I am usually the kind of person that likes to see the positive outcome in things, but when I found out about the protests in Puerto Rico I could not see the positive and then I read that the protests have been going on for a year; ridiculous.

In a one year time period the following happened: the students protested, ceased protesting after two months, and then started protesting again. As I read old news reports wondered if these students found any time to go to school. It’s ironic that students so upset about an increase in student fees would choose to boycott classes that they already paid for. More ironically, the protests caused a school-wide shutdown, preventing non-protestors from attending the classes that they paid for.

Here’s a rundown on the origins of the protest: it started out with a tuition increase and then escalated with the imposition of an $800 yearly fee.

Given the low income of the average Puerto Rican citizen it’s tough to hold the protesters disdain for the fee increase against them. However, the harsh reality is that the university needs the money and it has to come from somewhere

The main problem is how the protesters are going about voicing their outrage. Demanding change while ignoring the need for an acceptable alternative is short-sighted.

Here’s where the Puerto Rican protest and initiatives like it become juvenile, the students are quick to voice their displeasure with the changes but they have yet to propose a viable alternative. If the protesters do have an alternative to the current changes they need to do a better job of expressing it. As things stand however, the protest is doing more harm to the students than good.

Don’t get me wrong, would I be happy paying this $800 fee along with the $49 per credit? Of course I would not, but I understand that it is a necessary measure for the greater good of the community.

I just find these initiatives incredibly daft, what do these protestors honestly hope to get out of this? It is almost like the students believe that the budget can be drawn up without the money being there. If there is a deficit there need to be cuts somewhere, so if they do not trust their own elected officials I say they should write up their proposal and show it to the lawmakers.

The protestors either need to man up and just pay the fees or propose an alternative solution. If they are so passionate that they can protest for a whole year they can be passionate enough to come up with a solution that meets everybody’s needs.