I, like thousands of other students, found myself all decked out in my UCLA gear Thursday night, walking disappointedly away from the Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally while Ellie Goulding’s “Burn” played ironically in the smokeless background.

All my frustration stemmed from the actions of a handful of tuition hike protesters at the bonfire that night. Generally, I respect protesters for their courage to stand up for their beliefs in the face of adversity, but I don’t respect the actions of these individuals. On Thursday, they acted more like vandals trashing a great school tradition than like demonstrators wanting to enact change.

The protesters’ decision to disrupt the annual bonfire was misguided. This tradition, which is widely enjoyed by UCLA students and alumni, had nothing to do with the University of California Board of Regents’ decision to raise tuition. By preventing the lighting of the bonfire, the actions of these protesters annoyed many students while simultaneously failing to affect the UC administration responsible for the disputed tuition hikes. The protesters’ actions showed an extraordinary disregard for the feelings of the event’s organizers and performers.

Few, if any, of the students in attendance were happy about the prospect of increased tuition and student loans. The energized atmosphere of a bonfire would have been the perfect opportunity for these demonstrators to rally support. Had the protesters given an impassioned speech instead of blocking the lighting of the fire, then they might have been able to rally people to their cause. The protesters could have gotten the “mob mentality” to work in their favor instead of turning the crowd against them.

To all those who were, like me, frustrated by this bonfire-less night, we can take comfort in having seen great student performances as well as some pretty sweet – and enviable – dance moves by the football team. While, clearly, we didn’t need a bonfire to beat USC, it is a great tradition. All demonstrators certainly have the right to protest, however, denouncing the UC administration at the expense of this student-centered event was an ill-thought-out and inconsiderate plan.

Beckman is a second-year political science and Spanish student.

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2 Comments

  1. This whining is a riot. Having this cheery photo op go off without a hitch implies that everything is operating as normal, when in reality the public promise of our university is facing a serious threat. Are people actually upset that this institutionally enforced, fraternity sponsored “tradition” didn’t go as planned? Who are you people?

  2. This is not an “institutionally enforced, fraternity sponsored tradition.” The Student Alumni Association runs the event and started the bonfire in the late ’80s after having to get permission from the AQMD (air quality management), working to convince campus administrators that a bonfire could be held safely and gaining the support of the UCLA fire department. It was not a simple process. The participation of the Marching Band and Spirit Squad was not guaranteed much less the participation of the Athletic Dept. The head football coach did not make an appearance until probably the ’90s. Fellow students have worked for years to develop this into a tradition. Having a “cheery photo op go off without a hitch” doesn’t have any implications regarding tuition increases; it’s just a bonfire that fellow students have organized and fellow students enjoy.

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