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

Page 27 text:

-r .V. . . ■■ .. .rf 3t. . ' »..» The Pelican may seem out of place In a school that embraces the bear as a mascot. Nonetheless, the pelican has remained for years in front of the current Graduate Student Union It used to be a symbol of The Pelicon. a now extinct student run humor magazine College of California dedicated the University on the corner of what is nowGayleyand Hearst on April 16, 1860. Founders Rock sits at this corner, remindingusof the vision of those men over 120 years ago. In the early days of the University, when North Hall still existed and the campus stretched no further than Strawberry Creek, students would [Tiill around North Hall, and a concrete bench known soon after as Senior Men ' s bench. Why did they hang around this bench, you ask? Well, to watch the lovely women go by, of course! Later, when North Hall was demolished, the bench lost its value, and was moved to Moses Hall before being completely removed very recently That isn ' t to say that senior men don ' t enjoy loungmg around the Dwinelle benches for a similar reason! During the 1960s, political unrest and activism hit Berkeley hard. At the time. Sather Gate served as the main entrance to campus, located at the end of Telegraph Avenue. As protesting and demonstration became commonplace, the university had to remind its students and faculty that protests on campus had long been banned. As such, many rebellious minds needed somewhere off-campus to voice their opinions. Sproul Plaza, outside Sather Gate, was a reasonably popular area to protest, since it was technically off campus and thus under Berkeley city jurisdiction. When this area later became part of the University, the protesting did not stop; it gradually became a part of the Cal experience. One of the oldest traditions at Cal is also one of the most bizarre. The Stanford Axe was originally an ornament used by Stanford students at the 1899 Cal Stanford Baseball Game. Held in San Francisco, this annual event helped energize the students, giving them a sense of spirit for their respective schools. The Axe was a symbol of Stanford ' s pride, so a few Cal students decided to liberate it. This theft caused a long chain of encounters between Cal students. Stanford students, and police officers over the course of 30 years. It also managed to give certain pi ited students bad names in the eyes of their peers and their rivals. One such encounter involved Stanford students stealing the Axe from the hands of the Cal ii r wheeler Hall and the Campanile stand solid and peaceful no matter what is happening on the ground beneath them. faithful, using tear gas and the element of surprise to their advantage. The violent pranks and thefts went on until 1931. when both schools agreed to make the Axe a trophy for the annual football game between Cal and Stanford. Since then, the Big Game (as it is now known) has been one of the biggest and oldest rivalries in all of college football. No great school is without an original mascot, and Cal is no exception. The University ' s mascot originated in 1895. when the track team that year returned from the East Coast with many viaories. Their banner was a grizzly bear embroidered in Gold As Cal grew, the students desired a mascot that adhered to the bear theme. Students experimented unsuccessfully with live mascots at home football games. Bear cubs, although cute at first, grew too quickly to keep as mascots for Cal. Thus Oski was introduced to the waiting students. Oski was a creation of William Rockwell, class of 1948. His idea was to dress a random student in oversized padded clothes and a cartoon bear head. The mascot struts around the sidelines, inciting the Oski Yell from rowdy Cal fans. Oski ' s identity has always been kept secret. The anonymity of Oski is what makes him so appealing to Cal fans even today. He could be sitting in class next to any one of us. on any given day without anyone knowing. However, on college football Saturday he is transformed into one of the most peculiar and interesting of Cal traditions - a mascot with a big belly and a taste for alcoholic beverages. Every student at Cal can appreciate its uniqueness as much as they do its prestige. Its atmosphere and character differ from every other University of California branch, having been the first college of the UC system. Its rich history of culture and diversity outweighs that of most other universities (especially a particular one to the south). It is probably safe to say Berzerkeley fits the school and the city perfectly. Nathan Kramer is a third year student and an intended Er glish major He co-controlled ind protected lf e California Victory Cannon for one year as an executnre rT efnbef of the Uniwnity Mfy Commmee. He remains a member, both In body and spim. iy

Page 26 text:

The sturdy golden bear watches over Lower Sproul from the skies thanks to the class of 1929 This lovely sunbather. nestled in the bushes by Faculty Glade is directly in the line of sight of the statue of Pappy Waldorf a linle way down the path The Campanile retains Its placid demeanor throughout protests and inclement weather Your University: Past Present A Look at University Traditions and Symbols Berzerkeley. That is how many students describe the prestigious college known as the University of California. Despite this, the university has remained among the top schools in the nation ever since its founding over 100 years ago. in the city of Oakland. Before the University of California was chartered, a smaller College of California stood in the middle of today ' s Oakland business distria. After receiving 160,000 acres of land on which to build and expand, the trustees of the College of California decided to hand the job of running the college to the state. The University of California was bom on March 23, 1868, in a new city just north of Oakland - the city of Berkeley. The first graduating class of the University, in 1873, went on to prestigious positions in the working world. The alumni graduated to such occupations as UC Regent, congressional representative, and governor of California. But as with everything else in Berkeley things got a little crazy. Students in the late 1800s were Irate and would join in pranks with their graduating class, such as knocking over trolley cars, burying and burning textbooks at the end of the year, and participating in random illegal bonfires throughout the city. The situation grew out of hand. There was no end to the mayhem until the election of Chancellor Benjamin Ida Wheeler in 1899. The university was molded after Wheeler ' s visions. Infrastructure and curriculum were priorities, and Wheeler policed his staff with strict rules and clear goals. The roots of the ASUC took hold dunng Wheeler ' s presidency. After he left in 1919, Cal was a full fledged university with extension campuses all over the state. The students, however, seemed as rowdy and energetic as ever Up until 1908, freshmen and sophomores would participate in the rush, an ongoing battle for supremacy among underclassmen. Though the actual activities of the rush were kept secret, numerous injuries to students during these events caused the classes of ' 07 and ' 08 to end the fighting. As a symbol of unity these two classes constructed a cement letter C that sits to this day above Charter Hill, in plain view from most of the campus. The Big C has of late been a target of vandalism, including an ingenious attempt by Stanford to change the letter C into a despicable letter S. Today, the University of California remains as prestigious as ever, holdint true to its traditions and maintaining its integrity A well known symbol of this great history is Founders Rock. It is said that the 12 trustees of the story by Nathm Kmav photos by Stum Ui

Page 28 text:

Senator Works to Adopt a New Cal Symbol Tv inkle, TAA inkle Little Stars What do Oski and the Cal Star have in common? They are both symbols of the University of California, Berkeley. The Cal Constellation, Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, has been a part of Cal tradition for over 1 00 years, first appearing in The Golden Bear song written by Professor Gayley in 1895. In the same light. Professor Alex Filippenko of the Astronomy Department has been pointing out Albireo, the Cal Star within the constellation, to his students for years. TOP: Cal adopts Albireo as Its official star amtd the pageantry of Big Game 2000. MIDDLE: The banner is prepped prior to its unveiling. BOTTOM: Professor Alex Filippenko speaks about Albireo at the Bonfire Rally before Big dme Oski and the spectators cheer him on . a Professor Alex filippenko -€y