University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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The -Not My Multicultural Center- banner expresses students ' stance against the renaming of Heller lounge to a multicultural center. Heller Lounge is only a temporary space for more to come in future years. Students from TWLF (Third World Libera- tion Front) and other groups watch a video and hear from speakers on the historic and present demands for a multi- cultural center at the University. Student art and writing hang from the walls in the multicultural center express- ing individuals ' feelings on diversity and multiculturalism. as well as notes and demands to the University. L iJ.i.J :iS ki

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DEMAND DIVERSITY by Josefina Alvarez Diversity at UC Berkeley has been an important issue, if not controversial. Students of color have fought for basic units within the University, resulting in a long and aggressive struggle. In the 1960 ' s and again in the 1990 ' s, these struggles were brought before the Chancellor ' s office. However, both attempts at getting a multicultural center on campus were thwarted by bureaucracy. This year, the demands resurfaced and resulted in allocating the space in Heller Lounge as the Multicultural Center. In 1999 students protested and had hunger strikes to have their voices heard about maintaining the few accomplishments of the 60 ' s one being Ethnic Studies Department at the UC Berkeley Campus. The demands of the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), which comprised of student organizers, community members and supporters, jumpstarted an organization proposing to the Chancellor direct actions to help improve injustices. The student organization, which began in 1969, teamed up with other groups for direct action, such as Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC), and Afro-American Student Union (AASU). The TWLF grew to fight exclusively for the following demands in 1999: Establishment of a Third World College with four departments; Minority persons be appointed to administrative, faculty and staff positions at all levels in all campus units; Admission, financial aid, and academic assistance for minority students: work-study positions for minority students in minority communities and on high school campuses; Minorities be allowed to control all minority-related programs on campus; and No disciplinary action against student strikers. These 1999 demands were to be accomplished within a five-year period headed up by a committee appointed by the Chancellor. It was understood that $100,000 per year for five years was to be allocated to an institute of race and gender studies and that $90,000 for student recruitment efforts was to also be placed aside for Recruitment and Retention Centers and Ethnic Studies Department. A temporary space for a multi- cultural student center eventually found a permanent home in location of the renovation of lower Sproul and a mural by Ethnic Studies also found its humble abode in Barrows Hall. The TWLF worked to entitle students to a full procedure through the Code of Conduct to which a committee assigned to review the progress of this agreement every six months and to recommend action to assure its implementation. One of the demands strongly pushed in this past academic year was the multicultural center. Outgoing Chancellor Berdahl was pressured with the timeline and left funding to the ASUC, which allocated the space in Heller Lounge on the 2nd floor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union. Heller Lounge is in the ASUC Student Union, which gives the opportunity for the ASUC to control this space. ASUC recently met to agree on the Memo of Understanding, which comprised of frequent discussions into hours of the night on topics ranging from the appropriate name of the center to when the contract ends. TWLF and supporters do not recognize this space as the Multicultural Center, and the staff still do not call it Multicultural Center. It is still referred to as Heller Lounge, with multicultural events put on by Multicultural Student Development offices. This temporary station Is only phase two. Phase three is putting a permanent multicultural center Incoming Chancellor Birgeneau has met with various groups including TWLF, bridges, and the Multicultural Student Development offices to have more insight and input regarding this space. ASUC has agreed to extend this space open for event until mid-fall semester. Birgeneau ' s staff is already planning for phase three of this project.