A group of 40 students halted the State Board of Regents meeting for a few minutes Tuesday to protest annual increases in tuition and fees.
The students, part of Occupy Georgia State, chanted that the board is "not serving our best interests." They called on the regents to rescind a policy that bars illegal immigrants from attending the University System of Georgia’s most competitive colleges.
They also protested changes to the popular HOPE scholarship, even though it was state lawmakers and not the regents who approved the program's overhaul last year.
The students' call-and-response chants took place after Regents Chairman Ben Tarbutton offered them five minutes to address the board, provided they selected a spokesperson.
Toward the end, students shouted that the regents should cut their pay. Since the regents don't receive a salary, Tarbutton joked: "Y'all can cut my pay all you want."
The students left without incident but said they plan to attend future meetings.
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