Prior to this, Berkeley had no residence halls, sport teams, or permanent student organizations.

Student Action, founded in 1995, formed as a coalition of organizations, including the Greek life, Pre-Law, and Engineering communities.

After 28 years, Student Action officially announced in an Instagram post that the party would be disbanded.

[10] The Defend Affirmative Action Party (DAAP), founded by national activist and left-wing militant group BAMN, campaigns on a platform of radical racial justice and inclusion for students, though has found relatively little support, having won no seats for 9 years as of 2017[update].

[11] BAMN itself began at Berkeley in 1995 and ran candidates starting in 1996 under its own name, which, at the time, was The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary.

[14] The ASUC's responsibilities include allocating student group funding through a yearly spring budgeting process.

The ASUC budgets in excess of $1 million each year to campus organizations, including the Bridges multicultural resource & retention center.

[15] The offices of the president and the external affairs vice president focus much of their time on student advocacy, often relating to issues of sexual assault, campus safety, student voice, mental health, equality, and diversity.