I support the protest, but are their means of protesting crossing the line? With a 32% increase when Yudof sits on his fatty pay package (www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/yudof0308.pdf), what better way to create a sense of urgency of the problem then by pulling fire alarms and barricading buildings. But are we wasting the time and resources of the fire department on these false alarms? Are these sit-ins and protests going to change the decisions that have already been made?

My professor gave us a brief history lesson about the UC. President Benjamin Wheeler was educated in Germany. They have free higher education there, like many other European countries. He was very much influenced by that ideal and the UC was started as a tuition-free institution. What we pay are "Fees." How did we end up with increases every year that we have been in school? What is the school doing with our money?  Yudof says "We're being forced to impose a user tax on our students and their families. This is a tax necessary because our political leaders have failed to adequately fund public higher education."  But what about the alternatives suggested by faculty/staff like these www.upte.org/UCBudgetAlternatives.pdf

More importantly, what's the state doing? Why are we ranked #42 in the country in amount that we spend on education? Are our protests doing nothing that needs their attention?

What else can we do?