Students Occupy City College Of SF Administration Building Hours After Standoff With Police
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/BCN) — Student protesters are occupying the administration building at the City College of San Francisco after a clash with campus police on Thursday, involving a student being pepper sprayed and others subdued with batons, resulted in two arrests.
About ten students were sprawled out on the furniture inside Conlan Hall early Friday morning as six campus police officers kept watch. Another 15 students were bundled up in sleeping bags outside.
CCSF Students Occupy Administration Building Protesting New Policies
Students said that in an effort to appease the accrediting commission, Special Trustee Robert Agrella, who was appointed last year to reform the community college which is at riskof de-accreditation, and other school officials have made changes that adversely affect them.
The primary change that students disagree with is the implementation of a new payment policy requiring students to pay fees in full or sign up for a payment plan before registering for classes.
"It's demanding that all the tuition be paid up front or literally get dropped from your classes within the first two weeks of school—I mean I can't afford that," Jasmine, a student who did not want use her full name, said.
Beck Simmons, an LGBT studies major, told KCBS that he is trying to set up a meeting with Agrella.
"While teachers have taken a pay cut, he has raised the pay of the administration and cut classes and programs," he said.
One of the students arrested was pepper sprayed during the protest on Thursday afternoon at the college's Ocean Avenue campus, and a second was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, according to City College spokesman Peter Anning.
Anning said he does not yet know whether the arrests or pepper spraying involved City College campus police or San Francisco police, who were also on the scene assisting.
Another rally is also planned for 12:30 p.m. Friday in advance of a Board of Supervisors committee hearing on Supervisor David Campos' resolution, which is calling for the reinstatement of City College's board of trustees.
an Francisco Board of Supervisors Committee Meet For CCSF Resolution
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