December 9, 2024
New Professional Staff Member
Please join us in welcoming Genevieve to the BSC. We are so excited to have her join our team!
Genevieve Mage (she/her)
Genevieve (she/her) joins the Berkeley Student Cooperative as Mediation and Conduct Committee Liaison (MCCL) on November 22, 2024. Genevieve comes from just about a decade in public education including working as a teacher at Berkeley High School where she has taught, advised, and advocated for more than 1000 Berkeley students between 2017-2024. Her advocacy work for marginalized students particularly during the pandemic (www.berkeleyside.org) has led her to do work with schools in BUSD and OUSD including grant writing (www.kqed.org), providing Title IX and UCP education workshops, Gender Equity and Sexual Harm Prevention Board Committee advising (www.berkeleyschools.net), and contract Ombudsman work for Oakland School of the Arts. Genevieve is excited to take this next step in her education career working with college students, advocating for higher standards of equity and compassion in all institutions. It feels good to be joining an Co-Op organization that holds those same values. In her spare time, Genevieve enjoys reading, sewing and doing arts and crafts with friends.
Community Living Wisdom Exchange
SHARED BY VICTORIA FOWLER (Member Resources Coordinator)
What does it mean to live in community in today’s world? How can we draw upon shared wisdom to co-create an inclusive, caring, and revolutionary housing future? Join us for the Community Living Wisdom Exchange [google doc], a two-day conference happening December 14-15 at the Internet Archive in San Francisco. This gathering of thinkers, dreamers, and doers will celebrate the creativity and resilience of communal living in all its forms.
The Bay Area has long been a crucible for experimental lifestyles, from cooperative houses to tiny home villages, and this event builds on that legacy. Through a vibrant mix of discussions, workshops, panels, storytelling, art, and organic connections, we aim to consolidate and share practical skills and inspiring ideas. Whether you’re a seasoned communal living veteran or simply curious, this conference offers a rare chance to engage deeply with the collective wisdom of the community.
Why should you attend? For many in the Bay Area’s queer, artist, and sex-positive communities, cooperative living represents more than just a housing arrangement—it’s a statement of values and a way of fostering belonging in a world that can often feel isolating. Yet, knowledge about how to thrive in these setups and build your dream home often remains fragmented and tucked away in small networks. The Community Living Wisdom Exchange seeks to bridge those gaps by bringing together diverse perspectives and making these insights accessible to all.
This event is also an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and inequities within these spaces. While the Bay Area has been a pioneer, the cost of living and systemic inequities have left many marginalized groups excluded from these spaces. Together, we’ll examine these dynamics, plant the seeds of collaboration, and envision a housing future that prioritizes care, equity, and justice.
How can you participate? Check out the schedule here [google doc], the event description here [google doc], and
purchase your ticket here [google doc]! For us, financial accessibility [google doc] is a priority; no one will be turned away.
for lack of funds (NOTAFLOF). The conference will feature delicious snacks, refreshments,
and on-site childcare.
Join the HOPE Board!
Applications due 12/30
Are you, or someone you know, ready to be a leader and create opportunities for the next generation of youth?Help shape California's future: apply today [google form] for the HOPE for Children Trust Account Program (treasurer.ca.gov) Board!
Why join the HOPE Board?
- Create real change: your lived experiences will help shape California’s financial support systems for children and youth in need
- Develop leadership skills: take on a meaningful leadership role while advocating for your community
- Be the voice of your generation: influence state decisions and ensure the voices of foster youth and COVID-impacted youth are heard
We are looking for passionate, driven individuals who want to bring their lived experiences to the table and use their voice to advocate for others.
Applications are open to young adults, 18-26 years old, who live in California and meet one of the following criteria:
- Are a current or former foster youth
- Lost a loved one to COVID or Long COVID
The deadline to submit an application is December 30, 2024.
Questions? Email Yesenia Jimenez (yeseniajimenez@grace-inc.org).
The HOPE Program, established by Assembly Bill 156 and SB 242 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) (2024, Skinner), seeks to close the racial wealth gap and address intergenerational poverty by providing trust accounts for children who experience poverty, including those who lost parents to COVID-19 or spent over 18 months in foster care. The program is designed to offer financial security and inspire positive life choices, helping children build wealth and achieve financial independence. The HOPE Act tasks the program’s board with developing program policies, overseeing administration, and advising the California State Treasurer. Read more about California State Treasurer Fiona Ma's Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program (www.treasurer.ca.gov).
BSC MEMBER POSITIONS OPEN!
