Berkeley Connect

12/07/2020

The leaves are turning on the Berkeley campus and it’s time for RRR Week. As you Read and Review, don’t forget to Rest and Refresh too! You got this!

12/01/2020

Give to UC Berkeley TODAY!

Now more than ever, students at UC Berkeley need the community and sense of belonging that Berkeley Connect mentoring provides. Today, on #GivingTuesday, please show your support for Berkeley Connect with a gift of any size. #berkeleyconnect #youbelonghere https://givingday.berkeley.edu/giving-day/31748/department/33167

Support diversity & inclusivity at Cal.

11/20/2020

Professor Jennifer Doudna is the 25th member of the UC Berkeley faculty to be awarded a Nobel Prize, and the first woman to win the prize while on the Berkeley faculty. On December 3, Berkeley students and alums are invited to hear her and other 2020 Nobel laureates from the UC system discuss how scientific discovery changes our world. Register here: https://bit.ly/3kJogUs

11/18/2020

In 2015, Berkeley Connect students got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet cellist Yo-Yo Ma in person. Now they have a special opportunity to see him perform (for free!) through Cal Performances. More info at calperformances.org/events/2020-21/at-home/an-evening-with-yo-yo-ma/

11/17/2020

UC Berkeley students can take part in a pilot project to track COVID-19 via smartphones. More info at https://canotify.uchealth.edu/UCBerkeley/

11/16/2020

Welcome | UCB Study Abroad

It's International Education Week! Travel may not be possible right now, but that doesn't mean you can't study abroad in the future (and take your financial aid with you!). Dare to dream, there's lots of information available from the UC Berkeley Study Abroad Office: http://studyabroad.berkeley.edu/

Coronavirus (COVID-19): The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. Please see current information and updates related to study abroad programs. Berkeley Study Abroad is currently offering virtual services. Please see our Virtual Advising Guide for more information.

11/11/2020

Happy Veteran's Day! Today Berkeley Connect honors all our veteran students. #youbelonghere

11/05/2020

November is Native American Heritage Month! Ethnic Studies Professor (and former Berkeley Connect faculty director) Beth Piatote was part of a team of comic artists and scholars who have produced a series of posters on the experiences of Indigenous scholars. Learn more here: https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/ethnic-studies-professor-beth-piatote-collaborated-with-ad-astra-comix-that-specializes-in-comic-books-with-social-justice-themes/

11/04/2020

Students, are you feeling stressed? Check out the resources University Health Services is making available to help you manage election-related stress: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/mental-health-and-wellness-coping-election-related-stress

11/02/2020

Looking for a ballot dropbox in Berkeley or elsewhere in Alameda County? Check out this handy map of official locations: https://www.acgov.org/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm

10/26/2020

Cal Bears

Check it out! #GoBearsGoVote!

🗣️ Calling all Cal Family

Are you registered to vote?

Text GoBears to 26797 to check your voter registration and to get alerts for your elections. #GoBearsGoVote

10/23/2020

10/19/2020

Berkeley Connect loves transfer students! Happy National Transfer Student Week! #youbelonghere

10/16/2020

10/14/2020

Are you hungry for community? Looking for ways to connect with other students outside the formal classroom setting? Now's the time to enroll in Berkeley Connect (98BC/198BC) for Spring 2021! Don't miss this opportunity to connect with a mentor and get to know students who share your academic interests! #youbelonghere

10/03/2020

Ah, sweet memories of walking across campus and seeing our banner outside Durant Hall! We can't wait to get back there in person, but we also know that what makes the university special is not its buildings but its students, faculty, and staff, and they are still going strong. Go Bears!

Berkeley Connect got a banner! Can you find it on campus? First person to comment with the correct location wins a special prize!

09/22/2020

National Voter Registration Day

If you will be 18 years old BY November 3, you are eligible to vote in the 2020 election in California. Celebrate National Voter Registration Day by getting registered today! Find out how here: https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/

National Voter Registration Day is a holiday celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of every September. It's goal is to focus attention on the importance of registering to vote and voting in our

09/15/2020

» What We Mean When We Say: You Belong Here

The motto of Berkeley Connect is "you belong here." What do we mean by that? Read our start-of-semester message to students: https://berkeleyconnect.berkeley.edu/what-we-mean-when-we-say-you-belong-here/

09/04/2020

» Welcome to Berkeley Connect!

Read faculty director Bree Rosenblum's welcome message to new Berkeley Connect students: https://berkeleyconnect.berkeley.edu/welcome-to-berkeley-connect/

When I became a professor at UC Berkeley in 2012, I felt excited, nervous, and more than a little disoriented. There were so many people, so many opportunities, and so many expectations. I had to figure out how I fit into this complex ecosystem, navigate new academic norms, and learn to express vuln...

