'It's ridiculous': Clemson University students protest potential tuition hike with sit-in

A group of Clemson University students began an "indefinite" protest against a potential tuition increase Thursday at Sikes Hall, the iconic campus building housing administration and the site of several past protests. 

About three-dozen lawn chairs were set up in front of the administration building's lawn around noonThursday . A third were filled with student protestors. 

"The amount of tuition that they can raise can really be the difference to a student being able to have housing or being able to afford food," Clemson junior Braxton Howell said Thursday. "And by them increasing the tuition, it causes more students to have to go on loans, causes more students to be food insecure and more students who are going to struggle to find housing."

The goal is to have the Board of Trustees commit to not raising tuition for the 2021-2022 school year since the coronavirus pandemic has created a financial and academic burden on many students, according to protest organizer Gabe Cutter. The board voted to freeze tuition last June, amidst the first coronavirus surge in South Carolina.

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The Board of Trustees approved a tuition and academic fee freeze for the 2020-2021 school year for in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition for in-state students was $15,558 and out-of-state students paid $38,550, according to a 2020 report. 

The university has not committed to another tuition freeze.

"Affordability for our students and their families is always an important part of our decision making and planning process, and will certainly be a consideration this year," an emailed statement from Vice President of Finance, Tony Wagner, said. Clemson University declined the Greenville News and Independent Mail's request for an interview with Wagner or the school's Chief Financial Officer, Rick Petillo. 

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"The discussion of increasing tuition for next year is not off the table. So that is something we want to take off the table," Cutter said. 

Cutter said students understand that the university has to get money from somewhere, but his group would like to see a commitment as soon as possible. 

The protest started at 10 a.m. Thursday in front of Sikes Hall and will continue "indefinitely," Cutter said. 

Sikes Hall sit-ins have been used numerous times in the school's history to achieve social change. In 2016, five students were arrested for protesting racism. In 2019 and 2020, student group It's On Us protested sexual violence on the steps of Sikes Hall. 

Rising costs plus COVID financial impact behind push 

As part of the group's campaign, they sent out an informal student survey to determine if a tuition freeze is necessary. About 300 students responded to the survey, Cutter said. 

More than 97% of students said they support a tuition freeze. Another 71% said the COVID-19 pandemic has created a financial strain for them. 

"Many of our petition respondents have reported job loss and financial instability," Cutter added.

Clemson sophomore Pauline Bisaccio was protesting against a tuition increase because of the financial burden she and many of her friends have been under during the pandemic. She is not able to clock as many hours at her on-campus job because of COVID restrictions and said the cost of living off-campus is rising, too. 

"Some of us are having trouble affording rent and food and other things and our textbooks. Like, it's ridiculous. We're in the middle of a pandemic and Clemson can absolutely afford to not charge us more for tuition," she said. 

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The decision on whether tuition will increase relies on the state budget, though. 

The university is working on its next fiscal year budget now, which is historically approved in April by the Board of Trustees. An increase could be contingent on how much money the state gives Clemson for tuition mitigation.

With budget talks delayed for months due to COVID-19, Clemson does not yet know how much the state will allocate. Gov. Henry McMaster recommended nothing for tuition mitigation to all S.C. universities in his budget. 

But, "The South Carolina General Assembly has been supportive of Clemson – and higher education across the state – in recent years, and we remain optimistic about this year’s state budget," Wagner said. 

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Cutter said the group -- which is a collection of student groups including the Democratic Socialists of Clemson, Council of Diversity Affairs and the Muslim Student Association -- wants the school to commit to keeping tuition as low as possible, especially as costs have been steadily rising for years at Clemson. 

Since 2015, out-of-state Clemson tuition has increased more than $3,000 – about 21%. Meanwhile, their in-state counterparts' price tag has risen $837, which is a 12.4% increase, according to budget documents.

And with state appropriations remaining at recession levels, the burden of funding the university falls on students. 

"The majority of revenues are generated from tuition, fees and state appropriations," Wagner said. 

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In 2008, state funding accounted for nearly 26% of Clemson's $692 million budget, according to a presentation Wagner presented to the Board of Trustees last week. Today, it accounts for 11.4% of Clemson's billion-dollar 2020 budget.

Cutter said the group plans to continue advocating for students, particularly students of color, who have seen an outsized impact on their health and finances during the pandemic compared to their white counterparts, according to the Yale School of Medicine. 

"The point is to show the students, symbolically, that we are standing in solidarity with their financial struggles, and that the administration has an obligation... to respond to crises like these in the interests of the students," Cutter said. 

Zoe covers Clemson — just don't ask her about touchdowns or tackles. She covers everything non-sports. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram.