Austrians proclaim ‘Bildung ist Menschenrecht’

The university is burning.

That is the slogan of student demonstrations that erupted two weeks ago at universities in Austria.

Thousands of students organized themselves through electronic media like Facebook and Twitter and occupied university buildings in ongoing sit-ins across the country.

These demonstrations erupted in response to Austrian science minister Johannes Hahn's plans to enact Bologna reforms, which would create access restrictions and tuition fees for Austrian universities.

Austrian students and students from other EU countries are exempt from paying tuition, so long as they do not exceed a minimum period of study by more than two semesters.

In negotiations with the Austrian governments, the students are represented by the Austrian Union of Students, which demanded an end to the "economization" of education and wants a democratization of the universities. "Bildung ist Menschenrecht" — "Education is a human right — is a message seen on many placards held by students.

In a sign of solidarity, three German universities have organized sit-ins of their own, and students at other universities are actively following suit.
During my time at OSU, tuition rates have risen steadily every school year, including an increase of nearly 10 percent for the 2009 budget. Since 1986 the cost of education overall in the US has increased by almost two and a half times the inflation rate, according to analysis at InflationData.com.

Where are our demonstrations and organized sit-ins?

Austrian students might be more motivated to stop tuition increases because they don't pay anything, but affording school is a major burden for many students and our university system is certainly not democratic.
The fact that students who work full-time jobs to support themselves are becoming more and more common is depressing, but the fact that there is no resistance to additional pressure is even more depressing.

It's telling that the only figment we have of a "Student Union" is a building.

Union is a dirty word in this part of the country but leaving students to pull themselves up by their bootstraps only creates a generation that will be weighed down with student loan debt. Although the generosity of donors is greatly appreciated, scholarships can only go so far to offset the exploding costs of education.

Students are continually required to pay more money but are given less control over their education. If we don't resist this, what will motivate us to resist more taxation and government control in our lives later on?