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Reveille The Daily
Volume 115, Issue 68
www.lsureveille.com
Alumni work at local screenprinting business, p. 7 Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010
State focuses on tuition, performance $437 million proposed reduction to higher education
Tuition hikes headline higher ed officials’ budget cut plan Matthew Albright
Matthew Albright
$107 million
Staff Writer
Jindal’s chief of staff visits campus, discusses $437 million budget cut Staff Writer
At the same time higher education officials unveiled their plan Tuesday to fill a $437 million hole in state funding, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s top staffer told a University political communication class that filling the state’s “funding gap” was “on the level of Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill” — and the center of his administration’s attention. Jindal’s Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell acknowledged the difficulties the administration will face as it tries to create a budget to account for a gaping $1.6 billion state deficit projected for the next fiscal year. “We’re faced with an economic downturn that’s affected the whole world,” he said. $31 million Teepell said the governor’s budget will have to could be saved with make some painful cuts, but he believed a budget the LSU System’s that “moved the state forward” was still possible. tuition increases, Teepell said the No. 1 budget priority was keeping jobs in the state. which could add $1,555 “In times of economic uncertainty, you don’t per year to students’ want to do anything that will force businessmen, fee bills. force companies to say, ‘We need to leave the state,’” he said. “We need to make sure as many citizens as possible can realize the American dream.” To that end, Teepell said economic development was paramount. “A lot of people have criticized us for obsessing over it, but it’s essential,” he said. Teepell also acknowledged higher education should play an important role. $75 million “Obviously higher ed is critical to the future of the state,” he said. could be saved by charging Teepell said recent criticism of the administrastudents more per hour tion’s higher education policies is “to be expected.” to take more than “Because the process is long, it lends itself to 12 credit hours. fear,” he said. “People tend to assume the worst.”
University students could see a tuition hike of $1,555 per year and other increased costs under a budget reduction plan proposed Wednesday by the heads of the state’s higher education systems. The plan, presented by LSU System President John Lombardi to the Board of Regents, is the official response to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration’s request for post-secondary institutions to plan for a 32-percent reduction in services. The state faces a $1.6 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year. Constitutional and statutory dedications protect much of the state’s budget, so higher education and health care suffer disproportionately severe cuts. If all of the plan’s proposals are implemented, the state’s higher education cut for all systems would shrink from $437 million to $136 million. The plan is a draft, clearly labeled “for discussion purposes only.” The Jindal admin$56 million istration and the state Legislature have the could be saved authority to actually implement the proposals next fi scal year with a in the plan. 10 percent “fiscal The plan hinges on four major structural stabilization surcharge” changes, including the tuition increases. Administrators argue such an increase not covered by TOPS. is fair because the state’s college tuition is significantly lower than the regional average. The plan cites Southern Regional Education Board statistics that show Louisiana colleges and universities charge significantly less for tuition than photo by BRIANNA PACIORKA, graphic by similar institutions throughout the South. STEPHANIE GIGLIO / The plan would raise tuition to “market price,” The Daily Reveille which would raise an estimated $31 million to fill the
remains to be cut from higher ed after the LSU System’s plan would shrink the total cut.
Source: proposal from LSU System
PLAN, see page 4
TEEPELL, see page 4
REGISTRATION
Veterans to get priority scheduling Rachel Warren Staff Writer
photo courtesy of AUSTIN STUKINS
Sgt. Angel Illaraga, left, and Sgt. Austin Stukins prepare for a Marine security force mission in Iraq. Student veterans like Stukins will receive priority scheduling.
Student veterans face a host of problems on a daily basis, but soon they’ll have one less thing to worry about. Student veterans will be allowed to schedule earlier for their fall 2011 classes, according to University Registrar Robert Doolos. Cpt. William Conger, associate professor of military science and ROTC scholarship and enrollment officer, said the Student Veterans of LSU group is in the process of obtaining scheduling priority. Conger said there are 400 student veterans enrolled at the University this semester, and most of them are undergraduates.
Conger, who is also the director of public relations for the Student Veterans of LSU, said he worked with a faculty adviser to achieve his goal. He said cadets — students contracted with the ROTC and who are actively pursuing a career in the military — already have high scheduling priority. Doolos said cadets first began receiving priority in 2007 when administrators from the departments of Aerospace Studies and Military Science approached then-chancellor Sean O’Keefe. “We were basically giving them priority because of their commitments and the time constraints they deal with,” Doolos said. Doolos said he was careful
not to give cadets top scheduling priority, which is reserved for graduating seniors, to avoid creating competition, and veterans will be treated the same way. Doolos said the number of cadets on campus is not enough to make a significant impact on other students’ abilities to schedule. Conger said veterans deserve the same treatment. Conger said student veterans are typically “non-traditional,” which means they’re older than a typical student and were out of school for a considerable amount of time before attending the University. He explained that many aren’t familiar with the processes of VETERANS, see page 4