Civil disobedience has been an integral part of revolutionary and social justice movements that have helped establish and advance this country. It was the Boston Tea Party that made "no taxation without representation" a rallying cry for independence.

It was the Underground Railroad, sit-ins at lunch counters, "illegal" marches, refusals to sit at the back of buses, armed Black Panthers, boycotts and stalwart defiance that ended slavery and segregation and forced this country to come a few steps closer to recognizing the basic civil rights of blacks and minorities. American workers held sit-ins, took over factories, and blocked streets to gain fair wages for their labor and the right to unionize, so they could support their children, and gain a workplace free of safety hazards.

Thousands of Penn State students blocked access to Rte. 322 and took over Old Main during anti-war demonstrations. Students around the country took over university buildings after the shooting of four students at Kent State by national guardsmen.

Students across the country erected tents and shantytowns and held sit-ins to lobby successfully for divestment of financial holdings, which led to the end of South African apartheid in the '80s. Those who engage in nonviolent civil disobedience view arrest as a small price to pay for social justice, and I doubt administrative policies will make any difference in that decision. Students should continue to confront the administration about their unethical business dealings and consider the most effective methods to bring about real change.