Budget cuts hit every department hard this semester, and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center is no exception. The Law Center jumped from No. 88 to No. 75 in U.S News and World Report’s ‘America’s Best Graduate Schools’ in 2010. The Law Center had a 90 percent pass rate as of July 2009. Loyola University had 67 percent pass rate and Southern University had a 58 percent pass rate. Some alumni from the law school have also received partnerships with some of the top law firms in the state. ‘In terms of what we aspire to do, these cuts are crippling … there’s no fat here,’ said Chancellor Jack Weiss of the Law Center. The staff of the Law Center was cut by five last semester. He also said many members of the staff were subjected to voluntary furloughs. Days off without pay were also given. No staff have been cut so far this semester. ‘It is too early in the upcoming budget process to predict,’ Weiss said. Amanda Washington, first-year law student, said good teachers are part of what makes progress in a school. ‘Budget cuts are necessary – it would be unfair to cut everything else and not the law school – but I would hate to lose any teachers,’ Washington said. One way to generate revenue to the Law Center is to raise tuition. The Law Center has the lowest tuition of Southern law schools, averaging about $13,000 per year per student. One of Weiss’ biggest concerns about raising tuition is students going into debt. ‘I want to make our education accessible,’ he said. Rachel Abadie, first-year law student, said a tuition increase would not bother her. ‘Raising tuition is a good idea,’ Abadie said. ‘The tuition is already cheap. I don’t think it will deter students from applying.’ Weiss also said the center can’t afford to lose extras like the center’s library and career services. ‘It’s a difficult job market today, and I want my students to succeed,’ Weiss said. —- Contact Mandy Francois at [email protected] ‘