A proposal crafted by Student Government’s economic advisers is in the midst of being distributed to state legislators and labeled as representing “the stance of the LSU student body,” though it fails to address tuition or fee increases, which Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget has opened the door for in this legislative session.
Greg Upton, economics graduate student, and Anthony Kumse, economics and math senior, two of SG’s economic advisers, defended the absence of tuition and fee increases because they were addressed in SG’s economic proposal last year, which expressed students’ support for the LA GRAD Act.
Upton said tuition “isn’t one of the big issues being debated this year” because tuition increases are already happening. He said tuition and fees are “really not a pertinent issue for LSU because the LA GRAD Act was passed last year.”
Upton and Kumse said topics being debated in the Legislature pertaining to tuition and fee increases — like changing the full-time tuition cap, which would prorate tuition, and increasing operational fees — are not broad enough areas to be covered in their economic proposal, but they encourage students to request the SG Department of Economic Advising to research such areas if they’re interested.
While the proposal is labeled as “the point of view of the students of Louisiana State University,” Upton and Kumse’s caveat is that the proposal was passed by the SG Senate, which was elected to represent the students. PDF: Full text of economic proposal
Upton and Kumse said J Hudson and Dani Borel, former SG president and vice president, also contributed to the proposal, along with the help of their executive staff, though those positions are appointed, not elected. Upton and Kumse mentioned they had several friends who they said read and revised the proposal.
The proposal advocates a constitutional overhaul to remove all protections and says “we are not in favor of protecting TOPS.”
Upton and Kumse clarified their suggestions are “not specifically to not protect TOPS, but specifically to not protect anything.”
Though the proposal does not specifically advocate HB 391 — which would abolish the system of higher education management boards, from the Board of Regents down to the system boards, and instead create a Louisiana Postsecondary Education Board of Trustees — it does push to consolidate boards, citing State Treasurer John Kennedy saying consolidating four boards would save an estimated $75 million per year.
Upton and Kumse say the proposal supports mergers, but they and the proposal are quick to assent they only endorse the idea of mergers, but not one particular merger.
Upton and Kumse also push the LA GRAD Act 2.0.
They said the proposal supports the specifics of the bill because it “shifts autonomy to universities.” Upton said last year’s economic proposal advocated the original LA GRAD Act, and while the internals of LA GRAD Act 2.0 are different, “the philosophies that govern them are very much the same.”
“The students want common sense solutions for higher education,” Upton said.
 
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]