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From sac-a-lait fishing to infant massage to hip-hop dancing to wine tasting, where else can you find such a wide variety of self-improvement mini-courses than in the LSU Union's Leisure Classes? Each semester some 100 different topics are offered to the people of the Baton Rouge area and are taught by people who are either professionals or serious enthusiasts in the topic. Last fall, 156 sections were offered in 118 different topics. In the last five years, LSU Union Leisure Classes have had more than 25,000 people take classes. Leisure Classes have been offered at LSU since 1968. The name and format of the program has evolved since then.
Anne Henry, coordinator of the LSU Union Leisure Classes, noted "Leisure Classes offer a positive way for people to spend their leisure time in the evenings. They are a great way for anyone to learn a skill or develop a new hobby. It also gives participants an opportunity to meet new friends with a common interest. Courses ebb and flow with popular culture," she said. The most popular classes now deal with health and fitness, such as Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga. Yoga is one of the longest running classes and ballroom dancing is a perennial favorite. LSU students particularly enjoy the variety of dance classes. Originally offered only to LSU students, the classes are now available to anyone who has the desire to learn. People, young and those not so young, from all over the Baton Rouge area take the classes. "I am amazed at the effort people will go to take one of our classes, said Henry." The "I've been trying for 15 years to get into this class (Clay-Hand Building), but every time I called, the class was full," said Karen Fitzgerald of Plaquemine. Fitzgerald wanted to be in the class so badly, that she applied for the class from her hospital bed. Her perseverance paid off, she got into the class last fall. Another student in the class, Jeannie Jones, said, "I have always wanted to try pottery molding, but was afraid that it would be too hard. So, when I saw the ad in the newspaper, I thought that this would be a good time to give it a try."
"At first the classes were just for faculty, staff and students. But, I really wanted the classes to be open to the public. I wanted to preserve my (Cajun) culture. By opening the class up to the Baton Rouge community I could cover a larger audience." The first cajun class had only six people, but now my classes have grown to approximately 45 students each during the fall and spring semesters, and about 35 in the summer. Three sessions of leisure learning classes are held each year in the spring, summer, and fall. Registration typically begins in January, May, and August. Contact Jon Fisher | LSU
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The program was originally called "Free University" and was created in 1968 by the LSU's Student Government Association. Sponsorship of "Free University" changed hands in 1970 when the LSU Union Program Department took responsibility of the program. 
woodworking classes are taught in a shop in Clinton on a Sunday afternoon, and "we were really not sure people would drive that far for a class. The class is always full," added Henry 
One of the most popular classes in the series is Cajun Dancing taught by Roland Doucet. Doucet, who drives in from St. Amant, has been teaching the Cajun dancing classes for 21 years. 
