LSU, you have a problem

By Robert Mann

If the LSU Student Government Association (SGA) wanted to alienate some of higher education’s most dependable allies — lawmakers who, over the years, have vigorously fought Gov. Bobby Jindal’s deep budget cuts to the state’s universities — they stumbled on a perfect way to do so on Tuesday.

If student government leaders wanted to make LSU President F. King Alexander’s job much harder in next years’s special legislative session, by alienating some key Democrats, they did it well with their Louisiana Legislature Higher Education Report Card.

Alexander inspired the report card. It was his suggestion. What I am sure he could not have anticipated is that the SGA would end up giving D’s and F’s to some of the legislators who have fought valiantly for LSU and other universities throughout the years.

He could not have imagined a scenario in which, for example, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson would end the session with an F (partly for her vote against Jindal’s phony SAVE credit bill) while people like Speaker Chuck Kleckley and House Appropriations Chair Jim Fannin — Jindal’s budget cutting handmaidens — would be given A’s.

I’m sure he could not have imagined that stalwart opponents of Jindal’s cuts, like reps. Stephen Ortego and Sam Jones, would be awarded F’s, while longtime Jindal enablers, like sens. Mike Walsworth and Bodie White, would get A’s.

These are not Alexander’s grades. These are grades the students handed out. But, judging by Peterson’s Twitter account, Alexander and LSU officials may have some fence-mending to do.

Folks who promoted the nonsense shld have been given an F! Instead, folks who highlight hypocrisy of #lalege given F https://t.co/Ab4GQRJlwX — KarenCarterPeterson (@TeamKCP) June 16, 2015

Not sideways…upside down! I’m embarrassed that he’s in charge of our flagship &promoting @BobbyJindal propaganda! https://t.co/56lF6niSnO

— KarenCarterPeterson (@TeamKCP) June 16, 2015