College Updates  

Beginning the week of September 29th, students adding to the degree list for Fall 2008 graduation will have to attach a $5 check, made payable to "UC Regents," to their "Add to the Degree List" petition.

Considering the psych major? The prospective psychology major orientation is Wednesday, October 1 from 5-6 pm in 159 Mulford Hall. They'll talk about the major, prerequisites to the major, the application process, graduate school and more.

If you are considering withdrawing for the Fall 2008 semester, keep in mind that October 17th is the last day to withdraw before the "Semester-out" rule is imposed. This rule means that if students withdraw after the 8th week (October 17th), then they will be ineligible to enroll at Berkeley for one semester.

Are you torn between a simultaneous love for the social sciences and the natural sciences? Well, Public Health may just be the major for you! It is an interdisciplinary field that combines the studies of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health behavior and health policy in order to cultivate skills for solving problems on public health. It is important to note that Public Health is one of the college's "capped majors," meaning that admission to these majors are restricted due to very high student demand. It is beneficial for students applying to capped majors to map out a back-up plan just in case they do not gain admission. Usually, students cannot apply to one of these majors after they have exceeded 80 units, so plan accordingly! For more information on the Public Health major, go to this website: http://ls-major.berkeley.edu/pubhealth.html

Besides being a world-renowned university, Cal is also a leader on the playing field, with over 27 different teams representing the blue and gold. Excluding football and men's basketball, all matches are free for students with Cal ID. So, take a study break and root for your Golden Bears in one of the many home matches this year. For more information, click here: http://calbears.cstv.com/

In its history, Cal has won 76 national team championships in 13 different sports and has also captured 127 individual national titles.

College Deadlines
After you get over your shock that the semester is almost a quarter over, remember that the end of next week (Friday, September 26) marks the deadline to add and drop classes and to change your grading option from P/NP to a letter-grade. Remember how your CalSO counselors encouraged the "shop and drop" strategy? While you may have mentally dropped some classes and have stopped attending them, you may have forgotten to drop said classes on Telebears. Before it slips your mind, go on Telebears and make sure that your schedule is up-to-date.

Do you think that you can give Al Gore a run for his money on how much you care about the Earth and the policies surrounding our footprint? The major in Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) allows students to combine their concerns for the environment and human welfare with a firm foundation in economics and policy. Related career options include, but are not limited to, law, government, international development, public policy, academia, and business. The major looks at government's influence on domestic use of natural resources, but really focuses on the international scope. So, if you are jumping up and down with glee about the prospect of majoring in EEP, then go to this link for more information: http://ls-major.berkeley.edu/envecon.html

Not only does your status as a Berkeley student bring about "oooos" and "ahhhs" with relatives and family friends, but it also comes with an array of benefits. One of the coolest and most unknown of these perks are half-off ticket prices at the famous Zellerbach Hall. Located right in lower Sproul, the theater brings renowned dance companies, musical artists, and symphonies, to name a few, to Berkeley. For more information, visit this link: http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/

Physics Professor George Smoot is the most recent of seven UC Berkeley faculty members who have won a Nobel Prize. In 2006, he and John C. Mather received the coveted award for their groundbreaking research on the Big Bang theory.

EDD: The Sequel

Along the lines of being repetitive and redundant and repetitive and redundant and repetitive and redundant, I would like to give another friendly reminder that the last day to drop an Early Drop Deadline (EDD) class is Friday, September 5th. Classes designated as EDD are: Arabic 1A, Biology 1A and 1AL, Biology 1B, L&S C70V, Persian 1A, Physics 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, C10, Sociology 3 & 3AC, and Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8.

Ang Lee is Awesome!

That's just a fact. In relation to that, the opportunity to discuss Ang Lee's films is now open to all undergraduates in the College of Letters and Science, as opposed to just the new students. Students who wish to sign up for a session can do so at: https://ls.berkeley.edu/onthesamepage/discussions/registration/sessions_list

These sessions are a great venue to interact with faculty in an informal, small-group setting. All of his films are readily available at local video outlets, Netflix, and the Media Resource Center at Moffitt and you must view the film under discussion before your session. If these discussions don't peak your interest enough, any L&S student who attends one of these sessions will be entered into a drawing to have lunch with Ang Lee and James Schamus in March. Yes, you read it right! So, after you pick yourself up off the ground from falling out of your chair in shock and delight, go to the website and sign up!

One of the more recent additions to the Letters and Science major repertoire, Peace and Conflict Studies (or as the cool kids like to call it, "PACS") critically analyzes the social, economic, political, and ecological structures of conflict, power, and processes of change. As such, the major is interdisciplinary and draws from Political Science, History, Ethnic Studies, and Anthropology, to name a few. At the very core of the program, PACS studies how war can be transformed through the application of diplomacy and knowledge. Within the PACS major are areas of concentration, which include Human Security, Global Governance, Culture and Identity, Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, and Nonviolence. If you are interested in international relations, global affairs, mediation, and/or peacekeeping, then the PACS major may be calling your name. For even more information, check out this link: http://ias.berkeley.edu/iastp2006/ProgramProfile.asp?code=PACS