After protests, Baruch College closing ahead of trustee meeting

With students at Baruch College again vowing to protest planned tuition hikes Monday, the campus is going on lockdown to guard against a repeat of last week's melee.

The school has canceled classes after 3 p.m. Monday at its building at 55 Lexington Ave., and administrative staff have been cleared to leave after that time "to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff," announced Baruch College President Mitchel Wallerstein on the Baruch College website. The board of trustees is scheduled to vote today on planned tuition hikes.

The school is "determined to avoid any repetition of the regrettable events," that occurred last Monday, when a daylong protest against the trustees meeting resulted in the clash between campus police and protestors, Wallerstein said. About a dozen students - none from Baruch - were arrested and five were held over night. Classes scratched today have been rescheduled for Friday.

Students United for a Free CUNY announced it plans another rally at 4 p.m. Monday. According to its website, the student group is protesting "the outrageous way the Board of Trustees continues to run CUNY like a financial institution rather than an educational institution," and is demanding the resignation of CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein.