Although health care costs have dramatically increased in the last few years, employees will not see an increase in their 2005 monthly medical plan premiums over 2004 levels while continuing to receive the same, or, in some cases, enhanced benefits. Gross premiums increased 10 percent to 15 percent, but the University of California was able to increase its contribution toward medical and dental plans, which resulted in no changes to employee premiums for 2005. Full story.

Take Action to Ensure
E-Mail Tomorrow

As part of the Computer Protection Program's ongoing efforts to protect Lab users against escalating security threats, beginning tomorrow, all connections to the Lab's central mail server, imap4.lbl.gov, must be encrypted using secure sockets layer (ssl). Employees should ensure their e-mail is ready. Go here for more information.

State Disaster Conference
Issues Call for Papers

Abstract submissions are requested for the Fifth Annual Disaster Resistant California Conference, to be held May 15-18, 2005 at the Hyatt Hotel in Sacramento. Papers emphasizing the overall theme of implementing mitigation to reduce the impact of disasters are invited. Deadline for receipt of one-page (250 words maximum) abstracts is Nov. 19. Go here for more information.

Grad School's International Glow Dims
By Samuel G. Freedman

When the World Cup soccer tournament reached the quarterfinal round in the late spring of 2002, Prof. Paul Alivisatos noticed a particularly fervent interest among his doctoral students in chemistry at the University of California. He eventually realized why. Of the eight countries competing, countries stretching around the globe from Brazil to Turkey to South Korea, Professor Alivisatos had a protégé from every one except Senegal. By now, three classes later, Berkeley has seen its enrollment of graduate students from abroad drop by one-third. Full Story.

Halloween Bash

Odonne and costumed employee

The Business Services Division held their first Halloween party Friday afternoon in the cafeteria, with food, live music, and a costume contest judged by Sally Benson and Pier Odonne.