Scoffing at unpopular tuition hikes is one thing. Destructive mayhem – like that seen last week on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley – is another.
In the wake of the recession and California’s astronomical debt, a group of protesters at Berkeley demonstrated their opposition to the proposed state education budget cuts by occupying a university building on Friday. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, what began with a simple occupation turned into an all-out riot as the group flooded the streets, burned trash cans, threw glass wine jugs at police and damaged property. Although it is unclear whether all of the 100-plus rioters were students or former students, the two men arrested for inciting the mass vandalism are a student and a recent graduate of Berkeley.
The moment the rally turned into a riot, the protesters took their demonstration too far. In an ideal world, the money allocated to state education would be consistent, and all students who wished to do so would be able to get a high-quality, low-cost degree. But today’s economic reality is far from ideal. Students have a right to voice their opposition. At some point, however, something has got to give.
California is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. In order for a state education to be available at all, the state has to remain solvent. Other programs would also take a hit under California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan, including welfare and health and human services. Students should not expect to get preferential treatment during a budget crisis.
Granted, many students in the California university system are likely suffering financially. Bumps in tuition due to budget cuts are probably the last thing they want to see. The fact is, however, that the University of California’s in-state rate, at $10,302, is 70 percent less than the price for Stanford University and other private institutions in California. Indeed, Berkeley’s in-state tuition is even less than some other state universities. New Jersey’s Rutgers University, for example, charges around $12,000 per year for new in-state undergraduates.
At the end of the day, students at California’s public schools must sacrifice along with the rest of California’s taxpayers. Unlike some schools, the University of California system does not implement a of tuition freeze policy. When Berkeley students chose to attend the university, there was no guarantee that the tuition rate would remain static throughout their four years. The state funds that allowed tuition to remain low are growing scarce and budget cuts are necessary and inevitable.
A college education – even a state-subsidized one – is not a right, but an investment. Financially strapped students all over the country are finding new ways to pay for their higher education. Instead of acting like a mindless mob, Berkeley students ought to join their peers and pursue constructive paths to their college degrees.
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