As many as 36 University of California at Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) students have each been fined $944 for their involvement in the occupation of the main campus administration building during a November 2009 protest.
The protest was in response to a 32 percent student fee hike for all schools in the UC system. Of the 45 student protesters investigated at UC Santa Cruz, 36 were found to have caused $34,000 in damage to the administrative building, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The fines each student must pay splits the cost of repairs evenly.
Furthermore, Judicial Affairs has recommended that seven of those students be expelled, suspended or placed on probation, while the 29 remaining students received a disciplinary warning.
All students have a right to appeal; however, if they don’t, the fine must be paid by June 30. Failure to pay the fine could hinder them from registering for classes or graduating.
A legal defense fund has been started for the students, according to Occupy California, a Web site that tracks student demonstrations.
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