Save Our Schools

CUTS WOULD HIT LSU HARD

BY Jordan Blum
Advocate Capitol News Bureau

LSU would lay off at least 400 employees, cut back on scholarships and shut down some research institutions under proposed budget cuts, LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said Thursday.

The LSU campus and most of the LSU System’s other institutions released their proposals for meeting $102 million in budget cuts to the LSU System in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget.

The cuts represent nearly 15 percent of the state’s appropriations to LSU campuses.

LSU museums, student services and general campus upkeep will all suffer more because the academic core must be protected, Martin said.

He said about 80 percent of LSU’s budget is in personnel and that it is “demoralizing” to let anyone go. Most layoffs would be staff and some instructors and part-time faculty, but not tenure-track faculty, yet, he said. The main LSU campus employs nearly 3,300 people.

“It’s very difficult to face the prospect that some of these good people will not be with us,” Martin said.

Martin’s budget proposal was submitted to the LSU System office Thursday evening. The system office will review and approve the budget.

LSU’s budget plans do not include anticipated 5 percent tuition increases and possible fee increases that could cushion some of the cuts, he said.

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