The chief decision -- to raise tuition by seven percent beginning next year --was voted on after considerable debate among both the members of the committee on business operations and the entire board.

"Many of us voted for the tuition increase with the utmost reluctance," Greason said. "With the endowment down and the capital campaign still in midstream, the university is caught in a squeeze."

A status report and overview of the endowment given by Lou Morrell, vice president for investments and treasurer, preceded the discussion about tuition. As previously reported in the Old Gold and Black, the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, saw a net loss of million in the endowment.

The trustees also heard a report on The Campaign for Wake Forest: Honoring the Promise. As of Oct.15, the university has raised gifts and pledges of ,406,750 toward the goal of ,000,000. So far ,856,984 has been generated toward the Reynolda Campus portion of that goal -- million.

In addition, Burr Gibson of Marts & Lundy, the fundraising consultant who has advised the university since the inception of the campaign, gave his observations about the economy.

He noted that most of the institutions he works with had their second best fundraising year ever in fiscal 2002, which was also true of the university. He also said that the campaign continues to run ahead of projections, although the slow economic recovery from the recession will likely have an impact.

"We're generally optimistic despite the state of the economy. We think we'll get million if we work really hard," Greason said.

Provost William Gordon addressed the trustees about the academic environment at the university and Richard Dean, presdent of Wake Forest University Health Sciences, discussed issues pertaining to the School of Medicine as well as the expansion of the School into the Piedmont Triad Research Park. Senior Sean Prince gave his student trustee report. "We need to work to achieve a greater sense of campus community. I hope that the new coffeehouse in Taylor will serve as a late-night hangout space, but it's only a short-term solution as we look for larger spaces," Prince said of what he emphasized in the report. As a follow-up to the student life focus of the trustee meeting last July, Vice President Ken Zick and senior Ryan Ramsey, Student Government president, gave a joint presentation.

Ramsey focused on ideas to foster community and to address specific concerns -- ideas that have been raised at both the President's Leadership Conference in September and a deliberation hosted by the Democracy Fellows Program two weeks ago, he said. Ramsey also led a discussion with the committee on the college.

"I thought that went really well. The trustees seemed intrigued by the issues and willing to help," he said.