by Jacqueline Cox
In February 2020, the former dean of UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources Gordon Rausser contributed a $50 million donation to the college, which was subsequently renamed Rausser College of Natural Resources. Shortly after, students created a petition to express their opposition to the renaming, which was followed by a social media campaign using the hashtag #RausserCollegeIsNotMyCollege.
The renaming of Rausser College unearthed an ideological divide between members of the UC Berkeley students, faculty, and environmental communities regarding different perspectives on what environmentalism truly embodies.
While college administrators support the renaming as recognition of Rausser’s generosity, some students reject the notion of being represented by a man whose actions they believe are inconsistent with the values of justice-based environmentalism.
Around the nation, following the murders of black Americans and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, many activists have torn down and defaced monuments dedicated to problematic historical figures. Renaming monuments has become an increasingly prevalent alternative to defacement: on UC Berkeley’s campus, the Building Name Review Committee recently removed Boalt, Barrows, and LeConte’s names from their respective buildings and is currently reviewing a proposal for Kroeber Hall. To its opposers, changing the name of the College of Natural Resources is the next issue to join the list.
Rausser’s donation is a part of UC Berkeley’s “Light the Way” fundraising campaign, aimed at garnering billions of dollars in philanthropic donations to secure the university’s position as the top public research university. This donation is unrestrictive, meaning the college has discretion over how the funds are distributed with the exception of a few stipulations, including the creation of an endowed chair of agricultural economics.
According to David Ackerly, the current dean of Rausser College, decisions about where funds will go must first face a faculty consultation process. Their initial priorities include investing in graduate programs and the diversity & inclusion programs, renovating facilities, and recruiting faculty.
“The COVID budget cuts have made us rethink everything,” said Ackerly. Thus, the donation funds must be considered in the context of the college’s overall financial portfolio.
Students who oppose the renaming created a Facebook group, Reject Rausser, to cite multiple grievances against him, namely his corporate investments and teaching methods.
Aside from previously serving as a professor and dean of the College of Natural Resources, Rausser is the co-founder of OnPoint Analytics Capital Partners (OPAC), a capital advisory firm. According to a September 2020 statement made by the group, it was his involvement in corporate investments, coupled with his emphasis on agricultural economics, that led students in the Reject Rausser movement to believe that his career is inconsistent with the future of the environmental movement. This grievance is reflective of a larger debate regarding corporate influence over the university as students raise concerns about private interests shaping their public education.
As the former professor of Introduction to Environmental Economics, a popular class for College of Natural Resources students, Rausser has also faced past criticism for speaking to students in a condescending manner and creating an overly competitive environment. The opponents to the change claim that this classroom culture is inconsistent with the college’s values of community.
“I am devastated that a person who has caused me and many other students so much mental grief, dangerously anxious behavior and serious contemplations of dropping out of this university is going to be the namesake of the college that I and many others will receive degrees from in just a few months,” wrote Kajol Gupta, Angela White, and Maceo Hart-Kapic, in an op-ed published on Daily California.
In response to these criticisms, Ackerly and the naming committee have held several meetings with a small group of students who came forward, although Ackerly acknowledged that not all students would be comfortable expressing their views directly to him.
Ackerly said that their goal through these ongoing conversations is to “engage with them about the fact that these are meaningful resources for enhancing the student experience,” particularly with the added financial stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the concerns about private money influencing the college, Ackerly stated that “the funding did not change our priorities,” particularly since it was unrestricted.
According to Ackerly, Rausser’s intent with the donation was the continued excellence of the college, and the fact that Rausser spent the large majority of his career there makes the gift all the more personal. He further explained that during the ongoing conversations with Rausser, renaming the college seemed an appropriate response that “merged his desires and our desire to recognize the scale of a gift like that.”
“Change is disruptive,” said Ackerly, and the renaming of Rausser College is certainly a significant change. Student pushback reflects a growing divide among the environmental movement. Some younger activists, such as those involved in the Reject Rausser movement, view traditional corporate motives as incompatible with justice-based environmentalism while others view them as “necessary evils” for a larger good.
With the added stress of the budget cuts due to COVID-19, the acceptance of Rausser’s donation and subsequent renaming of the college is a balancing act between student opinion and financial pressures.
Jacqueline Cox (she/her) is a sophomore double majoring in American Studies and Society and Environment. She joined Perennial because she always had a passion for environmental justice and wanted to enlighten herself and her peers on issues of justice and sustainability in an accessible format. In her free time, she loves playing guitar, doing film photography, hiking, and spending time outdoors!
Feature image: Illustration from Jericho Tang / The Daily Californian