Staff Appreciation Week

Fall Staff Appreciation Week 2022 

October 17 - 22, 2022

Expand Your Community & Skills: Meet Your Staff Orgs

Monday, October 17
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Location: Zoom Meeting

Meet Berkeley staff organizations and learn how to get involved!

Join using this link

Free Coffee!

Tuesday, October 18
Serving 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. 

Location: Goldie’s at the Student Union

Head over to Goldie's for a free cup of drip coffee (provided by Peet's), tea, pastry, or banana courtesy of People & Culture. Must be present and show staff ID to receive. /////   Goldie's is proud to be an Eat Well Berkeley restaurant.

Disrupting the Status Quo: Strategic Advocacy

Tuesday, October 18
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Watch the recording On-Demand

Lasana O. Hotep photoBerkeley is known as a place that continuously disrupts the status quo. But not all advocacy efforts are as successful as others. In this session, Lasana Hotep, Director of DEIB at UC Berkeley, will share approaches gleaned from a career successfully advocating for change in a variety of organizations, institutions, and systems. Participants will leave understanding how they can strategically influence positive changes in their organizations.

Lasana O. Hotep leads the Office of DEIB at UC Berkeley. Lasana’s leadership experience spans broad educational and administrative arenas including his service as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Equity for the Peralta Community College District, the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Estrella Mountain Community College, Dean of Special Programs and Grants at Merritt College, and the inaugural Dean of Student Equity and Support Programs at Skyline College.

As an educator, Lasana has delivered talks throughout the United States and internationally in Beijing, China and Accra, Ghana. Lasana is published in edited volumes including; African American Men in College (Jossey-Bass, 2006), The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life (Atira/Simon Simon & Schuster, 2008), and is co-author of Minding the Obligation Gap: Striving for Equity in Community Colleges and Beyond.

In-Person Bingo

Wednesday, October 19
3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location: Pauley Ballroom

Enjoy IN-PERSON Bingo at Pauley Ballroom with your colleagues and get a chance to win prizes!

Bingo for Remote Staff

Thursday, October 20
12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Location: Online

RSVP and join us for VIRTUAL Bingo with your fellow Berkeley staff and win some great prizes!

Round 1 RSVP

Round 2 RSVP

Round 3 RSVP

Explore the Berkeley Campus!

Friday, October 21
12 - 1 p.m. & 3 - 4 p.m.

Location: To be shared with confirmed RSVPs

Whether you are new to campus, have recently returned after working remotely, or have been here for years, explore our beautiful campus on a guided tour. Choose from an hour-long tour at 12pm, or 3pm. Tours are limited to 35 people each, so register early to snag a spot.

Cal vs. Washington Football Game

Saturday, October 22
TBA

Location: Memorial Stadium

Be on the lookout for our Staff Appreciation Week reminder e-mail next week to get (2) free tickets for the Cal home football game on 10/22.

Ongoing Offerings

We asked you in the September 2020 Employee Morale Survey which forms of appreciation were most meaningful to you as a UC Berkeley staff member. Explore offerings based on the top 3 responses:

  • Ongoing opportunities for professional development
  • Words of appreciation
  • Perks always available to UC Berkeley employees 

Explore Past Offerings

June 2022

Money Talks: How to Effectively Negotiate at Berkeley

Monday, June 6
2:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. via Zoom Meeting

Learn the 6 salary setting situations and 6 principles that are considered when determining equitable salaries at Berkeley, and negotiation strategies that will benefit everyone, especially women of color. 

The session will include an overview about salary setting at Berkeley, contextualized by J.S. Henderson, Director of Total Rewards, and offers best practices and strategies presented by guest speaker, Jacqueline Twillie, a global expert on Women’s Leadership.

Watch on-demand - Money Talks

View the Money Talks slidedeck

Coffee provided by Peet's

Tuesday, June 7th
Serving 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. 

Location: Goldie’s at the Student Union

Take a snack or wellness break and head over for a free cup of drip coffee (provided by Peets) and a pastry courtesy of People & Culture. Must be present and show staff ID to receive.

