LSU President F. King Alexander warned that looming budget cuts could effect all areas of the state's university, and that included the highly ranked football program. Alexander, speaking Monday at the Baton Rouge Press Club, described what he thought the worst case financial outlook for higher education looked like.

Alexander said under the proposed budget, LSU is facing a reduction from $110 million in state money to only $30 million, a 70% cut. He also said that unless Governor John Bel Edwards tax increases are enacted, colleges across the state could face cuts up to 80%.

The president also warned that the cuts spell trouble for the LSU football team. .

Alexander said that if the university is forced to cancel summer school, as many as half of the players would be ineligible for the fall. He also admitted that other universities are using LSU's budget problems as a recruiting tool against the Tigers.

Alexander also said that the financial trouble could spell disaster for the state's two medical schools in Shreveport and New Orleans. Because of the planned 35 percent mid-semester cut, he said that LSU's medical schools will not be able to make payroll.

The state currently faces a budget deficit estimated to be as much as $1.6 billion.

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