Category Archives: Editorials

Editorials

Deflating academic inequity

CAMPUS ISSUES: Contextual grading at UC Berkeley could be beneficial for many students, but only if the system takes a nuanced approach.

If implemented appropriately, contextualized grades may prove to be a major benefit to UC Berkeley students. Across the country, rampant grade inflation has cheapened the value of high letter grades, and while the campus has generally followed this trend, the average grade awarded to Berkeley students has been noticeably lower Read More…

Editorials

Fair ASUC election finances

CAMPUS ISSUES: A new finance commission for the ASUC elections will hopefully make the system more fair, transparent and accessible to outsiders.

The new ASUC Elections Finance Commission will be a welcome addition to this year’s election. In previous years, it was nearly impossible for third parties and independents to get elected to partisan executive offices or to increase their representation in the ASUC Senate. But that could change with the imposition Read More…

Editorials

Lessons from divestment

CAMPUS ISSUES: Should the ASUC Senate once again consider an Israel-related divestment bill, it should learn from its 2010 effort.

Israel-related divestment is once again a pressing issue in the UC system. But this time, student governments at campuses other than UC Berkeley are the ones addressing the topic — so far. UC Riverside’s student government recently passed a resolution calling on the university to divest from companies with ties Read More…

Editorials

The state of student activism

UNIVERSITY ISSUES: As made clear this week, student activists are right to continue putting pressure on Sacramento, but need to refine their message.

For the most part, student activists got it right on Monday. Unlike last year, the demonstration in support of higher education in Sacramento passed without major incident, allowing focus to remain on students’ lobbying efforts. At the same time, though, the event may indicate that student activism is facing something Read More…

Editorials

Time to rebuild on Telegraph

CITY AFFAIRS: Plans to reconstruct the burned-down building on Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street are promising, but must come to fruition.

More than a year since two beloved eateries and dozens of apartment units near campus burned to the ground, feasible plans to rebuild finally seem to be progressing. Recently, the owners of the building that formerly stood on the corner of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue submitted a proposal that Read More…

Editorials

Cal Lodge conundrum

CAMPUS ISSUES: In order to become a more valuable asset for the ASUC, Cal Lodge needs to become a location that is widely used in the summertime.

Cal Lodge has struggled for far too long. The ASUC-managed property near Lake Tahoe provides a great retreat location for UC Berkeley students and others, but in recent years, it has lost a considerable amount of money — the ASUC estimates that the lodge lost upward of $27,000 last year. Read More…

Editorials

Symptoms of sequestration

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: If Congress fails to take prompt action, the UC system and the people of California will suffer as a result of sequestration.

Here is a glimpse of the austere world California is plunging into if Congress fails to get its act together soon: The state could lose as much as $795,000 in funding for assistance to domestic violence victims, about $87.6 million for primary and secondary education will be lost, around 9,600 Read More…

Editorials

Heed Cal Corps’ petition

CAMPUS ISSUES: As a public service center that provides integral contributions to campus life at UC Berkeley, Cal Corps deserves more funding.

When UC Berkeley leaders are considering how to dole out student fee money, they must evaluate the campus’s priorities. Included in that consideration should be funding groups that further the university’s mission, part of which is to give back to local communities and pursue public service efforts. Cal Corps fits Read More…

Editorials

Stadium seating quandary

CAMPUS ISSUES: The campus is taking positive steps toward better financing of Memorial Stadium, but concerns with the project linger on.

UC Berkeley administrators have finally acquiesced to a difficult truth: Financing the renovation of California Memorial Stadium through a heavy reliance on luxury seat sales is not going to work. In order to keep the project on track, the campus will need to maximize all sources of revenue. It has Read More…

Editorials

Help the food truck owners

CITY AFFAIRS: Food trucks that used to set up in front of Sproul Plaza deserve help from the city and campus to find a new location for business.

The food trucks formerly located in front of Sproul Plaza need the city’s help. The trucks’ owners, who say they signed four-year permits with the city last year, were displaced after being asked to move in December due to construction in Lower Sproul Plaza. Now, one owner estimates losses of Read More…