Student organizations took to Long Beach State campus Wednesday afternoon in protest of the yearly 6% tuition increase approved by the CSU Board of Trustees in September.
The walkout, announced last week and advertised by a sign in front of the University Library, began and ended at Brotman Hall, attracting dozens of students armed with signs and shouting chants.
History major Alanah Enriquez said the yearly tuition increases could jeopardize her future at Long Beach State University.
“There are a lot of people in Long Beach that choose to come to CSULB because it’s affordable,” Enriquez said. “If the tuition hike goes through, I won’t be able to go here and I’ll have to end my education with an associate’s degree.”
Students Against Tuition Hikes, a coalition within La F.U.E.R.Z.A and Students for Quality Education led Wednesday’s protest which included speeches from selected speakers.
Sociology major Jennifer Chavez said the tuition increases highlight problems with the college’s student body and its educational standards.
“We are demanding that President Conoley, the chancellor and the Board of Trustees reverse the tuition hike,” Chavez said. “Tuition is inherently racist and its history is rooted in racism. We’re out here fighting because our tuition is rising but the quality of our education is not.”
In September, the CSU Board of Trustees met in downtown Long Beach to approve the tuition increase plan to try and close a $1.5 billion budget gap in the CSU budget.
In a 15-5 vote, the measure was approved and tuition is set to increase 6% every year beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. By 2029, tuition will have increased by 36%.
Tuition increases prompted protests and demonstrations to take place before and after the decision was officially made.
Animation student Ashbie Martinez said she’s protesting to help make an impact in Long Beach State.
“I come from an immigrant family,” Martinez said. “This is our way of mobilizing, of having a direct path to make some change.”
LBSU contains one of the most diverse student populations in the CSU system, with 48% of the student body being Hispanic/Latino and 28% being first-generation students, according to the CSULB website.
“I’m a low-income, first-generation student,” Chavez said. “I worked so hard to get here and I want to graduate. I was told this was the dream, and it’s not. Instead, I’m here fighting for my rights.”
Dante Verdin, president of For Undocumented Empowered Leaders (F.U.E.L) and a speaker at Wednesday’s walkout, shared the impact of tuition increases on his community.
“I’m an undocumented student and I say that with pride,” Verdin said. “The marginalized communities get impacted when these decisions are made. When they choose to increase tuition we feel it first.”
Wednesday’s protest traveled across lower and upper campus, concluding at Brotman Hall. Protesters hope the demonstration will bring attention to the student’s needs.