Following the Board of Trustees’ vote to hike student fees – fees have now risen 242% since 2002 – students chided the Trustees with a faux-carnival performance piece to demonstrate the mockery they say Chancellor Reed and the rest of the board have made of public higher education.

Nearly 40 students turned out for the sarcasm-laden carnival at the Chancellor's Office that they dubbed: “Stop Clowning Around With Our Education”

The carnival featured the "Pop Your Future" dart game in which contestants burst balloons with such messages as "Congratulations! The Board of Trustees has again passed on the burden to students. Try again!"

There was an obstacle course symbolizing the literal “hoops” students have to climb through to make tuition payments. And a football toss let players knock down cans marked "fee hikes," "class cuts" and "layoffs."

"The irresponsible decisions of this board have led to the deterioration of the CSU. We wanted to demonstrate, literally, the burden that is being placed on us," said Ruben Vazquez, one of the organizers and an aerospace engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona.

"We really wanted to change the vibe and make this a positive event," said Vazquez, who is also part of Students for Quality Education.