Though Gov. Bobby Jindal told people to expect less than 10 percent budget cuts next year, significantly less than the past semester’s estimated 32 percent cut, from state financing, University president Stephen Hulbert said people should not get comfortable.Hulbert said that there have not been any explanations from the Jindal administration.
“What I think is going on right now is a lot of political posturing,” Hulbert said. “This is in preparation for the governor’s release of his executive budget.”
Hulbert said that although he is unsure of the exact impact the budget cuts will have, he said University officials are going to make sure that everyone is informed as soon as details are known.
“We’ve heard that it might be less than 10 percent, but I would challenge anyone to look at the media coverage and tell me, ’10 percent of what’,” Hulbert said.
Hulbert said that the cut could be from the University’s overall budget, but this decrease in budget cuts could coincide with an increase in student fees and tuition.
“We are about to begin a legislative session,” Hulbert said. “It’s an incredibly difficult time for Louisiana in terms of the financials condition of the state.”
Hulbert said that students, faculty, staff and the community should not be comfortable with the media’s coverage of a smaller impact on higher education.
“At this point, we are lacking specificity from state government,” Hulbert said. “No one should be feeling comfortable that it’s only 10 percent.”
“More cuts are expected because the state is estimated to be short $1.6 billion in state general fund income next year to continue current services,” according to The Associated Press.
Hulbert said that it is obvious that in the past, health and higher education have been the two unprotected areas that are cut first and “receive the most damage.”
“I am much more optimistic than I was this fall when I raised the issue with my letter for the campus and talked about the future of Nicholls and higher education in Louisiana,” Hulbert said. “I believe that people in all levels of state government know now that a large population of this state is very concerned for the future of post-secondary education, and I believe that we accomplished for Nicholls what we set out to do this fall.
