UCSB students marched on Monday in opposition to proposed tuition hikes for the entire UC system. With the six-year freeze on tuition expiring, college students demonstrated against an at least $280 increase in fees next school year. The noon walkout at UCSB, held in unison with others system-wide, started at Storke Tower, snaking across campus until landing at The Arbor.
After the demonstration, The Santa Barbara Independent caught up with Victor Garcia, an organizer with the UCSB Activist Network, which helped organize the event. He explained that tuition should actually be going down, not up. “Personally what I would like to see is a downward trend or at least a fair freeze,” he said. In its infancy, the UC system was intended “to be free to everyone in California,” he added. “We will not accept ever-increasing tuition as our reality.”
UCSB Activist Network grew out of UCSB for Bernie. They now have about 15 members, not necessarily Bernie Sanders supporters, Garcia said. “Anyone who feels passionate about something can get involved,” he said. “We are not special.” Asked about the current level of activist energy on campus, Garcia said, “People are waking up.”