Many see student protest as a rite of passage of sorts as we cross the threshold from adolescence into adulthood. Whether it’s dissatisfaction with a social, political or academic issue, the ability and willingness to mobilize and communicate this dissatisfaction to the authorities and society in general have become expected of the younger generations. Protests include sit-ins, occupations of university offices or buildings, strikes, etc.
One protest 40 years ago was by a group of several hundred students outside the University System of Georgia Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 11, 1976 in Atlanta. They were objecting to tuition increases.
A newspaper account at the time explained how a Georgia Supreme Court ruling meant the University System didn’t have sovereign immunity and was therefore subject to lawsuits. The specific ramifications had to do with annual faculty contracts.
Professors were concerned that pay raises could be rescinded at will and they had no recourse if the University System was immune from legal action.
However, that December 1975 ruling prompted the Board of Regents to grant raises that called for operational cuts of $11.5 million and a 10 percent tuition hike.
The students gathered in protest of what they considered the Regents’ attempt to pit students against faculty members.
Student leaders from Georgia State, the University of Georgia and Atlanta Junior College (changed to Atlanta Metropolitan College in 1978 and then Atlanta Metropolitan State College in 2012) asked the regents to reconsider their action and get money to cover the pay raises from other sources.
Chairman Charles Harris and board members Milton and Ernie Friedman told the students the action could not be rescinded. They also expressed regret at having to raise the fees.
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