The university's 2003-04 budget was approved at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, minus the support of three of its members.

Trustees Colleen McNamara, Joel Ferguson and Dorothy Gonzales voted against budget guidelines imposing a 9.9-percent tuition increase, $31 million in university cuts and a 2-percent increase in faculty and staff salaries.

"I don't believe Michigan families can cope with this," McNamara said. "I don't believe we are looking out for students the way we should and either is the state of Michigan."

An increase in available financial aid to $6 million will help students struggling to meet the rise in their tuition bills, said Interim President Lou Anna Simon.

"We're going to continue to find every dollar," she said.

With possible state appropriation cuts upward of 10 percent, university officials said they wanted students and their families to be prepared for the fall.

MSU is the second Michigan university to increase tuition to combat the decrease in state funding for the next academic year. Oakland University's Board of Trustees approved a 10-percent tuition increase Wednesday.

For more on this story please see Monday's edition of The State News.