ACADEMIC 

The Academic Division assists students with academic-related issues, including grade disputes, academic appeals, misconduct, withdrawal, readmission, graduation, probation/dismissal, and faculty-student relations. An example academic case would include a client asking for support in a grade appeal because they feel they were unfairly assessed on an assignment. The Academic Division works to ensure the implementation of equitable and transparent academic policies that improve the learning experiences of undergraduate and graduate students alike. Academic policy projects provide caseworkers with the opportunity to work on issues that affect all UC Berkeley students and have included altering University policy, lobbying for the creation of new minors, and connecting students with relevant resources.

CONDUCT

The Conduct Division assists students who are accused of violating the Student Code of Conduct, the Residential Code of Conduct, and other campus policies. Conduct caseworkers help students represent themselves at every stage of the conduct process by explaining the conduct process, helping students prepare for meetings and hearings, assisting students in gathering and organizing evidence, accompanying students to meetings and hearings, and helping students write appeals. Cases include: residential hall violations, academic misconduct, alcohol violations, theft, sexual violence and harassment, and physical violence cases. An example case the division might receive is a student asking for support going through the Center for Student Conduct process after being accused of cheating on an exam.  Conduct caseworkers work to ensure students’ rights and due process are upheld throughout the conduct process. Conduct policy includes advocating for the incorporation of restorative justice into adjudication processes, creating workshops on students’ rights, and reviewing revisions to the Student Code of Conduct.

FINANCIAL AID

The Financial Aid Division assists students with financial aid issues, SHIP waiver processes, housing problems, financial aid appeals, and billing and payment procedures. Financial Aid Division caseworkers will frequently interact with campus administrators to support and advise their clients on topics ranging from problems with the disbursement of aid to filing an appeal for designation as financially independent. An example case type could include a student asking for support in filing a residency appeal to receive in-state tuition with the University or seeking to appeal their financial aid due to economic hardships. Additionally, caseworkers will work on reforming campus policy to tackle broad challenges, like basic needs, in collaboration with various campus partners such as the Basic Needs Center (BNC), the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and more. Through casework and policy projects, such as the Winter Break Housing project, the Financial Aid Division works to ensure that all students have the financial resources and support they need to perform as both a student and a member of the Cal community.  

GRIEVANCE 

The Grievance Division supports students seeking complaint resolution, whether informal or formal. Common cases include assisting students facing denial of disability accommodations, discrimination on the basis of background or identity, harassment, or out-of-pocket healthcare costs for chronic conditions, disabilities, and emergency medical situations with financial need. An example case type would include a student asking for support in securing their extended exam time guaranteed by their DSP accommodations, which their professor is unwilling to accommodate. In addition, this division supports survivors of sexual violence who are seeking a confidential space to navigate their reporting options. Grievance also takes on cases that don't fit neatly into any other division's scope, including housing, consent education, healthcare, and medical withdrawal. Grievance policy focuses on concerns such as disability accommodation process, the sexual violence adjudication process, student withdrawal, and retention process, and its caseworkers work to revise these processes, promote equity in the student experience, and codify "student-centered best practices" for departments and administration across the University.

ACADEMIC 

College and Department Head Outreach is an ongoing project, originally started in Spring 2022, which aims to expand our office’s standing relationships with campus officials, including department heads, college deans, and faculty. The Academic division has been steadily meeting with contacts in the hopes of building a sustainable, direct line of communication for policy proposals, case questions or client meetings. Caseworkers involved in the project are responsible for maintaining relationships with faculty and staff, specifically at least one department head/advisor/dean.

The Grief Absence Policy for Students (GAPS) has been a long-term project within SAO since 2018. In Spring 2024, both the Undergraduate Council and Divisional Council approved the spirit of this policy and greenlit its implementation by the university. SAO is currently working with campus partners towards the timely implementation of this policy to support students who experience grief at UC Berkeley and ensure that they are guaranteed at least seven days of academic leave.

CONDUCT

The REPAIR Taskforce aims to push for the implementation of Restorative Justice (RJ) within university systems. Currently, the project partners with the Center for Student Conduct (CSC) to oversee their REPAIR pathway, which offers students an RJ alternative to the traditional conduct process for behavioral cases. REPAIR hopes to expand the parameters of this pathway to academic misconduct as well as other cases the CSC receives.

Recently, REPAIR has partnered with the Graduate Division Student Conduct to help them create an RJ pathway in their new conduct process. This will allow graduate students to restore relationships with their peers, faculty, and advisors that may have been harmed as a result of academic or behavioral misconduct.

FINANCIAL AID

Winter Break Housing (WBH) is a yearly program that SAO’s Financial Aid division has historically led. WBH houses students currently residing in the Residence Halls as well as Berkeley Hope Scholars in need of emergency housing during the four-week winter break. Dorms close down during Winter Break, so SAO works to house students who do not have housing options outside of the dorms. This program is made possible through close collaboration with Cal Housing, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, the Berkeley International Office, the Center for Support and Intervention, and the Basic Needs Center. However, WBH does not address general student concerns related to housing. 20-30% of Berkeley’s 40k+ students have difficulty finding housing every semester—WBH supports housing to 20-30 students for four weeks.

GRIEVANCE 

The Continuity of Care project aims at developing external facing resources for SVSH survivors navigating the complex system of campus offices students interface with throughout the reporting, accommodation, and healing process. While each office plays an important role, navigating these systems can be overwhelming, and students are often required to independently identify resources for themselves, understand different, lengthy procedures, and repeatedly recount their experiences. The guide provides guidance on responding when SVSH is initially disclosed, both on and off-campus resources to provide clients with, procedural information, and more. The continued guide will maintain the existing resources and procedural information, but with a focus on making the language more inclusive to all students who may be seeking services from SAO. This guide will also include additional resources for survivors to use  during their time at SAO or any other offices or departments on or off-campus

3 - excellent

2 - average

1 - poor

Application Characteristics

The application is very detailed. The applicant answers each part of the prompt thoroughly. The applicant provides tangible examples when applicable from their personal or professional lives to answer each question. The applicant has clearly done research on SAO and provides examples of specific policy or casework services they would like to be involved in with SAO. The applicant significantly demonstrates values of empathy, client-centered casework, and willingness to learn in their responses.

The application is detailed. The applicant mostly answers each question, although some answers might be vague. The applicant provides tangible examples from their professional or personal lives throughout the application but might miss an opportunity to expand on this. The applicant has done some research on SAO, but might not point out specifics. The applicant demonstrates at least two of the following values: empathy, client-centered casework, and willingness to learn.

The application is not detailed. The applicant might answer less than half of each question, or be especially vague in their responses. The applicant provides minimal examples from their professional or personal lives throughout their application. The applicant has not researched SAO, and might mischaracterize its services. The applicant does not well demonstrate the following values: empathy, client-centered casework, and willingness to learn.