California Student Protests Misguided

Last Thursday March 4th college students across California held a “Day of Action” to protest against cuts to higher education spending and increases in tuition.  In many cases their protests turned violent with students seizing university buildings and blocking traffic on major roads.  The protesters goal was to paint a picture that all students support their tactics and their policies.  Internet news sources such as the Huffinton Post and Reuters covered the events.

However, these few protesters do not speak for all students.  Their goal was to use violent tactics to make their presence seem larger than it was.  In fact many student groups are opposed to both their policies and their practices.

The state of California is currently facing a major budget crisis.  For decades the state rode a wave of economic growth which allowed them to continually increase public spending.  The state and particularly the public university system were living well beyond their means.  Now that the growth has stopped the state has two choices, to make drastic budget cuts or drastic tax increases.  Ankur Chawla, founder of the Young Americans for Liberty at the University of California, San Diego, had this to say on the matter:

“As a student at the University of California, San Diego, I don’t understand why other students don’t see the disastrous long-term consequences of public funding at their university.  The massive government spending that they are demanding will raise taxes across the board for everybody while simultaneously shooting us into even more deficit…and all this in the midst of one of the biggest financial crises since the Great Depression.  These protesting students are essentially the equivalent of special-interest union thugs clenching their fists and demanding more money at the expense of everybody else.”

As Ankur demonstrates, the money for public higher education has to come from somewhere.  While private citizens are cutting back during the recession, the public sector and universities must be expected to do so as well.

The other issue at hand here is the tactics used by these protesting students.  Peaceful civil disobedience and protest are to be encouraged, but many of these student protests were not peaceful.  At UC Fullerton students occupied a university building and attempted to barricade themselves inside.   In Oakland, protesters blocked a major freeway and caused traffic backups for hours.  There were reports of smashed windshields and vandalized property on many campuses.

While these protesters are likely well intentioned, their acts are misguided.  They have not succeeded in changing public opinion or public policy, but only in hurting the education of their fellow students.  Every other student on campus is there to get the education they paid for. These disruptions forced universities to cancel classes and took educational opportunities away from other students.

Seizing buildings and vandalizing property may seem exciting at first glance.  Confronted with serious problems, the idea of going “to the barricades” is a romantic one.  However destroying other people’s property is not the way to make change happen.

As students for liberty we need to make it known that these misguided protesters do not speak for all students.  We recognize that higher taxation and spending are not the solutions to our problems and that violence is never the answer.  Through peaceful education and activism we must show the world that individual freedom, not state control, is the way forward.