Southern defers decision on scholarships
SU board to study proposed change
The Southern University Board of Supervisors opted Monday to delay, and possibly defeat, a proposal that would have done away with the system of board members independently awarding scholarships to students.
Southern board student member Demetrius Sumner proposed changing the Southern Board’s Educational Assistance Scholarship Program Policy so that the scholarship dollars are funneled to the campuses to grant the awards based on academic merit and financial need.
Currently, $75,000 to $90,000 in annual Southern license plate sales revenues go to the Southern board to award scholarships. Depending on revenues, board members can have access to up to about $5,000 each per year to award to students.
Sumner termed the matter as a case of “Keep your territory or do what’s right and lawful.”
“There’s a demonstrated need for the Baton Rouge campus that they need these dollars for scholarships,” Sumner said.
Southern board member Tony Clayton, of Port Allen, and some others complained that Sumner was making issues with a program that is working fine.
“I’m intelligent enough to go in my community and say I’m going to help some students go to Southern,” Clayton said. “I, personally, don’t see a need to change it. I don’t think we’ve abused it, and we’ve helped many kids.”
The proposed change was approved on a 5-2 vote in the Finance and Audit Committee, but then it was stalled on a series of 7-7 deadlocked votes by the full Southern board.
Ultimately, board members decided to defer the matter until March to allow for more research. But Sumner said afterward that he thinks the proposal is defeated because of a “lack of desire to change,” not a lack of research.
For comparison, the LSU Board of Supervisors awards students scholarships as well. Also, Tulane University has legislative scholarships that elected officials give out.
Southern board member Eamon Kelly, a former president of Tulane University, also sided with Sumner. Kelly said board members giving out student scholarships can become a “legal or public relations nightmare.”
“The Board of Supervisors should not be in the business of giving out scholarships to students … even in small amounts … to people we know,” Kelly said.
Another argument that Sumner presented is the license plate revenues for the Southern University Law Center and Southern campuses in Shreveport and New Orleans go straight to those campuses for scholarship dollars.
Only the flagship Baton Rouge campus is different, Sumner said.
So, if a board member gives scholarship money to a student at another Southern campus, then he is essentially taking money away from the Baton Rouge campus, Sumner argued.
Sumner also is the Student Government Association president of the Baton Rouge campus.
After the vote became deadlocked, board member Murphy Bell, of Baton Rouge, was among those who argued to delay a final decision so more time could be taken to examine the issues.
“This just came to us over the last two weeks,” Bell said. “Apparently, we’ve done it kind of willy-nilly before, and we’re trying to do it willy-nilly now.”
Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. stayed out of the debate. But after the board meeting, Mason said Sumner presented a “thoughtful resolution” that could represent a “positive direction” for Southern.