Lawmakers gave the university quite the budget cut this year - $650 million.  That led to an extra tuition increase.  So in lobbying for next year's budget, Chancellor Charlie Reed is taking a "carrot-and-stick" approach.  The stick comes this week, when trustees vote on a nine percent tuition increase for next fall.  But Reed's also dangling that carrot:

Reed: "We won't have to increase tuition for the fall if the state provides adequate funding in next year's budget."

He's asking the state to "buy out" that increase by restoring $138 million.

Meantime, it looks like this year's budget could give the C-S-U another $100 million "trigger" cut because state revenues are coming in well below projections.  If so, Reed says the university will pretty much empty its reserves to avoid raising fees mid-year.