March 4 Protest Takes to the Streets

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Hundreds of UCI students, workers and faculty gathered outside Aldrich Hall in front of the flagpoles to protest the increased tuition and deep cuts to public education. The rally began at noon with picketers and led to a series of speakers who spoke out against recent budget cuts.

At 1:25pm, the demonstrators began marching around Ring Mall, entering lecture halls and calling for fellow students to walk out of their classes. At the height of the walkout there was an estimated 800 protesters chanting and waving signs that read, “Defend UCI” and “Fight for your education.”

At 2:00pm, about 400 students took to the streets and blocked traffic on Campus Drive. The walkout continued up the street towards University Drive and circled back to the main campus on Mesa Road. The demonstrators returned to Ring Mall at 2:45pm and headed towards Langson Library. After a short occupation of Gateway Study Center, a group of 50 headed towards Aldrich Hall and banged on the doors of the closed building.

The protest ended around 4:00pm at the flagpoles. Police were present throughout the entire demonstration. There were no reports of injuries or damages. For full coverage, read the 03/09 issue of the New University.

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