the nicholls worth

� ursday, April 7, 2011 A Nicholls State University Student Publication Volume 56 — Issue 23

FormerColonelsassist in

coaching...page 8

Index: Sports...7 Lagniappe...13 Editorial...17www.thenichollsworth.com Please Recycle

nichollsnichollsnichollsthe

worth

Crawfi sh prices fl uctuate with their size...page 3

Luxury Costs

Students work to fi nd online predators...page 4

Barefooted students raise awareness

...page 15

04.07.11 � e Nicholls Worth

HAPPENINGSbriefNicholls students excel in annual competition

Offi cial judging for the sixth annual Nicholls Research Week Student Poster Competition took place on March 29. Thirteen judges evaluated 23 undergraduate submissions and seven gradu-ate submissions.

The top undergraduate submissions included “Prevalence and Detection of Inducible Clindamycin Resistance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Isolates in a South Louisiana Population,” by fi rst-place winner Shannan Washing-ton, from the Department of Biological Sciences; “Investigation of the Presence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Meat Products of Retail Stores in Thibodaux, LA.,” by second-place winner Sumana Kalyanasundaram, also from the Department of Biological Sciences; and “Parents Using Incremen-tal Rehearsal to Teach Sight Words to Kindergarten Students at Home,” by third-place winner Abbie Burt, from the Department of Psychology and Counselor Education.

The top graduate submissions included “Monitoring the Diets of Predatory Fish in a Port Sulphur Drainage Canal,” by fi rst-place winner Rachel Lanni; “Designing Molecular Biomarkers for Monitoring of Reproductive Health in the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary,” by second-place winner Jenny Ledet; and “Bactericidal Activity of Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) Immune System,” by third-place winner Justin J. Merrifi eld. The winning graduate submissions were all from the Department of Biological Sciences.

Walkway closure implemented for construction

The walkway and bridge that connects the fi rst and second fl oors of Peltier and Beauregard Halls will be temporary closed for con-struction on April 1-30.

FAFSA workshop dates changed

All students are reminded to complete FAFSA forms at their ear-liest convenience. The fi nal deadline date is June 30, 2012.

Free testing available for STD Awareness Month

As April is STD Awareness Month, the STD department of the Offi ce of Public Health is offering referrals for free tests at stu-dents’ chosen clinic, as well as other information.

They will hold a table in the Student Union next Wednesday.

Governor announces $83 million payments to hospitals

Governor Bobby Jindal joined several hospital leaders to an-nounce on March 29 the most extensive collaboration and largest payment to date in the state’s new Low-Income and Needy Care Collaboration Agreement (LINCCA) program, with $83 million going to 27 private hospitals and savings of millions for local and state public hospitals.

The Governor also announced that the state has developed a supplemental UPL program for physicians, which made its fi rst set of payments totaling about $2.8 million last week. DHH estimates that about $10 to $15 million could be paid out through this pro-gram annually.

Nicholls to host 40 agencies at public safety expo

Nicholls will host the fi rst-ever Bayou Region Public Safety Expo on April 16 in the John L. Guidry Stadium parking lot.

Free and open to the public, the fi ve-hour, family-friendly event will begin at 10 a.m. with more than 40 public safety agencies of-fering hands-on education and interaction.

Nicholls Calendar of Events

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

7 8 911 13

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Thursday

1410

12

•Vagina Monologues at 7 p.m. in the Cotillion Ballroom

•Thursday Night Live from 7-9 p.m. in Le Bijou Theater

•Nicholls Players Spring Showcase at 7-9:30 p.m. in Le Bijou Theater

•Vagina Monologues at 7 p.m. in Talbot Theater

•Big Bayou Band at 7:30 p.m. in Talbot Theater

•Dr. Cristina Coates: Combating Drug Resis-tance from 9-10 a.m. in Le Bijou Theater

•Softball vs. Southern Miss at 6 p.m. on the softball fi eld

•Jubilee presentsElectric HarpistDeborah enson-Conant from 2-10 p.m. inTalbot Theater

•Speech forum at 7 p.m. in the Cotillion Ball-room

•Nicholls Players Spring Showcase at 7 p.m. in Le Bijou Theater

•Vagina Monologues at 7 p.m. in Talbot Theater

•Downtown Thibodaux Arts Walk at 2 p.m.

•Nicholls Players Spring Showcase at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Le Le Bijou Theater

•Chauvin Folk Art Festival and Blessing of the Fleet at 10 a.m. at the Nicholls Sculpture Garden

•Crawfi sh Day from noon to 4 p.m. next to John L. Guidry Stadium

•Creative WritingReadings fro 6-9 p.m.in the Colonels Retreat

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Louisiana’s Wacky Weekend Weather

High

Low

85

71

88

61

High

Low 20%

87

68

High

Low 10%

87

70

High

Low10% 10%

Police Reports

Graphic By: Ashley Falterman

March 31

Sodexo reported a 59 year-old non-student leaving the cafeteria with food hidden in a bag. So-dexo reported that the man does this daily. Univer-sity Police banned the man from the cafeteria by request of Sodexo.

April 1

Human Resources requested a former employee be banned from campus. University Police com-plied.

April 3

A faculty member reported harassment on Face-book. The situation is under investigation.

A student reported a stolen phone from his room in Zeringue Hall. There are currently no suspects and surveillance video is under review.

graphic by Ashley Falterman

On the cover:Crawfi sh are on display at last year’s Crawfi sh Day on April 22.

photo by Bridget Mire

Peek-a-boo!


Erica Pitre, education sophomore from Galliano, feeds Gabby Marcello, freshman from Thibodaux, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at Delta Zeta’s Rock-a-Thon Saturday in Shaver Gym.

� e Nicholls Worth 04.07.11 page 3

Under the direction of Dr. Lee H. Grafton and Dr. Tamela L. Charbonnet, Tricia Clement and Sarah Knight certified estheticians will provide a complete skin care program consisting of in-office Medical Facials, Silk Peels, Fraxel Laser Treatments, Micro Peels, Laser Hair Removal, IPL Treatments, make-up consultations using ColorScience Mineral Cosmet-ics and NEW Massage Therapy. While you’re here enjoy our new display of OBAGI, Skin Medica, LaRo-che Posey, and Skinceuticals product lines.

Tricia Clement Sarah Knight

Cost, size of crawfish fluctuate with the seasonsBy Ashley Falterman

and Kristen FisackerlyOnline Editor and Managing Editor

The Student Programming As-sociation is spending about $5,000 more on crawfi sh, corn and pota-toes for Crawfi sh Day this year compared to last year.

With Lent falling close to the end of the semester this year, Crawfi sh Day is being held earlier. This early in the season, the price of crawfi sh is higher, Melvin Har-rison, Student Life assistant direc-tor, said.

The total cost of the 5,500 pounds of crawfi sh, 650 pounds of potatoes and 8 cases of corn ordered this year was $18,500, ex-ceeding last year’s cost of $13,500 for 5,700 pounds of crawfi sh, plus potatoes and corn.

The crawfi sh are ordered af-ter SPA receives bids from local crawfi sh farmers. The lowest bid-der provides the crawfi sh, potatoes and corn. Heads and Tails won this year’s bid and has won it for the past several years, Harrison said.

Harrison said that the higher cost was planned for, but the fi nal price was still less than expected.

The $18,500 was spent on just the crawfi sh and fi xings, however. Other vendors, booths and events that are usually seen at Crawfi sh Day are not included in this price, but according to Harrison, more organizations will be participating this year, and they will be provid-ing additional services, such as merchandise and games.

Other rides, food and events will

be paid for using the Crawfi sh Day fund.

The money for Crawfi sh Day comes from student-assessed fees of $15 and from left over money of the previous year’s Crawfi sh Day, Harrison said. SPA uses these funds to provide all the activities not donated by other organiza-tions. Any money left over from Crawfi sh Day is recycled for the next year.

