Monday, July 30, 2007
Weak
Man, is this a weak editorial. The summary:
That naming policy is bad. We don't like it. We don't wanna follow it. Change it!
Compelling.
The main reasons behind the new rule stems from the fears of university officials, who are afraid that usage of such words implies university endorsement of student groups' and their activities.
Although the administrators' concerns are understandable, for the school to place such limits seems over the top. Student groups include "UC Berkeley" and "Cal" to identify which school they hail from, not to prove they have the approval of university officials. Oh! That makes everything just fine and dandy for administrators, right? I mean, all that was needed was for someone to point that out. That meeting goes like this:
Administrator A: Hey, guys, did you see this Daily Cal editorial?
Administrator B: *slaps forhead* Wow! I totally thought that students were using "Cal" to trick people into thinking they were university-sponsored! This makes everything clearer!
Legal Analyst: Ah, well, if they're just trying to identify themselves, that changes everything, and makes all of my concerns irrelevant. After all, the fact that they're trying to identify themselves totally changes how people outside the system will view it, eliminates all of our liabilities, and provides us each with a free travel-sized tube of toothpaste.
Furthermore, the new rules do not accomplish the distinction that the school is trying to present to the public. Campus Life and Leadership is permitting students to use the word "Berkeley" in order to denote geographic location. However, to the average person reading a newspaper article on the activities of say, an environmental advocacy group comprised of students from UC Berkeley, the difference between a UC Berkeley student group and a Berkeley student group would not be comprehended immediately. The new policy only affects students, not the general public. Indeed, no one goes beyond what can be "comprehended immediately." Certainly not lawyers. Besides, who cares about lawyers? They're not the general public. It's not like they represent a significant part of the liability threat. If the general public won't care, then obviously every individual that makes it up won't care either. In any case, whether lawsuits are filed is determined by majority rule of the general public.
Instead of imposing this over excessive policy, the university should consider other alternatives. Allow students to continue the use of the words Cal and UC Berkeley, but stress the point that the university does not condone any actions of student groups. For example, the university can require registered student groups to include a disclaimer on any pamphlets or distributed paper material that clearly states the organizations' actions do not represent the opinions of the university. So, a few seconds ago, the Daily Cal was talking about the impact of news articles. Their "solution" will completely miss that issue.
If you don't have a reasonable solution, don't propose a stupid one. Please.
We're proud to be recognized as UC Berkeley students. Don't let a little worrying ruin that for us. COMPELLING!!! No administrator will be able to read this without tears forming in her eyes as she realizes what a terrible mistake it was. Now, the only fear is that those administrators will all commit ritual suicide to atone.
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