ASUC Grants is now accepting grant applications for the Spring semester. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds for the 2009-2010 academic year are depleted, with the final application deadline being April 16, 2010. 

The ASUC provides grants to students and organizations pursuing independent work or collaborative projects. Grants are distributed through specific funds, each targeted towards a specific project. The Academic Opportunity Fund awards grants for academic travel deemed valuable as an educational experience beyond the classroom. The Intellectual Community Fund provides funding for collaborative events planned for and by Cal students. The Educational Enhancement Fund supports DeCal courses and independent student-initiated courses at UC Berkeley. The Multicultural Fund provides monetary support to events introducing the campus to a culture. Finally, the Public Service Award is granted to increase and facilitate public service efforts targeted towards communities outside of the UC Berkeley campus.

CalLink is the ASUC and ASUC Auxiliary's new financial management system, which will allow student groups to 1) manage their finances electronically, 2) manage their organization contacts and events, and 3) network with the greater Cal community. The ASUC Office of Student Affairs advisers are hosting a series of training sessions. Please find more information at http://callink.berkeley.edu.

CalLink will go live 9/11/2009.

Thank you for working with the ASUC in this time of transition and efforts to improve the quality of services provided by the ASUC to help your student organization operate smoother. CalLink is also helping the ASUC in its goal to be more eco-friendly, as it is a truly paperless system that will help student groups run more effectively as well.

The ASUC and the Career Center with "Turn the Tables" at a first annual event on Wednesday, Sept. 30 that seats student groups at the info tables while employers do the walking and start the talking. A new take on a traditional career fair from the AAVP office, to help student organizations network with potential employers.

Please visit the Facebook event page here.

Next semester the ASUC will be putting on an ambitious Global Outreach Week, complete with talks, movies, and a benefit concert. Vote for your favorite global cause or charity to help in plans for the week-long event.

Please click here to take the survey: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2knli5ufzg0zmc4/a0179fzm7jewx/questions

Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, the ASUC Senate will hold a special session to discuss the UC budget crisis. Like all ASUC Senate meetings the session is open to all students, and will be located on the first floor of Eshleman Hall in the Senate Chambers.

The session will also be filmed and archived.

"I coordinated this special order with the faculty and admins," says ASUC EVP Tu Tran on the event's Facebook page here, which has already over 250 people RSVPed to attend. "Since it's such a huge topic, I figured it can be dubbed a town hall since Senate Meetings are open to the public and should be utilized in such ways."

The ASUC has invited several faculty members and administrators to share their intimate knowledge of the current budget crisis. It is crucial that all students on our campus are informed about the hardship our university faces, so please come prepared to listen, learn and ask questions.

Guests include:

• Prof. Brian Barsky / Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Prof. Catherine M. Cole / Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies
• Prof. Fiona Doyle / Materials Science and Engineering Vice Chair, Berkeley Division, Academic Senate
• Senior Lecturer Alan Karras / Political Economy (IASTP)
• Prof. Chris Kutz / School of Law and Chair, Berkeley Division, Academic Senate
• Prof. George P. Lakoff / Linguistics
• Prof. Ananya Roy / City & Regional Planning
• Assoc. Chancellor Linda Williams / Government, Community & Campus Liaison

Read the letter from ASUC President Will Smelko about the UC Walkout this week. The ASUC supports the walkout on Thursday, Sept. 24. Read the letter and please visit http://berkeleycuts.org for more information on getting involved.

Read the text below or click here: http://asuc.org/documents/Fall09/press/WillSmelkoASUCpresWalkoutSupportLetter.pdf for the text as a pdf.

With recent news of a potential 32% fee increase over the next year, we find the quality, affordability and accessibility of the UC system in jeopardy. We need your help, and we need solidarity in our response to those responsible for creating the problems that all CAL Students face.

This past Wednesday, the ASUC Senate unanimously passed a bill in support of the public actions which students, faculty and staff will employ this coming Thursday, September 24. The ASUC bill came on the heels of a meeting in which members of the faculty, including the Chair of the Academic Senate, spoke of the importance of students taking action to support the University in this fiscal crisis. Not even during the depression of the 1930's did student fees rise as suddenly and as much as they are now proposed to rise. For the University of California and in particular its flagship campus Berkeley to maintain educational excellence, we need a change of priorities in state government. When the state spends, as the Governor noted the other day, twice as much on prison operations as we do on student higher education in California, California must rethink and revamp our priorities.

Why a Walkout Now?
California is amidst a major budget crisis, and higher education is one primary area most deeply impacted by the state budget compromise. Last semester, we felt the budget cuts in the form of rising student fees, the "restructuring" of departments and the layoffs of faculty and staff personnel. However, never have cuts been so deeply seen and widely felt than when we returned to school in the fall. There are two ways this situation can be viewed: (1) Accept that state funding cannot be relied upon for instructional operations and given that, focus on the future; or (2) Fight and organize on a grassroots level nonstop until the state legislature and the UC Regents hear and heed our demands.
On July 16, President Mark Yudof made a conscious choice to advocate for the former. Yudof created the Commission on the Future of the UC to steer the University toward accepting "acceptable" cuts to higher education funding. That same day the UC Regents granted Yudof emergency powers and passed the furlough plan. This unprecedented UCOP decision produced an immediate response from many stakeholders in the UC system, including students, and the best day chosen to express our public show of unity was the very first day of school for the majority of UC campus units. September 24th is the first day of instruction for all of the UCs except the two UCs on the semester system, UC Berkeley and UC Merced. Organizers recognized the importance of having a single unified action across all of the UC schools. Thus, while this particular day may mean a little less to us, we are standing in solidarity with our fellow UC student victims and find ourselves encouraging active support for the student walk out on September 24.