Though crawfi sh were more ex-pensive this year, the size of craw-


Shane Duhon of Heads and Tails Catering shows off the crawfi sh used for Crawfi sh Day last year.

fi sh themselves decreased this season. The crawfi sh are smaller because of the colder temperatures Louisiana received this winter, Eric Brown, crawfi sh farmer from

Lake Charles, said.Despite the change in crawfi sh

prices, the point of crawfi sh day remains the same.

“We want to use Crawfi sh Day

as an advocacy for other organi-zations to rally for their cause to the student body and provide them with information and other memo-rabilia,” Harrison said.


Bring a drink of your choice and make it a fun night out with friends! Step by step instruction, paint & canvas

provided, leave with completed artwork!

Create a Work of Art488 Corporate Drive, STE 3

Houma, LA 70360985-262-4030

Schedule a Class Today by Logging onto www.paintingwithatwist.com.

Create a Work of Art488 Corporate Drive, STE 3

[email protected]/houma

ClassesPrivate PartiesGift Certificates

SickFreak Inc. catches predators Nicholls recognizes student employeesBy David Guidry

Staff Writer

At fi rst, the SickFreak Inc. head-quarters in La Maison Du Bayou looks like your typical college stu-dent residence.

One soon notices, however, the poster on the wall opposite the door, which displays the SickF-reak logo. Visitors are encouraged to “slap it and respect it,” Adrian Bourgeouis, SickFreak Inc. found-er, said.

SickFreak Inc. exists as a wild fusion of comedy, music and pre-ventative crime fi ghting. Formed by Bourgeois in February, the or-ganization strives to locate online child predators and, through non-violent methods, attempts to stop them in their tracks.

“It’s crazy how easy it is,” Bour-geois said. “I guess that’s why they

started all the shows on TV about it. It’s just way too easy.”

Bourgeois and his SickFreak partner and roommate Derek Matherne enter Yahoo chat rooms aimed at chatters looking for rela-tionships. They then suit up in pho-ny usernames and childlike font colors to begin the hunt. Posing as young teens well under the age of consent, the two receive several re-sponses within seconds.

“You’ve got to dumb yourself down,” Matherne said. “You have to type really weird. If you spell everything right, they’ll know something’s up.”

Though uncomfortable at fi rst, the chatting quickly became rou-tine and even developed into a hobby. The SickFreak guys even use webcam chatting, masking their voices to sound young and vulnerable.

“Every night is something differ-ent,” Bourgeois said. “You think you see it all one night, then you see something crazier the next night.”

The suspicious online chatters come from all over the country, and one was even found to be liv-ing in Thibodaux. Photos of the known predators are posted on the SickFreak Inc. Web site at www.wix.com/boura572/sickfreak. Bourgeois and Matherne have in-teracted with these men extensive-ly before deeming them dangerous and worthy of the attention.

SickFreak Inc. has also been in touch with lawyers and local law enforcement, making sure their methods are completely legal. The processes for legally pursuing the predators are complicated and dan-

By Melissa HolmanStaff Writer

National Student Employment Week, April 10-16, is a time to ac-knowledge the hard work done by student employees on campus.

Rachel Babin, assistant direc-tor of Financial Aid, said fl yers

were sent out to each department encouraging them to take part and do special things for their students throughout the week.

She also said a campus-wide student employee of the year con-test was held. Supervisors in each department nominated students they thought displayed hard work, outstanding character and unself-ish service throughout their time as a student worker. A committee voted on the nominees and three winners will be selected and re-ceive scholarships sponsored by Pro-NSU. An awards ceremony will be held on April 14th, and all nominees will be invited to attend.

Students working on campus do a wide variety of activities for their respective departments, Babin ex-plained.

“We have students in depart-ments doing front line customer service work. Some are doing re-search activities with faculty mem-bers. Some students are working in residence halls and coming up with activities for the residents

and making sure they are happy. I think there is a job to fi t every-one’s personality on campus.”

Mary Babin, allied health sopho-more from Thibodaux and student worker for Ellender Memorial Li-brary, said her job consists of or-ganizing all of the books in the li-brary. She has been working since

the fall semester and took the job to earn some extra money. From taking the job, she has also earned some valuable skills that will ben-efi t her throughout her life.

“I get a lot out of my job. I get to interact with a lot of people and help people around the library. I also get a sense of responsibility that is needed in jobs and will help me in the future.”

Aaron Hill, pre-med junior from Thibodaux and student worker for Nicholls housing, said his role as a resident assistant for Scholars Hall involves creating a safe and comfortable environment for the residents on campus. Some eve-nings he serves as primary resi-dent assistant, in which all of the other residents can come to him with any problems that may arise. He chose to be resident assistant to have more time for his classes and has been working since February.

Hill said the job allows him to expand his social skills and be-

“I think there is a job to fi t everyone’s personality on campus.”

— Rachel Babin

see EMPLOYMENT page 6

see SICKFREAK page 6

photo by Maryna Fowler

SickFreak Inc. founders Adrian Bourgeois, accounting junior from Raceland, and Derek Matherne, graphic design junior from Destrehan, try to catch online child predators on Monday at the organization’s headquarters.


Players to showcase acting talent

see VAGINA page 6

By Katie O’HaraStaff Writer

This is a big weekend for the-atre on Nicholls campus. In ad-dition to the Vagina Monologues this weekend, the Nicholls Players and alumni will be putting on a se-ries of one act plays.

Nicholls Players alumni Joey Pierce and Eric Pellegrin are di-recting the three plays to be per-formed, all written by Christopher Durang.

“Naomi in the Living Room” is a tale about a family full of big personalities and stars Nancy Chauvin, a fi rst time actor, along with Nicholls Players regulars Shay Calongne and Mercedes Hebert. “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” is a parody of Tennes-see Williams’ “The Glass Menag-erie.” This act stars veteran com-munity actress Kami Ellender with

Julia Chauvin, Kyle Woods and Nicholls alumna Laura Templet Pierce. The third act is “ ‘dentity Crisis,” featuring Lisa Cunning-ham and Julianna Wagner, who were both last seen in Big Love, along with Willie Hughes and Kel-sie Guidry.

Cunningham is also the Nich-olls Players managing director. As managing director, Cunningham is involved in every production put on in one way or another.

“I’m in all the productions

that the Nicholls Players put on, whether it’s backstage or acting, selling tickets or advertising.”

Cunningham’s character in “ ‘dentity Crisis” is Jane.

“My family is crazy, and Jane is the only sane one,” Cunning-ham explained. “They don’t really understand her because she’s the only normal one, and she tries to commit suicide. As terrible as that

sounds, it’s a comedy. Some of the stuff is so crazy, it’s humorous.”

Daniel Ruiz, Nicholls Players di-rector, describes the show as “not for network TV sitcom humor, ri-diculously funny and strange mo-ments peppered with some very adult language and sexual situa-tions.”

Ruiz also describes the acts as a “showcase of talent.” It is one of the few times the director gives all control to the players and alumni.

“They really have done a great job, and I found myself laughing pretty hysterically when I saw the run-through last week,” Ruiz said. “My hands haven’t been in it, but they have my seal of approval.”

In addition to the series of acts, there will be improvisations where the various characters meet each other.

The show will be held in Powell Auditorium on Friday and Satur-day at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The 7 p.m. slot is an experiment to see if students who go home for the weekend can be lured back a little early to catch the show. Tickets are $5 at the door, and students are encouraged to come and see some “good, dirty theatre,” as Ruiz said, and support the Nicholls Players.

“They really have done a greatjob, and I found myself laughing pretty hysterically when I sawthe run-through last week.”

