Author: Alice Kane

Hi-ya! I'm Alice, a third-year undergraduate student studying both English and Conservation and Resource Studies here at the University of California. I grew up in the bay area and always dreamed of coming Cal - and here I am! Studying two completely different fields of study can be challenging, but it's an unbelievably rewarding experience. I get to learn about the world from some of the most brilliant professors, from both a scientific and artistic perspective! In the times I'm not studying, you can find me writing, reading, and/or eating at the Free Speech Movement Cafe or on memorial glade, spending time with good friends, at a national park, or petting dogs on Sproul! Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around campus sometime soon. Go Bears!

Here Comes the Sun (Doo doo doo doo…)

Spring has sprung, girls and boys! (Though much earlier than anticipated.) And contrary to popular myth, UC Berkeley is not constantly smothered in fog and cold and sadness. Sure, I’m also grumbling about losing an hour of sleep, but we have finally left Frozen behind and moved on to Frozen: Spring Fever, and I for one am more than ready to spring into springtime. (Are these dorky plays on words properly portraying my excitement?) And even though it is midterm and project season still, and though I like to consider myself a good noodle student, entering into this new season of sundresses and patterned shorts, blooming buds of springtime flowers, pollen drifting in the wind, and a truckload of Claritin, I decided to document how I’ve been soaking up my vitamin D this past week (and I’m sure many other Cal students too). read more

Let’s Get Organized!

Let me tell you something kind of ironic. One of my favorite hobbies is looking at blogs of people who are just really organized though I, myself, find it hard to keep things very organized; for example, my closet looks like the aftermath of a natural disaster 75% of the time. But I know that I’m not alone in this hobby! There is an entire category of these blogs called “Studyblrs”, with aesthetically pleasing photographs of things like diagrams, bullet journals, and notes color-coded in possibly fifteen differently-colored gel pens. So, of course, scrolling through these organization prodigies with far greater hand-writing than I could ever dream of achieving has become a vicarious kind of pastime. But here’s the irony: when I would get a little too stressed or overwhelmed by classes, I’d choose to ignore the work in favor of the distraction of scrolling through blogs owned by people who weren’t ignoring their stress … by staying organized?
This year, I finally made the connection, and have transformed the fun of organization into a tool to actually aid me in staying on top of my studies. And it’s rocked. So to you all, reading this blog – past, current, future, or honorary Golden Bears – I want to share with you a few fun ways to keep your (most likely multiple) responsibilities on track! read more

Powerful Protests Counterbalance Powerful Positions: Student Demonstrations Are Tethered to a Rich Campus History

The freedom to speak, to stand up for what we believe in, is an integral part of UC Berkeley. This usually manifests itself in the form of protests, a unique and well-known aspect of our campus. And lately, news of them has been popping up everywhere. The 2016 presidential election affected the student body deeply, as it has been one of the most controversial and emotionally charged in our nation’s history. The results of the election were, of course, the highest point of emotional fever. And, to top it off, the recently proposed tuition hikes for the university and the sexual assault policies of universities across the country have left many students feeling powerless. read more

The Gift to Sing/The Gift to See

Here at UC Berkeley, the number one public university in the world – yes, I’ll take any chance to say that – we are offered opportunities that are pretty special, and ones that are offered to us alone. Usually when we think about these kinds of things, the first thoughts that pop into our heads are the incredible chemists, physicists, astronomers and physicians that work on our campus, that are always on the edge of the newest discovery in their fields, making waves in the scientific community. However, though not as often basking in the spotlight, our bank of resources is not limited to the sciences; we also have a wealth of rare and remarkable literature at our disposal. read more