Kansas University officials say they’ll continue to use new tuition money for new services ” and not to make up for state budget cuts ” even as they face possible reductions in this year’s state funding.

Administrators on Thursday announced more specifics on how they’re going to spend the $8.6 million in tuition increases.

The focus of the new announcement was undergraduate student services. KU will increase the minimum wage for student employees, renovate classrooms and add to counseling and advising staffs.

Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, senior vice provost, said the tuition money was meant to offer “enhancements,” not to patch the budget. But she admitted that could change in the future, if KU is required to continue cutting staff members. The university has announced 44 layoffs and cut 115 vacant positions this year.

“It’s not clear what the breaking point is,” she said. “We have to pay the bills.”

Jonathan Ng, student body president, said he thought KU should abandon its “enhancement” policy if next year’s budget is cut as much as this year’s. KU saw about an $8.6 million ” or 4 percent ” shortfall this year.

He noted the shortfall was almost exactly the same as the amount of new tuition money raised this year.

“Our message all along has been that the increase should not be to make up for cuts from the state,” he said. “If the state wants to keep these as enhancements, they’re going to have to step it up to make sure we’re funded adequately.”

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Among Thursday’s announcements:

• KU will increase its minimum wage for student hourly workers from $5.15 per hour ” the federal minimum ” to $6 per hour. Workers making between $6 and $10 per hour will receive a raise of about 50 cents per hour.

KU officials said 1,056 of the 4,801 student hourly positions pay less than $6 per hour.

• KU will spend $116,000 to hire three new advisers and a secretary at its Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center. It also will buy new computers for the center.
• KU will spend $185,600 to combine the Career Counseling and Planning Services and University Career and Employment Services in one office in the basement of the Burge Union, to space now occupied by Legal Services for Students. The law office will move to the third floor of the Burge Union.
• KU will spend $500,000 to renovate classrooms. About $157,000 of the money already has been spent to upgrade two large classrooms in Wescoe Hall.

KU officials already announced that portions of the $8.6 million will go to graduate teaching salaries, minority recruitment and retention programs, faculty recruitment, operating expenses for departments, libraries and international student services.