17:3351

Title 17. Education

Chapter 26. Colleges and Universities

Part VI. Powers and Duties of Management Boards

17:3351 General powers, duties, and functions of postsecondary education management boards

A. Subject only to the powers of the Board of Regents specifically enumerated in Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and as otherwise provided by law, each postsecondary system management board as a body corporate shall have authority to exercise power necessary to supervise and manage the day-to-day operations of institutions of postsecondary education under its control, including but not limited to the following:

(1) Sue and be sued, including the right to recover all debts owing to the board or any university or college under its management, and to retain legal counsel therefor.

(2) Actively seek and accept donations, bequests, or other forms of financial assistance for educational purposes from any public or private person or agency and to comply with rules and regulations governing grants from the federal government or any other person or agency which are not in contravention of the constitution and laws.

(3)(a) Receive and expend or allocate for expenditure to the institutions under its jurisdiction all monies appropriated or otherwise made available for purposes of the board or the institutions under its jurisdiction according to the master plan for postsecondary education, the funding formula adopted by the Board of Regents, and, except as otherwise provided in the general or a supplemental appropriations bill, the Board of Regents’ budget recommendations.

(b)(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, each board may redirect an amount not to exceed five percent of the allocation specified by the formula for each institution under its control to address specific issues that might arise during the budget allocation process.

(ii) An amount greater than five percent of the allocation specified by the formula for each institution may be redirected in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situation, as certified by the Board of Regents and approved by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.

(4) Borrow money and issue notes, bonds or certificates of indebtedness for the same and pledge fees, rents and revenues to guarantee payment thereof, in accordance with law and with approval of the State Bond Commission.

(5)(a) In accordance with any other applicable provision of this Paragraph, determine the fees which shall be paid by students.

(5)(a)(i) In accordance with any other applicable provision of this Paragraph, determine the fees which shall be paid by students.

(ii) Payments to cover or a waiver of any mandatory fee imposed in accordance with this Title except for tuition shall be included in the compensation package of each graduate student serving as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or curatorial assistant. Each public postsecondary education management board shall adopt a policy relative to implementing the provisions of this Item.

(b)(i) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, each management board also shall have authority to establish tuition and mandatory attendance fee amounts applicable to nonresident students at an institution under its supervision and management.

(ii) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Board of Supervisors of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, and the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, respectively, also shall have authority to make a total increase in the tuition amount applicable to resident students at an institution under its supervision and management such that the tuition amount for an academic year shall not exceed the amount in effect on June 28, 2000, by more than two hundred fifty dollars.

(iii)(aa) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges also shall have authority to make a total increase in the tuition amount applicable to resident students at an institution under its supervision and management such that the tuition amount for an academic year, or comparable period of time for Louisiana Technical College, shall not exceed the amount in effect on June 28, 2000, by more than two hundred fifty dollars nor by more than one hundred dollars at Louisiana Technical College.

(bb) Notwithstanding the limitation provided in Subitem (aa) of this Item or any authority provided to the board by this Subparagraph and in accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, tuition and mandatory attendance fee amounts established by the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges and applicable to students enrolled in L. E. Fletcher Technical-Community College and Sowela Technical-Community College may be increased but shall not exceed the median amount of tuition and mandatory attendance fees applicable to students enrolled in other Louisiana public colleges and universities offering academic undergraduate degrees at the associate degree level but not baccalaureate degrees. The Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges shall report in writing to the House and Senate Committees on Education by not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of each regular legislative session on the purposes for which monies received from the tuition increase authorized by this Subitem have been expended.

(cc)(I) Notwithstanding the limitation provided by Subitem (aa) of this Item or any authority provided to the board by this Subparagraph and in accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges is authorized to increase the tuition amount and the mandatory fee amount applicable to resident students at community and at technical-community colleges under its supervision and management provided the total combined tuition and mandatory fee amounts for an academic year do not exceed the highest total combined tuition and mandatory fee amounts in effect for such students on July 1, 2011. Increases in tuition and mandatory fee amounts pursuant to this Subsubitem shall be effective beginning with the fall semester of the 2011-2012 academic year and continuing thereafter. Additionally, the board may provide for the uniform imposition of tuition and mandatory fee amounts for students at community and at technical-community colleges under its supervision and management on a per-credit-hour basis; however, total amounts charged on a per-credit-hour basis shall not exceed the maximum amounts for full-time status otherwise authorized by this Subsubitem.

