UCSC students protest tuition

Heading to college is expensive; according to UCSC, the average student can pay more than $11,000 in tuition fees a year.

Some UCSC students say they’re fed up, and are taking part in a nationwide day of action.

Called the “Million Student March,” UCSC students gathered at Quarry Plaza shouting they deserve a free education Thursday.

Some even say they’re on the verge of dropping out because they can’t afford to pay for classes.

“We’re tired of that,” Art Motta said. ‘We’re calling for the UC and the state to find a way to cover education and take it back to the 1960s when UC was tuition free.”

About 100 campuses across the nation are taking part in protests similar to this one.

Aside from free tuition, students want their debts cleared. They’re also calling for a $15 minimum wage for campus workers.

University officials said those requests are just unrealistic.

“Who’s going to pay for the cost of education,” UCSC Media Relations Director Scott Hernandez Jason said. “We’ve seen state support go down, so there’s a large discussion going on at the federal level with some of the presidential candidates about ways to make college debt free or tuition free.”