At Berkeley, the extracurricular activity most engaged in by students is probably demonstrations. All year long, the quad in front of the administration building is filled with students putting up soapboxes, tacking up posters, making speeches, and raising slogans in protest. Protest topics run from global events to campus housekeeping, from opposing racism in South Africa to teaching assistants protesting that they have too much homework to grade and not enough time for their own research.

Protests are daily fare in the U.S., but those like Berkeley—held regardless of whether the issue touches the students directly—are few. It is a joke at Berkeley that students there are responsible for electing Ronald Reagan as president—it was Reagan's confrontations with protesting students in the 1960's that gave him wide national exposure.

The protests are not held for lack of well guided leisure time: they are part of the Berkeley tradition and spirit. During the 1960's, when campuses across America were in revolt against the Vietnam War and against authority, Berkeley was the strong point on the West Coast. Some important protest leaders were Berkeley students. Telegraph Avenue on the campus was a hippie center. Nearby "People's Park" witnessed riots that left hundreds of casualties, as well as indelible memories.

To many, that the largely middle-class upwardly mobile students would act on behalf of blacks and minorities and oppose the war is the admirable Berkeley spirit.

The 60's are gone, and "The whole tide in America is toward concern for personal quality of life and pursuit of a stable life," says Kao Tien-en, an associate professor at National Taiwan University who is studying at Berkeley. If today the CIA recruits there, they will not be ejected. But he also believes that Berkeley retains the atmosphere of the 60's, in both spirit and external appearance, more than any other school.

"If something's unreasonable, then state your opinion," that seems to be the Berkeley motto. Yang Mu, a famous poet and Ph.D. in literature from the school, says students and faculty "don't stop at offending bureaucrats, capitalists, even churches!"

In fact, from the view of self-interest, Berkeley students lose more than they gain. It is said that many companies think twice about hiring Berkeley grads. Tseng Ta-jen, a Ph.D. student who will soon graduate, explains that outsiders feel that Berkeley students like to "cause trouble." If they aren't happy, they just stand up for their rights, and the management can't stand it. Once a group of overseas students went travelling; when the hotel manager found out where they were from, the reaction was, "Isn't that that school where the students never study, and just protest, sing songs, and have standoffs with the police?"

But that's only the half of it. Berkeley is also one of the leading schools in scholarly research in the country.

The university lies at the foot of the Berkeley mountains, 40 minutes from the San Francisco Bay. Because the west developed relatively late, Berkeley has only a 120-year history.

The university was started because the many migrants who went to California in the gold rush decided they wanted a school to educate their children. It was named in memory of the Irish philosopher and educator George Berkeley.

Following the growth of California, Berkeley set up teachers', medical, and oceanography campuses across the state. It became a state university, and in the middle of the twentieth century its other campuses evolved into independent schools in the California system. Though the now eight other schools have their own identities, Berkeley is still the most outstanding among them.

Since the 1960's, Berkeley has often been assessed as the number one school in the U.S. in terms of faculty, facilities, and scholarship. Many of its departments are the first choice for students wishing to devote themselves to research.

"Currently the physics department alone has seven Nobel Prize winners," says Sun Yi-fang, who is studying in the graduate school of botany. When you're eating lunch you can't boast too much about your research because you may find yourself sitting next to a Nobel Prize winner.

When Berkeley was established, one of its founders said, "It is easy to run a university, all you need is a library and a smoking room." Of course the library was indispensable. As for the smoking room, he believed puffing could aid in contemplation and increase wisdom. Other materials were unimportant. Thus Berkeley was far from a complete campus.

Owing to the increase in students this century, the school finally brought in architects to redesign the campus. But because the land is uneven and has its back to the bay, the school sprawled into a mix of closely packed buildings of all kinds of architectural styles.

The absence of a unified style is the special feature of the campus. There is also no school wall or gate. A few major streets serve as the border. The campus and these streets are the most bustling area in the city of Berkeley.