WRITTEN BY JAE MANN (HiCom Chair)
Hello Dearest Coopers!
Apply now for BSC jobs. Positions are first come first serve.
Unless stated otherwise, jobs fulfill workshift and any extra hours are compensated with a $22/hr rent credit.
You must be a current member to apply for a BSC member job.
When hired, most positions can be continued to the following term!
Please check out our hiring website for open positions.
https://sites.google.com/a/bsc.coop/hicom/jobs-at-the-berkeley-student-cooperative
Central Food and Supplies
CFS Operations Team Leader
- Required scheduling availability: Three days a week, Monday - Friday, 8am - 1pm.
- 15 hrs./wk.
- Coordinate the efforts of the Produce, Proteins, and Dairy Coordinators.
- Must be willing and able to lift up to 50 lbs on a regular basis and work with cold/frozen items and animal products.
Non-Perishables Coordinator
- Drive the truck and drop off deliveries to all houses
- 9 hrs. / wk.
- Afternoon availability required, starting 12-1p and ending as late as 4-5p.
- Ideally free three afternoons during weekdays
Delivery Coordinator
- Drive the truck and drop off deliveries to all houses
- 8 hrs. / wk.
- Afternoon availability required, starting 12-1p and ending as late as 4-5p.
- Ideally free two or three afternoons during weekdays
Cooperative Experience/Member Resources
Social Manager Coordinator
- 10 hrs./wk.
- Help with social manager trainings.
- Support social managers in their roles.
- Support BSC with events.
Conduct Committee
Restorative Justice Practitioner
- up to 70 hours per semester
- RJ Practitioners will be trained in Restorative Practice (RP), Restorative Justice (RJ) and other forms of conflict resolution.
- Responsible for providing services in these areas for members and managers in the Berkeley Student Cooperative.
Conduct Member Advisor
- 11 hrs./wk.
- Serve as Conduct Committee resource to BSC members
- Attend ALL ConCom meetings.
- Act as the primary resource for members and unit-level managers involved in review hearings and/or personnel-related matters
Conduct Committee Chair
- 5 hrs./wk.
- Train ConCom members
- Hold ConCom meetings
- Ensure that the decision-making processes of the Conduct Committee are fair, procedurally sound, efficient, sensitive to the member, and well documented.
Conduct Committee Member
- 2 hrs./ wk workshift. (Rent stipend for apartment residents.)
- Hear conduct cases and make sure decisions are fair and in line with BSC Policy.
Member Education
Consent Working Group Chair
- Up to 70 hours a semester
- Facilitate the trainings, scheduling, and coordinating of the Consent Working Group.
Operations
Operations Crew Member
- 10 hrs./ wk.
- Assist the Operations Team by completing various unit-level and central office improvement projects
- Must have a valid driver’s license and a good driving record.
Fill out the BSC Job Application (Google Form) to apply!.
Already applied? How to re apply:
If you applied after August 2023 and kept the link to your application, you can just edit the application. Most important is that you update your availability to coincide with the job.
- You should probably also take this time to spruce up your application. I made a page with some tips for filling out the application in a way that might get you interviewed.
- If you didn't keep the link, search your email for it. I have it set up to send confirmation emails. If you didn't get one, it might have gone to a hidden folder like "Updates" or (hopefully not) Spam. If neither of those, I think you can use the application link and if you're on the same machine and still have cookies, it will allow you to edit it. If none of that works, email me what jobs you're interested in and we'll figure something out.
If you applied PRIOR to August 2023, email me (hicom@bsc.coop) what jobs you're interested in and we can figure it out so you don't have to redo that application.
Did you know?
Want to get Board, Cabinet and Committee Updates, Meeting Agendas, and Announcements?
Come join the Members At Large listserv if you are interested in learning about the discussions that take place at Board, Cabinet and Committee spaces and receive Board updates, agendas and announcements. Please click the following link to join or rejoin as the listserv was recently reset:
https://groups.google.com/a/bsc.coop/g/members-at-large
Housing Department
Giovanni Smith, Housing Supervisor will be holding regular Advising/Office Hours on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-5:00pm.
Schedule an office visit with Giovanni Smith, Housing Supervisor.
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Useful information with FAQs about who to contact at the Central Office.
CENTRAL OFFICE
2424 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709
(In front of Casa Zimbabwe)
Central Office: (510) 848-1936
Central Food & Supplies: (510) 549-5969
Central Maintenance: (510) 549-5965
Business Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bsc.coop/