(CNN) -- More than 150 students at the University of California at Berkeley took over a campus building Thursday to protest a proposed 81% increase in tuition fees, university officials said.





UC-Berkeley spokeswoman Callie Maidhof described the scene as "an open occupation with people coming and going" at Tolman Hall on the campus that has been known for decades as a hotbed of student activism and protests.





The tuition increase proposed by the board of regents would be phased in over a four-year period.





Maidhof added that when the protest began Thursday afternoon, campus police initially resisted the demonstrators and used pepper spray at one point. The university maintained a hands-off approach after that, but according to Maidhof the situation could change at the building's scheduled closing time of 9 p.m. (midnight ET).





As evening fell, there were between 60 and 70 students occupying one of the classrooms and another group was participating in a teach-in outside on the lawn.





Helicopter aerials of the scene from CNN affiliate KTVU showed a few protest banners hung from windows of the classroom building.
( CNN ) -- More than 150 students at the University of California at Berkeley took over a campus building Thursday to protest a proposed 81 % increase in tuition fees , university officials said . UC - Berkeley spokeswoman Callie Maidhof described the scene as " an open occupation with people coming and going " at Tolman Hall on the campus that has been known for decades as a hotbed of student activism and protests . The tuition increase proposed by the board of regents would be phased in over a four - year period . Maidhof added that when the protest began Thursday afternoon , campus police initially resisted the demonstrators and used pepper spray at one point . The university maintained a hands - off approach after that , but according to Maidhof the situation could change at the building 's scheduled closing time of 9 p.m. ( midnight ET ) . As evening fell , there were between 60 and 70 students occupying one of the classrooms and another group was participating in a teach - in outside on the lawn . Helicopter aerials of the scene from CNN affiliate KTVU showed a few protest banners hung from windows of the classroom building .
When will the building be closed?
When will the building be closed ?
9 p.m.
9 p.m.