The Suitcase Clinic

2013 Summer Training

Josh Lee — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:34:48 +0000

The summer training is an accelerated version of the semester-long class for students who can’t make the regular times, as well as non-UC Berkeley applicants. While the in-depth semester course is preferable, the same core material is visited during the summer. Volunteers will be fully active Suitcase Clinic caseworkers by the end of the summer if they fulfill the training requirements.

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The summer training days are May 25th to May 26th, and June 8th to June 9th (9AM to 4PM each day). Admission into the training is by application, which you can download here: Summer Training 2013 Application. Applications will be due by May 19th at 11:59PM to applications@suitcaseclinic.org, and acceptance decisions will be emailed by May 21st at 11:59PM.

If you would like more information about the Suitcase Clinic, the class, or the application, don’t hesitate to email applications@suitcaseclinic.org. We look forward to seeing your application!

NOTE: this post was updated on April 20th, 2013, to reflect a corrected email address and includes an updated application document.

Spring 2013 Semester

Josh Lee — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 04:57:10 +0000

Wednesday, January 30th, from 7-9PM in 122 Barrows OR
Thursday, January 31st, from 5-7PM in 20 Barrows

New volunteers take a 2-unit service learning course (HMS 98/198) that discusses the problem of homelessness and how students can become effective caseworkers for homeless clients. Class will be held on Thursdays from 5-7PM in 20 Barrows.

In order to apply to the Suitcase Clinic, you must complete the following requirements:

Complete a written application (download as a PDF or Word Doc). Submit your application to 570 University Hall on Wednesday, February 6th by 5:00PM.
Attend a Clinic Tour Clinic Tours are: Monday, February 4th, at 6:00PM, 6:30PM, 7PM, 7:30PM, and 8:30PM and Tuesday, September 4th, at 7PM, 7:30PM, and 8PM. All clinic tours depart from the RSF main entrance.
Complete an in-person interview Interviews last 10 minutes and are held immediately following the Info Sessions and during the Clinic Tour times.

Applicants will be informed of our admission decisions by Thursday, February 7th, at 12PM (noon). If you have added yourself to the waitlist on Telebears, please remove yourself. Students selected for the course will be given a course entry code. If you have any questions, please email them to “class [AT] suitcaseclinic.org”.

Thank you for your interest in working with the marginalized. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Fall 2012 Semester

Josh Lee — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 04:14:24 +0000

UPDATED (8/23/12) to include August 29th info session location.

Wednesday, August 29, from 7-9PM in 210 Wheeler OR
Thursday, August 30, from 5-7PM in 166 Barrows

In order to apply to the Suitcase Clinic, you must complete the following requirements:

Complete a written application (download here) Submit your application to 570 University Hall on Wednesday, September 5th by 5:00PM.
Attend a Clinic Tour Clinic Tours are: Monday, September 3rd, at 6:00PM, 6:30PM, 7PM, 7:30PM, and 8:30PM and Tuesday, September 4th, at 7PM, 7:30PM, and 8PM. All clinic tours depart from the RSF main entrance.
Complete an in-person interview Interviews last 10 minutes and are held immediately following the Info Sessions and during the Clinic Tour times.

Applicants will be informed of our admission decisions by Thursday, September 6, at 12PM (noon). If you have added yourself to the waitlist on Telebears, please remove yourself. Students selected for the course will be given a course entry code. If you have any questions, please email them to “class [AT] suitcaseclinic.org”.

Thank you for your interest in working with the marginalized. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Death of Kelly Thomas

Aileen — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:45:51 +0000

On July 5, 2011, a mentally ill homeless man named Kelly Thomas was beaten into a coma at a bus depot in Fullerton, CA. Police officer Manuel Ramos first approached Thomas, known to be nonviolent, after receiving reports of car vandalism in the area. While Ramos ordered Thomas around, another police officer searched through his bags but was unable to find any incriminating evidence. Thomas was slow to comply to Ramos’ orders at first, so the police officer began beating him. He was later joined by more police officers, some of whom clubbed him with a baton while another shocked him with a taser multiple times. Thomas was in a coma before he even arrived at the hospital. The decision was made to remove his life support five days later and Kelly Thomas succumbed to his injuries on July 10, 2011.

A more comprehensive report of the incident that led to Kelly Thomas’ death can be found here: http://www.pixiq.com/article/power-of-social-media. For those who are interested (caution: the footage is graphic), the surveillance camera along with audio from the policemen’s microphone can be seen/heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU0Imk2Bstg.

