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University of California, Berkeley
Fraternity & Sorority Life
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[Thursday, October29, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - Berkeley fraternity & sorority community provides local elementary students with Halloween fun with “Trick-or-Greek”
CalGreeks hosted their annual “Trick or Greek” event for local elementary school children on Thursday, October 29. More than 600 children participated in the event this year—an event that included haunted houses, pumpkin bowling, mummy races, and more. There were CalGreeks' volunteers that walked the children around, and 26 CalGreeks’ chapters opened up their fraternity or sorority houses to be a stop on the children’s trick-or-treat routes.
This is one of the largest philanthropy events of the year for U.C. Berkeley’s award-winning fraternity & sorority community. Becca Mason, the Panhellenic Council Head of Philanthropy, said, “"I love Trick or Greek because it promotes a tradition of direct service among members of the CalGreeks’ community. This event allows us to serve Berkeley's children in a fun, safe, and festive environment. What could be better than that?"
[Thursday, August 20, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - F&S Life receives grant to encourage recycling
StopWaste.org recently awarded Cal’s housed fraternity community a $2,500 grant to reduce the amount of garbage produced by Berkeley chapters. A secondary goal involves educating chapter members about their responsibility to care for the health of our planet and community. By teaching future leaders about the importance of sustainability efforts, this program will help fraternity members establish lifelong environmentally friendly habits.
In the first phase of the program, specially selected pilot houses will be provided with enough seven-gallon recycling bins to place one in each bedroom, as well as enough 23-gallon slim-jim bins to place one on each floor, next to existing centralized garbage collection areas.
In order to ensure the success of the program, each chapter will be required to select a ‘recycling representative’ who will be in charge of distributing the containers, educating the membership about proper recycling sorting, and monitoring the chapter’s progress in the program.
Throughout the fall semester, representatives from the City of Berkeley and the Panhellenic Sorority Sustainability Roundtable will visit fraternity chapter houses to reinforce further the education efforts of the chapter recycling representative and to ensure the continuing success of the program. Representatives will be encouraged to actively participate in the monthly Sustainability Roundtable, with the ultimate goal of transitioning from a Panhellenic Sorority Sustainability Roundtable to a CalGreeks Sustainability Roundtable.
Once the program has been firmly established in the first wave of participating houses, the hope is to obtain a second grant from StopeWaste.org to extend the program to all housed fraternity chapters.
StopWaste.Org is the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board operating as one public agency. The Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction & Recycling Board is a joint powers agency comprised of the County of Alameda, each of the fourteen cities within the county, and two sanitary districts that also provide refuse collection and recycling services. StopWaste.Org offers a wide variety of programs in the areas of waste prevention, market development, technical assistance, and public education.
[Monday, August 3, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - Mario Carroll: National Alpha Phi Alpha Collegiate Brother of the Year
The following is an excerpt from Mario's nomination statement at this summer's Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Inc., national convention:
The Ancient Egyptian’s believed in a God named “Amun-Ra” meaning: “Hidden light,” “Hidden In the Sun,” and “Hidden to Gods and Men.” He represents the idea of perfection; something always out of reach and hidden from the sight of mortal men. And yet, he also symbolized the idea of one who can remain hidden in society while influencing things to flourish and grow. The symbolism of ‘the light’ is something that is central to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In fact, the dedication of their history book is, “To the youths who march onward and upward toward the light.” This quote represents the drive which exists in all Alpha Men to march toward their greatest good as human beings; an internal drive which led Mario to become involved with numerous organizations which serve the Berkeley campus and communities, and seek improvement within himself and in the world around him.
As he marches “toward the light,” he has reached his current phase of his journey by following the goals which mark his path, and by remaining steadfast as his deterrents loom hidden in the darkness. By holding himself and others around him to high standards; he not only helps uplift his community toward the goal of the “Greatest Good,” but he also does so while attempting to maintain his “common touch.”
As the current Vice President of Alpha Epsilon chapter, he is also the incumbent President of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UC Berkeley, and the Co-Executive Director for Cal Camp. Furthermore, he is currently employed as the Assistant Program Manager for the M3 Foundation; and his involvement with CalGreeks, as well as in developmental programs such as the Institute for Responsible Citizenship and the University Presidential Inaugural Conference, have allowed him to expand his networks and grow as a person. In this past year, as Chapter Vice President, he served on every program committee, including the Saving Our Inner City Youth Conference collaboration with the Gamma Phi Lambda Chapter in Berkeley. At this event they incorporated the March of Dimes Partnership program Project Alpha, as well as Go To High School, Go To College. His committee membership also included the _represent Campaign Kickoff, which incorporated A Voteless People is A Hopeless People and registered over 30 Black Undergrads at UC Berkeley on that night alone. Furthermore, he chaired the Brotherhood Weekend (Chapter Alumni Reunion) in which over 40 AE Alumni returned for brotherhood and fellowship.
