The student government passed emergency legislators to fund transportation for students to the BringHEAT higher education rally this Wednesday at the State Capital in Baton Rouge.

All students are encouraged to go and, as of Monday, there are still spaces on the bus. Students can sign up to attend for free in the SGA office before Wednesday or until the bus fills up. The bus will fit 55 students.

The rally is being held to draw attention to the budget cuts Louisiana universities are facing and to encourage state leaders to prioritize and create solutions in the wake of the state’s budget crisis.

The state’s legislature is currently in the capital in a three-week special session called by Gov. Edwards to try to fix the budget crisis.

BringHEAT stands for Bring Higher Education All Together. Students, parents and friends from all over the state are invited to attend.

The Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents (COSBP), which is made of student government leaders across the state, is hosting the event and encourage all participants to wear red.

The recent TOPS cut and possibility of university closure is the most serious threat to higher education that the state’s students have ever seen, despite Louisiana being the top state in the nation for cutting higher education funding for the past eight years.

Students must pressure the Louisiana Legislator to work towards solid solutions, SGA president Marc Calhoun said.

“To give you guys an idea, some statistics, ULM has 53 percent of its students on TOPS… can you imagine if 53 percent of our students lost that?… I, personally, wouldn’t be able to be here,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun is a member of COSBP.