Two campuses, two different worlds

As I drove from Wal-Mart Sunday evening I tuned in to “Word Up,” a local teen radio talk show on 94.1 FM. Usually I would turn the station but the topic that was being discussed caught my attention.
The host of the show, Clay Young, and a panel of young people were talking about the myths that were associated with Southern University and LSU. I agreed with some of the comments that were made by the panelist and the callers, but the overall opinion of the two universities was appalling.
Despite disgruntled students complaining about registration, financial aid, etc, many people had this misconception that LSU was the university for Whites and Southern is the institution for Blacks. No doubt Southern University is deemed a historically black college or university, but no one should base this solely as his or her reason for attending this school.
Many of us feel that Southern is the place for us because our daddy attended SU and their daddy attended SU and all our uncles, aunts, and cousins attended SU. Even though your family may have a rich legacy here, Southern just may not be the place for you. We should take into consideration the programs that both universities can offer us.
Many feel that at LSU you are just a number, but that is anywhere in life. We think that just because we attended Southern, people are to cater to our needs and wait on us hand and foot. It may be true that at LSU the registration and financial aid process is easier and more convenient, but if you don’t have your stuff together I guarantee you that you will catch more hell there than you would at Southern.
We also need to stop singing that old song that they don’t want us at LSU. Wake up people! It is a new millennium and the last time I checked LSU didn’t have any signs up saying, “Whites Only.” And if we want to go into racism, let’s not forget how we look at other nationalities, i.e. Caucasians, Asians, and Middle Easterners who attend our prestigious black university.
Don’t say that you haven’t ever did that because I myself have been guilty at one point in time in wondering, “Why is he at my school?” We need to learn how to embrace the differences among us because in the real world we have to deal with many different types of people. If we can’t get over the stereotypes that have been perpetuated for so many years are not going to make it.
There are so many things that we can accomplish together to make our community more cohesive.
Right now LSU and Southern University students are working on initiatives to strengthen the relations between the two universities. Instead of putting these ideas down and having the mentality that it will not work, I encourage everyone to open up their minds and help bridge the gap between the two universities.