Berkeley

New Center for UC Berkeley’s Student Veterans

Published

11 years ago

November 11, 2014

By Gretchen Kell, UC Berkeley News

At a time when wars are winding down in Afghanistan and Iraq, UC Berkeley’s student-veterans program is expanding to accommodate an anticipated increase in the number of veterans expected to enroll here in the next five years.

On Monday, Nov. 10 just in time for Veterans Day, Cal Veteran Services will open a new headquarters in Stiles Hall as the result of a gift of more than $500,000 from UC Berkeley alumnus Coleman Fung, a U.S. Army veteran.

The funding also provides a comprehensive network of services — an additional academic counselor, paid internships for student-veterans, peer mentoring, a new website and outreach and recruitment activities.

“Veterans enhance our campus community with their life experience and dedication to public service, which is a core value of UC Berkeley,” said Ron Williams, director of Re-entry Student and Veteran Services on campus.

“Our program was being stretched thin, but this generous gift will enable us to help more veterans navigate to and through higher education.”

Williams added that the “transformative opportunities” offered by a university such as UC Berkeley will help student-veterans “continue to use their drive, work ethic and leadership to strengthen California and the nation.”

Fung, a 1987 Berkeley graduate who served in the Army from 1982 to 1985, said he’d like to see the program “become a model for other schools to adopt, with our student-vets serving as ambassadors to other veterans in the Bay Area who would welcome guidance about their educational options, especially about how to use their VA benefits, and how not to waste them on many for-profit programs.”

Currently, there are about 250 confirmed student-veterans at Berkeley, “and we know there are far more who either are not using their federal benefits, or who no longer have access to them,” said Williams.

By 2019, he said, that number is expected to reach 500, as more returned veterans seek higher education and as Cal Veteran Services’ outreach increases.

Now, the center five offices, a study space and shared areas large enough for them to study together, hold community meetings, meet privately with advisers and to “let my guard down, be myself,” said Thomas Wiltshire, a media studies major who was a combat cameraman in the Marines from 2005 to 2010.

“I think many veterans would agree that oftentimes we are emotionally on guard because we have had experiences that are very distant from those of our classmates and, understandably, are misunderstood by them. This space allows us to take a break from self-censoring and just relax,” said Wiltshire.

Stiles Hall, at 2400 Bancroft Way near the heart of campus, will be the group’s temporary home, funded for two years by Fung’s gift, until a permanent, on-campus site is available.

John Ready, a Ph.D. candidate in nuclear engineering who served for five years in the Navy as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, earlier this year conducted the first-ever campus survey to assess the needs of student-veterans, many of them from underrepresented backgrounds and the first in their families to attend college.

President of the Graduate Assembly, Ready said his survey found that, like himself, many are “older, have kids, find it hard to connect to 18-year-olds. Some are unemployed or are in benefits disputes or have health issues — serious stuff like PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. In our country, 22 vets a day commit suicide. It’s important that we have a community on campus and a place to go.”

He said more than half of those who responded to the survey described a physical space to meet either as “a great need” or “absolutely essential.”

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Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley Celebrates 90th Anniversary

Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., who has served as Progressive Missionary’s pastor since September 1977, said the church also delights in the fact that it has hosted only five pastors in its 90-year history, including Pastors James E. Moore, H. A. Green, F. Douglas Farrell, and Edward Stovall, who served for 37 years.

Published

4 days ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

Progressive Missionary Baptist Poster. Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., Pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Berkeley with his wife, Kay Frances Stuckey.

By Oakland Post Staff

The Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley is celebrating its 90th church anniversary on Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at 3301 King Street in Berkeley.

The celebration will feature Pastor Darnell Manuel of the Union Baptist Church in Vallejo as guest speaker, along with many other special presentations.

Those who wish to share in Progressive’s history can purchase a 100-page full-colored souvenir book for $25.

The church boasts a number of notable people who either regularly attended or became members of the church since its inception, including former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor, and one of the organizers of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Helen J. H. Stephens.

Pastor Stuckey often remarks how longevity flourishes at the church — it boasts 13 centenarians (people who have reached 100 years or more). Currently, it has one centenarian who is still surviving, Mrs. Dorothy Chambers, and 14 members who have reached 90 years or more.

Recently, on Feb.17, the pastor and his wife Kay Frances, celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary.

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Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Golden State Warriors Program Is Inspiring Next Generation of Female Engineers

Breaking down barriers and biases that deter young girls from pursuing STEAM subjects is essential for creating a level playing field and ensuring equal opportunities for all. By challenging stereotypes and promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity in STEAM fields, experts believe young girls can be empowered to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations confidently. Encouraging mentorship, providing access to resources, and celebrating girls’ achievements in STEAM are all crucial steps in creating a supportive environment that fosters success.

Published

2 months ago

March 23, 2025

Oakland Post

Front Row: UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team Back Row: Girls, Inc. Participants. Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

The Golden State Warriors and e-commerce giant Rakuten are joining forces to inspire the next generation of female engineers through Building STEAM Futures, part of The City Calls campaign.

Organizers say the initiative is founded on the idea that science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial fields for innovation and progress, and empowering young girls to pursue careers in these areas is more important than ever. Studies consistently show that girls are underrepresented in STEAM fields, resulting in a gender disparity that limits potential and hinders diversity.

On Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, the Warriors and Rakuten hosted 20 middle school girls from Girls Inc. of Alameda County at Chase Center’s Above the Rim for a hands-on bridge-building experience. The young girls from Girls, Inc. of Alameda County had an opportunity to design, build and test their own bridge prototypes and learn the fundamentals of bridge construction from the Engineering Alliance and the UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team.

This STEAM experience for the girls followed the first session in January, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, learning about its design and construction from industry experts. The City Calls campaign, tipped off with the unveiling the Warriors’ new bridge-themed City Edition jerseys and court design earlier this year.