California Raises Tuition Fees By 32%, Students Occupy Buildings to Protest

California has been forced to raise tuition fees by almost a third to close a widening budget gap. Facing a $1.2 billion deficit, higher fees are required to mitigate a loss of funding. Fees will gradually rise of the coming years, with students facing a heavier burden as they progress. The president of the University of California system explained to the WSJ that the drastic measure "is designed to provide access, maintain quality and stabilize the fiscal health of the university." He further believes low income students will be hardly effected by the changes.

Students aren't so convinced. And they aren't taking the risk of ever rising fees lying down. They have occupied university building to protest. That dozens of students were arrested indicates that this isn't a minor issue, but one that goes to the heart of further education in America: how much students should be expected to pay and when high-fees become too expensive and start becoming exclusionary. The New York Times proposes that students take a semester off in order to save money, saving their parents money, and allow themselves to gain to valuable experience of the working world. But once students do go back to college, if they think it's worth it, they'll feel the full force of the higher fees. A holiday won't solve this problem.

Photo: Epioles