Trustees pass budget

The Grand Valley State University Board of Trustees on June 13 approved the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2003. Tuition and room and board together will be increased by 6 percent over last year's rates.

The Board's resolution assumes that the Governor's 10 percent cut in the university appropriation will be adopted by the Legislature.

A full time Michigan resident freshman at Grand Valley will pay $2,824 per semester, an increase of $296 over last year's rate of $2,528. That represents an 11.7 percent increase. University housing, with board, will increase by $56 per semester. It will increase to $2,884 from $2,828 in the current year, or 2 percent.

'We have worked very hard to control costs at Grand Valley and despite cuts in state aid we have been able to maintain a full schedule of classes for our students,' said Dorothy A. Johnson, chair of the Board of Trustees.

'Today's action represents the maximum tuition rate increase,' Johnson continued. 'The House and Senate are currently debating bills that would treat Grand Valley differently from the Governor's recommendation. The Board has authorized President Murray to lower the rate increase and provide tuition relief if the news from Lansing later this month turns out to be good.'

Grand Valley's state aid has been cut 3.5 percent in the current fiscal year and the Governor's recommendation calls for a further state aid cut of 6.5 percent in the coming year. The university began the current year with a state appropriation of $60 million and with the total 10 percent cut Grand Valley is projected to receive $54 million in the coming year.