Southeastern Student Government to sponsor legislative forum
Contact: Rene Abadie
3/3/11
HAMMOND – The Student Government Association at Southeastern Louisiana University will sponsor a Budget Impact Forum on Monday, March 14.
Scheduled from 3:30 – 5 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre, the forum is designed to provide a platform for dialogue between the area’s state legislative delegation and students regarding the state’s budget crisis and how it could further impact higher education, specifically Southeastern. The event is free and open to the public.
“Students need to be informed and to get engaged. The cuts to Southeastern have a direct impact on their future,” said SGA President David Cavell. “With the state’s current budget situation, we believe it’s important to hear our legislators’ priorities and how they plan to address this situation.”
Cavell noted that Louisiana higher education has been hit with more than $315 million in cuts over the last two years, with Southeastern losing approximately $16 million in state funding.
The forum will coincide with an ongoing educational effort sponsored by the SGA and aimed at informing students about the situation and encouraging them to participate in a letter-writing campaign to their representatives and senators. The association is encouraging students to go to the “Southeastern SUPER” page on Facebook to utilize the SUPER Network (“Students United in Pursuit of Educational Respect”), an online initiative to address questions and concerns about the impact of budget crisis on higher education.
Students have the opportunity to pose questions for legislators via the SUPER Network on Facebook. The deadline for submitting questions is March 11.
“With the potential for additional significant cuts looming ahead, an air of uncertainty permeates our campus and all of higher education,” Cavell said. “We’re hoping our legislators will recognize the impact that continued cuts will have on higher education and do something to alleviate them.”
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