Volume 122 · No. 66
Friday, December 2, 2016
EST. 1887
lsunow.com
@lsureveille
dailyreveille
thedailyreveille
BUDGET CUTS
University administration hopeful for higher ed funding BY LAUREN HEFFKER @laurheffker
With the 2017 Legislative session set to occur on April 10, members of University administration are looking to lawmakers for the future of TOPS and higher education funding. University Executive Director of Policy and External Affairs Jason Droddy said going into the session, the foremost issue will be the state budget and revenue. He said University administrators were informed of what the deficit would be for fiscal
year 2017. Although the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget (JLCB) did not take action in November closing the remaining $315 million budget gap from the previous fiscal year, they are expected to act at the December meeting, according to Droddy. “We are not going to have the luxury of sparing higher education,” Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said in the joint budget committee meeting on Nov. 18. “I wish we did.” Gov. John Bel Edwards announced on Nov. 18 that the expected $18 million in midyear
budget cuts to higher education from FY16 would be delayed until December. The JLCB has to grapple with the shortfall of the current fiscal year, and if revenue projections don’t improve, there will likely be additional budget cuts to higher education. However, Droddy said he is “certain they want to avoid that at all costs.” The administration is not aware of what impact state action will have on higher education for the current fiscal year. Droddy said that while it’s likely the University will see some cuts, the Legislature will try
to mitigate the effect to higher education. The upcoming regular session is a fiscal session, meaning the Legislature will only discuss issues on taxes and revenue. The Legislature does have the ability to file five non fiscal bills, but Droddy said he’s unaware of what those bills will look like. At the beginning of the fiscal year, the governor indicated that agencies and universities should hold off 5 percent of their budgets in anticipation of a potential shortfall. The 5 percent holdback
see TOPS, page 2
POLITICS
As Louisiana’s Senate runoff gains national attention, Democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell has raked in more than $2.5 million for his campaign from Oct. 20 to Nov. 20, he reported Monday. Campbell’s 1,264-page report shows that nearly all the donations came from individual contributions — more than 50,000 people gave an average of $44.73, while political action committees provided .02 percent of funds. In a statement, Campbell said his campaign was “people powered.” According to the Federal Elections Commission website, State Treasurer John Kennedy’s campaign reported $2,753,041 in total contributions as of Oct. 19.
The FEC issued Kennedy a failure to file notice on Nov. 29 for not filing his pre-runoff report (Oct. 20 to Nov. 20). At the time of publication, Kennedy’s pre-runoff finance report was not available on the FEC’s website. After a deeply divisive presidential election, Louisiana’s race for the last open U.S. Senate seat has turned heads across the nation as a last-ditch attempt for Democrats to gain a Senate stronghold, a difficult feat in a red state. While the GOP will control the Senate regardless, Louisiana’s election could give Democrats the small advantage of having 49 seats compared to Republicans’ 51, assuming Campbell captures the seat. While Louisiana was a reliable Republican state in
the presidential race, with President-elect Donald Trump receiving 58 percent of the vote, some say Campbell has more traction because of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ unexpected win over Republican Sen. David Vitter in the gubernatorial race last December. Campbell has Edwards’ endorsement, while Vitter endorsed Kennedy. Vice presidentelect Mike Pence is also campaigning for Kennedy, and will appear at a rally in New Orleans on Saturday along with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Attorney General Jeff Landry, House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise and other Republican state legislators. A poll released by Southern Media and Opinion Research Inc. confirms Kennedy’s expected victory by a margin of
ENTITLED MILLENNIAL CODY SIBLEY @CodySibley
13.9 points. The margin of error for the poll is 4.4 percent. The poll surveyed 500 likely Louisiana voters by phone from Nov. 28 through Nov. 30. The poll predicted Kennedy leading with 52 percent of the vote, and Campbell with 38.1 percent. Although Campbell has collected a host of celebrity endorsements and appearances on national news networks, polls indicate he hasn’t galvanized the support needed in his home state to overcome his opponent’s partisan advantage. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy expressed his support for the President-elect, running off of Trump’s popularity in the state.
We’re finally one month away from the end of 2016 and only one week away from the end of the semester. Thank God. I don’t think I’m alone in saying 2016 was an actual dumpster fire with burning garbage flying out of it. We began with a gorilla dying and ended with a guerilla dying, and somewhere along the way we managed to elect Donald Trump president. In the University and Baton Rouge communities, we experienced historic flooding, the shooting of Alton Sterling by a police officer, the death of Mike the Tiger, the firing of Les Miles and the death of three Baton Rouge police officers. We’ve been through too much as a school, city, state and country. So, a new year, and possibly a new era, is approaching. I’m only 20 years old, but it feels like I’ve been through more in 2016 than I have in the last 19 years combined. With everything that’s happened so far, I’m left
see RUNOFF, page 8
see 2016, page 2
Despite lack of debates and formidable Kennedy lead, LA Senate runoff remains energized by national interest BY LAUREN HEFFKER @laurheffker
Terrible 2016 shouldn’t ruin hope for 2017
FALL 2016: A RETROSPECTIVE Semester marked by heartbreak, loss and staggering change SUMMER 2016
MONDAY, AUGUST 22
TUESDAY, JULY 5 Alton Sterling is shot and killed by BRPD officers in the parking lot of Triple S Food Mart.
SUNDAY, JULY 17 Three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers are slain by a masked gunman near Airline and Old Hammond highways.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
LSU loses its season-opening game versus Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
University students return to campus amid unprecedented flooding that resulted in more than 20 inches of rainfall in multiple parishes and 13 deaths.
Les Miles is fired four games into his 12th season as LSU’s football coach. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is also dismissed. see FALL, page 2