UCWLA union members and student senators vote to override LSU student president's veto, issue press release condemning Louisiana gubernatorial front-runner

United Campus Workers of Louisiana stands in solidarity with LSU student senators and union members, Alicia Cerquone and Cullen Hodges, who drafted legislation condemning Jeff Landry for skipping September's Gubernatorial Forum on campus. As the leading candidate and front-runner for the upcoming gubernatorial election, Landry deprived students of the opportunity to hear him out.

After the resolution condemning Landry initially passed with overwhelming support, it was quickly vetoed by the LSU student government president vetoed. Cerquone and Hodges, along with other student senators, reconvened and successfully voted to override the veto and enact the legislation. 

Join UCWLA here to support academic freedom and graduate workers. Sign our latest petition for better healthcare for graduate workers at LSU here. See full press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2023

[email protected] 

UCWLA Supports Resolution to Condemn Attorney General

Jeff Landry for Missing LSU Gubernatorial Forum

BATON ROUGE, La. – United Campus Workers Louisiana (UCWLA) stands in solidarity with its officers and LSU student senators, Alicia Cerquone and Cullen Hodges, in condemning Louisiana Attorney General and gubernatorial front-runner for missing the LSU Gubernatorial Forum in early September.

The resolution, written and proposed by Cerquone and Hodges, criticized Landry for choosing to attend a “highly-partisan rally” in New Orleans over the LSU forum in Baton Rouge. The resolution found overwhelming support in the Senate – 42 votes in favor, 3 against, and six abstaining – but was vetoed by student body president Anna Catherine Strong for taking a political stance within a supposedly apolitical organization.

In response, the student senate successfully voted to override the veto and officially enact the resolution. “Being apolitical is a privilege and in itself political,” Cerquone and Hodges said in a joint statement to the Reveille before senators officially voted to override the president’s veto. “The Student Government doesn't have the privilege to stay out of the governor's race.”

UCWLA, through its parent organization UCW, has endorsed Democratic candidate Shawn Wilson, who was at the Gubernatorial Forum. At the same time, UCWLA takes a principled stance on academic freedom and was disappointed to see Landry skip the forum.

While we are opposed to Attorney Jeff Landry, he deprived the LSU student body, not us, of the opportunity to hear him out. 

Sign UCWLA’s petition here. Join UCWLA here. Read the full Reveille article here.