Berkeley High School - Olla Podrida Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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The Reign Of Steve Wasserman Merritt Clifton Steve Wasserman brought the activist element to the ASBHS Presidency succeed- ing a series of non-revolutionary, but progressive chief executives. Defeated in his first shot at the presi- dency by Steve Adams, Wasserman ran again, beating Richard Beibel, co-founder of the Supporters of American Ideals, by a healthy margin. The contest was viewed by many as a clash between the ultra-left and the far-right, although neither candidate represented the farthest-out extremes of his position. From the first speech of his campaign, Steve was up to his ears in controversy. Speaking at the election assembly, he dis- carded his prepared speech, and, referring to Richard Biebel’s promise to work towards a new gym, stated “Anyone, who without knowing the procedure that must be fol- lowed, promises to build a new gym, is a liar.” A protest was filed by Biebel, who claimed that the election rules did not allow impromptu speeches. The results of the vot- ing were withheld for three days, while the issue was being resloved. The upshot of it all was that the charges were withdrawn, after the Election Committee rule was shown to be in violation of both a Supreme Court decision, and the ASBHS constitution. Upon taking office, Steve announced several new programs, among them a plan to make the Board of Control meetings more open to the student body, and also the so- called Berkeley High School Student Union Program (never offically sanctioned by the BOC) which was to be part of a nation-wide movement. The first of the open BOC meetings was called, naturally enough, to discuss the unsanctioned BHSSU. Leaflets were circu- lated outlining basic objectives of the organization, and posters were hung all around the school. Despite heavy publicity, the meeting, and the Student Union, flopped. The whole affair finally boiled down to a shouting match between Steve’s radical faction and those who supported a more traditional view of high school life. From then on, the Board of Control was split into two opposing camps, each refusing to co-operate with the other on major issues. Dissillusioned, many students began to talk of a recall movement. Petitions were finally taken out and circulated by at least three independent movements, all of whom shared a common goal: to replace Wasserman with a more representative leader. Two events served to turn opinion in favor of the recall. One was the first Viet- nam Moratorium Day, when a so-called informative assembly turned out to be a platform for Frank Bardace, a Black Pan- ther, and a draft resistor. An East German film depicting North Vietnam was also shown. If the Moratorium assembly mobilized conservative elements of the student body, the Pack Rat incident swung most of the rest away from Steve’s camp. Following a brief period of quiet, the BHS Student Union produced an under- ground tabloid, labeled Pack Rat. The publication was completely unauthorized by the school officials and even students who circulated Pack Rat on campus were sus- pended. The seven immediately appealed their case to the School Board, who allowed them to return to their classes. At the same time, the next morning’s Jacket was held up because of parental objection to a state- ment on the suspensions, made through the naner bv Mr. Wong. Although Steve repeatedly denied hav- ing any connection with Pack Rat other than having written one of the articles, and although he was in Chicago at the time of the confiscation, he was in line for much of the criticism, due to his previous connections with the BHSSU. Summing up, Steve Wasserman’s reign as ASBHS president was turbulent, but un- successful. Despite the advantage of having student opinion solidly behind him at the beginning; he soon lost credibility, and the school lost faith in him as a leader. Few of his ambitious plans got off the ground, partly because they were more dream than substance. Many of the problems were not in any way his own fault. The weak structure of the BOC and the ASBHS constitution were long-standing faults. The divisions among the student body had been there for some time. Steve tried, and failed, partly because he made a few serious mistakes, and partly because circumstance conspired against him. Good intentions alone could not overcome the problems of Berkeley High School.