Proving that communism has worked no better for students at a University of California-San Diego cooperative living space than it did for the billions of citizens of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, the aptly-named “Che Cafe” is quickly running out of cash.
In the cleverly titled article, “In the Red,” The UCSD Guardian noted that the Che Cafe–a student-run co-op named after mass-murdering dictator Che Guevara and governed by the communist philosophy–has become a “money pit consistently plagued with safety issues.”
The co-op hosts musical performances and other events, relying on “voluntary manpower” to sustain itself, according to The College Fix.
Such an approach isn’t paying the bills, however. The Che Cafe is behind on its rent payments and needs to make several improvements to keep the building up to code. (RELATED: Thanks, Taxpayers: Public University Presidents Getting Even Richer)
To keep alive the dream of Che–a South American revolutionary who relished his work as an executioner at La Cabana prison, where he murdered dissidents–co-op students have asked the university for over a million dollars.
The money would come out of mandatory student fees, meaning that the broader campus population of UCSD would be subsidizing the collectivist dreams of the few.
It is likely that most students would oppose this plan, given that just last year they voted against a proposed tuition increase that would have funded renovations for other campus buildings.
But the co-op’s student-managers claim that providing for their way of life is the responsibility of the university. They have even retained a lawyer to argue their case–a move that baffled administrators.
“We were kind of blindsided; in the meeting, we were supposed to meet with just students,” said Sammy Chang, chair of University Center’s Advisory Board, in a statement to the Guardian. “The Che Cafe has made this into a legal issue. We can’t talk anymore — we have to talk in front of attorneys.”
Permanent revolution, or a desperate cash grab? Whatever the students are doing, they certainly aren’t taking their hero’s advice. As The College Fix noted, Che had little patience for those who questioned authority, famously saying, “Youth must refrain from ungrateful questioning of governmental mandates! Instead they must dedicate themselves to study, work and military service!”