There will be no condoning of violence from this girl. But I did get a sick little twist of satisfaction when I read the NY Times article about UC students protesting tuition rates. Students from UC Davis and UC Berkeley broke some windows and threw some flaming items at the home of UC Berkeley’s chancellor, Robert J. Birgeneau.

President of the UC system, Mark G. Yudof, also lives in Berkeley and had a run-in with irate students in August ’09 when the first wave of tuition-rate-increase sh*t was hitting the fan. I’ve already said what I had to say about that. (Not to ruin the ending for you, but none of it was nice.)

President Yudof said in a statement that he found the most recent attack “appalling” and “far beyond the boundaries of public dissent.” Really? I’m pretty sure the students who, until now, believed that they had the right to an affordable education are finding the 32% increase in tuition both appalling and far beyond the boundaries of public dissent.

Further Reading:

8 Arrested in Protest at Berkeley Chancellor’s Home
UC President Mark Yudof is Having a Bad Month
Higher Ed Budget Cuts in California and Washington
Car Torched Outside UC President’s Home
Students, Faculty Protest Likely Tuition Hike
Students Protest Tuition Increases
5,000 at UC Berkeley Protest Tuition Increases, Furloughs, Layoffs

Posted by Alexa Harrington

(image source*)