But what was Steve Wozniak’s Cal experience really like? We at the Daily Clog sat down with the Wizard of Wozillia himself to find out.

The Daily Californian: Can you tell us a little bit about how you arrived at UC Berkeley? Why did you choose to transfer here for your junior year?

Steve Wozniak: My parents had me apply to the University of California because it was an awful lot less expensive. So I applied. Berkeley really was the school I would have wanted to go to, because it had a reputation for intellectual free-thinking. Civil liberties and the politics and economics of war were being challenged. Freedom of speech was being brought up as a subject. So I really admired Berkeley in that sense. I just wanted to be among great thinkers. So in my third year of college, I transferred into Berkeley.

DC: After your first year at UC Berkeley, you left and founded Apple with Steve Jobs. But you made sure to return to UC Berkeley to finish your degree. Why? Why does a college degree matter to you?

SW: I had done a lot outside of Cal that would have been equivalent to Master’s and PhD projects, but having a symbol to represent these accomplishments is very important. Also, just being able to tell your kids what college you went to is going to encourage them to go to college. And college is just the most fun four years of your life.

DC: Where, in your experience, is the best place for experiencing what it means to be a Golden Bear?

SW: Oh my gosh. The first place that comes to mind is the rallies before the Big Game. As part of Berkeley itself, Sather Gate stands out in my mind as the most prominent feature of the university.

DC: Sproul Plaza has always been a center of campus activity. Any memories, strange encounters or lessons that you learned there?

SW: I often saw musicians sitting down and playing the guitar. I was into that kind of folkish approach. Sometimes, I’d sit down and listen to them — and even skip class for it.

DC: Do you still like the same kind of music? What’s playing on your iTunes right now?

SW: [laughs] Usually something a little bit country. A little bit folk. Ariana Gillis is one of my favorites. Let’s see, I like The Airborne Toxic Event, Train, Counting Crows — oh my gosh — Counting Crows. Right out of Berkeley! I love them so much. We got to meet the guitarist and we go out with him and his girlfriend all the time.

DC: Do you have a favorite song from Counting Crows?

SW: “Round Here,” “Mr. Jones,” … actually, all their songs. They are just so incredible. I actually take most songs I like and go online, read the lyrics and think about them. This kind of thinking is what college is about and it means a lot to me. Music was a big part of my life in learning how to live.

DC: Cool. Other than music, Sproul is known for its demonstrations. Was this true when you were at Cal?

SW: We had sit-downs in those days. But there was one protest where marchers went to Bancroft and Shattuck and smashed every window. We had large demonstrations; the police would show up and start firing tear gas and everyone would run. The cops would be shooting rubber bullets, so the kids in the dorms would love to go looking for them. I kept hoping … to get a picture taken next to a tear gas canister spewing out smoke. But I never achieved that. I never found a rubber bullet either — but thank God I never got a hit by one. Although, one time I was at a payphone on Bancroft and Telegraph and all of a sudden cops pulled up in “blue minis.” They started shooting their guns; the crowd started running but I was trapped in the phone booth, waiting for an operator to get back to me. I was ducking down. The windows were already broken on that pay phone. I was so scared I was going to get hit. But I didn’t. They left me alone. [laughs]

DC: While living in Norton Hall, Unit 3, you describe phone phreaking. Can you tell us a bit more? What experience stands out?

SW: Wow. I discovered, the day before coming to school at Berkeley, this whole idea that you could put little tones into a phone and dial calls anywhere in the world. It was  a bug in the phone system. I was talented enough to build tone makers — I did this with Steve Jobs — and I was excited that we would be able to make a device that would make calls all over the world. We were honest enough to tell our parents what we were doing. They just said not to make any of the calls from their phones. So we would mostly do it from the dorm rooms.

I had read about phone phreaks that were great engineers. They would hook into payphone cables in Arizona and set up worldwide networks. They were smarter than phone company engineers and drove around with vans full of equipment. And oh my gosh, they were just like science fiction heroes — except they were real.

DC: Tell us about the Blue Box. We know it’s a device that you used to make international calls for free, but what did you do with it?

SW: It was never my idea to sell a Blue Box — just to make one to show off. But Steve Jobs said, “Why don’t we sell these to students?” He was always short on money. So we would set up demonstrations in dorms around campus. We would knock on doors until we found someone that looked cool … so, you know, they wouldn’t turn us in. Then we would set up an appointment to come back that night. Usually a group of about 12-20 people would be in the room. I would be the master of ceremonies. I’d tell stories about what phone phreaks have done and what they could do. I’d make a demonstration Blue Box call and we would wind up calling around the world. At every single demo, we sold a Blue Box.

DC: Wow, it sounds like you could do some crazy stuff with the Blue Box. Did you pull any pranks with it?

SW: We called the Pope. I pretended to be Henry Kissinger with Richard Nixon at a summit meeting in Moscow. I said that I wanted to talk to the Pope. I reached the Bishop, who going to be the translator, an hour later — but he had called the real Henry Kissinger. So, I was busted. We didn’t have caller ID in those days.

