With budget cuts looming over the SUNY institution, it's refreshing to see that students have finally decided to take some drastic action.
As most have noticed, a group of Geneseo undergrads have been camping out in Sturges Quad since Sunday night, attempting to send a message to Albany that our government has "left us out in the cold."
In a time when protests often hold a negative connotation, the action taken by these college students is a positive-reinforcement of standing up for mass beliefs. This peaceful yet bold operation is clearly making an impact - several media outlets from the Rochester area have already covered the event.
In addition, the Geneseo administration supports the protest and has given students the opportunity to work with and not against them. Even the students' deliberate move of taking over the admissions building during Wednesday's Erwin sit-in was approved by the administration.
We are all (unfortunately) aware that this is a big test week for Geneseo students, and the fact that these people are willing to spend their time chalking, making posters and camping out shows a sincere dedication to raising awareness for the issue. Even though the sheer number of students participating may not be very high, those involved are going above and beyond to speak on behalf of all students and faculty who will be affected by the cuts but may not have the background knowledge or wherewithal to voice their concerns.
Every student hosts some opinion regarding the potential budget cuts, and for these particular students to make their beliefs publicly known is not only respectable but also commendable. The portion of the student body that also holds a similar stance on the issue owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to those who are willing to sacrifice their nights and put the effort into condemning this potentially drastic change to the SUNY system.
Clearly, this group of people is not willing to let the state harm our education as whole - and that, we believe, is something all students should stand up for.