(II) Notwithstanding the limitation provided by Subitem (aa) of this Item or any authority provided to the board by this Subparagraph and in accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges is authorized to increase the tuition amount and the mandatory fee amount applicable to resident students at the Louisiana Technical College provided the total combined tuition and mandatory fee amounts do not exceed two thousand dollars for an academic year or comparable period of time. Any increase in amounts shall be implemented in such a manner that one-third of the increase shall be effective beginning with the fall semester of the 2011-2012 academic year and continuing thereafter, an additional one-third shall be effective beginning with the fall semester of the 2012-2013 academic year and continuing thereafter, and the final one-third shall be effective beginning with the fall semester of the 2013-2014 academic year and continuing thereafter. Additionally, the board may provide for the uniform imposition of tuition and mandatory fee amounts for students at the Louisiana Technical College on a per-credit-hour basis; however, total amounts charged on a per-credit-hour basis shall not exceed the maximum amounts for full-time status otherwise authorized by this Subsubitem.

(iv) No increase in tuition or mandatory attendance fee amounts established pursuant to the provisions of this Subparagraph shall affect tuition for any joint apprenticeship program.

(v) Prior to imposing any increase or increases in tuition or mandatory attendance fee amounts, or both, established pursuant to the provisions of this Subparagraph, each management board shall establish criteria for waivers of such increase or increases in cases of financial hardship. Information about such waivers and the criteria and procedures for obtaining a waiver shall be made available to all prospective students affected by the increase or increases in a timely manner such that the prospective student can be aware of the increase or increases and the availability of waivers thereto prior to the student having to make any final decision concerning attendance at the college or university.

(vi) The authority granted each management board by this Subparagraph to establish tuition and mandatory attendance fee amounts shall include the authority to establish proportional amounts applicable to part-time students and to students enrolled for summer terms and for intersession terms.

(vii) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and in addition to any other authority provided by this Subparagraph, each management board may establish tuition and mandatory attendance fee amounts applicable to resident students at an institution under its supervision and management and, effective January 1, 2002, may adjust such tuition and mandatory fee amounts not to exceed a rate of increase of three percent annually, subject to the approval of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. The authority granted by the provisions of this Item shall terminate July 1, 2005.

(c)(i) The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System is authorized to establish the tuition amounts and other fees and charges applicable to students enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe to be consistent with tuition amounts and other fees charged to students in Doctor of Pharmacy programs in states comprising the Southern Regional Education Board.

(ii) The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System is authorized to establish the tuition amounts and other fees and charges applicable to students enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe to be consistent with tuition amounts and other fees charged to students in Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in states comprising the Southern Regional Education Board.

(d)(i) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, each management board may provide for the assessment of an operational fee at each institution under its management and supervision in an amount not to exceed four percent of the total mandatory tuition and fee amount in effect for each institution on August 15, 2004.

(ii) The authority granted each management board by this Subparagraph to impose an operational fee shall include the authority to establish proportional amounts applicable to part-time students and to students enrolled for summer and intersession terms.

(iii) The fee shall not be a cost that is payable by the state on behalf of any student who is a recipient of an award under the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students.

(iv) The fee shall be in addition to any other tuition or attendance fees and charges established by the board, and the fee shall be paid by all students. However, the boards shall establish criteria for waiving the fee in cases of financial hardship as determined by each board. Information relative to such waivers and the criteria and procedures for obtaining a waiver shall be made available to all prospective students in a timely manner such that each student is informed of the availability of a waiver prior to the student making a final decision concerning attendance at any institution under the management and supervision of the board.

(v) At any postsecondary institution, any excess of revenue resulting from the imposition of an operational fee as authorized in this Subparagraph over mandated costs applicable to the institution in any fiscal year shall be used by the institution solely for the enhancement of any instructional programs and may not be used to pay the salary of any university or university system administrator as is provided for the use of the academic excellence fee.

(e)(i) In accordance with Article VII, Section 2.1(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana and in addition to any other authority provided by this Paragraph, each management board may establish tuition and mandatory attendance fee amounts applicable to resident students at an institution under its supervision and management and, effective July 1, 2008, may adjust such tuition and mandatory fee amounts at a rate not to exceed three percent annually if the tuition and mandatory fee amount in effect for the institution is ten percent or less below the average or median tuition and mandatory fee amount of the institution’s peers, at a rate not to exceed four percent annually if the tuition and mandatory fee amount in effect for the institution is more than ten percent but less than twenty percent below the average or median tuition and mandatory fee amount of the institution’s peers, or at a rate not to exceed five percent annually if the tuition and mandatory fee amount in effect for the institution is twenty percent or more below the average or median tuition and mandatory fee amount of the institution’s peers. The Board of Regents shall establish guidelines on the use of data available from the Southern Regional Education Board and other national sources in determining appropriate institution peers and peer average or median tuition and mandatory fee rates. Such guidelines shall be adopted after consultation and coordination with the management boards. The authority to increase tuition and mandatory fee amounts granted by the provisions of this Subparagraph shall be applicable for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 academic years only and shall terminate June 30, 2012. Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, the authority to increase tuition and mandatory fee amounts granted by the provisions of this Subparagraph shall be subject to the approval of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.

