It is therefore no surprise that CAS comes out against the UC System. Historically, our schools have been on the forefront of progressive movements that have helped women, racial minorities and other disempowered groups improve their lives both within academia and without. Many of the undergraduates here, including the author of the article, are the beneficiaries of our historic “leftism.” Ironically, today’s UCs are far less leftist than they may have been decades ago, and the use of statistics by the CAS regarding political membership is telling. Since when does being a Democrat, a party now known for its extreme centrism, represent a threat to anyone except the far right?
For what it’s worth, I am proud to be an actual leftist at UCSD.
—Rene Patnode
Ph.D., Department of Sociology
