the nicholls worth

� ursday, January 27, 2011 A Nicholls State University Student Publication Volume 56 — Issue 15

New sports information

director hired

...page 7

Index: Sports...7 Lagniappe...11 Editorial...15www.thenichollsworth.com Please Recycle

nichollsnichollsnichollsthe

worth

construction fi nally begins ...page 3Breaking Ground

Cafés’ construction continues...page 5

Trailer Park Musical postponed...page 11

01.27.11 � e Nicholls Worth

HAPPENINGSbriefNicholls to unveil new food court in student union

The public is invited to the grand opening of the food court at 11 a.m. today in the Student Union.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will signal the offi cial opening of fi ve new dining options: Bayou Pizza and Pasta, Original Burger Co., Wall of Greens, Subconnection and Simply to Go.

For additional information, go to www.nicholls.edu/dining/.

Nicholls fi lm club to offer free entertainment

Nicholls’ International Film Club invites the public to attend free showings of two, major-run fi lms: “Eat, Pray, Love” on Jan. 28 and “Into the Wild” on Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the LeBijou Theater in the Student Union..

For additional information about the International Film Club, call (985) 448-4633.

Nicholls awards two retirees with emeritus titles

Nicholls retirees, Carroll Falcon David Middleton, were awarded the titles of provost and vice president for academic affairs emeritus and professor emeritus, respectively, at the fi rst faculty meeting of the spring 2011 semester on Jan. 13.

The emeritus title recognizes exceptional dedication, outstanding accomplishments, professional contributions and years of service to the University.

Falcon is a 43-year veteran of higher education with more than 31 years of service at Nicholls. He served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Nicholls since July 2004, and retired in June.

Middleton served as poet-in-residence, Distinguished Service Pro-fessor, Alcee Fortier Professor and head of the Department of Lan-guages and Literature until his retirement in June.

On the cover:Construction continues last week at the site of the future recreation center, which is to be completed by next year.

photo by Bridget Mire

Nicholls Calendar of Events

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

27 28 29 30 31 1 2

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Thursday

3

• Scholars’ Day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Student Union

• Interest meeting for Vagina Monologues from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Student Union Bowie Room

• Yearbook distribution from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union

• NAACP meeting from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. the Bayou Suite

• Valentine classifi eds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union


• Vagina Monologues tryouts from 4 to 9 p.m. in Powell Auditorium


• SGA meetings from 2:30 to 6 p.m. in the Student Union Planta-tion Suite

• PRSSA meeting at 3 p.m. in the Talbot Green Room

• Dyslexia Conference 2011 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Student Union

• Men’s baketball vs. Lamar from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym

• SPA Movie Night from 7 to 10 p.m. in Le Bijou Theater

• Valentine classifi eds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union

• Vagina Monologues tryouts from 4 to 9 p.m. in Powell Auditorium

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

Police Reports

Graphic By: Ashley Falterman

Jan. 20

A Millet Hall resident reported items missing from his dorm room after the win-ter break. University Police advised the student to check with the Housing Offi ce and collected a report on the missing items.

Jan. 23

A student reported a painful headache. Univer-sity Police called an ambulance from Thibodaux Medical Regional and made the student comfort-able until it arrived.

Jan. 24

A student reported damage to her vehicle on her return from class. University Police fi led a report.

A student reported that she discovered a vehicle had hit hers on return from class. The vehicles were still touching. University Police found no damage and fi led a report.

SGA discussed work being done with help from as-sistant director of computer services Slade Besson to resolve the slow internet issue in La Maison du Bayou Apartments.

Besson proposed that wireless access points be placed in every other room instead of every room, as it is cur-rently.

Besson’s proposal states that he is 95 percent positive this will fi x the issue, and additional access points can be set up if necessary.

The work for this project would take place during the summer to not inconvenience students.

Having access points in alternating rooms would cost the University $100,000, compared to the current $150,000 cost.

Students are encouraged to remind anyone using to-bacco products on campus that the University is now tabacco-free.

Students are now receiving Inside For Students news-letter by e-mail every Monday in an effort to cut down on the amount of e-mails students receive from the Uni-versity. The document includes information on campus events.

Construction workers are currently working seven days a week on the rec center. A live feed of the construction site is available at www.nicholls.edu/recreation.