(ii) The authority granted each management board by this Subparagraph to establish tuition and mandatory fee amounts shall include the authority to establish proportional amounts applicable to part-time students and to students enrolled for summer and intersession terms.

(iii) Prior to imposing any increase or increases in tuition or mandatory attendance fee amounts, or both, established pursuant to the provisions of this Subparagraph, each management board shall establish criteria for waivers of such increase or increases in cases of financial hardship. Information about such waivers and the criteria and procedures for obtaining a waiver shall be made available to all prospective students affected by the increase or increases in a timely manner such that the prospective student can be aware of the increase or increases and the availability of waivers prior to the student making any final decision concerning attendance at the college or university.

(6) Purchase land and purchase or construct buildings necessary for the use of the university system, subject to the approval of the Board of Regents and in accordance with applicable laws.

(7) Purchase equipment, properly maintain and make improvements to facilities necessary for the use of the university system, in accordance with applicable laws.

(8) Lease land or other property belonging to it or to any college or university within its system, in accordance with law.

(9) Sell, transfer or exchange land or other property not needed for university purposes, in accordance with law.

(10) Employ or approve the employment, fix or approve the salaries, and fix or approve the duties and functions of personnel for the board and the university system in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any increase in salary for an administrator of any public college or university or of any postsecondary education management board shall comply with the administrative salary policy guidelines adopted by the Board of Regents.

(11) Review and approve curricula, programs of study, departments of instruction, divisions, or similar subdivisions established by the faculties of the university system and forward such curricula, programs of study, departments of instruction, divisions, or similar subdivisions to the Board of Regents for final approval.

(12) Adopt, amend or repeal rules and regulations necessary or proper for the business of the board and for the government of the colleges and universities comprising its system and for promoting their purposes.

(13) Adopt, amend or repeal rules and regulations for the government and discipline of students.

(14) Affiliate with any institution giving any special course of instruction, upon such terms as the board deems expedient, which terms may include the retention by such institution of the control of property, faculty and staff.

(15) Award certificates, confer degrees and issue diplomas certifying the same.

(16) Enter into contracts and agreements with other public agencies with respect to cooperative enterprises and undertakings relating to or associated with college or university purposes and programs, in accordance with applicable laws.

(17) Adopt academic calendars, which shall, among other things, make provision for an appropriate and reasonable number of days during which academic teaching personnel may, with necessary approval of appropriate university officials, be permitted to be absent from their duty posts; the time herein provided for shall be in lieu of annual leave granted unclassified state employees by R.S. 42:421. Provided, however, when an academic teaching employee covered by this Act retires, or whenever any such employee dies before retirement and while holding membership in any retirement system to which the state contributes in whole or in part, leaving a surviving spouse or dependent or both, who are entitled to benefits from the retirement system, the unused days shall be added to the employee’s membership service in the same manner and to the same extent as if the employee had continued in state service until the time such number of unused days have elapsed, dating from the date of the employee’s death.

(18) Perform such other functions as are necessary or incidental to the supervision and management of the university system it supervises and manages.

B. In addition to the powers and duties vested by Subsection A of this Section and any other applicable laws, each board, as soon as practicable, shall adopt:

(1) Bylaws setting forth the respective rights, duties and responsibilities of the board, the various administrative officers, and the faculty. These bylaws shall be specific in fixing responsibility and in describing lines of authority, without being so detailed as to encumber the machinery of government with undue formality. These bylaws may provide appropriate rules under which they may be amended from time to time.

(2) Rules and regulations which may provide for:

(a) A method of obtaining expression of faculty opinion when appointments are to be made to the offices of president, or head of a college or university, chief academic officer of a college or university, deans, directors, and heads or chairmen of departments.

