May 31, 2007 UC Families (Family & Career in Academic Settings) Newsletter Circulation: 1,016 Moderator: Karie Frasch email: ucfam@lists.berkeley.edu Website: http://parents.berkeley.edu/ucfamilies Post a Message or a Reply: http://parents.berkeley.edu/post_ucfam.html MODERATOR FOLLOW-UP NOTE: Thank you to those who sent comments and feedback about a potential new name for the newsletter (see postings below). A number of people felt that ‘Balancing Academic Careers and Family’ excluded those in non-academic positions at UC, which was not the intention. We’d like to try: “Family and Career in Academic Settings” but will retain the UC Families part for now. Hopefully this will more accurately describe the purpose of the newsletter, while at the same time being inclusive of all members of the UC community. Thanks for your continued support of this newsletter, and as always your feedback is welcome. ----------------------------------------- * Contents ----------------------------------------- New Postings *New title for newsletter *New book by Mary Ann Mason Responses *Considering move from Stanford to Cal *UC childcare vs. others *Spouse to a doctoral candidate Media “Opting Out Discussion Reaches the Tipping Point” New members ----------------------------------------- * New Postings ----------------------------------------- Feedback on the new name ------------------------------------------- Your new name is rather limiting - most employees of UC aren't Academics...particularly those of us with young kids. How about Life/Work Issues for Campus Community Families Feeling Dissed new title for newsletter ------------------------------------------- Hi, I don't have an ''academic career'' though I work at UC. I don't feel that the new title includes me or someone in my position (and I think there are many of us staff members in the same boat). What about something broader like ''Family Life at UC and Beyond''? Thanks for considering us who aren't ''academics''! Nadja Newsletter title ------------------------------------------- My only objection to changing the newsletter name to ‘Balancing Academic Careers and Family’ is that the name excludes staff of UC. If you are finding that most of the members are students/faculty, and most of the posts are purely academic-related, then maybe this isn't a problem. Just a thought... Thanks for all the work you do to make this happen! New book by Mary Ann Mason (Grad. Dean and author of “Do Babies Matter” articles) ------------------------------------------- Mary Ann Mason, Dean of the Graduate Division until the end of June, has a new book out with her daughter called, ''Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers.'' It has received a number of favorable reviews. Here's a link to the book on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Fast-Track-Generation- Balance/dp/0195182677/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9574728-5667327? ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180554176&sr=8-1 Take a look if you're interested in the topic! -Moderator --------------------------------------------- Responses --------------------------------------------- Original post: Considering move from Stanford to Cal ------------------------------------------- I'm being recruited to move to an administration position at Cal, my alma mater. It would largely be the equivalent of what I'm doing now at Stanford. I have a few strong reasons to think about such a move (e.g., loyalty to my alma mater, a personal preference for public institutions, my mentor and several favorite faculty are still there, etc.). However, I'm also ambivalent for a few other reasons and would love to hear from others who have been in my situation or who just have advice. A few of the disadvantages of moving, in my mind, are: 1. I have an 11 month old daughter in the on-campus daycare at Stanford. She loves it there, the site is incredibly convenient for us, and I worry about trying to find a good place up at Cal given the limited on-campus places and my lack of familiarity with other centers. For a number of reasons, I don't want her in a home daycare and there are no NAEYC centers near our home. This is by far the most important issue, even though I know I am sacrificing significant career prospects by placing a priority on positions that can accommodate my daughter's schedule and daycare placement. 2. I've already proven myself here and have significant goodwill, sick leave, and vacation leave built up. I know I can negotiate similar flexibility/benefits at Cal, but I'd feel much more pressure to put in the face time and work extra hours in a new workplace. 3. Stanford has tremendous resources that I know my dept. at Cal will have trouble matching. I've had the freedom to pursue a lot of new programs and am not entirely sure what I will face at Cal. This is one of the least important factors for me, though, as I realize it's the reality of wanting to work for a public institution. 