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Louisiana’s Wacky Weekend Weather

65

42

High

Low 0%

66

48

High

Low30%

High

Low

60

38 0%

68

47

High

Low20%

graphic by Ashley Falterman

Hear ye, hear ye...

photo by Patrick Boudreaux

Student Government Association president Britta-ny Taraba, marketing senior from Monroe, speaks about Internet problems La Maison du Bayou resi-dents have reported during Monday’s SGA meeting in the Lafi tte room of the Student Union.

To have anorganization’s

events ormeetings in thecalendar, sendinformation to

[email protected].

� e Nicholls Worth 01.27.11 page 3

Rec center construction set to conclude by 2012By Kami Ellender

Staff Writer

Though the groundbreaking cer-emony was on Dec. 15, construc-tion on the rec center could not begin until Jan. 3.

“Groundbreaking is just the cer-emony in honor of the fi rst time we turn the ground for the new building,” Davis said.

The preconstruction meeting during which the subcontractors that are working on the building were present was held on Jan. 3. The architects, design team, me-chanical, structural and electri-cal engineers met to discuss and review the plans for the building. Other subcontractors who will do

the roof and ground work met as well.

“We used this meeting to go over the scope of work, the time-line of the project and some of the

University rules,” Davis said. He said the meeting was also

used to make sure workers are aware of parking on campus, the University’s new tobacco-free

policy and the zero-tolerance policy that Nicholls has towards sexual harassment.

At this meeting, the Univer-sity issued the notice to proceed,

which gives contractors the right to begin construction.

“It starts the clock, which means the contractors have until June 20, 2012 to have the building com-


Construction continues last week at the site of the future recreation center.

see REC CENTER page 6

pleted,” Davis said.This time frame will leave the

University about a month and a half to equip the rec center in case there are delays while building.

“The workers are entitled a cer-tain amount of rain days,” Davis said. “So we’ve got to worry about rain days and any other delays that might come into play during the project.”

Davis said right now the ground is being prepared for the initial construction.

“You can actually see the foot-print of the building now,” Davis said.

Workers brought in white sand to build the area to the level need-ed to prevent fl ooding. The sand

was packed with bulldozers, and afterwards, dirt was brought in to fi ll spaces and even everything out.

Davis said the next step is to drive pilings into the ground. Then, the contractors can pour the slab.

“What everybody needs to keep in mind is that in this part of the project, you’re not going to see much going on,” Davis said. “It’s a lot of dirt work.”

Mike Matherne, director of campus recreation, said that the rec center is the most positive thing to happen at the University since the fi rst dorms were open in 1963.

“It will be nice to know ‘this is where I go to get my health on.’ ”

— Mike Davis

01.27.11 The Nicholls Worth

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Bookstore and students find solutions to high pricesBy Katie O’Hara

Staff Writer

“The one book that I needed for English, the bookstore was out of,” Tammy Lopinto, psychol-ogy sophomore from LaPlace, said. This is a common complaint among many of Nicholls’ stu-dents as they begin each semes-ter.

Most students, like Lopinto, use other sources to buy their books, such as Amazon.com. Because of the price difference,

most students do not even look in the bookstore.

Samuel Benoit, biology sopho-more from Franklin, said that he does not use the bookstore “ex-cept to get the ISBN number.”

Angelle Caillouet, bookstore manager, said that the book-store receives the books marked with their contract prices, which makes them more expensive

“We are a brick and mortar company,” Caillouet said, “and there are other expenses factored in with the prices.”

The bookstore’s expenses in-clude the cost of the building and operating it.

In response to the complaints,

the bookstore began renting books to students in fall 2010. However, only 33 percent of their stock is available for rent. The

initial wave of students that rent-ed textbooks in the fall dropped

photo by Tressa Lafont

Kalon Johnson, computer information systems junior from Thibodaux, helps Kyle Hebert, freshman from Raceland, find a textbook on Monday at the Bookstore.


Cassi Coleman, freshman from Morgan City, and Mallory Theriot, dietetics senior from Metairie, wait in line at the Bookstore on Monday.

see TEXTBOOKS page 6

The Nicholls Worth 01.27.11 page 5

Construction continues on drive-thru and indoor cafésBy Melissa Holman

Staff Writer

Jazzman’s Café will be re-turning in a new location with added features in June, and a new Student Engagement Center will be added even sooner in February.

