Life as a Cajun in college, UL alumni uncovering everything 

SATIRE – APRIL FOOLS

“College is like a fondue fountain; students are there with a strawberry on a stick.” I had never heard such wisdom until reading “The Life of a Ragin’ Cajun” by University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni, Cade Jun. Jun attended school here at UL, like the rest of us, and wrote about his experience in hopes that he could inspire and encourage the incoming generations. 

I came upon this book a few weeks ago, and I must say I’m so glad to have experienced such a read. Once finishing it, I knew I had to share it with the rest of the UL body. 

Jun first starts his book by explaining why he wanted to come to UL in the first place. Everything started in high school, when he had a dream about the campus pet, Boudin the goose, which he didn’t yet know of. A few months later, when he went on a tour, he saw Boudin lying “so gracefully in the waters of the fleur-de-lis fountain.” 

This moment changed his life forever from having the dream to seeing it take place in real life, finalizing his decision to spend his next four years at UL. The book continues to go into depth on tips for those in college along with some suspicious UL secrets. 

Since reading, I have felt so strongly about this book, connected in a way that I never saw possible. Everyone should invest in this book, especially those of us who attend UL, and because I wish this for all of us, I have decided to save you all the money and break it down myself. 

At first, the book focuses on multiple tips and hacks to help you get through the years. One of the most beneficial tips mentioned that I found, especially as someone who currently attends UL, was that there was free food residing here on campus. I’m not talking about the fake free food, where you still have to buy a meal swipe or cajun cash. No, this food was legit free. 

At 3 p.m. every day, Rougeou Hall leaks honey from its walls. I know it sounds insane but, it’s shockingly true. Just last Tuesday, I went to see for myself. At 2:55 p.m., I waited anxiously, and then, there it was. Gold, sticky, delicious honey dripping through the bricks. So I did what any logical person would do at that moment and ate some. I was utterly shocked, and couldn’t believe how long I went without knowing such a secret. 

Jun continues to list more and more abstract facts to help current students, and though solving student hunger was one of them, there is so much more to delve into. Unfortunately to go through all of them would practically require me to rewrite the book itself. So I won’t do that, but in this book lies so many little secrets that are incredibly beneficial. 

Speaking of secrets, Jun also covers those in his book. Specifically in chapter 22, he admits to UL having a mascot– and he’s not talking about the pepper. I understand, you are probably insanely confused because I was at first too. When first reading this, I had no idea what Jun meant, well, not until I read further. 

As the chapter unfolds, the audience is introduced to a new character: Max Scott. 12 years before Jun started at UL, Scott had taken on the role of being the UL mascot, Boudin the Goose. However, things took a nasty change after a year of Scott’s efforts. 

When first taking on the job as the school’s mascot everyone fell in love with him. With his charismatic charm and lively spirit, the students couldn’t get enough of him. 

Until one day, he was gone. No one knew what happened or why, but Scott just upped and left. Jun mentions that he never even knew UL had a goose mascot, surprised at how well the school hid it. 

It wasn’t until Jun’s third year in college that he accidentally stumbled upon the sixth floor of Griffin Hall. How, you may ask? He doesn’t even know. 

Nonetheless, to his witness, he found a man living up there alone and came to find out it was Max Scott. Who, at the time, was just a stranger, until Scott unveiled a level of secrets connecting the two, discussing all that had happened. Time seemed to stop; it was just the two of them, with Scott’s constant explaining and Jun’s active listening. 

Long story short, at a football game, Scott made the terrible mistake of holding the UL hand sign backward, leading to an instant stain on his life. All the love he once knew quickly turned into hate. After that, the faculty refused to let a mascot take reign on the campus again, hunting Scott down for his treacherous act. Fear swiftly led him away, taking refuge on the sixth floor. 

Jun couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and at that moment he knew his story must be shared. So that’s what he did, but failed miserably. No one heard of having a mascot before and therefore refused to believe him. Also, UL started quickly catching onto Jun and kept a close eye out, forcing him to keep quiet. 

Yet still, he had an urge to tell Scott’s story, and in doing so, he wrote this book. “The Life of a Ragin’ Cajun” has empowered me personally to also spread this story. 

This was one of the best reads of my life and will probably be yours too. So, as a student, take advantage of not just the helpful tips inside but the juicy secrets shared. You definitely won’t regret it.