(b)(i) The establishment, award, and continuance of fellowships, scholarships, and all other forms of student aid. Such rules shall be so designed as to promote high standards of achievement and scholarship in the respective recipients and to insure the award and continuance of fellowships and scholarships solely upon the basis of merit, and other forms of student aid strictly upon the basis of necessity and merit.

(ii) Such rules and regulations may include the establishment, award, and continuance of tuition waivers to any student for purposes of gender equity who participates in an intercollegiate athletic program and who is pursuing an undergraduate degree provided that the student meets the academic standards and complies with the rules and regulations of the college or university such student is attending relative to requirements for attendance as a full-time student. The tuition waivers may be offered at any campus under the jurisdiction of each management board; however, no management board shall issue more than an aggregate of fifty tuition waivers per campus during an academic year and not more than fifty percent of such tuition waivers shall be issued to out-of-state residents.

(c) The administration of the various student loan funds and the granting and repayment of such loans. Each board shall withhold any academic and financial aid transcripts of students in default on the repayment of an obligation to the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission or its successor, until such time as release is authorized by the commission or its successor. Such release shall be dependent upon acceptable repayment arrangements being made by the defaulted student borrower. The rules and regulations adopted by each board to implement the provisions of this Subparagraph relative to the withholding of academic and financial aid transcripts shall include a due process procedure permitting a student, if the student desires, to appear before the board prior to any action withholding such student’s transcript.

(d) It shall be the further duty of the board to employ the proceeds of all donations, grants, subscriptions and bequests to a university, or to any school, college or division, or in trust therefor, so as to effectuate the purposes and accord with the terms and conditions of such donations, grants, subscriptions and bequests.

(3) Policies and rules authorizing state colleges and universities to develop and conduct courses of study and curricula for inmates and personnel at state correctional institutions, pursuant to authorization by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The courses of study to be offered shall be developed by the college or university and approved by the governing board.

C. (1) In addition to any other powers and duties authorized by this Section, each board shall adopt, by not later than January 1, 1990, a policy requiring each institution under the supervision and management of that board to report, on at least a monthly basis, the numbers and types of reported criminal offenses occurring on property owned or under the control of the institution. Such report shall be made to the appropriate management board and shall be a public record. The form and content of such reports shall be prescribed by the management board but shall be such as to be acceptable for the purposes of compiling uniform crime reports. The report provided for by this Subsection shall be limited to those offenses included in Part I of the most recently published edition of the Uniform Crime Reports for the United States as printed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice.

(2) The policy also shall require each institution to publish in its catalog basic information about security procedures and practices maintained by the institution. Such information, to the extent not otherwise exempt by law from disclosure, shall include but need not be limited to the following:

(a) The enforcement authority and training requirements for campus police and other security personnel.

(b) The number of security personnel employed by type, including full-time, part-time, and supplemental personnel.

(c) Basic procedures for responding to emergencies or criminal actions and special services for the reporting of emergencies and criminal actions, such as the provision of an emergency telephone number for student and employee use.

(d) The administrative office responsible for security and campus police services.

(3) The policy also shall require each institution to develop and adopt written security rules, regulations, and procedures. Such rules, regulations, and procedures shall include but need not be limited to the following information:

(a) Procedures for responding to emergencies or criminal actions.

(b) Procedures for securing campus buildings and residence halls.

(d) Procedures related to campus police and other security personnel activity within student housing.

(e) Rules and regulations governing the possession and use of firearms by campus police and other security personnel.

(f) Rules and regulations governing the possession and use of firearms on campus by employees, students, and visitors.

(g) Security considerations used in the construction, maintenance, groundskeeping, and lighting of campus buildings and grounds.

(h) Methods used to inform the campus community about security matters.

D. In addition to any other powers and duties authorized by this Section, each board shall adopt, by not later than January 1, 2004, a policy requiring each institution under the board’s supervision and management to include as a part of any material made available by the institution to students and prospective students about any course offering at the institution a list of other Louisiana public colleges and universities that will recognize a student’s successful completion of such course both for academic credit in general and for credit toward meeting degree program requirements at the other institutions.

E. (1) In addition to any other power, duty, or function authorized by this Section, each board shall adopt, by not later than January 1, 2012, a policy requiring each institution under the board’s supervision and management to award educational credits to a student enrolled in the institution, who is also a veteran, for courses that are part of the student’s military training or service and that meet the standards of the American Council on Education or equivalent standards for awarding academic credit if the award of educational credit is based upon the institution’s admission standards and its role, scope, and mission.

(2) Each board shall adopt necessary rules, regulations, and procedures to implement the provisions of this Subsection, effective beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year and continuing thereafter.