Why a Walkout at All?
At this point, so many groups have gotten involved with this movement (unions, students, faculty, and staff), and each group has different goals and objectives. In the formal open letter on behalf of the UC faculty, for example, faculty demands consisted of the following:

• No furloughs or pay-cuts on salaries below $40,000.
• The immediate institution of the Academic Senate Council's July 29 recommendation regarding the implementation of furloughs.
• Full disclosure of the budget.

However, as students have become more involved in this movement, grievances have spanned from salary roll-backs, to fee roll-backs, to mandating no fee increases beyond the rate of inflation and even to fee freezes. It is vitally important, however, that a broader message is communicated to the public, the legislature and the governor. We are walking out on September 24th to show our collective dismay concerning what is happening to the UC as an institution; to stand against the gutting of the UC as a public institution of higher learning; and to show unity among students, faculty and staff as we say that we will not accept the degradation of the UC system without a fight.

Why Support the Walkout?
On September 24th something truly monumental is going to happen on our campus and on other UC campuses across the State of California. On September 24th, together, we will stand in solidarity, students, faculty and staff, and united in the spirit of a defense to the legacy of public higher education, we will walk out. Never before has there been such a large-scale single action across all of the UCs. For the first time, we have seen an alliance being built among students, faculty and staff all taking a strong stand against the erosion of the quality, accessibility and affordability of our UC education. United, we are confident that we can fight these budget cuts, oppose the enormous fee increases being proposed, and preserve the excellence of the UC public education system at this very pivotal moment in time.

How Do I Get Involved?
We urge you to please talk with fellow students, with faculty in and out of the classroom, and with campus administrators to learn about and understand what can be done, given the nature of the California State budget process. The very first part of the "how to" is involvement and engagement. We're all in this together, and we need to save the University of California by taking action. One of the first things you can do is write your state legislator and let them know your grievances. To find them go to: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html. Also, please register to vote and let your legislator know that you are a registered voter who cares about the quality and affordability of a UC education.

Also this week, there will be teach-ins and other discussions on campus addressing the budget issues. Join in those discussions. We support the efforts of all students, faculty and staff who are saying with one voice, we cannot continue down the current path.

The Importance of Unity.
This is an issue that affects all UC Berkeley students. Beyond that, what is happening to each student, and their families, touches UC students, as well as all other State College and Community College students throughout California. In association with the Walkout, which the ASUC Senate as well as the University of California Student's Association unanimously voted to endorse and support, the ASUC will be hosting a de-briefing on the Walkout this Sunday, September 27th from 3pm-5pm. Please check the ASUC.org website for more updates and events.
Here is an excerpt from SAVEUC.org on the important events coming up this week that need your support:

"Save the Public University: A Teach-In on the UC Crisis"
Wednesday, September 23, Wheeler Auditorium, 7-9 PM
Admission is Free.
Featured speakers include:

• Ananya Roy, Professor of City and Regional Planning and Co-Director of Global Metropolitan Studies Center
• Kevin Padian, Professor of Integrative Biology and President of the National Center for Science Education
• Catherine Cole, Professor of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies
• Wendy Brown, Professor of Political Science.
• Robert Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy

SAVEUC.org supports faculty, staff, and students who participate in the Systemwide Walkout on Sept. 24. We urge everyone to attend the noon rally at Sproul Plaza. These events, at least, will call attention to the problems of access, the loss of excellence and the shrouding of transparency that is endemic, now, at Berkeley and throughout the UC governance system. Anyone can attend the noon rally without crossing any picket lines.

Included in these events will be analysis of the crisis, as well as a comprehensive description of ways each student can get involved to reverse or mitigate the proposed fee hikes and accessibility cutbacks. Small teaching events within departments, student groups, union organizations, and the like, will be held, as well as a major evening event on Sept. 23rd, in which some of the leading members of the faculty will address the problems facing public higher education at Berkeley and within California.

Again, please check ASUC.org for more updates and events. For more information on the Walkout and how you can fight for the quality and very existence of affordable public education, please visit the following websites:

• http://saveuc.org/
• http://www.ucstudentwalkout.com/
• http://asuc.org/newsite/pressreleases#/newsite/budget-cuts-watch-videos-of-the-faculty-panel-at-the-asuc-meeting/

Please be proactive and stand together to oppose the devastation of higher education in California. Thank you, and let's all become part of a proud Berkeley tradition of meaningful and informed action.

Will Smelko, ASUC President
Dani Haber, External Affairs Vice President
Tu Tran, Executive Vice President
John Tran, Academic Affairs Vice President

Professors spoke at the ASUC's Senate meeting on Wednesday, September 16. Please watch the video here.