Jazzman’s Café will be lo-cated near Gouaux Hall and construction will begin im-mediately, executive director of auxiliary services Brenda Haskins said.

Construction for the café, previously housed in the Stu-dent Union, is funded by So-dexo Food Services, Haskins said. The project will cost about $500,000.

A larger variety of coffee and food items will be avail-able than was previously at the Student Union location, Haskins said. Menu items will include hot and cold drinks, pastries and paninis. Fresh beignets will also be served along with other grab-and-go items. All products will be available inside the café and

through a drive-thru service.The new location will offer

a contemporary atmosphere, Haskins said, with indoor and outdoor seating as well as TVs.

The Student Engagement Center, which will be located between Beauregard Hall and Peltier Hall, will offer a variety of food and beverage items as well.

Haskins said the center will be an off-shoot of Aspretto Café, located in the outside hall between Powell Hall and White Hall, in that it will offer similar options such as sandwiches and salads. However, it will not be an exact imitation.

“We’re going to offer some different things there so that it does not look exactly like the one at the business building,” Haskins said.

Equipment for the center is already in, Haskins said, and the finishing touches and inspec-tions are currently being taken care of.

The opening of the center is slated for the first week of Feb-ruary.

photo by Meagan Gervais

Jazzman’s Café, which will be located across from Gouaux Hall, is scheduled to be completed by June.


The Student Engagement Center, which will be located between Beauregard Hall and Peltier Hall, is scheduled to open in February.

“We’re going to offer some different things there so that it does not look exactly like the one at the business building.”

— Brenda Haskins


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REC CENTER continued from page 3 TEXTBOOKS continued from page 4

with the bookstore, she said, and as a University policy, tells stu-dents to check the bookstore be-fore anywhere else. However, she said that she understands most students will go elsewhere to pur-chase their books for cheaper.

Barker said that she believes the students are paying more for the convenience of the book-store’s location than anything else.

in the spring, according to Cail-louet’s records.

As for the problem of running out of materials, Caillouet said it is usually because of last minute changes. The bookstore receives lists of required textbooks and the expected number of students who will need them from every professor. However, while the deadline is set with enough time to ensure the books’ arrival, of-

ten new class sections will open or professors will change their minds.

Ellen Barker, Languages and Literature Department head, said last minute decisions happen al-most every semester.

“It was not decided that I was teaching two other courses until well after the deadline,” Barker said.

Barker has not had any trouble

“Right now, people are spread all over campus,” Matherne said. “It will be nice to know ‘this is where I go to get my health on.’ ”

“We tried to save some time by building the softball fi elds fi rst,” Davis said. “We would like to get them into operation as quickly as possible.”

Davis said the University decid-ed to build some of the fi elds ahead of schedule rather than waiting for the bonds.

“We had been collecting these fees for quite some time, so we had a substantial amount of money on deposit,” Davis said. “The foot-ball/soccer fi elds will hopefully be completed in the fall of 2011, and the softball fi elds will be fi nished in the following spring.”

The fee that students pay for the rec center construction will most likely continue until the 30-year bond is paid.

Davis said when the rec center

opens, an additional student fee will be added to operate the build-ing.

The rec center will be named in honor of Harold Callais, an entre-preneur who was a member on the Board of Regents. He was a great supporter of higher education and, in particular, Nicholls.

“We thought it was very fi tting to honor his memory by naming the building after him,” Davis said.

Students can stay updated on the progress of construction by going online at www.nicholls.edu/recre-ation/photos. The image updates every 5 seconds with video feed from a camera overlooking the construction site from La Maison du Bayou Apartments.

“We’ve got a good contractor here and a good design team,” Da-vis said. “We told them early on how important this is for us, and we’ve got an ambitious timeline that we expect to be met.”


nichollssportsSportS BriefS

at Lamar UniversityBeaumont, Texas

Jan. 293:30 p.m.

at Lamar UniversityBeaumont, Texas

Jan. 292 p.m.

Bustos named new sports information director

By Jake Martin Sports Editor

Nicholls’ athletic department announced the hiring of Jamie Bustos as assistant director of media relations last week.

Bustos will serve as the main media contact for the Colonel

football team as well as softball, men’s tennis and women’s ten-nis.

