Editor's note: MSU Students United delivered the following letter, along with a petition with more than 3,000 signatures asking for an immediate tuition freeze, to MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon's office Monday. 

Dear President Simon,

We have written to you multiple times asking for meetings. We have talked to Assistant Vice President Dave Byelich. We have contacted all of the Board members. And we have had a meeting with Trustee Mossalam. All of these things have been fruitless.

We are writing this letter demanding that you use your power within the University to freeze tuition for the 2014-2015 school year. The state is approving a 6.1% increase in funding for higher education, the highest increase since Governor Snyder has taken office. This is much higher than last year’s increase in appropriations of 2.24%. Michigan State University increased its tuition by an average of 2.4% last year. Yet the proposed tuition hike for 2014-2015 is 3%. With the increase in state funding, tuition should be increasing less than last year, if at all.

The estimate for next year’s tuition hike was conspicuously left out of the presentation that Mr. Byelich gave to ASMSU, MSU Students United, as well as other concerned students. It was only through talking with faculty who spoke with him that we were able to learn of this number. This apparent lack of transparency is troublesome at best and malevolent at worst.

Please find attached a petition with 3,080 signatures of mostly current students, but also concerned parents, future students, and community members demanding a freeze in tuition.

Tuition has been and continues to be far too high. MSU Students United and our 3,000 supporters are calling on you to make a public statement endorsing a tuition freeze by April 28th. If this deadline is not met, we will continue taking action towards the tuition freeze that the MSU community has demonstrated that they want.

Respectfully,

MSU Students United