— Daniel Ruiz

Vagina Monologues raises awareness, funds

By Kami EllenderStaff Writer

Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues will be performed April 7-9 at 7 p.m. at Nicholls to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.

Tonight’s performance will be held in the Cotillion Ballroom. To-morrow and Saturday the perfor-mances will be in Talbot Theater. Tickets are $10 at the door, which will open at 6:30 p.m.

This year the Vagina Monologues is comprised of 17 monologues per-formed by Nicholls students under the direction of student director Ali-cia Kozak and Stacey Guidry, direc-tor of disability services.

Sabrina Laurent, coordinator of Women’s Resources and Services, said that the Vagina Monologues are part of a global V-Day movement to raise funds to end violence against women.

“We chose to do the Vagina Monologues every other year,” Lau-rent said.

Of the total profi t, 10 percent will be given to the V-Day movement. Afterwards, 50 percent will go to

Chez Hope, a local non-profi t group that assists abused and battered families, and the other 50 percent will go to Women’s Resources and Services.

Jennifer Morella, child, family and social services senior from Ber-wick, said that all of the monologues are pretty funny, including her own.

“I used to be a little nervous, but now I’m fi ne,” Morella said.

Laurent said that once the girls be-gin to understand their monologues, they become empowered.

“Yes, we’re raising funds, but it’s not all about that,” Laurent said. “It’s about becoming an empowered woman and having a strong voice.”

Katherine Lyons, freshman from Houma, said that she is really excit-ed to perform in the Vagina Mono-logues.

“At fi rst I was nervous about the subject matter and trying to fi nd the confi dence to perform it in front of an audience, but when you have the support from your fellow Vagina Warriors, pretty much anything is possible,” Lyons said. “It’s special to me because I feel like I’m giving


Good Health is essential to everything you hope to accomplish in life. The demands of classes and coursework can be tremendous. Your gynecologist

can help you maintain your most valuable resource: good health!

Our office is conveniently located a few blocks from campus. If you are due for your yearly checkup or have other needs, call today for an appointment.

If necessary, you can be seen on the same day you call. NSU insurance accepted.

Dr. Catherine Diebold

For Appointments:

448-1216

Dr. Amy Ashton

Wom

en

: Put Your Health F

irst

n:P a

506 North Acadia Rd., Thibodaux, LA 70301

EMPLOYMENT continued from page 4

come involved on campus.“I get to stretch my social mus-

cles. The job requires me to be a little more socially active with people on campus and that is very rewarding.”

Anyone interested in applying for a student job is asked to fi ll out the FAFSA form at www. fafsa.ed.gov. Babin said students must then fi ll out a student employment

information sheet to begin receiv-ing e-mails on their University ac-count about available campus job openings.

“Student jobs are something great to put on your resume, help build leadership skills and teach students how to interact with peo-ple on a daily basis outside of the classroom,” Babin said. “It’s an-other step in the learning process.”

SICKFREAK continued from page 4

gerous, so the guys at SickFreak Inc. focus on engaging with them on a personal level and confronting them under the radar.

“We mainly want to get them to think about it before they do it again,” Bourgeois said.

Sometimes the truth is not re-vealed to the predators right away. Some of the more intense cases may last several weeks.

“The longer I talk to them, the longer they might stay away from someone that’s a real kid,” Math-erne said. “I’ll keep it going for as long as I can. For that two hours we might talk a night, I know I’m keeping their attention away from someone else.”

SickFreak Inc. is most active on-line, where songs, videos, chat logs and t-shirts are available.

The SickFreak goal is to bring awareness to people of the Nicholls community and beyond. Bourgeois and Matherne hope to appeal to ev-eryone’s interests through comedy and music in order to reveal an un-comfortable but serious issue.

“It’s a real problem,” Bourgeois said. “It’s not just an isolated case like people might think.”

Perhaps the most accurate de-scription of what SickFreak Inc. is all about can be found on the of-fi cial Facebook page. “We are To Catch a Predator mixed with the swag of college kids.”

VAGINA continued from page 5

a voice to women who can’t have one, and the awareness it brings to violence against women is incred-ible.”

Meaghan Ballantyne, marketing junior from Slidell, said that she felt confi dent throughout the entire re-hearsal process.

“These monologues are about real people, real events, real struggles,

and I’m honored that I get to carry on the voice of these women,” Bal-lantyne said. “These monologues are so eye-opening and raw that you can’t help but want to do everything you can to stop the violence against women.”

“These ladies are truly fantastic, both as actresses and women,” Bal-lantyne said.

The Nicholls Worth 04.07.11 page 7

nichollssportsSportS BriefS

Baseball

April 5:Southern University 6Nicholls State 4

After rallying from a 2-0 deficit, the Colonels couldn’t hold off a late Jaguar charge and fell 6-4. With the loss, the Colonels are now 12-16 on the year.

Golf

March 29:Nicholls freshman Kristjan

Einarsson became the first golfer in Nicholls history to claim multiple wins after he took first place at the Grub Mart-Young Oil Intercollegiate tournament.

Football

April 5:Head coach Charlie Stubbs

announced the signing of All-American junior college transfer kicker/punter Cory Kemps to the 2011 recruiting class.

Softball

April 3:Nicholls State 2University of Central Arkansas 4

Junior outfielder Megan Gaspard went 3-for-3 in the loss. The Colonels held a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth and the Bears scored four runs to take the lead and defeat the Colonels. With the loss, the Colonels fall to 9-23 on the year and 2-12 in Southland Conference play.

Tennis

Apirl 3:DOUBLES1. Bazhanova/ Curukovic (NSU) d. Florina Nosca/Natalia Zamora 8-42. Nedorostova/ Rubesova (NSU) d. Sumana Kalyanasundaram/Marina Ljoshevska 8-33. Lange/Schulz (NSU) d. Tatiana Denezhkina/Melissa Harrison 8-4

SINGLES1. Bazhanova (NSU) d. Nosca 4-6, 6-3, 10-52. Zamora (Nicholls) d. Curukovic 6-4, 6-13. Rubesova (NSU) d. Kalayanasundaram 6-0, 7-54. Schulz (NSU) d. Denezhkina 6-2, 6-25. Nedorostova (NSU) d. Ljoshevska 6-1, 6-36. Lange (NSU) d. Harrison, default (injury)

at Northwestern StateNachitoches, La.

April 86 p.m.

vs. Southern MissThibodaux, La.

April 136 p.m.

Jaramillo’s maturity causes elevation in playBy Adrian Bourgeois

Sports Writer

As the Colonels’ baseball team nears the halfway mark of their season, they can be assured that senior Chase Jaramillo can provide the spark, both on and off the field, to help guide the team in a winning direction.

Jaramillo, originally from the “Sunshine State,” has showed the fans of Nicholls baseball the mean-ing of hard work and passion for the sport he grew up loving.

“I would like to think I’m hard working and very dedicated to ev-erything I do, especially baseball. It’s my life,” Jaramillo said.

With this dedication to his craft, Jaramillo has been able to become a leader of the baseball team after only two seasons with the Colonels.

During his brief stint as a Colonels shortstop, Jaramillo has continued to find a way to improve his game, crediting his maturity as a person as the reason for his on-the-field im-provements.

“I have become a lot smarter with the situational side of base-ball, and I’ve learned when to look for certain pitches and when not to swing,” Jaramillo said.

Jaramillo recognizes Florida Marlins’ shortstop Hanely Ramirez as his idol and said, “I look up to Ramirez because he plays hard, hits well and fields incredibly. He is just an all around great player.”

Much like good leaders do, Jara-millo puts his personal goals of suc-cess last as he stresses the importance of the team, although he would ap-preciate the opportunity to play his beloved sport on the next level.

“Of course, every baseball player hopes there is more after college, but as for now, I’m just playing and having fun because I love this game,” Jaramillo said.

