After their administration made national headlines for questioning Gov. Bobby Jindal’s dedication to funding Louisiana’s higher education, Student Government President and Vice President J Hudson and Dani Borel are leaving office Wednesday.
But say they will maintain relationships with administrators and legislators and advocate for the University.
“There was once an SG president who said, ‘There’s a life after Student Government, and I’m going to live it,'” Hudson said. “We’re going to live it, but we’re going to be fighting for LSU.”
Hudson said he learned to emphasize “the student is the customer of higher education” while dealing with those in higher-powered positions than his own.
While Hudson and Borel have worked closely with Chancellor Michael Martin and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton, they acknowledged they disagree on some of their positions regarding budget cuts.
Borel said she disagrees with prorated tuition, which would make students pay more per credit hour taken, while Hudson said he disagrees with instituting user-based fees, such as fees to join the Greek system.
Hudson and Borel had 32 initiatives on their pushcard, and they completed 21. As SG President-elect and Vice President-elect Cody Wells and Kathleen Bordelon are inaugurated, Hudson and Borel have two initiatives that should be completed within the next year, five initiatives in progress and four initiatives not complete.
Hudson and Borel also completed at least 12 more initiatives that were not on their pushcard.
Hudson said one of their initiatives, donating funding from unused meal plans, was not possible because LSU Dining is sponsored by a for-profit company.
“We tried everything,” Hudson said about donating unused meal plan funding. “The answer was no because of money.”
Hudson said he hopes to see at least two of the “in progress” initiatives finished in the next few weeks. He said he will be in meetings for the continuation of making the North Gate area safer and the merger of the committees overseeing the Programming, Support and Initiatives Fund and Organizational Relief Fund. The PSIF/ORF merger is an initiative that was not on Hudson and Borel’s pushcard.
Hudson said he considers the PSIF/ORF merger to be one of the most difficult initiatives to establish because they “reached so much red tape and bureaucracy.”
Borel said the Greek wireless Internet initiative has also been a challenge because “bureaucracy and budget cuts make it difficult.” Borel said Greek wireless is labeled “in progress.”
  Video: Hudson and Borel Interview
 
Hudson said he will graduate in August and plans to stay at the University for his master’s degree in public administration.
Borel said she will graduate in May and get married this summer as she works on a fundraiser for legislators. She said she will attend the Paul M. Hebert Law Center next year.
Reflecting on his term, Hudson said his best moment was not meeting Jindal but instead having a custodial worker tell him it was a shame he could not run again because he had done so much for the University. Borel said her favorite memories are of students saying her administration “restored their faith” in SG.
Hudson said he would have liked to spend more time on the budget cut crisis. He called the process of meeting Jindal after he wrote letters to newspapers, went to the Capitol and spoke with various legislators the “pinnacle.” Hudson said he hopes some of his administration’s foundations, such as Flagship Advocates and EducateLA, will continue to the next administration.
Wells said previously he would not focus his administration on “combating budget cuts.”
However, Hudson said he challenges Wells and Bordelon to “spend as much time or more on budget cuts.” Borel said they, with the help of their staff, were able to complete initiatives while being catalysts for change at the University, local and state levels.
“It’s exciting to know that your voice does matter,” she said.
 
Complete List of Hudson’s Initiatives:
Completed initiatives:
• Advocate against budget cuts
• Assess fee bill thoroughly
• Add a Redbox on campus
• Extend add/drop time frame
• Extend library hours
• Strengthen Dead Week violation system
• Create online test bank
• Improve the Student Organization Fair
• Increase fundraisers for student organizations
• Spotlight organizations for achievements and contributions
• Establish baseball bus trip
• Create online printable comprehensive sports calendar
• Establish commuter / Tiger Band-only gameday parking
• Increase Priority Points per event
• Reform towing Friday before game days
• Increase seating in Student Union
• Ensure correctly labeled recycling bins are in every classroom
• Advocate new buildings meet LEED standards
• Institute service-learning in every college
• Develop awareness between bikes and pedestrians
• Increase communication with other Louisiana colleges and universities
In progress:
• Establish covered bus stops
• Reform international student orientation
• Publish results of teacher evaluations
• Extend wireless throughout campus
• Host baseball pep rallies
• Research solutions to traffic conditions on Burbank and Nicholson drives
• Continue to make North Gate area safer
Not complete:
• Decrease restrictions on on-campus events
• Decrease receipt printing from LSU Dining
• Advocate LSU to purchase renewable energy
• Donate funding from unused meal plans
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]