Opinion ID: 1707448
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Federationa legal or constitutional duty in transferring the funds?

Text: The Federation was formed to further the educational goals of Nicholls State University, and, as we determined hereinabove, is a quasi-public body because designated as an entity to perform a governmental or proprietary function. Surely those educational goals of the Alumni Federation fit within the legal and constitutional duties of the University, in addition to constituting a charge under its charter. The Federation has seen fit to transfer a portion of the student fees to the Foundation. The Louisiana Constitution, however, prohibits donations by the state to any person, association, or corporation, public or private, La. Const. art. 7, § 14(A). Because the central purpose of both organizations is to promote the University, it can be presumed that the transfer was in furtherance of the respective groups' purposes, and not an impermissible donation of public funds. We can, therefore, assume that the transmission from the Federation to the Foundation was in furtherance of the Federation's discharging its constitutional or legal duties of furthering public education; i.e., it must have been given by the Federation in pursuit of the Federation's legally endowed goals.