Missouri Western’s board of governors has adopted a $48.2 million operating budget for the fiscal year that begins today.  That’s a decrease of three-tenths of a percent from the previous budget.  It reflects an 8.2 percent cut in Western’s state appropriation and a 5.5 percent increase in tuition. Western’s funding from the state hasdropped approximately $3 million in the last two years. The board also approved an auxiliary operating budget of nearly $12.5 million. The auxiliary budget includes self-supporting operations like residential life, campus dining, recreation services and others.