Four students rallied in front of Holladay Hall Monday evening to protest the University Budget Committee meeting concerning budget cuts and layoffs. The protesters were calling for the administration to stop increasing class sizes.

Protesters attempted to rally students in the Brickyard before marching to Holladay, where the University’s Budget Committee meeting was held. The small group began rallying in the Brickyard, passing out flyers to students who passed by to convince them to join the march.

Despite a small turnout for the protest, the organizers of the march, like Dante Strobino, an alumnus, said the purpose of the rally was standing up for students and faculty by rallying for the University to not layoff employees.

“The University’s Budget Committee wants to cut faculty jobs but doesn’t want to cut administrative jobs,”  Strobino said. “Gov. Bev Perdue says that we should cut the fat off of the state budget, but I believe that this is cutting to the bone.”

Jordan Reed, a senior in biological sciences, said he felt the points the protesters were making were justified.

“What they’re saying is true,” Reed said. “They never cut salary of higher officials first. It’s always the little guys that help keep the University going that get the boot first.”

Mario Miranda, a junior in microbiology, said he was mostly concerned about the lack of student input in the University’s budget matters.

“They’re right about the University not informing students,” Miranda said. “I had no idea that there was going to be a budget meeting today.”

Vidya Sankar, a freshman in physics and philosophy, said students power the University and should be treated better.

 ”Students deserve smaller class sizes,” Sankar said. “It doesn’t make sense that class sizes go up and tuition goes up as well.”