Beyond the tragedy of the situation, it is frightening to think of the threat that police brutality can pose particularly to the marginalized in our society. While there are certainly many good police officers that work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our population on a regular basis, from time to time incidents such as these do arise. What I think concerns me most about this is how so many of our clients could be potential Kelly Thomases on any given night. Even more scary is the fact that this incident occurred nearly a year ago, and is only beginning to garner wider media attention now. It is times like this that I really appreciate the work of Osha Neumann, an active advocate for the legal rights of the under-served in the East Bay and longtime friend of the Suitcase Clinic.

Any thoughts on the matter?

Get Involved: Volunteer Training (Summer 2012)

Josh Lee — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:12:42 +0000

The Suitcase Clinic summer training is just around the corner! Summer training will provide you with the basic skills you need to become a successful volunteer at one of our three clinics.

Our summer training will take place from 10AM to 4PM on the weekends of June 2-3 and June 9-10. Admission into the training is by application. Download the application here: 2012 Summer Class Application. Applications are due May 18 by 11:59PM to class@suitcaseclinic.org, and applicants will be notified by the 20th.

If you would like more information about the Suitcase Clinic, the class, or the application, don’t hesitate to email class@suitcaseclinic.org. We look forward to seeing your application!

Sincere Act of Charity or Publicity Stunt?

Aileen — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:17:45 +0000

BBH Labs is an organization that is piloting a Homeless Hotspot program in the Austin area wherein homeless people are given Verizon Wifi hotspot devices and serve as moving digital Wifi connection spots around the city. Users can access the internet through these Homeless Hotspots by paying a small fee. BBH is publicizing this project as a way for the homeless to earn income on the side. Is this really a sincere act of charity though? Or is it rather an act of publicity? You be the judge: original article.

Former NJ Governor Goes Undercover To Experience Homelessness for a Night

Aileen — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:49:04 +0000

This is an interesting article about how a former New Jersey governor voluntarily decided to don a disguise and experience what it was like to be homeless for a night: http://news.yahoo.com/former-jersey-governor-goes-undercover-homeless-man-023749042.html. It seems nice that someone of privilege is opting to learn firsthand what many of our clients experience on a nightly basis, but I do wonder whether it will produce any real change. Thoughts?

February 2012 Newsletter

Josh Lee — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:53:21 +0000

The February 2012 newsletter is now available. Read about the new and improved Suitcase Clinic class (HMS 98/198), a movement to quantitatively measure Suitcase Clinic’s community impact, and more! You can download the latest issue of our newsletter here.

All newsletters are available on the Publications page. Enjoy!

Spring 2012 Semester

Josh Lee — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:53:49 +0000

UPDATE: application is now available in Word Doc (updated 1/22/12) format or PDF (updated 1/22/12).

UPDATE 2: the time and location of the first info session has changed.

Thanks for your interest in joining the Suitcase Clinic! Each semester we recruit new volunteers to serve the underserved and promote social justice in our community. If you would like to learn more about joining the Suitcase Clinic, please attend one of our Info Sessions on Tuesday, January 24 from 5-6pm in B100 Blum and Thursday, January 26 from 5-6pm in 182 Dwinelle. You can also email us at “class [AT] suitcaseclinic.org”.

New volunteers take a 2-unit service learning course (HMS 98/198) that discusses the problem of homelessness and how students can become effective caseworkers for homeless clients. Our Spring 2012 class will be held Thursdays from 5-7pm in 182 Dwinelle. Class begins on February 2.

In order to apply to the Suitcase Clinic, you must complete the following requirements:

Complete a written application (Word Doc or PDF) and submit it to 570 University Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 1st by 4:30pm.
Attend a Clinic Tour. Clinic Tours are Monday January 30 at 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8:30pm and Tuesday January 31 at 7, 7:30, and 8pm. All clinic tours depart from the RSF main entrance.
Complete an in-person interview. Interviews last 10 minutes and are held immediately following the Info Sessions and during the Clinic Tour times.

Applicants will be informed of our admission decisions by Thursday, February 2, at 12pm. If you have added yourself to the waitlist on Telebears, please remove yourself. Students selected for the course will be given a course entry code.

Thank you for your interest in working with the marginalized. We look forward to seeing you soon!

RIP People’s Park

Aileen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:46:49 +0000

I happened to come across this article online today and was frankly so shocked by it that I had to share it with everyone. In the name of “sanitation,” the university has ordered part of People’s Park to be bulldozed. Trees planted back during the free speech movement of the 1970′s were uprooted. Besides sanitation, another incentive for this action will most likely be to ensure that the students of the new housing units (currently under construction) will have better views.

Many of our clients live in People’s Park. For the university to destroy the place that many people call home is callous and inconsiderate. According to the article, part of the destroyed area included the garden that was maintained by people in the park.

Any thoughts on the matter?