Regents Pressed For Plan
by Mike Hasten - The Daily Advertiser (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — Students and state lawmakers told the Board of Regents on Thursday that they want a plan soon that will assure better results for students enrolled in Louisiana's colleges and universities. Board members said they're working toward the same goal but state Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, said he and 24 other conservative lawmakers unified to solve higher education problems "have heard for two years that you're looking into 'it.' Time has run out. Where is 'it' at?"
"Our higher education system is broken," Schroder said following a joint presentation with the College Caucus. The state's graduation rate is "one of the worst in the country."

Alyson Neel, a graduating senior at LSU and one of the founders of the caucus, said she has heard universities compared to businesses.
"If that is true, that makes us — the students — the customers," she said, quoting from a letter presented to the board. "And as the customers, we're not satisfied with the proposed changes to our contract."

Those changes, presented to the board Wednesday by LSU System President John Lombardi and presidents of the other systems, include what Neel called "an exorbitant amount" of increased tuition to offset budget cuts.