SLI alum remembers the beginnings of integration Leroy Anderson was one of the first African American students to attend what's now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette SLI alum remembers the beginnings of integration and last updated 2021-02-27 23:07:05-05 LAFAYETTE, La. â U.S. Navy Veteran and retired teacher Leroy Anderson remembers his time at what's now the University of Louisiana. When he attended the school in the 1950s, it was called Southwestern Louisiana Insititute, and he was one of the first African Americans to enroll at the school, just as integration was starting to be seen in more and more cities across the country.