The Graduate and Professional Student Council passed a letter to administrators at its meeting last night, asking for free tuition for all graduate assistants.

Jani Radebaugh, president of the GPSC, said the letter is intended to inform President Peter Likins and Provost George Davis on how significant the issue is to graduate students.

"We hope it will inform the administration and the board of regents of the importance of graduate students to the university for teaching, research and academic endeavors," Radebaugh said.

The tuition statement will be sent to Likins and Davis tomorrow, the day of the tuition hearings.

The letter asks the administration to use the revenue generated by the tuition increases to cover the costs of 100 percent tuition remission and improve the situation for UA graduate students.

The UA is home to nearly 9,000 graduate students, 3,000 of whom are teaching and research assistants.

Graduate assistants receive 50 percent tuition remission paid for by in-state tuition fees. But the GPSC said that is not enough, which is why it is asking for the tuition revenues to fund its proposed 50 percent increase in the remission, which translates into free tuition for graduate assistants.

When a $1,250 tuition hike was passed last year for resident graduate students, administrators said they wanted to at least keep all graduate students safe from the hikes.

But they did not have enough money to cover a 100 percent remission.

Likins has not said whether the administration would support the remission this year, but he did say it hopes to eventually offer 100 percent remission.

According to the letter, needy graduate students need more support from the administration to help them cope with the tuition hikes.

Veronica Diaz, external vice president of the GPSC, said she hopes the administration considers the need of all graduate students in the tuition decisions.

"We hope that we get the highest remission we can, and needy students are protected also," she said.