UC Berkeley Campus (Creative Commons)

The UC Board of Regents had been bracing itself for the massive protest expected today after it approved an 8 percent fee hike that would raise annual tuition fees from $10,302 to $11,124.

Protestors want to know why UC President Yudof is asking them to pay more after state funding just granted $370 million in funding to the UC system.

Today's protest comes after an incident Wednesday where police arrested 13 people—seven of whom were UC Berkeley students. That protest drew a crowd of over 300 Cal students, staff, and community members.  Police used pepper spray to control the crowds.  One officer even drew his gun—but that was before the fee hikes were approved.

Nothing happened on Thursday when the 8 percent fee increased was actually voted on and approved.  Friday's protest hasn’t lived up to expectations either.

“I don’t think people are as interested as they were last year to mobilize,” said Karen Kwok, a junior majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies.  Adding that “it’s pretty quiet on campus,” Kwok echoes the Daily Cal’s sentiments on the “inconsistency of protest efforts.”

“Last year, pretty much everyone went protesting… people were getting hurt.  Pretty much the whole school and the Berkeley community was there,” said Kwok.

When asked why she thought why activism had declined, Kwok paused, before offering with a laugh, “Maybe ‘cause it’s raining.”

By about 1:00 p.m., some protesters within the group suggested that the protest was formally over for the day.

According to UC President Mark Yudof, the tuition increases are projected to raise $180 million per year for the UC system.  The UC Regents are still considering other means of raising revenue.

Track the progress of the protest here.

Reach reporter Jennifer Fong here.