Professor Ananya Roy - Day of Action 9/24/2009

Professor Catherine Cole (Moderator) - What's at Stake?

Professor George Lakoff - How did we get into this mess & larger historical and state context

Professor Chris Kutz - Role of Academic Senate and Shared Governance

Sr Lecturer Alan Karras - How does the budget cuts affect lecturers & through them, students?

Professor Brian Barsky - Some uses of Student Registration Fees: Intercollegiate Athletics

Professor Fiona Doyle - Educating Californians on the value of UC and the importance to protect it

Following the September 24 walkout and rally on Upper Sproul in protest of increasing student fees and faculty layoffs, the ASUC is sponsoring a Walkout Debrief Student Assembly at 3 p.m. in Pauley Ballroom on Sunday, September 27 to critically examine the present budget crisis and to provide an open forum for UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff and the greater community to raise concerns and discuss the future of this statewide movement.

Taking place on Sunday September 27 at 3 pm in Pauley Ballroom, facilitators will include Catherine Cole (Professor, Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies), SAVE Coordinating Council Member Suzanne Guerlac (Professor, French) and ASUC External Affairs Vice President Dani Haber.

Executive Vice President Tu Tran describes this Sunday's debrief as "a follow up of the general assembly on Thursday September 24 at 6 pm, not a supplement of that Assembly."

The ASUC has been deeply involved in endorsing the campus walkout and extending its resources to students and advocate groups. Through Cal Grants lobbying the state government, the passage of Senate bills in support of the walkout, the September 16 ASUC organized townhall meeting, active participation of Senators Ariel Boone and Viola Tang in distributing red armbands to promote solidarity, campus wide letters from ASUC President Will Smelko and EAVP Dani Haber's efforts, including her strong presence at the University of California Student Association (UCSA) conference in Los Angeles, the ASUC has played a crucial role in defending the legacy of higher education at UC Berkeley and preserving the excellence of the UC system.

Through the mobilization of students and faculty in organizing various events leading up to the September 24 rally, it is evident that our campus has shown deep interest in the fiscal state of the UC system and a desire to take a stand against any comprises in the integrity of our institution.

The ASUC, as a representative for the collective welfare of the student body, is building on this momentum through sponsoring a continuous series of debriefs to promote student solidarity in its efforts to continue to fight fee hikes and budget cuts. Look out for more information on ASUC sponsored activities.

To learn more about the ASUC's involvement in the walkout, please visit www.asuc.org.

For more information on this event, visit the Assembly's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167687963834.

For general information about the walkout, rally or the state of our fiscal crisis, please visit www.berkeleycuts.org

The ASUC's Executive Vice President (EVP) office will hold a campus-wide barbecue to allow students to interact in a festive environment. The event will take place on Lower Sproul from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, October 9.

Healthy Heavenly Food, located in the Bear's Lair, will be serving rice, chicken, and salad, for free. During the event, students will be able to enjoy a background of alternative rock, with the performance of Picture Atlantic.

The campus-wide barbecue is a social event that will allow students to have an unusual and convivial lunch. Students will be able to gather in a festive and summery ambiance, while savoring healthy and affordable food. As ASUC predict to serve 500 students, the event will allow them to initiate and reinforce social connections.

With the help of the ASUC Auxiliary, ASUC executives, senators, and other officials of the organization will be present to answer questions regarding ASUC measures and activities.

According to Mia Syn, one of the directors of the Student Life Portal of ASUC, in addition to an opportunity for students to get together and have a good time, the campus-wide barbecue will be an opportunity for students to have a better understanding of ASUC accomplishments as well.

For more information about the campus-wide barbecue, please do not hesitate to contact Mia Syn at, miasyn@gmail.com.

Look for information about Picture Atlantic at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145750220142&ref=mf
 (information about Picture Atlantic)

Nearly 70 percent of patients needing a marrow transplant do not have a matching donor in their family. To increase registration of members from all racial and ethnic backgrounds in the Be the Match Registry℠, Be the Match will join the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) and New York-based financial technology company Reval in sponsoring a Marrow Registration Drive from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday, October 2 in the Multicultural Center, Heller Lounge in the MLK Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley.

For more information, please click here: http://asuc.org/documents/Fall09/press/092309_UC_Berkeley_students_partner_with_Reval_for_Marrow_Drive.pdf

ASUC President Will Smelko will be meeting with the Chancellor on Friday, October 2. Please email president@asuc.org if you have feedback on the agenda before 9 a.m. on Friday.

Chancellor Meeting Agenda October 2, 2009

1) Library Hours
a. Keeping the library open 24 hours during finals, and open on Saturdays

2) Budget Cuts
a. Post walk-out strategies
b. University budget, financial needs
c. How can we be effective lobbyists to help save UC
d. Town Hall meetings with students

3) STIP
a. Update and exploration of possibilities

4) Lower Sproul Redevelopment
a. Finance model and different funding sources
b. Deadlines and plans before November 1st

This past Spring semester, the ASUC began evaluating a new online course evaluation service called CourseRank (http://berkeley.courserank.com), which is now implemented and ready for use by students! CourseRank lets students see class ratings, grade distributions, descriptions, feedback, textbook requirements, and more.

