A lot has happened since our last newsletter of a month ago: an invasion of the Capitol, where the Democrats now have a thin majority in the House and a tie-breaking vote in the Senate; a surging pandemic, with hospitals overflowing; continuing economic depression. But the conjuncture of national problems has galvanized the incoming administration; President Biden has proposed a massive stimulus and relief package; immigration reform, including green cards for individuals protected under DACA; pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments; and so much more. The more ambitious the plan, the more he is likely to accomplish.

The Biden administration’s proposals underscore the importance and value of public institutions in advancing the public good. How can the University of California respond to this progressive direction, and emphasize its commitment to public service and social justice?

One small first step is the university administration’s suspension of its tone-deaf decision to close down the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, which has been a leading center for the study of social justice for over 40 years. Too bad that decision came only after a vigorous public campaign to maintain ISSI, one that produced a moving tribute to all its accomplishments in the San Francisco Chronicle.

So now we will have the inevitable task force to decide what to do. One has to wonder why the administration did not seize on the plight of ISSI (the subject of BFA newsletters #160 and #175 ) to mount its own campaign to garner the funds necessary to restore the Anna Head Complex, and even build up an endowment that would make it secure for the foreseeable future. Rather than responding to bad publicity, here was a golden opportunity for the university to cultivate its own good publicity. Rather than closing down institutes that are eminently engaged with social issues, the university should be strengthening them.

Michael Burawoy and Celeste Langan for the Board of the Berkeley Faculty Association.