Sound Bath and Healing Meditation

Tuesday, June 7th
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. via Zoom Webinar

Sound Bath returns this Staff Appreciation Week with Maryzelle Undo. Experience the healing frequencies and sounds of the crystal quartz bowls and bring balance, peace, and harmony into your physical, mental, and energetic body. The bath that will be in service to you and will include an intentionally tuned 7- Chakra Crystal bowl set, meaning each bowl is tuned to the similar frequencies of each chakra in the chakra energy system. When received, this can look and feel like a promotion in sleep, mood, and health, and a decline in stress and anxiety. Please join Maryzelle for an hour of healing, grounding and love. Learn more about Maryzelle and her sound healing practice.

WATCH THE SOUND BATH ON DEMAND

Maryzelle is a San Franscican born Salvadorena-American who is passionate and committed to a life of music and healing. While exploring healing, love, and light in her inner universe, Maryzelle transmutes healing, love and light to her outer universe by hosting and creating sound-baths and sound-healing events across the Bay Area. She utilizes a range of instruments and mediums including crystal quartz bowls, tibetan bowls, tuning forks, electric guitar, african drums, gongs, electronics, bells, divinity, and love. She also actively works in the San Francisco Music Industry as a Music Studio Assistant, a radio host, a co-director, A music promoting researcher, photographer, and music journalist. Her work can be recognized at Hyde Street Music Studios, 102.5 KXSF Radio, and Psyched Radio.

Berkeley Staff Carnival

Friday, June 10th
2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Location: Upper & Lower Sproul

Play outdoor games with other staff and enjoy a live DJ! Bring your Cal ID. There'll be something for everyone.  

Test your strength on high strike, challenge a co-worker on the meltdown or snap a silly pic in one of four photo booths!

Entertainment, activities, and games:

  • DJ 

  • Bubble Machines

  • Bungee Run 

  • Corn Hole

  • Dance Dance Revolution

  • Giant Jenga 

  • Giant Connect Four 

  • Foosball Table

  • King of the Hammer

  • Meltdown

  • Mini Golf 

  • Penguin Feeding Frenzy

  • Puttskee

  • Photo Booths

  • Pinball Machines

  • Shoot to Win 

  • Skee Ball 

  • Sticky Drag Race 

  • Teddy Bear Toss

Snack and Beverage 

  • Four water stations are available 

  • Individually Bagged Popcorn

  • Sparkling Waters

October 2021

Sound Healing

Sound Healing

Our ever-popular sonic event returns! Connect with your physical senses, practice restorative rest and gently tune into self-compassion through Sound Healing.  

You’re invited to join this trauma-informed, livestream session to connect with your physical senses and to gently tune into self-compassion. Using guided breathwork and nature imagery along with the sounds of singing bowls the calming soundscape will invite you to practice restorative rest.

The sounds from alchemy quartz crystal singing bowls can be impactful physically on the mind/body and support the brain entering a theta (or pre-sleep) state, allowing the mind to settle, the parasympathetic nervous system to engage, and the body to access all the benefits of deep rest.

This practice will also invite you to notice how you hold stress and trauma in the body. For those who have been directly or indirectly impacted by trauma, this is an opportunity to let the body take a break from constant fight-flight-freeze and access restorative rest. To learn more about the benefits of crystal singing bowls, read, The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation.
Joy Evans, MSW (she/her) combines trauma-healing modalities with sound and forest therapy to lead people out of the perpetual stress response, to reconnect with the details of the senses and return to clarity, centered self, and calm.

Bingo!

Bingo!

Clickety click - it’s time for virtual Bingo with your fellow Berkeley staff and win some cool prizes! 

Cal Spirit Day

Cal Spirit Day

Come to the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) on Friday, 10/22 for awesome Cal swag OR two tickets to the weekend football game (see below). You'll also get a free pack of Clorox wipes because, well, Covid.

Cal vs. Colorado

Cal vs. Colorado

You're invited to a Cal home football game vs. Colorado on Oct. 23. Two tickets per staff member. Tickets will be on a first-come first-serve basis on Oct. 22 at the RSF main entrance from 12-2pm. Must have a Cal1Card to receive tickets.

