Southern merger: The bill that would not die

By J. Kojo Livingston
Contributing Writer

veterinary loans About this time last year Governor Piyush “Bobby” Jindal ordered a study to consider the merger of the Southern University system into the University of Louisiana system. The elimination of the state’s HBCUs has long been a declared objective of Louisiana conservatives. Outrage from across the state and exposure of the issue by the Black Press were credited with the withdrawal of that notion.

Most people thought that fight was over. However last week Republican State Representative Joe Harrison from Napoleonville (District 51) filed House Bill 927 which will add “Southern University, Southern University at New Orleans, and Southern University at Shreveport to the University of Louisiana System” and “remove them from the Southern University System.”

Already there is a reaction of outrage and disgust from those California LA cash advance who fought the same idea exactly one year ago.

Lloyd Thompson, Vice President of the Louisiana Chapter of the NAACP, spoke regarding his concern and the position of the state chapter of the organization on this issue. “The agenda to merge the Southern University System with the University of Louisiana System is wrong. Our Historically Black colleges need to be preserved and stay within the Southern System. We believe these schools will lose their unique ability to help African-American children if merged into another system. We also oppose the move to do away with tenure for teachers. We should not do away with teachers who have served a long time. We are also concerned that the voucher system will destroy the public education system by taking resources away. We are asking all first cash advance washington dc of our members to get involved and really look at what’s happening in the education system in this state.”

Protesters across the state have also noted the lack of diversity on the UL board that they believe would result in a devaluing of the needs of the HBCUs.

Senator Greg Tarver says the bill will absolutely not go. “I think this bill is not going to pass the house, much less the senate. It won’t go anywhere. The idea of merging the Southern System into the UL System is totally absurd! It’s a crazy bill, but you have to consider the source. Harrison is always putting up this sort of thing.”

Asked what other legislators are saying about this bill, Tarver told the Sun, “They are payday loan calgary alberta saying exactly what I’m saying. It’s not going anywhere.”

According to State Representative Roy Burrell, the Bill is one of 1,600 bills that have to be considered. “They said they were not going to deal with higher education, but they just tossed those bills in. We haven’t been briefed yet. There is too much that they are trying to force through because we have a Republican majority in the Legislature. We’ve got to slow this down.” Burrell intends to give particular attention to the merger bill and report back to the community.

Look to the Weekly for updates on the legislative session as it unfolds.

This article was originally published in the March 26, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper