Editorials

Overstepping boundaries

UNIVERSITY ISSUES: The discussion surrounding the appointment of UC Student Regent-designate Sadia Saifuddin was disrespectful and failed to focus on her qualifications.

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Nathaniel Solley/Staff

When former ASUC senator Sadia Saifuddin was appointed to the position of UC student-regent designate at this month’s UC Board of Regents meeting, what should have been a conversation focusing on the candidate’s qualifications devolved into a shameful spectacle. The conversation to approve Saifuddin failed to assess her preparedness to Read More…

Editorials

Open contradictions

UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS: The university’s recently passed open access research policy is at odds with the goals of the open access movement.

Earlier this summer, The Daily Calfornian wrote an editorial in support of the nationwide open access movement, which aims to make results of government-funded research freely available to the public online. On July 24, the UC Academic Senate proudly announced that beginning in November, anyone will be able to access Read More…

Editorials

Maintaining diversity

NATIONAL ISSUES: The U.S. Supreme Court made the right decision in sending Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, back to the lower courts to reexamine.

The U.S. Supreme Court did the right thing in not forcing the University of Texas to change its admission policies in its ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a case that tested the constitutionality of considering race in university admissions. The Supreme Court sent the case back Read More…

Editorials

Unreasonable standards

CAMPUS ISSUES: The College of Letters and Sciences has an unrealistic expectation of hopeful computer science majors with its new GPA requirement.

A new GPA requirement of 3.0 or higher in the seven prerequisite classes for computer science applicants in the College of Letters and Science is too high. There needs to be a more holistic review of prospective applicants, with a lower GPA requirement. Implementing a high GPA requirement can lead Read More…

Letters to the Editor

Letter: June 17 – June 24

The inability to have a smoke free home In an editorial from June 10, The Daily Californian wrote, “In comparison, residents of apartment buildings do not have a choice about whether or not their neighbors smoke, but they can make a choice to keep their living situations smoke-free.” In housing Read More…

Editorials

Smoke-free zone

CITY AFFAIRS: An ordinance that proposes banning smoking in the city’s multiunit housing has a noble goal but could do more harm than good.

At its May 28 meeting, Berkeley City Council discussed a smoke-free ordinance that could become an infringement on residents’ rights. The council must tread carefully in the future if it chooses to follow through on it. The proposed ordinance, which would ban tobacco smoking in leased multiunit housing — such Read More…

Editorials

The creaming of a Dream

CITY AFFAIRS: Plans to build a new ice cream shop on Telegraph Avenue would have little to no chance of succeeding.

History has a tendency to repeat itself in Berkeley. Imagine if Telegraph Avenue did the same thing on a microcosmic level: We could have two vacant lots positioned opposite one another (each with little hope for new construction) along with two age-old record stores (both experiencing waning business over the Read More…

Editorials

A deplorable delay

CITY AFFAIRS: Berkeley Police Department seriously mishandled communication following a death in its own custody.

Berkeley Police Department made a serious mistake in delaying the release of the autopsy report from the death of Kayla Moore — one which reflects poorly upon the department’s communication tactics. Moore, a 41-year-old transgender Berkeley resident, died of an accidental drug overdose while in police custody in February, but Read More…