San Jose State Poverty Protest Takes On Personal Tone
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Dozens of students at San Jose State University were braving the cold in tents Thursday morning to protest tuition increases in the Cal State System.
An event which was organized to show solidarity with the poor took on a more personal tone as participants contemplated the 15 percent fee hike approved by the CSU Board of Trustees that will put the cost of one year at a state school at about $4,900.
"I'm tired of this paying so much money. I am physically tired," said Che Henry, a senior who works two jobs to pay for classes.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
Henry's concern is typical of students at what is largely a commuter campus where the pressure to work in order to pay both rent and tuition can make actually getting that education difficult, said sociology professor Scott Myers-Lipton.
"I had a student in my office yesterday. She hasn't been to class the last couple times," he said.
The reason, she explained to him, was a manager that gave her much needed hours to make ends meet.
Myers-Lipton noted that tuition has steadily climbed over the five years he has organized the camp out.
California State University students started paying 30 percent more this year because of state budget cuts, and university officials said California's cash crunch were behind the latest fee hike too.
California's deficit is now projected at $25 billion over the next 20 months, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.
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