Though Jaramillo takes his role with the baseball team seriously, he also takes pride in being able to just be another one of the guys in the

locker room. He believes that with a mixture of hard work and fun, the Nicholls baseball team can end up playing in the conference tourna-ment at the end of the season.

“To be honest with you, we have a good group of guys that work hard and know how to have fun. I

expect us to make it to the confer-ence tournament,” Jaramillo said.

Jaramillo emphasizes the words “hard work,” and he believes in the combination of guys put together on the team. His aspirations for his future are put on hold as he contin-ues to lead the Colonels in the lock-er room and on the baseball field.

“Our record might not look too good right now, but I promise you we are about to get on a roll,” Jara-millo said.

With his leadership, passion and confidence, Colonels fans might have enough reasons to put their faith in Jaramillo.


Senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo looks after a ball he just hit during Fri-day’s game against the University of Texas at Arlington.


Senior shortstop Chase Jaramillo prepares to throw the ball during Fri-day’s game against the University of Texas at Arlington.

“Our record might not look too good right now, but I promise you we are

about to get on a roll.”

— Chase Jaramillo

04.07.11 The Nicholls Worth

La PaLmais Looking for a

friendLy waitstaff

Stop by to fill out an application!

511 West Third St., Thibodaux446.6564

ThursdayApril 7, 2011

Bullwinkle’sNight

FridayApril 8, 2011

SaturdayApril 9, 2011

Ladies’ Night

Doors Open at 9pm Every Night!

Customer Appreciation

21 or older get in free til 10

Colonels new Web site provides easier service

By Jake MartinSports Editor

Nicholls fans have a new way of buying their merchandise, as associate director of development Brandon Ruttley and sports infor-mation director Charlie Gilling-ham launched a new web site at www.nichollsgear.com.

The new Web site features Nich-olls hats, jerseys, jackets, shirts, blankets and accessories.

“We thought it would be another way to get Nicholls’ logo out into the community,” Ruttley said.

The site is operated through Ad-vanced Online, which is a compa-ny in Texas that creates sites that

sell gear for most Southland Con-ference teams. Ruttley thought it would be a good idea to go through Advanced Online to make a Nicholls site since they already make individual sites for half of the teams in the Southland Con-ference. He said the motive behind the move is to make Nicholls ap-parel more available to people.

“There’s a big push to try to get more venders with our logos out in the community,” Ruttley said. “With this company, at no risk to us, it offers a great op-portunity to give people in other states the ability to buy Nicholls items. Coach (Charlie) Stubbs, for instance, has a lot of recruits from throughout the region and they want to be able to get their

hands on a Nicholls hat or Nich-olls polo.”

Ruttley said that when he came to Nicholls in 2000 as a student, they didn’t have a lot of access when it came to getting Nicholls clothing. Since then, he said the bookstore has come a long way, but Nich-olls needs to continue to grow and make the products more available. Ruttley said he knows that there are a lot of LSU fans in the area, but there are Nicholls fans also.

“It’s very important,” Ruttley said. “I know most people feel that this is Tiger country, but we feel that we can have our place too since most of the business people in this area graduated from Nich-

olls. Nicholls has a place in this community, we just have to make it available to them.”

The new Nicholls gear web site makes purchasing Nicholls mer-chandise easier for everyone, no matter where they’re geologically located. Ruttley said there is a big warehouse in Texas that prints on demand, and when someone from California orders something off the site, they’ll print it and send it to them. Ruttley is always looking to make improvements to the site and wants as much feedback as he can get.

“If anybody has any ideas, I have free reign for ideas to add items or subtract if people like a certain logo or don’t like a certain logo,” Ruttley said.

“Nicholls has a place in thiscommunity, we just have to make

it available to them.”

— Brandon Ruttley

Former players volunteer as coachesBy Carolyn Noble

Sports Writer

Former Colonel baseball players Rudy Darrow and Kevin Schlegel are lending their knowledge to the Nicholls baseball and softball teams this season as volunteer as-sistant coaches.

After spending four years as a professional pitcher in the De-troit Tigers’ and Atlanta Braves’ organizations, Darrow returns to Nicholls to gain experience at the coaching level. After receiving a call from Colonel baseball’s for-mer head coach Chip Durham last summer, Darrow was offered the volunteer assistant coaching posi-tion for the 2010-2011 season. But it wasn’t until current head coach Seth Thibodeaux stepped in as the new head of Colonel’s baseball that Darrow accepted the position.

According to Darrow, he enjoys coaching alongside Thibodeaux because of his intensity.

“I love listening to him talk af-ter the games because he’s a very good speaker; I wish I could talk as good as him.”

Darrow also said that he knows the importance of reiterating the little things after each game from watching Thibodeaux do so. Reit-eration helps the team understand.

As a volunteer assistant coach, Darrow is responsible for field maintenance as well as heading the baseball camps for local kids during the summer. His duties also include helping out associ-ate head coach Chris Prothro with pitching and conditioning during the season.

According to Darrow, one of his biggest assets as a coach is bring-


Volunteer assistant softball coach Kevin Schlegel keeps statistics for the March 23 game against Louisiana State University.

see COACHES page 10


Looking for an on-campus job for Fall 2011?Enjoy writing, editing, taking

pictures, or graphic design?STUDENT PUBLICATIONS IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Nicholls Worth Newspaper:

Sports EditorLagniappe EditorCopy Editors (2)Staff WritersSports WritersReportersSports ReportersPhotographers(must have digital camera experience)

Staff ArtistGraphic Designers(experienced in Adobe Creative Suite)

La Pirogue:Section Editors

Nicholls Worth Advertising:Ad Sales Representatives(must have automobile)

All positions are paid through

Student Employment.

For more information or an application, stop by the Office of Student Publications on Ardoyne Drive or call 448-4259

Expires 11/30/10Expires 4-30-11


ing positive energy to the fi eld each day.

“I think being light out there and easy-going helps a lot,” Dar-row said. “I always have a positive mindset and positive attitude when we go out there.”

Despite the lack of payment involved in volunteer coaching, Darrow enjoys helping athletes develop into better players.

“You don’t coach for the mon-ey,” Darrow said. “You do it be-cause you love baseball, and you love helping kids out.”

After earning the opportunity to play in the minor leagues, Darrow offers his personal experiences to kids as they progress in baseball.

“I’ve been to the top as high as you can go, but I’ve also been to the bottom,” Darrow said. “I’ve experienced both ups and downs, and I think that’s the most impor-tant part of coaching—helping kids out.”

Darrow hopes to continue coaching in the future and believes Nicholls is a great start.

“This is what I want to do later in life,” Darrow said. “I know it’s a good stepping stone and this is where I went to school so it’s a pretty good opportunity.”

The Colonel softball team also gained the experience of a former Colonel baseball player on their coaching staff this season.

Kevin Schlegel joins the softball staff after catching two seasons for the Colonel baseball team. During his time at Nicholls, Schlegel hit .230 with one home run and 33 RBI. Behind the plate, he threw out 13 base-runners while only committing four errors.

Schlegel was offered the vol-unteer assistant coaching job by head softball coach Jenny Parsons last fall, and he accepted the posi-tion as a good opportunity to gain experience at the coaching level. Though there are many differenc-es transitioning to softball from baseball, Schlegel said he’s learn-ing quick.

“I know the basic rules, but I’m still kind of learning on my feet,” Schlegel said.

As a volunteer assistant coach, Schlegel has similar duties to Dar-row.

“My primary duty is to help the catchers since I have experience in that area,” Schlegel said. “But at the same time, I help with hitting and anything else Coach Parsons asks me to do.”

Schlegel is also responsible for helping assistant coach Chris Wat-ford with fi eld maintenance.

