Berkeley
Loma Prieta Earthquake: 25 Years Later
By Steve Hockensmith and Anthony Lazarus, SFSU News
Geologists and engineers aren’t the only ones who learn something from seismic events. Since the major Bay Area quake of 1989, the experts who study how people fare when the ground starts shaking have made adjustments as well.
Take for example the conventional wisdom of taking shelter in a doorway during an earthquake. It has become clear that this is dangerous, according to Gayle Orr-Smith, SF State’s emergency-preparedness coordinator.
“You run the risk of the door swinging closed on you,” she said. “Also there are only so many people who can fit in a doorway. You could get trampled.”
These days, people are advised to get under something, preferably a desk, in the event of an earthquake. Then hang on tight. “Furniture with legs will walk across the room as the shaking goes on,” Orr-Smith explained. “So you could be sitting there thinking you’re safe, and the table will have moved.”
Gayle Orr-Smith
If there isn’t anything to get under, the recommendation is to crouch down and cover the head and neck. It’s also best to stay near a wall, as wreckage tends to fall toward the center of a room. But it is not a good idea to sprint for the exit: Orr-Smith pointed out that most quake injuries occur from falling debris as people try to enter or leave a building.
Her message for anyone thinking about the next big shaker echoes the old Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. “There will never be enough responders to come and give aid,” Orr-Smith said. “If you ask fire departments how much better prepared they are today than they were 25 years ago, they will tell you they have exactly as many pieces of equipment now as then. You’ve got to prepare yourself.” Read more about what to do in an earthquake.
University Police Department Chief Patrick M. Wasley, who has memories of Loma Prieta as a patrolman, agreed. “Have food available, have water available not just at home — at your office too,” he said. “Do simple things like keeping half a tank of gas in your car at all times because the gas pumps depend on electricity, and if there’s an outage, you’re up a creek.
“You can never be 100 percent prepared, but you can certainly mitigate a lot of things by planning ahead,” he remarked.
Of course, there is one thing you can never truly prepare yourself for: the trauma of living through a calamity. Although crisis counseling was around before Loma Prieta in one form or another, its practices have evolved since 1989.
“The standard procedure for doing post-disaster counseling back then was often group debriefing,” said Rebecca Toporek, a professor in the Department of Counseling. “Calling community members together to talk about the event and what their thoughts and reactions were, talking about coping strategies — things like that. That’s changed over time.”
Nowadays, counselors and therapists pay more attention to the many variables that affect both individuals and communities.
“There used to be more of an effort to do broad-scale interventions, whereas now there’s more of a recognition that some people are able to cope relatively well, whether it’s because they have a good safety net in place or they have good coping mechanisms,” she commented. These days, “more effort is put into targeted interventions — finding ways to identify the people who need the most assistance.”
Even with those individuals who need more help, there is a new emphasis on empowerment, seeking to help people recognize and tap into their own resilience. “Sometimes your coping skills are not so obvious when you are in a crisis,” according to Lecturer Ulash Thakore-Dunlap, who teaches SF State’s crisis-counseling course. “Seeing your strength becomes really difficult. Through short-term crisis counseling, we can help you access that.”
Activism
Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders
Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.
By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post
For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.
Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.
The results speak for themselves.
Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.
Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.
Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.
BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.
We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.
As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.
We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.
BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.
The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.
The next great artist may already be among us.
The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.
We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.
For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com
Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.
Bay Area
UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’
Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.
The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries
By Lila Thulin
U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.
Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.
Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.
Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.
“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.
The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.
This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.
In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.
That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.
Arts and Culture
Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh
The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.
By Antoinette Porter
Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.
The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.
Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.
Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.
A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.
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