The News ran a higher education budget story by Booth Newspapers writer Judy Putnam. She points out that "big winners in the budget starting Oct. 1 are small and mid-sized universities with low per-pupil funding and which have GOP lawmakers from their areas sitting on the higher education appropriations subcommittees. The latest budget deal steers the most new money to Grand Valley State , Saginaw Valley State and Oakland University . " Those universities had representatives from their areas sitting on the committee that hammered out the final budget agreement, the article says. Wayne State is included in an accompanying list showing amounts each university would receive under the agreement. Sen. Shirley Johnson, R-Troy, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she spent decades watching as former Democratic Appropriations chairs protected funding to Wayne State and Northern Michigan universities. Her district borders Oakland University , which was one of the winners in the budget agreement.