On Wednesday, a bus load of University of Louisiana at Lafayette students will head to Baton Rouge. They’re trying to get lawmakers to take higher education funding off the budget chopping block.

According the Student Government Association at UL Lafayette, the official sponsor is the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents. The rally is being called “Bring the H.E.A.T.”

SGA member and Senator of the Arts Lukas Guilbeau will be on the bus Wednesday, heading for Baton Rouge. Guilbeau hopes other SGA members will join the rally . “There seems to be this continuing trend over the past few years that the first thing is cutting higher education,” says Guilbeau.

Guillbeau says the state’s scholarship program “TOPS” is one example of education taking a hit. In a statement, the Governor says universitites have been directed to absorb those costs. “Preventing students from having to pay for someone else’s reckless budgeting,” adds Governor John Bel Edwards.

“If the quality of our education system continues to drop, then there’s going to be less incentive for native Louisiana residents to stay and to do their higher education here. They’re going to leave and go somewhere else,” adds Guilbeau.

SGA says about 80 students have signed-on to ride the rally bus to the state capitol.

Many students on campus seem to support the fight. UL Lafayette Nursing Student Kyara Bryant says college can be expensive. “Students are pretty much paying out of pocket. Students just dont’ have jobs. It’s difficult,” says Bryant.

In additon to the bus load of students – there are also others who plan to make the drive on their own.