Aram Ghoogasian: Bonfire reaction indicates apathy toward student activism

The only thing that didn’t go up in flames at the annual Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally was the pile of wood in the middle of Wilson Plaza.

A small group of undergraduate and graduate students surrounded the unlit bonfire Thursday and refused to leave in protest of the UC Board of Regents’ approval of a tuition hike plan that would raise tuition by up to 5 percent annually for the next five years.

While the protest left many surprised, what was more surprising was the vehemence with which people reacted to it. The canceled lighting of the bonfire resulted in strongly worded negative reactions from much of the student body.

Even though many at the bonfire said they agreed with the protesters, these same students seemed angrier with the protesters than with the tuition hikes. The visceral reactions from students reveal a problem with student activism at UCLA: apathy.

While students at UCLA may intellectually agree with activist causes, the slew of reactions to the bonfire protest suggest they’d rather not be inconvenienced by the natural results of activist work, including the disruption of daily activities and big campus events. That line of thinking is not only misguided, but it’s also downright harmful to the effectiveness of large-scale protests and activism at UCLA.

Some who hoped to see the bonfire were upset with the protesters because they said that the protests punished students rather than the real targets: the regents.

But while only a few hundred people show up to political rallies, thousands go to the Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally. Protesters need to attract attention somehow, even if it is at the cost of a UCLA tradition. The protest definitely did that: NBC, CBS and the Los Angeles Times all covered the event.

Students’ negative reactions to the protest betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how activism and protesting works, especially because many of them have specified that they, too, are against the tuition increases. Protests are meant to be disruptive. If they stay out of everyone’s way, they won’t garner any attention. If an athletic custom needs to take a hit for student activists to make their point, we should be more than willing to sacrifice that custom. Our say in the way our schools are run is infinitely more important than a bonfire.

This is particularly true because the UC Regents are banking on our apathy. As long as students are willing to be used as pawns in their tug of war with state Gov. Jerry Brown, the regents will continue to play political games as opposed to serving the best interests of students. Student apathy makes the regents and the state free to continue their dance, all while tuition hikes continue to slam students at the UC.

We have seen massive tuition increases in the recent past, hurting current and future UC students. Since 2007, UC tuition has more than doubled. That trend is unlikely to reverse itself while students are reluctant to give up any treasured traditions to send a clear and unequivocal message.

And it seems that, at least at UCLA, the student body at large is pretty reluctant. Mobilizing students on our campus has proven more difficult than it should be, given that tuition increases negatively affect such a large number of students, and it’s not because of the organizers.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council External Vice President’s office organized a well-publicized march in response to the hikes last week, and while the turnout was decent, it paled in comparison to the activism happening on other campuses.

Protesters at UC Berkeley gained a large amount of media attention by occupying a campus administrative building. Student activists also staged a UC-wide walkout Monday, but UCLA’s turnout was exceptionally poor in comparison to other campuses. Organizers at UCLA have the same drive and passion as those at other campuses, but they don’t seem to have the same success rallying student support for their causes. That’s likely because of a specific culture on our campus that prioritizes school spirit over activism and holds the smooth progression of the Beat ‘SC Bonfire above effective student-led activism.

Fliers and organizing rallies can only go so far. Apathy cannot beget progress.

Students need to realize that problems don’t get solved by simply agreeing with the few who take it upon themselves to protest administrators’ policies; change requires action. And until students start caring more about real issues, not much is going to change.