Like the men selected to guard the Pyramids and Temples of Ancient Egypt, Mario's fellow brothers and community members selected him for these roles. It is in these roles that he remains steadfast in serving his community and guarding their well being. Through his roles within each of these organizations, he represents a high degree of personal integrity and self-sacrifice, while embodying leadership, humility, hard work, and service. Academically, Mario hold a 3.296 GPA; and received a 3.56 GPA this spring semester. During this past year, he was acknowledged as the CalGreeks Emerging Fraternity Leader of the Year, and was also presented with the SLAS Achievement Award and the COMTO Award of Merit.
[Thursday, July 23, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - Two Berkeley chapters recognized as the best.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., receives International Chapter of the Year Award for an outstanding year of activities:
Kappa Chapter held a program to help students think about what to do now in order to be financially healthy for the future. Some topics of discussion were loans, credit scores, and filing taxes. UC Berkeley Alumni Soror Mecca Shakoor shared some of the financial mistakes she made in college and how current students can avoid them. Students exclaimed how they appreciated that this information and left encouraged for saving more and spending less.
The program entitled, "Activism? is it in you?" revealed the unethical international practices of voting with hopes of emphasizing the importance of voting and appreciating the right to vote in the US.
The Chapter hosted its Woman to Woman (W2W) event, an annual program designed to strengthen communication and solidarity between the Black women on the UC Berkeley campus. This year?s theme was, ?There's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Why We Love To Hate Ourselves. Soror Dereca Blackmon was the keynote speaker who left the room of women inspired and empowered from her beautiful words of wisdom as she challenged the conceptions of beauty.
In honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in February, the Chapter, in association with the California Prevention and
Education Project (Cal-PEP), planned a mini health fair on Sproul Plaza, where Cal-PEP provided HIV Screening to students as well as education and safety materials.
That evening, there was an informational panel with health leaders and organizations speaking about HIV/AIDS within the Black community. There were around 35 to 40 people present, and 100 people got tested over the course of the day. As a result of this program, they were able to determine that there is a herpes outbreak amongst the campus? Black community, which stressed the importance of getting tested and having safe sex.
Based on an article by Tasha Denise Freeman, Kappa Chapter
Tau Kappa Epsilon reaches the top:
The UC Berkeley Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity chapter has been selected as a Top TKE Chapter for the 2008-2009 academic year.
This year's winners were chosen from a highly competitive group of applicants and the Cal chapter is one of only 10 total chapters, out of all the TKE chapters across the United States and Canada, chosen to receive this distinction. The selection was based on the chapter's high achievement in the following Awards of Excellence categories:
- Excellence in Recruitment - Chapter Size
- Excellence in Involvement - Community Service
- Excellence in Achievement - Academic Success
- Excellence in Achievement - Extracurricular Activities
The chapter, along with the other winners of the Top TKE Chapter Award, will be featured in the summer 2009 issue of The Teke magazine, and on the national website, www.tke.org.
The chapter will receive their award at the 55th Biennial Conclave in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 6-9, 2009.
[Tuesday, July 7, 2009]
FORT COLLINS, CO - Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life, Dr. Grahaeme A. Hesp has been appointed Director of Educational Programs for the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values effective July 1.
The Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values is the consolidated outcome of the Mid-American Greek Council Association (MGCA) and the Western Region Greek Association (WRGA). The primary focus of the Association is to stimulate the growth and development of fraternity/sorority council and chapter leaders by promoting leadership, educational, and values based experiences and resources for student leaders, their advisors, and the larger fraternal market. The newly combined membership (of the previous MGCA and WRGA) represents more than 250 campuses, nearly 500 organizational members, and 30 Associate members currently coming from across the United States and Canada.
The AFLV West Conference will run in conjunction with the National Cultural Greek Leadership Conference and be held in Orange County, CA April 8-11, 2010. The Western Conference is the oldest of all regional fraternal conferences and has been met regularly since its establishment in 1948.
