“We’re stressed out,”

That is just one of the sentiments describing the University of New Orleans.
The Board of Regents, the state’s budget board for higher education, recommended that UNO assimilate into the lsu system. This comes after a $10 million loss due to low enrollment. Economics professor Dr. Gregory Price explained why in part the school has faltered.
“The formula for funding higher education throughout the state of Louisiana became less generous,” Price said. “So it became more costly to attend UNO.”

UNO originally exited the LSU system in 2011. The school reached peak attendance in 2005 with approximately 17,000 students. Now, UNO’s enrollment is only 6,000, compared to LSU’s 37,000 students at their main Baton Rouge campus.

“The U-L system appropriates roughly $3,800,” Price said. “Under the LSU system, the appropriation per student is about $8,800.”

“Given our current financial situation, that would be beneficial,” Price said.

Aside from the unmanicured landscapes, and the disquieting silence, their target audience seems to be dwindling.

“You’re on campus to home, and you do not have to drive as far while also staying in the same areas,” High School senior Paul Bryant said. “And so you don’t have to navigate everything.”

A lot is at stake in UNO’s future, as Mike the Tiger may soon get a swashbuckling brother.