Columbia University Students Are Preparing to Launch a Tuition Strike
People are seen on the campus of Columbia University during the coronavirus pandemic on April 14, 2020, in New York City.
Rob Kim / Getty Images
At the end of NovemÂber, memÂbers of the ColumÂbia UniÂverÂsiÂty-Barnard ColÂlege chapÂter of Young DemoÂcÂraÂtÂic SocialÂists of AmerÂiÂca (YDSA) launched a tuition strike camÂpaign against ââexorÂbiÂtant tuition ratesâ which, they say, ââconÂstiÂtute a sigÂnifÂiÂcant source of finanÂcial hardÂshipâ durÂing the panÂdemÂic. StuÂdent demands are wide-rangÂing and include a 10% reducÂtion in the cost of attenÂdance, 10% increase in finanÂcial aid, and an amalÂgaÂmaÂtion of demands from disÂparate stuÂdent camÂpaigns, many of which were set in motion long before the panÂdemÂic began. So far over 1,700 stuÂdents have sig