The Central and Western Connecticut state universities rallied Monday to protest against a proposed tuition hike in all four Connecticut state universities and 12 community colleges. They have planned a similar protest on Wednesday too.

Students and lecturers are also urging the state to increase their state university system's representation on Connecticut's Board of Regents for Higher Education.

The protests follow Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's $1.5 billion investment in 'Next Generation Connecticut' and an increased funding by $137 million over the next 10 years at University of Connecticut in Storrs and its six campuses and $14 million budget cut for Connecticut State University and community college systems.

The 'Next Generation Connecticut' program is set to increase enrollments, recruit new faculty, and improve the infrastructure at the campuses.

Central's Student Government Association President Eric Bergenn told CT News Junkie, "I personally support any investments in UConn. However, I also support an investment here at CCSU, and at Western Connecticut State University, at Eastern Connecticut State University, at Southern Connecticut State University, and at our state community colleges, and across the street at Charter Oak State College."

Due to limited funding from the state, the system had to implement a hiring freeze and propose a tuition hike next year.

The tuition hike proposal features a 5.1 percent hike for in-state students; 4.1 percent hike for in-state and out-of-state residential students; 5.2 percent tuition hike for community college students.

As a result, out-of-state students at the four state universities' would be paying $31,402 a year in tuition. It will be $8,990 a year for in-state commuters and in-state residents would pay about $19,897 a year.

The system has also proposed increasing student fees for in-state and out-of-state students, which will cause in-state university students to pay $1,030 and out-of-state university students to pay $2,451.

The Board of Regent's Finance Committee will review the proposed tuition hike, Thursday. The rest of the proposals will be considered at their meeting, March 21.

These tuition hikes are set to affect nearly 95,000 students at Connecticut state universities and community colleges.

Board of Regent's Director of Public Affairs and Marketing, Colleen Johnson, told the newspaper that none of these decisions are easy. The tuition hikes are necessary as they help fund state colleges to provide raises for employees and to deliver high quality education for students.