CourseRank is a stronger alternative to the ASUC's several year relationship with Pick-A-Prof, and will bring students all the ability to see ratings of professors and grade distributions, along with new features for effectively searching all courses at UC Berkeley, previewing syllabi and course descriptions, rating classes and providing feedback on courses to fellow Cal students, scheduling courses for the next semester, planning graduate and undergraduate coursework until graduation, and ordering textbooks.

There will be additional shortcuts to purchase lecture notes and see computer sales at The Scholar's Workstation.

"It is an amazing program that basically consolidates all of our scheduling and class planning processes, and makes everything user-friendly, aesthetically appealing, and convenient," says ASUC President Will Smelko. "The ASUC is going to partner with CourseRank to offer this service to students for free starting this fall."

The program is already in use at Stanford University and it will also be piloted at Duke University and UC Santa Cruz in the near future.

CourseRank will decrease the number of sites a student must visit in order to put together their class schedule each semester, pulling together classes, schedules, evaluations, rankings, major requirements, and the UC Berkeley Course Catalog to one place.

For the full information available on CourseRank and the ASUC's history and decision to provide this new service to students, please click here: http://asuc.org/documents/Fall09/press/101609_ASUC%E2%80%99s_new_CourseRank_service_has_launched.pdf

From a new Multicultural Center to green initiatives to enhanced student life services, planning for Lower Sproul redevelopment has brought together diverse voices on campus in praise of renovating Lower Sproul for a new student center. The project, which has spanned many years, will be done in phases, and is expected to involved both student and campus funding. Read about Lower Sproul redevelopment programming elements, sustainability, and more here.

Visit http://www.asuc.org/pressreleases for the latest in updates on Lower Sproul redevelopment.

Visit http://studentcenter.berkeley.edu/ to see who is involved, to find documents, picture renderings of a future Lower Sproul, and more.

One of many images from the architects' renderings on a future Lower Sproul and student center.

Celebrated author Jonathan Safran Foer will do a book signing at the Multicultural Center in the MLK, Jr. Student Union for his new work Eating Animals, at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 6.

The book signing is being organized by the Cal Student Store, and comes after great reviews for the book from O, The Oprah Magazine and more. Safran's book is about making a choice between omnivore and vegetarian diet, and looks critically at factory farms and other aspects of our foods' production methods.

For more information, visit the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159077686364&index=1

In association with the ASUC, Delta Sigma Pi's Fall 2009 Pledge Class will be hosting "Take Me Out to the Board Room: The Business Behind Sports Management" at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4 in Berdahl Auditorium in 105 Stanley.

The panel will feature a variety of qualified executives from top major league teams including the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the San Francisco 49ers, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Oakland Raiders, the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants, the Assistant General Manager for the Kings, and Mr. Sandy Alderson, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the San Diego Padres.

The acclaimed speaker panel will focus on strategies and operations involved in creating successful, winning franchises. They will discuss their personal strategic directions and responses to current trends in athletics. The program also includes a question and answer segment where the audience will have the opportunity to interact and gain further insight on sports management.

This event is ADA accessible. Refreshments will be served afterwards courtesy of Sufficient Grounds.

Updated twice a week, get fundraising tips about specific events and also new methods here: http://fundraising.asuc.org/

This Fall, the ASUC Auxiliary is sponsoring a canned food drive to benefit the Alameda County Food Bank. The canned food drive comes at a critical time, where many food banks are struggling to provide and keep up with the rising demands for food.

To participate in the 2009 Canned Food Drive, please fill out a registration form at http://asuc.berkeley.edu. Participants must be an ASUC-registered student group or a registered fraternity or sorority.

Canned goods can be dropped off in bins located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union, the Cal Student Store, the ASUC Food Court, Eshleman Hall and/or the ASUC Art Studio. Groups must initial one end of each can.

The student club or organization that collects the most cans will receive a $500 first-place prize. Second-place winners will receive $250 and third-place will receive $100.

In hopes of turning this cause into a state-wide effort, the ASUC is gathering photos, videos, and stories from all community members belonging to the three state systems: California Community Colleges, Cal State Universities, and the University of California at http://californiacuts.org.

We want to BRING TO LIFE how the cuts have affected public higher education, especially to those who do not see the effects on a daily basis and are making decisions.

Please use this facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=197280284991) as a way to freely post images, videos, discussion threads, and content which our web editors will use for the website: http://californiacuts.org. You can also contact us at contactcuts@gmail.com to setup appointments for us to interview you or take photographs.

Currently, we are a collaborative project among UC Berkeley's student groups and the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC).

Get involved. Take action. Make public education accessible. Click here for information disbursed at the ASUC's Student Town Hall with the Chancellor on November 5, 2009.

