Remember about a month or two ago when someone posted a blurb from a whacky professor at LSU predicting the gloom-and-doom scenarios regarding budget cuts and the financial crisis? Well, I inquired into one of my LSU grad friends and he hadn't heard a word about it... so I kinda dropped it and was writing it off to "bat-**** crazy professor" syndrome.
Well, this morning, he fires me the e-mail pasted below which pretty much vindicates what that professor was saying. Anyways, the funny part of all of this is, the math used in the Chancellor's e-mail below, which I will explain in further detail below the pasted message.
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</p><table class="MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 6.25in; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" border="0"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 15pt; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 15pt; BACKGROUND: white; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15pt; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 15pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><span class="title1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><font face="Helvetica" color="#461169">To LSU friends, alumni and supporters,</font></span></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
Much has been said and written about LSU’s budget crisis. Given the consequences, it is important for LSU’s closest friends and supporters to know the pertinent facts about this situation. So over the course of the next several months, you will be presented facts that will help you consider the impact of these cuts to your university.
First, it is important to know where LSU has been and where it is going. LSU’s state appropriation increased throughout the last decade, reaching a high in 2008 that allowed LSU to add faculty to better serve its students and conduct richer research. At the same time, LSU reached the Top Tier in the US News & World Report rankings for the first time while also enjoying a spike in graduation rates and retention rates. LSU proved it can perform with the best when given the proper resources.
Since that time, though, LSU’s state appropriation has dropped. In the last two years alone LSU has had $47 million cut from its budget. That’s an average of more than $2 million per month. And in the last several months LSU has been asked to prepare for cuts of 23 percent to 33 percent. But with the $47 million that has already been erased, any cut – even 5 percent – would be erase the progress of the last decade and would be detrimental to the future of LSU.
The damage that has already been done has largely gone unnoticed, but it has been substantial. For instance, more than 140 faculty positions have been lost. Those were mostly unfilled positions that have been cut, but it represents 140 faculty members that today could be teaching our students and giving them the education they deserve.
You will hear more about this in subsequent letters. Meanwhile, I encourage you to go to <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><font color="#371550">lsu.edu/budget</font></span> for more and updated information on LSU’s budget crisis and go to <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><font color="#371550">flagshipfriends.org</font></span> to find out how you can make a difference.
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Mike Martin</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Chancellor, LSU</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"></span></p>
</p></td></tr><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 15pt; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 15pt; BACKGROUND: white; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15pt; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 15pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">You are receiving this e-mail because you are either a member of the LSU Alumni Association or a special friend of our organization. We hope you find this message informative. If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact the LSU Alumni Association. The mission of the LSU Alumni Association is to protect, promote, and foster the welfare of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College and to create and nurture mutually beneficial relationships between the University and its alumni and friends. The Association, using the talents and resources of alumni and friends of Louisiana State University, supports the University in pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and public service to future and current alumni.
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Copyright (C) 2010 LSU Alumni Association All rights reserved.</span> </span></p>
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So let's analyze this thing...
First, we start with "<span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">At the same time, LSU reached the Top Tier in the US News & World Report rankings for the first time while also enjoying a spike in graduation rates and retention rates."
And now let's move on to the math.... "<span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">In the last two years alone LSU has had $47 million cut from its budget. That’s an average of more than $2 million per month."
</span>
For those who aren't math majors... I'll break it down for you. There are 12 months in one year and there are 24 months in two years. If you spread out 47$ million dollars over the course of 24 months, the budget cuts are 1.9583$ million, which is in FACT, less than the written 2$ million per month listed.
Just sayin'</span>
Well, this morning, he fires me the e-mail pasted below which pretty much vindicates what that professor was saying. Anyways, the funny part of all of this is, the math used in the Chancellor's e-mail below, which I will explain in further detail below the pasted message.
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<div align="center"><table class="MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 6.25in; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" border="0"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><table class="MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 6.25in; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" border="0"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BACKGROUND: white; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3"><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Email not displaying correctly? <span style="COLOR: #333333; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none">View it in your browser.</span> </span></p>
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</p><table class="MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 6.25in; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" border="0"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 15pt; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 15pt; BACKGROUND: white; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15pt; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 15pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><span class="title1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><font face="Helvetica" color="#461169">To LSU friends, alumni and supporters,</font></span></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
Much has been said and written about LSU’s budget crisis. Given the consequences, it is important for LSU’s closest friends and supporters to know the pertinent facts about this situation. So over the course of the next several months, you will be presented facts that will help you consider the impact of these cuts to your university.
First, it is important to know where LSU has been and where it is going. LSU’s state appropriation increased throughout the last decade, reaching a high in 2008 that allowed LSU to add faculty to better serve its students and conduct richer research. At the same time, LSU reached the Top Tier in the US News & World Report rankings for the first time while also enjoying a spike in graduation rates and retention rates. LSU proved it can perform with the best when given the proper resources.
Since that time, though, LSU’s state appropriation has dropped. In the last two years alone LSU has had $47 million cut from its budget. That’s an average of more than $2 million per month. And in the last several months LSU has been asked to prepare for cuts of 23 percent to 33 percent. But with the $47 million that has already been erased, any cut – even 5 percent – would be erase the progress of the last decade and would be detrimental to the future of LSU.
The damage that has already been done has largely gone unnoticed, but it has been substantial. For instance, more than 140 faculty positions have been lost. Those were mostly unfilled positions that have been cut, but it represents 140 faculty members that today could be teaching our students and giving them the education they deserve.
You will hear more about this in subsequent letters. Meanwhile, I encourage you to go to <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><font color="#371550">lsu.edu/budget</font></span> for more and updated information on LSU’s budget crisis and go to <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><font color="#371550">flagshipfriends.org</font></span> to find out how you can make a difference.
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Mike Martin</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Chancellor, LSU</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"></span></p>
</p></td></tr><tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-RIGHT: 15pt; BORDER-TOP: #e0dfe3; PADDING-LEFT: 15pt; BACKGROUND: white; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15pt; BORDER-LEFT: #e0dfe3; PADDING-TOP: 15pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0dfe3" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">You are receiving this e-mail because you are either a member of the LSU Alumni Association or a special friend of our organization. We hope you find this message informative. If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact the LSU Alumni Association. The mission of the LSU Alumni Association is to protect, promote, and foster the welfare of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College and to create and nurture mutually beneficial relationships between the University and its alumni and friends. The Association, using the talents and resources of alumni and friends of Louisiana State University, supports the University in pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and public service to future and current alumni.
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Copyright (C) 2010 LSU Alumni Association All rights reserved.</span> </span></p>
</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
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So let's analyze this thing...
First, we start with "<span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">At the same time, LSU reached the Top Tier in the US News & World Report rankings for the first time while also enjoying a spike in graduation rates and retention rates."
And now let's move on to the math.... "<span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">In the last two years alone LSU has had $47 million cut from its budget. That’s an average of more than $2 million per month."
</span>
For those who aren't math majors... I'll break it down for you. There are 12 months in one year and there are 24 months in two years. If you spread out 47$ million dollars over the course of 24 months, the budget cuts are 1.9583$ million, which is in FACT, less than the written 2$ million per month listed.
Just sayin'</span>