“I heard about the opening and heard it was going to be a football position,” Bustos said. “That’s something that intrigued me because I enjoy football and would love to be able to cover it. It’s really the biggest sport in

college athletics.”Bustos will work with football

head coach Charlie Stubbs as the gateway for the media.

“I like him,” Bustos said. “He’s straight to the point and very structured. I think I’m go-ing to enjoy working with him.”

Bustos hasn’t been in Thibodaux very long, but he al-

ready decided he loves the food.“One of the things I’ve enjoyed

since I’ve been down here has been the food. I hear a lot of plac-es around Thibodaux have some good food, so I definitely have to check that out,” Bustos said.

photo by Maryna Fowler

Jamie Bustos, whose hiring as assistant media relations director for athletics was announced last week, works in his office in Barker Hall on Monday.

see BUSTOS page 9

Baseball

Nicholls State senior outfield-er Bear Comer was selected first team all-conference, and the Colonels were picked 10th over-all as the Southland Conference announced its 2011 preseason baseball teams and polls.

Men’s Basketball

Jan. 22Southeastern 52Nicholls State 66

Senior forward Anatoly Bose recorded his 40th career 20-point game in the win, while junior forward Fred Hunter added 13 in the Colonel vic-tory. The Red Out game drew the largest crowd of the season for the Colonels with 1382 fans in attendance. With the victory, the Colonels move to 9-7 on the year and 3-2 in Southland Con-ference play.

Women’s Basketball

Jan. 22Nicholls State 62Southeastern 50

With the win, the Colonels snapped a six-game losing streak and picked up their first conference win. The Colonels are now 6-12 on the year and 1-4 in conference play. Fresh-man guard KK Babin and fresh-man forward LiAnn McCarthy scored 15 points each to lead the Colonels to victory. Senior guard Ricshanda Bickham add-ed 14 and sophomore forward Alisha Allen added 10 to give the Colonels four double-digit scorers on the afternoon.

Football

The Nicholls State football coaching staff will announce the 2011 recruiting class during the 2011 Nicholls Colonels Football Signing Day Press Conference next Wednesday at noon. The conference is open to the public and will be held at the Century Club located at the west end of John L. Guidry Stadium.

“One of the things I’ve enjoyed since I’ve been down here has been the food.”

— Jamie Bustos


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By Carolyn Noble Sports Writer

As an incoming freshman, KK Babin was told by head women’s basketball coach DoBee Plai-sance that she was recruited to help lay the foundation for the future of Nicholls’ women’s bas-ketball, and her stats say exactly that.

In just over half a season, Babin has already proved to be an in-

strumental part in the re-building of the women’s basketball team. Last Saturday, she led the Colo-nels to their first conference win of the season against the South-eastern University Lions with 15 points.

Not only is Babin excelling in

the offensive category, but she is also ranked third in the Southland Conference in steals per game av-erage and is ranked 50th nation-ally overall in the same category.

The 5’4” Gonzales native claims she is “the worst loser ever.” It was this attitude that caught Plai-sance’s eye years ago.

“I’ve had my eye on KK for years. She’s been a winner her whole life, and she’s miserable at losing. Bringing that mentality in

here was essential for me taking this job,” Plaisance said.

Plaisance was the former coach at Loyola and says she didn’t think she would get Babin to play for her at the National Associa-tion of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level she was previously

coaching at Loyola, so she took the Division I coaching job at Nicholls.

“That’s how much I have in-vested in her and how much I be-lieve in her,” Plaisance said. “She is a strong piece of the puzzle in terms of us putting this women’s basketball program on the map and sustaining success around here.”

Babin reciprocates the belief in her coach as well.

“Coach DoBee really made me believe in the dream to turn the program around,” Babin said. “She’s a great coach, and we have the same passion for the game,” she said.

Colonel freshman guard makes an immediate impact


Freshman guard KK Babin looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to during the Jan. 15 game against Sam Houston.

“Coach always says you have to win as a team so really that’s my job, it’s not really about myself, it’s just whatever I have to do

to help us win.”— KK Babin

see BABIN page 9

Next women’s basketball home game is on Feb. 2 at 6:30 in Stopher Gym.


Before coming to Nicholls, Bustos served as sports infor-mation assistant for two years at Loyola University in New Or-leans. There, he covered all 12 sponsored sports which included volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.

