17 UC Santa Cruz students were arrested in the latest confrontation between the university and its graduate assistants. The graduate students have been been leading a months long strike asking for an increase in cost of living monthly. The students have been going on strike for months now because they cannot afford the high costs of rent. Graduate students who are working as teaching assistants have refused to teach, hold office hours, and even post grades.

Graduate students are demanding and increase in pay of $1,412 per month to cover their rent. Students have been blocking roadways going into the campus causing 17 students to get arrested. The graduate students have been threatened by the UC President stating they will be fired. They have announced that students have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday to submit grades or they will be fired. “To threaten us with firing if we don’t submit our grades this evening rather than just having a substantive meeting with us, I think is a really shameful thing for them to do,” said Veronica Hamilton, graduation student union chair.