Public Comment

Looking upon his alma mater from his place in the heavens, Mario Savio would likely be filled with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. If he was lucky enough to peer onto the UC Berkeley campus on one of the few days each semester that students demonstrate, he would witness a small band of outspoken, ostracized activists struggling to be heard amid throngs of passing iPod enthusiasts, its message drowned out by cell phone conversations. 

Discouraged, perhaps he would turn his attention to his namesake Savio Steps, where 43 years ago he led thousands of Cal students in a sit-in to advocate free speech rights. He may be momentarily comforted by the shouting that often occurs near the steps, only to be ultimately disappointed upon learning it emanates from middle-aged Berkeleites of questionable mental health or LaRouchies of dubious provenience. 

And that is when the sad reality hits home. 

We live in a time when the most vocal student activists are rallying around the right to express their love for the Messiah through bong hits. I am relieved that the most sacred of college rituals has finally been united with the most sacred Son, but is this really the debate that is to challenge our civic institutions and define our generation? For Mario’s sake, I hope not. 

The rights and interests of students are compromised on a daily basis, at the whim of policymakers and with the compliance of those appointed and elected to protect us. The state government works hard to keep taxes low. But why not raise UC student fees and disregard the fundamental premise—and purpose—of public education? Who cares? 

Who cares that students and the university have worked hard to increase diversity through outreach programs only to face state funding cuts of over 50 percent in the coming year? Who cares? 

Students care. Students care, but have for too long been burdened by a student government (the Associated Students of the University of California, or ASUC) that has squandered opportunity after opportunity to stand up for student interests and articulate a strong, united voice to taxpayers and policymakers. Students deserve leaders who will proactively engage real issues like fees, diversity, and community relations, and who recognize that it is necessary to reach beyond the boundaries of campus to affect positive change. We must come to terms with the fact that UC policy has devolved into an elaborate game of tug-o-war, with all stakeholders pulling every which way—except students, whose end of the rope has been unmanned for quite some time. 

Make no mistake: when UC Berkeley students go to the polls April 11-13, we do not need to elect another player in the game, pulling his hardest while we all go nowhere. What we need is new era of student leadership. We need leaders that will reach out and engage all of these stakeholders—the Regents, the Governor, the Legislature, the administration, the business community, taxpayers, and of course, students—to work towards cooperative, sustainable solutions that achieve our common goals. And we need an ASUC that is accessible and transparent to its constituency, because student leaders should be just as accountable for their inactions as for their actions. 

Above all, we need ASUC leaders that are willing to look beyond themselves and their friends to truly represent the common interests of all students, in a professional manner befitting the greatest public university in the nation. 

The task before us may be daunting. But Mario Savio taught us that committed, articulate students can positively influence policy. As Californians and as Golden Bears, we cannot for a moment think that the fate of public university education is beyond our control. 

Eric Marshall is candidate for president of the Associated Students of the University of California. He can be contacted through his website, www.ericforpresident.org.