"Dear Louisiana Legislators,
I am writing to express my concerns about the potential devastating higher education budget cuts. I believe that these cuts could not only harm college students, but also the state of Louisiana. I also believe that you can help stop the cuts.
We have something in common; we both attended LSU. If your experience was anything like mine, you know that LSU is committed to excellence, both in and out of the classroom. My degree from LSU is one of the things I am most proud of, because I know that piece of paper holds credibility to my name. My degree also represents all the wonderful memories I made at the university, from pledging my sorority to cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.
President F. King Alexander recently said that if Gov. Jindal proceeds with cutting millions of dollars to higher education, about 1,400 classes and 27 percent of faculty positions would have to be cut. Let's imagine for a moment that those classes and faculty had been cut my freshman year. What if one of those classes had been Film and Media Arts 2001 - the very class in which I met the love of my life? Or what if one of those faculty members had been Dr. Lisa Lundy, the woman who mentored me in a one-year thesis research project? Life for me would be much different. I wouldn't have met my boyfriend, and I wouldn't have all the wonderful memories associated with him. I probably wouldn't be enrolled in LSU's Graduate School, because I previously thought I hated research. But, Dr. Lundy showed me that research can be fun, and my research can help causes I believe in.
Thankfully, LSU survived cut after cut after cut during my undergraduate years. However, it pains me to imagine what I might miss out on in my graduate years if we suffer an incision deeper than any before. Worst still is the thought that Louisiana high school juniors and seniors may leave the state after graduation in hopes of a more secure college education.
I tell you all of this to urge you to do everything in your power to have courage and stand up to Gov. Jindal. Tell him you will not support cuts to higher education. I understand that our convoluted constitution does not make it easy to stop cuts to higher education, but there are other ways to save LSU and other colleges. Please get creative, and make a stand. Please urge your fellow state legislators to do the same. I wish you the best, and I look forward to your reply.
Thank you for your public service,
Danielle Kelley"
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