Student Rally at State Capitol to Support TOPS and Higher Education Funding
LSU Student Government hosts a rally at the State Capitol today to call for full funding of TOPS and higher education. If lawmakers do not act before the end of the fiscal year on June 30th, then students will face a 30% cut to TOPS and a $21 million dollar reduction in funding for LSU.
LSU Student Government President Stewart Lockett says they want to give students a voice about their future.
There have been debates on funding since the beginning of the first special session in February and lawmakers recently came seven votes short of passing a sales tax bill that would have fully funded TOPS and higher education. Lockett expresses his frustration of not knowing the fate of his University.
“I don’t know if I’m going to wake up and 5,000 students will be paid 2,000 dollars more in the fall or LSU is going to have to reduce 5% of their faculty and staff.”
Lockett says their message for lawmakers is simple and that is to stabilize higher education and TOPS. All public university systems are looped into this rally and the turnout is expected to be high.
“We’ll have representatives coming from Nicholls, Northwestern State, LSU-A, LSU-E, all over that state of Louisiana. I think we’re going to have a lot of student representation. That’s what I’m excited for… different students, different stories”
To learn more about potential cuts to TOPS and higher ed, visit www.lsu.edu/budget.
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