UC Berkeley’s student center will no longer bear Cesar Chavez’s name

UC Berkeley has removed Cesar Chavez’s name from a student center after a New York Times investigation detailed serious allegations of sexual abuse by the late labor leader.

Soon after the report, Chancellor Rich Lyons and Benjamin Hermalin, the executive vice chancellor and provost, announced a formal review of the building’s name. A campus committee solicited public comment and unanimously recommended its removal.

“When these allegations came to light, we moved quickly to do the right thing,” Lyons said. “The committee’s review was thorough, the community’s voice was overwhelming and the conclusion was clear. That so many students, faculty and staff engaged in this process exemplifies UC Berkeley at its very best.”

The unnaming was approved this week by UC President James B. Milliken following overwhelming support from students, staff and faculty.

Berkeley has previously unnamed five other buildings, each time because the legacy of the structure’s namesake was found to be incompatible with the university’s guiding values.

A proposal from alumni and campus leaders to remove Chavez’s name argued that continuing to honor him could hurt the very students who make regular use of the building, which houses the Gender Equity Resource Center, the Transfer Student Center and the Student Parent Center, among other programs.

“If the name is retained, many members of the campus community, especially survivors of sexual violence and harassment, may experience harm, including retraumatization, alienation, and a diminished sense of belonging,” wrote the group, which included Fabrizio Mejia, interim vice chancellor in the Division of Equity & Inclusion, and alumnus Abel Guillén, who as a student led the 1995 effort to dedicate the building to Chavez.

The proposal also pointed out that the state of California had already renamed the March 31 holiday as “Farmworkers Day.” 

Of the 455 public comments submitted, 95% advocated for removing the tribute to Chavez. Many of the responses, including Latinx students and faculty, voiced support for survivors of sexual violence, and wrote that while the farmworker movement and Latinx leaders should be celebrated, Chavez did not need to be individually honored.

Faculty from the Chicanx Latinx Studies Program, the Social Sciences Division and the School of Education also penned a letter of support for removing Chavez’s name. 

Metal letters spelling out Chavez’s name were pried from the building by a facilities crew early Thursday. The building will be known as the Student Center until the separate process of renaming is complete.