U of M takes up alcohol ban and budget cuts
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks will ask the school's governing body today to ban alcohol at TCF Bank Stadium, set to open on campus in the fall.
The move comes after lawmakers passed a measure requiring the university to sell alcohol throughout the school's new football stadium, or not sell it at all. The university's original plan was to sell alcohol to fans in premium suites.
The proposal would also ban the selling or serving of alcohol at the school's basketball and hockey facilities.
Some on the university's Board of Regents want Bruininks to ask lawmakers again next year to allow the university to serve beer and wine in premium seats at the new football stadium.
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Bruininks has said he expects the regents will vote in favor of the ban, but that he's not likely to pursue the issue further.
Bruininks will also present a budget proposal that would decrease tuition for some students and increase it for others.
Because of federal stimulus dollars, undergrads will see an increase in tuition of no more than a $300 next year, though 60 percent of students will actually see their tuition bill go down.
According to the meeting's agenda, graduate students will see a 7.5 percent jump in tuition, with an increase as much as 15 percent for law students. University officials say much of the revenue from that increase will go back into scholarships for graduates students.
If approved by the regents, the budget would also mean $95 million budget cuts, resulting in 1,240 fewer jobs at the U of M by next year.
