SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The University of California voted Thursday to approve tuition increases of as much as 5 percent in each of the next five years unless the state devotes more money to the 10-campus system.
The Board of Regents adopted the increases proposed by UC President Janet Napolitano with a 14-7 vote. Members had to shout their votes over students chanting “Hey, hey, ho, tuition hikes have got to go.”
Demonstrators said they were angry not only about the tuition hikes but also because the outcome seemed certain even before the proposal could be debated.
“Seeing you all come in laughing and smiling and talking about stuff made me sick to my stomach,” UC Davis student Amelia Itnyre, 23, told the board through tears before the vote. “Students, we aren’t just angry, we are sad. You should be crying, you should be praying, you should be figuring out what you are going to do to fix this.”
The increases were opposed by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders who decide how much funding the university gets each year.