Half the money would help cover a tuition shortfall. Lawmakers say they want more detail. The biggest portion of that funding — about $48 million — would help cover a tuition shortfall that Julie Tonneson, the U's budget director, said was unlike any she's seen in her 30 years working for the system. "Without an increase to our base appropriation in that amount, it would mean significant budget cuts and tuition rate increases, more than we are already contemplating," she told the Board of Regents in a meeting Friday morning. With the new request, the university now is seeking nearly $1.7 billion from the Legislature to cover its general operations over the next two years.
