Fort Lewis College trustees on Friday approved increases in tuition, mandatory and course-specific fees, and board and room.

The action came under the gavel of Karen Wilde, the first Native American to lead the FLC board of trustees.

Wilde, an interpreter for the National Park Service's Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, claims Muscogee and Pawnee heritage.

Tuition for residents will increase 5.6 percent, from $2,772 to $2,928 per semester. For the sixth year, tuition will not change from $8,036 per semester for nonresident students.

The college has kept out-of-state tuition unchanged in order to not discourage nonresident students from attending FLC, said Michele Peterson, associate vice president for finance and administration.

Unchanged out-of-state tuition also means the state will have to reimburse FLC less for Native American students from out of state, Peterson said.

FLC has 1,123 Native Americans enrolled - 151 residents, 972 nonresident - none of whom pay tuition. The state reimburses FLC for the expense, according to whether they are resident or non-resident.

There are ongoing attempts to create federal tuition-waiver legislation. The goal is to get the federal government to cover the tuition of out-of-state Native Americans, while Colorado picks up tuition for state residents.

Tuition for graduate students will increase from $318 to $337 per credit hour for residents. There will be no increase from the $840 per credit hour that nonresidents pay.

Graduate tuition will be charged for only the second year because FLC had no graduate programs until it established a master's degree in teacher education.

Mandatory fees will jump from $56.95 to $58.15 per credit hour.

Only certain course-specific fees will increase; most won't.

The average cost of housing will increase 3 percent but will fluctuate depending on location. The average board rate will see a 3.5 percent increase.

"These increases reflect only the cost of doing business," Peterson said.