UC Level

• Demand for more budget transparency from UC and UC Berkeley
• Participate in the Student - Worker - Faculty Strike from Nov 18-20 to protest the Regents vote increasing fees by 32%.
  Nov 18: Rally on Sproul, 12-1 PM. Students, walk out of your classes if you can.
  Nov 19-20: Open University, bring your family, friends from outside of UC (CCC and CSU too) to your class
• Tell us your story about how the budget cuts have affected you and people around you. Part of a statewide blog http://californiacuts.org. Email us @ contactcuts@gmail.com to setup photo or video shoot appointment.
• Democratize the Regents! The UC Regents should be elected by students, faulty and staff, not appointed by the governor. To get involved visit ucdemocracy.org or email ucdemocracy@gmail.com.

Actions at the State Level

• Keep California's Promise: a project by the Council of UC Faculty Association
• Visit legislatures over winter break, send emails reinforcing the message of refunding higher education
  http://keepcaliforniaspromise.org/?page_id=22
  http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
• California Democracy: majority rule, budget & revenue: proposition framed by UC Berkeley Professor George Lakoff for the November 2010 ballet: "All legislative actions on revenue and budget shall be determined by majority vote."
  Visit www.camajorityrule.com
• End corporate property owner tax loophole in proposition 13. www.closetheloophole.com
• Support AB 656 to save public higher education in California. An oil tax proposed by State Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico.
  Visit www.asm.ca.gov/torrico

UC Berkeley's Strategy Plan (from EVCP Breslauer)

This semester the ASUC introduced a new student organization service called CalLink. Visit for video tutorials on how to use it at http://asuc.org/newsite/callink-tutorials/.

CalLink is the ASUC and ASUC Auxiliary's new financial management system, which will allow student groups to 1) manage their finances electronically, 2) manage their organization contacts and events, and 3) network with the greater Cal community. The ASUC Office of Student Affairs advisers are hosting a series of training sessions. Please find more information at http://callink.berkeley.edu.

CalLink went live in September 2009.

Thank you for working with the ASUC in this time of transition and efforts to improve the quality of services provided by the ASUC to help your student organization operate smoother. CalLink is also helping the ASUC in its goal to be more eco-friendly, as it is a truly paperless system that will help student groups run more effectively as well.

The ASUC's Secretariat is encouraging students to meet the November 13, 2009 deadline for fall semester ASUC Grants. Find more information at http://www.asuc.org/grants.

Grants applications will open up in the Spring semester on Wednesday, January 20, 2009.

For more information about ASUC Grants or how to apply, please visit to http://www.asuc.org/grants. For questions or concerns, please contact the ASUC Grants Department at asucgrants@gmail.com.

And, if students or student groups have received a grant award, the ASUC Secretariat, Diny Huang, asks to submit reimbursement requests and original receipts as soon as possible to avoid the delays at the end of the semester when the ASUC Grants Department and ASUC Secretariat receive a lot of last-minute submissions.

Fashion and Student Trends (FAST) will be putting on its fall 2009 fashion show at 8 p.m. on November 22, 2009 in Pauley Ballroom.

The show, titled "Muse: You are what you wear" will feature student designers and models. Tickets are $8 pre-sale, $12 at the door.

The ASUC Speaker Series in the ASUC Office of the President, headed by Simone Lang, began discussions in the beginning of the school year to invite U.S. President Obama to come to UC Berkeley.

"We are inviting him specifically in order to address the state of public education," says Lang.

Students are encouraged to write whatever they want, whether it is referencing in their invitation letter the night of the US Presidential election, budget cuts and how they are affecting students, or disagreeing with his politics. There are no form letters as the campaign organizers want each letter to be personal. Rather, they provide students with blank sheets of paper, pens and markers.

The campaign is modeled off of a similar campaign last year by UC Merced to invite Michelle Obama to their campus, which ended successfully.

Students are able to drop off letters in the boxes on Sproul Plaza (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), on the 2nd floor of Eshleman Hall, and at North Gate soon, where they will be tabling Monday through Friday, until students are out of school for finals. Also, the campaign staff will be attending club meetings and tabling at various events on campus to get more letters.

Interested individuals should email ucbspeakers@berkeley.edu, or can find more information on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=174234475939&ref=ts.

The ASUC Senate meeting happening on Wednesday, November 18 at 7 p.m. will be changing location to 2424 Warring Street.

The Senate meetings are usually held in the Senate chambers, but because of a three-day strike on campus, the ASUC is observing the spirit of "No Business as Usual" on the UC campus by moving the meeting.

For convenience, a map of the location can be found here: http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS311US311&sourceid=chrome&q=2424%20warring&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl.

Please sign the petition to delay the regents' vote on the 32% fee increase: http://www.saveuc.org/petition_fees.php

Organized by the UC Berkeley's Faculty Org SAVE.

----------------------

Dear UC Board of Regents:

We the undersigned ask that you postpone your upcoming vote of November 19 on proposed fee hikes for UC graduate and undergraduate students.

The proposed increase of 32% for undergraduates, coming on top of previous hikes, would mean a total increase of 40% within the past 18 months. This precipitous increase of thousands of dollars is expected to force large numbers of students, some very close to graduating, to withdraw from UC or to incur further crippling financial debt.

