Student activists plan to simultaneously leave their classes Monday in protest of a proposed tuition increase for all University of California students.
The UCSB Student Activist Network has organized the “walkout” to take place at noon, at which time students will gather under Storke Tower in a further demonstration against tuition hikes.
UC Regents met Thursday and opted to table their discussion on tuition hikes in the face of student protests. The board will meet again in January to continue the discussion.
Tuition increases were proposed in 2014 and would have increased tuition by 5 percent for the next five years, the first UC tuition increase since 2010.
In response to the student protests in 2015, however, the UC Regents instituted a tuition freeze for in-state undergraduate students. This prevented the increase of student tuition for the next two academic years.
The UC faced harsh student opposition to the proposed tuition hikes, as students claimed they already struggle to afford current tuition rates. In addition, a recent study by the UC reported four in 10 UC students do not have access to consistent high-quality food.
UC President Janet Napolitano attributes the need for increased tuition to a lack of state support for UC funding. Increased tuition would offset rising costs and the rising number of enrolled in-state students.
The walkout will take place throughout multiple UC campuses, including UC Davis, as a statewide protest.
The UCSB Student Activist Network will host meetings at 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in Corwin Pavilion to inform students of the walkout.
Meetings are in AS Main, not Corwin Pavilion
Maybe if we weren’t paying for “dreamers”