The world of intercollegiate athletics at UC Berkeley

In this edition of Bear in Mind, UC Berkeley's ongoing series of webcasts about campus issues, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau talks to Cal student athletes, coaches, and educators to get an insider's view of intercollegiate athletics at America's top public university.

For the first time, Bear in Mind is immediately available on Google Video, which requires no special software for viewing. The links below to the three individual segments are streamed in the RealPlayer format. (Don't have RealPlayer? Follow these links.)

Watch entire episode (parts 1 & 2):
34:23 minutes: Google Video | RealPlayer high bandwidth (T-1 speeds) and low bandwidth (DSL speeds)

Listen to entire episode (audio only)
Streaming MP3 file | Podcast feed

A full transcript of the episode has been posted.

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Clockwise from top left: Athletic Director Sandy Barbour; an artist's rendering of part of the proposed new Memorial Stadium project; Barbour talks to Chancellor Birgeneau.

Watch Part One: Honors and future growth of the Athletic Department

10:57 minutes: High bandwidth | Low bandwidth

Part One transcript

Athletic Director Sandy Barbour joins the chancellor for a discussion about the university's recent achievements in athletics, such as Berkeley's Top 10 placement in the NACDA Directors' Cup and the outstanding overall GPAs of its athletes; what the planned Student Athlete High Performance Center (Phase One of the Memorial Stadium Renovation Project) will include; and how her own experience as a field-hockey and basketball player informs her role as an administrator.

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Left to right: Basketball guard Omar Wilkes, soccer goalkeeper Anna Key, and sprinter Francesca Weems.

Watch Part Two: The student-athlete balancing act

11:58 minutes: High bandwidth | Low bandwidth

Part Two transcript

Birgeneau sits down with basketball guard Omar Wilkes, soccer goalkeeper Anna Key, and sprinter Francesca Weems to discuss the challenges and advantages of being a student-athlete at an elite university like UC Berkeley. He also chats with Weems about her difficult childhood in the foster-care system, with Key about her efforts to help AIDS orphans in Malawi through soccer, and with Wilkes about why he chose to transfer to Berkeley.

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Clockwise from top left: Women's Basketball Coach Joanne Boyle, the Athletic Study Center, and Vice Provost Christina Maslach, ASC Director Derek Van Rheenen with a student-athlete.

Watch Part Three: The support system for student-athletes

11:32 minutes: High bandwidth | Low bandwidth

Part Three transcript

Women's Basketball Coach Joanne Boyle, Athletic Study Center Director Derek Van Rheenen, and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Christina Maslach tell the chancellor about the infrastructure that helps Cal's student-athletes manage their time and not only pursue excellence on the athletic field, but also in the classroom.

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How to get RealPlayer: Follow these links to download the software's free version for your specific platform: Mac OS 8 or 9; Mac OS X; Windows 95; Windows NT 4.0, 98, ME, XP, or 2000.