<p>I keep hearing that Cal is no longer a liberal school. The senior who gave the tour didn't know who Barbara Lee was. She's the Congressional Representative for Berkeley. I've also heard that the Young Republicans outnumber the Young Democrats - not that the Dems are that liberal, anymore. Could someone who goes there clear up whether it has lost its liberal charm?</p>
<p>plenty of liberal folks. Plenty of conservative folks. Plenty of apathetic folks. Plenty of lunatic folks. The benefit of a huge school is that it is EASY to find a lot of people who think like you (or don’t).</p>
<p>i hope the spirit of the free speech movement is with cal when i get there in the fall</p>
<p>not as liberal.</p>
<p>I heard that it is CRAZY liberal, as in they partied when Obama got elected?</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - UC Berkeley Obama Victory March](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri0tJGqVxB4]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri0tJGqVxB4)</p>
<p>
Yeah, but aren’t a lot of colleges like that?</p>
<p>Didn’t happen at LSJU, according to friends there xD</p>
<p>There was an article out my freshman year that current student population are more liberal than the Free Speech Movement age Berkeley student population. Berkeley is a liberal bastion and it would take a lot to change that. There are more conservatives in the Republican club than in the Democrat club, but liberal clubs are far more numerous than conservative ones.</p>
<p>We’re still LIBERAL we’re just not as militant. Generally. Comparatively.</p>
<p>The tree sitters of the recent past were not Cal students, just to help you reconcile vague news stories you saw and the typical attitudes on campus.</p>
<p>It’s definitely more liberal than conservative, but not like it was in the 60’s and 70’s. I would imagine there would be more conservative groups than liberal just so they could organize and be with fellow republican/conservatives, whereas it’s assumed most are liberal, and a large group isn’t as necessary.</p>
<p>[Berkeley</a> freshmen are more liberal and less religious than their national counterparts](<a href=“http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/01/24_freshmen.shtml]Berkeley”>Berkeley freshmen are more liberal and less religious than their national counterparts)</p>
<p>I can’t find the specific article I was talking about, but this one is still pertinent</p>
<p>Less religious? There are still 2392832893928392830823014732875287458245784579 different Christian groups on campus, lol</p>
<p>Good question. More liberal these days than UCLA, but when you pass by many, many Christian and conservative tables at Cal Day and during Welcome Week you (or your parents) can’t help but ponder the many changes that have taken place over the years.</p>
<p>Are you falling under the spell of the silent majority? Does free speech matter to you? Is there something political that you feel strongly about? There are certainly students who have the passion of the days of yore, who are not apathetic, who feel so strongly about something that they use that spirit to express themselves. Is there a Mario Savio on campus? An Angela Davis? Of course, they are all there. It’s everything YOU want it to be and, if not, you can be there to make it that way. If you aren’t inclined to protest aloud, you can spend your lunch hour at Sproul watching the Happy Happy man.</p>
<p>No longer are the UCs confined to Rule 17 (google it, you’ll find it). Will you find a new Mario Savio amongst you? Maybe. Will there be sit-ins? Probably not.</p>
<p>Watch this from 1964 – especially that portion of the speech when Mario starts off “there’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious . . .”</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Mario Savio: Sproul Hall Steps, December 2, 1964](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcx9BJRadfw]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcx9BJRadfw)</p>
<p>This is the start. Take some time and go to the main library, find the tapes. </p>
<p>Watch this:
[YouTube</a> - A clip from “Berkeley in the Sixties”](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MufwTCgodmM&feature=related]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MufwTCgodmM&feature=related)</p>
<p>When you toured the campus, did they show you the door where they now prevent access?</p>
<p>Then again, in a Christian history lecture of ~100 people, only 5-10 raised their hands when asked if they are practicing Christians/Catholics.</p>