A group of Skyline students – interning for The American Federation of Teachers, Local 1493 (AFT 1493) – organized a free-speech platform to talk about college tuition hikes at the Skyline College quad area on Aug. 21. The purpose of the event, as stated in their event post, is to talk about the recent tuition hikes, problems international students face, and organizing to win affordable education for all. 

The student organizers and attendees talked about the issue of tuition hikes that is evident in the California State University’s (Cal State) press release recently; the tuition fee will increase by $342 per student beginning in the current academic year. 

Celina Buncayo, an AFT 1493 intern, explained how tuition hikes are still an issue, which contradicts the 1960 California Master Plan that should have made education more accessible.

“Why is education a dream? Isn’t it our right? Isn’t that what the 1960 California Master Plan is all about?” Buncayo asked.

She also highlighted that despite the said framework, some students experience homelessness as they struggle to save for tuition fees. One of the examples that she exhibited is the situation in Cal Poly Humboldt in 2023, where students who live in their cars were evicted and not supported for overnight parking stays. This situation was later answered by Assembly Bill No.1818, introduced by assembly members Jackson and Quirk-Silva, that requests universities and community colleges to provide a pilot program on overnight parking for eligible students. 

One of the issues raised that got the most ‘boos’ from the audience was Buncayo’s discussion on how San Francisco State University’s president has the highest recorded salary of almost $472,921 amidst the struggle on funding instructors and classes. 

Buncayo’s claims were later supported by the rest of the panelists, Matthew Dumanig (Kabataan Alliance), MeMe Hlaing Oo (Myanmar Student Union), and Felix Rosell (La Liga Filipina Students at San Francisco State University), with their own ideas and experiences.

Dumanig said, “The federal aid is just a band aid solution to the worsening problem of tuition hike in the Bay Area.” 

He also added that a lot of out-of-school youth were deprived of opportunities to reach their full potential. Dumanig mentioned how in the summer of 2023, he and his fellow Filipino students joined rallies and organized due to the announcement that CSUs will have another price increase. 

Digging deeper into the history of tuition hikes, he elaborated how there’s a proposal of at least 34% increase in tuition in Cal State for over five years. Its system voted to increase the tuition up to 6% annually.

“You should participate in history… history shouldn’t be in the background of your life.” Felix Rosell stated to support what Dumanig discussed.

He urged people to take control of it and to fight for what they believe is right.

“Are international students viewed as money-making machines or are we being viewed as human beings?” MeMe Hlaing Oo left the forum with this question after she talked about how many international students struggle due to the deprivation of free education. 

In the end, she urged the audience to imagine what “free education for all” would look like.