McNeese students rally against cuts

Published 12:35 pm Thursday, February 25, 2016

By American Press Staff

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">BATON ROUGE — McNeese State University student Coby Sammis said Wednesday that closing the school wouldn’t just affect students, but “the community around us.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Sammis and several other McNeese students participated in a rally Wednesday outside the state Capitol that drew more than 2,000 students from colleges and universities around the state. The Bring HEAT, or Bring Higher Education All Together, rally was organized by the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents, along with the Board of Regents.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“You can only cut so much until you’re to the bone and you can’t cut anymore,” Sammis said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Gov. John Bel Edwards addressed the students and university officials during the rally, saying they “could not have come at a more critical time.” The governor has proposed tax increases, along with certain cuts, to reduce the state’s $900 million budget hole for the current fiscal year.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“I say we can’t afford to not invest in your future,” he said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Fellow McNeese student Nick Rohret said the university has dealt with midsemester cuts for nearly eight years. He said a fund to handle those cuts is running out of money.</span>

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<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“There’s been talk of cutting faculty and holding fewer classes, which would extend degree plans,” he said. “And that’s the best-case scenario.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The worst-case scenario, he said, would be a shutdown of the university. If that happened, Rohret and other students said they would be forced to go to another college in state or attend an out-of-state school and pay higher tuition.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Rohret said McNeese has already felt the effects of fewer dollars, with delayed construction projects and issues with overall maintenance.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“When we can’t hire enough janitors to keep the restrooms clean on a consistent basis, there’s a problem,” he said. “We don’t have the funds to upgrade anything anymore.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">McNeese student and SGA officer Mark Bailes said college students statewide simply want a solution that is best for the state. But Rohret said the decision “needs to be a bipartisan issue.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“As long as it’s divided by party lines, we’re not going to find a solution in time,” Rohret said. “We want honest answers.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">After the rally, Edwards met privately with student government presidents from different universities to discuss their concerns with funding higher education.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">A similar rally is planned for 4 p.m. today, Feb. 25, at McNeese.</span>””<p>Sen. Dan "Blade" Morrish</p>Melinda Deslatte

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