Holding the students hostage

"If you don't increase funding for public universities, by god, we'll charge the students more!" is just about the least threatening threat I've ever heard of.

"“Establishing the direct relationship between State funding and required tuition increases into a multi-year plan will make clear to all stakeholders – the Governor and Legislature, students and parents, and other interested citizens – that a failure to invest in the University will cause an increase in the amount students and their families pay to attend.”"

Yeah, they're just trembling in their boots.