Like Darrow, Schlegel is also us-ing his volunteer coaching position with the Colonels as a stepping-stone for a future coaching career.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a baseball coach,” Schle-gel said. “This is kind of some-thing that popped up to me, and it’s kind of a good opportunity to gain experience at the Division I level.”

According to Schlegel, coach-ing females requires a different approach than coaching males.

“The biggest difference is that you have to use a different tone with girls,” Schlegel said.

Schlegel has had to adjust to more than just the tone he uses with the softball girls. Schlegel said he is entertained by the conversations he overhears within the team.

“They talk about the same things guys talk about, just the other way,” Schlegel said. “The biggest kick I get out of it is they don’t have a censor of what they say, especially around me or Coach Watford.”

Schlegel is grateful for the op-portunity to learn from Parsons.

“She’s a high character, high quality person, and she’s fun to be around,” Schlegel said. “I’m constantly learning from her and Coach Watford.”

As he fi nishes up the season as a volunteer coach, Schlegel is open to the opportunity for a paying coaching job.

“If a softball job came up, and it was the right thing for me, I would take it. I’m still young into coach-ing so any paying job I would probably jump at.”

photo by Lisa Neal

Volunteer assistant baseball coach Rudy Darrow walks onto the fi eld before the March 20 game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

COACHES continued from page 8


All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!

Hooters is an equal opportunity employer.

All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!All Positions!

Hooters is an equal opportunity employer.Hooters is an equal opportunity employer.Hooters is an equal opportunity employer.

Great Pay, Flexible Hours, Modeling Opportunities & a Fun Work Environment!

Visit www.hooterslouisiana.com for locations!

Apply in Person

Huge selection of Fleur-de-Lis jewelry, gifts, & accessories

Orleans Home Fragrances

488 Corporate Dr., Ste. 4Houma, La

985-709-0522

www.christyluxuryunder20.com

New Winter HoursMon-Sat. 10am-5pm

Huge selection of Fleur-de-Lis jewelry,

Orleans Home FragrancesOrleans Home Fragrances

www.christyluxuryunder20.comEverything Under $20Lots of Mardi Gras Items

Call A Team You Can Trust Since 1977:*New Desktops & Laptops*1-Day, Same-Day or Immediate Services*Repair & Upgrade Hardware & Software*Virus & Spyware Removal & Maintenance*Network & Internet Installation & Maintenance*Migrate All Programs & Data to New PC

Senior infielder follows father’s footsteps and plays softballQuestions & AnswersQuestions & Answers

By Adrian BourgeoisSports Writer

Senior infi elder Tori Lay balanc-es being a leader on the Nicholls softball team with the workload that comes along with majoring in communicative disorders fi eld.

From Walker to Thibodaux, Lay has brought her experiences as a softball player. Last season as a junior, she was able to see action in 22 games for the Colonels.

Lay values the opportunity to meet new people, and she views her future career as a speech pa-thologist to be the perfect chance to alter the lives of individuals in a positive way.

Q: What got you interested in playing softball?

A: Growing up, I was always a daddy’s girl, and I wanted to be just like him. He played slow pitch when I was a kid, and we would sit at ballparks all night long watch-ing him play. So I guess you could say after watching him play for a

while, I decided I wanted to play too.

Q: What was your favorite memory from a game you’ve had at Nicholls?

A: My favorite, funniest memo-ry at Nicholls is a toss-up between two incidents from my freshman year. The fi rst is when Coach yelled at me to stop playing “fl ip-py” cup in her dugout between innings, and the other is when a senior decided to catch the wall in the dugout to distract the other team.

Q: Would you rather play professional softball or own a speech therapy clinic?

A: I would have to go with ow-ing my own speech therapy clinic. At any moment in the game, you can hurt yourself, and your ca-reer could be over for good. Also, by having my own speech clinic I would be helping a variety of people change their lives for the better.

Q: Do you have any pregame

rituals or superstitions? A: I use to be really supersti-

tious in the past to where I wore my hair the exact same way ev-ery game with the same ribbon. I would have to eat a bag of skittles throughout the game. I wore my eye black exactly the same way,

and many more, but I would be here forever. I’m trying not to be superstitious this year, but it’s hard. When on the road, I do have to room with Ashley Ray though.

Q: What is your favorite pas-time when your softball season is over? Why?

A: Softball has been such a big part of my life that I’m not exactly

sure what I will do when it is over. Q: Would you rather watch a

comedy or a scary movie?A: Most defi nitely a comedy. I

don’t even think a movie is worth watching unless I laugh during it. Not to mention, if I could laugh every second of my life, I would. Anyone who really knows me knows I am not a serious person, and I joke about 97% of the time. Plus, I hate being scared!

Q: If you received a million dollar check, what would be the fi rst thing you buy?

A: The ideal answer for this question would be to buy a house or to pay off my student loans. But realistically, I would probably buy an icee, a new puppy and shoes.

Q: Do you have any pet peeves?

A: My biggest pet peeve would have to be when I just make my bed in the mornings, and someone

sits on it. A superstition I have in life is that if my bed is messed up or if my pillows are not the correct way, then I will have a bad day. So when people sit on my bed in the middle of the day, it gets under my skin.

Q: If you could live in any lo-cation in the world, where would it be?

A: Probably Hawaii. I have nev-er been, but the pictures of Hawaii are just so pretty, and plus every-one that I talk to says it is beauti-ful. It’s one of my top three places I want to travel to, and if I went and never came back, I wouldn’t complain.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a member of the Nicholls softball team?

A: My favorite part of being on the team is having the opportunity to meet the people I’ve met thus far.

“My favorite partof being on the

team is having the opportunity to meet the people I’ve met

thus far.”


Mon-Thurs: 10am-8pm Fri: 10am-6pm Sat: 10am-3pm Sun: Closed


nichollslagniappe

Notes on Notesreviews

Asking Alexandria’s new album

Geekly Weeklyreviews

Land-a-PandaiPhone game

Where do youusually eat lunch?

33% have a meal plan11% buy from the food court

22% bring their own from home33% usually buy off campus

graphic by Justin Robert

Student maintains grades while beating cancerBy Preston Stock

Staff Writer

Battling cancer is tough enough, but Brittani Champagne, elemen-tary education senior from Luling, fought it with an optimistic atti-tude.

During her freshman year at Nicholls, Champagne was diag-nosed with Hodgkin’s Lympho-ma. This type of cancer attacks the immune system and weakens the patients’ ability to fi ght infections. It most commonly affects people in their 20s and 50s.

Champagne went through months of chemotherapy while si-multaneously doing online classes. During these months, Champagne maintained a 4.0 grade point aver-age.

Although cancer may be a time to grieve for some people, Cham-pagne was determined to beat her life-threatening disease.

“It was my optimistic outview that I took in to say, ‘okay this what I have to do, so what do we need to do to get rid of it?’ ” Champagne said. “I was always asking when I

could start treatment, but doctors told me to wait; I wanted to get it over with, so I could get back to school.”

Champagne said that during her treatment, it was a lonely time, be-cause her friends were at school and family members were work-

ing.Two years later, Champagne is

now in what doctors call remis-sion. This means that if the cancer

does not come back within fi ve years, the patient is considered cured. This is Champagne’s sec-ond year in remission.

Now that Champagne has re-turned to Nicholls, she said that she has become a hypochondriac.

“Every little thing freaks me

out, and I have to get it checked out,” Champagne said.

Champagne is president of the Nicholls Education Association

of Teachers and a swimming in-structer during the summer.

Despite the frequent checkups to ensure her cancer does not re-

turn, Champagne is just an aver-age college student who loves to hang out with friends, knit and do well in school.

Champagne was recently ac-cepted into the Disney College Program, in which she will begin interning in the fall.

“Nothing is holding me back,” Champagne said.

Looking back on her treatment, Champagne said that the experi-ence has made life more precious. She believes cancer is a “live life to the fullest” thing.

