Edwards Group Said Pushing Copping to Replace LSU President ; Northwest La. Has No Active LSU Board Member

              SHREVEPORT JOURNAL _ SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, LA., * THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1982 7A
Edwards group said pushing Copping to replace LSU president
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Edwin Edwards
faction on the Louisiana State University Board of
Supervisors is trying to get support to replace LSU
System President Martin Woodin with Dr. Allen
Copping, chancellor of the medical school, a news-paper
reports.
Woodin, when contacted, said he intends to retire
but hasn't set a date.
The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate reported in
today's editions that Ben C. Toledano of New Orleans,
an appointee of Gov. Dave Treen, confirmed that he
Northwest La. has no
active LSU board member
Northwest Louisiana has been without an active
representative on the LSU Board of Supervisors since
last summer.
John Franks, who submitted his resignation several
months ago due to poor health, however, is technically
still a member of the board because Gov. Dave Treen,
who appointed him, has not accepted the resignation.
Franks' term does not expire until 1986.
LSUS Chancellor Grady Bogue said Franks resigned
because of poor health but Treen decided not to accept
his resignation until it was determined how the board
member would fare after surgery. So far, no action
has been taken on the resignation.
Bogue said the absence of a representative has not
created a problem. "It has not been a problem to us
thus far," Bogue said. "It would be helpful to have
someone who is active."
The 17-member board supervises programs admin-istered
by the LSU system.
was contacted by another board member about the
matter. He did no identify the board member.
Appointees of the former governor still control the
board but they will lose that control late this summer
because the terms of five board members will expire.
"I was told that Woodin was willing to retire early if
his replacement was Allen Copping," said Toledano. "I
was also told that Woodin was convinced that if the
board went through the usual procedure, that is
appoint a search committee with faculty representa-tion
and that sort of thing, that he knew that Copping
would not be the choice of the search committee."
Toledano added that "the only way it could be done
was quickly and quietly, maybe as early as next
Friday in Alexandria."
The board will meet in that city and its major item
of business is to get a preliminary report from LSU-Baton
Rouge Chancellor James Wharton on recom-mendations
concerning the Athletic Department
budget.
Toledano called the Woodin-Copping affair a plan
aimed at "slipping something by" the LSU academic
community.
"Frankly, it's such an appalling suggestion," he
said. "The idea of trying in such a way to sort of slip
something by in this fashion, to me, is an insult to the
entire academic community."
Copping, contacted in Shreveport, told the Advocate
he was not aware of any such plans.
He said he would only accept the position if he felt it
reflected the wishes of the entire board, adding that he
would not accept the job under any "political circum-stances."
Edwards, contacted in California, said he had no
knowledge of any plans on Woodin's part to resign.
Edwards added that he doesn't think anything will
be done until Treen makes new board appointments.
"While Copping and I have never discused this, his
name has come up and he would certainly make a very
good president," said the former governor.