Article archive / July 1, 2011
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 11. Source pages: 1, 8.
A bill that would have merged Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) with the University of New Orleans (UNO) was dropped under heavy opposition. In a follow-up measure, lawmakers approved a proposal to move UNO to the University of Louisiana System.
The bill was backed by the Governor Jindal and would have created a new organization called “University of Louisiana at New Orleans,” starting in 2013, said a recent report in the Times-Picayune. The move was intended to address problems with graduation rates of both universities, and would have involved Delgado Community College for students who needed remedial education.
“But opponents have said a merger would close off educational opportunities for black students,” the Times- Picayune report noted, and a concern was that campuses “have too many cultural differences to function as a cohesive unit.” African-American lawmakers lauded the defeat of the bill after an intense battle to kill the measure, explained the report.
While complicated and requiring some time and adjustment, most say that moving UNO to the University of Louisiana System will be a plus for UNO. In a report by Doug Mouton (WWLTV), incoming UNO Alumni Association president Brian Glorioso, was quoted to say, "UNO has been the pillar of creating the middle class in New Orleans since 1958 when it started. This is going to give UNO the opportunity to have the growth that Southeastern has had and that the University of Louisiana-Lafayette has had."
In a June 22 Times-Picayune report by John Pope, the student body president of UNO, and student member of the Board of Regents, said that one of the benefits will be psychological.
"This isn't anything LSU did to try to keep us down," he said. "I think that when you're in the same system as the flagship, you're going to get over- shadowed, whether it's intentional or not. In a system where there is no flagship and we're surrounded by peers, it'll give us a better chance to grow."
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