Spirit groups are requesting that a student self-assessed fee gets added to tuition to help fund their organizations. Spirit groups consist of cheerleaders, band members and the dance team.
The fees will help provide uniforms, maintain the mascot costume and transportation to and from the games, Alex Barnes, Student Government Association president, said.
According to Barnes, a fee of $5 per student per summer semester and $10 per fall and spring semester was suggested.
“This amount is not set in stone,” Barnes said.
Barnes also noted that the cheerleaders have been moved from the athletic’s department to admissions.
“It was up in the air where they were listed, were the cheerleaders under the athletic department or student organizations?” Lawrence Briggs, SGA arts and science’s senator said.
“Admissions can use the cheerleaders for events,” Barnes said. “Student support groups have been unable to attend most away games due to lack of funding for transportation.”
“If we (SGA) can get the cheerleaders involved in more events, they can kick off the whole big-bang mascot thing,” Briggs said.
Briggs also said that the spirit groups have had a difficult time being a part of games and continuing their organizations.
Cheerleaders attend football games and few basketball games, Briggs said.
Briggs added that a group of six members of the band called the “sixth man” have been supporting the Colonels at basketball games.
“They have been our cheerleaders at basketball games,” Briggs said.
The spirit groups initially requested a fee through a letter sent to former SGA President Olinda Ricard, Briggs said.
According to Briggs, the cheerleaders will go in front of SGA to give a break down on the funds needed.
The process to consider a fee addition to tuition to help support the spirit organizations begins with proposing a budget, a committee will meet and approve the budget, it will return to SGA with a vote to add it to the ballot for students to vote on, Briggs said.
Students will get to vote online from the Nicholls homepage using their student identification number when they vote for Homecoming court, Briggs said.
