Tallahassee, FL – On Oct. 2, dozens of students from the Florida State University (FSU) Progress Coalition rallied on campus to protest FSU President Eric Barron's tuition hike policies. Students marched from the student union to the FSU administration's Westcott building, where they stormed into the president's office. Students demanded that Barron meet with students to address record student debt and his pursuance of the pre-eminence legislation, a bill that, if passed, could lead to possible record high tuition prices at Florida State University.

Students chanted, “Education is a right! Fight, fight, fight!” as they marched into the president's office, disturbing administrators’ offices.

“Increasing tuition is an attack on students,” said student organizer John Saullo. “We believe that raising tuition to make up for the loss of state funding is wrong and that new economic burdens shouldn't be placed on the backs of hard working students.”

President Barron was grilled by FSU Progress Coalition members who were able to force him to agree to a public forum with the student body as a whole.

“Students marched into the president's office to demand that he doesn't assist in policy that shackles students in debt,” said Progress protester Shivaani Ehsaan. “We know this campaign against higher tuition won't be solved in one action, but this is definitely a start.”

The Progress Coalition at FSU is a student rights group fighting against cuts to education and higher tuition.

“We are dedicated to making sure that the rights of students aren't being trampled on just for the interests of crooked right-wing politicians like Governor Scott who could care less about higher education,” said Cecelia O'Brien, an organizer with Progress Coalition. “We will keep fighting until universal education is a guaranteed affordable right.”

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