The Most Exciting Time of Year: August Move-In & Golden Bear Orientation

July 16, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

Our campus community will welcome about 8,500 new undergraduate students this fall. Move-In and Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) are coming in August. Campus and the neighboring streets will be a hub of activity as new students, and their families and supporters, learn their way around UC Berkeley.

As Chancellor Christ said to students during GBO last year, “For all of us who work in higher education, this is the most exciting time of year because we’re surrounded by beginnings.” GBO was a great success largely because faculty and staff provided a warm and welcoming environment. Please consider getting involved this fall — you will help shape the Berkeley experience for new undergraduates. Sign up to volunteer!

Parking on Move-In Day, Tuesday, August 14

To ease the greater-than-average traffic congestion anticipated, campus leadership asks department chairs and managers to:

  • Review business for that day and offer staff alternatives to traveling to campus, such as telecommuting or approving requested vacation days.

  • Consider holding planning meetings, retreats, and other activities off-site that day.

If you are able to work remotely or take public transportation to work, we urge you to do so. If you need to be on campus that day, please note:

  • Bike, walk, or take public transit, if possible.

  • Campus parking will be extremely limited in most cases.

  • If you must drive to campus, factor in additional traffic congestion and commuting time (for example, thirty additional minutes each way), and be prepared to park in alternate lots away from campus, including public pay lots.

During the week of GBO, August 15–21, large groups of students will be walking around campus. Here’s a peek at what the week looks like for these students as they transition into Golden Bear life: GBO sample schedules

For more information about Golden Bear Orientation 2018, its events, and volunteer details, please attend the New Student Services Campus Partners Meeting for All Faculty and Staff on August 1, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Valley Life Sciences Building room 2050.

You may also review the GBO FAQs for Faculty and Staff, contact New Student Services at nss@berkeley.edu, or visit the Golden Bear Orientation website. For key new student dates, see our Dates & Deadlines page.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our incoming undergraduate students.

Sincerely,

The Golden Bear Orientation Steering Committee

Stephen C. Sutton (co-chair), Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Catherine P. Koshland (co-chair), Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education
Oscar Dubón, Jr., Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion
Bob Jacobsen, Dean, Undergraduate Studies, College of Letters and Science
Philip Kaminsky, Executive Associate Dean, College of Engineering

If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.

via Calmessages