(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.
What did the university board of regents propose? When will the building be closed? What did a university spokeswoman say? when is A university spokeswoman says the building is scheduled to be closed ? What did the students do? Where are students in protest? What percentage hike has been proposed?
tuition increase 9 p.m. "an open occupation with people coming and going" 9 p.m. (midnight ET). took over a campus building University of California at Berkeley 81%
question: What did the university board of regents propose?, answer: tuition increase | question: When will the building be closed?, answer: 9 p.m. | question: What did a university spokeswoman say?, answer: "an open occupation with people coming and going" | question: when is A university spokeswoman says the building is scheduled to be closed ?, answer: 9 p.m. (midnight ET). | question: What did the students do?, answer: took over a campus building | question: Where are students in protest?, answer: University of California at Berkeley | question: What percentage hike has been proposed?, answer: 81%