Cleveland FIST Protest on WEWS - News Channel Five Cleveland

CLEVELAND - A handful of Cleveland protestors joined the nationwide rallies against college tuition hikes Thursday afternoon.

A march began at Cleveland State University and ended peacefully at Cuyahoga Community College.

"We're here because the government has given billions of dollars to bail out the banks and AIG," said protest organizer Caleb Maupin, "but college students, the future of the country, are expected to pay more and more for college.

In his State of the State Address in January, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said Ohio has held tuition to the lowest increases in the nation over the last three years. Tuition at most state colleges is in the $8,000 range.

"It's expensive," said protestor Rebecca Whitby, a student at Cuyahoga Community College. "At Tri-C, it's kind of reasonable, but you still have to take out student loans just to afford it."

The campus protests, which began in California, have now spread to 33 states.