City-wide student protests started last Tuesday to speak up against the Austrian governments proposed plan to lessen university funding in the new budget. In Austria, students pay very little for a college education because the universities have always been strongly supported by governmental money. I think the average student pays something around 300 euros per semester, which seems absolutely ridiculous to me, coming from the American system of paying anywhere from 5-17 thousand for state universities and astronomically high numbers for private universities. However, the universities in Vienna are overcrowded by students and are beginning to lack to facility to maintain so many people. There can be twenty professors to one desk. So the system needs more money, but the government wants it to come from the pockets of the students.
During Tuesday's protest, students gathered in the Ringstraße in front of the University and marched down the street to meet masses gathered in front of Parliament. It was a festive affair, with balloons, lots of beer, and loud music. My favorite slogan was "Reiche Eltern für alle", which means "rich parents for all".
Sunday night after going to the opera, Briana, Emma, and I wandered toward Stephansplatz trying to find a place to get a drink, and found students gathering in front of the church to protest. After our drinks&dessert we headed back to Stephansplatz to catch the subway and were met with a roaring crowd of people. This protest was still festive, but from farther away sounded pretty angry.
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