Telegraph Avenue and People's Park draw tourists looking for marks of the 60's. One occasionally sees a bearded, ill-clad hippie on the campus. Hippie dress has deeply influenced the students and faculty. Tsai Ming-chang, who graduated last year in mechanical engineering, recalls that one teacher came to class barefoot, and that he rarely saw a carefully, correctly dressed American student when he just arrived in 1982.

California is the most racially complex state in the union. Berkeley, site of opposition to racial prejudice, is the same. Last year, Caucasians were less than 50% of the entering students.

Racial diversity brings cultural stimulation to Berkeley, and it seems like everybody competes to display his or her nation's culture. Kao Tien-en cites as an example the international student dorm where he lives. Not long ago, last year's Nobel Prize winner for literature from Egypt came to discuss his work, and Lebanon's most famous author came to conduct a seminar on the literature of Lebanon and Syria. And on a short street facing the red brick quad are tens of different ethnic restaurants, a delight for both students and local residents.

Add to this that Berkeley is just across the bay from San Francisco, first city of the West Coast. Many famous performing artists and groups often make the trek to Berkeley after performing in San Francisco to perform, lecture, or give exhibitions of their work. And on holidays many "outsiders" bring all kinds of musical instruments for ad hoc performances or to dance, not really caring if anyone watches or not. These factors make Berkeley one of the major cultural centers in the Bay Area.

But the activity also has brought a "crisis." Because many wanderers or unemployed like to come hang out, the living environment has become quite complicated. Many overseas students believe Berkeley's public security has reached a danger point.

Another worrying problem is that recently the school has not had the financial resources to look after the increasing number of students. Because Berkeley is a state institution and accepts public subsidies, it has the duty to accept as many California applicants as possible. This has created a crisis of overcrowding for undergrads.

However, state assistance is limited, and the school cannot go out looking for donations like private universities. Faculty are unwilling to accept research projects from private business. The school's burden is heavy for various reasons, and there is no way to hire more staff.

Also, faculty stress scholarly research first, with teaching secondary. Thus the treatment accorded undergrads is far less than that given to graduate students. "There are often 500 or 600 students in one classroom," says Yen Shih-yin, a sophomore. Those in the back watch the professor on closed circuit TV, and there is almost no time for questions or discussion.

Although the shortage of resources is not an easy problem to solve, because of Berkeley's atmosphere of freedom, exciting history, and spirit of exuberance, it is still a school through whose doors many hard-working students are eager to pass.

[Picture Caption]

The campus at the University of California, Berkeley, has the clock towe r as a landmark. Couched against the sea, the congregation of buildings is the city of Berkeley.

The most common extracurricular activity at Berkeley is protesting or pe titioning. Shown are students calling for gay rights. (photo by Hsing You-tien)

Students calling for help for the homeless. (photo by Hsing You-tien)

The 1960's at Berkeley saw marches and riots, still marked on the walls of streets outside the campus.

As soon as skies clear, the lawns play host to students enjoying the sun shine.

The European-style coffee shop is popular with students and faculty.

Although the campus is small, it comes complete with sculpture.

The green arched gate is another distinctive feature of the campus.

Going to or getting out of class, the campus paths are always saturated with people.

Vendors selling all kinds of jewelry borrow the streets around Berkeley.

Dr. Schipper has a Taoist altar in his home before which he frequently meditates.

Students calling for help for the homeless. （photo by Hsing You-tien）

The 1960's at Berkeley saw marches and riots, still marked on the walls of streets outside the campus.

For French graduate students, Taoist ceremonies are something mysterious and distant indeed. Professor Schipper is shown lecturing at University of Paris IV.

The various Chinese reference books on the shelves are Dr. Schipper's helpful assistants.

Although the campus is small, it comes complete with sculpture.

The green arched gate is another distinctive feature of the campus.

Going to or getting out of class, the campus paths are always saturated with people.

Vendors selling all kinds of jewelry borrow the streets around Berkeley.