Chilean Protests

Chilean Protests over Higher Education
Chilean students’ have been protesting all semester about the high costs of tuition for higher education to get the governments attention to help pay for school or lower the costs. The Chronicle published many articles about this, one of them speaking how Chile has one of the highest costs of tuition (http://chronicle.com/blogs/global/thousands-march-in-chile-to-protest-high-cost-of-college/29612) for higher education based on the per capita income. Students obviously are outraged by this and shown from these chili protests photos. (http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/12/6633605-chilean-students-throw-rocks-get-blasted-by-water-cannons-while-protesting-education-system)
In June of 2011, the protests began with some high school students who were protesting about attending the poorly funded private secondary schools. However, this carried over to the University of Chile and its students very quickly because of the extremely high costs of University of Chile’s tuition is. Times Higher Education (http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=417904) wrote a report describing how Chile has very low levels of public spending on higher education, but has very high tuition costs which THE describes as the highest student fees in the world. Many of the students who attend higher education in Chile are usually first generation enrollees. Many of them come from very low income backgrounds. They do have a chance of obtaining financial aid, but the interests rates are hovering around 5.5%, and are expected to start payment immediately after graduation. Due to this, students have been protesting the decision of the University for almost 6 months now.

There have been some negotiations that have tried to take place, but the students’ are not budging on anything right now the University is trying to deal with them. A majority of the talks are about student loans, scholarships (who is granted them and how much), and what happens when students can not pay their fees.

I know this is would probably never happen on a college campus in the US, but what if it did. Could a student protest, usage of the first amendment right, with enough attention, grant colleges to lower the cost of their tuitions if enough students stopped attending? I understand the need for higher education in today’s day and age, but if there were peaceful protests, and not violent ones where public bystanders would be in fear of getting hurt and not be for the students ideals, could enough students have enough power to withhold the government? Are there too many students who would not join a protest in fear of not getting their diploma? I know it couldn’t happen because how driven people are in the US, but it sure would be quite a skeptical to see if it happened.