This was another issue Chancellor Christ called out in her letter (PDF): The term “bears” or bear imagery actually cannot currently be used, per brand guidelines, with the word “Berkeley,” and the word “Cal” is only allowed in reference to sports. “Some students, such as student-athletes, feel excluded from the UC Berkeley identity because they’re only allowed to use Cal in athletics contexts. Similarly, multiple affinity groups have expressed concerns that current restrictions on the use of the Cal name hinder their equity and inclusion efforts,” she wrote.
Many people don’t even realize the school has official branding guidelines — which ban the use of UC-Berkeley, UCB, and University of California at Berkeley — as well as separate Cal Athletics branding rules (PDF). What’s allowed under the Cal sports parameters? California, Golden Bears, Cal Bears — absolutely not Cal Berkeley. At least not yet.
That directive, it turns out, was a remnant of a previous round of discussion about 30 years ago, said Drummond, when people associated with the sports teams started calling it “Cal-Berkeley.”
This isn’t the first time someone has aimed to tame the unruly campus community and create order. “Better people have tried,” he joked.
The task force’s recommendations, the report said, were based on the history of the UC system. Whereas other state school systems typically have a known flagship that’s referred to by the state (e.g., “Michigan” refers to the main school in Ann Arbor), the University of California’s schools all have developed distinct identities (e.g., UCLA, UC Davis, UCSF).
The task force also noted, “concerns were raised about George Berkeley’s legacy of white supremacy. The vice chancellor for equity and inclusion has been asked to help lead the university’s examination of these issues. These concerns are being considered as part of implementing these recommendations.”