June 2021

Berkeley Trivia hosted by Chancellor Christ

Berkeley Trivia hosted by Chancellor Christ

Hosted by Chancellor Christ

Think you know Berkeley? Then join your colleagues for a special Berkekey focused trivia game. Several live contestants will have a chance to win raffle prizes.

Career Q&A with UC Berkeley Career Experts

Career Q&A with UC Berkeley Career Experts

Presented by Lisa Rykert and Rebecca Anderson

This is your chance to ask any career, interview, or resume question you've ever had and hear answers from Career Experts, Lisa Rykert and Rebecca Anderson. Also learn what strategies will help you advance at UCB and beyond. This will be an informal session tailored to answering your questions- so come ready!

American Reckoning: A Conversation on Anti-Blackness in Post George Floyd America

American Reckoning: A Conversation on Anti-Blackness in Post George Floyd America

Watch the recording

A panel discussion featuring national thought leaders: Dr. Keisha Blain, Jeff Chang, Rosa Clemente, and Tim Wise. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Ula Y. Taylor, Chair of African American Studies.

Sound Bath Meditation

Sound Bath Meditation

Presented by Melissa Felsenstein

Enjoy a meditative sound bath brought to you by Melissa Felsenstein of Inner Sounds Yoga. Experience a deeper sense of relaxation and renewal as you are immersed in tone and vibration of quartz crystal bowls and other instruments. Simply lay down and receive sound while reducing your stress and releasing tension.

How to Win from Any Angle

How to Win from Any Angle

Presentation recording

Presented by Maurice Evans and Justin Panarese

Join Maurice Evans, 11-year NBA veteran for a moderated discussion on redefining success, channeling your inner resilience and winning from any angle.

December 2020

Moving from career uncertainty to career exploration

Moving from career uncertainty to career exploration

Presentation slides

Presentation recording

Often it seems there is an unspoken rule that we must have it all figured out - we need an entry career plan, a five-year plan, and even a plan for what we will do during retirement! The need to have ‘the answer’ to our careers implies there IS an answer, when in fact our careers (and lives) are unique, evolving, and impossible to define. This session will reframe career uncertainty and anxiety into healthy career exploration and an open-minded approach.


Presented by:

Rebecca Andersen, Director of Career Services & Alumni Relations at the Graduate School of Information

Rebecca has been on campus since 2007, starting in environmental protection. A career changer herself, Rebecca is a co-founder of the Berkeley Facilitator's Network, a working parent, and (for now) an educator to two little ones! Rebecca is also working on a doctorate of educational leadership at UC Davis, focusing on equity in STEM careers.

Informational Interviewing

Informational Interviewing

Presentation recording

Presentation slides

Expand your career strategy toolkit and your campus connections by learning how to conduct engaging informational interviews, even while working remotely.


Presented by:

Lisa Rykert (she/her/hers), Career & Professional Development Lead

Linda Lundberg (she/her/hers), Transition Services Lead

Lisa Rykert serves as the Career & Professional Development Lead on the People & Organization Development team within UC Berkeley People & Culture. Her focus on campus is to support staff career growth and mobility with the goal of helping people to love the work they do and do the work they love within a diverse and inclusive environment of belonging.

Linda Lundberg has been with UC Berkeley since 2009 and leads the Transition Services Program within Talent Acquisition, People & Culture. Linda has a passion for providing resourceful, innovative and motivating career guidance, and is very enthusiastic about all things related to employment.

Navigate Change and Gain Agency in your Career Goals

Navigate Change and Gain Agency in your Career Goals

Presentation recording

Learn tools to effectively navigate work during times of change and uncertainty. This session is designed to inspire you with ways to create joy in your day-to-day work, and give you a sense of agency in your career goals.


Presented by:

Catherine Ciano, PhD, Psychologist

Emma Strong, Academic Advisor, Fall Program for Freshmen

Dr. Catherine Ciano is a Psychologist and Teaming Strategist who uses her understanding of people and process to enable change. She hosts the Authentic Work podcast to help people align who they are with how they work.

Emma Strong is an instructional design and facilitation enthusiast with a passion for public speaking, learning, and training. She has led workshops at the UC Berkeley NOW Conference, and has facilitated sessions for the Advancing Practice professional development program for academic advisors on campus.