No reason is given. But hopefully it has something to do with this: TRIGGER WARNING
I had nightmares for several weeks after witnessing that video.
And this:
In the immediate aftermath of the November 9th protests, the UCPD solicited — and received — the medical records of protesters who sustained injuries at the hands of the police. These records were released by the UC Berkeley Tang Center and local hospitals without the knowledge or consent of the patients; they were then used to identify protesters. The fact that medical records can be turned over to the UCPD in order to incriminate victims of police violence raises serious questions about the ethics of medical care on the UC-Berkeley campus. As the many videos taken on November 9th show, students and faculty were beaten simply because they were there. When evidence of physical harm at the hands of the police is immediately read as culpability, our university has effectively criminalized protest. By funneling confidential records to the UCPD and outside bodies, our medical system corroborated this view. What university policies allowed such breaches of confidentiality to happen?
Chancellor Birgeneau announced Tuesday that he will step down as UC Berkeley’s chancellor at the end of 2012, calling the time he has spent leading one of the world’s preeiminent teaching and research universities “an immense privilege and honor.”
Birgeneau was appointed Berkeley’s ninth chancellor in September 2004, and originally planned to stay for seven years. But he decided to remain longer because of the extraordinary circumstances facing the university due to the state’s financial crisis and the steep loss of state funding.
Notice the story doesn't state why he is resigning. Although it alludes he wasn't interested in making this a long term job. I do have to wonder as the implied reason he has kept on were the financial straits austerity has placed our education system in and that has only gotten worse in his tenure not better. The exploitation of earnest students to cover the costs of their education with loans that more often than not result in lifetime debt is a trend that will continue. So the protests will continue as students have a Carlinesque awaking as to the intent of monied interests to have them get an education so they can be better exploited by those same monied interests while paying for the exploitation themselves.
With the absolutely shameful way these students and teachers that were protesting were treated I myself am glad he is resigning. Hopefully he will receive the shaming he deserves.