REMEMBER BRIAN RITTER ? The student who saw his first protest regarding the Revelle Cafeteria policy ? As a longtime editor for The New Indicator activist newspaper , he ’ d been privy to many of Che ’ s clashes with administration , yet they were nothing like the most recent conflict . “ I thought it was over ,” he says , recalling the months when tensions reached their crescendo : a standoff that marked the longest occupation of a building in UC system history , an unprecedented coalition of student , alumni and community partners , and a watershed meeting that brokered the most understanding and support the Che has seen in recent history .
To recap : the new millennium saw food become extinct from the Café , administrative tensions were high , and Che patrons were an ever-slimming cohort without much representation in student government . These factors led to a cascade of votes : the first in 2014 , when the student-run University Center Advisory Board 14 voted to cut the Café from its maintenance budget , quoting astronomical repair costs and apparent lack of student interest in the space . A month later , the Graduate Student Association followed suit with a vote to decertify the Che as a co-op , as well as cancel the café ’ s lease . 15
The Che lawyered up , suing the university for breach of contract and alleging collusion to deliberately undermine the Café . They lost the case and began an appeal , but in the meantime , an eviction notice was posted on the door . As of March 17 , 2015 , the collective had 30 days to vacate the building .
Out came the grassroots : students , alumni , community members , pro bono lawyers and protest marchers . It was a spectrum of Che stakeholders — many generations who knew the Che as very different things , but all united in the effort to preserve it . They organized a substantial protest march to deliver a petition of 13,000 signatures to the Chancellor ’ s office to “ Save the Che .” They also gained entry to the building , and a rotating cadre of committed members began a 24 / 7 occupation to block any covert bulldozing . Also established was the Che Café Support Network — which included a minuteman-like response team that could mobilize student protesters within minutes should any immediate need arise .
“ Our group wasn ’ t always so positive ,” recalls Ritter on returning to meetings to lend support . “ It was definitely a culture clash . But there was common ground in our dedication to the space . We all respected how the Che was the only place on campus that didn ’ t feel like campus .”
Brian ’ s wife , Susan Wingfield-Ritter , also saw how generational differences could be complementary . “ I would hear some of the young people feeling hopeless ,” she says . “ In meetings they ’ d say , ‘ You know we ’ re just going to have to leave the space anyway .’ But us older folks , we ’ d seen what happened in Vietnam , with apartheid , and we ’ d say ‘ No , you don ’ t !’ We knew that if you stay long enough and strong enough , you can really make a difference and turn it around .”
When the meetings and protests seemed to be going nowhere , and the signatures and many testimonials to save the Che 16 seemed to do nothing , a turning point came when the group made a deliberate shift toward understanding .
“ I suspected that no one really knew what the space has meant to this campus , and what it still means today ,” says Brian . “ And when I read the Chancellor ’ s speeches , and the university ’ s statement on diversity , it rang true . I could tell it was a genuine effort toward inclusion , one that the Che was directly related to . That ’ s what the Che was all about ; it was just a matter of showing that .”
In July 2015 , a devoted group of Che supporters met with Chancellor Khosla and laid it all out on the line : the Che ’ s history , its purpose , its role as a safe space for all ages and identities , its significance to campus and all that it fostered : the art , the impact , the community . They read the testimonials ; they showed the signatures . “ We wanted the Chancellor to hear what it meant to people in this community , and he heard it ,” says Susan . “ He really did .” The meeting was a breakthrough in understanding , and resulted in sincere lease negotiations and a commitment from the university to fund the Che ’ s new safety upgrades — a fire suppression system , kitchen repairs , new flooring , lighting , gender-neutral bathrooms and accessibility upgrades . The Associated Students Council and the GSA also passed a joint resolution creating the Che Collective Campus Integration Committee to aid the Che during its reopening and facilitate more student involvement .
An additional agreement was made with the Che and other co-ops : a four-year lease that required each to pay an annual rent of $ 1 . Specifically concerning the Che , the collective must pay for all utilities and insurance , and maintain its nonprofit classification . And so far , it has .
So the fight is over , and the Che still stands . And … now what ? What happens when there ’ s nothing left to resist ? The Ritter ’ s response : “ If anyone has had any
history with the Che , they need to know it still exists , that it still represents the same ideals of freedom and diversity , and they should know how close to the edge it came . And for that reason , they should enjoy it ! It ’ s like nowhere else on campus , like nowhere else in this city . Come back , come in . Take part . Enjoy .”
Che Café turns 40 at Homecoming , Oct 18 – 20
Email alumni @ ucsd . edu to get involved !
Che Café history also comes to life with guided tours the first Saturday of every month at noon . Regular meetings , open-mic nights , and a lineup of rock shows can be found at thechecafe . blogspot . com
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