With severe budget cuts hitting the University and the state government, one might think state officials would be doing everything in their power to cut costs.But Gov. Bobby Jindal does not seem to feel that need.The governor ran on a platform of competency, transparency and efficiency in the 2007 election to replace embattled Gov. Kathleen Blanco.Despite these promises, The Advocate reported Aug. 30 the governor used a state helicopter 14 times to visit different church services in Louisiana from March to July.The total cost of these visits to Louisiana taxpayers: roughly $45,000.As said best by Rachel Maddow, “If Mr. Jindal was simply politicking, he’s, of course, got a government waste problem here. If he was simply preaching and praying, he’s sorta got a separation of church and state problem here.”If the governor had been visiting these churches after some sort of disaster or if he were talking about actual issues, this story would have far less news value, but Jindal did no such thing while visiting.Rather, he spoke about his conversion from Hinduism to Catholicism — at Protestant churches no less.The governor’s office claims Jindal has also met with community leaders after some of these visits.It hardly seems prudent to spend thousands of dollars on such visits in the midst of the worst budget crisis the state has seen in years and the worst recession since the Great Depression.If the governor truly feels passionate about worshipping in these roughly 14 churches, all save one in central or northern Louisiana, then he should take his own car, or even a government-owned one, and drive the three hours or so it would take to get there.Interestingly enough, the location of most these churches are in parishes where conservative white Democrats and Republicans normally fare quite well, yet where Gov. Jindal has not.In light of this revelation, I, with the help of a few of my fellow students and the Office of the Chancellor, have come up with a list of 10 ideas how that $45,000 could have been spent if Gov. Jindal had opted for driving as opposed to taking the $1,300-an-hour helicopter:1. Begin giving away free pregnancy tests at the Student Health Center.2. Make scantrons free for all students.3. Create the Piyush Jindal Scholarship Fund, giving $1,000 scholarships to the 45 most promising entering freshman.4. Chancellor Martin, per Assistant Vice Chancellor for Communications Kristine Calongne, would work with Student Government to fund a project that would have an “important impact on students and the student experience.”5. Invest in a water system that uses reclaimed water in the sprinkler system, rather than tap water.6. Start fixing the many large cracks in the sidewalks on campus because we have all had one too many bloody toes.7. Create a 24-hour-a-day IT help desk to help those students who feel papers should only be written at 3 a.m. the night before the due date.8. Give the money to Students On Target to pass out free beers during Groovin’ on the Grounds.9. Put the money in a fund to build additional parking, possibly an actual parking garage, so commuters aren’t forced to park in Egypt everyday.10. Use the money to subsidize the parking tickets to those students who would rather not park 30 minutes away from their classes.If Gov. Jindal had asked University students how that $45,000 should have been spent, I seriously doubt his helicopter journeys would rank near the top —  especially with alternatives such as these.Stephen Schmitz is a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in mass communication from The Woodlands, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_sschmitz.
 
 
 
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