re: Advocate takes on LSU's budget problems today.

Aren't centenary and Loyola private?

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Aren't centenary and Loyola private?

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Yeah, I hit submit too soon. I have distinguished the private institutions from the public universities in my edited post.

It seems to me that much of the bloat in universities centers on the quest to remain relevant in the competitive rankings with each other. We could start a whole other thread on the legitimacy of these rankings, which is suspect, but I'll save the trouble.

The issue is the universities want to compete with each other, so the push for high quality students and (just as important to the rankings) alumni dollars forces universities to try to out-do each other in areas often unrelated to academics. I'm talking about program expenses... campus life, apartment-like dorms, student rec centers, counselors (academic and otherwise), capital improvement expenditures, student health and wellness centers, women's centers, ethnicity-centered centers, administrator after administrator. There's more... you get the picture.

But here's the point. Drop the emphasis on the rankings, and focus on making your academic environment better. Who cares if you're ranked 127th or 150th? You're not in the top 10, so frick it. Cut all the crap in the university designed to boost the rankings, that doesn't apply to the classroom itself.

The university ranking system is evil, people. And let me tell you, there's not a day that goes by that LSU's ranking isn't in the forefront of the minds of its chancellor's office, communications office, provost's office, or fundraisers' offices. It is a mantra they repeat over and over. They celebrate moving even two spots up in the rankings every year. Any move downward is viewed as a crisis.

Drop the drive to "compete" with the other schools, and just focus on being the best you can be. That's what all schools need to get back to, LSU especially.

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I'm just giving examples from first hand experience having attended SLU and living in the town for years after.

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Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't constructing an argument that Hammond is any more deserving of such protection and awareness than any other college town.

Public education in Louisiana from LSU to SUNO is embarrassing.

Lax admission standards. Terrible graduation rates. Small endowments. No major research institutes. F minus all the way around, and that includes LSU.

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Dumb responses like Close SLU don't take into account what that means for the city and parish -

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no offense, but if your only economic claim to fame is a university- and this goes for BR/LSU as well- then tough shite. The town/local gov't should have thought about that all these years instead of relying on the university as the economic stimulus & incubator. I know Hammond has more to offer than just SLU. At this point, financially, we simply cannot afford all the shite we have- even if cutting it means short term pain. Kind of like selling the beach condo when times are tough. You don't quit going on vacation, you just vacation elsewhere. So I'm sorry all these little towns are facing further economic problems if the university closes, but it is what it is.

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Which leaves one university between I-10 and the Arkansas border.

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Is there a need for multiple northern LA public universities?

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Dumb responses like Close SLU don't take into account what that means for the city and parish - most of the workers at the WalMart DC in Robert are students at SLU (along with other warehouses and businesses in the area), most of the downtown businesses and restaurants are mom and pop stores reliant on the university, pretty much every bar in downtown would close, not to mention the money lost from commuter students money on fuel and food spent in the city. The assertion that shutting down a school to funnel more money to LSU is stupid because there's a much greater impact to think of.

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The assertion that the taxpayers should have to continue to fund a low-quality university because it artificially props up a city or parish is absurd.

When a republican was in office and tried to close SUNO, the Advocate reported on how the evil admin in Baton Rouge wanted to gut higher ed. Alexander cried wolf on CNN every time a budget was discussed that cut LSU, always using the worst case scenario.

Now that a tax and spend liberal's budget still cuts higher ed, there's too many redundant programs. Glad the Advocate is finally on board with reality even if they are openly biased and unprofessional.

The Advocate is a terrible newspaper.

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The issue is the universities want to compete with each other

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I dont think they want to, but they are forced to. Without all the things you listed, how else do you attract students/money?

And btw the student fees pay for a lot of what you listed...like the Rec Center upgrades at LSU.