Student Government Senate passed a finance bill Feb. 22 to spend a maximum $1,240 to send one current and two former SG members to a conference taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Student fees will pay for the group’s airfare, food, incidentals like cab fare and registration to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, where President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak.
In addition to those costs, the $1,240 will give each student a $15 stipend each day during the trip, according to former Senator of Humanities and Social Sciences Theodore Williams III, who is attending the conference.
The students were denied funding for the trip from the Organization Relief Fund, which helps cover traveling costs for undergraduate students, because they will not be presenting at the conference, according to the senate bill that funded the excursion.
Williams said the funding was actually denied because of paperwork delays.
Also attending the conference with Williams are SG Assistant Director of Student Outreach Myles Laroux and former Secretary of the Humanities and Social Sciences College Council Aubrey DeVillez.
DeVillez, Laroux and Williams are members of the Tigers for Israel organization and were notified by the organization’s president about the conference.
Though the students do not officially represent the University at the conference, Laroux said he always represents LSU.
“I represent the University everywhere I go, and it should hold true for every LSU student,” Laroux said.
Laroux said he is excited to go to the conference to learn more about the Middle East. He has taken four semesters of Arabic and lived in Morocco during the summer.
“I hope to live there one day,” he said. “I like to learn as much about the stability — or lack of — the region I plan to live in one day.”
Laroux said he didn’t know much about the funding, but he was planning to go to the conference at all costs.
“Whether we get reimbursed or not, I’m going,” he said.
Williams said when he signed up for the conference, he was not sure if he would be reimbursed by the University.
“We were able to get some reimbursement from the senate,” he said.
DeVillez did not respond to The Daily Reveille’s request for comment.
 
____
Contact Danielle Kelley at [email protected]