Sproul Plaza
University of California, Berkeley
September 2009

September 24, 2009 was a momentous day in the history of the University of California. Aside from the minor unrest caused by thousands of faculty, staff and students, the day was a major success: the results of UCMeP’s “Buy-In” went far beyond our wildest dreams. We successfully auctioned off four major Berkeley landmarks: Memorial Stadium (plus the Native American burial ground beneath it), Sather Tower (known in the Italian Department as “Il Campanile”), Sather Gate, and Sproul Plaza, the birthplace of the so-called “Free Speech Movement.” We received (literally) thousands of bids on these properties and would like to thank faculty, staff, and students for their eager support in helping our privatization effort.

 
 
 
 
 
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Video Coverage

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Like so many other faculty, staff, and students of the University of California, we are extremely concerned by the pending privatization of the world’s premiere public university. Yet, unlike the thousands whining over the direction in which certain elites are steering the UC, we at UCMeP are deeply troubled by the snail’s pace at which this inevitable transformation is proceeding.

Chairman of UCMeP
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How much is your free speech worth? Do I hear one dollar? Yes, thank you. Now, do I hear two dollars? Two dollars? No one for two dollars – two dollars for free speech? Alright, then one dollar going once. One dollar going twice. SOLD! Free speech for one dollar!!

UCMeP's Chief Performance Officer