<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">As a longtime booster of McNeese State University athletics I am concerned about the effect of state budget cuts on the overall athletic programs.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">I understand McNeese has hired a contractor — Learfield Sports — to take on the task of raising sponsorships for the program. I am told this is the best year ever in total funds raised.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">How much has been raised in 2016?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“McNeese athletics began a partnership with KP Sports a few years ago that was designed to increase corporate sponsorships. Learfield Sports Inc. purchased KP Sports and McNeese began its partnership with Learfield for corporate sponsorship management on July 1, 2016,” Candace Townsend, McNeese State University spokeswoman, wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“McNeese transitioned from the Collegiate Licensing Company to Learfield for licensing management services in July 2015. It is too soon to know what the full financial impact of the university’s partnership with Learfield will be for fiscal year 2016-2017.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Learfield also represents the Southland, the Big Ten and several other athletic conferences, along with scores of universities — including Alabama, Clemson, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&amp;M and Texas Tech.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The company, Townsend said, provides “expertise and resources for corporate sponsorship, multi-media and marketing management and licensing services to increase brand awareness, royalty and</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">marketing revenues.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">She said state budget cuts have affected all McNeese State University departments, including athletics. But, she said, “the continued strong support of private donors to the McNeese Foundation” has lessened the cuts’ direct effect on students.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.mcneesesports.com; http://learfieldsports.com.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">Calcasieu schools have 33K students</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">How many teachers does the Calcasieu Parish school system have, and what is their racial makeup? How many are black and how many are white? How many students does the system have, and what is their racial makeup?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">School district spokeswoman Holly Holland said that Calcasieu Parish schools had, as of Monday, 2,487 active classroom teachers and 33,488 students.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The racial makeup of parish teachers, according to Holland:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">African-American — 12.3 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">American Indian/Alaskan — 0.04 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Asian — 0.4 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Caucasian — 86.1 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Hawaiian/Pacific Islander — 0.08</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Hispanic — 1.05 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The racial makeup of students:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">African-American — 34.5 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">American Indian — 0.4 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Asian — 1.6 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Caucasian — 59.9 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Hispanic — 3.4 percent.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Other — 0.1 percent.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.cpsb.org.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>