BATON ROUGE, La. — The chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party says he’s opposed to a merger of Southern University at New Orleans with the nearby University of New Orleans campus.
Claude “Buddy” Leach says there’s no evidence the consolidation would save money. He called the proposal a “smoke and mirrors attempt” by Gov. Bobby Jindal to distract from the budget cuts made to colleges and Jindal’s support of tuition increases for students.
Jindal asked the Board of Regents to study the idea of a merged campus that would be moved into the University of Louisiana System. The governor says he wants the study to steer clear of politics and determine what is best for students in New Orleans.
Jindal asked for recommendations by March 1, with any legislation to be considered in the session that begins in April.