In the meantime, significant questions have arisen concerning the use of the funds that would result from these proposed fee hikes. We are concerned that some student fee revenue, rather than funding instruction, is being diverted to debt service for university construction projects. We are concerned also that a portion of student fees from all campuses subsidize the medical centers at UCSF, UCLA, and UC Davis. Families hard-pressed to pay for their children's university education would surely be unhappy at the prospect of paying yet more when these moneys may be inappropriately diverted from the educational mission of the university.

We the undersigned ask the following:

1. That any vote concerning UC fee hikes should be deferred until an audit can be accomplished and it can be clearly demonstrated that the revenue from fee hikes will go to education, not construction or other UC projects.

2. That more time be taken to consider alternative options to an across the board 32% fee hike, such as a fee structure correlated to ability to pay, and a slower and smaller fee hike over the next 18 months. Just as the UC faculty furlough policy of an across the board salary reduction was adjusted to a graduated cut, so should fees be adjusted to means.

The External Affairs Department of the ASUC is sponsoring a series of exhibitions and workshops to prepare students and the greater
Berkeley community in the case of an unexpected earthquake. "Quakesafe" will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18 and Thursday, November 19 on Lower Sproul.

Through interactive and informative exhibitions, the ASUC will provide information on earthquake safety preparation measures, specific danger zones, and campus emergency plans. Respected Berkeley figures will also lecture on a variety of issues pertaining to the science behind earthquakes, California's fault systems, and the importance of preparation through practice.

"Quakesafe" will also feature a memorial exhibit dedicated to the 1989 Loma Prieta quake.

Please find a short description and schedule of "Quakesafe" events below. Feel free to
contact the External Affairs Department at eavp@asuc.org for any questions or concerns.

Wednesday, November 18
10:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m. | Exhibition
12:00-1:00 p.m. | Our Tectonic Time Bomb: The Hayward Fault by Peggy
1:00-2:00 p.m. | General Earthquake Science: Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera
2:00-3:00 p.m. | Fault Systems in California: Patrick Adrian Statz-Boyer

Thursday, November 19
10:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m. | Exhibition
12:00-1:00 p.m. | Campus Safety in an Earthquake: Steven Stoll
1:00-2:00 p.m. | Structural Engineering: Craig D. Comartin, SE

On Tuesday, December 1 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Tan Oak Room on the 4th floor of MLK, the EAVP office will be hosting its third Police Forum. This is an opportunity for UCPD, Berkeley PD, and Cal students to converse about safety issues on campus and in surrounding areas.

It is a great opportunity for the students to voice their concerns and for the police departments to receive feedback, as well as a great way to increase communication between the two parties. The ASUC's External Affairs office understands that there is some recent tension between the students and police after the strike, and we feel this is a great opportunity for students to voice their concerns, get some questions answered, and gain a mutual understanding. Come and check it out for 10 minutes or for two hours!

The Office of the President has released the fifth issue of the ASUC OP Newsletter featuring OP news.

The newsletter had information regarding the upcoming 45 years of Free Speech celebration and the ASUC Open Mic Night, ASUC news from Senator Lean Deleon, EAVP Dani Haber and more elected officials, and Community Announcements from CalDems, and Berkeley Peace Corps.

The newsletter can be viewed at http://asuc.org/newsite/president under 'Weekly Reports'.

The ASUC has endorsed the Strike called forward by the UC Solidarity Alliance for Wednesday through Friday, November 20. We encourage you to consider the following escalating list of actions you can take to protest the Regents' consideration of the 32% fee increase for undergraduates.

1. Sign the petition for a system-wide strike: http://ucstrike.com/
2. Participate in the California Cuts: Public Higher Ed Video/Photo Advocacy project - Post your story at http://californiacuts.org or on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173689945974#/group.php?gid=19728028491 and share your message alongside other California Students, Faculty and Workers who are being hurt by the budget cuts and fee increases.
3. Make class announcements and teach other students about the crisis
4. Ask your professors and GSIs to support the system-wide strike by requesting that they...
      i. Sign the Solidarity Pledge: Tell students that they will not be punished or penalized for missing class to participate in the strike, and sign the Solidarity Pledge at http://ucstrike.com/solidarity_pledge.php
      ii. Endorse the strike demands: Endorse the UCSC Faculty Association Ten Point Platform and sign their three petitions at: http://checkingeducation.com/petition
      iii. Organize available spaces for faculty and GSIs who want to hold class off campus
5. Participate in the Walkout and Solidarity Events on Nov 18-20
Wednesday, November 18th, Day 1 of the Strike: WALK OUT
      1. 7:15 AM: Main Picket lines begin at all campus entrances
      2. 8 AM: Sit-Ins in Dwinelle
      3. 12-1 PM: Rally on Sproul
      4. 1:30-3:30 PM: March around Campus
      5. 4 PM: First Strike Meeting: What's Next?
      6. 7 PM: Film Screening & Discussion of Salt of the Earth (1954) in Eshleman Hall (Senate Chambers)
      7. 9 PM: Party in Bear's Lair Food Court
Thursday, November 19th, Day 2 of the Strike: OPEN THE UNIVERSITY/SHUT DOWN THE | REGENTS
      1. 7:15 AM: Main Picket lines begin at all campus entrances
      2. 8 AM: Sit-Ins in Dwinelle
      3. 9 AM-3 PM: The Open University Workshops on Sproul Plaza (speakers include Ananya Roy, TJ Clark, Michael Cohen, Gray Brechin, Daniel Graham)
      4. 9 AM-10 PM: Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Black Scholar Lipman Room, 7th floor of Barrows
      5. 12 PM: Strike Worker's March from Bancroft & Telegraph
      6. 4 PM: Second Strike Meeting: What's Next?
      7. 7 PM: Film Screening "Alcatraz is not an Island" @ 102 Krober Hall
      8. 8 PM: Musical performance by John Handy Quartet, Lipman Room, Barrows
      9. 9 PM: Film Screening and Discussion of The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) @ Eshleman Hall, Senate Chambers
Friday, November 20th, Day 3 of the Strike: ESCALATE
Depending on the outcome of the Regents meeting, actions and events may vary.
      1. 12 PM: Bridges Recruitment & Retention Center Rally on Sproul Mass Gathering at California Hall
      2. 10 AM-4 PM: 40th Anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz, Bancroft Hotel
Speakers include original occupiers Dr. Lehman Brightman, Dr. LaNada War Jack and Ilka Hartmann as well as student presentations.

