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LSU hoping to improve campus through state funds
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BATON ROUGE - LSU'S new president went to the capitol today with an old request: more money for the state's flagship university.
State lawmakers almost couldn't believe what President William Tate asked for when he requested $731 million on capital outlay.
"I'm sorry what was that," Rep. Tanner Magee, (R. Terrebonne and Lafouche) questioned.
"It's a heck of a wishlist, $731,000,000.00" Stuart J. Bishop (R. Lafayette parish) said.
That wishlist includes improving academics and building a new library for $150 million.
"The library is deferred maintenance, described as a nightmare," Tate told the committee.
Rep. Tanner Magee told Tate he and another representative took a tour of the library during the last time. WBRZ has video from inside the library from 2016. It shows a nightmare of missing ceiling tiles and books covered to protect them from water leaks.
"We're now six years, five years down the line, however long it's been, and we haven't made any progress on that front," Rep. Tanner Magee said.
LSU wants $1.5 million to start the design process this year, but State Representative and chairman of the House Ways & Means committee, Stuart Bishop, quickly shot down the full request.
"Asking for $731,000,000.00 is not going to happen, we will work with them and see what happens but I'm not going to forget about the other universities in the state of Louisiana," Bishop said.
The chairman says the House Ways and Means Committee will review LSU's request before writing a bill for the House to vote on.
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