Over the course of just a few days, “The Coalition,” a newly-formed multicultural student group, planned and executed a die-in, and recruited over 250 demonstrators.
The organization, which formed out of protest to the Berkeley College Republicans’ bake sale, made its presence known Tuesday by conducting a demonstration on Sproul Plaza with over 250 participants. However, the group’s grievances extend far beyond the bake sale, all the way to the generally “poor campus climate,” according to Salih Muhammad, chair of the Black Students Union and coalition demonstrator.
“When you see that there is such a large power that’s overtly oppressing, then that calls for coalition building because, clearly, individually it’s not working,” said Ruben Canedo, another member of the coalition. “This is why we gotta come together, to show this is not just an individual issue, but it’s a collective issue, a systemic issue.”
The group’s chosen protesting tactic Tuesday involved hundreds of demonstrators lying in the center of Upper Sproul Plaza dressed in black.
The event gave the group a voice, according to coalition member Naomi Wilson.
“Hopefully we achieved in making some folks feel uncomfortable in terms of them really questioning how they feel about (SB 185) and the situation and encouraging them to really do their research,” Canedo said.
“I hope its comfortable for them,” said Ward Connerly, a former UC regent and a main proponent of Proposition 209, who sat at the bake sale table, in response to the demonstration.
Communally, the group decided to end the event an hour early due to safety precautions regarding the heat.
During the event, coalition members passed out leaflets enumerating eight demands of the group.
The demands “all serve a specific purpose, not for the individual self, but for the betterment of the system,” Canedo said.
The coalition seeks to be brought to discussions with administrators on issues impacting students, he added. However, on Tuesday no members of the coalition spoke to any administrators, including campus Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Gibor Basri and campus Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry LeGrande, who made appearances in Sproul during the day.
The Coalition has made some plans for the future.
“We look forward to hosting teach-ins on why the demands are so necessary,” Canedo said.
However, Canedo and Wilson could not comment on future events because any decisions to that effect would need to be made by the community.
Canedo said the large numbers — over 250 student demonstrators — were due to already “existing oppression.” Canedo said that when people feel vulnerable, “our instincts call for a coalition.”
The organization operates “laterally,” meaning that every effort is a collective effort, according to Canedo. When a decision needs to be made, the issue is brought to the community for discussion.
“Things run a lot more smoothly when you’re with family,” Canedo said.
Read The Daily Californian’s coverage from behind the Berkeley College Republicans’ bake sale table.
Comment Policy
Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. The Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regard to the readers, writers and contributors of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Click here to read the full comment policy.
I dont know why some kids think they will have better and supposedly fair chance of getting into college when admission becomes color blind. Suppose they will learn when 90% of student body becomes asians.
[I dont know why some kids think they will have better and supposedly
fair chance of getting into college when admission becomes color blind.]
Unlike you, not everyone is afraid of competing on his or her own merits and abilities.
Good for them if they earned a spot due to their hard work.
Somebody needs to clue these guys in — holistic admissions has nothing to do with helping underrepresented minorities.
It is/was only meant to find a way to limit the Asian numbers and increase the numbers of very, very specific types of white people (call them “oligarchs,” especially if you live in California) to Yale or Harvard-like percentages.
It’s like the educational version of droit de cuissage. And the fact that they are able to pit people so willingly against each other is frankly what makes it so beautiful to behold.
No, actually the original holistic admissions schemes were a way to limit Jewish admissions to Harvard, Yale and Princeton so they did not become as overrepresented as at Columbia and Penn. Holistic Admissions was all about helping underrepresented minorities at UC’s; however, it has not yet worked quite as well as planned. Holistic admissions currently works to limit the number of middle and lower class white and Asian admissions to ivy leagues and other highly selective private colleges and to limit the number of white and Asian middle class admissions to UC’s. The greatest benefactor of holistic admissions at UC”s has been lower class Asians. This may change in the upcoming admissions cycle with the elimination of Sat Subject exams and with every student graduating in the top 10% of his high school class UC eligible regardless of Sat scores or the competitive level of the high school. There simply are not enough admission slots to accommodate all who will want to take part in a free Blue and Gold UC education.
Also, why does the Daily Cal use words like “die-in” without quotation marks?
Because liberals own the English language. Also, everything they say is true and need not be checked.
The protesters chose to wear black on a hot day. They could have worn more reflective colors, but I guess this is just Darwinism in action.
Too bad that some minorities can’t get a spot on Cal’s admissions list the old fashioned way – by earning it. Why do they think it is OK to gain admission ahead of a more qualified applicant. There are plenty of very bright Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Women who qualify for admission solely on their academic record. It minimizes and marginalizes their accomplishments when less qualified minorities are allowed admission. And they overall “dumbing down” of CAL hurts its reputation and the overall learning experience for all students.
