I was rather confused by the graduate-student protest described in The Diamondback’s March 15 front-page article “Collective Grading for Union Rights.” Participants may claim that by grading papers on the Main Administration Building’s steps they successfully exhibited the heavy workload of graduate students and therefore substantiated their call for collective bargaining rights, which they do not currently possess.

I do think graduate students should be given credit for taking some form of action to support their cause. But I couldn’t help getting the impression that, through the nature of their demonstration, they were essentially bowing down to their administrative overlords and quietly carrying out their bidding. In the photo accompanying the article, I imagined some well-dressed official peering out of his office window and smirking at the futility of the efforts of his pawns.

It seems these frustrated students haven’t learned anything from the recent proliferation of protest and revolution in the Middle East. In Egypt, thousands of people organized via the Internet to protest government corruption and the authoritarian rule of former President Hosni Mubarak. For weeks, these motivated demonstrators were relentless, risking their safety and well-being to advance their cause. And despite tempting concessions offered by Mubarak, the protesters held strong until the day he resigned from office. Now, in Libya, rebel forces fight for the ousting of ruler Moammar Gadhafi, pursuing democracy in the face of violent opposition. I view these efforts for reform as undeniably cool, especially when they correspond with spreading democracy and taking down oppressive rule. Graduate students need to feed off of the fervor of Arab revolutionaries if they wish to influence a university policy on graduate labor that is deeply seated in history.

Obviously, the issue facing graduate students is infinitesimal in comparison to any of the political movements occurring in the Middle East and North Africa, and students face no threat of violence from university administrators.

But these students need to understand change results from an act of defiance rather than a display of submission. I understand these students have no intention of damaging their relationship with the university and that their success in attaining their degrees is dependent on developing positive relationships with faculty. The only way students will spark change, though, is by creating a healthy amount of disruption or getting into a little bit of trouble with administrators. And frankly, I think grading papers on the steps of the Main Administration Building is a pretty lame way to start that movement.

You might wonder why a freshman undergraduate has such an interest in a policy that strictly applies to graduate students. To be honest, my motivation has little to do with the issue. In fact, being somewhat fiscally conservative, I am naturally skeptical of efforts to unionize. But, like most sports fans, I have a soft spot for the underdog, and I love to see a good, hard fight against the establishment.

So, to all the graduate assistants out there, next time you organize an event, be big and be loud. Wave signs, shout and pass around petitions to spread interest. And if you’re feeling bold, maybe collectively lay off the grading for a while and see how the university reacts. With a strong enough effort, you just might bring about the small revolution that you seek.

Kevin Hogan is a freshman engineering major. He can be reached at kevinh1992 at verizon dot net.