In the aftermath of demonstrations at UC campuses last week surrounding increased student fees and budget cuts, many disagree about the effectiveness of the protests on influencing public perceptions of the issues facing the university.

Systemwide protests began Nov. 18 as part of a three-day strike organized by students, faculty and union members that aimed to dissuade the UC Board of Regents from passing a 32 percent student fee increase, which would be implemented in two increments starting spring 2010.

While many who were involved said the protests were successful at publicizing student discontent, others said the demonstrations were misguided and misdirected.

Demonstrations on the UC Berkeley campus escalated Friday when about 40 protesters occupied Wheeler Hall, garnering national media attention and spreading their accounts of the occupation over the Internet on Facebook, Twitter and other Web sites.

Some said the occupation was more successful than demonstrations on Wednesday and Thursday, which attracted less attention.

"When people began to realize students were willing to sacrifice something and actually put themselves on the line, they realized the urgency of the issue," said senior Seema Rupani, who supported the occupants from outside the building on Friday.

UC Berkeley professor emeritus Carlos Munoz Jr., who teaches an ethnic studies course on social protest movements in the 1960s, said he feels protests at Berkeley are often associated with its history of activism.

However, he said Wednesday's and Thursday's demonstrations were successful because of the universality of the issues raised.

"This time around, the issue is concrete to the majority of the public because it connects directly to the economic crisis that is facing the state and nation," he said.

However, many instructors and students questioned the effectiveness of the protests because they interrupted instruction for at least three days last week.

"I don't know what this will

accomplish," said Zoe Fishman, a junior who had class in Dwinelle Hall Friday morning. "It's just disruptive, and I'd rather have class."

Michael Schaffer, a lecturer in the School of Information who taught class during Friday's protest, said he felt the demonstrations were well-intentioned but misguided.

"This particular student strike harms no one but their fellow students," he said. "An effective strategy might be to take this energy to Sacramento."

UC spokesperson Steve Montiel said that while the university does not agree with the specific demands of the protesters, one of the effects of the demonstrations is that the UC administration will re-evaluate how the university disseminates information, particularly about financial aid, to students.

He added that university officials are hopeful that the students will join them in advocating for an increased commitment to the university from the state government and the public.

"One potentially positive effect would be that legislatures and the public understand that there is a depth of anger about the impact the state funding has," he said. "We're hopeful that the public and legislators will recognize how important UC is to the health of the entire state."

Campus and university officials have continually advocated for students to bring concerns to their legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to effect more discussion and reforms to better support public higher education.

Nathan Barankin, a spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said officials in the state capital have noticed the strikes and are continuing their efforts to address issues within higher education.

"I know that there are lawmakers from both parties who are very concerned about the cuts that have been made to higher education," he said.

However, Ioannis Kazanis, a spokesperson for the California Department of Education, said although the strike has attracted the department's attention, it may not have been effective enough to influence opinions.

"I don't know that there's been an impact, other than people feeling for the students and what's going on," he said.

Angelica Dongallo and Javier Panzar of The Daily Californian contributed to this report.

Tags: UC BOARD OF REGENTS, NOVEMBER STRIKE, STUDENT FEE INCEASES, BUDGET CUTS