UC Students Plan "Racist" Bake Sale

They say it's satire. But the plan to hold a bake sale on the UC Berkeley campus with a race-based sliding price sale -- $2, or full price, for white students, down to 25 cents for Native Americans -- is drawing national media attention and nothing but outcry from other student groups.

The Berkeley College Republicans' "Increase Diversity Bake Sale," advertised on Facebook postings, is scheduled for the same time as two on-campus phone banks in support of state legislation that would allow the California State University and University of California systems to consider ethnicity in the admissions process.

The bake sale offers a 25-cent discount for women, and will sell "Asian" pastries for $1.50, "Latino" pastries for $1, "Black/African American" treats for 75 cents and "Native American" items for 25 cents, according to the Facebook post.

"If you don't come, you're a racist," the post says.

The sale was set to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

On Sunday, a campus group voted 19-0 to condemn the bake sale as discriminatory. Further action could be taken.

The Republicans admit the bake sale may be controversial and inflammatory, but they aren't backing down.

Andy Nevis, the executive director of the Berkeley College Republicans, said the bake sale is "a political statement. We believe any attempt to defund Berkeley College Republicans would be unconstitutional."

A Facebook campaign caused racial tensions at University of California San Diego in January 2010  when an event posted to Facebook called the "Compton Cookout." The description for the event was full of racial stereotypes. 

The UCSD's Student Run television was shut down after a student used the N-word to describe students who complained about the controversy.

A noose was found hanging at the Geisel Library. A student contacted campus police and admitted to the hate crime. Soon after, the student was suspended during the investigation campus police said. 

Students marched on campus condemning "hateful" speech and the university outlined the actions it would take to improve the schools climate and cultural diversity including a task force to focus on recruiting minority faculty.