Cal State students protest possible tuition hike

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) -- College students around the state are holding rallies on campuses around the state this week to protest the possibility of tuition and fee increases.

The students are mobilizing for their so-called Day of Action because a four-year moratorium on tuition increases is about to be lifted and some believe college trustees and administrators won't hesitate to hike fees and other academic charges.

At San Francisco State University, dozens of students marched across campus Monday afternoon before holding a rally at Malcolm X Plaza. Similar rallies at five other Cal State campuses were expected to be held in order to demonstrate student concern about the prospect of higher education costs.

"It's a big burden just to make ends meet," student organizer Shiba Bandeeba said about the possibility of a tuition increase. It's not fair and it's not right."

A spokesperson for San Francisco State said the school has no plans to increase tuition and that administrators share students' concerns. The board of trustees for the campus has not made any decisions about a possible tuition hike, but one option could be a tuition increase tied to inflation.

The board could consider such a move in June at the earliest, officials say.

Some students worry that even a small increase in tuition would translate into much higher education bills for students already struggling to keep up with the rising costs of education.

KTVU reporter Alex Savidge contributed to this report.