4. Even though we live in the East Bay (southern Alameda county), it's easier for me to get to Stanford as we take back roads to the Dumbarton, as opposed to negotiating 880. I would love to try to BART up with my daughter, but am unsure how easy that is to do with all the bundles/bags we'd need (e.g., diapers, clothes, food, breast pump, etc.). Any insight/advice would be appreciated! Anonymous Reply: Stanford vs Cal ------------------------------------------- Another thing to consider about moving to Cal is the salary. Staff at Cal can earn up to 50% less than comparable jobs in the community. Whenever there is a state budget problem they freeze staff salaries but continue to give raises to Dept heads and upper management as well as merit raises to faculty. I waited for 8 years to have my salary adjusted while earning about 50% less than similar jobs in the community. While my salary is better now, interns who train with us and get jobs outside of Cal earn far more than we do even though they have no job experience. Anon Reply: Considering Move from Stanford ------------------------------------------- I can only comment on one section of your post, but I will say that from the time my son was nine months until he turned after he turned five, we regularly commuted to campus on BART. If your child is young, get a good stroller that will hold him and her and all your things, and take the elevators. It can be a bit of a walk from the station to your Berkeley office, but I found that the time on the train, which he loved, and on the walk was much more relaxing and healthy than driving. Kathleen Original post: UC childcare vs others? ------------------------------------------- Hi I'm a staff at UC and am currently researching infant childcare. I was wondering if someone has updated information regarding UC Childcare, its costs, vs other infant childcare around Berkeley/Albany area. Many people also highly recommend St Johns but I was unable to find info on its cost. My biggest concern right now is cost. $1500 per month is really high for me. thanks anon UC childcare vs others? REPLY ------------------------------------------- I can chime in about part of your question. UC infant daycare costs for staff are $1577 a month at the new Haste street center. There are other centers on campus and I'm not sure how much they cost but the Haste one is brand new and extremely nice (all green building, no toxins in the carpets or paint, chamomile and mint planted with the grass to give kids a sensory experience, etc). Ellen Levitan handles staff placements for UC childcare and can give you a better sense of how long the wait would be for a UC staff spot: tel:(510)642-1827. The Haste Center is pricey compared to other centers - I called all of the main Berkeley daycare centers a few weeks ago and this is the info I got on pricing for full time care: Cedar St Center: 549-3989 $950 Model School: 549-2711 $1269 Cornerstone: 848-6252 $1628 Wooley Mammoth: 548-4779 $1180 St Johns: 549-9342 $1040 Aquatic Park: 843-2273 $1300 However all of them had about a 9 month waitlist! Bree Original post: Spouse to a doc. candidate ------------------------------------------- My husband and I have been married for 7 years and have a 7 month old baby. We met each other as undergrads and graduated at Berkeley. My husband has been a doctoral candidate for the last 9 years and is no where near completing the table of contents to his dissertation. He has tried coordinating a dissertation study group on Berkeley campus but after the first couple of meetings, people eventually flake/drop out leaving him back to square one. Does anyone know if there are any dissertation study groups that my husband can join? Or can anyone suggest some advice to getting back in gear to writing? He wants to start somewhere but has difficulty doing it on his own. Reply: Spouse is a doctoral candidate ------------------------------------------- I was a doctoral student at Berkeley and found that self- motivation was difficult. I started a dissertation support group in my department with three others at a similar stage and we met every week for a year. Your husband might try forming a group again - maybe there are others in a different department who would benefit (he could post a flyer or put a posting on BPN). It doesn't really matter if the others know the subject matter all that well. The gain from the group comes from having ''deadlines'' and supportive comments. I also went to an EXCELLENT all-day dissertation workshop led by a woman named Dorothy Duff Brown. I don't know if she is doing workshops on campus anymore, but she has a consulting business in Berkeley. For an hourly rate she can help people who are derailed get back on track. Totally worth the money. Her workshop was very motivating for me and really helped me get skills to stay organized. Good luck. I'm sure it must be very hard to watch your husband struggle but he is certainly not alone. Been there ----------------------------------------- Media ----------------------------------------- “Opting Out Discussion Reaches the Tipping Point” Blog from Moms Rising, by Amy Tiemann. http://www.momsrising.org/node/522. Interesting blog about the “Opt Out” phenomenon with links to books, written by the author of “Mojo Mom” and posted on the Moms Rising website. --------------------------------------------------------------------- - Post a message * http://parents.berkeley.edu/post.html - Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Address Changes, Help * http://parents.berkeley.edu/subscribers.html