There are many good reasons to commit acts of civil disobedience. Protecting our civil rights or the rights to free speech are causes worthy enough to take to the streets. But acts of civil disobedience committed without just cause, such as the riot after Penn State lost to Temple on Friday night, are nothing more than childish acts of rage that reflect poorly on this university as an institution and on us as a generation.

Over the past few months, I have seen reason to protest in order to protect what generations before us fought to obtain. John Lawless attacked our rights to freedom of speech, the protected lands of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge are on the verge of invasion, and soon a woman's right to make decisions over her body will be fought in the Supreme Court. These protections were not simply handed to us, they were achieved through the struggles of individuals who lived generation before us.

Imagine the possibilities of 4,000 students acting in organized disobedience to stand up for our rights to speak freely or to protect our environment. What puzzles me is how 4,000 students can assemble themselves without prior planning or arrangements to stand in disobedience of the law without just cause or any cause at all.

This generation of students needs to wake up and realize that the world is not a stagnant place where all of the work of our parents and our ancestors is secure from conflicting ideologies. There are a lot of reasons to protest and gather in the streets, but acting in disobedience after a basketball game is not one of them.