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Help keep Russian language degree program
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Posted by: wchever

"Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Russian Program at SFSU currently has two degree programs, M.A. and B.A. However, due to budget cuts our degree programs are in jeopardy. We are slated for review by the Academic Senate. The hearings will take place in the Fall semester of this Academic year. If you consider Russian programs an asset to our local and national communities, please help us to save ours. Please sign our electronic petition [ http://www.sfsu.edu/~russian/ ] in support of our program and, write a letter of support and send it to President Corrigan.

Dr. Robert A. Corrigan
President's Office
ADM 562
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA 94132"

Thanks, guys.

Posted by: Jill

That's surprising--I had heard that most foreign lanaguage programs have actually been expanding since Septemeber 11, due to increased interest in "global oriented" learning. The MA program I studied in has actually had its funding dramatically increased in recent years.

Although, the Russian field goes in waves and always has.

It would be a shame to shut down the program entirely, though.

Posted by: wchever

It's California, Jill. When the new gov said "across the board cuts" he was not joking.

They are not getting rid of all the courses, just one's ability to get a degree in that field of study. Still seems pretty short-sighted to me, but I have ulterior motives!

Posted by: Jill

Ulterior motives, you say? Intriguing

BTW, I may be your new neighbor soon. Know any good real estate agents in the Berkeley area?

Posted by: wchever

"Know any good real estate agents in the Berkeley area?"

Yes, as a matter of fact. I just sold my two bedroom in El Cerrito last August to complete the divorce. Paul was a fair agent. And my company's executive secretary, Darlene, left last December to start selling homes in the East Bay. I can refer you to her and she can start sending you listings via email if you'd like.

I didn't know they had a state lottery over there though.

Posted by: Jill

Quote:

I didn't know they had a state lottery over there though

That is EXACTLY what scares me!

Do you have a website for this agency so that I can take a look at what they might have available?

Posted by: wchever

http://mc.kw.com/EastBay/

Her name is Darlene Kincaid.

And you should be scared.

And please note there is no smilie following that line. I am very serious. I owned a 2 bedroom, halfway up the hill, built in '53, and 1280 square feet. Lovely view of SF and the Bay from the tiny bedroom in the very front of the shac..er..house. Half a mil.

Posted by: Jill

Damn.

Well, thanks for the link!

Posted by: wchever

Quote:

Originally posted by Jill
Damn.

Well, thanks for the link!

\\

Not a problem. This area will be great if I happen to marry a Russian woman! I'm gathering all the information I can and you might find this site interesting too;

http://www.baraban.com/

Posted by: Jill

I've come across this site--and I saw that there was a San Francisco section (http://www.baraban.com/news/sf/#sf). There's also a forum for Russians in Berkeley (I guess they're mainly students, though): http://russian.berkeley.edu/board/phpboard/

Posted by: wchever

Are you kidding?! Like I said, this will be a great area if I bring a Russian wife here. Check out this place...

http://www.russiancentersf.com/

Posted by: Jill

Yes, there certainly seems to be a lot of local resources

Other than that, though--how do you like living in the SF area? I think I saw on another thread that you are originally from the midwest. I have never been to CA, so I don't know exactly what to expect (except high prices

). So is the SF a nice place to live? And is it worth the pricetag?

Posted by: wchever

Well, Jill, in my opinion, it's resources vs. people.

I spent the first 14 years in Columbus, Ohio. I was back last Thanksgiving and it's changed a lot, but one thing remains the same...it's easy to live there. You can get a job, find reasonable housing, a social scene that fits your values, etc., BUT...there's little to do! When I lived there again for a second round of college at Ohio State, the entertainment choices consisted of movie, restaurant, visit friends. That's it.

Here, I can get to desert, skiing, and ocean in one day. Opera, off-Broadway, and Cirque du Soleil in one day. I can eat more different kinds of foods in one building in the SF financial district than Baskin-Robbins has flavors. And, obviously, I can walk down the street with an earring through every extremity, fourteen different colors of hair, half-nude and no one would notice.

But people here are more shallow. Even people I know who have lived here for over 50 years, who were born here, say it. Maybe there's just so much more to do, and the weather rarely stops you from doing it, that is you don't have 4 months every year when you *have* to sit inside with someone and listen to them, that people are just more tied to their own agendas in CA and not really interested in deeper relationships.

So, to live here and enjoy it, I've had to make a few really tight friends, and also get out and about. The financial stuff isn't total hell because salaries are adjusted, CA's a big agricultural state so food's fairly cheap. Housing, gas, utilities are ridiculous, but the rest of the country is catching up anyway.

Traffic is ... damn, I blanked... there's almost no way to describe it. I lived in Manhattan for a while. If you've ever driven there for any length of time, you'll understand. Remember how Goofy's personality became evil in that old driving video? You'll stand a much better chance of survival adopting that attitude. I live just on the other side of the hill range in the East Bay now. A 40 minute BART ride to downtown SF for about $3, a 1 hour trip to SFO for about $6. Since I normally telecommute, I have a car for the sole purpose of driving my children back to their mother's.

Is it all worth it? Well, I'd feel much better bringing Nata and her daughter to this area than to any place in Ohio I can think of.

Posted by: Jill

Will, this is VERY interesting. You know, when we were first planning on moving to the US the TWO places we were looking at were Berkeley and COLUMBUS, OH! I kid you not. I even started a thread here called California vs. Ohio

Quote:

Is it all worth it? Well, I'd feel much better bringing Nata and her daughter to this area than to any place in Ohio I can think of.

Well, that's reassuring anyway. You mentioned you have kids--how is it raising children there? Schools? Safety? Parks/quiet places?

Posted by: wchever

"how is it raising children there?"

Well see that's where the resources really have the edge.

Both my guys had the advantage of pre-school, and then a private K-3 in Oakland. 20 kids max, multi-graded. We had a family zoo membership, Lawrence Hall of Science membership, etc. And with people being better socially-adjusted around here, they think nothing of someone being different from them in a variety of ways.

There's a ton of parks. The house over in El Cerrito was about 1/4 miles from Tilden, which is part of a HUGE natural area in the hills above Richmond, EC, Berkely and Oakland. Horse trails, merry-go-round, kiddie train...and then there are several parks along the bay, some with beaches.

I doubt it's as safe, but most of the non-gang reports I've heard lately haven't been from the big cities anyway. Just don't jog along the mountain lion paths.

Cols., and Bekeley, huh? Talk about VERY interesting! My life and coincidences lately..

I just had a job interview. All five people who grilled me, and apparently most of the development team I'd be working with, are Russian!

Posted by: Jill

Quote:

Just don't jog along the mountain lion paths.

And just when I start to feel encouraged by your post, you throw mountain lions at me

Quote:

All five people who grilled me, and apparently most of the development team I'd be working with, are Russian!

Not at all surprising given the field you're in. Russia has some VERY talented tech people who can't find suitable work at home and, because of their skills, they qualify for US work visas. As I've heard, US tech companies have a high % of Russian staff these days.

Posted by: Aquiest

Quote:

Originally posted by wchever
Is it all worth it? Well, I'd feel much better bringing Nata and her daughter to this area than to any place in Ohio I can think of.

Quit it. You're scaring away my prospects!!!

Posted by: wchever

Cincinnati? You guys voted Jerry Springer in as your mayor and I'm the one scaring away your prospects?