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The University of Louisiana at ��ɬֱ�� flung open the doors to its “living room” on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, a ribbon cutting at the new “U” was followed by an open house, then a dedication of the Helma B. Constantine Forum, on the Union’s second floor. A reUnion at the U dinner reception was held that evening.

On Saturday, an inaugural Zydeco brunch was held in the Cypress Lake Dining Room at the U. Fare included scrambled eggs, thick slices of ham and pork roast, biscuits topped with white gravy and grits smothered in shrimp stew.

While diners ate, Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band played from a makeshift stage in front of a bank of glass windows that overlook the lake.

Jonathon McManus, a sophomore from Lake Charles majoring in electrical engineering, said the blend of food and music was “awesome.”

“It just gives everything a really good Cajun feel,” he explained.

A Zydeco brunch is scheduled for each of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns’ home football games this fall. Diners can park on campus, then catch a shuttle to and from Cajun Field.

On Friday, visitors and alumni toured the two-story ��ɬֱ�� Union throughout the day. It opened this spring after a renovation and expansion project. The new building replaced a structure that was built in 1971.

“It’s truly a community center, and it’s turned out to be everything that we hoped it would,” said Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL ��ɬֱ�� president. “This is sort of like a mini-homecoming.”

Many visitors toured the new U, and took in its newly renovated Bayou Bijou theater, sprawling Atchafalaya Ballroom, and a warren of meeting and conference rooms.

One of those visitors, alum Johnny Womack, was a member of the men’s basketball team in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Womack, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from the University, liked what he saw. “It’s amazing,” he said of the new ��ɬֱ�� Union.

“It almost makes you want to come back to school,” Womack added, jokingly.

On Friday afternoon, the Helma B. Constantine Forum on the Union’s second floor was dedicated. Constantine helped lead desegregation efforts at the University in the 1950s.

On April 23, 1954, Southwestern Louisiana Institute became the first four-year, public university in the Deep South to integrate.

Constantine’s daughter, Clara Dell Constantine, was among the first African American students who enrolled at SLI.

On Friday, Savoie said that Helma Constantine’s efforts to help her daughter achieve her dream of higher education was a cause that “was just, and her conviction was strong.”

“By actively seeking a better life for her children, Helma Constantine and others ensured that justice was given a chance to prevail, and that future generations would not be denied equal opportunities,” Savoie said.

Constantine’s daughter, Joyce Constantine Henson, was on hand to see the unveiling of a plaque emblazoned with her mother’s likeness, and a description of her desegregation efforts.

“My mother was stubborn, and felt that the only way up from poverty was education,” Henson said. “She insisted that we all get an education of some kind. And, every young person that she talked to, she would ask, ‘Where are you in school?’ It was very important to her.”

Photo by Doug Dugas/UL ��ɬֱ��