University president Dr. John L. Crain kicks off the event with a cake cutting ceremony, then poses for photographers.
The Lion’s Roar / Heather Jewell

Returning again for Homecoming was Gumbo Ya Ya.

To start off the event, President John L. Crain cut a piece of the ceremonial three layered cake last Wednesday, and the long line of students were happy to dig into the bona fide Louisiana chicken and sausage gumbo. However, gumbo was not the only thing offered; drinks were also served and students could eat any of the cupcakes or cake that were available.

“The food was great, I always love this event,” said junior kinesiology major Jamie Bourgeois. “Homecoming is really fun, and free food is always awesome when you are on a college budget.”

Attendees were catered by university police and other workers; after finishing a bowl or two, they could then hang out under the shade or try any of the inflatable structures offered. 

At 12:00 p.m. the 2015 Homecoming Court was presented on the steps of the War Memorial Student Union. This year’s Homecoming Court was Allison Etzel, Si-Arah McCray, Jasmine Wilson, Christina Ferrando, Jamie Ban, Ashley Nelson, Randi St. Pierre, Tony Miller, Reid Shorter, DJ Cannon, Davon Mitchell, Beau Moore, DeQuaz Humphries and Tyrell Norman.

“Gumbo Ya Ya was the first event we were presented at in front of Southeastern students and I felt honored to be one of the 14 to be representing our school,” said sophomore marketing major Christina Ferrando. “I loved how supportive all the students were. My favorite part of Homecoming so far is seeing how the students of Southeastern are such a great community. Through the stress of midterms and everything else, everyone is still coming together to celebrate our school and Homecoming Week.”

Also in attendance was junior computer science major with a pre-MBA concentration Rachael Bunn and junior engineering technology major with a computer engineering concentration Andrew Brouillette. 

“The event was really nice,” said Brouillette. “It was great to be able to go there between my classes and get something to eat, all I did was get some gumbo.”

The couple are both athletes as well, Brouillette ran both track and cross country for the university, and Bunn is a member of the Lady’s volleyball team.

“I really enjoyed Gumbo Ya Ya this year,” said Bunn. “I went during my time off and I had a lot of fun. It was nice to have a little break in the midst of midterm exams.”

After enjoying gumbo students had many activities to choose from, including the above pictured blowup basketball toss and even an inflatable obstacle course. 
The Lion’s Roar / Jade Ngo