To Write Love on Her Arms: Founder visits University, p. 3
Football: LSU responds to NCAA investigation, p. 7
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Speed dating: Students socialize during event, p. 5 Tuesday, March 22, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 111
Election Day
The Daily Reveille caught up with Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates to pose a few final questions before the election. See what they had to say about various issues, and make your voice heard by voting today on PAWS.
Question Aaron Caffarel & Alli Robison “NOW”
Garrett Dupre & Jarrett Richard “OPEN SOURCE”
David Jones & Kacey Brister “DEFINING OUR FUTURE”
Cody Wells & Kathleen Bordelon “TOGETHER LSU”
Do you support tuition increases?
Yes, as a last-resort method. “If there is no other possible way to keep LSU as the flagship institution, then tuition would have to be increased,” Robison said.
Dupre said tuition increases are in the best interest of the University but not the students.
The duo said the question is difficult to address and that it needs to “bring more players to the table.”
Yes, as long as TOPS will cover it and the state will spend its money elsewhere efficiently.
Do you think the TOPS program should be changed? Should it be more merit-based? Capped?
The duo said the requirements for TOPS should be raised. Caffarel suggested feeding leftover TOPS money into need-based awards.
Richard said students who fail their first year of college should have to pay back their TOPS money.
“The standards for TOPS need to be increased,” Brister said. “With the budget crisis, there isn’t any other option.”
Wells said he is “definitely” in favor of merit-based TOPS. “We need to limit public dollars to public institutions,” he said.
Do you think there are too many higher education institutions in Louisiana? Do you think some should be consolidated? If so, which ones?
Both think there are too many four-year institutions — the first thing that needs to be considered when merging institutions is feasibility.
“We spend more money per capita on higher ed than any other state in the U.S.,” the duo said. They suggested merging the University of Louisiana at Monroe and LA Tech.
Jones does not necessarily support mergers because he says they affect people, not businesses. He does, however, support schools catering to certain types of students.
“Absolutely,” Wells said. The duo said they are happy to see the Board of Regents working on the potential SUNO/UNO merger.
Caffarel said he was “appalled” by Jindal’s initial performance but is impressed that he has “turned himself around and worked toward having a betterment of the situation.”
The duo has favorable opinions of Jindal’s performance, saying he “has the best interest of our state at heart.”
“I would have liked to see him take more of a firm stance,” Brister said. The duo thinks Jindal should work to have LSU and the government operate cohesively.
Wells said he was “delighted” to see a constitutional amendment suggested to dedicate funds to TOPS, but he criticized Jindal’s leadership role amid the budget process.
How do you think Gov. Bobby Jindal has performed so far?
information compiled by MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and ANDREA GALLO; graphic by MATTHEW JACOBS / The Daily Reveille
Tickets advocate greater student involvement with SG Candidates debate twice Monday Editor’s note: Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by presidential candidates’ last names. All four Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates said at the SG
presidential debates Monday night Garrett Dupre and Jarrett Richthat they will work to ensure stu- ard of the “Open Source” campaign dents, especially freshmen, feel in- were not present for the Sigma Chi formed and comfortable on campus. debate. The Freshmen All tickets Andrea Gallo Leadership Counpromoted what cil, Black Student they considered to Staff Writer Union and Univerbe their most imsity Recreation Sports Club Advi- portant initiatives that incorporate sory Council hosted the first debate, student interest. and Sigma Chi fraternity hosted the Aaron Caffarel and Alli Rosecond one. bison of the “NOW” campaign said
their initiative geared toward reforming student involvement in the University Center for Advising and Counseling could increase graduation rates. Their initiative would change how long students could be members of UCAC, which is currently four semesters. Dupre and Richard said they want to carry on the administration of current SG President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel by
increasing the amount of student awareness about SG on campus. “As Student Government, we need to focus on the freshmen because they are our future,” Dupre said. “Right now, a lot of the
Watch a video from the first debate at lsureveille.com DEBATES, see page 15