Students across America march for free education
Students were set to walk out of classrooms across the United States yesterday to protest ballooning student loan debt for higher education and rally for tuition-free public colleges and a minimum wage hike for campus workers. Events for Thursday’s protests, dubbed the Million Student March, were planned at colleges and universities from Los Angeles to New York. Thousands of people signed up to attend on Facebook groups, though we are yet to see how many actually participated nationwide.

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GLASSBORO -- Rowan University students rallied on Thursday in unity with similar protests on campuses nationwide in demand of tuition-free education and other student-related initiatives.

Dubbed the Million Student March, the movement advocates for the cancelation of all student loan debt and a national $15 an hour minimum wage for all campus workers.

College students also congregated at city hall in Philadelphia to voice the national initiatives.

At Rowan, the turnout wasn't huge with only about 40 or 50 students gathering for the march. The students marched around the area of the Chamberlain Student Center off Mullica Hill Road and then entered the student center yelling chants like: "Hey, hey, ho, ho! Student tuition has got to go!"

Michael Harry, a 21-year-old senior at Rowan and director of recruitment and retention for New Jersey United Students, took to a microphone to voice what he feels are fundamental student rights.

"This is really a good time when lots of students are here with a lot of power and energy during the semester," he said off to the side of chanting protesters. "Because this is a nationwide (issue) for students ... So this is great for us all."

PLUS: Want to graduate in 3 years? At Rowan, that's now possible

Many black university students also took part in Thursday's event to voice concerns about racial issues on the Rowan campus and college campuses nationwide -- most notably at the University of Missouri, which saw the resignation of its president and chancellor recently after several racially-charged incidents.

One of the rally's organizers, Kevin Elsey, a 22-year-old senior at Rowan and president of the campus' Black Cultural League, said it was important to take Thursday as an opportunity to raise awareness about systemic racial issues on campuses -- which he feels are often pushed aside.

Near the start of the protest, things became slightly contentious, but only for a brief moment, when a white student walked by and yelled "Boo!" -- leading some protesters to yell at the passing student who was heading into the student center. However, emotions quickly dissipated and the group shifted back to its focus.

During the group's march, themes of the chants periodically shifted from tuition to race, with black students chanting: "Don't whitewash my history, Rowan University!"

The protest rally came just hours after the university announced an initiative aimed at reducing the cost of student tuition and streamlining the degree process to three years instead of four.

For protest in Philly, @Penn Police blocked off the street & prevented vehicles from approaching protestors. PROTECT & SERVE 👍 — Sam Whiteout (@samwhiteout) November 12, 2015

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.