Few students are speaking out against a proposal to increase tuition by $490, and even some of the university's most ardent anti-tuition hike activists say they haven't been able to muster support for protests.

They call the lack of opposition a sign of apathy, but lobbyists from the student government, who have proposed a $400 increase, say it shows people realize the university needs extra money to pay for necessities like faculty salaries and class availability.

Regardless of students' reasons for not speaking out against it, the proposed increase has met no organized resistance. And with exactly one month to go before regents set next year's tuition, even some of the UA's most outspoken activists have given up or are still waiting to hear from students who want to organize against it.

Law student Rachel Wilson, one of the plaintiffs in the anti-tuition hike lawsuit, said she hasn't been able to generate much interest in organizing opposition to President Peter Likins' proposal, which calls for a $700 increase for out-of-state students in addition to the $490 in-state increase.

"I hate to say it, but I feel like a big failure on this one," said Wilson, who was arrested last March after locking herself to the Administration building the day before regents voted 9-0 in favor of raising tuition by $1,000.

Wilson now sees the lawsuit as her last resort, though she acknowledges she has little chance of winning. She's hoping the case proceeds far enough along that the university will be forced to present documents explaining exactly where tuition money goes.

Wilson and political science student John Kromko, a former legislator and another plaintiff in the suit, have been among the most outspoken opponents of tuition hikes.

"I've been really disappointed in the student body," Kromko said. "(The Legislature) will get away with as much as they can."

Veronica Martinez, who co-chairs JUNTOS, a Hispanic student group, said she hasn't worked to organize opposition from minority groups.

"I'm sure something will come from the minority students ... especially because we are concerned with (the Hispanic enrollment proposal), and tuition will affect that," she said.

"I hate to say it, but I feel like a big failure on this one." ö Rachel Wilson, law student and anti-tuition hike activist

Martinez, who protested at last year's tuition-setting regents' meeting, said she remains optimistic that minority students won't stay silent.

But even if they do, student lobbyists won't see the muted reaction as a sign of apathy. They've conducted focus groups and surveys, and they think students understand tuition hikes are necessary for the university to maintain its stability.

"The more informed that students become in how the university works and what goes into education, I think they become much more open-minded to different alternatives," Associated Students of the University of Arizona President J.P. Benedict said.

Benedict and fellow lobbyists say their proposed $400 increase would generate a "workable" amount of revenue - probably between $7 million and $8 million - while putting a smaller strain on students than Likins' proposal.

Last year, the lobbyists countered Likins' $1,000 proposal with a plan to raise tuition $900, embracing a philosophy similar to that of Likins and the regents.

If the university wants to improve, they say, it needs to raise more of its own money rather than waiting for funding from a Legislature that isn't likely to offer more.

"This isn't some kind of gouging," Likins said.

Last year's tuition hike generated $31 million, though not all that money was actually collected because the university pays some students' tuition.

Of the money collected, a large portion went to financial aid, but much of it paid for courses and faculty salaries, Likins said.

That's an appropriate use for the money, said Jennifer Whitcomb, an undeclared freshman.

"If they need the money, (students) are obviously the place where they get the money," she said. "You pay for higher education. It's a fact of life."

Political science junior Sarah Epperson agreed, saying she'd support a tuition hike if she saw "results."

"It's hard to get into classes you want," she said.

But rather than leaving universities to fend for themselves, Kromko and Wilson think the Legislature should increase its spending on higher education.

That was the rationale behind their lawsuit, but Likins has said if the UA is to improve, it needs to accept that legislative allocations are shrinking nationwide. That means the UA needs to take more responsibility for its financial success.

That's a cop-out, Wilson said.

"Educating Arizona residents is a burden that should be shared by all residents equally," she said.