Bustos helped the sports infor-

mation staff earn national and state publication awards for the 2009-10 men’s basketball bro-chure as well as for the 2010 baseball guide.

While in New Orleans, Bustos served as a game day member of the stat crew for the New Orleans Hornets and served as a com-

BUSTOS continued from page 7

munications volunteer for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tour-nament held at the New Orleans Arena in 2010.

Before Bustos’ stint in Louisi-ana, he completed an internship in 2007 with the Chicago Cubs minor league baseball affi liate, the Tennessee Smokies. Bustos

worked in media relations, com-munity relations, ticketing and stadium operations.

“Minor League baseball is a tough gig,” Bustos said. “Some-times we put in a 100-hour work week. It was defi nitely a great experience though, as far as get-ting some experience in every

Check out Nicholls Sports online at www.thenichollsworth.com.

BABINcontinued from page 8

Having started every game so far this season, Babin says the amount of play time she’s seen as a fresh-man has made her mature a lot. In part, “it’s because Coach Plai-sance told me I couldn’t come in here and act like a freshman,” she said, but also because she looks up to her older teammates. One senior guard in particular, stands out to Babin.

“Shakey, (Ricshanda Bickham) came in here two years ago, and she really believes in Coach and works hard every day,” Babin said. “If one of us is down, she re-ally tries to get us going. She’s just in it for the right reasons.”

Babin doesn’t just look up to Bickham. She said the women’s basketball team as a whole is her favorite thing about college bas-ketball. Babin said the team is a good group of girls who are com-ing together more every game. She also enjoys the increased level of play at the college level and said the competition is one of the big-gest transitions from high school ball.

Babin’s stats don’t show diffi -culty with the transition. She leads the Colonels in steals, minutes played and three-point fi eld goals made.

Plaisance and Babin agree that Babin’s biggest assets to the Colo-nels are the will to get other people involved and do whatever it takes to help her team win.

“Coach always says you have to win as a team, so really that’s my job. It’s not really about myself, it’s just whatever I have to do to help us win,” Babin said.

Plaisance said, “KK will get her teammates open in distributing the ball, she makes people around her better.”

Babin plans to become a nurse, but she said that she will probably end up becoming a coach and fol-lowing in the footsteps of Plai-sance.

department of media relations.”Bustos graduated from Bowl-

ing Green with a bachelor’s in sports management. While com-pleting his undergrad, he worked with BGSU athletics, University of Toledo athletics, the Toledo Mud Hens and the Ohio High School Athletic Association.


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By Michael Kimble Sports Reporter

Melissa Harrison is a 5-foot-5-inch senior from Melbourne, Aus-tralia. Though she was injured for much of her freshman year and all of her sophomore year, she has bounced back.

Last season, Harrison went 8-2 in her doubles matches with team-mate Tatiana Denezhkina, finish-ing the season on a three-game winning streak. Melissa is an edu-cation major and an honors stu-dent.

Q: Have you ever been to the Australian Open?

A: Yes. It’s amazing. It’s a real buzz. The atmosphere is really good and it’s all about the tennis.

Q: If you could be an archi-tect for a day, what would you build?

A: I would build a new tennis facility.

Q: Would you rather own a yacht or a private jet?

A: A private jet, so that I could fly home when I wanted to.

Q: How did you find Thibodaux, Louisiana from Melbourne, Australia? And are they similar in any way?

A: I found Thibodaux on the In-ternet, and no, they are not similar, at all.

Q: If money was not an ob-ject, and you could travel to any country, where would you go?

A: I want to go to England. I love the English accent, and of course, being a tennis player, I would want to see Wimbledon.

Q: Who is your favorite actor? A: My favorite actor is Heath

Ledger.Q: What is one thing you wish

Thibodaux had that is back home in Australia?

A: A fish and chip place.Q: What is your greatest

strength?

Senior tennis player looks for continued successA: My loyalty.Q: Is Nadal going to win the

Australian Open? A: I hope not. I’m a Federer fan.Q: What do you consider your

greatest achievement in life so far?

A: Leaving home, coming over to the U.S. and living an indepen-dent life.


Senior Melissa Harrison keeps her eyes on the ball to go for a smash during last year’s game against Southern.


nichollslagniappe

Submit yourroommate horror

stories by Monday for next week’s paper at

[email protected].

