Recently in London, about 40,000 demonstrators came together to form a peaceful protest. Unfortunately, the protest turned violent and eventually culminated in the U.K. Conservative party headquarters being broken into.
The majority of the protesters were unhappy college students who decided to try to alter their circumstances. They were protesting the British government raising tuition costs.
“We are taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers to tell politicians that enough is enough,” National Union of Students President Aaron Porter said in reference to the demonstration held in Westminster.
Currently, the U.K. has a cap on how much universities can charge for tuition per year which is set at £3,290, or $5,240.  There has been a push to raise this cap to the equivalent of $14,500, which is an immense increase. The U.K.’s government also plans to cut as much as 25 percent across the higher education budget.
Next year, here at Mississippi State, in-state tuition is planned to increase to close to $6,000. 
Mississippi State is not the only educational institution affected by this phenomenon; several schools across the nation and abroad are raising the cost of education. According to Youth Noise, an organization dedicated to empowering young leaders, college students accumulate an average of $17,600 of debt by graduation day. 
The cost of education is a debt not unfamiliar to most of the students on this campus, as well as to their parents, who often cover the bill. Students from every major and classification can agree going to college is expensive. The majority of college students’ money is spent on tuition, books, housing, lab fees and other costs. Let’s not forget clothes, food and certain social interactions which also lead to empty pockets and bank accounts. And of course, every dollar spent would not be complete without ardent complaining to accompany it.
Though there are a few exceptions to the rule of rising college costs, the cycle of the “broke” college student is perpetuated year in and year out. Cost of education raises more serious questions than budgeting grocery monies and sitting out on a few parties.  Essentially, the rise in tuition costs across the nation affects the future of America.
I commend the actions of the British college students who decided to join together for something they believe in. But what happened to the American college student who was ready to make a change?
In the past, American college students were at the forefront of several movements, for instance the civil rights, feminist and anti-war movements of the 1960s to name a few.
However, whatever happened to the passion and desire college students had to change certain circumstances? Is it still there, or has it died with the change in the times? Perhaps we should consider taking a more proactive approach.
I am not insinuating that anyone should vandalize or break any laws to fight the big bad tuition monster, but the mumblings over money and other issues we face as college students should be heard.
College students should become more involved to make changes on their campuses.
A student’s educational experience should not be cheapened by accepting things in silence.  Making a difference may be difficult but is worth it in the end.
Melody Andrews is a senior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].