(3) For the purposes of this Subsection, the word “veteran” means a citizen of the United States or a resident alien who has been released from military service under a condition other than dishonorable and who meets at least one of the following conditions:

(a) Has engaged in active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

(b) Is a member of the national guard or is a reserve enlistee called to active duty for purposes other than training.

F. Each public postsecondary education management board shall annually conduct a review to identify any legislation that has been implemented and has been operational for at least six months in the prior year that affects the board or the institutions under its control and has a fiscal impact which has increased by the amount of one million dollars or more over the amount of the fiscal note as the bill was enacted. The analysis should also report the impact to the higher education institutions in terms of operations and personnel. Each management board shall compile the report and submit the report to the Board of Regents by September thirtieth of each year in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 17:3130(C). The report shall be in a manner as provided by R.S. 24:653(L)(2).

G. Each board may name buildings at institutions under its supervision and management in honor of living persons pursuant to a policy adopted by the board applicable to such actions. Such policy may include criteria to be used for the naming of buildings in honor of living persons. If the policy requires a monetary donation as a condition of naming buildings in honor of living persons, the policy shall require that such donation be made to an alumni association or a foundation that raises private funds for the support of the institution as provided in R.S. 17:3390.

H. Repealed by Acts 2019, No. 157, § 2, eff. June 6, 2019.

I. In addition to any other powers and duties authorized by this Section, any board with an appropriation in the general appropriation bill of thirty million dollars or more shall establish an internal audit function and shall establish an office of the chief audit executive who shall be responsible for ensuring that the internal audit function adheres to the Institute of Internal Auditors, International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The chief audit executive shall maintain organizational independence in accordance with these standards and shall have direct and unrestricted access to the management board. The chief audit executive shall annually certify to the management board that the internal audit function conforms to the Institute of Internal Auditors, International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing.

J. Each public postsecondary education management board and the governing authority of each institution that is a member of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities shall ensure that a student identification card issued by a postsecondary education institution under its jurisdiction contains each required element for a generally recognized picture identification card specified in R.S. 18:562(A)(2)(a)(i) and 1309(D)(1)(a)(i). The identification card shall expire on the anticipated date of the student’s graduation or program completion or on the date six years subsequent to the date the card is issued, whichever date occurs first.

K. (1) Each board shall adopt a policy requiring each institution under its supervision and management to develop plans for full use of existing facilities, including plans for distance learning.

(2) Each board shall adopt a policy requiring each institution under its supervision and management to annually report information on use of classroom and laboratory facilities. The report shall be submitted to the board and posted on the institution’s website. Such information shall include:

(a) Total number of classrooms and laboratories available for instructional use and the number of those undergoing renovation.

(b) Total available square footage of instructional space and the amount of instructional space under renovation or being used for storage.

(c) Average weekly hours of instructional use of all campus classrooms and laboratories available for instruction, reported by day of the week and time of day, Monday through Saturday.

(d) Average percentage of seats or stations filled in all sections taught in campus classrooms and laboratories that are available for instruction, reported by day of the week and time of day, Monday through Saturday.

(e) The number of courses the institution currently offers online and plans for future development of online courses.

(f) The number of cooperative endeavors, partnerships, or other agreements the institution has entered into with another institution for the shared use of a facility, the extent to which such shared use has occurred, and any potential opportunities for shared use of facilities between institutions.

(3) Prior to the submission of any request for capital outlay funds appropriating an amount exceeding ten million dollars in state funds for construction of new facilities at an institution under its supervision and management, the board shall hold a public hearing on the proposed facility. The hearing shall include discussions of:

(a) Level and manner of use of existing campus facilities, using the metrics reported pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, for the preceding three-year period.

(b) Projected maintenance costs for the proposed building over its expected lifetime.

(d) Any potential opportunities for shared use of facilities between institutions.

(4) When submitting a request for capital outlay funds as provided in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection, the board shall include with the request a summary of the proceedings of the public hearing held pursuant to such Paragraph, and the information collected pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.

L. (1) Each public postsecondary management board, in conjunction with the commissioner of higher education and the president of each public university and community college system, or his designee, shall adopt a policy requiring each institution under its supervision and management to address the prevention of unplanned pregnancies among unmarried students as part of an institution’s freshman orientation activities.

(2)(a) As part of freshman orientation, each institution shall, as deemed appropriate, provide information to students that is recognized as medically accurate by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists regarding the prevention of unplanned pregnancy including, without limitation, abstinence education.

