Cooper Union students lined up on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday to protest the recent announcement that their school will begin charging tuition. Two years ago, Cooper Union informed its students that the institution was in financial trouble and that their policy of free education might not last. Since then, students have been fighting to raise money and garner attention from the media and public. But on April 23, the university officially announced that they would start charging tuition to undergraduates. Cooper Union students continue to resist the plan.

At City Hall, the Cooper Union students wore matching t-shirts and held up colorful signs that read, “Why Cooper?” as they listened to the speeches of their fellow classmates. One of the speakers was Caleb Wang, a senior at the engineering school. Standing at the bottom of the steps, Wang explained that Cooper Union is unique because of its “homemade” education.

“Homemade things are built to last and they tend to stay in the family,” said Wang, “When you give to Cooper, I hope you see it this way, as an investment in something that will last. An investment that will stay in the New York Community.”

Wang believes that the gift of a free education motivates students to push themselves beyond what they thought they could do. Cooper Union students pay for their education by pursuing their passions and giving back to the community.

“Peter Cooper said that education should be as free as air and water,” said Steven Neuhaus, a sophmore at the engineering school. “When credits don’t cost dollars, they cost curiosity.”

Their website, WhyCooper.org, states that charging tuition “forces students to think of college as an investment that must produce financial returns, rather than as an opportunity to explore their intellectual interests.” In many online statements, students wrote that charging tuition would change the school’s purpose and the type of students who attend.

“I know a lot of people who wouldn’t have been able to go to college if it wasn’t for Cooper,” says Alli Colyer, a sophomore at the engineering school.

Free education is a big part of what attracts creative minds to Cooper Union, despite what their parents’ paychecks may be. Colyer hopes these protests will raise the school’s public image and get their name out there.

“We’re primarily trying to get attention,” says Harrison Cullen, a sophomore at the engineering school. “It’s an opportunity to catch the eye of some wealthy philanthropist who can help us out. So we can get back to how it used to be.”

The protesters said they hope to show the community how serious they are and that they’re not going to give up fighting for the money they need.

“We have a really limited time to take action,” says Michael Ketigian, a Cooper Union graduate from the engineering school. “We need help.”