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

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The Individual Does The Individual still exist at the University of California? On the surface it would appear that the impersonal atmosphere of this 28,000 student multiversity has indeed swallowed up the last traces of The Individual. Overcrowded classes, mass rallies and marches, high rise living, and long registration lines all contribute to the vast feeling of anonymity which reduces one to number J853900. But behind this image, Cal does support and nurture The Individual. The embodiment of the University as a marketplace of ideas comes closest to describing its dynamic and almost urgent intel- lectural atmosphere. Rated first in the nation in the quality of its graduate education by the American Education Council, Berkeley has demonstrated that its academic excellence has not been seriously undermined by the many campus turmoils experienced in recent years. In addition, President Hitch has called for more emphasis for the undergraduate ' s education. The individual student of 1971, however, is more than just academically aware. He is a person that is also involved in the current political races and social needs of the Bay Area and beyond. Marching through Sproul Plaza today involves virtually no personal commitment and, indeed, only intensifies the one of a mass feeling which often characterizes the campus. Instead, The Individual has chosen to commit himself to action. Canvassing for Dellums and registering voters have become the alternative and demonstrate total political involvement. The effort to save oil covered birds in the bay region following the disastrous oil tanker collision demonstrates the time and energy given by The Individual toward correcting social plights. Participation in political and social areas has not been the end of individual involvement this year. Work on various A.S.U.C. activities and the question of whether the A.S.U.C. should become voluntary to the students has led to many long hours of work and some extremely emotional and highly charged meetings. Culturally, The Individual has begun to focus his attention to Sproul Plaza as well as Zellerbach. The traditional cultural events represented by the National Ballet of Canada now often yield to semi-traditional, or non-conventional, ones. Richie Havens, jug bands, and the ancient puppeteer are a few of the forms that com- prise the student ' s cultural experience. In athletics at the University, The Individual has been out- standing at times, mediocre at others, and even a victim of poor judgment and rules which need overhauling. A Big Game victory over Rose Bowl winner Stanford, a thrashing in basketball at the hands of the Los Angeles powerhouses, a loss to UCLA in football because of an official ' s bad call, and our 1970 NCAA Track and Field Championship stripped from our back have made this year one that the individual competitor and fan will long remember. In the area of publications, The Individual has found this year to be one of bitter struggles to maintain economic existence as well as weathering editorial challenges. The Regental Canaday Resolution setting itself up as a watchdog of campus dailies has dominated the attention of the student on campus. In the depersonalized living situations such as the high rise dorms and plastic apartments, The Individual has attempted with varying degrees of success to stand apart from his fellow habitors. Ingenuity and resourcefulness make The Individual stand apart in such living arrangements and also aid in survival. Does The Individual still exist at the University of California? 2

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Please Hear What I ' m Not Saying