Southern University, LSU’s Baton Rouge neighbor, will make one of two decisions this week to deal with budget problems flooding the state’s higher education system — either declare financial exigency or ask faculty to agree to furloughs.
The Southern University Board of Supervisors was supposed to vote on the measure Friday but decided to give Southern faculty more time to muse the possibility of taking unpaid time off and receiving shorter termination memos. A balanced budget must be set for Southern by Sept. 1, Southern spokesperson Katara Williams told the Associated Press.
Southern Chancellor James Llorens has continually argued that the only way for Southern to sidestep exigency is for a minimum of 90 percent of faculty members to agree to furloughs and a shorter window for how long a professor must be notified before layoffs. That means at least 90 percent of Southern faculty would take 10 percent furloughs for up to two years as a resort to save the University from exigency.
If Southern declares exigency, it allows for tenured faculty layoffs and cutting academic programs.
Kevin Cope, president of the LSU Faculty Senate, said if LSU were to declare exigency, it would deter faculty from being attracted to the University. The same concept can be applied to Southern — the declaration of exigency could dissuade prospective students and professors from joining the Southern ranks, especially if tenured faculty members are laid off.
Southern Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi said on the Reveille Weekend radio show Aug. 21 that he and other faculty members are against the furlough agreement suggested by Llorens.
Trivedi said before Southern considers furloughs and exigency, it should explore all other options of cutting other programs and areas of the university. Exigency, he said, should be an absolute last resort.
Southern, like all public universities in the state, has steadily increased its tuition over the past years to compensate for state budget cuts.
Last fall, a full-time, in-state undergraduate student at Southern’s main campus paid $2,292 in tuition and fees, according to Southern University’s fee schedules. The schedules say this fall, a full-time undergraduate student at Southern’s main campus is paying $2,537 in tuition and fees, a $245 increase.
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]