6. Tell any faculty who are willing to join the strike by canceling classes and walking the picket lines, that the students and workers of the Solidarity Alliance will stand up to defend their freedom of speech and democratic participation.
7. Donate money to AFSCME's campaign: www.takebackuc.org
8. CA Majority Rule: Donate money to conduct a public Opinion Poll: http://www.actblue.com/page/georgelakoffmajorityrulepoll. For more information visit http://camajorityrule.com
9. Continue to speak up and defend public education in California by writing editorials, leading teach-ins and giving interviews. Continue advocating legislative change as well as promoting transparency within the UC

Sincerely,

ASUC President Will Smelko
ASUC External Affairs VP Dani Haber

The ASUC's Student Advocate Office is notifying the campus community that if you are involved in the protests at Wheeler Hall and receive a possible conduct violation notice or would like to file a grievance against UCPD, please go to the Student Advocate's Office in 204 Eshleman and visit the SAO website to get their help.

It is important for students to know their rights and resources. Please visit http://advocate.berkeley.edu/ for more information. The SAO is free and confidential, non-partisan part of the ASUC.

The event is a celebration of Mario Savio and not a political rally hosted by the ASUC Student Government with support from selected campus partners, it has been approved by Campus Life & Leadership and UCPD, and will be emceed by the ASUC Student Government President, Will Smelko and will included alumni who were at the 1964 rally including current UC Professor Physics professor Richard Muller.

Please know that the Chancellor and/or other UC Berkeley administrators will not speak at the event, and all are encouraged to share their views on the blog at http://calfreespeech.asuc.org.

After the event, celebrate the Festivus for the Rest of Us Holiday Celebration at the RSF with Cal Rec Sports. Free Pizza and Naked Juice samples, give-a-ways and sweepstakes; while supplies last.

The UC Commission on the Future will be holding a Listening Forum at UC Berkeley on Thursday, December 3, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Pauley Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. Building (MLK). After formal presentations, there will be time for public comments were all can speak. Students can attend to voice their opinions to the committees!

For more information about the content of the Commission, please visit http://ucfuture.universityofcalifornia.edu/.

With over 35,000 students at UC Berkeley, navigating through college may seem overwhelming. Identifying individual attention as crucial to a fulfilling experience, the ASUC hopes to provide a more personalized college experience through the Undergraduate/Graduate Mentorship Program.

The ASUC-sponsored Mentorship Program will pair a graduate student mentor with an undergraduate student seeking advanced-degree academic guidance. Mentors will advise and provide insight on various academic fields of interest, the graduate school process, academic research and career development. Graduate students will also have the opportunity to practice their interpersonal skills in preparation for future positions as Graduate Student Instructors (GSI).

Participants are expected to enroll in a 1-unit DeCal during the spring semester, meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. every Tuesday (all undergraduate students must be enrolled in the DeCal to participate in the Mentorship Program). The DeCal will feature guest speakers and panelists who will inform students on graduate school application processes. Throughout the semester, numerous socials will allow students to reflect on course material and provide further feedback and questions. The course structure and material will be prepared by the ASUC.

To obtain a Mentorship Program application, please email ugmpsp10@gmail.com. All applications must be turned in by Friday, December 4, 2009 in the Academic Affairs Vice President's Office, located on the 2nd Floor of Eshleman Hall. Applicants will be contacted once applications are received and processed.

Undergraduate-Graduate pairs will be matched on the basis of academic study and interests.

For more information, please contact the ASUC Academic Affairs Vice President's Office at aavpchief@asuc.org.

ASUC student groups are encouraged to apply for an audition with America's Got Talent. UC Berkeley's Dance Team Ishaara participated on the NBC series last year.

The article can be found at: http://clog.dailycal.org/2009/08/31/berkeley-got-bollywood-on-americas-got-talent/

Interested students or student groups should visit the NBC website here for more information: http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/casting/.

