September 1, 2020 - Resources to Connect and Enhance Your Fall Experience

The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Stephen C. Sutton, sent the following message to all undergraduate, graduate and professional school students on 09/01/20.

The fall semester has started! Whether you are joining our community remotely or on campus, there are several resources available to you to help enhance your experience with UC Berkeley. We encourage you to explore these resources that will help you build community, practice wellness, get involved, or just have fun with your fellow students. 

Build community: 

• Visit callink.berkeley.edu, our database of over 1,000 student groups and organizations, that are finding creative ways to engage with each other virtually. 
• Participate in Calapalooza, August 31 – September 4 from 4–6 pm: our semesterly student involvement fair, which will be virtual this Fall. In this year’s fair, you’ll be able to meet virtually with hundreds of student groups and other students looking to join orgs.
• Running a student group or org? Find support through the LEAD Center, with virtual advising appointments, workshops, and events. Email lead@berkeley.edu. Registration for returning organizations and applications for new student orgs are due September 11.
• Explore Student Org Events & Videos through CalLink Events, the Corq app, the LEAD Center’s New YouTube Channel for Student Org Videos, and the LEAD Center’s Facebook & Instagram.
• Explore the Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement which advocate for, build capacity with, and dialogue among and across diverse communities. Partner spaces include: African American Student Development, Asian Pacific American Student Development, Chicanx Latinx Student Development, Gender Equity Resource Center, Multicultural Community Center, and Native American Student Development. 
• Coming soon: the campus is exploring creating work-study positions among different departments that would offer peer-to-peer support and assist with building community. We are also creating a toolkit for building community and belonging in virtual space. 

Practice wellness: 

• Get three free virtual personal training sessions, participate in live or on-demand fitness classes, or find other helpful wellness resources through Rec Sports Online.  
• Learn about Health Coaching, Counseling and Psychological Services, community-specific support, nutrition support, or self-help tools through University Health Services. 
• Identify resources that fit your unique wellness needs through recalibrate. 
• De-stress through free arts and crafts workshops with professional instructors every Wednesday at 10 am and Thursday at 5 pm. 

Get involved: 

• Engage in social justice, civic engagement, and transformative social change through the Public Service Center.
• Learn about sustainability-focused student groups and programs through the Student Environmental Resource Center. Participate in Earth Justice Month or join the SERC membership program. 
• Participate in ASUC Student Government. Join weekly meetings open to all students on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm.
• Participate in the Graduate Student Assembly monthly meetings, beginning September 10.  

Have fun: 

• Join Virtual Events like the Student Union’s Virtual Open Mic nights and Movie Trivia Nights premiering on Instagram.  
• Take a virtual class in ceramics, drawing, painting, and more with the Berkeley Art Studio. 6 week sessions run twice a semester. 

Find Support: 

• New Student Services, the team that operates Golden Bear Orientation, will be providing support to new undergraduate students (freshmen and transfers) throughout their entire first year. Continue to look at the Cal Events App for programming, including Getting your Bearings (events sponsored by campus departments) which will continue throughout the fall semester. 
• The Career Center is offering virtual programs and services.  
• Berkeley Connect provides student mentors and opportunities to connect with students who share similar interests as well as with professors and alums. 
• The Student Learning Center provides academic tutoring and helps students navigate the academic rigor of UC Berkeley. 
• The Student Tech Equity Program provides laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other equipment (like web cameras and noise cancelling headphones). It’s not too late to apply. Thanks to the Student Technology Fund, students are also eligible for free software (including Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite) and can access 5,000+ LinkedIn Learning classes and special Zoom features with their berkeley.edu email address. 
• The Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence provide services to support first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students, current and former foster youth, veterans, student parents, undocumented students, re-entry students and transfer students. 
• Coming soon: online parent-to-parent CareBubbles that would allow parents, including student parents, on campus to be able to post care needs and search for others with similar needs or interests.

Access to essential services on campus:
You should come to campus only if you have a specific need (such as seeking medical attention or other emergency services, visiting the grab-and-go food pantry, conducting essential in-person research or other essential campus work, and of course if you live on campus). When on campus, physical distancing and wearing facial coverings are also required at all times and you will be required to comply with city and county public health orders. You will only be allowed to enter campus if you accept the Keep Berkeley Healthy Pledge in Cal Central and complete a daily symptom screener, accessible through Cal Central, the Campus coronavirus site, or the UC Berkeley Mobile app (iOS, Android). 

Essential services: 

• Pop-Up Food Pantry is located on the 1st floor of the MLK Jr. Building. All students and staff are welcome to take what they need. Tues: 12-6pm, Wed-Fri 11am-3pm, Sat: 11am-1pm (times may vary)
• Cal Student Store is open for textbook return and pickup as well as in-store retail and curbside pick up. 
• The Amazon Hub+ Lockers in the Student Union is open for pickup and returns 7 days a week. Don’t forget you are eligible for free Prime Student using your UC Berkeley email.

Stay connected:

• Undergrad? Learn about resources through the Berkeley Life Instagram
• Grad? Follow Grad Division’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter 
• Join the Student Affairs Cast for opportunities to share your stories and Berkeley experiences to your fellow students. 

Keep connecting with us and with each other Bears!