Donny reviews the Bubble Ball

iPhone game in “Geekly Weekly.”

Owl City gets recogonition in this week’s

“Notes on Notes.”

graphic by Justin Robert

Nicholls Players to perform “A Lesson Before Dying”


Melvin Harrison (left), assistant director for the Student Union, listens as Warren Snowden, freshman from Harvey, reads his part during Monday’s rehearsal for the upcoming Nicholls Players production “A Lesson Before Dying.”

By Ross LandryLagniappe Editor

The Nicholls Players will be performing “A Lesson Before Dying” March 17-20 in place of “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” that has been moved to October.

Daniel Ruiz, speech instructor and director of the Nicholls Play-ers, said the musical was pushed back because of fi nancial reasons.

“As I was looking around for musicians and a music director, it came to my attention that this would be too expensive for what we currently have the money for,” Ruiz said. “When I came into this job, there was very little money left for me to actually use.”

Holding the musical in October will give the Nicholls Players time to raise more money to pay for the needed resources.

“The whole cast will come back in the fall,” Ruiz said. “We had au-ditions during the break so that ev-eryone could practice their music. The musical should be really good now since the cast will have sev-eral months to practice. When we come back in August, that whole same cast will be performing the show in October.”

Two performances will replace the musical this semester. One will be a main stage performance of “A Lesson Before Dying,” by Romu-lus Linney, a southern playwright who passed away last Saturday.

“He adapted ‘A Lesson Before Dying’ from the Earnest Gaines novel that a lot of students read in their English 1 and English 2 classes in high school,” Ruiz said.

The story takes place in 1948 Louisiana where a young African American man named Jefferson, played by Gary Baker, freshman from Crowley, is on death row for a murder that he did not com-mit.

“Unfortunately he will be con-victed and has no chance of re-demption,” Ruiz said. “His god-mother, Ms. Emma, played by Maya Kennedy, Nicholls graduate student from Thibodeaux, wants him to get an education before dy-ing.”

Ms. Emma hires Grant Wiggins, a young black man, played by Warren Snowden, freshman from Harvey, who she helped raise as a child and paid through college, to teach Jefferson.

“He owes her a debt of grati-tude,” Ruiz said. “He really doesn’t want to teach him, but Ms. Emma wants Jefferson to know who he is and why he is dying before he ac-tually dies.”

Grant agrees to teach Jefferson, but there are several characters that cause complications.

One character who intervenes is reverend Ambrose, played by Melvin Harrison, director of the Student Programing Association and assistant director of the Stu-dent Union, believes that Grant should not teach Jefferson.

“He believes that only God can save Jefferson, and there is no need for an education,” Ruiz said.

Amber Pappillion, freshman from Lake Charles, will be playing Vivian, Grant’s girlfriend.

“She is a teacher in the area but in a city with a much bigger

school,” Ruiz said. “Vivian keeps Grant from quitting.”

The cast is primarily African American except for two mem-bers. One is deputy sheriff Paul Bonen, played by Nathan Egnew, freshman from Springfi eld, who sympathizes with Jefferson and Grant and does everything he can to make accommodations for them.

“The other white character is Sheriff Guidry, played by Shalyn Pierre, freshman from Houma, who is not happy with making these accommodations,” Ruiz said. “He also owes Ms. Emma a favor, however, so he lets it carry on.”

Ruiz said this production will be a good refl ection of the social and political climate in small town Louisiana in the 1940s.

“The reason I chose it was main-ly because it is a beloved novel,” Ruiz said. “Part of my ambition each year is to do some theater that refl ects Louisiana’s local culture.”

Two matinées will be on March 17 and 18 for two high schools in the area.

“This is really going to bring in some money,” Ruiz said. “We are projecting about $3,000 of extra income that will help pay for the musical in October.”

The show will begin on March 17 and play through March 20. Each show will be at 7:30 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. matinée on the fi nal day. Admission is $5 for stu-dents with a school ID. Tickets will be available at the door, and reservations will be taken in ad-vance through the mass communi-cation offi ce.

What do you think of the smoking policy?

5% think it’s bogus.13% will smoke anyway.

26% want designated areas.56% love it.


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By Zavier DavisReporter

Jill Ferguson, mass communica-tion freshman from Saint Francis-ville, is a small town girl taking big steps for her life.

