Jeremy Griggs has a lot of work to do.
The former Student Senate speaker’s recent appointment to the Senate expires in less than two weeks, and he has an agenda.
But Griggs wasn’t elected to a Senate seat this semester. Sen. Neal Cotton appointed Griggs for the remaining three weeks of his term after being elected to University Court.
“I have unfinished business, a lot from when I was speaker, that I didn’t get done,” Griggs said. “As a whole, these are things that address the issues of LSU that need to be addressed.”
It’s a long list of issues — alleviating traffic in problems spots on campus, creating committees to review campus food service and student diversity, instituting fully online voting for Student Government elections, consolidating student programming fees into one funding pot and more.
And then there’s the “big one” — the capital outlay fee, what could be the biggest student-assessed fee increase in recent years. If the Senate, the Board of Supervisors and the state legislature agree, students could pay up to $150 more each semester to fund Master Plan improvements.
“The overall idea is to change the nature of LSU,” Griggs said.
Griggs introduced three pieces of legislation at last Wednesday’s Senate meeting and plans on introducing up to five more.
Cotton said Griggs let him know he was interested in the seat, but he did not know what legislation Griggs would propose.
“I thought he would do a lot of good things,” Cotton said. “I know how much Senate meant to Jeremy, and though I don’t always agree with him, I generally think everything he does is for the betterment of the University.”
Griggs, a petroleum engineering senior, graduates in December but says his absence shouldn’t keep his plans from going forward.
Griggs acknowledges he will graduate before all his ideas become reality, but he hopes to start discussions that will eventually lead to major changes.
“It’s going to be close,” he said, concerning whether the Senate would pass all his proposed legislation. “People need to be willing to step up and tackle big issues.”
The overall theme of Griggs’ agenda is simple, he said. He wants to improve the University in the long run.
“Our degrees are only worth what the incoming [freshman] class is worth,” Griggs said. “A lot of things have happened this year to better that class.”
Griggs pointed to Senate support for the Stelly Plan and raising admission standards as key to increasing the University’s prestige.
And he hopes some of his legislation helps further that cause.
Griggs had an active history as a student senator. He wrote and pushed through resolutions on various subjects — from changing the scheduling priority system to asking that the University become entirely wireless and require 2005 entering freshmen to purchase laptops.
Griggs worked with the Registrar’s Office, and beginning this semester, the scheduling priority system changed so smaller groups could schedule at one time. And a special SG committee is examining the prospect of the freshman laptop requirement. However, Griggs thinks the requirement will go into effect by 2008, a more reasonable date.
So Griggs has been active in following up on past legislation. But some consider Griggs’ most recent agendas irresponsible.
“This is everything a student or citizen does not want in a public leader,” said Patrick McCune, last year’s SG president and mass communication senior.
McCune is concerned because Griggs has not worked yet with this year’s Senate, and Griggs’ short appointment gives little time to tackle some of the big issues on his agenda.
“There’s no way that these major policy changes could be studied and responsibly looked at in the week or two that he’s trying to do these things,” McCune said.
McCune also said Griggs has not made enough of an effort to inform students and the public about possible changes to the University.
“I have no doubt Mr. Griggs has some experience with the bills he’s bringing up,” McCune said. “But no matter what he’s done on his own time, he has not included the campus community in discussing these huge issues.”
Others see Griggs’ appointment as productive for the Senate.
“I’m the kind of person who likes to see big things happen in the Senate,” said Sen. Michael Busada. “I think Jeremy has a record of taking on those big issues.”
Busada said while time may be a factor in pushing through Griggs’ proposals, there are many senators who will remain and help further those agendas.
“It’s good for the Senate to debate the proposals he has and see what kind of consensus we can come to,” Busada said.
Sen. Jerry Fisher, former speaker pro-tempore alongside Griggs, had his share of political battles with the former speaker. But Fisher said some of Griggs’ proposals have their merits, if they are done right.
“Sometimes even the most disagreeable individuals can raise valid points for progressive changes at LSU,” Fisher said. “Hopefully, if the students of LSU decide to agree to some of the measures proposed by Griggs, there will be mechanisms put into place to ensure that they are carried out correctly and with the students’ best interest in mind.”
Fisher said he is glad any fee Griggs proposes will go to the Student Fee Oversight Committee, a watchdog group of student leaders and administrators Fisher helped create last semester.
Students can attend Student Senate meetings each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Union Atchafalaya Room to voice their opinions.