This university’s first mission is education.

While political resistance and activism have long been a part of the college landscape – and rightfully so – they must take a back seat to the goal of educating students about our world and training them to be successful in their chosen field.

It is why SF State exists. It is why we are here.

So it is disheartening when some student groups, determined to get their point of view across to as wide an audience as possible, take to disrupting classes and other school functions with noisy, intrusive protests.

This week, a handful of students are facing a tough choice, brought on by their own failure to heed the rules. Last month, several dozen students, led by members of Students Against War, crashed a science and engineering job fair, nearly bringing the event to a halt as they surrounded and taunted recruiters from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The shouting and chanting, along with a sit-in led by university faculty members, made it nearly impossible for graduating students to talk seriously with either the Army recruiters or any of the other representatives in attendance.

Now, though, as university officials press forward with plans to discipline those involved, some are saying that the fear of discipline is having a chilling effect on their plans to protest in the future.

The SF State Student Code of Conduct clearly forbids students from “obstruct(ing) or disrupt(ing) … the campus' educational process, administrative process, or other campus function.” This is exactly what protestors did at the job fair.

It is a tactic used by other campus protestors as well. Students in the dance department, rallying to fight proposed cuts, paraded through classrooms and the Administration building during the spring 2004 semester. A much larger student walkout a few weeks later caused an even bigger disruption on campus.

[X]press recognizes the value of a vibrant culture of free speech on campus, and we hope that students will continue to explore their feelings and speak out on important issues, whether they affect the campus community or the world at large.

But a student’s right to protest on campus ends when they prevent other students from learning. Those who choose classes over clashes should never be made to suffer for another student’s political agenda.

If protestors feel their point will only be heard if they stomp noisily into classrooms and university-sanctioned events, they need to understand the consequences of their actions. The code of conduct states that violators “may be expelled, suspended, placed on probation, or given a lesser sanction … “ for breaking the rules.

If students who participate in these disruptive protests now find themselves facing disciplinary proceedings, they have no one to blame but themselves. School officials should tread lightly on the rights of students to free expression, but need not be tolerant of those who infringe on other students’ rights to an education.