Sitting in for change at UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley, you’ve been put on notice: Protesters have arrived, and they’re demanding changes.

A small group held a rally around noon Friday and later occupied the registrar’s office for a short time in the afternoon. Both actions were in an effort to call attention to UC Berkeley’s admissions policies.

The event’s organizers feel that UC Berkeley is not admitting enough minority students and are demanding that the university double its enrollment of underrepresented minorities.

The event was organized by a group called BAMN — By Any Means Necessary — in response to UC Berkeley’s admissions decisions sent out last week.  Although minorities comprise 50 percent of high school graduates in California, they represent only about 18 percent of UC Berkeley freshmen.

The group is also calling for charges to be dropped against Occupy protesters for actions last November.

Efforts here come after failed attempts to go through the courts.  On Monday, an appeals court in San Francisco rejected a challenge to a voter-approved ban on affirmative action in UC admissions.

The decision by the court only seems to have strengthened the group’s resolve.  BAMN attorney and organizer Ronald Cruz issued this promise:

“We cannot wait for the courts to bring justice.  BAMN will continue to fight to ensure Latina/o and black students have access to the University of California.”