Big crowd gathers in Berkeley for Million Student March

BERKELEY, Calif. (KTVU) - Hundreds of students rallied in Sproul Plaza Thursday afternoon, making bold demands for free tuition, a $15 minimum wage for campus workers and the cancelation of debt from student loans.

The Million Student March was held at the University of California, Berkeley as well as more than a hundred other colleges and universities.

"In order to do what we need to do in society, in order to provide for our people and support ourselves, we can't do that if we are in debt for the rest of our lives," said UC Berkeley senior Gabby Shuman.

Students wrote their loan amounts on cards and later posted them on a wall of the administration building.

"Almost $175,000" read one card posted by a student from Hawaii who is going deep into debt to pay for four years at UC Berkeley.

"Working full time and going full time to class just to put myself through school. My parents can't help. I'm on my own," said senior Ayana Jeffers.

The idea for the nationwide Million Student March was inspired by Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Sanders has said free education could be subsidized by a so-called Robin Hood tax. If approved by Congress, it would tax Wall Street on certain transactions which he says would be enough to pay for college.

Sanders has said if a million students marched for it, those demands could actually happen. Debt from student loans is now more than a trillion dollars.

"We're bringing all the campuses together and students together to really vocalize how we feel about this," said Jeffers.

Nurses say they too are paying off their student debts, and the loans of their children.

"Our kids matter. Education matters. We have education we're still paying for. It shouldn't continue to escalate," said hospital nurse Kathleen Cooper

Students say they plan to keep the heat on, though this was a much smaller protest than we've seen here in the past.