How many startups are at UC Berkeley? The University claims over 1,600 — a number it plasters endlessly in brochures, articles, and alumni reports. I remember reading and re-reading those brochures, desperate to fall in love with the school I did not expect to go to. Those who come across that figure might expect a […]
Tag: UC Berkeley
The California Language Archive and Indigenous Language Revitalization
In an office on the first floor of Dwinelle Hall, the California Language Archive keeps history alive. As the largest archive of Indigenous language research in North America, the program serves as a resting place for decades of research and field notes conducted on California’s numerous Indigenous languages, many of which are critically endangered or […]
“Fiat Lux” Darkens With Peyrin Kao’s Firing
On Thursday last week, campus leadership dismissed UC Berkeley lecturer Peyrin Kao — the latest casualty in the administration’s war on Berkeley’s free speech foundations. Kao’s censuring proves yet again that free speech at UC Berkeley is no more than administrative marketing. It’s a principle invoked when convenient and easily discarded when costly. This semester, […]
Turning Point USA, November 10, 2025
On Monday November 10, Turning Point USA had its final stop of a 2025 tour on campus at UC Berkeley. Whilst attendees sat inside Zellerbach Hall, furious students, staff, and community members protested outside, declaring that conservative and instigative media were not welcome on campus. Outraged that the progressive campus would host TPUSA’s “American Comeback […]
Caught in the Crossfire: UC Berkeley and the Federal War on Higher Education
At the crossroads of politics and pedagogy, the Department of Education has become a focal point of national controversy under the Trump Administration. Since 1867, the Department of Education has widely administered and funded state-run education in the United States. Along with this function, it also operates investigations on the grounds of racial preferences, and […]
A Homicide Against Academia
On August 14th, UC Berkeley students received an email from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost that provided an all-access service for Google’s AI large-language model (LLM), Gemini. Vice Chancellor Hermalin and his colleagues crafted an email that consists of two main parts: the first section of the email outlines the services […]
UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Identity Crisis
“Speech is not violence. The Left conflates the two in order to justify its own violent reactions to differing points of view.” Michael Knowles “I go to UC Berkeley…” Usually, when a Berkeley student utters these words to those who aren’t lucky enough to attend our university, they are met with praise about how they […]
An Obscure, Harmful Foster Care Policy — And Professor Jill Berrick’s Fight to End It
Every year in the United States, roughly 250,000 children enter foster care. For these children, family separation is acutely traumatic and results in worse outcomes. They’re at higher risk of developing toxic stress, which increases the risk of disease and cognitive impairment well into adulthood. Compared with similarly situated children who are allowed to remain […]
Piecing Back a Shattered Peace in Europe: An Interview with Darren C. Zook
Professor Darren C. Zook teaches in Political Studies and Global Studies at UC Berkeley. His research interests include human rights, comparative Asian politics, international law, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. BPR sat down with him, dressed in one of his signature floral-patterned shirts, to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War’s impact on international law […]
A Conversation with UC Berkeley’s Homelessness Outreach Coordinator: The Past and The Future of People’s Park
This interview with UC Berkeley’s Homelessness Outreach Coordinator Ari Neulight was conducted before the university announced a comprehensive housing plan for the current People’s Park residents on March 9th. We hope that a conversation with Mr. Neulight will shed light on the homelessness crisis around the campus and the numerous obstacles that unhoused people in […]