Students who demonstrated against debt Saturday said they will keep addressing problems with future actions.
About 25 people protested and briefly blocked entrances at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center before a St. Cloud State University men’s hockey game. Police arrested two: Matt Boynton and Baillie Schwint.
Boynton, 28, is a member of a Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota. On Monday, he said police released him and Schwint, 24, from Stearns County Jail shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. Both are facing trespassing charges.
The Minneapolis graduate student said SDS has advocated for increased diversity and lower tuition in the U of M system, and St. Cloud State students’ plans were in line with those efforts.
Boynton said the demonstration was successful in addressing deep-seated inequalities. He pointed to the rise in administrator salaries alongside the increase in student costs.
Herath said he and some more students will join others from around the U.S. next week in Washington, D.C., where they will rally around student debt-related problems.
He said participants planned to disburse if a warning was received Saturday — something Herath said did not happen.
Boynton said he had no interactions with police before an officer arrested him. Shortly before police placed him and Schwint in handcuffs, he said someone from inside the arena opened a door and told demonstrators to leave. That person did not provide identification, Boynton said, adding he thought it might have simply been an angry hockey fan.
St. Cloud Assistant Police Chief Jeff Oxton said Monday security officials at St. Cloud State warned protesters they were trespassing Saturday.
“Once (officers are) informed people have been told to leave, we have authority to arrest,” he said. Oxton said the action became a misdemeanor in the presence of police.
On Monday, the Times attempted to contact both St. Cloud State administrators and Public Safety staff. A statement from Adam Hammer, director of media relations and publications, read in part: “We will not let demonstrators break the law or risk safety in the course of taking action on their beliefs.
“(Police and Public Safety) acted accordingly to make sure our students, community members and Huskies (hockey) fans were safe by allowing entrances and fire exits to the building and parking lots to remain accessible.”
On salaries and tuition, Hammer emailed, in part: “St. Cloud State has proven to be a great value to students.”
According to The Institute for College Access & Success, the average debt of a St. Cloud State graduate grew from $20,400 in 2004-05 to $32,000 in 2013-14, outpacing estimated price inflation by about 34 percentage points. During the same time, the percentage of graduates with debt rose from 52 to 74 percent.
Using inflation-adjusted figures, state data show average tuition and fees for full-time, resident undergraduates at four-year Minnesota State Colleges and Universities schools rose by about 17 percent from 2005-06 to 2014-15.
Per capita, personal, annual, inflation-adjusted income in Minnesota fell by about $4,500 during that time.
Class and necessities cost about $17,000 this year at St. Cloud State. Thirty years prior, from 1976-77, a similar year at MnSCU universities cost about $2,210 in 2015 dollars.
