LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan withdraws his name from being named permanently to the post. Brooke Thorington has more
Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Students will not be required to get a COVID vaccine to attend in-person classes this fall at either LSU or UL system schools. Matt Doyle has the story.
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LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan withdraws from consideration to be named permanent President. Galligan, who served as Dean of LSU’s Law School, was named to the post of interim President in January of 2020. Galligan says he came to the decision after spending time with his 14-month-old grandson recently.
Galligan was the dean of the LSU law school when he was named temporary leader of the LSU system in January of 2020. The 65-year-old says teaching is what he does best, and the role of president prevents him from instructing.
As for his predecessor, Galligan says they will have a big job considering the school’s Title IX issues. He says however improvements to reporting sexual misconduct at the university are significantly underway.
Galligan will remain interim until the board names his replacement.
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The Edwards administration announces it’s using 216 million dollars in federal coronavirus stimulus money on road and infrastructure projects. The money was approved by Congress in December and Governor John Bel Edwards says improving the state’s roads and bridges have been a priority of his administration
The federal money replaces the lost gas tax revenue the state experienced last year because fewer people traveled as a result of the pandemic. State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says 50-million dollars will go towards extending I-49 from Lafayette to New Orleans…
Cut 7 (12) “..to construction”
Wilson says another 20-million dollars will go towards widening I-10 in Ouachita Parish. He says federal law is also requiring them to use 11-million dollars on installing electric vehicle charging stations statewide
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A Senate Committee approves a constitutional amendment expanding the size of the State Supreme Court from seven justices to nine.
Bill author and Covington Senator Patrick McMath says the current makeup of State Supreme Court districts is not representative of the state’s population distribution.
The bill also calls for a redistricting of the State Supreme Court to be conducted after every census.
If approved by voters the new redistricting would have to receive a 2/3rds vote in the Legislature and the Governor’s approval to be implemented. If approved by voters the amendment would become effective in 2025.
Democratic Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau had some concerns that Democratic New Orleans Senator Jimmy Harris, a co-author, tried to allay…
The legislation heads to the Senate floor.
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The UL and LSU systems will not require students be vaccinated to attend in-person classes for the upcoming fall semester.
UL System President Jim Henderson says he has concerns about mandating students take a vaccine that is still under FDA emergency use authorization.
Full biological licensing for vaccines may not be available until 2022.
That being said Henderson strongly encourages all students to get a vaccine as soon as they can
All Louisiana residents 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine at local pharmacies.
Despite not implementing a vaccine mandate Henderson is confident that our current vaccination rates will facilitate a safe fall campus experience, barring a new vaccine immune variant.
Henderson says about 50 universities across the country have announced vaccine mandates, but a much larger number have either not weighed in, or said they will not require it.