Close to 3,000 staff members turned out Thursday for Summerfest fun at the center of campus. The traditional, two-hour smorgasbord of mid-day happenings, all to honor staff, included the rockin’ sounds of Althea Battle and the Platinum Plus Band, at the foot of the Campanile, and the crowd-pleasing moves of In Xochitl In Cuicatl, a high-energy student troupe devoted to Aztec-Mexica indigenous dance.
Many attendees got an opportunity to meet and greet Nicholas Dirks, now closing out his second week as Berkeley’s new chancellor.
Free eats, information booths and the now-traditional “Live After Five” showcase of employees’ talents, hobbies and passions were also part of the mix.
This year, Summerfest is part of an expanded, five-day Staff Appreciation Week, each day with a different theme, all to acknowledge contributions of hard-working Berkeley staff.
The week’s offerings included faculty lectures and career-development pointers, as well as free coffee, Cal Dining discounts and Rec Sports passes. (To see video of the lectures offered by Professors Dacher Keltner and Alex Filippenko, see the Staff Appreciation Week website.)