Background

Origins of the Program

Blue and Gold originated from a vision of what the engineering community at Berkeley could be, a vision that past officers on ESC and staff on ESS shared. Engineering student organizations at Berkeley have always been some of the most impressive and successful student organizations in the country, but we saw potential for them to also be models of a different set of goals. These goals are the same ones that you will find on the home page of this website: equity and inclusion, safety and integrity, and engagement and transparency. Blue and Gold took years to develop, and over the course of that time many of our plans and goals for the program changed. However, this core set of goals has been the one constant guiding the creation of this program, and it will continue to guide the evolution of this program in the future.

Connection to ESC Affiliation

For many student organizations, Blue and Gold Certification will bear a striking resemblance to ESC affiliation, a program that has existed for many years that included over 50 engineering student organizations two years ago. This resemblance is no coincidence; in many ways, the last year of ESC affiliation was a trial run for Blue and Gold Certification. The intent of the program was to help organizations adjust to the new requirements and help ESC work out any issues prior to launching Blue and Gold. We felt the program was very successful, though there were certainly many areas for improvement. Our hope is that Blue and Gold Certification will improve on its predecessor and enjoy even greater levels of success!