hardboiled blog

Everything is a mess. Make sure you get your message to the chancellor by emailing him directly at robertjb@berkeley.edu

Here is what I wrote:

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Dear Chancellor Birgeneau,

My name is Cecilia Tran. I am an academic caseworker from the Student Advocate Office as well as a former editor of the campus Asian Pacific American newsmagazine.

While in many ways I think the occupation of Wheeler was a flawed form of protest, it truly indicates the extreme isolation students have felt as our futures have been decided for us without a shadow of transparency or democratic process. Did I think this method of protest would make a single UC regent reconsider the fee hikes? Not for a moment. At the same time, I have come to the realization that all of our student actions, whether they are perceived to be acceptable forms of protest or not, have fallen on deaf ears. Although I came to UC Berkeley to be empowered by a world-class education, I have never felt so powerless.

I feel disempowered when I read emails in which you claim to be in solidarity with us, yet do not provide an actual space or means for students to collaborate on solutions. How many times have you been at the picket lines, used your position to pressure the Regents, or seriously met with students for input (as opposed to public relations purposes)?

I feel disempowered when you try to pass off responsibility by framing the crisis solely as an illness within the state system. If UC Berkeley is to be a model for other universities, why are we not addressing dysfunctions such as the disproportionate increase in administrative positions to faculty positions on our campus? With some of the brightest minds within our school walls, why is the administration not seeking student-faculty generated alternatives?

I feel disempowered when I see and hear about my peers being brutalized by the policemen you sent to diffuse the Friday protest. I urge you to critically assess how sending armed riot police to monitor unarmed students played a role in escalating the events on Friday. I am greatly disturbed when I see the gaping disparity between what you called a “peaceful end” to the protest and the countless testimonies concerning police aggression. The images and video footage circulating around the nation confirms these reports.

I urge you to redeem the reputation of this school and restore my hope in the UC system.

Sincerely,
Cecilia Tran

I got some updates about the fight against the new UC Admissions policy, which I wrote about for issue 12.4. You know, the one that wants to increase diversity by increasing the white population and  decreasing the Asian American one. Ring any bells?

Here are some follow-up links to this article. It’s reassuring to know that Asian Americans aren’t going to take this sitting down. Hell yes!

“New UC admissions policy gives white students a better chance, angers Asian-American community” By Lisa M. Krieger, Mercury News

“Asian-American education group seeks delay in UC admissions reform” By Matt Krupnick, Contra Costa Times

Some good quotes:

“How can we not be concerned?” said Patrick Hayashi, a retired UC Berkeley and systemwide leader. “The projections show our community will be decimated. We have to keep in mind that these numbers represent real people.”

“The changes over the last two years took place inside the ivory tower and closed the door, without the public’s knowledge,” he said.

Added Hayashi: “A public university should be more responsive. Private schools can do anything they want. But public schools have a different set of objectives. “It will have a devastating impact on our community. It is a fatal mistake to think it will blow over.”

“It’s affirmative action for whites,” said UC-Berkeley professor Ling-chi Wang. “I’m really outraged “… and profoundly disappointed with the institution.”

Now let me know. How pissed are YOU?

Let’s be real. This past year has been full of some unpleasant realizations for me when it comes to the way the Berkeley campus is run. As Professor Ling Chi Wang said at the API Language and Education Now! conference, the reason that this campus is full of liberal, passionate, and active students is (and has been since the raging sixties) is because the administration is so incredibly conservative.

The need for us, as students, to defend our education against the administration has come yet again with the plan to restructure the International Area Studies (IAS) department at UC Berkeley. The IAS houses 6 undergrad majors such as Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies, and even the Global Poverty minor. The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) George Breslauer recently announced that the position of dean in IAS would be replaced by a director and the IAS Teaching Program would be demoted to the Institute of IAS.

What’s the big deal about this name game? The title of dean represents a certain degree of importance and power and as such, they would have a larger role in the administrative happenings. This demotion not only takes away this power but makes the statement that Berkeley does not value international knowledge despite the fact that we live in a globalized community. In response to the student and professors’ badgering, Breslauer said that this move would save $250,000 annually. You know what, Breslauer? We’re calling your bluff because, as Prof. Ananya Roy has stated, you’re going to be hiring three individuals to replace the dean– how much money will that save? If you want to restructure a program on campus, can’t you please give us real and foolproof reasons as to why and how it will be beneficial? Breslauer has outright refused to talk to students in an open and public dialogue. This is a serious issue of transparency.

As a Development Studies major, this move impacts me in a very real way. I took on this major because I knew it was interdisciplinary and would not confine me to viewing the world’s issues from one field, one perspective. This major allows me to not only better understand the Third World but pick a geographic area of concentration. I have chosen to focus on Southeast Asia and, in doing so, I have had the opportunity to learn so much about Viet Nam, my heritage as a Vietnamese American woman, and better understand the present day conflicts of the region. This program represents the passion for cultural understanding on the Berkeley campus and we are all stakeholders in it. We cannot afford to let the administration tell us that our concerns are not valid. In true TWLF fashion, let’s tell them that this is our education and OUR university.

For more information, please go to: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=75491306920&ref=ts
To sign the petition to stop restructuring: http://www.calpetitions.com/petition/support-ias/