The BOG is slated to vote on tuition increases today. The board's meeting starts at 1:15 p.m. and will be held at the UNC-system General Administration Building.
Under the proposal, yearly tuition at UNC-Chapel Hill would increase by $486 for in-state students and $1,778 for out-of-state students.
UNC-system Association of Student Governments Vice President James Haltom said that in order to increase student presence at today's meeting, the UNC-CH student government has organized transportation that will begin shuttling students to the meeting at 12:30 p.m.
The shuttles will run about every five minutes from the ATMs behind Davis Library to the General Administration Building on South Road. ASG President Andrew Payne said he expects many students to attend the meeting despite its proximity to Spring Break. "Most of our campuses are planning to have some sort of student presence," he said.
Payne predicted that a large student turnout could be a decisive factor in the BOG's decision. "We're going to be like the sixth man in basketball, and hopefully we can convince them to shoot toward the smaller increase."
Payne said students at the rally will not directly oppose a tuition hike but will urge BOG members to approve a smaller increase. "They're going to raise tuition," he said. "There's no question about it. The question is whether the increase will be a large one or a small one."
Following the tuition workshop on Tuesday, Payne said he thought the board's actions would encourage an active student response. "There's so much division on the board that student participation will dictate the outcome," he said.
UNC-CH Student Body President Justin Young, who helped organize the protest, said he is confident that the cooperation of all the UNC-system student governments will bring positive results.
Young said his main objective is to convince key UNC-CH student leaders to attend the event. "With the combination of all the students from the other schools, I think we'll have a good showing."
