March 2019 Cal Parents Ambassador Newsletter Greetings parent ambassadors! Spring’s arrival at Berkeley brings a variety of opportunities for you to engage with new Cal families and to help students. Read on and sign up to serve at an admitted student reception (volunteers outside of CA needed), at Cal Day, or to volunteer at the food pantry (within the new Basic Needs Center) in May when student staff are busy with finals. New and returning ambassadors, please fill out this volunteer interest form and we’ll make note of your preferences for 2019-2020. New volunteer opportunities have been added. Download the Cal Parents Ambassador Handbook for further detail on volunteer opportunities. Thanks for all that you do for Berkeley! | | | | The Food Pantry provides emergency nonperishable food and fresh produce to UC Berkeley students (both undergraduate and graduate level) and staff in need of immediate food assistance, while they explore other food security resources. Parent volunteers are needed to keep the pantry running from May 6-17 during Reading/Review/Recitation and Finals week while student volunteers are studying and taking their final exams. Shifts are 2 hours long, but feel free to sign up for more than one! Click here to see more details and sign up. To get a student view of the pantry, watch this intro video starring our Food Pantry student coordinators! | The Office of Undergraduate Admissions (OUA) will host 18 receptions across the country in April to welcome newly admitted students. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents outside California to connect with each other, share your Cal spirit, and engage with prospective Cal families in your region. Volunteers are needed to staff the Cal Parents informational table at these receptions. Click here to view sign-up sheet with dates/times/location! If interested, please email Rose Hsu immediately. The California slots are full, thanks to an overwhelming response to our Cal Parents Facebook post! | | David Pingitore, Mimi Sardou, Rick Quon, Milan Kaur | Overnight Stay Program’s Social Hour – April 14 & 28 – Volunteers Needed! | The Cal Alumni Student Association’s Overnight Stay Program (OSP) is a two-day program for admitted high school students and their parents to gain an understanding of what UC Berkeley is all about. Social Hour volunteers will mingle with prospective parents whose admitted students are participating in the Overnight Stay Program. The parents will have just attended the Parents’ Q&A Panel and heard from current Cal
Parents ambassadors, but may have additional questions. Volunteers are needed April 14 and 28, from 7:45 pm – 9:30 pm. Click here to learn more details and sign up! | | Cal Parents staff and ambassadors on Cal Day 2018 at Dwinelle Plaza | Thank You for Your BIG Impact!! | THANK YOU ambassadors! You helped make our 2019 annual day of giving the BIGGEST ever for Cal parents. With an emphasis on participation, and the incentive of Big Match challenge gifts, the campus aspired to 10,000 gifts and our Cal Parents Board aimed for 120 gifts to the Cal Parents Fund. Both goals were well surpassed by the Cal community. | | Alain Chan, Vivian Tsai, Rachel Goldblatt, Sharmila Kumar, Ruth Ann Seward, Anu Bhalla-Levine, Carol Lerdal, Christine MacDonald | A very BIG shout out to this dedicated team of volunteers (pictured above) who reached out to thousands of parents encouraging support during our first-ever Big Give Text-a-thon. Your enthusiasm and personal touch as peers promoting parent philanthropy at Cal is powerful and helped us “Raise the Bar” for the Cal Parents Fund. Thanks to each of you who participated by giving to the Cal Parents Fund (or elsewhere on campus), promoting Big Give through social media, or sending flowers to our amazing cohort of volunteer texters. You make a difference at Berkeley!! | Cal Social Good – Thank You! | | | Shout out to Cal Parent Ambassador, Christine McDonald! Thank you for tabling and featuring UC Berkeley student groups whose service projects create a social impact beyond the Cal community at the Cal Social Good’s Share the Love event on Valentine’s Day! | | | | Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship Interviews – Thank You! | | Thank you to our Berkeley and Irvine ambassadors who devoted time to engaging with Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship candidates and their parents. Your help in recruiting the best and brightest to Berkeley was much appreciated! Irvine volunteers: Catherine Bartz, Deloris Hsiung, Eileen Hale, Golda Joseph, Nelson Alvarado, Nick Morosoff, Cathy Yip, Jeanne Steffanni, Tiffany & Logan Arrizabalaga! Berkeley volunteers: Vardeep Kaur, Dineshwar Sahni, William Fong, Polly Paulsen, Zhen Liu, Chris MacDonald, Steve & Loretta Chin, Isabel Rhee, Meena Ramaiyer, Barbara Grelling! | | Meena Ramaiyer, Isabel Rhee, Barbara Grelling | | | Zhen Liu conversing with prospective scholar | | | | | William Fong, Dineshwar Sahni, Vardeep Kaur, Maggie Luning | Around the Corner – Commencement May 18 | - Book hotel accommodations as early as possible.
- All graduates need to register for the campuswide commencement ceremony.
| | | | | - Tickets for graduates are complimentary, and may purchase up to 15 guest tickets. Guest tickets are $35 for reserved seating, and $10 for general admission (first-come, first-served). Get your tickets here!
- Reserved parking is not available for commencement. We encourage use of public transportation. If you are driving, please consult the campus map and the visitor parking map. You can also visit the Parking & Transportation commencement page to learn more.
- Departmental graduations occur separately from the campuswide ceremony. Some departmental graduations require tickets; others do not. Contact your department for the most up-to-date info on its graduation ceremony.
- The campuswide commencement ceremony will also be webcasted on the UC Berkeley Live channel!
| Facebook Live with UC Berkeley Administration | | Jim Knowlton, Director of Athletics | | | Brigitte Lossing, Director of Recreational Sports | | | | Watch the Facebook Live session with Director of Athletics, Jim Knowlton, and Director of Recreational Sports, Brigitte Lossing, that was recorded on Tuesday, March 19. | Keep Track of What’s Happening in Your Student’s College | Keeping Up with the Latest | - March 25-29: Spring Recess
- March 29: Academic & Administrative Holiday, Cesar Chavez Day
- April 13: Cal Day
- May 3: Classes End
- May 6-10: Reading/Review/Recitation Week
- May 10: Last Day of Instruction
- May 13-17: Final Exams
- May 17: Spring Semester Ends
- May 18: Commencement at 10 AM
- May 19: Deadline to move out of residence halls for summer break at 10 AM
- May 27: Academic & Administrative Holiday, Memorial Day
| Meet the Cal Parents Staff! | | Check out the Cal Parents website and Facebook page for more information just for parents. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and events at Berkeley: Berkeley News Center, UC Berkeley Events. If you have problems replying to any links or have questions about the Ambassador Program, please contact Rose Hsu. As always, we are grateful for your continued commitment and enthusiasm for Berkeley! Go Bears! | | | | | | | | | | |
