A Colonel Call to Action

When I was first asked to write this Colonel Call to Action to support the Nicholls Campus Emergency Fund, the state of Louisiana had a total of 196 known cases of COVID-19 with only four deaths related to the virus. At the time of me completing this message two weeks later, not only does the state now have over 10,000 cases with 370 deaths, but the Bayou Region has over 300 cases with five deaths. My point being much can change in a very short amount of time.

What did not take two weeks to change was Nicholls going to all online instruction and testing in just a couple of days as the university was one of the first in the state to do so. Overall, many of the students, and even the faculty, have been able to adapt to learning in a new manner. However, the change has not been easy for all students and that is where your support of the Nicholls Campus Emergency Fund is crucial.

With online testing, proctoring services are required for each test along with a cost for each test. The university was able to negotiate a price reduction for the testing, but students will have to pay an average between $50 – $200 for testing to complete the Spring semester. Many students also need to purchase a webcam to add to their computer for testing and their class. While this might not be a large amount of money for some, imagine being a student with a part time job on the wait staff at a restaurant or having a job at a “nonessential” business and being told you have no job and still have to pay for taking tests, a cost you never expected when budgeting your semester.

On a different yet related note, now imagine being that same student and having to buy basic groceries. Here is where Mom’s Pantry on campus plays an essential role by being a stocked cabinet open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for any student in need of food. The pantry is located on campus to provide food to students to help bridge the gap between hunger and success.

I understand that many who are reading this article might be in a similar situation of having a reduction in pay or even worse, losing a job; but I know that there are many who have been able to get through this horrific virus situation without much loss. I ask you to consider making a gift to the Nicholls Campus Emergency Fund because you never know, the Nicholls student being assisted from this fund might become the nurse taking care of you in the future or your grandchild’s teacher or the financial planner taking care of your retirement.

For more information on how the Emergency Fund will support Nicholls students with the transition to online learning and Mom’s Pantry, please contact me at 985-448-4006 or
jeremy.becker@nicholls.edu.

With Colonel Pride,
Jeremy Becker
Executive Director
of the Nicholls Foundation

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