Milwaukee, WI – Dozens of people arrived to an emergency protest, June 10, organized by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Students for a Democratic Society and the UWM Education Rights Campaign, as the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents met to decide whether to hike tuition by another 5.5%.

Protesters were enraged by the fact that the Board of Regents proposed the tuition hike just days before – allowing almost no time for students and the community to respond – and then refused to allow guest speakers at the meeting.

“We have to keep on fighting back until they find a way to make this school affordable to working students,” commented Dion Peregoy, a UWM student who attended the protest.

All heads turned as the protesters busted into the Board of Regents meeting, holding signs that read “Urban university for urban students” and “Education is a right!” Yet business resumed as usual as the regents, who've had no trouble doubling tuition over the last ten years, unanimously passed the proposal to hike the tuition, along with increasing health care and parking fees and a $25 per semester charge for a new basketball arena.

The struggle for education rights at UWM continues. Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society next plans to travel to the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, where they will be participating in a June 25, forum called “The Fight for Education Rights: March 4th and Beyond.”

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