Why I Love UL

[cajunhawk]

_ I met my wife of 21 years at UL also. Met her in Dr. Herbi Gaudet's psych class..........memories!

The tug of wars on the blvd for lanappe day and eating a cup of the banana split out of the canou at Cypress Lake! _

Ahh Dr. Gaudet. One of the best teachers I ever had. In the old football length class in Girard. First day of class he came in and said...."If anyone will get offended by any 4 letter words, might as well walk out right now." During a discussion about negative reinforcement he stared at some girl and screamed "______ You!!!!" That's negative reinforcement.

[Just1More]

_ Ahh Dr. Gaudet. One of the best teachers I ever had. In the old football length class in Girard. First day of class he came in and said...."If anyone will get offended by any 4 letter words, might as well walk out right now." During a discussion about negative reinforcement he stared at some girl and screamed "______ You!!!!" That's negative reinforcement. _

That's a hilarious memory. Engineers and nurses had to take some senior psych class... if I recall correctly the textbook was "Abnormal Human Psychology". Dr. Gaudet walks into class and immediately starts asking guys and girls what sex positions they preferred... and went off with some serious choice language. He said, "I am one of only 3 people on this campus that can talk about any subject and use any language I want to describe it... if you can't handle that... you can drop this class". Two nursing students got up and left and never came back. That dude was a trip. He turned out to teach a pretty good class but I never understood why his introduction was so over the top. Those two nursing students were babes.

[NewsCopy]

I am relatively new to this board, and so far it has been educational and even entertaining (snarkiness aside). I have found some like-minded Cajuns fans, and even those of a disagreeable mind often find common ground in the premise that LSU&A&MC is the source of all that is evil.

Reflecting on all of this made me start to think of the reasons I love this University so much. So, here are my reasons in no particular order. Feel free to chime in.

• One of the most beautiful campuses in America. I'll match our Cypress Lake and Century Oaks against the Grove at Ole' Miss or anywhere else. I don't care what anyone says. UL has a beautiful campus that will only get better.

• Best tailgating in the world. Bar none. We have better food. Better people and none of the ugliness that LSU seems to be so proud of. Good for single men because the women are HOT, good for families and fun for all. I'll match our tailgating against anyone anywhere.

• The NEW Cajun Field. I was against the turf. I played on the grass and I loved the old Cajun Field. But honestly, the NEW field is beautiful. I love the statement made in the end zones as well.

• It brought me to know BJ Landry. Those of you who knew BJ know what I mean by this. If you did not have the privilege, then I am sorry to say that you are worse off for it. "Beej" was a "superfan" before there was such a thing. Not just loyal, but put his efforts where his heart was. Out at every practice, at every game, at every event, with nary a complaint or even a frown (except after a loss). I am lucky to have known him and I have UL to thank for that.

• Our traditions. World's largest Louisiana flag. UL hand sign. Diving into the swamp at homecoming. Our traditions get into your blood.

• We are unique. Thee is no place else on the planet like UL or like Acadiana for that matter. Who else has something better than Cypress Lake? Who can claim a Francophile heritage? Who has our engineering and computer science credentials? Where else can you hear "poo-yie," "mais yeah" and "coullion" in a single afternoon walking around campus? Who else has our music, our food and our joie de vivre?

• Acadiana. UL is located in the most fun loving place on the planet. 'Nuff said.

• UL will always be home. Man, the memories when I walk on campus. Seriously, there are few other places I can go where I feel more at home.

• It taught me to pronounce words that no one else can say. Where else can you go to learn to say Richard (the right way), boudin, Boudreaux, Naquin, Hebert, etc.?

• The berms. Cajun field has those berms in the end zones. Watching kids play and families sit together out there gives our games a special atmosphere. Perhaps the days of the berms are numbered, but we still have them now and even when they are gone, we had them at one time.

• UL removed the scales from my eyes. Until I attended the U (back in 1983 when the legislature did it's little dipsy doodle with the name), I had no idea of the climate I lived in. Living through that, learning about the way that our university is funded and how there is no equal treatment under the law, I saw that LSU is in fact the source of all evil. I owe UL for opening my eyes to that.

• Ardent athletic supporters. Heh heh, you guys know what I mean. We want to get better and we are willing to put that desire into action. Y'all are the best, man.

• The RCAF. See above.

• Our history. Not the same as our traditions. I mean that UL is and has been for a very long time a stable contributing part of our state and our country. From WWII officer training to Vets Village, from SLI to UL, we have led the way in engineering, computers, nursing, business, CAD/CAM, robotics, etc.

• Diversity on campus. Students from all over the state and all over the world. Class room learning wasn't the half of it.

• Our rugby team KICKS ___.

• Mostly it is the people though. The people at UL were some of the sweetest, kindest and most sincere people I have met in my life. There is a love of laughter and life there I doubt exists elsewhere to the same degree.

J'aime mon école. Allons Louisiane.

Still newsworthy

[ZoomZoom]

Simply put, this university help advance all of us into the roles we all fulfill in society today.

But if you want something crazy, name another university with an alligator swimming around the middle of their campus.

Unique.

[CajunEXPRESS]

When a rich, powerful, businessman, THE Paul Fornet, sees a young undergrad walking in the rain and offers him a ride to class, well that is just CLASS. The people of this area are the BEST. UL is full of locals, and then we bring in the best Texans to add a can do attitude. It makes the balance of Louisiana quake.

[USL1970]

My family lived near the campus, so SLI/USL/UL is part of our bloodline.

In 1958, my best friend and I wanted to go to the SLI football game at McNaspy Stadium, but we did not have tickets. So after the game just started, we decided to climb over the chain link fence which secured the stadium. We got over easily, and headed toward the stands.

George Mouton, of the SLI security department, grabbed us by the arm as we got to the stands. We thought we were going to jail, and I just knew my dad was going to use his alligator belt on me.

Mouton took us into the stands and down to around the 50 yard line. He brought us to this giant man wearing a Stetson hat. Mouton said, "President Fletcher, I caught these boys sneaking into the stadium without tickets. What do you want me to do with them?" Oh shxxxx!!!!

He stared down at us, and said, "Next time you boys need tickets, come to my house and I'll give you two."

Mouton chucked and let us go. We found a couple of vacant seats; however, I was nervous the entire game, didn't sleep well at night for weeks, wondering if my parents would find out, and I would end up doing a type of Indian dance when that alligator belt made contact.

When attending USL, I have many good memories, particularly when attending class in what was then know as 'Little Abbeville' - wood frame buildings from WWII era with no air conditioning. However, it's really the people not the buildings that I remember most.