News Briefs

Student Fees

Spring 2006 | The governor’s budget proposes to use $75 million in state funding to “buy out” student fee increases for California residents at the University of California for 2006-07. The regents adopted an 8 percent fee increase in mandatory systemwide undergraduate fees in November but did so with the understanding that the proposed increases would be reduced or rescinded if the governor and Legislature provided the necessary funding. A 5 percent nonresident tuition hike approved for undergraduates would not be affected by the governor’s plan. “This proposal recognizes the financial struggles of many California families and helps preserve access to the university for families of all means,” said UC President Robert Dynes.

With the buyout, mandatory systemwide fees for resident undergraduates in 2006-07 would be $6,141, or an estimated average $6,802 with the inclusion of campus-based fees. Nonresident undergraduates, after the 5 percent increase, would pay an average total of $25,486. Two-thirds of UC students receive financial aid to help cover these costs.

Summer Sessions

Registration is open now for UC Berkeley’s Summer Sessions 2006. Summer courses can help Berkeley students fulfill academic requirements or speed up progress toward graduation. The shorter sessions run two and three weeks, allowing plenty of time for travel and other summer activities. Session dates are May 22-June 30, June 12-Aug. 18, June 26-Aug. 18, July 3-Aug. 11, and July 31-Aug. 18. To parents of new students: Taking a course this summer is a great way for your students to get a head start on Cal course work before beginning classes in the fall or spring semester. For information about Summer Sessions enrollment and to view the summer course catalog, go to summer.berkeley.edu.

New Vice Chancellor—Administration

Nathan Brostrom (Peg Skorpinski photo)

The UC Board of Regents has approved Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s recommendation to appoint Nathan Brostrom as Vice Chancellor—Administration, the chief administrative and financial officer at Berkeley. Brostrom began his new position on March 1, 2006.

Brostrom, a highly regarded public finance banker and manager, will fill a new position that combines the duties of two previous vice chancellor positions, one in business and administrative services and one in budget and finance. Brostrom will be responsible for advising the chancellor and executive vice chancellor and provost on all budget and resource management, health and human services, and fiscal planning matters, both operating and capital. One of his first duties will be developing the 2006-07 fiscal year budget. Brostrom will manage the campus’s annual operating budget of more than $1.3 billion and be responsible for a division that is the largest provider of services to campus staff and a significant provider of services to UC Berkeley students. 

Whooping Cough Vaccine

The first protection against pertussis (whooping cough) for adults and adolescents was approved in June 2005 and is now available to students through University Health Services. The booster vaccine combines pertussis protection with tetanus and diphtheria in a single vaccine. It is given when the tetanus booster is normally scheduled.

The American Academy of Family Physicians reported 25,827 cases of pertussis in 2004, a big increase over the number reported the year before, and a major increase from three decades ago, when 1,020 cases were reported. Pertussis, a highly contagious upper respiratory infection, is a preventable illness that can result in prolonged coughing and missed classes and work.

Adults and adolescents can contract and transmit this infection because the protection from childhood immunization appears to diminish over time.

The new vaccine, brand name Adacel, is available for a fee (covered at 80 percent by the Student Health Insurance Plan) at the Tang Center. Call 510/643-7177 to schedule an appointment.

Note: CDC recommendations for Hepatitis A immunization have been expanded. For more information on all immunization recommendations for young adults, go to the University Health Services web site, www.uhs.berkeley.edu (choose “Immunizations”).

Cal 1 Card

Just a reminder that your students can minimize their stress and maximize their time by using a Cal 1 Card debit account. The Cal 1 Card is Berkeley’s official identification card, featuring a debit account that gives students a quick and safe way to make purchases on campus. You and your students can add money online, and your students can use it instantly for food at 11 campus dining locations, produce stands, the Free Speech Movement Café, and Cal’s first Peet’s Coffee & Tea; for laundry, online groceries, and purchases at vending machines and the Cal Student Store; and for athletic events. For details or to make a deposit, go to http://cal1card.berkeley.edu/.

Free Smoke Detectors for Off-Campus Housing

UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Fire Department are now providing free smoke detectors to students who live off campus.

Applications for one of 200 smoke detectors were available on campus beginning in January 2006 through the Environment, Health, & Safety (EH&S) and Cal Rentals offices. UC Berkeley students who live in the city of Berkeley can also apply for a smoke detector through any Berkeley fire station or the Berkeley Fire Administration Office at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The donation of the smoke detectors is part of the campus’s Safe Student Housing program, which works with the city to help ensure fire-safe residences for UC students. The program involves fire safety training and information packets as well.

For more information on this program, call the Berkeley Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division at 510/981-5585 or UC Berkeley’s EH&S Office at 510/642-3073.

Class Gifts

Cal students are noted for their ability to accomplish anything they set their minds to. That distinction is especially true when it comes to working for something they believe in—Cal. Since 1874, seniors have banded together to celebrate graduation and show appreciation for their education by participating in a Senior Class Gift campaign. Led by 50 senior volunteers, last year’s Class of ’05 aimed to set a new record, and by graduation, 2,135 seniors had contributed an unprecedented $85,479 to Cal. 

As state funding declines and competition for top rankings increases, Cal students are recognizing the important role they will play in maintaining Cal’s excellence. UC Regent and Cal alumnus Richard Blum, ’58, ’59 MBA reinforced this message by matching all senior gifts dollar for dollar, bringing the campaign total to more than $170,000. “Small gifts don’t sound like much individually, but the collective generosity of the Class of ’05 went a long way in making an impact on undergraduate education for future Cal students,” says Rica Azarcon, ’05 Senior Gift co-chair. 

The Class of ’06 has a challenge ahead to surpass last year’s record-breaking campaign, but with determination and another Blum match, they may just do it.

Save the Dates

Southern California parents may be interested in two Discover Cal lectures on April 10 and 11: Jesse Choper, professor of public law, and Gordon Silverstein, assistant professor of political science, will discuss new directions that the Supreme Court might take as a result of President Bush’s new appointments. For information, call 1/888/UNIV/CAL or go to www.urel.berkeley.edu/socal/.