(b) In no instance shall any information be disseminated regarding abortion methods, techniques, or providers, nor shall any student be directed to information or services provided by Planned Parenthood or any abortion provider.

(3) At its discretion, a public postsecondary institution may also:

(a) Identify opportunities to raise awareness of and provide information for the prevention of unplanned pregnancies across the entire student population.

(b) Identify opportunities for postsecondary students to serve as mentors or role models of successful behaviors and healthy choices for high school students.

(c) Identify public and private grants available to address the prevention of unplanned pregnancy and to promote student success, including any partnerships necessary to successfully compete for grants.

(d) Collaborate with community healthcare providers and federally qualified health centers to promote access to care.

(e) Identify challenges faced by students who are single parents, including child care, transportation, and financial aid, and identify possible methods to assist such students to successfully complete college.

(f) Identify other topics or issues related to the prevention and reduction of unplanned pregnancies among postsecondary students.

M. Each public postsecondary education management board shall adopt such policies as it considers necessary and prudent to address and minimize the negative impacts of the public health emergency declared by the governor in response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, upon the students, faculty, and employees of each institution under its management and supervision. Such policies may include, but not necessarily be limited to online and distance learning, student housing and food services, refund of tuition and fees as appropriate, faculty and employees working remotely, cancellation or postponement of campus events, commencement activities, and regular communication with students, faculty, and employees.

N. (1) Each board shall require each institution that is under its control and that receives education loan information for a student enrolled in the institution to provide information to that student in accordance with this Subsection.

(2) The institution shall provide the following annually:

(a) The total amount of education loans taken out by the student.

(b) The percentage of the borrowing limit the student has reached at the time the information is provided.

(c) Monthly repayment amounts that a similarly situated borrower may incur, including principal and interest, for the amount of education loans taken out by the student at the time the information is provided.

(3) The information provided may include a statement that the estimates and ranges provided are not a guarantee or promise of the actual or projected amount.

(4) An institution shall not be held liable for information provided pursuant to this Subsection.

(5) Nothing in this Subsection shall apply to private loans.

O. (1) Each board shall require each institution under its jurisdiction to display the national motto, “In God We Trust”, in each classroom on the institution’s campus. At a minimum, the national motto shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches. The motto shall be the central focus of the poster or framed document and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font.

(2) This Subsection does not require a public postsecondary education management board or a public postsecondary education institution to spend its funds to purchase such displays. An institution or management board may spend its funds or donated funds to purchase such displays and may accept donated displays.

Added by Acts 1975, No. 313, § 2, eff. July 17, 1975. Amended by Acts 1988, No. 791, § 1; Acts 1989, No. 543, § 1, eff. July 5, 1989; Acts 1990, No. 808, § 1; Acts 1995, No. 258, § 1; Acts 1997, No. 1360, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 1997, No. 1458, § 1, eff. July 15, 1997; Acts 1998, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 94, § 2, eff. May 5, 1998; Acts 1998, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 151, § 1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2000, 2nd Ex.Sess., No. 4, § 1, eff. June 28, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 955, § 1, eff. June 26, 2001; Acts 2001, No. 1117, § 1, eff. June 28, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 383, § 1, eff. June 18, 2003; Acts 2004, No. 288, § 1, eff. June 15, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 788, § 1, eff. July 8, 2004; Acts 2008, No. 652, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 915, § 1, eff. July 14, 2008; Acts 2010, No. 447, § 1, eff. June 22, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 191, § 1, eff. June 24, 2011; Acts 2011, No. 196, § 1, eff. June 24, 2011; Acts 2013, No. 79, § 1; Acts 2013, No. 96, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013; Acts 2013, No. 220, § 6, eff. June 11, 2013; Acts 2014, No. 454, § 1, eff. July 1, 2016; Acts 2015, No. 98, § 1; Acts 2015, No. 172, § 1, eff. June 23, 2015; Acts 2015, No. 314, § 1; Acts 2016, No. 401, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019; Acts 2016, No. 455, § 1; Acts 2016, No. 558, § 1; Acts 2017, No. 97, § 1; Acts 2017, No. 321, § 1, eff. June 22, 2017; Acts 2020, No. 245, § 1, eff. June 11, 2020; Acts 2020, 2nd Ex.Sess., No. 19, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2023; Acts 2021, No. 413, § 1; Acts 2022, No. 664, § 1, eff. Aug. 1, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 112, § 1; Acts 2023, No. 264, § 1.