“Life can come at you hard,” Champagne said. “You never know what is going to happen.”

Champagne’s advice to cancer patients, survivors, friends and family who are going through this experience is to talk with someone and not hide your feelings.

“Cancer affects everyone around you,” Champagne said. “It affects your family, and it affects your friends.”

In honor of those affected by cancer, St. Charles Parish is hold-ing a Relay for Life ceremony on April 16. It is a fundraiser to fi nd a

total cure for cancer. Champagne said that she would be participat-ing in the program this year to share her life changing experience.


Brittani Champagne, elementary education senior from Luling, reads “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!” on Wednesday in the Learning Resource Center in Polk Hall.

“Life can come at you hard.You never know what is going to happen.”

— Brittani Champagne

That MMA Guypreviews

Saturday’s game


Prepare to start a new habit.Prepare to start

Your Smoothie King®

Nutritional Smoothie is custom-made with the fi nestnatural ingredients available;real fruits and fruit juices, natural proteins, essential vitamins, and much more.

Find a healthy habit at your local Smoothie King®.

$1.00 OFFany Medium or

Large Smoothie

50¢ OFF WITH NSU ID

ALWAYS

Student takes on class clown role

Ashton Gibson

By Zavier DavisStaff Writer

As a class clown in the Nich-olls community, Ashton Gibson, freshman from Morgan City, loves to make people laugh.

While working at the local Low-es, Gibson can be found with a big smile on his face in the lawn and garden section. He calls himself a class clown because he likes to

turn serious situations into enjoy-able conversations. When he is not being goofy, he enjoys play-ing football and hanging out with close friends.

Q: If you walked up to any-body, what would be something they would say about you?

A: When people see me, they know I am a clown. When I meet people, I make a joke with the first thing that pops in my head.

Q: What childhood superhero did you want to be when you were young?

A: I wanted to be the Green Lan-tern. I wanted the suit, the ring and everything.

Q: What impact do you want to make in this world?

A: I want to encourage younger kids to be whatever or whoever they want to be. It does not mat-ter where they are from as long as they work hard for it. Go for it.

Q: What is the funniest thing you have ever done?

A: My senior year in high school, we were chasing down freshmen to mess with them in my friend’s neighborhood. The concrete was uneven, so I fell and somersaulted down the street. I got a big scar on the back of my shoulder. It doesn’t sound funny, but it was to me.

Q: What is one hobby that you like to do that no one is aware of?

A: I write poetry. I have about

50 or 60 poems that I have written. Q: What is one thing that peo-

ple do not know about you?A: I have probably one of the

worst attitudes that people would not want to see, so when you push my button, it’s over. I have a bad temper.

Q: If you can change one bad thing in the world, what would it be?

A: I want to get rid of negativity. It is because people let the little things get to them, and it messes up their whole day. I know I do it sometimes, but I get over it. It is not necessary to hold on to that negativity.

Q: Who is your favorite musi-cal artist?

A: Right now, my favorite artist is Kanye West. He is making mu-sic like nobody else is doing. He is talking about things that are differ-ent than anybody else’s.

Q: What is your ideal meal from home?

A: My meal from home would be my mom’s shrimp stew, my grandmother’s potato salad and my mom’s homemade peach cob-bler.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: I see myself playing in the NFL or playing semi-pro foot-ball.

Q: If you could make a new rule at Nicholls, what would it be?

A: I believe a person has to be average in their look. People should not walk around looking any kind of way. I understand peo-ple try to have a comfortable day, but some people look too comfort-able. It looks bad.

Q: What is your most memo-rable pastime?

A: I loved hanging with my grandfather. He was the only per-son on the planet that understood me. I liked to hang out with him every chance I got.

photo by Brandon Queen

Ashton Gibson, freshman from Morgan City, lifts weights after class Mon-day in the weight room in Stopher Gym.


April 9th

Teams must have 5 players and at least 1 boy and 1 girl

per team

DODGE

-A-PALUZASponsored

by Phi Muregistration starts at noon & ends 1pm sharptournament starts at 12:30pm in Shaver Gym

$15 per playerproceeds benefit CMN

$5 admissionfor non-players

Prizes will be given to the team with the funniest costumes & more. For additional informa-tion, contact Kyla Rodrigue on Facebook.

Students kick off their shoes for children in needBy Ross LandryLagniappe Editor

Students walked barefoot to raise awareness for children without shoes Tuesday for the TOMS Day Without Shoes.

According to TOMS.com, TOMS Shoes began in 2006 when Blake Mycoskie, an American traveler, visited children in Argentina and found that they had no shoes to protect their feet. To help them, Mycoskie created a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Mycoskie returned with friends, family and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

This is the fourth annual TOMS Day Without Shoes. Over 250,000 people across the globe went bare-foot on April 8 of last year in support of TOMS. This year’s event found its way to Nicholls as several students walked barefoot on Tuesday.

Despite the weather conditions on Monday evening, students like Raleigh Benoit, freshman from Destrehan, still left their shoes at home.

“I was unsure about not wearing shoes today since it was 46 degrees

when I woke up,” Benoit said, “but then I remembered that the kids that TOMS shoes go to never have the option to make that decision, so I went out barefoot all day.”

Benoit, along with other stu-dents, was a bit worried about what people would think of them walk-ing barefoot. Amber Hutchinson, freshman from Houma, said that she was worried about the looks she would get from her classmates.

“I decided that I wasn’t going to do it for them and do it for myself instead,” Hutchinson said. “I am really glad I went through with it because it really changed my out-look on things.”

Each student that went barefoot agreed that the most important part about One Day Without Shoes is the children in need.

“I like being able to stand for something, even if it’s for children across the world,” Steven Burnet, freshman from Chauvin, said. “Just

standing up for something like this is really powerful.”

Felix Cataldie, psychology soph-omore from Baton Rouge, said that he was happy to go barefoot today.

“I love raising awareness for children without shoes,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of shoes in the fi rst place, so this was the perfect opportunity.”

Like Cataldie, Abigail LeBlanc, freshman from New Iberia, em-braced the idea of leaving her shoes at home.

“Most girls were wearing heels today, but I was comfortable not wearing shoes,” LeBlanc said.

By the end of the day, students began to feel the effects of walking all day without shoes.

“By the end of the day, my feet were a bit cut up and painful, but it made me appreciate the fact that I have shoes and socks to wear ev-eryday,” Benoit said. “Bare feet and concrete may rhyme, but they

are a horrible mix.”Hutchinson said that she carried

a pair of shoes in her backpack in case they were needed, but she nev-er had to put them on.

“Sure, I stepped on a few rocks, sticks and even a pinecone,” she said. “It hurt, but I wasn’t about to complain about that when the bot-toms of children’s feet are so beat up and cut from having to walk

miles and miles just to get food and water.”

Hutchinson said that this year’s Day Without Shoes has made a big impact on her life.

“The biggest lesson I learned of all is to not take the little things for granted,” she said. “My next pair of shoes won’t be Jessica Simpson’s or a pair of Gianni Binis. They will be a pair of TOMS. One for One!”

Googlie Images


Kimberly CandiesHair Tech

602 St. Mary StreetThibodaux, LA 70301

985-448-1128504-512-3546

Zero Dry Time14-Day Wear

By Donny BlanchardStaff Writer

On the second fl oor of Peltier Hall in the history and geography offi ces, you will fi nd a small corner to your right that is home to a man and his mustache.

David Dorrell is not your aver-age history and geography assistant professor. He is an Oklahoma na-tive who enjoys his job teaching at Nicholls.

“I just love the interaction with the students,” Dorrell said. “It’s cli-ché, but it keeps me young.

Dorrell stated that he believes that the relationship between students and teachers is important.

“We are more likely to accept to information from people we trust,” he said.

