Slate: the story on HearLore

Slate

In February 1958, a group of students at the University of California, Berkeley, formed a political organization that would eventually dismantle the university's power structure, yet they began with a name that was not an acronym. They called themselves SLATE, simply standing for a slate of candidates who ran on a common platform, but the university administration refused to recognize them as a political party. The Daily Californian, the campus newspaper, followed its policy of not printing in all-caps a name that was not an acronym, so SLATE declared its name to be an acronym for "Student League Accused of Trying to Exist." This bureaucratic squabble masked a far more dangerous reality: the university administration viewed these students not as a club, but as a threat to the established order. The group's origins were rooted in the aftermath of the McCarthy era, where the House Un-American Activities Committee had cast a long shadow over American campuses. Ralph Shaffer, a graduate student representative, had already begun challenging discriminatory practices in fraternities and sororities, but the true spark came when Mike Miller, an undergraduate representative, resigned from the ASUC Senate to organize a slate of candidates. Miller doubled the electorate and received between 35 and 40 percent of the vote, a stunning result that proved the student body was ready for change. The group, which included Fritjof Thygeson, Rick White, Peter Franck, Marv Sternberg, and Wilson Carey McWilliams, formally established SLATE as a campus political party, setting the stage for a decade of conflict that would redefine the role of students in American higher education.

The Ban That Backfired

The university administration's response to SLATE's growing influence was swift and severe, culminating in a ban that would ultimately fuel the fire of student activism. In 1961, after SLATE members insisted on the right to take stands on off-campus issues, the UC Regents and administrators banned SLATE from the campus. The ban was later reversed, but the damage was done. The administration, led by Chancellor Clark Kerr, developed a set of directives governing the rights of student organizations to sponsor speakers and prohibiting taking stands on off-campus issues. SLATE led the opposition to the Kerr Directives, arguing that the university was becoming an instrument of the Cold War and that students had a right to engage with the world beyond the campus walls. The administration's attempt to silence SLATE only made the group more visible and more determined. The ban was a direct response to SLATE's support for a Berkeley fair housing ordinance in 1959, their opposition to the hearings conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in San Francisco in May 1960, and their support for the national Woolworth-Kress boycott called by civil rights organizations. The administration also opposed SLATE's stance on the execution of Caryl Chessman at San Quentin and their opposition to continued nuclear weapon testing. The ban was a clear signal that the university was no longer willing to tolerate student activism that challenged the status quo, but it also set the stage for the Free Speech Movement that would emerge just a few years later.

Common questions

When was SLATE founded at the University of California Berkeley?

SLATE was founded in February 1958 by a group of students at the University of California Berkeley. The organization began as a slate of candidates running on a common platform before the university administration refused to recognize them as a political party.

Why did the UC Regents ban SLATE from the campus in 1961?

The UC Regents and administrators banned SLATE from the campus in 1961 because the group insisted on the right to take stands on off-campus issues. The administration viewed SLATE as a threat to the established order due to their support for a Berkeley fair housing ordinance in 1959 and their opposition to House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in May 1960.

What was the purpose of the SLATE summer conferences held from 1960 to 1964?

The SLATE summer conferences served as political battlegrounds to forge the future of the American left and create a network of activists. These events brought together diverse voices ranging from Young Democrats to Trotskyists to discuss topics such as civil rights and the role of universities in the Cold War.

When did SLATE officially dissolve and why did the group end its operations?

SLATE voted to dissolve itself in October 1966 after losing the campaign for student body president and failing to pass a new student government constitution in a referendum in April 1966. The group ended its operations because the Free Speech Movement had achieved the rights SLATE fought for and became too broad to be contained within the original framework.

Who were the notable SLATE members who later served in California electoral politics?

Jackie Goldberg served on the Los Angeles school board and city council before serving in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2006. Bill Lockyer served in the California State Legislature for 25 years and later served as Attorney General of California from 1999 to 2007 and state Treasurer from 2007 to 2015.

When was the first SLATE reunion held and how many former members attended?

The first SLATE reunion was held at the Berkeley campus in June 1984 and was attended by some 150 former members out of an estimated 850 one-time dues-paying members. A second reunion took place in 2000 at a retreat center and a third half-day reunion occurred in 2004 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement.