On Sept. 10, Berkeley City Council is poised to take a historic step. The impending adoption of the Berkeley Student District Campaign’s map would make Berkeley the first city in the country to adopt a student district. This meeting is the culmination of a successful three-year campaign to raise the student voice to the city level and allow students to contribute ideas and effective solutions on issues like affordable housing, student safety, Telegraph development and many more.
However, some people are beginning to ask: have we drawn the best possible student district? The answer to that question is nuanced, because we’re charged not only with figuring out how to draw the best possible student district, but also with respecting other communities across the city of Berkeley. Changes in one district’s boundaries affect neighborhoods and communities in other districts. By definition, “the best possible student district” will not be a perfect one, but one that balances the interests of the student community and the interests of other neighborhoods.
If we were considering a “perfect student district,” given that students make up 25 percent of the population of Berkeley and there are eight council districts in the city, there should be two districts comprised entirely of student residents. But with this issue, we are not only considering the interests of the student community; we are also considering nonstudent neighborhoods that deserve equal amounts of respect. This is where the idea of an “imperfect but best-possible district” comes into play: we must balance our own interests and the interests of other neighborhoods. I believe that the Berkeley Student District Campaign map is our best possible option because it is the only one that strikes such a balance between these competing goals.
Recently, a group calling themselves the United Student District Amendment has made a case for a different map that alters the boundaries to include more of Northside in the student district. I share their goals. I am thoroughly convinced of the importance of including Northside students and the Northside cooperative houses into the conversation regarding the proposed student district.
However, I cannot support the USDA map. While it does achieve our goal of getting students from Northside into the student district, it splits the Downtown and North Shattuck communities over multiple districts and takes some students from the Southside out of the student district. This is an example of considering only student interests while disrespecting the north Shattuck and Downtown neighborhoods. If we are going to be taken seriously, we must balance our interests with others’ — we cannot adopt a map that only considers ourselves and thoroughly disregards other neighborhoods.
I appreciate that this process of drawing a map is extremely difficult: achieving one goal often requires sacrificing another. That’s why I commend the USDA for their effort and involvement even though I cannot in good conscience support their map.
That being said, if the Council finds it possible to draw a compromise map that includes more dorms and co-ops from the north and east sides of campus in the student district while at the same time respecting other neighborhoods citywide, I believe that that map would be worth our thorough consideration and discussion. Until then, the Berkeley Student District Campaign map remains far and away the best option both for students, and for the city of Berkeley.
I want to end by saying it is extremely important that students remain united on this issue. I unwaveringly support the idea of creating the most inclusive student district. I encourage the council to think about how this could be accomplished, and I strongly encourage students to attend the Sept. 10 council meeting to have their say. However, we cannot disregard the greater Berkeley community. After three years of grueling work and negotiations, we stand on the precipice of a tremendous victory for students. We have successfully convinced the City Council that students cannot be ignored any longer. Whatever the outcome may be, it should represent the input of all student voices, as well as the concerns of Berkeley as a whole.
Safeena Mecklai serves as UC Berkeley’s ASUC external affairs vice president.