Where has Jindal been lately? Check out the Tracking Bobby Jindal Page
 
Student Government President J Hudson made national headlines Monday after sending a letter to newspapers in the states where Gov. Bobby Jindal has been traveling for campaign purposes.
 
“Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is spending more time in your state than the one he was elected to represent,” Hudson wrote in the letter, titled “Attention Gov. Jindal” and sent to newspapers in New York, Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio and New Hampshire. “We want to know why he’s not devoting all his time to the future of his state and its young people.”
 
After informing the papers’ residents of Louisiana’s higher education budget plight, Hudson addressed Jindal directly.
 
“On behalf of the students whose hopes for a brighter future will soon be crushed, I beg you to return to Louisiana and fix your state’s serious problems. You’ve neglected your constituents long enough,” Hudson wrote. “You’ll have a much better chance of becoming president if you save, instead of destroy, Louisiana’s universities.”
 
In addition to appearing in the newspapers, Hudson’s letter elicited attention from numerous national news outlets, including The Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, CNN and The Associated Press. It also appeared on Louisiana news websites like The Advocate, The Times-Picayune and WWL in New Orleans.
 
The letter was also linked on numerous blogs, including The Dead Pelican and Bayou Buzz.
 
Hudson told The Daily Reveille he was inspired to write the letter after a meeting with Jindal’s Executive Counsel Stephen Waguespack and Policy Director Camille Conaway.
 
“We were told Jindal didn’t have time to meet with us, which we understood,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘No wonder he doesn’t have time to meet with us: He’s not in the state.”
 
Kyle Plotkin, Jindal’s press secretary, released a statement Monday in response to the letter. He pointed out that Hudson had met with administration officials.
 
“It’s great he and other students are getting involved in the political process, and we hope they continue to be part of the conversation,” Plotkin said. “The reality, though, is that higher education officials are not delivering the value our students deserve.”
 
Plotkin’s release did not address Hudson’s concerns about Jindal’s travels.
 
Hudson took issue with parts of the response, especially the claims about high-value educations.
 
“LSU is a top-tier institution. We’re doing a fantastic job of educating our students,” he said. “If you have a problem with other institutions, that’s fine, but an across-the-board cut isn’t fair.”
 
LSU was selected on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2009-10” last semester.
 
Hudson also questioned Plotkin’s claims that higher education officials could reduce administrative overhead instead of classes.
 
“That’s great in theory, but not in application,” he said. “The simple fact is that LSU is going to have to make cuts to the academic core.”
 
Hudson also said he did not feel the Jindal administration had communicated well enough with student representatives.
 
“The main thing I’m just looking for is a meeting,” he said. “Let’s sit down and talk about these issues.”
Jindal has been touring the country recently, campaigning for high-profile Republican candidates.
 
Two weeks ago, Jindal was in Missouri attending his brother’s wedding — as well as a fundraiser for his re-election and a stop at U.S. Senate candidate Roy Blunt’s campaign headquarters.
 
Last week, Jindal was in Florida to endorse U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio, in New York campaigning for himself and in New Hampshire for a fundraiser in support of gubernatorial candidate Tom Stephen.
 
Jindal was in Madison, Wis., on Monday raising money for gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker.
 
 
 
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Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]