Tuition hike protest met with modest support

Although the battle over tuition hikes might be done for the year, a handful of students at Lakehead University aren’t giving up the fight.

Lakehead’s board of governors voted for a five per cent tuition increase earlier this month. Nate Hansford, one of five protestors at the Agora Thursday, said students have to fight against a trend that has seen tuition go up 20 per cent over the last four years.

Hansford said if something isn’t done soon, university will be hard to access for most people in 20 years.

"It’s not about the immediate future it’s about stopping this trend…it’s going up five times faster than inflation," Hansford said. "We’re not here for ourselves. We’re here because we’re worried about future generations of students."

Although 95 students had been expected for the rally, less than 10 were at the protest around 2 p.m., which was an hour after activities were expected to begin. Hansford said some students are tardy, some lazy, but most are apathetic that they can’t do anything to fight the rising cost of education.

"The biggest thing I hear is that they feel as though they don’t have any hope," he said. "We have got to change people’s minds."