Many students may wonder if the campaign promises handed out on push-cards in Free Speech Alley and spouted by Student Government hopefuls are actually feasible.
While SG presidential and vice presidential candidates outline their goals for when or if they are elected on Wednesday, University officials say some, but not all, of those goals can be accomplished.
Not all the candidates’ platforms are discussed in this article.
Jay Buller and Robert Lay
Among Buller and Lay’s top priorities is luring big name concerts, creating a legislative task force and forming an off-campus safety directory.
Current SG President Darrell Broussard said big name concerts are a good idea, but Baton Rouge often is overlooked because of its unattractive music venue and lack of available funds.
During his administration, Broussard and his staff attempted to lure the Dave Matthews Acoustic Tour but only made it through preliminary rounds of bidding.
Another campaign objective is to create a legislative task force of students to track important state legislation and keep SG, student leaders and the student body informed.
Scott Woodward, LSU lobbyist, said a task force is a good idea and is within the realm of SG.
Woodward said he could not specifically recall if anyone has contacted him about this idea, but he is “by no means the gatekeeper.” He said students can lobby the legislature without going through him.
Broussard said he and other SG members visited the legislature in the fall and came away feeling they made an important impact.
Buller and Lay also promise to create a directory listing apartments’ safety features to be used to pressure complexes into increasing safety measures.
Several representatives from local apartment complexes expressed both interests and concerns about participation in this directory. None of the listed apartments were contacted by the candidates.
Azalea Point, Bluebonnet Place, Sterling and Fairway View apartments said their complexes probably would not take part in the directory because of issues with guaranteed liability and safety.
Oakbrook, Tiger Plaza, University Commons and Teakwood apartments said they may be interested but could not be sure until they are contacted with the details.
Travis Leblanc and J. Ben Edmonds
Leblanc and Edmonds’ campaign promises include placing American flags in every campus classroom.
Paul Favaloro, director of Resource Services, said Facility Services employees could handle the installation and maintenance of the flags, but the problem would be the funding.
      Favaloro said this would be a costly project because of the extensive number of classrooms and the actual cost of the flags.
Harald Leder, International Cultural Center manager, said the presence of American flags in each classroom is a very strong display of patriotism, but it might make some international students and faculty members feel uneasy.
Although he said the nation’s flag deserves an honorable place on this campus, classroom flags might not be welcoming to students from other countries.
Leblanc and Edmonds also promise to create an on-campus recycling program, which would redirect funds back into the University.
Victoria Porter, Facility Services manager of solid waste and recycling, said there is currently a campuswide recycling program, but it only focuses on paper products. Facility Services currently is looking for ideas to expand to all areas, including aluminum, glass and other products, similar to the one being used by Residential Life.
Porter did not mention the direction of the recycling revenue.
Allen Richey and Jason Wesley
Richey and Wesley are promising to make sure the University maintains the autonomy of the Women’s Center and AACC if their current facilities are not maintained in the Master Plan.
Chancellor Mark Emmert said the Board of Supervisors already has adopted the Master Plan, but it is only providing a framework, and they are willing to consider the recommendations of students.
The Master Plan committee plans to work directly with the affected entities, such as the African American Cultural Center and the Women’s Center, but Emmert said it appreciates input from involved students.
Richey and Wesley want to expand the International Expo into a week of activities involving more cultures and highlighting a different culture each day.
Leder said this is a wonderful idea, but it might put an unnecessary strain on the already busy international students.
A week of events to plan and participate in might be taxing for students juggling school, jobs and other activities in a new country. Leder said a better idea would be to expand the expo to include help from outside the University.
Richey and Wesley also are proposing a monthly forum for students to come together with the chancellor.
Emmert said he already has discussed “Chats with the Chancellor” with the candidates and thinks it is an excellent idea. He said he would be more than willing to participate, depending on his schedule.
Disability access and its continuous improvement are additional concerns for Richey and Wesley.
Emmett David, assistant director of Facility Development, said disability access “will always improve.” The candidates have not yet contacted him.
Renewing campus traditions is another platform for Richey and Wesley.
The candidates want to bring back the traditional freshmen pajama party to extend a welcome to incoming freshmen.
Randy Gurie, University special events director, said this is a good idea, and it is feasible for SG to take an active part in promoting this.
Although the candidates have not contacted him, Gurie said he would be happy to work with them in promoting the pajama party at freshman orientation and other events at the beginning of the year.
Richey and Wesley are promising to improve the University health services by starting a hotline, in which students can call in and ask for health advice.
Kathy Saichuk, Wellness Education coordinator, said there is no hotline in place, but the “Ask Mike” Web site allows students to ask Wellness Education employees health questions and provides a quick response.
The Web site provides anonymity for students, and Saichuk said a hotline would be expensive, especially when the Web site is already available.
Richey and Wesley also plan to expand the support system for the 1,000-seat classroom in the Academic Center for Student Athletes by holding the faculty and administration accountable for providing enough care for students.
Joseph Hutchinson, executive director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, said the candidates would have to work directly with the faculty to obtain this goal.
Hutchinson said the promise is legitimate and feasible, but it is not a vital need because the support system already is in place.
Kyle Wilkinson and Danny Rockwell
Wilkinson and Rockwell are proposing to develop an “Eye of the Tiger” neighborhood watch system, in which students are hired to become proactive participants by driving their vehicles around campus at night and notifying police of suspicious activity on campus.
Capt. Ricky Adams said LSUPD probably would be apprehensive about students doing the actual patrolling but would instead encourage SG to aid the police in motivating students to take a proactive stance on safety.
An “Automatic Alert Scheduling Program,” which would automatically place students on a waiting list if the class they are trying to schedule is full, is another platform for Wilkinson and Rockwell.
University Registrar Robert Doolos said the proposed system, which he referred to as “wait-listing,” is an idea the Registrar’s Office already is considering, but he was encouraged by the candidates’ interest in the system.
Doolos said the new system probably will be a long-term project, and he would appreciate student input from SG.
“Tiger Trolley” is a transportation resolution Wilkinson and Rockwell think will help students get to class more quickly. The trolley would pick students up in parking areas and transport them closer to campus.
Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said these trolleys pose serious liability threats and is the reason for past failures of this system. Graham said the trolleys are very slow and getting on and off poses a problem.
Wilkinson and Rockwell also are proposing to work with the University Registrar’s Office to arrange classes so they are more closely placed in relation to students’ respective major and college.
Doolos said a lot of factors, including class size, construction and disability access, go into classroom zoning. These factors often make it difficult to arrange classes in a completely uniform fashion.
Doolos also said the Registrar’s Office already uses software that allows them to zone student classes as efficiently as possible.
Wilkinson and Rockwell have proposed to make the campus more secure through improved lighting and by adding and improving current call boxes.
Peter Davidson, director of Energy Services, says recent repairs to lights have been made, including $250,000 in the past 18 months and an additional $250,000 received in the past two weeks to make repairs. He also said the copper lights presently used provide more light than the proposed white lights.
Adams said he commends the candidates for the thought they have put into safety issues.