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GUESTS: Ross Fryman, Hannibal Smith, students at CSULA, Hannibal is also the Vice President of Administration for Associated Students Incorporated

The governing boards of the UC and California State University school systems approved tuition fee hikes last Wednesday for the sixth time in seven years. The CSU Board of Trustees voted 15-3 in favor of increasing the cost of education for the 2008-2009 school year across the system’s twenty-three campuses by 10%. Holding a meeting at UCLA, the regents finance committee approved a tuition fee raise of 7.4% for all UC students attending classes next year. Sixteen mostly student demonstrators were arrested following the vote as they refused to leave the regents’ meeting room. Students on the campus of California State University Los Angeles will be holding a blackout rally later today to protest the rising tuition fees. Students, faculty and staff will be gathering at noon, as organizers are asking professors to bring their classes to the demonstration. The latest tuition hikes come at a time when rising food and gas prices already have many working students feeling the pinch of a slumping economy.

The Cal State LA rally will be in the Quad today at 12 noon in front of the Golden Eagle Statue. For more information, email hsmith@calstate.edu or call 323-343-4780.