Meter

Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Forum

To be honest I found myself somewhat jealous as I visited the SU campus. While their buildings may have been older than ours there was an overwhelming sense of character about their Yard. From the Greek plots the casual way their student body associated on campus there was a resounding sense of community. No doubt the events of 2005 had helped shape the region and their university in way we can never fully comprehend. I also found myself envious of was the way the entire community embraced the University. Undoubtedly the fact that SU plays on campus fosters this sense of unity. On Friday we visited the campus just to scope out atmosphere of the campus when we returned on Saturday we found a much different neighborhood. The same streets we drove down that were quite and not crowded were packed with SU fans. Grills were aflame, fish was frying, and music was blaring. It seemed that every face had a smile on it. Numerous RVs surrounded the stadium, too many to count in fact as fans and alumni from parishes all over Louisiana came to show their love and support for SU.

Then came the rain. Now as anyone can tell you when it rains at a TSU game people run for the hills or many times won't come to the games altogether. So as I sat in my hotel room watching the rain poor my expectations for the game dimmed. It seemed that fate was on our side as the rains that drenched The LSU South Carolina matchup on the other side of town suddenly subsided. Although they did briefly return in the game for the most part the TSU and Southern fans stuck them out and remained.

Then came the game. While I've been to numerous classics during my time here at TSU I've never attended a non-classic game between two HBCUs. The atmosphere was electric and it was clear we were in SU's house. The arena has an approximate seating capacity of 20,000 and despite the rain and threat of more to come 15,371 SU and TSU fans braved the elements to watch the Bayou battle between our two loved Universities. Both the Aristocrats and the Human Jukebox put on great halftime shows and even though the game didn't have the outcome Tiger fans wanted, it proved the an exciting show down.

Upon leaving Louisiana I have several mixed emotions. On the one hand I was envious of the tight knit community that fully supports their university but on the other I knew that support came from a great tragedy that had struck the community. On the other hand I was very thankful that our community has never had to face such a trail. On the other with the support our students showed for a common cause in the Jean Six case I'm hopeful for our future.•

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