Dorrell is not what someone thinks of as a professor. Upon enter-ing his offi ce, one would notice that he has many stacks of papers and several acoustic guitars surrounding his desk.

“I keep a few lying around be-cause it tends to calm me,” he said. “I play when I’m nervous.”

One of the fi rst noticeable things about Dorrell is his handlebar mus-tache.

“My inspiration actually came from a monkey,” he said.

Before he taught here, Dorrell had a number of odd jobs ranging from roof construction to maintenance. He somehow knew all along that he would become a teacher.

“Before this, I’ve been all kinds of stuff, and I always had an idea of being a teacher,” he said. “I don’t know why, but I resisted at fi rst. Eventually you just decide to kind of accept what it is that you’re sup-posed to be doing.”

Aside from his past “odd jobs,” Dorrell has taken on a few teaching jobs before coming to Nicholls.

Dorrell started out as a teaching assistant at Texas A&M and was then a professor at Virginia Tech.

“I actually taught in the building where those people were killed,” he said.

Dorrell also taught at Baton

Rouge Community College and River Parish Community College for a semester.

“I had to cover for my friend be-cause he was physically run over by a car,” he said. “Additionally, I taught at LSU when I was fi nishing up for my doctorate.”

Dorrell earned several degrees for his fi eld.

“Well, since I’m originally from Oklahoma, I got my undergraduate at a small school called East Cen-tral University in Oklahoma,” he said. “I have an earned bachelor’s degree in history, and I also have a teacher’s certifi cate. My master’s degree was earned in geography at Texas A&M, and my doctorate was earned in geography at Louisiana State University.”

Dorrell applied to Nicholls after seeing an ad for a geography posi-tion.

“I had been on a tour over here

years and years ago, led by Don Davis who had had this job at the time,” he said. “Once I knew this place, and I saw the ad, I thought, ‘oh I know where Nicholls is.’ I had been there before, and my wife had been there, so I decided to apply, and they ended up hiring me.”

Like almost every professor at Nicholls, Dorrell has a pretty early but normal workday.

“People come in here, usually for advising,” he said. “I also teach ge-ography and history, so the classes are pretty varied. It’s not just one narrow lesson.”

Dorrell loves teaching history and geography because it allows his les-son plans to be broad.

“One day I may be talking about ancient civilizations, or I may be talking about what’s going on in Libya,” he said. “There’s just a huge range of things that I’m allowed to talk about and still stay on topic, and I think that’s just great. It may be one of the best parts of my job.”

Dorrell said he’s also happy with the people he works with.

“I like my colleagues. The get-togethers we have inside and out of school are just really pleasant and nice,” he said.

Dorrell also enjoys Nicholls scen-ery.

“I’ve taught and gone to school in fairly urban settings, but this cam-pus is really pretty,” Dorrell said. “They have nice big trees, and they have picnic tables next to St. Thom-as.”

According to Dorrell, there is nowhere else he’d rather be than at Nicholls, teaching.

“I always felt like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing, and now I do,” he said. “I feel like I’m at home.”

photo by Brandon Queen

Oklahoma native finds home in LouisianaWhat do you want to

read about? Send us your ideas by

e-mail at [email protected].


the nicholls worth staff

opinion policy

Editorials are based on the majority opinion of a seven-member board. Opinions expressed in letters and columns are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Nicholls Worth. Letters to the editor are encouraged and ac-cepted at the discretion of the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words, typed and should include author’s name, classification, major and telephone number. Faculty and staff should include their title and department. Longer letters may be accepted as guest columns. Anonymous letters will not be printed. The Nicholls Worth reserves the right to edit all letters for grammar, obscenity, accuracy and poor taste. Letters are due at 4 p.m. Monday, the week of publication. Letters can be delivered to the Student Publications building, E-mailed to [email protected] or sent to: The Nicholls Worth Editor, Student Publications, P.O. Box 2010, Thibodaux, La., 70310.

mailing information

Nicholls Worth is published weekly for the Nicholls State University community, except be-tween semesters and exams. The subscription rate is $15 per year. Periodical postage paid at Thi-bodaux, LA (USPS 390-460). One paper is free. Additional copies can be purchased for 50 cents. The newspaper office is located on Ardoyne Drive on the Nicholls State University campus. For more information call the Office of Stu-dent Publications at (985) 448-4259.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toNicholls WorthP.O. Box 2010

Thibodaux, LA 70310

Nicholls takes blame for Banner’s limitsPanicked and worried students’ sta-

tuses filled the pages of Facebook this week as students tried to schedule the minute Banner allowed them, only to realize that they overloaded the sys-tem.

Banner cannot accommodate that many students at once, and most up-perclassmen have already learned this fact.

While we hope that they will one day create a server that can handle at least 1,000 students log-ging on at once (as the hundreds that tried earlier this week managed to crash it), for now, this is the system that is in place.

We understand the intense fear caused when one goes to schedule classes and real-izes that many oth-ers have already registered for the courses we need. What if the class becomes full be-fore we can regis-ter?

If a class be-comes full be-fore you have the opportunity to register, you’re probably a low-erclassman. The class you’re prob-ably trying to register for is now full of upperclassmen who had the same problem as you only a year or two ago. Don’t fret. You’re in the same boat as everyone else, stuck taking a course later you’d rather get out of the way now.

Our advice is to be prepared. Stop

complaining about the failing server; you already knew it would fall. If you must schedule at midnight, be ready to stay up all night. If you are one of the lucky ones who know their classes will still be available in the morning, because you are an honors student or senior who has the privilege of being one of the first to schedule, then do ev-eryone a favor and be patient.

We understand that the rush is also

caused by the fear that the classes you want just plain won’t be there any-more. Maybe last semester there were three sections of a class available, but this semester, there’s only one. In that case, talk to the professor. Maybe there’s a waiting list you can get on that will ensure your spot in the class once scheduling opens.

There is no reason over 300 students should rush the server at midnight. Scheduling is staggered. Honor stu-dents, Student Government Associa-tion members and Student Program-ming Association members go first. Seniors go next. Juniors register after that, and so on. Unless the classes you are looking at only have 10 seats avail-able, it is unlikely that a class you need will close before you get to it. Fresh-

men and sopho-mores have a lit-tle more to worry about because they register last, but remember to have back-ups in place. You still have a few years, and it’s okay to take a lower level course as an up-perclassman. In fact, you might enjoy the break from your tough-er courses.

When schedul-ing, just remem-ber to keep calm and plan ahead. Don’t blame the school because Banner hasn’t caught up to our expectations of what a server should handle. The fact is, it

can’t handle a huge bombardment of students, and we need to understand that.

After scheduling and exams, maybe we can focus on trying to improve Banner by contacting the company that runs it and making a few sugges-tions. But for now, that’s not Nicholls’ fault, so stop pointing fingers.

telephone directoryeditor

managing editor newsroom

advertisingadviser’s office

448.4258448.4256448.4266448.4257448.4261

editorialnicholls

editor Katelyn Thibodeauxmanaging editor Kristen Fisackerlydesign and layout editor Lindsay Duetonline/design and layout editor Ashley Faltermanlagniappe editor Ross Landrysports editor Jake Martincopy editor Nicole Theriotcopy editor Rebecca Plaisancestaff writer Melissa Holmanstaff writer Kami Ellender

staff writer Donny Blanchardstaff writer Katie O’Harastaff writer Preston Stockstaff writer Zavier Davisstaff writer David Guidrysports writer Adrian Bourgeoissports writer Carolyn Noblephoto editor Bridget Mirephotographer Meagan Gervaisphotographer Maryna Fowler

photographer Brandon Queenadvertising manager Adrienne Bourgeoisadvertising sales rep Kacey Rodrigueadvertising sales rep Kyla Rodrigueadvertising sales rep David Fordad graphic designer Katie Landrygraphic designer Derek Mathernestaff artist Alicia Voisincirculation manager Jake Loupebusiness manager Anne Toloudisadviser Nicki Boudreaux

graphic by Alicia Voison


985-876-2911

1 & 2 BedroomsReasonable Rates

Big Yard & PoolWasher & Dryer Hookups

Serving Nicholls studen

ts for over 25 years

Atrium ApartmentsrFOR RENT

Dear Editor, In the March 24 edition of The

Nicholls Worth, there were some errors in the article about the St. Thomas Aquinas Lenten Meals.

