Following a protest that barricaded the intersection in front of the Gilman Parking Structure, students gathered in front of Geisel Library to hold a candlelight vigil for the “death of public education.”

Both protests were in reaction to the Nov. 19 decision by the UC Board of Regents to approve a two-step student-fee increase that will raise undergraduate tuition more than $2,500, or 32 percent, by the 2010-2011 academic year. Annual fees will then total about $10,302 per student.

Beginning around dusk, the student demonstration included candlelit chants and signs reading “Death By UC Regents.” A.S. Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Gracelynne West and Revelle College fifth-year Sam Jung joined fellow classmates and faculty in voicing their frustration with the fee hikes, passing around a mic so members of the crowd could participate.

Other UC campuses held similar protests following the regents’ decision. Many of the students at the UCSD vigil had attended the mass protests at UCLA, one day prior where a tent city was set up to accommodate the two-day demonstration.