Baton Rouge lawyer Jason DeCuir wasn’t discouraged by the low turnout, as he engaged in a discussion with the six students who came out to meet him at the Acadian Room of the Student Union on Thursday evening. The Democrat running for Senate District 14, which encompasses LSU and Southern University, was invited by LSU’s chapter of College Democrats to discuss issues important to students. One student asked how DeCuir was going to fix Louisiana’s countless problems. “I’m going to put people in the legislature that put people in Baton Rouge first,” DeCuir said. DeCuir said one of his main priorities was revamping the public school system. He cited Louisiana’s ongoing education crisis as a reason for ThyssenKrupp AG executives for chosing Alabama over Louisiana to build a steel mill in May. The addition of the steel mill would have provided thousands of jobs to Louisiana residents. DeCuir said workers did not want to relocate their families to Louisiana because of its poor public school system. “We need to set aside whether we are black, white, rich or poor and figure out how we can resolve this education crisis together,” DeCuir said. DeCuir said District 14 is the most powerful district in the state because it includes two major state universities and a large metropolitan area. The 32-year-old University alumnus said he is not far removed from the shoes of college students and is empathetic to student issues. He said he wants to make changes that will reflect student concerns and give them incentive to stay in-state past graduation. “The first thing some students want to do when they graduate is get out of here and go somewhere else. I want to change that and keepyoung talent here,” DeCuir said. He also said he would like to see students gain interest in the legistlative process. As for tuition, DeCuir says it’s inevitable to lower tuition costs because of inflation. “As we invest more in the University, we should be able to find alternate sources,” he said.
—Contact Jessica Greenfield at [email protected]