DC: That’s awesome. Are there any other wild experiences you had because of your phone phreaking hobby?

SW: One day, we had a Blue Box to sell to somebody in the dorms. We stopped at a pizza parlor and demonstrated it to some people there. Then they came up to our car and robbed us of it at gun point. But they left their phone number so that we could call and tell them how to use it. They wanted to pay for it but just didn’t have the money.

DC: Wow, that’s intense.

SW: [laughs] We did a lot of incredible interesting things that people couldn’t believe.

DC: Looking back, what advice would you give graduating seniors?

SW: Don’t expect that right away — even though you’re smarter than someone else — you’re going to stand out and have better ideas and approaches. It takes a while to learn that.

Contact Alex Mabanta at amabanta@dailycal.org.

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There seem to be glimpses of the Campanile in images of a much cuter Sather Gate. There might even be some buildings worked in there that you see, too, if you pay attention. We won’t be able to tell for sure until the movie comes out this summer (we cannot wait!), but Pixar itself has said that Berkeley was one of the schools it used to design its imaginary one.

In our hearts, though, Monster’s University is 100 percent real. I mean, it has a legitimate website and everything! Who wouldn’t believe that after browsing through it? We were halfway through ordering our transcripts for transfer applications when someone told us it was just a movie. (We might still try sending them in anyway. The Golden Bears are great, but those guys have classes on creepiness.)

If you’re wondering why we’re so dead-set on this institution’s reality, you obviously haven’t checked out its site. Its creators haven’t missed anything. Wondering about the campus? Admission requirements? Alumni? It’s all there. Seriously. They have the weather report at the bottom of the page in degrees Fahrenheit! If you think there’s a single thing on that page that you can’t click on, you’re wrong. They’re messing with our heads. We don’t know what’s real and what’s fiction anymore!

We may sound over the top with all our fandom, but we won’t apologize. Don’t you think the Monsters Aptitude Test (MAT) seems so much worthier a thing to study for than the SAT?

Image source: insidethemagic under Creative Commons

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The changes to the campus’s Regulations Concerning the Time, Place, and Manner of Public Expression aim to clarify policies that currently prohibit the use of firearms on campus and the obstruction of pathways and traffic during campus demonstrations.

The new policy states that “groups engaging in activities in or around campus buildings must leave open an unobstructed path sufficient for pedestrian traffic to flow into and out of the building.”

Additionally, the policy prohibits the display of imitation firearms unless “it would be obvious to a reasonable observer that the imitation firearm or other weapon is not a real firearm or other weapon.”

The policy further clarifies that prior to displaying any imitation firearms, members of the campus community must obtain permission from UCPD.

The last clarification specifies that demonstrations around Sather Gate must leave the gate unobstructed to allow pedestrians and emergency vehicles to pass through.

The policy changes follow the July settlement of Felber v. Yudof, which was filed in March 2011 and accused a member of Students for Justice in Palestine of ramming Jessica Felber — who was a member of Tikvah Students for Israel — with a shopping cart.

The suit alleged that the campus and the university failed to adopt policies that addressed that campus climate. It was dismissed by a district court in December and by the plaintiffs in July under the conditions that changes to the policy were considered.

Dean of Students Jonathan Poullard said that the policy clarifications “merely put in writing existing practices” of the campus and UCPD.

“Those practices are just one aspect of the substantial efforts that the campus undertakes on a constant basis to promote civil dialog and a elcoming campus environment,” Poullard said in an email.

Still, Abraham Levine, a campus sophomore and president of Tikvah, said the policies will be effective.

“These policies will protect every one who engages in the free exchange of ideas from harassment and intimidation,” he said.

Tom Pessah, a campus graduate student and SJP board member, said he believed the group’s demonstrations would not be affected.

“The lawsuit tried to say we were stopping traffic, which is untrue,” Pessah said. “We don’t completely block the traffic on Sproul, and we don’t use realistic weapons — we use weapons made of wood, which aren’t realistic at all.”

Campus administrators will accept comments from the campus community on the clarifications until Nov. 21. After reviewing the comments, the campus Division of Student Affairs will make a determination on whether the new policies are necessary, according to Poullard.

Honest Chung, an organizer for Students for a Democratic University and a UC Berkeley fifth-year, said that the language of the policy changes are “too vague” to properly protect students’ rights to assemble.

“It’s pretty clear what the policy says in regards to Sather Gate — it doesn’t want you to block it,” Chung said. “But for the other policies, the language is so vague that whatever demonstration or assembly or protest happens, the university can interpret it the way that they want.”

Contact Geena Cova at gcova@dailycal.org.

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The changes to the campus Regulations Concerning the Time, Place, and Manner of Public Expression policy are pursuant to the July settlement reached in the case Felber v. Yudof, which asked the university to clarify policies regarding the use of imitation firearms and leaving unobstructed pathways during demonstrations.

