From the earth-shaking era of World War II to the chaotic and uncertain Vietnam War, generations of Student Government presidents carried out their duties in the face of controversy and confusion.
As the University prepares to elect these presidents’ newest successor this week, The Daily Reveille asked players in school history to reflect on their Student Government memories.
EVELYN RASER, 1944-1945
Raser was elected coed vice president in fall 1944 and became president in the spring when the male president and vice president left the University to join the military.
She described student uprisings on campus during WWII as “interesting but nothing major.”
Raser then moved to New York to work as a stewardess. She later returned to Louisiana and attended the University of New Orleans to become a teacher.
She taught in New Orleans public schools for 25 years and said her time at Thomas Alva Edison Elementary, which in 1963 was an all African-American school, was an inspiring experience.
“I truly profited from my time there,” she said. “I can still remember all my students.”
Raser retired in 1986 and dedicated herself to caring for her mother.
“I’ve been very successful. But whether the presidency helped me, I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been very happy and very lucky, and I appreciate so many of the wonderful people I got to know at LSU.”
ELAINE ABELL, 1963-1964
Elaine Abell was the University’s first female SG president.
Abell, now a Lafayette attorney, served as SG president in 1963 and 1964. During her time at the University, the three major positions within the SG executive branch included president, vice president and coed vice president. 
While the coed vice president chair was open for female candidates, the positions of president and vice president were generally reserved for male candidates.
According to Abell, the Vietnam War began during her presidency and caused some “stirring up on campus.”
“We had a lot going on,” she said. “I remember the Bay of Pigs invasion, and Cuban students would talk in Free Speech Alley about the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Abell helped establish the Tiger Train, a bus that provided transportation from parking lots to the heart of campus. She said the train was just the beginning of the University’s current transportation system.
In 1967, Abell enrolled at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The University’s law school was predominately male, but for the first time, the school saw a steadily increasing number of female students. Abell’s freshman class included 10 women, a school record.
“There were only one or two [women enrolled],” she said. “Before that, not as many women looked to law as a profession. We could really see that change was coming.”
After Abell graduated, she clerked for Chief Justice Joe Sanders of the Louisiana Supreme Court for about two years. Soon after, Abell married and moved to Lafayette as a practicing lawyer.
“To this day, I’m still networking on projects with people I’ve met at LSU,” she said. “The [SG] office provides many opportunities and life-long friendships for someone who chooses to serve. It’s been very fulfilling. … What you put into it is what you get out of it.”
JAY DARDENNE, 1977-1978
John “Jay” Dardenne went from serving as SG president during the 1977-78 school year to becoming Louisiana’s lieutenant governor.
While Dardenne served as president, he was enrolled at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
“The law school was still part of the main campus,” he said. “It was normal for the SG president to be in law school, but this changed after my year as president when the law center became a separate campus.”
Dardenne said one of the highlights of his presidency was his participation in the campaign to gain voting privileges for a student member on the LSU Board of Supervisors.
“I was the student member but did not have voting privileges,” he said. “I testified at the legislature to get this changed.”
After his graduation in 1979, Dardenne practiced law in Baton Rouge and later served on the city’s Metro Council from 1988 to 1991. Dardenne was a state senator from 1992 to 2006, and in 2003, he earned the title of National Republican Legislator of the Year.
Dardenne served as Louisiana’s secretary of state from 2006 until 2010, when he was elected to his current position as lieutenant governor.
“The SG presidency brings with it some notoriety that continues after graduation, particularly for those who pursue elected office,” Dardenne said. “Many of the people who have supported me over the years are friends and contacts I made during my time at LSU.”
J HUDSON, 2010-2011
“The highlight of my administration was the amount of students who came up to [SG Vice President Dani Borel], our executive staff and/or me and told us this was the first time they felt Student Government actually did something.”
Before Hudson’s term, the Board of Supervisors informed the University community that it could face a 34-percent budget cut.
While University finances were the focus of his campaign, Hudson said cuts also molded his presidency.