Two students spoke about challenges at Nicholls and the recent hurricanes at the “Speak out for Freedom” Free Speech Allley sponsored by the Student Government Association Sept. 27 in front of the student union. “Please, NSU, don’t let this stop here. Take full advantage of your freedom to speak and your freedom to hear,” Olinda Ricard, culinary senior from Baton Rouge and the SGA culinary senator, said at the end of her speech.
A forum was originally scheduled for the Friday before Sept. 11, but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Katrina.
This forum provided students with the opportunity to reflect, discuss and engage in dialogue about the meanings of freedom and democracy.
There were only two students who spoke at the forum from 10:30 a.m. until noon: Ricard and Greg Brumfield, government senior from New Orleans.
Ricard headed the free speech alley with a talk of her own. She spoke about the parking conditions and the money for the recreation center. An audience member agreed with the recreation center problem and said that students should at least see a plan for their money.
Ricard briefly spoke about the Fall Break that was cancelled. She talked about the students who aren’t involved yet complain about happenings around campus.
“People complain about what’s happening or not happening, but don’t get involved to do anything about it,” Ricard said.
Brumfield expressed his feelings on the events that took place after the hurricane.
Brumfield stated that the way the evacuees were handled and treated was a shame, with that being an understatement. Though he doesn’t agree with Mayor Ray Nagin politically, Brumfield said he does not blame him for being upset with the way the federal government was handling the situation.
“The governor said she did her best, but her best was not good enough,” Brumfield said.
Brumfield said that some instructors are being unfair by pushing more assignments and tests on students to make up for the missed days with no emotion, instead of being considerate of those who lost their homes and rescheduling assignments and tests.
Brumfield said that the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana as a whole have lost him. He no longer considers himself a resident of Louisiana.
He spoke of the Nicholls’ conditions and policies that he does not agree with. He complained that they should not have visitation hours in dorms, stating, “We are adults.”
Another topic brought up at the free speech alley was the Nicholls admission standards. Brumfield said a lot of people who are at Nicholls now would not have been accepted otherwise to the University with the change in admission standards. It was said that this change should act as a motivation to high school students to do better, but it is not fair when some students don’t have the same opportunities. He said that some schools have computers for kindergartners, while other schools only have three for the entire student body.
Brumfield’s dream is to graduate this December, go to law school and make something of himself, but said he will not do it in Louisiana.
At the closing of his speech, he stated that nobody is asking the questions that should be asked and nobody is giving answers.
