The campus
Campus traditions and history go far beyond the Big Game: buildings, trees, landmarks, maybe just a dog that likes to get wet. Here’s a brief overview of the University’s past and present.
In the beginning
Until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1770s, an Ohlone Indian tribe—the Huchiun—had lived for thousands of years in the Strawberry Canyon area and on the land which is now the campus. The Spanish brought religion and disease which, within 40 years, either assimilated or killed off the Huchiun (and other tribes). By the 1849 Gold Rush, this area was being used for cattle and dairy farms.
In 1860, the five-year-old College of California wanted to escape the booming growth of downtown Oakland and its unsavory influences (saloons and dance halls). The college trustees envisioned a pastoral and secluded campus where students could develop an appreciation for knowledge and nature. They found the perfect spot at a farm along Strawberry Creek.
The oldest campus landmark is Founder’s Rock at the corner of Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road. The trustees of the College of California stood at this outcropping and dedicated the surrounding property as the site of their new campus. In 1868, the private College of California merged with the state-supported Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College, and the University of California was born. Berkeley was the first campus in the University of California system; that’s why we get to call our school “Cal.”
There are ten UC campuses, and they are all are governed by an independent corporation: the Regents of the University of California. The board, composed of elected officials and governor-appointees, is responsible for establishing policy in areas such as affirmative action, student fees, admissions, and financial aid. Since 1975, the Regents have included a student member—chosen from one of the campuses—to serve a two-year term (the first as the Student Regent Designate, and the second as the Student Regent, a voting member of the Board of Regents). D’Artagnan Scorza, a graduate student studying education at UCLA, is the Student Regent for the 2008-2009 academic year. See Center for Student Leadership, page 80, for more information.
The University of California Digital History Archive is part of the University Archives in the Bancroft Library. The website documents aspects of the history of the ten UC campuses, and includes archives of historical documents, images, oral histories, interviews, and other resources. For access to all digital collections in Bancroft, go to (bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/).
Happy Birthday Dear Berkeley
As the flagship campus, Berkeley shares its birthday, March 23, with the University of California system.
The University seal was designed in 1910 by Tiffany and Company. “Let there be light” is a translation of our Latin motto, “Fiat Lux.” (It did not come in a light blue box!)
The Campanile and a few other landmarks
Sather Tower (that’s ‘SAY-thur’), Berkeley’s most well-known building and ubiquitous symbol, is referred to as the Campanile (and that’s ‘Camp-a-KNEE-lee’) which means ‘bell tower’ in Italian. The tower was dedicated to—and funded by—Jane Krom Sather, a major donor to the University. Completed in 1914 by campus architect John Galen Howard (who also designed 13 other existing campus structures, as well as the building that became Cloyne Court co-op), the Campanile is still the tallest building on campus, soaring to 307 feet and surmounted by a carillon of 61 bells.
You can ascend the Campanile; the observation level is accessible by elevator plus 38 stairs (M-F, 10-4pm; Sa, 10-5pm; Su, 10-1:30pm and 3-5pm; free with Cal 1 Card to students, faculty, and staff; otherwise there is a small fee; www.berkeley.edu/visitors/campanile.html).
The surrounding grounds are a nice area for eating lunch and listening to the carillon played by the University carillonist and other bell ringers (7:50am, noon, and 6pm, weekdays; noon and 6pm on Saturdays; and a longer concert at 2pm on Sundays; ls.berkeley.edu/dept/music/carillon.html). The Campanile also houses many of the Paleontology museum’s fossils.
The oldest extant campus building is the School of Information’s South Hall, a Victorian that dates back to 1873. South Hall was one of the original two buildings; the other, North Hall, was razed in 1917.
University House—near Tolman Hall—is where the Chancellor lives, and the bank in front is landscaped with flowers in the shape of a clock that really works.
The Old Art Gallery, a small brick building north of Sproul Hall, was constructed in 1904 as a steam plant. It has since been: adorned with mosaics from Works Project Authority (WPA); an art gallery until the Berkeley Art Museum was completed in 1970; UCPD’s Bike Bureau; a storage facility; and a campus stationery store. The music department currently is raising money to renovate the Gallery for use as a concert and performance space.
The Clark Kerr Campus was named after former Berkeley chancellor and UC president, Clark Kerr. He was the chief architect of the master plan that has guided California public higher education for the past 40 years; that plan also has been a model in education planning around the world. An advocate of faculty and student rights, he was fired in 1967 by governor Ronald Reagan for supporting student demands to allow political activities and demonstrations on campus. Kerr continued to influence higher education until his death in 2003.