The first Lenten Meal was not held on Good Friday as the article stated. Good Friday is on April 22, 2011.

I also wanted to clarify the fol-lowing statement: “We actually had some of the parishioners come and help too, and that was really a surprise.”

Our parishioners are very help-ful and very involved in our cam-pus ministry program and with the students. I was surprised because we had not asked for their help

with this particular event, and they simply showed up ready to work anyway, which was a great surprise! The extra help was wel-comed.

I would also like to correct some

misconceptions in the letters to the Editor, “Organizations should be equal,” printed in the March 31 edition of The Nicholls Worth.

Campus Minister tries to clear the air about the organizationSt. Thomas Aquinas is a fully

functioning parish, and our Cam-pus Ministry is part of the Nicholls community and part of the parish community under the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. So, while we

are a campus organization, we are also a parish ministry as well.

Our Lenten Meals are cooked in the parish kitchen and served

in the parish facility. The pro-ceeds are supporting the mission trip sponsored by another of our parish churches in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

I did not speak to Director Haskins. I actually do not even know who she is. I asked our pas-tor if I would be allowed to use the church facilities. We are promot-ing our fundraiser in other parishes and in the community.

As a courtesy to the faculty, staff and students of Nicholls looking to adhere to the Lenten precepts of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent and increasing alms-giving during the Lenten season, I informed them of our meals.

I would also like to point out that last semester, I purchased a meal being sold as a fundraiser from one of the fraternities.

In regards to donating the mon-ey earned to Nicholls in support of student organizations, I would hope that neither they nor Mr. Jenkins would want money they did not earn. In the spirit of our Catholics Come Home campaign, I would also love to further clear up any misconceptions Mr. Jen-kins may have over a Lenten Meal on Friday. My treat!

Thank you and God Bless,Monique LegendreSt. Thomas Aquinas Campus

Minister

Student warns against US involvement in Libya uprisingAnother Barbary War?The fledgling United States

fought two little known wars against Barbary pirates that forced tribute on the American govern-ment in exchange for safe passage of merchant ships. The resulting Barbary war saw the US Navy and a handful of Marines rise to ever-lasting fame. This war was over by 1805. In 1815, the second war began and the coup de gras for the piracy in the Mediterranean.

In a previous article, Mr. Guidry asked the question if we should be fighting this fight that is not our own. My answer to this is no. The concept of a sovereign nation is the ability to rule over its own people without interference from others.

Frankly, I believe the United States should commit totally and disregard allies that we have to be polite to or stay out of it.

War requires bold moves to

win. Rommel took back Libya in 1941 faster than these so-called air strikes of today could. As it is, we are broke, morally and financially. It is not the fault of the everyday

system. It was ancient Greece that started the trend of meddling in af-fairs, and they were crushed under the Persian jackboot.

Who is to say we won’t be

caught with out pants down? That is the question I present to whom-ever reads this.

Terril HebertHistory sophomore from Gray, La.

“While we are a campusorganization, we are also a

parish ministry as well.”


Classifi edsFOR RENT

2bd/1ba Apartment, close to NSU, Remodeled, 2 Tenants max, 12 mo. lease. $700mo./$700 dep. Call Colby Robichaux at 985-859-3746.

To place a classifi ed, call

The Nicholls Worth Advertising offi ce at (985) 448-4257!

Cheap Rates!

TotalFratMove Web site gives Greek life a bad nameOpinion by Lauren Pitre

Contributing Writer

“TFM” was not a frequently used term in Nicholls’ Greek com-munity, but with the recent popu-larity of TotalFratMove.com, a Web site dedicated to the anony-mous sharing of “fratty moves” from fellow Greeks across the country, fraternities, sororities and non-Greeks have all become the topic of conversation.

TotalFratMove.com is a Web site where Greek, non-Greek or even non-college students can register anonymously and post ex-periences, whether true or false, that they deem “fratty.” Total-FratMove.com not only has a blog depicting supposed Greek men’s experiences, but there is also a section of the site dedicated spe-cifi cally to sorority women and their idea of being the perfect “so-rostitute.”

Being fratty to some Greeks across the country is not only a term but a way of life, but what does it mean to be fratty or to live a fratty lifestyle? The defi nition from onlineslangdictionary.com of being “fratty” means to be re-lated or similar to fraternity. Some may characterize this way of life

with the polo shirt, Sperry Top Siders and the commonly used “frat strap,” otherwise known as a croakie or sunglass strap, but if being fratty is having a relation to a fraternity, why do we not see all Greek men on campus dressed or acting this way?

Thomas Dempsey, marketing senior and IFC vice president from Houma, said, “I joined a fraternity that strives for excellence in ev-erything it does and takes pride in what it stands for, instead of being

a frat that just parties and lacks in most areas of true fraternity life.” Thomas continued to say that he thinks “TFM and the ‘fratty’ con-cept in general gives Greek life the worst name possible.”

However, some Greek mem-bers take the site as joke and see the posts as people poking fun at the individuals that do take them-selves too seriously because they are Greek. Steven Plaisance, pro-

fessional sales junior from Luling, thinks that, “if (the Web site is) taken whole heartedly, it can give the wrong perception of Greeks; to us Greeks though, it’s more of an inside joke, almost making fun of ourselves.”

However, who is to say that these jokes won’t come back to haunt Nicholls’ Greeks when the time comes for more serious parts of the year, like fall recruitment? This crucial time of the year is when sororities and fraternities

recruit the future members of their chapters, but what will happen when sites like TFM create a false stereotype of what being Greek is all about? How do the Greek wom-en on Nicholls’ campus view this fratty movement and their section of the site called TSM or Total So-rority Move?

Alyssa Puckett, pre-physical therapy junior from St. Francis-ville, said, “If I remove myself

from the Greek world and exam-ine the situation as a non-Greek, I clearly see how it can give Greek life a very negative reputation.” She also shared a similar view that all posts should be taken with a grain of salt, but that they do not refl ect Greek life on Nicholls’ campus. “I understand the humor in the posts and personally enjoy it. I think it is important to be able to laugh at yourself and all Greek organizations in general. Howev-er, I do not feel that it is an accu-rate representation of what Greek life here at Nicholls State Univer-sity is like at all.”

Greek women at Nicholls pride themselves on not being the “typi-cal” sorority girls. Sorority women on campus are intelligent, goal oriented, leaders and not the su-perb sandwich-makers that users of TFM fi nd valuable as a sorority woman.

Greek life throughout the years has always had certain aspects that have been the main points of each chapter, regardless of the letters affi liated with the organization. Every Greek organization values and puts at the forefront their lead-ership opportunities, philanthropy work, brotherhood or sisterhood and ritual. Hopefully the creation

of sites like TFM and the seeming-ly harmless posts provided from possible active Greeks from all areas of the country will not cause members of Greek life, especially Nicholls Greek life, to lose sight of the importance of keeping tradi-tion and respect for their organiza-tions and founders alive for years to come.

“TFM and the ‘fratty’ concept in general gives Greek life the worst

name possible.”

— Thomas Dempsey

the nicholls worth

Documents

place winner justin

std department

place winner jenny ledet

place winner rachel

place winner abbie burt

undergraduate submissions

department of psychology

state public hospitals