[Tuesday, June 30, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - F&S Life has been successful in hiring a new graduate assistant for the upcoming school year. Alexis Cooke will be joining us in late July as she starts her master's degree in public health. She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Her primary duties with us involve advising the large, community-wide programs such as Greek Carnival, Greek Week, etc., and the local chapter of Order of Omega, the national Greek honor society.
As a way of introduction, she wrote the following:
I am a native to Washington D.C and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. Since graduating I have been working at Georgetown University as a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry. Within the department I work for the Center for Trauma and the Community which focuses on improving the mental health of low-income women and their families in the Washington D.C metropolitan area. While at Berkeley I will be obtaining my MPH in the Health and Social Behavior program. In the Spring of 2006 I joined the Omega Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated and have been active in Greek Life ever since.
Welcome to Berkeley, Alexis!
[Wednesday, June 10, 2009]
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation, the charitable and educations arm of the Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, selected five University of California Sigma Alpha Mu students to receive scholarships totaling $3,000:
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Ajay A. Pael, S. David Coleman Scholarship
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Michael H. McCarron, L & S Milken Scholarship
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Nicholas S. Dufau, L & S Milken Scholarship
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Hassaan A. Iqbal, Andrew Shapiro Scholarship
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Miqdad Valjee, Harold R. Stiefel memorial Scholarship
Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity was founded in 1909 at the College of the City of New York as a Fraternity of Jewish men. Today, the Fraternity operates on 58 campuses in the United States and Canada. All Foundation scholarships are permanently endowed by members and friends of Sigma Alpha Mu.
[Wednesday, June 10, 2009]
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Bay Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, recognized the University of California, Berkeley for the ongoing Fraternity & Sorority Life Student Housing Disaster Preparedness Program. The award recognizes the contributions of the program in helping the Red Cross achieve its goal of training one million community members in disaster awareness through its Prepare Bay Area initiative.
Inspired by the fact that the Hayward earthquake fault lies adjacent to the Cal student community, over the last year Fraternity & Sorority Life staff partnered with Gil Dong, deputy fire chief of the City of Berkeley and worked with officers of the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Multi-Cultural Greek Council, staff from the American Red Cross, and representatives from the University Co-Operative Association to develop and implement a comprehensive Student Housing Disaster Preparedness Program. This team formed a Disaster Preparedness working group to create the operations and training aspects of the program. Chief Dong applied for an $18,000 grant from the Super Urban Security Initiative (SUASI) of Homeland Security to provide students with the necessary tools for a disaster. The grant enabled the distribution of seven disaster equipment caches within the student community; five directly housed in various fraternity and sorority houses on Berkeley's Southside. The disaster equipment caches were delivered in March 2008 and the IFC and PHC Councils changed their Greek Social Code to mandate basic preparedness training through Red Cross Web Casts and online video, or live presentations by the Berkeley Fire Department staff. Additionally, each housed chapter sends 10 percent of its residents to Community Emergency Response Training facilitated by staff of the Berkeley Fire Department. This training is in fire suppression, disaster first aid, light search and rescue, radio communications, and incident command systems.
This program for the UC Berkeley student community is the first of its kind in the nation and several national Greek-letter organizations have expressed interest in duplicating it throughout the country and for a variety of disasters besides earthquakes.
Madelyn Mackie, program manager for the Red Cross Prepare Bay Area initiative said, "The impact of this unique program will extend beyond the boundaries of the University of California, Berkeley. Disasters threaten communities all across the country and students from the Fraternity & Sorority Life Student Housing Disaster Preparedness Program are now - and will continue to be - equipped, trained, and ready to respond to help all of their fellow man wherever they happen to reside in times of crisis."
Dr. Grahaeme Hesp, director of fraternity & sorority life said: "This program is an outstanding example of how federal, state, and local agencies, private agencies, and students can - and should - collaborate to improve the community. This program "changed the culture" of disaster preparedness with the fraternity and sorority members living in organized off-campus housing."
This award follows the recognition in January 2009 by NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education with a Silver Award in the Student Union, Student Activities, Greek Life, Leadership, and related category. The NASPA Excellence Awards recognize the contributions of member-institutions that are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration. The citation haled the Disaster Preparedness Program as among the best in the Association and testament to the dedication and commitment that Berkeley has to providing high-quality student affairs programs on the campus.
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, provides relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The Bay Area Chapter is one of the leading American Red Cross chapters in the country (serving over 4.5 million people), and manages the daily operations of over 3,000 volunteers and 100 employees.
