June 28, 2016 | By Veronica Barron | UC Berkeley
The origin of the controversial fence built around UC Berkeley’s Chancellor Dirk’s on-campus home actually lies in 2009, when a protest resulted in damage for University Home, the property where the school’s chancellor resides. In a 2010 Capital Planning Executive document, the University Office of the President (UCOP) cited violent protesting which “placed the Chancellor and his wife at risk,” as the motivation for taking extra security measures.
As an immediate response, cameras and motion detectors were installed in 2010, with the fence still awaiting approval at the time. Important to note, however, is that originally, this security project was only supposed to cost $246,850, and would install, in addition to cameras and motion detectors, only “two metal gates, a post and chain barrier, painting and no trespassing signs.” A glance into the present day, however, shows us the 105 year old University Home surrounded by a 7 ft. tall fence that carries a roughly $700,000 price tag.
The permanent fence began its construction in August of 2015. The increases in the total price reflect the ups and downs that the fence’s completion has taken. The original fence was supposed to stand 30-40 feet away from the home, but as a response to complaints from the UC Berkeley community that felt it impinged excessively upon public ground, the fence was pushed closer to the home building. In pushing the fence back, the fence and various accompanying electronic systems had to be moved around, and then reinstalled; making these changes, as well as other added costs, made the total expense substantially higher. In addition, the current security project also includes automatic gates, cameras and card readers that work together with the gateways.
The upgrades to the original fence plan also came about because Chancellor Dirks requested that UCPD conduct an assessment of the security of his home, and they recommended the increase in security measures that stand in place today. Furthermore, the University currently spends around $360,000 a year for police guards to monitor the Chancellor’s home at all times. A spokesman for the University has stated that the fence’s construction will save the university about $200,000 a year because they’ll be able to reduce the amount of police guards.
While the specifics of the fence and the budget for it, (UCOP documents state that campus funds, including insurance would be utilized for this project) could be mulled over for hours, the true importance of this issue is that the fence is a temporary solution to a more deeply rooted problem. If the fence is meant to keep angry protesters out, would it not be more beneficial in the long-term to address the anger of protesters directly?
This fence is only a physical expression of the gap of understanding and communication that exists between students and administration, and although most students won’t give a second thought to this fence, it would benefit the entire UC community to take a moment and question the actions of our school officials. At a time when students fear their tuition increasing, when students hear rumors about the UC Berkeley School of Public Health closing, it would benefit administration to understand that instead of distancing themselves further from students, they should seek to reconnect with them. The situation begs the question; when will adminstration begin to take to the time to listen to those who are angry, instead of building greater walls to keep them out?
Veronica is a Junior at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the Associate Director of Legislative Affairs within the ASUC and also mentors middle school girls through Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE). She enjoys hiking and has a habit of singing Christmas music year-round.