08/27/2020

Welcome, new and returning UC Berkeley students, to the first day of the Fall 2020 semester! Handshakes may be so last year, but we look forward to meeting you online, supporting your learning, and helping you be the change you want to see in the world. #youbelonghere

08/17/2020

The Fall 2020 semester is almost here and we can wait to welcome a new crop of students to the Berkeley Connect mentoring experience! As students adjust their schedules, seats open up, so keep searching for sections that are open for enrollment: the course number is 98BC (freshmen and sophomores) or 198BC (juniors and seniors). You belong here!

08/04/2020

We are thrilled that this fall we are launching Berkeley Connect Biology! Join Professor Rebecca Tarvin (pictured) for the inaugural semester--upper-division seats are available (IB 198BC) and new transfer students are particularly encouraged to join. https://www.berkeleyconnect.berkeley.edu/biology/

07/24/2020

Bay Area-based students: seeking a peaceful green retreat? The UCB Botanical Garden has re-opened and is always FREE with your Cal ID. Make a timed-entry reservation on the Garden’s website.

07/08/2020

Berkeley Connect stands with our international students. #youbelonghere

07/06/2020

Today is the first day of Summer Session D! This week we are excited to kick off Bridge Connect--mentoring for incoming freshmen participating in Summer Bridge--and Transfer Connect--mentoring for incoming junior transfers participating in Transfer Edge. Image below is flashback to last summer; this year we'll be building community online. Can't wait!

06/20/2020

UC Berkeley Admissions

We at Berkeley Connect want to share and amplify this powerful video created by our colleagues in UC Berkeley Admissions. #BlackLivesMatter

Our Black admissions staff speak out against racism and anti-blackness, and affirm that #BlackLivesMatter: “This cannot be a moment and must be the movement.” We are Berkeley, and we will do our part! #WeAreBlack #BLM

This message is shared on behalf of all our Black Admissions staff, including those who did not appear in the video, and in honor of the Black community at UC Berkeley.

06/04/2020

senate.universityofcalifornia.edu

We invite all members of the Berkeley Connect community to join in the UC-wide moment of silence and reflection today, Thursday, June 4, at 11:00am PST, to honor the memory of George Floyd and all other victims of police murder and brutality.

05/15/2020

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! The motto of Berkeley Connect is "You Belong Here," and as Berkeley alums you will always belong here at Cal. A special congratulations to the Berkeley Connect graduate student mentors who are earning their PhDs! #CalGrad

05/08/2020

Today is the last day of RRR Week at UC Berkeley. RRR usually stands for Review, Reading, and Recitation, and there's still plenty of that going on, but we hope that this week has also given students a little time to Regroup, Refocus, and Reboot, at the end of a semester that has been anything but normal. We salute all UC Berkeley students on their resilience and determination during an extremely challenging time, and wish you all the best on your final exams, papers, and projects! Go Bears!

03/31/2020

Berkeley Connect is all about face-to-face interactions, and those are still happening as we shelter in place, albeit in virtual rooms rather than physical ones. Read how students and mentors are managing the new reality here: http://berkeleyconnect.berkeley.edu/zooming-into-a-new-reality-berkeley-connect-under-quarantine/

03/20/2020

Berkeley Connect students and mentors are continuing to meet remotely, providing community and support to each other during challenging times. Now Spring Break has arrived, along with a statewide Shelter in Place directive. Fortunately going outside for fresh air and exercise is still allowed, and we still live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Taking a restorative walk is highly encouraged!

03/13/2020

Thank you to everyone who stepped up with such generous support during Big Give today! We welcome gifts to Berkeley Connect any time at https://give.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=374. Mentoring matters! Community matters! Thank you for your support.

03/13/2020

UC Berkeley's Big Give

We want to share with you this message that was sent to the Berkeley Connect community today:

Dear Friends,

The UC Berkeley campus is quiet. Classes have moved online. Lectures, conferences, and concerts have been cancelled. We are living through challenging times.

Now more than ever, students at UC Berkeley need a supportive community, a safe space where they can share their questions and concerns. Social distancing should not become social isolation.

Berkeley Connect is stepping up to the challenge. Face-to-face human interaction is at the heart of the Berkeley Connect experience. With only a day's notice, Berkeley Connect mentors have started facilitating small-group discussion sessions and one-on-one mentoring meetings via video conference instead of in-person.

Berkeley Connect faculty are stepping up as well, sending messages of support to students and redesigning program plans on the fly. Physics Professor Matt Pyle is organizing an online lecture series for Berkeley Connect students on the coronavirus as an example of how science impacts society.

Today is the Big Give, Cal's annual online giving day. If you believe that now more than ever, providing UC Berkeley students with a sense of belonging and community is crucially important, you can support the work of Berkeley Connect by making an online donation today at https://give.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=374

Thank you!

Wishing you good health and peace of mind,

Seize your moment. Support Berkeley during Big Give today!

03/13/2020

It's not too late to show Berkeley Connect some love! Make a donation between 6 and 7pm tonight and help Berkeley Connect win a cash prize in a Big Give contest. Donate here now: https://give.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=374

03/12/2020

The time is now! Help Berkeley Connect win the "most gifts from young alumni" contest during Big Give by making a donation OF ANY AMOUNT between 4pm and 6pm today at https://give.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=374