VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE, I AM THINKING OF INVESTIGATING THIS ACTIVITY FOR MY KIDS.

It would be interesting for these protesting students to organize sit-ins on campus where they engage in independent learning. Who says you need a piece of paper or a registration code to get educated? If the system won't accomodate you, get rid of the system and do it yourself.

Budget cuts are shortchanging students everywhere. At Humboldt State, where I am a current student, budget cuts forced instructors to decrease their work load (a.k.a. class content) by 10 percent at the same time as student fees increased dramatically. The slogan around campus is that students "Pay MORE for LESS Education."

But I'm also a former RCC student, and am concerned for how budget cuts are affecting my old haunt.

First off, I have to say I'm disappointed that the school decided to ban smoking areas. I thought that the student dialogue on campus at the forums showed strong support for working with students to keep the smoking section. Now it seems more like the school is trying to impose lifestyle decisions on adults who have the right to make their own choices.

Second, Viewpoints produced an article not too long ago that dealt with Riverside Community College District's bloated administration. Cutting back on superfluous administrators seems like a better way to save money than cutting classes and increasing fees. Tell me, how much money out of students' pockets is ending up in administrators' bank accounts?