Berkeley Fundraising Page: http://tinyurl.com/berkeleyhaiti

As Cal students, we must do all within our power to aid with the relief efforts.

The ASUC is teaming up with several universities around the country as part of a friendly competition, which of course includes Stanford. If every student at UC Berkeley donates $5, we'll have $170,000 easy, all of which will go to aid the 100,000+ people in need.

Find us on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/yl5vboh

The scope the disaster is truly enormous, and a tremendous influx of immediate aid is needed to avert an even greater loss of life. Partners In Health has been working in Haiti for nearly 25 years. Our local team is already working to ensure PIH’s coordinated relief efforts, leveraging the skills of more than 120 doctors and nearly 500 nurses and nursing assistants who work at established sites throughout Haiti.

As Cal students, we must do all within our power to aid with the relief efforts. The dramatic chasm which exists between our lives as ugrad/grad students and the people in Haiti has become evermore clear. We can work each day to close it, student by student, dollar by dollar.

Thank you for your kindness.

- Your ASUC Interns, Executives, and Senators

More Important Donation Information

• Pan American Development Foundation (PADF): 25 years experience & 150 staff members in Haiti. You can donate through that website.
• American Red Cross: Donations by texting HAITI to 90999 to contribute $10.
• YELE Foundation: Haiti's own relief efforts. Text YELE to 501501 to contribute $5.

Over thirty student groups from the Berkeley campus are coming together to raise awareness about the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12.

February 4, 9:00PM in Heller Lounge/MCC
Rock the Block: The Bay
featuring CalSLAM and local hip hop artists
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=443990665380&ref=ts
For more information, check out calhiphop.net

On Thursday, February 4th, there will be benefit performances by participating student groups on campus as well short presentations by speakers.

WHERE: 155 Dwinelle
WHEN: 7 - 9PM, February 4
WHY: to raise funds for Haiti

On Friday, February 5th, there will be an outdoor rally on the Savio Steps of Upper Sproul. Please come out and show your support! We will be accepting donations all throughout the week and this rally will be the culminating event.

WHERE: Upper Sproul Steps
WHEN: 11AM to 3PM, February 5
WHY: because Berkeley cares!

These participating student organizations have united under once cause to contribute to the relief effort in Haiti as one community:

American Red Cross @ Cal
Amnesty International
APhiO
Ardzagank
Artists in Resonance (AIR)
Asian American Association (AAA)
ASUC
Bears for UNICEF
Berkeley Model UN
Blueprint
Bridges Across Borders
Cal Band
Cal Do Something
Cal Habitat for Humanity
Cal Health Coalition
Cal Service Board
Cal Wushu
California Golden Overtones
CalPIRG
CalSLAM
DeCadence A Capella
Humanitarian Undergraduates for Global Service (HUGS)
Feel Good Berkeley
Fei Tian Dancers
Liberty in North Korea Outreach Bay Area (LiNK)
Magnolia Project
Men's Octect
Model UN Berkeley
Muslim Student Association
Nourish International
ONE Campaign
Peace Corps @ Berkeley
Remedy Music Project
Students for Hip Hop
Suitcase Clinic

If your organization would like to get involved in this event, you can contact:

Michael Bloch at michaelbloch1991@gmail.com
Yoori Chung at yoorichung90@gmail.com
ASUC Senator J.P. Shami at jshami24@gmail.com

All donations received throughout this event will be donated to relief organizations that provide assistance to the Haitian victims.

Students for Haiti Coalition of the USA
UC Berkeley ASUC is linking arms with student governments from universities around the nation (including Stanford) to raise $1 Million USD. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/berkeleyhaiti to donate to our Partners in Health Campaign Efforts.

Presentation by Vice Chancellor Erin Gore from special session of the Academic Senate on the UC Berkeley's $1.8B budget. 

Visit Berkeley's Budget Central primer page for a detailed analysis.

Audio podcast will be available shortly.

The ASUC's Student Advocate Office (SAO) is currently hiring caseworkers for 2010.

Hired caseworkers will join one of four divisions in the SAO department: Academic, Conduct, Financial Aid Residency, and Grievance. Caseworkers will work one-on-one with fellow students to help advocate for student rights and in resolving issues with the University.

The SAO will be holding info sessions at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3 and Thursday, 4th on the 4th floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union. Applications are due at 5 p.m. on Monday, February 8th.

All interested students are encouraged to apply- no previous experience is necessary.

For more information on the SAO and further opportunities, please contact recruit@studentadvocateoffice.com. 

In association with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, Kappa Kappa Gamma will host its first annual "Jog for Jill: A Breath Away from the Cure" at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at the Kroeber Fountain.

This summer, twenty-one year old Jill Costello was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. Despite the diagnosis, she remains an active member of the women's crew team and her sorority and will graduate on time this spring. In order to raise awareness of Jill's plight and lung cancer, all proceeds will go to the Bonnie J. Addario Foundation, under Jill's name.

The 5K jog will route through the UC Berkeley campus and city streets. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the shotgun will sound at 2 p.m. The event will end with a celebration and Superbowl party at 3:30 p.m. in the Bear's Lair.

Registration for the event is only $10. To register for the event online, please visit http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=337404.