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

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1. The Committee: back row (L-R): Seb Rupley, Eric White, Yohan Smith, Charles Wilson, second row: Lorelei Bosserman, Michelle Lee, Lisa Dolit, Linn Lee, Tracy Patterson, bottom row: Porche Combash, Krishna Douglass. 2. Lorelei Bosserman makes a suggestion. 3. Yohan tries to act casual for the camera. 4. Michelle Lee contemplates life. RACIAL RELATIONS 22

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The Student Senate, Fall, 1981, concentrated its efforts on communication and racial relations. The Racial Relations Committee was one of its most important committees, and a motion was passed that the Senate insure the existence of such a committee in the years to come. The Senate tried to foster helpful communica- tion in a number of ways. A Student Senate newsletter communicated to students what the Senate was up to. The Student Council commu- nicated to the Senate what the students wanted. The Student and Staff Senates met to share concerns and learn opinions. Flowers were given to staff members at certain intervals, in an ef- fort to tell them that their hard work was appre- ciated. If people let each other know that they are appreciated, then all the work would be more bearable, and therefore of a better quality. It is high time that students and staff show the appreciation for each other that we all deserve. An additional concern was the general condition of the campus, since respect for a school is re- flected somewhat in how clean it is. The Senate followed up on Principal Foxworth ' s idea to have clubs compete for money by cleaning the campus. The Club Clean-up Plan was instituted in January. Various fundraisers earned back the money spent on the Student Committee of teachers Performance (S.C.O.T.P) and its handbook, flowers for staff members, a rather unsuccessful Homecoming float, and general materials (i.e. paper for the Student Senate Newsletter, etc.). STUDENT SENATE 21

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The Student Senate formed the Racial Relations Committee in response to some very real racial prob- lems at BHS. The idea was born in 1965, but was inactive for years until the fall semester of 1981. The Committee spent the semester sharing personal experiences and defining the problems as perceived by the members. It was decided that working on Berkeley High itself was a large enough task, so the group compiled a statement of the problems. This group statement was to be followed by a question- naire to the student body, in order to make use of the experiences and opinions of more people. The State- ment included such concerns as segregated classes, segregated clubs and teams, racial related violence, unrecognized prejudice in ourselves, and racism within the school institution. In the coming years, the committee plans to see what things must change in the stated problems, and how they can be changed. Then, at long last, the Racial Relations Committee can begin to implement some solutions. 23