Anti-tobacco campaigns seem to be one of the most effective health campaigns we’ve seen in our country. What then, causes a progressive city like Berkeley to have a resurgence of smoking? And of all things, why are its students one of the largest statistics?

Photo Essay by Javier Mazorra

We should be consistent with UC Berkeley’s history of pioneering cultural innovations. This means standing up for what we believe. If we don’t use our agency, we will lose our agency.

While campus erupts in debate over the legacies of those long dead, the response to powerful, living figures–those of who are actively shaping policy and people’s lives–feels quieter. And that raises an uncomfortable question: Why is it easier to protest history than power?

Because the most meaningful activism is not just loud. It is informed.

Are you currently planning your summer at UC Berkeley? In case you missed the Summer Opportunities Fair, here’s what you need to know!

It appears that the ability to utilize technology in many ways is beneficial for us. However, within the virtual realm of these devices we can fall into a vortex of distraction, pacification, and overall purposeless functions. A serious issue arises from this dynamic, and it is rooted not in technology itself, but how we use it.

Looking over at my phone screen, it displayed my 7:00am alarm. I hit the snooze button again and again for the next hour, until I missed my morning lecture entirely.

Fashion, as seen in the past, serves many uses beyond the realm of beautification and appearance. Statements are made through what we choose and choose not to wear on a personal and global level. Inversely, fashion itself has been defined by what we choose and choose not to follow.

With the one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires  coming to a vote in California this November, it’s  worth examining why such an idea was proposed in  the first place, why the ultra-rich are against it, and why many believe it’s morally necessary.

The University of California at Berkeley has long been known as a campus where many students are focused solely on their studies and not any nonacademic extracurricular activities, including romance. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, students gathered outside Sproul Hall at the University of California Berkeley to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24. During the rally, organizers encouraged their community to attend a larger protest in San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Friday, Jan. 30.

Former Cal running back and NFL veteran Patrick Laird reflects on Berkeley’s culture of resilience, education, and opportunity — and why its ethos still shapes who he is today.

BERKELEY Calif. — Traveling from France to the United States was a risk that Alex Masmej, founder of the Breakout App, was willing to take. At 22, Masmej began betting on himself — a mindset that later shaped Breakout, a cryptocurrency-based platform designed to fund people with initiative and entrepreneurial flair.

OAKLAND, Calif — Seated in judgement alongside four other attendees, I decided the fate of freestyle rappers, poets, and comedians in a clash of creative arts in the heart of Oakland — a cultural and artistic hub for the weird to express themselves.

BERKELEY, Calif — At around 9 p.m., a comic finished his set, stepped away from the stage set against a mismatched combination of furniture, and walked straight to the pool tables.