Living 99 miles away from home, Ferguson has become her own independent person. She is a student by day and your food-

craving Papa John’s pizza deliv-erer by night.

“Everybody says that it sucks being a pizza deliverer, but I really enjoy doing it,” Ferguson said.

While working hard at school and her job, Ferguson also enjoys

graphic by Derek Matherne

Twi-hard by day, pizza deliverer by night

Jill Ferguson


Jill Ferguson, freshman from St. Francisville, listens to music on her iPhone after class on Monday in Millet Hall.

hanging out with friends, watch-ing Glee and the Food Network and singing her favorite songs on her iPod. She is a self-proclaimed “Twi-Hard” (Twilight fan) that en-joys the books more than the mov-ies.

Ferguson’s most thrilling thing to do is go to concerts to listen to her favorite bands. The farthest she has ever traveled was to Bir-

mingham, Alabama to see Trevor Hall.

Q: If you were trapped on an island, what three things would you bring?

A: I would bring my cell phone and pray that AT&T has service

out there. I would bring my par-ents together as one unit. Lastly, I would bring a radio because life without music sucks.

Q: What is your most played song on your Ipod?

A: It is Drumming Song by Flor-ence and the Machine.

Q: If you could change one thing about the world,what would it be?

A: I hate not being fi nancially stable. I just wish the world would be fi nancially settled. Everyone can benefi t from a stable fi nancial world. We need a good position to take care of everyone and our-selves.

Q: If you could go to any place in the world, where would it be?

A: Australia. It has been my dream since I was three years old.

Q: Who is your favorite pro-fessor?

A: My favorite professor is my mass communication professor from last semester, Mr. Lance Ar-nold. I learned a lot in his class. He was a great teacher and let us ex-press ourselves.

Q: Where do you see yourself in fi ve years?

A: I hope that I will be out of school or in a graduate program. If I’m not in school, I want to have an internship at a newspaper. Defi -nitely something career based.

Q: What is the longest you

have gone without being on Facebook?

A: Facebook is my life, but I decided last October to give it up so I can spend more time on my schoolwork. It was torture, but I got through it.

Q: Who is the person that you’re closest to and why?

A: My best friend, Caroline. We are pretty much the same person. We feel the same ways about cer-tain things, and we always have fun.

Q: What movie do you think should be played in theaters again?

A: Avatar. I really would love to see it in 3D.

Q: If you could be any cartoon character, what would you be?

A: I always wanted to be Prin-cess Jasmine. She is so pretty. She is exotic, different and rebellious.

Q: If you won a million dol-lars, what would you do with it?

A: I would pay for college fi rst. My dad’s house burned down, so I would give him the majority of the money to rebuild. I also would save money on the side because I am a car junkie. I really want an Audi A4.

Q: What is your favorite nick-name?

A: Jillafer. My friend, Elana, made that name up in my freshman year of high school.

“Everybody says that it sucks being a pizza deliverer, but I really enjoy doing it.”

—Jill Ferguson


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.

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Thibodaux, LA 70310

Nicholls switches one bad habit for anotherNicholls campus has recently ex-

changed smoking for alcohol. Though both are dangerous for people who use them and people around them, drinking is clearly the safer habit to condone.

On a college campus where the ma-jority of people are of drinking age, serving alcohol in its center seems like a really good idea.

There are even safety measures in place. The Colonels’ Retreat, where the alcohol is served, IDs all students, doesn’t allow the alcohol to be tak-en out of the restaurant/bar and only serves alcohol after 11 a.m.

Wait a second…11 a.m.?Sure, students over 21 already have

access to alcohol at this time of the day, but how many have the time to get it?

Students no longer have to worry about wasting gas. They can simply walk into the Student Union and grab

a cold one in their 10-15 minute break between classes.

Students have already arrived to classes smelling of beer, which may not be much different than smelling of smoke, but you can be sure a per-son smelling of cigarettes is not under an influence that will make them for-get the stupid things they will decide to do.

It’s not Nicholls’ fault if some stu-dents aren’t responsible enough to know their limit and wait until they have no classes left to consume alco-hol.

It’s also not Nicholls’ fault that it is mostly a commuter school, and some students are not responsible enough to not drive home under the influence.

