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

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ETHNIC ethnic studies...

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Ethnic Studies Under Attack. What do we do? Act Up Fight Back copy by Diana Chai FIGHT BACK THE ' DID. BERKELEY STUDENTS, BOTH IN THE ETHNIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT and oul. showing the fire and passion that characterized iheir predecessors in the 60 ' s and 70 ' s by rallying to save the dwindling ethnic studies department. Through protests, rallies, and hunger strikes, students gained . community support and awareness, which uliimately led to an agreement with the University to strengthen the department through y funding and the hiring of new professors. Reminiscent of past demonstrations, the protests started on the 50 year anniversary of the creation of the ethnic studies department. Ethnic studies at Berkeley was the first of its kind at Universities across the nation. It was created as a result of stiikes by the Third World Liberation Front in the spring semester of 1 969. The Third World Strike lasted for over two months and crippled the campus. Numerous clashes occurred between students and police during the takeover of campus and continued until an agreement was reached. Students once again feel that ethnic studies is being threatened. A pamphlet handed out by protestors claimed that the program is in a state of regression and is near extinction. According the pamphlet, there are currently no full-time Native American Studies professors, and by next year, there will only be one full time professor in the Chicano Studies department. Retiring professors are not being replaced. A letter to student leaders states that the department recently received a $300,000 budget slash ( 1 3 of its overall budget), forcing the cancellation of 1 5 ' v of its undergraduate classes including Latino Politics. Chinese American History, People of Mixed Racial Descent, Making Histoi Making Indians, and Intro lo Lesbian. Gay, and Bisexual studies. Chancellor Robert Berdahl disagrees with the piotestors ' claims. It is not accurate to say there has been a whittling away. he lold the DaiK Californian. In a document posted on the University web page, the University affirms its support of the ethnic studies program. The administration reports that it has not cut the number ol 2 C features

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The Agreement I. Securing a Strong Ethnic Studies Department A. Within the Iranicwuik ol university pfueesses overseen by the Department, the Dean and the Budget Committee of the Aeadeniie Senate, the Provost, and the Chaneellor, the Chaneellor supports 8 FTE searehes during the next five years. Three of the non-tenured vacancies are authorized for immediate searches. B. The University will provide, at a niininiuin. the annual resources necessary to sustain ihc curricular offerings at a level consistent with the average of the Ethnic Studies Department ' s offerings over the past five years. C. The Chancellor ' s Office will provide seed money of $100,00 per year for five years for an institute of race and gender studies, with the target of beginning funding on luly 1 . 1999. D. The administration will review the equity of space allocation available to the Ethnic Studies Department. II. Supporting Student Diversity A. The Chaneellor has already agreed to tnake an annual commitment of S90.000 for student recruitment efforts. Subject to an agreement between the students Recruitment and Retention Centers and the Ethnic Studies Department, the University may allocate up to 540,000 per year of those funds available to the Ethnic Studies Department for outreach to community college students. B. The University will identify temporary space for a multi-cultural center with the expectation that it will be available by Fall. 1999.] C Subject to the nomial review of campus art. the University will appro c a mural for a wall in the space occupied by Ethnic Studies in Barrows Hall. III. Agreement Regarding Student Conduct Issues Students who were cited and released no more than two tiine. and have no prior Student Conduct violations, will receive letters of admonishment. The remaining students will go through the normal students conduct process. IV. Monitoring the Agreement .A. Prolessor Pedro Noguera will chair a committee made up of one faculty member from Ethnic Studies, one faculty member from African American Studies, one Ethnic Studies graduate student, and one Ethnic Studies undergraduate student, to review the progress of this agreement every six months and to recommend action to assure its implementation. faculty and has no plans to do so. In this document, the administratjon points out that despite an eight-year reduction in the number of students tnajoring in Ethnic Studies, they have continued to supply generous funds for temporary acadetnic staff members (lecturers brought in to teach while permanent faculty members are on leave or not teaching). In addition, the administration anticipates that the funding for temporary staff members, currently $850,000, will not change next year. The University stresses that it has fully supported Ethnic Studies since it began in 1969. On April 14.1 999. students took over Barrows hall in protests. During the 10 hour ordeal that ensued, students filled the halls with chants. You see diversity, we see hypocrisy Hey. hey. ho. ho. this racist bullshit ' s got to go! The takeover forced the relocation, and in some cases the cancellation, of classes. Negotiations between students and Vice Chancellor and Provost Carol Christ fell through. 3a features