This Wednesday at 11am, the UC Regents will convene at UCLA to vote on fee hikes. This vote will determine whether or not UC students, which account for nearly 220,000 students in California, will face a 15% increase in tuition this year.

While decisions about college affordability have impacted the lives of students across the country, students in California are hit particularly hard with the current deficit looming over the state. The vote to take place on Wednesday to raise student fees is a result of the state budget crisis, which has left the UC with a shortfall of $982.2 million in the last two years. As the state continues to cut funding from the UC system, the UC Regents have proposed raising fees year after year to subsidize those cuts. For the 2009-2010 year, they have proposed an overall 30% increase, which would put tuition over $10,000 for the first time.

There is a state-wide call to action to defend public education in California. As of now, an estimated 600 students from the UC system plan on arriving at UCLA Wednesday morning to join in solidarity and to tell the UC Regents that this proposal is unacceptable.

You can either join them in person in Los Angeles, or take action at http://checkingeducation.com/petition.