In the end, it’s not Nicholls’ fault at all if some students can’t handle their alcohol. Just because they make it available doesn’t mean they are re-sponsible.

But doesn’t it seem ironic that Nicholls got rid of smoking only to replace it with alcohol? Which is the more dangerous substance? Are we really more worried about the litter of cigarette butts and spit stains?

If you’re going to allow students to own up to the responsibility of know-ing how much and when to drink on campus, then you need to allow stu-dents to own up to their smoking hab-its.

Just like drinking is contained to the Colonels’ Retreat, smoking can be contained to certain areas. This would cost Nicholls almost nothing, despite what administrators have said in the past. Putting up a rope or a fence around a few trees or a “Smoking Sec-tion” sign in an area of the courtyard is something students would gladly fund, since it would cost a few hun-dred dollars at most, less than a dollar from every student.

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Nick Cannon to come to Nicholls Career Services helps students find careersBy Donny Blanchard

Staff Writer

The Student Programming Association invited Nick Can-non to Nicholls’ SPA Comedy Night, free and open only to Nicholls’ students, faculty and staff, on Monday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. in Talbot Theater.

Cannon, along with comedi-ans Rob Little and Jen Kobe,

will be doing individual stand-up routines followed by auto-graph signing and pictures.

“We knew if we had a celebri-ty face that was coming to Nich-olls, that would be something people would want to come out and do,” Jonathan Lynch, culi-nary senior from Ruston, said.

SPA booked Cannon a few weeks ago through a booking company that offers certain ce-

lebrities to do shows at schools.“He fit within the budget that

we had set for comedy night,” Lynch said.

Kobe and Little were picked out at by SPA at a Chicago con-vention that advertised enter-tainers. SPA thought Kobe and Little would be a great diversity package for both social and eth-nical groups on campus.

Lynch did not give an ex-

act cost, but he said Cannon’s price was between $5,000 and $10,000. Lynch mentioned that SPA booked him at a discounted price.

“We get these celebrities at good rates because what they do is, when they’re booking tours, no one is gonna book someone to come to Thibodaux, Loui-siana. They’re booking them to come to Dallas, Houston or

“Whether or not you like him, he is still a celebrity figure that you can say, ‘Hey, I went and saw Nick Cannon, and he sucked,’ or you could say, ‘Hey I went to see Nick Cannon

and got an autograph and a picture.’”

— Johnathan Lynch

New Orleans.”SPA created a Facebook group

advertising the event to Nicholls students. Almost 400 people have already said they will at-tend.

“Whether or not you like him, he is still a celebrity figure that you can say, ‘Hey, I went and saw Nick Cannon, and he sucked,’ or you could say, ‘Hey I went to see Nick Cannon and

got an autograph and a picture,’ ” Lynch said.

Lynch wants students to know that this event is free, but it is only open to Nicholls students, faculty and staff.

“One thing that students don’t know about SPA is that a por-tion of their tuition goes to stu-dent activities so we can pro-vides things like comedy night for you.”

photo by Meagan Gervais

Leslie Moss (right), pre-dental hygiene sophomore from Raceland, helps Meggie Mayberry, education sophomore from Cut Off, in the Offi ce of Ca-reer Services on Monday.

By Preston StockReporter

Nicholls’ Career Services cen-ter offers free help to students and alumni by assisting with resumes, interviews and providing back-ground information on careers.

Kristie Tauzin Goulas, director of Career Services, said students

and alumni are welcome to drop in anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m at their offi ce in 110 South Babington Hall. Students are re-minded to have information ready, such as previous jobs, leadership roles and education history, down-loaded into a document.

“I went there to research more information about being a social worker,” Eva Parker, freshman

“Considering the amount of students we have on campus, we would like to see more students

come into our offi ce.”

—Kristie Tauzin Goulas

from Gonzales, said. “They gave me salary rates, required classes and certain tests necessary to achieve my dream. I recommend everyone go there because they are really helpful.”

Last year, 228 students used Ca-reer Services.

“Considering the amount of students we have on campus, we

would like to see more students come into our offi ce,” Goulas said.

Career Services also offers an online system located on the Nich-olls website under “Campus Life” and “Activities” for people who do not have time to go to the offi ce.

Through Career Services, stu-dents and alumni can also view available jobs and create profi les for employers to view.

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