Yo! Youth OutLook

I almost wish I had gone to UC Berkeley when I was in college. At least that way, I could have gotten a whiff of what it was like to be at a school where campus protests were a regular thing, and students weren’t just focused on getting out of the institution but actually wanted in a say in the current status of their education.

Last night, at the UC Berkeley campus students protested the fee hikes. However, the protest turned violent, resulting in trashcans lit on fire, and smashed store windows. Students even took over one of the University's buildings.

Now, I’m not a fan of violence, but I do believe that when you starve the starving long enough you run the risk of getting a bite back.

Personally, I think flaming trashcans and broken windows definitely can get labeled as a certified bite back.

The sad state of education due to both the recession and the management by Government overseers has left an obvious rift in the state of being for students, a rift that started as a tear and grew into a colossal mess.

During my last year at San Francisco State University was the early sprinkle of chaos that was about to ensue.  Classes were getting cut back and fees were increasing. When my counselor told me I only needed two classes to graduate I almost broke down in tears. I had been fairly certain that I had more units to complete and with the pending cuts to classes, I would end up being the oldest undergraduate at SFSU.

Looking back on what I went through to get my diploma the work itself feels like the fake golden ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In a perfect world, the idea of getting out of college opens up every door on the face of the Earth. But when you factor in the slumping economy, lack of jobs and the under funding of college institutions, a college diploma might as well be a KitKat wrapped in a Twinkie: appetizing to some, but generally a waste of space in your stomach. 

-- Eming Piansay