University of California, Berkeley College Republicans students caused an uproar over their plans to hold an “Increase Diversity” bake sale this week. The event was meant to serve as a political message protesting against SB185, a bill which, if signed into law by California Gov. Jerry Brown, would permit UC’s and California State schools to consider race, gender, ethnicity and other factors when evaluating student applicants.
The bake sale plans received a barrage of student and media backlash in the hours that followed its creation on Facebook due to its somewhat inflammatory approach to the issue. Under the event description, College Republicans said they would be selling baked goods according to race, ethnicity and gender to “ensure the fairest distribution.” The event listed that baked goods would cost $2 for Caucasian students, $1.50 for Asian and Asian American students, $1 for Latino or Hispanic students, $0.75 for African Americans and $0.25 for Native Americans (not to mention a whole $0.25 discount for women).
Their approach, while inflammatory, was undeniably effective. Their aim in holding the bake sale was to draw attention to the implicit biases in SB185, which they clearly succeeded in doing, even though some students misinterpreted the bake sale as racist itself. According to the newly updated event page, “The pricing structure of the baked goods is meant to be satirical, while urging students to think more critically about the implications of this policy.”
Perhaps there may have been a more graceful way to go about spreading the message against SB185, but the bake sale was not meant to be an act of racism, but rather to simply show the negative side of affirmative action-like laws. The public’s misinterpretation and subsequent overreaction to this matter is indicative of today’s society’s tendency to overcompensate in the realm of political correctness to prevent stepping on any toes. As long as the College Republicans’ intentions were pure and meant as a political message and not a gesture of hate, there should be no issue here.
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Foreigners with passport and $50,600 accepted over instate Californians at UC Berkeley. University of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau ($500,000 salary), displaces qualified for public university education at Cal. Californians with $50,600 FOREIGN students.
Ranked # 70 by Forbes, the University of California Berkeley is not increasing enrollment. $50,600 FOREIGN students are accepted by Birgeneau at the expense of qualified instate students.
Your opinions make a difference; email UC Board of Regents marsha.kelman@ucop.edu