The Berkeley Forum is a non-partisan, student-run organization that hosts free debates, panels, and talks by distinguished speakers from academia, business, sports, and entertainment. Members work across seven committees handling speaker invitations, moderating, marketing, finance, multimedia, and event logistics. All events are free and open to the public, streamed live for remote viewers, and moderated by student members who engage directly with the speakers.
ApplicationsSeptember 8th, 7pm PST
2012
Year founded
7
Number of committees
Events They Host
Spring 2026 Speaker Series
Events included Steve Kerr (head coach, Golden State Warriors), Jeff Dean (Chief Scientist, Google), Kathleen Kingsbury (Opinions Editor, The New York Times), and others. Free and open to the public; streamed live for remote viewers.
History of Free Speech at Berkeley DeCal
A 1-unit, discussion-based course open to UC Berkeley students. Covers the Free Speech Movement, the UC-UAW Strike, People's Park, the origins of the ASUC, and other topics in Berkeley's history. Students attend Forum events throughout the semester as part of the course.
Member Experiences
Spring 2026 Yosemite Trip
Members trekked through snow in Yosemite National Park.
Willard Park Outing
Members gathered at Willard Park during Spring 2025.
Intramural Sports Teams
Members competed on intramural sports teams during Spring 2025.
Speaker Dinners
Private dinners with visiting speakers, referenced by alumni (e.g. a dinner with author Gene Luen Yang).