Higher education in Louisiana can take a small breath of relief as Governor Bobby Jindal said colleges and universities will not see a funding reduction if his proposal is adopted.
The outcome of the proposal may not be known until June 23 when the regular legislative session adjourns.
Jindal’s proposal involves reworking the current budget alongside the selling of some state prisons, increased state employee retirement payments and an increase in fees and tuitions as high as 10 percent at some universities and colleges.
“Part of it is the budget doesn’t get cut if the tuition increase happens. It’s going to raise the revenue if the tuition increases,” Larry Howell, special assistant to the president, said.
While it is not set in stone or voted on yet, Howell said he believes that the tuition cap will increase from 12 hours to 15 hours. With the 15-hour cap, students would pay for every each hour they take up to 15 hours.
Right now, about 19 percent of students are taking over 12 hours and six percent are taking over 15.
“Part of the problem is phishing,” Howell said.
Phishing is when students schedule more than 12 hours, knowing they can drop one or two classes since they only pay for 12, the amount of hours required to be considered a full-time student.
“We are one of two states that have a cap on tuition. Other schools make you pay for the hours you take. If you take 15 hours, you pay for 15 hours. If you take 21 hours, you pay for 21 hours. I think the major issue is going to be TOPS,” Howell said.
Howell said there has been discussion but no decisions about TOPS continuing to cover only the 12 hours required for full-time students while students pay for the extra three hours if they take more than 12.
Howell said he believes that Stand Up!, the student organization formed to protest budget cuts, had a lot to do with getting the budget cuts noticed.
“People like us can scream all we want. When it’s the students, they are going to be effected. The students get to their parents. That had a major, major impact. They really did stand up, and Nicholls was a model for the state,” Howell said.
In an e-mail sent out to students, administration said they will continue to keep people informed of the uncertainty of what will happen with the budget.
