On March 4, an estimated 300-350 people protested the rising costs of higher education, rivaling last years’ much discussed protest . At this protest, Michael Becker, a political science professor on campus, pointed out that it was California’s government that wasn’t funding higher education, instead funding prisons, bank bailouts and tax cuts for the rich. “It’s not really a budget crisis,” Becker said. “It’s a tax crisis.”

Regardless of the merits of funding California prisons (I happen to think it quite important), Becker brings to mind a solid point: the education crisis we currently find ourselves in has less to do with mismanagement by Fresno State administrators and more to do with a lack of funding at the state level.

President John Welty said as much. “We join the students, faculty, staff and concerned community members,” Welty said, “in telling legislators to stop cutting education, which jeopardizes California’s future even as it causes pain today for everyone on the Fresno State campus.”

That’s a pretty solid bloc of protesters, one that could eventually get things done. But when students commit acts of great stupidity, it hurts the cause we all are fighting for.

During the protest last Thursday, 55 people barricaded themselves in Vice President for Student Affairs Paul Oliaro’s office, listening to music, dancing and being disruptive with no discernible purpose in mind (here’s the video).

This will do nothing except alienate those who are on our side, for the higher-ups at Fresno State don’t like job losses, pay cuts and furlough days any more than we do. And they are on our side; the purpose of taxpayer-funded education is to get as many as possible educated, at as low a rate as possible.

“We do not,” said President Welty, “condone the actions of a few individuals who staged a sit-in Thursday afternoon and evening in the office of Vice President Oliaro. They took the focus off of the most important message that others are sending to Sacramento.”

Indeed they did.

This is not the way to protest. Those involved will not get what they want by disrespecting those who may be on their side. The way to win is to lay out reasonable arguments in a respectable manner.

The first thing we must acknowledge is that education cannot be for all. It is ideal that most could be educated, but the simple fact is that we could not afford it. And even if we could, as Albert Jay Nock noted, not all are meant to be educated.

We must also offer sensible solutions. The Collegian has advocated that Assembly Bill 656 be passed and for all of us to fill out our census to help ease the California State University system’s financial burden.

So, protesters, there is much work to be done. The education system in this state is a mess. And we can play a part in making it better. But foolish acts such as the sit-in will not help us fix it.