Tight Vote Expected on New Orleans Merger

A controversial plan to merge Southern University at New Orleans and the University of New Orleans appears to be headed to a very close vote this week in Louisiana's House of Representatives. The Times-Picayune reported that legislative leaders postponed a vote from Monday to Wednesday because a few lawmakers who support the merger were not present, and officials believe those votes could give them the two-thirds majority that the legislation needs to pass. The idea of a merger has been strongly backed by Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican, and strongly opposed by advocates for Southern, a historically black institution.