The admission process should be color blind and based solely on academic credentials. Anything else is a disservice to everyone.
I understand your position and it seems reasonable enough. However, being completely color blind fails to recognize the personal histories of applicants, as well as the cultural, political, and educational history of our society. It should be self evident that focusing solely on academic achievement fails to create a diverse student body. People’s experiences may be heavily influenced by their ethnicity, among other factors. Due to my Mexican American heritage I had different life experiences that require recognition of my ethnicity and socioeconomic status in order to view my UC application and my application’s personal statement from an informed, holistic, and ultimately more objective perspective. I doubt my admission to Cal was solely based on either my ethnic background or my academic achievement, but I would hope that both of these things were among the factors that led to my admission.
I would hardly say that there is any “‘dumbing down’ of Cal.”
[It should be self evident that focusing solely on academic achievement fails to create a diverse student body.]
Yet somehow skin color creates “diversity”?
I didn’t ever say that skin color creates diversity. There are social implications that go along with ethnic heritage. I challenge you to open your mind and think critically about this from the other side for 5 minutes. If you still feel the same way, that’s perfectly all right. Just consider the issue from an other perspective.
You had different life experiences? No shit. Everybody’s life is different. What the hell is your point? Learn to reason.
Explain why your life experiences, which cannot be seen through any prism other than race, entitle you to go to Cal over somebody more academically qualified.
Growing up in the barrio with a life threatening genetic condition that is most prevalent amongst hispanics has a lot to do with my life experience. Remove any reference to my ethnicity and socioeconomic status from the equation and suddenly my story becomes a lot less interesting. And by the way, as a transfer student I was one of the most qualified students with a 3.95. The majority of the transfer students this year had a lower GPA.
Every ethnic group has genetic conditions that are more prevalent to them.
And most people support considering socioeconomic status–the argument is about whether race should be considered. (I, for the record, disagree that socioeconomic status should be considered, but that’s just me.)
Also, getting a 3.95 in community college is not impressive.
I think that 3.95 gpa is pretty impressive. But then, that’s just me.
These Republican kids will have to be sent to the Ministry of Love for further programming. Satire that might gravely, deeply, profoundly hurt the delicate student’s feelings must be stopped.
“It Seems like UC Berkeley is having a racist bakesale!”
“I guess that their cupcakes were made with egg… Whites Only”
YEAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Interestingly, Salih Muhammad is a proud and avowed member of a group recognized as racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League–the Nation of Islam, a violent group that has it’s own paramilitary organization known as the Fruit of Islam, used to intimidate opponents. It’s ironic that a guy who is a member of a group recognized as hateful even by the above left-wing organizations can tell the rest of us the campus climate is oppressive.
“When you see that there is such a large power that’s overtly oppressing, then that calls for coalition building because, clearly, individually it’s not working,” said Ruben Canedo, another member of the coalition. “This is why we gotta come together, to show this is not just an individual issue, but it’s a collective issue, a systemic issue.”
I don’t get it. What’s their issue specifically? And what exactly are their demands?
Their demand is that dissenting points of view be silenced because they are prone to narcissistic injury. Yet they think OTHERS are “oppressive”…
Apparently it bothers them that people they disagree with are allowed to have the right to free speech.
They’re using their pseudo-outrage as an excuse to demand more unfair funding, often awarded illegally with complete disregard for content-neutrality in terms of student organizations and student fees, and special politically biased treatment on the taxpayer’s dime. Basically, they’re attempting to plunge public education further into a corrupt mire of indoctrination and political advocacy.
As long as they don’t corrupt the minds of our football and basketball players, I am okay with whatever little stunts they do. But don’t mess with the young bucks on the Golden Bears!
“end the event an hour early due to safety precautions regarding the heat.”
As Harry Truman said, “If you can’t stand the heat …”
The more these children whine and cry about how freedom of speech “hurts” and “offends” them, the more it’s clear to the rest of us that these people lack the intellectual and emotional development to even make it through any Cal degree program other than the most dumbed-down basket weaving or grievance studies major.
What a great way to silence legitimate debate, criticism and opposition: whine like a baby, and label it oppressive and offensive.
I completely agree. And, when did a college education become a right? It is completely a privilege that is not owed to anyone, especially those who are not academically capable of achieving it!
If something is not owed to anyone, degrees of not owing that something don’t make sense.
Are these people SERIOUS? The only people experiencing an “oppressive” atmosphere are those who dare challenge the Politically Correct party line.