Booth Newspapers ran an AP story about hearings before the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee regarding testimony by the presidents of Wayne State, Michigan State and the University of Michigan . The universities were united in their appeal for increased funding because of unique costs and missions that separate them from the state's 12 other public universities. "We depend on you . . . for the resources needed to perform the immensely important work with which we are entrusted," President Irvin D. Reid told committee members. But Western Michigan University President Judith Bailey warned against separating schools based on the ratings of their research levels. "It begins to fragment the overall picture," she said. "I believe it is problematic." Proposals made by Gov. Granholm and the state Senate would give each of the three major research universities a 2 percent increase for next fiscal year. WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids and WLNS-TV in Lansing aired brief reports based on the AP story.