The campus has its own power plant. The Berkeley Cogeneration Plant, located just northwest of Haas Pavilion, uses an aircraft-derivative gas turbine to generate steam to heat campus buildings, and puts enough electricity into the PG&E transmission grid to meet the campus’ energy needs. When the City of Berkeley has a power outage, the campus can still enjoy light (and heat). And, if our plant goes down, the campus benefits from the backup service of the PG&E substation in Moraga.
The landmark with the most interesting nomenclature is Ludwig’s Fountain in Upper Sproul Plaza. The fountain was dedicated to—and named for—a German short-hair pointer, Ludwig, who waded daily in the plaza fountain between 1960 and 1965.
New campus construction
As you walk around the campus, you will notice that the University currently has many construction projects in the works. Along with new lab buildings in the northeast and west parts of campus, construction is underway at the Law School. You may be thinking, “Heck, I hope they didn’t raise my fees for this!” Rest assured, the construction projects are funded by state, University, and gift funds. For details about any of the planning or construction projects on campus, check with Facilities Services (www.facilities.berkeley.edu; 1936 University Ave, second floor; 510/643-4793).
Some of the highlights
CITRIS Headquarters: A project to replace part of Davis Hall with a state-of-the-art lab and classroom facility is underway on the north side of campus. The new building, which will house exciting research affiliated with the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), is scheduled to open in spring 2009.
Clark Kerr Campus Renewal is scheduled to last two years and those buildings under construction will be vacant. Work will begin in the northwest area of the campus, near the child care center.
Durant Hall, the small historic building between Dwinelle and California Halls, is undergoing a retrofit and renovation. This ornate structure was formerly home to the East Asian Library, which is now located in its own building near Memorial Glade. Once the seismic strengthening of Durant is complete, it is scheduled to house offices for Letters and Science deans and staff.
The Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, a new lab and classroom building, is under construction on the west edge of the campus.
The landscape
In the 1800s, Berkeley was a sloping grassy plain dotted by coast live oaks and divided by several forks of Strawberry Creek. Today, there are many thousands of plant species on campus imported from Mediterranean climatic regions all over the world.
The eucalyptus trees found in the hilly Centennial Drive portion of the campus and in the Eucalyptus Grove were brought from Australia during the 1870s by foresters who thought they had discovered a new lumber source. (Eucalyptus, unfortunately, has a swirling grain, which makes it useless for construction.) The Tasmanian bluegums in the Grove form the tallest hardwood stand in North America.
The campus is decorated with plant life that complements its architecture. For instance, classically-designed buildings, such as Sproul Hall and the Main Library, have very Romanesque landscaping. The London plane trees in Sproul Plaza and below the Campanile are pruned yearly in the Italian style of pollarding. Cutting back to the same scars gives them their unique knuckled look in the winter.
Memorial Glade extends the picturesque woodland and glade landscaping characteristic of the center of campus. The Glade serves as the largest open gathering space at the University, with a memorial pool honoring members of the Cal community who lost their lives in World War II.
Strawberry Creek
One of the reasons the College of California trustees chose the University site was the presence of Strawberry Creek. In 1876, a large brick reservoir—fed by the creek—was built where Memorial Stadium now stands; the water supplied the campus and local community. As Berkeley traded its oak and bay-studded grasslands for non-native vegetation, asphalt, and housing, the creek deteriorated from the increased runoff (causing flooding and erosion), culverting, and pollution from sewage, heavy metals, and silt.
In 1987, Campus administration adopted the Strawberry Creek Management Plan with the intent to restore the creek and its surrounding habitat. Through the hard work of dedicated staff, faculty, and students, the creek’s water quality improved so much that in 1990, staff were able to reintroduce native fish to the creek where they thrive today.
If you look closely in pools along the South Fork behind Dwinelle Annex or down into the creek from the Main Stem footbridge (close to Oxford Street), you may find stickleback (a native fish which grows to about two inches long), minnows, or even crawdads hiding out under the rocks (strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu).
Two forks of the Creek cross the campus: the North Fork, which surfaces at University House (the Chancellor’s residence), and the South Fork, which flows from Strawberry Canyon, under Memorial Stadium, and then emerges from a culvert behind the Women’s Faculty Club. The forks merge in the Eucalyptus Grove, forming the Strawberry Creek Main Stem, which finally leaves campus at the Oxford Street Culvert. From there, it continues almost completely underground until the water reaches the San Francisco Bay.
To join the annual April Strawberry Creek cleanup efforts, or become a regular Creek restoration volunteer, contact the Office of Environment, Health & Safety (ehs.berkeley.edu; 510/643-8542).
Top 5 National Public Universities, 2008
#1 UC Berkeley
#2 University of Virginia (tie)
#2 UCLA
#4 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
#5 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
(Source: USNews.com, 2008)