By Rafal Rogoza

If you missed the news because you were getting ready for your midterms you probably didn’t hear about the student protests in California and New York. At UC Davis in California students organized to protest a 8% tuition hike, in 2009 their tuition saw a ridiculous 32 percent increase. In New York, CUNY students protested another tuition hike. This time the plan is to raise tuition $300 every year for the next five years.

In both protests the police behaved unprofessionally. During the UC Davis protests a cop pepper sprayed a line of students as they sat in protest. It looked like he was watering a garden. In New York the police used force to clear the protest. Channel 4 News was live on the scene. A crowd of students gathered in front of the camera and when the reporter asked if anyone was hit by the police students showed bruises on their faces.

Don’t be surprised if there are more frustrated students protesting. The economy is not improving and it seems like everybody is in debt. The federal government, New Jersey, public universities, and students are all getting by on loans. The federal and state governments don’t want to take on more debt to lower tuition costs. Instead they’ll give students the bill, increasing student debt, which is another financial crisis in the making.

Tuition increases are getting to the point where students truly can’t afford a college education, especially students that provide for themselves. Keep in mind that students are paying more for less as universities cut classes and faculty.

These protests are only the tip of the iceberg. Students have learned how to organize by learning from the Occupy Wall St. movement. Campuses at various schools are discussing tactics and organizing in creative ways. To be honest they have no choice but to act.