With more than 11,000 members at 1,400 campuses, and representing 30 countries, NASPA is the leading professional association for student affairs administrators, faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students.
[Wednesday, May 28, 2009]
PLAINFIELD, IN - Triangle Fraternity is pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Johnson, University of California, Berkeley '09 who will join the staff on July 1. Ryan will be serving as the Fraternity’s Chapter Development Consultant.
Ryan’s primary duties will include making consultation visits focusing on Triangle’s newly installed chapters (from 2005 to present), colonies, and interest groups. He will also spend time cultivating alumni relations in key areas and be instrumental in the Fraternity’s expansion process. Ryan will serve as a facilitator at all Triangle leadership development events, promote resources provided by the Triangle Education Foundation, and act as Triangle’s ambassadors for all audiences.
National President, Kevin Robertson marq92 also commented, “As the Headquarters team transitions to Ryan, I am confident he will bring energy and passion to Triangle as we enter a new era of growth and leadership programming to the Fraternity.”
Triangle Fraternity was founded in 1907 at the University of Illinois. Today more than 25,000 men have been initiated into the organization. The purpose of Triangle is to develop balanced men in the fields of Engineering, Architecture, and Science by providing an environment which fosters personal growth and professional success.
[Wednesday, May 20, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - The Alpha Tau Omega Foundation of Berkeley, the educational foundation branch of Cal's Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, recently awarded 13 scholarships to members of the CalGreeks' community. Applications were solicited from both male and female members of our fraternities and sororities and recognition was made for service, academics, and leadership both in the CalGreeks' community and the wider community.
The 2009 recipients are:
Omead Barari (Alpha Tau Omega)
Michelle Chang (Gamma Phi Beta)
Natalie Cruz (Kappa Alpha Theta)
Jeremiha Douglas (Kappa Alpha Order)
Benjamin Elkin (Alpha Epsilon Pi)
Danielle Gersh (Kappa Alpha Theta)
Andrew Gil (Alpha Tau Omega)
Jared Kelly (Alpha Tau Omega)
Shaun Lacey (Alpha Tau Omega)
Patrick Lam (Pi Alpha Phi)
Melissa Medina (Alpha Chi Omega)
Kathleen McGuirk (Alpha Chi Omega)
Benjamin Yarin (Alpha Epsilon Pi)
Congratulations to all recipients!
[Monday, May 11, 2009]
ST. LOUIS, MO - Theta Xi Fraternity’s national board of directors has taken action to cease active chapter operations as of Monday, May 11, 2009 at the Nu Chapter on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The chapter’s charter has been placed on dormant status which includes ceasing chapter operations at the present time. University administrators are in agreement with this action and have agreed to work in cooperation with the Fraternity’s national organization and the local Theta Xi alumni association to reorganize on campus as early as fall 2011.
The Fraternity has offered the undergraduate members of the chapter the opportunity to transfer to alumni status.
Action to close down chapter operations was taken in response to the failure of the Cal chapter’s officers and members to abide by the Fraternity and University’s policies and guidelines in numerous areas related to social events and the service of alcoholic beverages.
When the chapter was found in violation of Fraternity policies, Theta Xi’s national office staff consulted extensively with local alumni officers and University administrators to determine an appropriate response. Theta Xi’s national board of directors decided that ceasing chapter operations for a period of time was the most responsible action to take to demonstrate the Fraternity’s commitment that its members exhibit responsible behavior, and to achieve the long term goal of remaining a part of the Cal Greek community.
The University of California, Berkeley chapter was chartered on March 22, 1910 as the first Theta Xi chapter on the West Coast; the chapter has initiated over 1,000 members.
Theta Xi Fraternity has undergraduate chapters and colonies on 55 campuses throughout the United States and over 67,000 members since its founding in 1864.
[Tuesday, April 28, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - Presidents must complete the summer contact form and submit it to 102 Sproul Hall no later than 4 PM on May 15, 2009. ALL chapters (housed AND unhoused) need to complete and return this form as part of the annual recognition process.
It is also important that chapters (both housed and unhoused) understand that all intake/recruitment/rush activities throughout the summer are coordinated by the four CalGreeks Councils. As such, chapters are specifically prohibited from hosting any events for CalSO students or visiting residence halls for intake/recruitment/rush purposes. Once again, we are working with University Housing to provide volunteer opportunities with move in weekend; look for specific details coming soon.
