Tours, food tasting, and welcoming of the new Southern University System President are scheduled activities for the grand opening celebration of the new Johnny L. Vance Jr. Student Activities Center at Southern University, Shreveport (SUSLA). The ceremony will be held on SUSLA's main campus at 3050 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive on August 20, at 11:30 a.m.

What was once a vacant space on the campus, the newly constructed Johnny L. Vance Jr., Student Activity Center is now a hub for campus life. The new facility stands adjacent to its previous two-level location which was also renovated and now provides more than 16,000 square feet of space for student activities, campus clubs and organizations, and dining needs.

The new student activity center offers some amazing amenities for students and staff alike. Students can retreat from classes and enjoy a new game room equipped with arcade-style video games, a billiard table, plasma televisions, and computer docking stations.

Students and staff can now dine at a new on-campus eatery called, "The Market Place," at a reasonable price. The self-service dining facility provides students with daily hot and cold menu items.For the campus coffee enthusiasts, the "Jaguar Java," a gourmet coffee kiosk, will be added. Also housed in the center are new offices for the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Student Center Board (SCB). Other amenities include an enlarged and enhanced bookstore and a multi-purpose room.

According to a SUSLA press release, guest speakers for the celebration will include Ronald Mason Jr., SUS President; Ray L. Belton, SUSLA Chancellor; Sharon Green, SUSLA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; The Honorable Randale Scott, SU Board of Supervisors Student Representative; and SUSLA SGA President and Miss SUSLA, Kristen Davis