A Hella Interesting Interview with “My Fees are Hella High” star, Benny

Edited by: Amy Coyle

Perhaps you’re that UC student re-posting the video on every facebook friend’s wall, or maybe you’re one of the baffled, finals-weary collegiettes™ wondering why everyone and their study-buddy keeps saying, “My fees are HELLA high!”

Benny, a fifth year UCD student, took a study break late last Wednesday night around 3 am, to discuss the recent campus manifestations with friends Joanna and Sean. Sean suggested Benny make a video like the multiple already circulating in response to the recent police brutality, fee hikes, and Chancellor Katehi’s role in the university.

Why not, Benny thought? The events that resulted from Sean’s suggestion occurred as follows: Benny recorded a video. Edited it and added photos. Created a YouTube account. Uploaded the video. Benny resumed his studies, and went to bed.

Upon waking up, he was the next YouTube star, as his video had gone viral overnight across UC cyber-waves.

“I didn’t make the video to be a leader in some kind of movement. I made the video because that’s just how I felt, and other people felt like that as well,” Benny disclosed in his interview. Yet with 31,400 hits; 1,500 likes; and its own twitter “number sign” (author’s note: he meant hash-tag), Benny has become an icon for the student revolution against tuition increases*.

Her Campus at UC Davis scrolled through the 500 comments, questions, insults, and girlfriend requests (there are multiple), that YouTube users posted on his thread. Saturday, we met up with him in the CoHo and asked him to reply to some of the more interesting comments left by readers. Below are his responses.

Pick #1: “I was with you until you used the word ‘hella.’ If you would have kept it more PG with hecka, I would be right behind you.”

Benny: “If I could go back, I would have definitely used a different word…It wasn’t the best choice. Now I’m known as the ‘My fees are hella high’ guy. Or, even worse, people say, ‘Oh, you’re the “hella high” guy!’ I don’t wanna hear that. I wish people would just remember my name!”

Pick #2: “It’s finally here yeee, [link to purchase “My fees are hella high” tee-shirt]

Benny [laughing]: “Ya, that’s a bad idea. I tried to put something on the facebook wall for their shirts. [omitted: he reads us his wall post to the group.] But, they’re still thinking about making shirts. If they just want to make them with slogans on them…that’s cool. But, can’t we get a better slogan than ‘My fees are hella high’?”

Pick #3: “Sign this petition: UC Davis Chancellor: Take a $300,000 pay cut and cut UCD tuition”

Benny: “I haven’t signed anything. A lot of people are blaming the chancellor for fee hikes, but I don’t agree that it’s directly her fault. The UC’s have taken a 100-million-dollar hit from the state budget, and the chancellor has come up with some ways to help that out.

I think students have a right to be upset due to the pay increases for administrators, while we watch our fee hikes. Yudof says the reason why pay increases are still going up is because the UC system needs to keep the best people for the job. But to students, that looks like we have to pay these people to stay here and pay them to care about us. So, why don’t we get people who want to stay here because they actually care about the students? It looks like these guys only care about the money. If you don’t get a raise, are you really going to leave us to go work for some company? But I’m not going to tell the chancellor what to do with her money. I wouldn’t want to tell her what to do with mine.”

Pick #5: “Start a ‘The Fee is Too Dam High’ Campaign lol and run for president”

Benny: “Not gonna happen.”

Pick #6: “OCCUPY! We all have to join together to protest and change the current massive improprieties and inequalities in our society.”

Benny: “I don’t know where I stand on the OCCUPY movement. It’s ambitious. Like I said, I’m a mechanical engineering major, not political science, so I think in terms of cause-and-effect. Where do you even start when you want to change an entire system? I have no idea.”

Pick #7: “Benny: Thanks SO MUCH for making this video and for sharing your views, that’s awesome! But why limit yourself to YouTube? I know that if you were to come on down to a? GA on the quad or at Dutton, you could help to shape the direction of the movement. Seriously, we would cherish your contribution (or maybe you’ve been here at I’ve missed you: it’s possible).”

Benny: “It’s funny because during the General Assembly, I was standing with my friend Jake, and as people kept talking I just kept saying to him

‘Man, but my fees are hella high. How come no one is talking about my fees?’ Jake told me to go up to the open mic, but I had to leave for work.  But what would I tell them? I would say, if this is about police brutality, then we are doing the right thing by just keeping it here on campus. But if this is about our fees being high, this is bigger than the UC Davis campus. The state capitol is just twenty minutes away. Go camp on their lawn.”

Pick #8 & 9: 

“Hi, I’ve seen you at [your work] so many times!! can i just say you are super cute and i love you. thanks (:”
“attractive and intelligent…pardon me while I fan myself”

Benny: “You make a funny video, and you get a lot of friends. All of a sudden you’re a lot better-looking, a lot smarter, and a lot funnier than people thought before. A lot of people get 15 minutes of fame. This looks like it will be my 15 minutes and hopefully by next quarter it will blow over.”  

 

Benny has no regrets posting the video, but does have a few extra comments he wants people to hear from him and think about.
First, he wants to make sure everyone knows he loves UC Davis. In “My Fees are Hella High,” he mentions his scholarship to an undisclosed Southern California, private university. But, he says he is much happier here than he could’ve been if he had taken that scholarship.
“This is where the lord put me,” Benny says, “Bloom where the lord plants you. I’ve been lucky to bloom here at UC Davis. I love, and still love, the town, students, and the professors.”
 

Second, he addresses students wanting to get rid of the police department. Benny counters that the police department is connected to student jobs, such as Aggie Host where a good friend of his worked in the past. Depleting the amount of jobs available to students will be counter-productive to what students need. He also confronts Davis’ past issues with violence and suicide (quoting his freshman-year professor who said Davis has the most reported suicides within the UC system), and the need for police to have a presence in case of such situations. He does suggest implementing programs within the police force, such as riot training, etc., to ensure police response is in alignment to our campus’ needs.

Thirdly, he says he wishes he didn’t use the word “d*****bag” when talking in regards to the chancellor. He emphasized he does not think poorly of her. He jokes, “That was my bad, Chancellor. My bad, my little Greek woman.”

Fourth, he wants to reach out to all his viewers having financial struggles trying to get through college. “Pray to God about it,” Benny advises, “Cast all your cares upon the Lord, and all things will be added unto you. Trust in Jesus and you’ll be fine. That’s what I do.”

And lastly, he’d like to apologize to his viewers for not getting a haircut before filming. In his next video (Yes, you heard it here first. Benny is planning on releasing another), he promises to take care of his “mess” before filming.

Click here to go to the video
*accounts for “views” and “likes” at time of article publication