Moving this spring? Do your part to keep our city clean and green; share the attached “Move Out” flyer with your members. Here are four easy steps to a smart and sustainable move:
Plan Ahead. Start thinking about what you’ll take, store or discard. Know what goes and what stays.
Donate or Sell. The City of Berkeley’s Reuse Guide lists local organizations that will accept reusable furniture, appliances, and clothing. Visit http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/pw/swm/reuseguide.pdf. You can also sell your items online at sites like Craigslist or eBay.
Cal’s Bear-ly Used Furniture Drive
ASUC Auxiliary will collect reusable furniture and household items that will be donated or sold at the beginning of the fall semester. All proceeds benefit the Berkeley Food and Housing Project.
Drop-off Center: May 13-24, 1:00 - 6:00 pm daily, 2427 Dwight Way (1/2 block west of Telegraph Ave.)
To schedule a pick-up from May 13-31 (for UCB students only) or for more info call, email or visit: 510-642-114 asucrsvp@berkeley.edu or www.bearlyuseddrive.com.
Use special student move-out debris bins. For anything left over, look for the specially marked debris bins in areas near campus May 20 through June 5 to dispose of unwanted items that cannot be recycled or reused. No toxic items, please! Paints, chemicals or electronic devices contaminate the entire bin and make all of the items unfit for recycling and reuse. Recycle. Bundle newspapers and cardboard and use the city’s blue bins to recycle cans and bottles on your regular recycling day. Computers, televisions, stereos and electronic gadgets should never be put into garbage cans, debris bins or placed curbside. They are considered hazardous waste and need to be disposed of properly. The Alameda County Computer Resource Center picks up anything with a plug, working or not. Call 510-528-4052 or visit ACCRC’s website at www.accrc.org.
For housed chapters, please remember that the Recognition Agreement and policies surrounding social events, neighborhood relations, etc., apply during the summer months for all tenants, whether members of your organization or not. Thus, each chapter is responsible for the behaviors of tenants and will be held responsible for any breach of policies, procedures, City ordinances, or laws. Please ensure your tenants are cognizant of the importance of neighbor relations throughout the summer. The last thing your chapter members need is to return from a summer away to find the property under a second response notice.
Good luck with the end of the semester and finals. Have a great, relaxing, and peaceful summer. Jamie, and I will be here throughout and Maria will join us June 1 so feel free to drop by, call, or email with any questions.
[Friday, April 17]
BERKELEY, CA - Next year's ASUC president will be Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity rising senior, Will Smelko, Tu Tran will be executive vice president, John Tran will be academic affairs vice president and Pi Beta Phi rising senior, Dani Haber will be external affairs vice president.
"There's so much work to do," Smelko said. "I'm so excited that this school is going to be in good hands now ... we're going to turn it around for the better."
[Wednesday, April 15, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - Maria Iglesia will join the Center for Student Leadership staff on June 1 as the newest member of the fraternity & sorority life team. At the recent Western Region Greek Association leadership conference in San Francisco, Maria, Jamie, and Grahaeme met to discuss functional responsibilities within the F&S Life area. Acknowledging specific strengths and personal growth areas, we decided to effect some changes once Maria arrives. These changes were announced to the executives of our governing councils at the conference and will be transitioned throughout the summer and early fall.
Jamie Thompson will remain the frontline advisor for the Interfraternity Council executives and IFC-member chapters; she will also remain as advisor for the National Pan-Hellenic Council executives and NPHC-member chapters.
Maria will become the frontline advisor for the Multi-Cultural Greek Council executives and MCGC-member chapters; she will transition to the role of Panhellenic Council advisor working with the PHC council executives and PHC-member chapters with Jamie working closely with Maria over the summer and early fall to ensure a strong PHC fall formal recruitment. Maria will also be the campus liaison for all the professional house directors in our housed community.
These changes will release Grahaeme to concentrate on building relations with F&S alumni (including the IFC Fraternity Alumni Council), fundraising, and other such key aspects that develop from the ongoing 20/20 Vision strategic planning process; be more hands-on with the Order of Omega - National Greek Honors Society; strengthen the advocacy role in conduct matters; all while strengthening existing partnerships across campus and building external relations to better the entire community.
This is a dynamic and exciting time for the Center for Student Leadership and our internationally award-winning fraternity & sorority community. Please feel free to contact Grahaeme to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with any aspect of this restructuring.
