UC Retirees Association at Berkeley
October 2022 Report
Submitted by Patti Owen, President and
Barinder Dhillon-Flanagan, CUCRA Representative
The pandemic has continued to have an adverse impact on the activities of the UC Berkeley Retirees' Association (UCRAB). We had hoped that in the spring, summer, and fall that we could return to a somewhat normal schedule of board meetings and luncheons. Unfortunately, we have had to cancel our planned luncheons in the spring and fall and our holiday party in December. Members are not yet comfortable with meeting in person. Our board meetings have also continued on Zoom, primarily due to the inability of all board members to make the in person meetings. To help us identify the comfort level of our members vis a vis future events, we sent out a brief, four question survey in our most recent newsletter. We will use the results for future planning. The board continues to discuss our strategic plan and is in the process of identifying actions or activities which will meet some of the goals outlined in the plan.
At our annual business meeting in the spring, we re-elected all the board members up for election. Our speaker was the campus architect who presented the campus's ten year plan. We had a wonderful turnout on Zoom given the topic and retirees' memories of "their" buildings. Our next speaker, scheduled for November, is the former EVCP, George Breslauer. He is a Russian scholar and will speak on the conflict with Ukraine.
In July, Berkeley retirees, as well, as those from LBNL and Office of the President attended the Renegade Retirees' picnic at Tilden Park in the Berkeley hills. The turnout was a bit disappointing, but those who attended had a good time. UCRAB Board members served at the registration desk and as grill masters.