Though the state of Louisiana’s chilly climate is slowly thawing out as spring approaches, its budget is about to get icy. Earlier in the month, Governor Bobby Jindal ruled that state agencies must undergo a temporary spending freeze, which has been stirring up discussion and attention, even here at the university.
“There have been a number of articles in the media lately about concerns regarding the State budget for the current fiscal year,” said President John Crain in a press release. “Accordingly, over this past weekend, we learned that late on April 4, Jindal had issued an executive order enacting a freeze on spending by state agencies.”
Crain proceeded to advise the university budget unit heads to be extra cautious with their spending.
“Given enactment of the freeze and the guidance regarding its implementation, budget unit heads should approve only essential travel and exercise care and diligence in making expenditures for supplies, operating services, professional services and other charges,” said Crain.
It is common for people to confuse spending freezes with budget cuts, but the two are distinct. A budget cut refers to reducing the amount of money that can be spent. A spending freeze is when the budget for a government organization becomes fixed. They are intended to increase an organization’s profits.
The Executive Director of the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs, Erin Cowser, stated that these spending freezes are more common than most people realize.
“Just to clarify, this is a spending freeze, not a budget cut,” said Cowser. “Over the past several years, spending freezes from the Governor’s Office have become rather common practice.”
Though the term ‘spending freeze’ sounds intimidating, Cowser ensures those who are concerned that this is not as grave a matter as it sounds. Cowser also explained that the university has always dealt with these spending freezes with grace.
“In regards to what has been conveyed to the university regarding this particular freeze, higher education institutions have been asked to exercise prudence with regard to any expenditures at this time,” said Cowser. “This is not a foreign concept as Southeastern consistently exercises prudence with regard to financial matters.”
More information on the current spending freeze had not been released during The Lion’s Roar production cycle.