Week 4: Trenton Guarienti

Trenton Guarienti

Section A02

Week 4

University corporatization

“A Tale of Two Campuses: Berkeley and Davis respond to Occupy movements” documents two vastly different reactions to a singular movement and, specifically in regards to the Davis reaction, epitomizes how university interests have changed to be completely different from the university equalizer they were meant to be. What confused me is how the chancellor and the university thought that complaining about the protests about something the university was doing would be a good idea. It reminds me of when straight people complain about Pride, or when white people complain about not being able to use racial slurs when the people they were meant to oppress reclaim them. Rather than addressing the underlying issue, they shift blame to something extraneous, especially with how Berkeley’s response proves that an actual solution was in the works across the board. They could have created an opening for actual discussion about the issue, or brought up the recognition of the complaints, but instead they just publish information about the cleanup and nothing else. 

The only questions I have regarding this mostly boil down to in what world was this decision the best option? How can there even be such a large discrepancy between two universities within the same system in their response to these protests?

Below is a lecture about the topic, if you wish to learn more. 

 

 Chomsky, Noam. “Noam Chomsky: The Corporatization of the University.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=66w9Lf9yuZA.

Markow, Alan. “A Tale of Two Campuses: Berkeley and Davis respond to Occupy movements.” IVN.us, 22 Dec. 2011.