Comments on: Protesters play musical chairs http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/10/16/protesters-play-musical-chairs/ Serving California State University, Fresno since 1922. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:24:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: T J Richmond http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/10/16/protesters-play-musical-chairs/comment-page-1/#comment-39639 T J Richmond Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:47:30 +0000 http://collegian.csufresno.edu/?p=16521#comment-39639 I'm sorry, but while I recognize the honorable intentions here (i.e. trying to get students involved by making protests "fun" and "whimsica" while still trying to prove a point), such actions tend to diminish the impact of voicing disagreement and frustration. Granted I wasn't there and wasn't privy to the overall mood of the demonstration, but I can imagine students/teachers/administrators reading this headline and laughing. Seriously. Musical Chairs??? It's pretty sad that such demonstrations are the approach we are taking. Now I'm a little torn between this whole affair, because education isn't the only thing that's suffering. Everything is. But on the other hand, Education seems to have been targeted first. And in that case it seems like protestors would want to do something a little more extreme, (and I don't mean walking into the library and silently placing little signs around) but something truly substantial, something that will catch the eye of the real media. Of course, there simply aren't enough people who care, or people who have enough time. I don't know. Where are the people willing to risk being arrested by storming the administrator's office? Where are the people who will go to the even semi extreme to make a point? I know having the right leaning collegian reporting on musical chairs as protest isn't going to accomplish anything. Ahhhhhhh. Who cares anyways? I mean, it's not like I'm going to spend an extra year here due to these budget cuts. Wait, yes I am. I’m sorry, but while I recognize the honorable intentions here (i.e. trying to get students involved by making protests “fun” and “whimsica” while still trying to prove a point), such actions tend to diminish the impact of voicing disagreement and frustration. Granted I wasn’t there and wasn’t privy to the overall mood of the demonstration, but I can imagine students/teachers/administrators reading this headline and laughing. Seriously. Musical Chairs??? It’s pretty sad that such demonstrations are the approach we are taking. Now I’m a little torn between this whole affair, because education isn’t the only thing that’s suffering. Everything is. But on the other hand, Education seems to have been targeted first. And in that case it seems like protestors would want to do something a little more extreme, (and I don’t mean walking into the library and silently placing little signs around) but something truly substantial, something that will catch the eye of the real media. Of course, there simply aren’t enough people who care, or people who have enough time. I don’t know. Where are the people willing to risk being arrested by storming the administrator’s office? Where are the people who will go to the even semi extreme to make a point? I know having the right leaning collegian reporting on musical chairs as protest isn’t going to accomplish anything. Ahhhhhhh. Who cares anyways? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to spend an extra year here due to these budget cuts. Wait, yes I am.

]]> By: T J Richmond http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/10/16/protesters-play-musical-chairs/comment-page-1/#comment-48224 T J Richmond Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:47:00 +0000 http://collegian.csufresno.edu/?p=16521#comment-48224 I'm sorry, but while I recognize the honorable intentions here (i.e. trying to get students involved by making protests "fun" and "whimsica" while still trying to prove a point), such actions tend to diminish the impact of voicing disagreement and frustration. Granted I wasn't there and wasn't privy to the overall mood of the demonstration, but I can imagine students/teachers/administrators reading this headline and laughing. Seriously. Musical Chairs??? It's pretty sad that such demonstrations are the approach we are taking. Now I'm a little torn between this whole affair, because education isn't the only thing that's suffering. Everything is. But on the other hand, Education seems to have been targeted first. And in that case it seems like protestors would want to do something a little more extreme, (and I don't mean walking into the library and silently placing little signs around) but something truly substantial, something that will catch the eye of the real media. Of course, there simply aren't enough people who care, or people who have enough time. I don't know. Where are the people willing to risk being arrested by storming the administrator's office? Where are the people who will go to the even semi extreme to make a point? I know having the right leaning collegian reporting on musical chairs as protest isn't going to accomplish anything. Ahhhhhhh. Who cares anyways? I mean, it's not like I'm going to spend an extra year here due to these budget cuts. Wait, yes I am. I’m sorry, but while I recognize the honorable intentions here (i.e. trying to get students involved by making protests “fun” and “whimsica” while still trying to prove a point), such actions tend to diminish the impact of voicing disagreement and frustration. Granted I wasn’t there and wasn’t privy to the overall mood of the demonstration, but I can imagine students/teachers/administrators reading this headline and laughing. Seriously. Musical Chairs??? It’s pretty sad that such demonstrations are the approach we are taking. Now I’m a little torn between this whole affair, because education isn’t the only thing that’s suffering. Everything is. But on the other hand, Education seems to have been targeted first. And in that case it seems like protestors would want to do something a little more extreme, (and I don’t mean walking into the library and silently placing little signs around) but something truly substantial, something that will catch the eye of the real media. Of course, there simply aren’t enough people who care, or people who have enough time. I don’t know. Where are the people willing to risk being arrested by storming the administrator’s office? Where are the people who will go to the even semi extreme to make a point? I know having the right leaning collegian reporting on musical chairs as protest isn’t going to accomplish anything. Ahhhhhhh. Who cares anyways? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to spend an extra year here due to these budget cuts. Wait, yes I am.

]]> By: lol http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/10/16/protesters-play-musical-chairs/comment-page-1/#comment-39592 lol Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:30:44 +0000 http://collegian.csufresno.edu/?p=16521#comment-39592 "Furloughs, layoffs, course reductions, enrollment reductions – those aren’t real solutions,” Blair said. “Those don’t protect higher education.” Neither is throwing more money at the existing system. We have been in a state of perpetual fiscal crisis for years now. Every time more money is put in (and even when it is not) it goes to salaries for executives, new layers of administration, buildings - everything except the fundamental and most important relationship that exists on this and any campus - the one between student and teacher. Everything else is only supposed to support that dynamic, yet it is always last on the list of priorities. “Furloughs, layoffs, course reductions, enrollment reductions – those aren’t real solutions,” Blair said. “Those don’t protect higher education.”

Neither is throwing more money at the existing system. We have been in a state of perpetual fiscal crisis for years now. Every time more money is put in (and even when it is not) it goes to salaries for executives, new layers of administration, buildings – everything except the fundamental and most important relationship that exists on this and any campus – the one between student and teacher. Everything else is only supposed to support that dynamic, yet it is always last on the list of priorities.

]]> By: lol http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/10/16/protesters-play-musical-chairs/comment-page-1/#comment-48223 lol Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:30:00 +0000 http://collegian.csufresno.edu/?p=16521#comment-48223 "Furloughs, layoffs, course reductions, enrollment reductions – those aren’t real solutions,” Blair said. “Those don’t protect higher education.” Neither is throwing more money at the existing system. We have been in a state of perpetual fiscal crisis for years now. Every time more money is put in (and even when it is not) it goes to salaries for executives, new layers of administration, buildings - everything except the fundamental and most important relationship that exists on this and any campus - the one between student and teacher. Everything else is only supposed to support that dynamic, yet it is always last on the list of priorities. “Furloughs, layoffs, course reductions, enrollment reductions – those aren’t real solutions,” Blair said. “Those don’t protect higher education.”

Neither is throwing more money at the existing system. We have been in a state of perpetual fiscal crisis for years now. Every time more money is put in (and even when it is not) it goes to salaries for executives, new layers of administration, buildings – everything except the fundamental and most important relationship that exists on this and any campus – the one between student and teacher. Everything else is only supposed to support that dynamic, yet it is always last on the list of priorities.

]]>