Dear Nicholls Students:
As your president, I am asking you to play a positive role in passing the student referendum to fund the operation of the student recreation center. By working to pass this referendum, you will help to ensure the future development and well being of Nicholls State University in serving its students. In short, you will leave Nicholls a better university than it was when you arrived. You will leave your legacy.
As your president, l feel it necessary to give you some background concerning where we are and how we got here. You deserve to know the facts as you are faced with an important decision on whether or not you can support this important vote.
In 2003, realizing that Nicholls State University is the only campus in the University of Louisiana System that does not have a recreation center, our students approved a fee to build the recreation center. When it was approved, that fee would have covered the entire cost of design, operation. and construction of the recreation center. Since 2003. our world has changed dramatically. Four major hurricanes and the collapse of the bond market delayed the start of the project. Furthermore, prices have increased so greatly that, today, while we can still build the recreation center, we would not have the funds to operate it. To do that, you must vote yes during the spring election, to be held on April 19, 20,and 21.
It is vitally important that you become knowledgeable about the facility that you are helping to build and operate. Here are some of the key facts.
- It will be a state of the art facility, complete with the latest in recreational and physical fitness equipment.
- It will house two full size indoor basketball courts.
- It will house an indoor walking/jogging track.
- It will have a state of the art “cardio” room.
- It will have student conference rooms.
- It will create an additional 50 student jobs.
- It will create additional 200 parking spaces
- It will have outdoor facilities as well, including two intramural softball fields and two intramural football fields. Work has already started on these fields.
- It will make you proud to have been a part of this building process!
Finally, and very importantly, the university will not begin collecting this fee until the semester or session that the recreation center opens for student use. Please help to make our campus better and more appealing for generations to come. Please vote to approve the $78 fee increase when you go to the polls in April. Leave a legacy!
Sincerely,
Stephen T. Hulbert
President