Fisher leaves legacy on Senate, LSU
Former pro-tempore famous for opinions
By Kayla Gagnet, Chief Staff Writer
Some say he is progressive, others say he is opinionated. But as a student senator, there is one thing Jerry Fisher was not — quiet.
As a two-year veteran of the Student Senate, Fisher was known for voicing his opinions and concerns. But he chose not to run for re-election this semester, and after his final meeting Wednesday, some said the Senate had lost a valuable voice.
“He put a lot of himself — his personality, perseverance and intelligence — into his debates,” said Darrell Broussard, SG president.
Broussard said though Fisher did not always agree with everyone, he was open-minded and willing to sit down and talk things out.
Fisher, also the former speaker pro-tempore, was not afraid to take on “controversial” issues in the Senate, and he did so several times during his tenure.
“Wallflowers don’t accomplish a whole lot,” Fisher said. “I speak a lot, a lot more than many people in the Senate would have liked to hear me speak. But I always have the philosophy that whenever you do add something, make sure that it’s worthwhile.”
Historically, Fisher has worked with groups under-represented on campus. He was a vocal supporter of bills funding Spectrum Alliance, the University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student organization.
During his tenure, Fisher also worked to get funding for the Black Student Union and the African American Cultural Center, though he said these groups still need more funding.
This semester, some of the Senate’s longest debates were on Fisher’s legislation. Fisher co-authored the much-debated September resolution expressing student dissatisfaction with Chancellor Mark Emmert’s pay raise.
Senators also spent some time in September debating Fisher’s resolution demanding the Hill Farm not be moved as the Master Plan dictates.
Fisher was one of as many as 15 senators affiliated with the Progressive Student Alliance, an “umbrella organization dedicated social justice and multi-issue progress.” Conflicts at Senate meetings often were visible, with PSA students sitting on one side of the Atchafalaya Room arguing with students on the other side.
“As a senator, I know that I often looked across the aisle and wondered, ‘Who are these people?'” said Donald Hodge, fellow PSA member and former senator. “They don’t write bills and don’t speak up.”
But Fisher actively wrote legislation and voiced his opinion, Hodge said.
“I always thought that was nice for debates — to have divergent viewpoints,” Hodge said.
Fisher is part of the outflow of senators affiliated with PSA. Only a handful remain in the Senate this term.
Meaghan Miller, program coordinator and assistant SG advisor, said Fisher’s knowledge of Senate rules, policy and procedure was an asset.
“He’s definitely looked to by other senators for his opinion and perception,” Miller said. “Even if they don’t agree, they look to him.”
Fisher’s relationship with former speaker Jeremy Griggs often was contentious.
“He [Fisher] feels by standing up and shouting at Senate meetings he can get more accomplished than by sitting down with administrators and talking to them,” Griggs said.
But Griggs said in the past year, Fisher has increased his efforts to meet with University officials to discuss issues.
“He cared — which is better than a lot of senators,” Griggs said. “He was one of the few people willing to put in all the time that was necessary to get the job done.”
Some say the Senate will be different without Fisher.
“They’ll probably have quicker meetings,” Griggs said. “You have a Senate that has lost, I guess, the opposition voice.”
Fisher now is looking to the future. The history and political science major graduates in May, and he plans to get a master’s and doctoral degrees in international affairs.
But he knows some of the most important things he learned were in the Student Senate.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing the Senate has done for me personally, because it has done so much,” Fisher said. “And I really do feel that I’m a better person for having participated in it.”
While it has been hard work, Fisher said he will miss those weekly Senate meetings.
“To be honest, I’ll miss arguing with people,” Fisher said. “It was my greatest weekly dose of drama, and I really did enjoy that. I’ll really miss the people. Even though politically, I don’t agree with a lot of them, or even most of them, there really are some extremely intelligent people in there, some very good-hearted
people.”