It shouldn’t be a surprise some student leaders on campus receive perks — they come with just about any high profile job at schools across the nation.
So when The Daily Reveille learned four Student Government leaders — President J Hudson, Vice President Dani Borel, Senate Speaker Brooksie Bonvillain and Speaker Pro Tempore Aaron Caffarel — received parking permits to pass through Easy Streets, it didn’t exactly catch our attention.
But when we discovered the permits were paid for by student fees, our jaws dropped to the floor.
Here’s how it works: SG pays for these permits and wands through contingency funds. Those contingency funds are paid for entirely by students, with $2.20 from each student.
In all, about $1,250 was spent on the permits, which equals roughly 568 students.
That may not seem like a large percentage out of 27,027 students at LSU, but consider this — that’s more students than in the entire College of Music and Dramatic Arts, according to the Office of Budget and Planning.
It’s one thing for a student leader to receive benefits. They represent the student body as a whole and maintain a busy schedule, so some of those perks are deserved.
Hudson pointed out student body presidents at other Louisiana higher education institutions receive much greater kickbacks. Hudson only receives a salary, while University of Louisiana at Lafayette Student Government Association President Chris Groh said he receives a meal plan, a tuition waiver and a monthly salary. But that’s all paid for by ULL.
That fact that students pay for these parking permits is not only laughable, it’s insulting.
Student Media has been offered gifts — including parking permits — in the past, but our department routinely turns them down for ethical reasons.
This isn’t the first time Hudson’s administration has spent money in ways that raise eyebrows. An SG-sponsored bus trip for the LSU-Arkansas men’s basketball game cost $8,000 — for 38 students to attend.
Talk about an airball.
Bonvillain has already paid for her permit after being approached by The Daily Reveille about this issue. Borel and Caffarel both said they would pay for their permits, if possible, which we hope will happen. University Court Chief Justice Danielle Rushing refused to even take a permit.
Cody Wells and Kathleen Bordelon, the newly elected SG president and vice president, told The Daily Reveille they would not pay for their permits through the contingency funds.
Hudson, however, vehemently defended receiving the permits.
“Could we do our job without them? Probably,” Hudson said. “But it helps us be efficient.”
Hudson has been a white knight for the University against budget cuts and has put students FIRST, as his campaign platform said.
After this gaffe, Hudson is still putting students FIRST — as long as he gets the best parking spot.
 
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