[Saturday, April 4, 2009]
BURLINGAME, CA - The CalGreeks' community was recognized at the Western Region Greek Association leadership conference for Inter-Greek relations. The WRGA Inter-Greek Relations Award recognized the community's ability and innovation in promoting the campus chapters to interact, to build relationships through programming and/or low-competition activities. Applications were reviewed for creative approaches, uniqueness, level of success, and level of participation.
In addition, Jeremiha Douglas (in his role as IFC VP External) participated in the annual Order of Omega Case Study Competition. He partnered with our newest staff member (Maria Iglesia- she starts on June 1st) and placed 3rd out of six teams! Shaun Lacey (in his role as IFC VP Programming) participated in the annual Order of Omega Case Study Competition with Jamie Thompson and placed second. Both came with cash prizes.
The Western Region Greek Association Leadership Conference is the oldest of the regional conferences and has met regularly since its establishment in 1948. Presently there are approximately 60 campuses throughout the 14 Western United States and 2 Western Canadian Provinces that hold membership in WRGA and attend the annual conference.
[Friday, March 27, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA — Oakland Police Sgt. Daniel Sakai, who was killed on Saturday, March 21, along with three of his fellow officers, leaves behind many mourning friends on the UC Berkeley campus.
Daniel Sakai was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity at Cal and graduated from the College of Natural Resources in 1996 with a degree in forestry and natural resources and also worked as a community service officer (CSO) with the UC Berkeley Police Department from 1992 to 1997. His wife, Jennifer Sakai, is a training officer on the UCPD force.
Sakai, who was 35, leaves behind a young daughter as well as his wife. The thoughts and prayers of the CalGreeks' community are with the Sakai family.
[Monday, March 02, 2009]
BERKELEY, CA - The University of California, Berkeley removed recognition from the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity chapter last week for a minimum of four years following hazing, fire and life safety violations, social code violations, and non-compliance with prior sanctions.
The University’s Dean of Students, Jonathan Poullard, acted to withdraw University recognition upon the recommendation of the campus’ conduct panel made up of faculty, staff, and student representatives.
The 30-man chapter, located at 2302 Piedmont Way, was founded at Cal in 1876 and loss of University recognition follows several repeated attempts by University staff, chapter alumni and volunteers, and staff from the chapter headquarters to affect a culture change in the undergraduate membership.
[Monday, January 5, 2009]
WASHINGTON, DC - NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, recognized the University of California, Berkeley Fraternity & Sorority Life Student Housing Disaster Preparedness Program with a Silver Award in the Student Union, Student Activities, Greek Life, Leadership, and related category. The NASPA Excellence Awards recognize the contributions of member-institutions that are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration. The citation haled the Disaster Preparedness Program as among the best in the Association and testament to the dedication and commitment that Berkeley has to providing high-quality student affairs programs on the campus.
Inspired by the fact that the Hayward earthquake fault lies adjacent to the Cal student community, over the last year Fraternity & Sorority Life staff partnered with Gil Dong, deputy fire chief of the City of Berkeley and worked with officers of the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Multi-Cultural Greek Council, staff from the American Red Cross, and representatives from the University Co-Operative Association to develop and implement a comprehensive Student Housing Disaster Preparedness Program. This team formed a Disaster Preparedness working group to create the operations and training aspects of the program. Chief Dong applied for an $18,000 grant from the Super Urban Security Initiative (SUASI) of Homeland Security to provide students with the necessary tools for a disaster. The grant enabled the distribution of seven disaster equipment caches within the student community; five directly housed in various fraternity and sorority houses on Berkeley's Southside. The disaster equipment caches were delivered in March 2008 and the IFC and PHC Councils changed their Greek Social Code to mandate basic preparedness training through Web Casts, online video, or live presentations by the Berkeley Fire Department. Additionally, each housed chapter sends 10 percent of its residents to Community Emergency Response Training facilitated by staff of the Berkeley Fire Department. This training is in fire suppression, disaster first aid, light search and rescue, radio communications, and incident command systems.
This program for the UC Berkeley student community is the first of its kind in the nation and several national Greek-letter organizations have expressed interest in duplicating it throughout the country and for a variety of disasters besides earthquakes.
Dr. Grahaeme Hesp, director of fraternity & sorority life said: "This program is an outstanding example of how federal, state, and local agencies, private agencies, and students can - and should - collaborate to improve the community. This program "changed the culture" of disaster preparedness with the fraternity and sorority members living in organized off-campus housing."
With more than 11,000 members at 1,400 campuses, and representing 30 countries, NASPA is the leading professional association for student affairs administrators, faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students.
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