The suit, which was filed in March 2011, stemmed from an incident during which Jessica Felber, a UC Berkeley alumna and former co-president of the campus Zionist student group Tikvah, was allegedly assaulted by a member of Students for Justice in Palestine during a demonstration on campus. It alleged that the campus and university tolerated “the development of a dangerous anti-Semitic climate on its campuses” and failed to adopt policies that addressed that campus climate, according to the filing.

The suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in December, and by the plaintiffs in July, following the settlement agreement.

The campus will take comments from the campus community on the proposed policy changes until Nov. 21, according to a campuswide email sent out by UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande Tuesday.

Read the current and proposed language in the regulation below:

SECTION 321(a)

• The section currently states that “No person on University property or at official University functions may block entrances to or otherwise interfere with the free flow of traffic into and out of campus buildings.”
• The proposed change would add the following to the section: “Groups engaging in activities in or around campus buildings must leave open an unobstructed path sufficient for pedestrian traffic to flow into and out of the building.”

SECTION 321(k)

• This section currently states: “No person on University property or at official University functions may possess, use, store, or manufacture a firearm or other weapon.”
• The proposed change to this policy would add: “The display of imitation firearms or other weapons is prohibited in all open, public areas of the campus, unless it would be obvious to a reasonable observer that the imitation firearm or other weapon is not a real firearm or other weapon. To ensure compliance with this provision, prior to displaying any imitation firearm or other weapon in an open, public area of the campus, approval must be obtained from the campus police department.”

SECTION 331

• The language in this section states that “During open hours, Sproul Plaza and Lower Sproul Plaza may be used without reservation for discussion or public expression which does not require or involve sound amplification equipment . . . However, use of these areas for discussion or public expression may be limited when such use interferes with the orderly conduct of University business or authorized events.”
• The final proposed change would add to the policy, that “Groups engaging in activities in or around Sather Gate must leave open an unobstructed path that is sufficient for pedestrian traffic to flow through Sather Gate. If emergency vehicles need to pass through Sather Gate, groups must move to allow the vehicles to do so.”

Full story to follow.

Amruta Trivedi is the assistant university news editor. Contact her at atrivedi@dailycal.org.

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The victim was walking on Lower Sproul Plaza around 2:55 p.m. Monday when she was approached by a male who asked her to buy a magazine subscription, according to a UCPD crime alert released Friday. The victim initially agreed to buy the subscription from the male, who identified himself as “Kody,” but later declined when she was told how much the subscription would cost.

According to the alert, the suspect and two accomplices subsequently threatened the victim and walked her to a nearby ATM in the Golden Bear Cafe. The victim withdrew cash, which was allegedly taken by the suspects.

The victim was not injured during the encounter and reported the incident to UCPD on Wednesday.

The suspect and his companions were last seen walking toward Sather Gate, according to the alert.

According to the UCPD crime alert, the suspect is described as:

“A white male in his early 20’s, with a thin build and short hair.  There is no description of the suspect’s two companions at this time.”

Chloe Hunt covers crime. Contact her at cthunt@dailycal.org.

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Today, with campus expansion, the street begins at the intersection with Bancroft Way and stretches for 4.5 miles connecting the campus to Oakland’s city center. Last November, Occupy Oakland protesters marched down the entire avenue as a sign of solidarity with Occupy Cal Day of Action. Soon after, members of Occupy Cal themselves marched the entire avenue to Oakland.

When you step off of campus onto Telegraph you enter one of the busiest and most historic districts of the avenue – a mix of cheap eats and treats, young adult fashion, book and music stores, cafes, and specialty shops of the counterculture.

Find yourself weaving around street vendors selling beads and bracelets or even tie-dye T-shirts embroidered with the name “Berkeley”. Clusters of freshmen make the ritual pilgrimages to the street’s tastiest offerings.  Street performers offer rhythms and beats or an impromptu art show for passers-by.
On Telegraph, the weird and strange is commonplace. For some it’s what makes the city of Berkeley special.

“Every city is like the next city, said Mark Hawthorne a Berkeley resident commonly know as the Hate Man. “Some cities are starting to realize  … there are unique aspects of this particular city (such) that including weirdos and characters, give it a special character.”

Walk further on Telegraph to the intersection with Haste and encounter an 88-foot-long mural depicting the political and social history of Berkeley. It was at this intersection that began a plot of land purchased by the campus in the 1950s, left as a deteriorating and trashed parking lot in the 1960s and in April of 1969 relandscaped without university approval to become a green community and living space called People’s Park.

Since its creation in the midst of political unrest and violent confrontations with law enforcement, People’s Park has persisted as a hub for the street community of Berkeley.  Settlers young and old, and their dogs, call the park and Telegraph their home. The visible presence of the street community on the sidewalks along Telegraph Avenue has caused friction with some of the businesses on the street who argue that it detracts from business. This November,

Berkeley voters will decide whether the street community should be allowed to sit or lie on sidewalks like those on Telegraph Ave.
“I want to see Telegraph Avenue become a more friendly place,” said Roland Peterson, executive director of the Telegraph Business Improvement District, which supports passing the Berkeley civil sidewalks measure.

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