It has become a vicious cycle: University administration begins the year fearing the next “projected cut” and paranoia spreads through faculty, administration and students unsure if their job or study will fall under the budgetary axe.Just last week the University received orders to plan for a potential $74 million reduction in funding that would resemble more of an amputation than a cut.Legislators spent the summer session discussing how the state can save the University and higher education from the budget crisis, which seems headed toward a violent climax next summer.A slice of salvation comes from the highly publicized LA GRAD Act allowing tuition increases to offset dwindling state funds. The University, more than any other Louisiana collegiate institution, depends on massive amounts of money from our state and federal government — roughly 50 percent of our operational expenses.Economies fluctuate. This is not the first time the University has bled because of volatility in state finances. And the bottom line remains when state finances look bleak – the University’s growth, progress and way of life become unsustainable. But the way to sustain progress is to lessen our dependence on the state, and unfortunately for students one way to do this is to pay more for the product we receive. Tuition increases have dangers and downsides, but we should also consider the chance to gain some independence.We are currently paying less than students at Centenary, Dillard, Louisiana College, Loyola, Tulane or Xavier. In the South, our tuition is less than that of Alabama State, Arkansas State, Georgia State and Texas Tech, to name a few. We may be content with our relatively lax financial burden as students, we must ask, is a cheaper degree what we really want — even at the expense of our University?Of course reckless tuition increases cannot be tolerated, so serious questions must be asked as the University plans to make cuts every student will feel. But the crisis facing our University is a story that’s been told before, so let’s take this looming crisis as a hard lesson and gain our independence from state funds — future LSU generations will thank us.-Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at [email protected]