantially in recent years, up from 25,885 undergraduates in the fall of 2011 to 29,310 undergrads this past fall. That’s why private giving — from Cal Parents, alumni,

and other friends of the university — has never been more critical.

Efforts such as the recent Campaign for Berkeley, which raised more than $3 billion for the university, and the annual Big Give one-day fundraising drive (see article on previous page) go a long way toward preserving the excellence of Berkeley. Gifts of any size can — and do — make a real difference.

The chart at the right illustrates the decline in state support that Cal has experi-enced over the years:

Visit calparents.berkeley.edu to learn about the ways that parents like you are helping to maintain Cal’s place as the world’s top-ranked public university.

The funding conundrum: Cal’s dwindling state support

Communications & Public Affairs University of California, Berkeley 2200 Bancroft Way #4204 Berkeley, CA 94720-4204

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