UC Berkeley student activists say that controversy and protest will continue over the UC administration's handling of the university's financial troubles.

Efforts on campus will start Tuesday, with a three-day takeover of Kroeber Hall. Activists have said the move is only the beginning of a semester-long effort devoted to opposing student fee increases, state budget cuts and an alleged privatization of the university.

The event will follow the form of demonstrations last semester that sought to stimulate discussion on topics ranging from the allocation of campus funds to statewide concerns about the future of public higher education.

"We can only expect bigger and greater things," said Callie Maidhof, a student organizer and a UC Berkeley graduate student. "One of the best possible things is that it turn into a nationwide issue. People are paying attention to us to see what happens."

Andrea McCarthy, a spokesperson for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that student demonstrations led Schwarzenegger to reassert the state's commitment to the university.

"The governor always knew the cuts were difficult, but the reality of the burden was made clear by the students and it played a role in his decision to protect higher education in his budget," she said.

Schwarzenegger's proposed budget would eliminate $305 million in cuts made during a special state legislative session last February as well as provide $14.1 million to the UC retirement plan and $54.3 million to fund the enrollment of 5,121 UC students. The proposed funding needs a two-thirds majority in both houses of the state Legislature to pass.

University administrators, faculty and students have varied in their reactions to the proposal.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau praised the plan as a crucial first step in re-establishing the campus's financial "equilibrium." He said he hoped to see the campus community unite in urging the state Legislature to fully fund the university's $913 million budget request.

"We need students to meet with their local legislators, saying 'We need your support,'" he said. "How rapidly we can get back to where our budget system was before the cuts depends entirely on what happens in the spring."

But Maidhof said campus protests do not merely aim at securing enough funding from the legislature.

"There's no singular push on one body," she said. "There's a recognition of broader issues that have to do with a lot of different issues of governance. The legislature are not the ones who pledged our tuition on construction projects. It's a matter of what we're doing with the money that we have."

UC Berkeley Professor George Lakoff said he wants to see people come together to eliminate the two-thirds majority needed in the legislature to pass a budget, as stipulated by a proposed state constitutional amendment. He said the measure would make it easier for public education to receive funding and bridge divides among the campus community.

"As soon as you start going into how we use campus funds, you begin to split," he said. "The Majority Rule campaign will unite the campus community."

Relations between campus officials and activists remain strained. Controversy still surrounds alleged police brutality during the Nov. 20 Wheeler Hall occupation as well as the Dec. 11 arrests of students conducting an "Open University" and eight activists arrested that night after an attack on Birgeneau's campus residence.

Two separate investigations by the campus Police Review Board and UCPD continue to investigate police conduct on Nov. 20.

"The whole thing could have gone better," Birgeneau said. "We need to be able to understand each other. We need to work together constructively."

But Maidhof said that the administration must reconsider its approach in dealing with demonstrations that will continue into the new semester.

"Both Nov. 20 and Dec. 11 were fairly extreme examples of police who don't follow their own protocol," she said. "We will continue to rise up ... I think it was very telling on Nov. 20 that people were talking out of a window and that the administration would not go near."

The campus is still seeking those responsible for damage done to Birgeneau's house Dec. 11. None of the eight people arrested have been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, but UCPD continues to investigate the incident, said Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers.

At the time, Schwarzenegger called the attack an "act of terrorism" and stressed that justice must be served. But UCPD Captain Margo Bennett said that so far the state has not provided any resources in the investigation.

Bennett said the investigation remains a "high priority" and the UCPD hired a detective to gather information about the identities of those involved in the attack. UCPD has posted pictures of suspects on the department Web site, asking for help in identifying them.

"This campus supports the right to protest and speak freely… but this needs to have accountability," she said. "I hope we have a case that is good enough for the district attorney to take into the court system."

Of the eight arrested, UC Berkeley students Zachary Bowin and Angela Miller remain under interim campus suspension. Though Bowin was granted lesser restrictions after a student conduct hearing, Miller is not permitted on any part of campus and faces eviction from Cloyne Court because the cooperative sits on university property. Her faculty adviser Stephen Rosenbaum, a lecturer at Boalt Hall School of Law, said he is seeking a review of her restrictions, including her lack of legal counsel at a campus student conduct hearing.

"It's a very sad day (and) a travesty for students for who there is no shred of evidence of illegal conduct," he said.

Tags: CHANCELLOR'S HOUSE, LIVE WEEK, UC BERKELEY CHANCELLOR ROBERT BIRGENEAU