Here’s the thing: You can’t protest against reality and win.

The Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago State students, faculty protest Springfield budget standoff

zens of Chicago State University students and faculty members rallied Monday in the Loop to protest the eight-month budget standoff in Springfield that could force the South Side institution to shut down before the end of the semester.

In a brief demonstration at the Thompson Center and on LaSalle Street, students demanded that Springfield end what they called a “political game of chess” and free up funding that Chicago State and other higher-education institutions rely on to operate.

Public universities and colleges have been without state funding since July 1, when Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed an unbalanced spending plan endorsed by the legislature.

About 4,500 students are enrolled at Chicago State. Most are minorities.

Many students pointed to Chicago State’s location in the Roseland neighborhood as “an oasis in a desert.” They said allowing the institution to fail would take away more than opportunities and services for those fighting to break cycles of poverty, violence and disenfranchisement.

“(Chicago State) gives people with low income a chance at education, a chance at life,” said Charles Preston, a senior majoring in African-American Studies. “So when politicians play political chess, they’re not just withholding funds, they’re withholding lives, they’re withholding futures. I shouldn’t have to protest for the state legislature to sign a budget.”