Univ. of Minnesota tuition hike approved, 6 arrested at protest

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents passed a tuition increase following a protest that led to 6 arrests and forced an intermission of Friday’s meeting.

Within seconds of starting Friday morning’s meeting, a group of University of Minnesota students drove Board of Regents members out of the room in a vocal protest over proposed tuition hikes. At least 6 students were arrested. University of Minnesota police confirmed the students were cited and released.

The university will increase non-resident tuition by 7.5 percent, which is less than a previously proposed increase of nearly 10 percent. University President Eric Kaler recommended the scaled-back hike after it drew criticism from students and some Regents. Minnesota residents will see a 2.5 percent tuition increase.

“The Board of Regents’ recent decision to propose a tuition increase for undergraduate students has magnified how out of touch they are with the needs of working class students as a whole, and with the complexities of the intersectional identities of student,” said a statement from the student-led group Differences Organized (Do!).

The top 3 demands of the protest group are:

1. Treat college as a public good.
2. Free tuition for American Indian students.
3. Resignation of President Kaler.

The U of M currently offers the lowest tuition rate in the Big Ten at $20,660. The Board of Regents wants to move to the middle range at about $35,000.