News Briefs

Cal 1 Card

Students can use their cards to do laundry.

Summer 2006 | Whether your student is coming to Cal for the first time or returning, here is some helpful information about the Cal 1 Card. You may know that the Cal 1 Card is UC Berkeley’s official identification card, but did you know it features a debit account that gives students an easy, quick, and safe way to make purchases all over campus? These funds can be used for food (11 campus dining locations, produce stands, online groceries, Free Speech Movement Café, Cal’s first Peet’s Coffee & Tea), laundry, vending machines, athletic events, and purchases at the Cal Student Store. We are expanding the accepted locations so that the Cal 1 Card works even harder. Check our web site this summer for updates and a special summer deposit promotion! Important information for first year students: Cal 1 Card deposits can be made anytime over the summer, during CalSO, or during Welcome Week. Don’t wait if you don’t have to! Cal 1 Cards will also be magnetically encoded with meal plans the day before move-in. Beginning May 15, students who have their Cal 1 Cards can add money online to the debit account and use it instantly. For updates about new accepted locations and the new summer deposit promotion or to make a deposit, visit us online at http://cal1card.berkeley.edu/.

New Dean in L&S

Janet Broughton, a professor of philosophy at Berkeley, became the dean of arts and humanities in the College of Letters & Science, starting July 1. Broughton is an authority on 17th- and 18th-century philosophy, and her research focuses on the history of modern philosophy, particularly Scottish philosopher David Hume and French philosopher René Descartes. George Breslauer, the campus’s executive vice chancellor and provost, said Broughton “combines intellectual stature as a student of philosophy, a sharp analytic mind, a broad understanding of the arts and humanities, proven administrative ability, and superb interpersonal skills.”

Berkeley on iTunes U

Further extending its curricular reach to the iPod generation and even to its interested parents, Berkeley has unveiled “Berkeley on iTunes U,” a free service that makes video and audio recordings of a growing number of course lectures available both on and off campus through Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store. “Berkeley on iTunes U,” which is open to the public as well as to all UC Berkeley students, is available at itunes.berkeley.edu. The agreement brings the campus’s multimedia assets under one UC Berkeley-branded media gateway. 

New Dean of Students

Jonathan Poullard, a student affairs administrator with nearly 20 years of experience in higher education, has been hired as Berkeley’s new dean of students in the campus’s Office of Student Life. Before coming to Berkeley, Poullard served as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at California State University, San Marcos, in northern San Diego County.

Poullard began work on May 1, but don’t expect to find him in the office. “I think the dean needs to meet students where they are to understand what their issues, concerns, and needs are and develop programs that intentionally meet their needs,” said Poullard, who plans to set aside at least a few hours each week to chat with students on Sproul Plaza.

Alcohol Education Program

Every incoming Berkeley student is now required to take an online alcohol education tutorial, AlcoholEDU, before arriving on campus. Studies show that students’ ability to learn is enhanced when they are part of a safe and healthy community. AlcoholEDU teaches students about the impact of alcohol on the mind, body, and personal safety, giving them a common understanding of the effects of alcohol and its misuse, as well as skills to cope with the potentially unhealthy drinking habits of their peers.

Students will be notified of the program through their MyBerkeleyApp page and can start taking it on July 19, 2006. We urge you to review the program yourself through the separate parent login option, and use this information to discuss alcohol with your students. Reinforcing your expectations for your students’ behavior while they are away from home will help them develop their own personal boundaries.

For more information on AlcoholEDU and parent login information, go to alcoholedu.berkeley.edu.

“Hot Topics” at IGS Library Site

The web site of the campus’s Institute of Governmental Studies Library has a “hot topics” link that helps voters fathom ballot propositions. The site is a compilation of endorsements from California newspapers and organizations, arguments pro and con, newspaper and journal articles—all the information you need to keep informed. Keep the URL handy for the November elections: www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/. You can also browse the site for writings from a broad spectrum of public interest organizations, research institutes, and government agencies that are the heart of the library’s collection.

International House Turns 75

International House, the multicultural, coeducational living center that is perhaps more relevant today than when it was founded in 1930, is celebrating a landmark anniversary in locations worldwide and engaging in an aggressive fundraising campaign to ensure its future.

In this age of niche broadcasting, it’s too easy for people to tune into talk radio or TV’s pundits to confirm what they already think, says Joseph Lurie, executive director of Berkeley’s International House. “If you’re always talking to someone who’s like you or shares your same ideas, it’s like running in a cul-de sac,” he explains. “You don’t get anywhere.”

Lurie contrasts that scenario with the one at I-House, where, living in a veritable United Nations, students are regularly exposed to ideas different from their own. Lively debates have been taking place in the multiracial living center since its founding, and I-House has been busy marking its 75th anniversary with a number of fittingly international celebrations. To date, festivities have taken place in Berkeley, Melbourne, Taipei, Singapore, London, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo.

International House provides housing for upper division undergraduates from the U.S. as well as for graduate students from around the world.

Join Us for Golden Bear Football

Fans of Cal football won’t want to miss a minute of this year’s upcoming season. The Bears are coming off an impressive 8-4 2005 campaign and are ranked highly in pre-season polls. You can buy season or individual game tickets online at www.calbears.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bears. Parents are invited to attend pre-game tailgate parties. For information, call the California Alumni Association at 1-888-cal.alum.