The Harsh Bite of Reality by Seiji Kiya, Class of 1941 IN THE FALL SEMESTER of 1941, of the 15,000 students enrolled at UC Berkeley, 500-plus were students of Japanese ancestry — this based on a count of registration cards bearing Japanese surnames. With a normal proportion, one-fourth were members of the Class of 1942. The vast majority of the 500 were Nisei residents of California. Sprinkled amongst them were a few from foreign lands (Japan and Canada) and some from out of state (Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Hawaii). Most did not come for the academic prestige the university enjoyed even then, but simply because it was the flagship of the great California public education system. Of the many state institutions, four-year degrees in certain professional majors could only be obtained at the Berkeley campus. And, the price was right. The registration fee was $25 per semester. Although the nation was just beginning to emerge from the Great Depression, its lingering effects could still be felt. The objective was simply to obtain an education, not to seek an avenue for social action or protest. American college students of the time were not militants or activists. There were a handful of "red-hots" on campus, including an oriental face or two, but they had little success in mustering support or staging rallies. As fellow Cal Bear Bill Fujita noted, Nisei students were freely involved in all aspects of campus life. Lack of membership in fraternities and sororities, and residence in Bowles Hall were matters of only passing concern. The harsh bite of prejudice was to be felt by graduates seeking employment. Europe had been at war since September of 1939. We agonized with our European student friends during the invasion of Poland, the Blitzkrieg of Western Europe and the air raids over England. Japan had been engaged in military expansion in Asia since 1932. Pleas were made for American aid to China, but there were no pro-Japanese positions taken. Other than seeing friends drafted into the Army, the wars abroad were viewed only as historical events. Life on campus proceeded as it had in years past. The principle feature was that daily life was ordinary and routine. Before the semester ended, cataclysmic world events would profoundly affect the lives of all students. In particular, Nisei students did not anticipate nor could they imagine the nightmatish happenings that within a few months would profoundly change their lives forever. Was it because of innocence, naivete, ignorance, inexperience orjust refusal to face reality? Who can say? Probably all of the above. But that's the way it was.