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| LSU Community Joins Local Residents In Revitalization Effort
Fate Whiten has lived in the neighborhood north of LSU’s campus since 1964. Thanks to guidance received during free legal counseling clinics conducted by LSU law students, he was recently able to help his church purchase some blighted property in the area for building expansion and redevelopment. The clinics that Whiten attended were part of a Community-University Partnership (CUP) that aims to bring LSU and its adjacent neighborhood together for mutual benefit. Whiten’s neighborhood, known as Old South Baton Rouge, was once a thriving, working-class, racially integrated community between the LSU campus and downtown Baton Rouge. The area contained some of the city’s best and most popular restaurants, department stores, and two theaters—one of which, the McKinley, played host to artists such as Sam Cooke, James Brown, and B.B. King. But in the 1950s and ‘60s, the Civil Rights movement reached its peak, and integration led to a large flight of African-Americans and others leaving the area for better homes as a result of better jobs. As they left, so did the prosperity that was part of the community, leaving behind individuals with less financial resources.
With the city’s expansion away from downtown and the construction of an interstate through the center of the neighborhood, things only got worse. Many of the businesses that didn’t move, simply went bankrupt. Community organizations worked hard for a number of years to keep the neighborhood going. In the late 1990s, members of these organizations, residents, community leaders, and LSU representatives came together in an effort to see what could be done to bring a sense of pride back to this historic area. They also hoped to forge a tighter bond between LSU and the neighborhood. What emerged from that effort was a Community-University Partnership (CUP). CUP came together thanks to a $400,000 Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grant, awarded to LSU and various community partners, marked the first COPC grant to any institution in Louisiana. The Community Outreach Partnership Centers program is administered by HUD’s Office of University Partnerships.
Established in 1994, the Office of University Partnerships is a catalyst for joining colleges and universities with their communities in shared efforts to work on solving urban problems. HUD’s annual COPC grants, awarded on a competitive basis, help colleges and universities provide technical assistance, training, and applied research to community-based groups and local governments. The activities are chosen and designed jointly by the schools and neighborhood groups. Thanks to the grant received by LSU, an office for CUP was established in the Leo S. Butler Community Center, located in the heart of the neighborhood. In addition, CUP launched a variety of programs to aid the area’s businesses and residents, while at the same time offering students and faculty a chance to learn and teach in real world environments.
Since its inception, CUP has involved LSU students from a variety of disciplines in its efforts. Students in LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center conducted the legal clinics; English students have collected and written stories about the neighborhood’s long-time residents; architecture students have helped area businesses improve their appearances; and representatives of LSU’s Small Business Incubator have offered workshops and advice to neighborhood entrepreneurs. In addition, an LSU Mass Communication class helped produce a new neighborhood newsletter, which is distributed through some 50 area churches, the Butler Community Center, various neighborhood businesses, and in the Chancellor’s Office at LSU. This newsletter, created with help from a grant from the city of Baton Rouge, has become a crucial tool in helping CUP accomplish its overall mission. “Soon after CUP opened its doors, we became aware of a problem: The lack of a communication tool in the community,” said Judy Bethly, the coordinator of CUP. “We had no means of informing community members of important events that could affect their lives, and we felt that a community newsletter could aid us in this endeavor.” Eddie Johnson, director of the Butler Community Center, agreed with Bethly. “CUP is nothing new to me because I was there when it was organized, but there are people out there who are not aware of what is happening,” he said. “Now that we have the paper, people are going to be kept abreast of what projects are going on in the area.” Written by Rob Anderson | University
Relations Related Links Community Outreach
Partnership Centers Program |
