Two years after graduating from Nicholls and eight years after graduating from West Jefferson high school, one alumnus is still heavily involved with students and sports.Damon Robinson, who graduated in 1999 with a degree in mass communication with a concentration in print journalism, is now a teacher and coach at East Thibodaux Junior High School.
Robinson said he came to Nicholls after a year at Delgado Community College because it had a good mass communication program.
“They won out over Southern in Baton Rouge. I figured if I was going to go to Southern, I could have just stayed home in New Orleans,” Robinson said.
Also attracting Robinson to Nicholls was the prospect of a baseball scholarship.
“It was more or less [that] I was talked into it,” he said.
The baseball team was out of scholarships but encouraged Robinson to walk-on in the hopes of earning one in the future.
However, he decided to increase his responsibilities by becoming sports editor for The Nicholls Worth. This affected Robinson’s fledgling baseball career.
“I was there for the fall and went through fall drills, and I decided to give it up because being a sports editor and a baseball player just wasn’t working. I was too tired every day, and I figured I had a better chance of being a good reporter than going to the major leagues,” he said.
In the spring of 1998, Robinson became editor of The Nicholls Worth. That year, The Nicholls Worth achieved All-American status. He lists these as some of his proudest accomplishments.
He also was able to manage a rough start at The Nicholls Worth.
“The first issue my first semester of being sports editor was 44 pages,” he said.
Robinson has several fond memories of his time at Nicholls.
“The Nicholls Worth, sitting in Dr. [Lloyd] Chiasson’s class — with red ink all over my work, going to New York, going to Ohio for that first [NCAA basketball] tournament bid Nicholls got. Those are probably my finest memories,” he said.
It was in Ohio for the NCAA tournament in the spring of 1995 that Robinson found himself in a awkward predicament. He was horse-playing with Toya Boudreaux, then photo editor for The Nicholls Worth.
“She came to my room and she was pickin’ at me, you know. So then I beat her up, and I went in the bathroom. I just locked it. I was about to get in the shower, and she came over just beating on the door and yanking on it, and the next thing you know, I couldn’t get it open.”
He then tried to remove the doorknob, but was unsuccessful in his attempt.
“She was laughing at me. She thought it was funny because I had just beat her up, so she wasn’t trying to help me. So I was like, `Go call somebody.'” She’s like, `No, I ain’t callin’ nobody.’ She just laughed, laughed, laughed. So I got comfortable.
“It just so happened they had some tea in the bathroom with a cup. I made some tea, I put some water in the tub and I relaxed. You’ve got to make a good thing out of it. How do they say it? `You’ve got to turn lemons into lemonade?’ So I relaxed in there,” Robinson said.
“She finally decided to call somebody, and when they opened it up, I was sitting on the toilet with my feet in the tub sipping on tea.”
In addition to his wacky adventures with The Nicholls Worth, Robinson was also involved with other campus organizations.
“I was involved in an organization Epsilon Phi Epsilon, which I helped found, another organization called Unite, which I helped found, and I was also a member of the Nicholls Gospel Choir. I was also an R.A.,” he said.
In addition, Robinson was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and he carried around a big cane as a member.
“It looked like a big candy cane. I’d keep it in my office sometimes when I had to beat my writers into doing what they had to do,” he said.
Robinson remembers his feud with former Student Government Association president Ricardo Wilson.
“When I was editor, we had it out several times through the media, never face-to-face until we saw each other. There were some snide remarks,” Robinson said.
“I tried to help him out, give him his press, give him his ink, but for some reason he always felt like the media was out to get him. I pretty much call it as I see it. If I think it’s right, I’ll call it as such. If I don’t, I’ll do the same.”
Robinson said Wilson’s arrogance got him into trouble.
“Well, I mean, I couldn’t care less. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to do and taking care of business, I’ll give you credit.
“He took a couple shots at what I was doing, and I felt like he disrespected the work that everybody in that office was putting in.
“In so many words, he was saying we should have been censored because he said the students were paying for The Nicholls Worth. He didn’t understand how The Nicholls Worth is furnished.”
The newspaper is funded partly by fees and partly by advertisements.
“Usually, by the first few months, the student money is gone. By now, y’all are out of that money. Y’all are surviving by advertising fees,” he said.
Robinson said Wilson was saying The Nicholls Worth was not doing a good job and was not representing students.
“Well, basically, he was saying that because we weren’t pro-Ricardo Wilson. We weren’t backing up all the ideas he came forth with.”
“We’re not going to be a puppet for the SGA; We’re not going to be a puppet for the University. That’s how I wanted it to be and that’s how it was.”
Robinson remembers the charge of racism that Wilson made in regards to the Mr. and Mrs. Nicholls awards not being published. He said the winners were not announced until after the last issue of The Nicholls Worth was published.
“Not only that, you have a black editor, okay. Like I, of all people, am going to be biased against a couple of black people who won some prestigious awards. That’s ridiculous. He always wanted to put himself in the limelight.”
Robinson had happier experiences in the classroom. His favorite instructor was Chiasson.
“I loved him,” Robinson said.
The feeling was mutual. Chiasson said that of all students with whom he has ever come into contact, Robinson was the one with the greatest desire to learn and to improve himself through education.
“If I had a son, I would want him to be just like Damon. He focuses on the needs of others before himself. That is the rarest of qualities,” Chiasson said.
Robinson said Lesley Marcello, director of Student Publications and Printing, also ranked among his favorite faculty members.
Robinson has not had any dull moments since graduation.
“I started in August of 1999 at West Thibodaux Junior High. I moved from West to St. Charles and then came over here. It’s been quite a ride in these brief two years that I have been teaching,” he said.
He said he likes the East Thibodaux Junior High community.
“This is my first year actually coaching for a school. I’ve coached AAU ball for the last two years.”
Robinson said he derives much satisfaction out of his job as a teacher and coach.
“I love it, to be honest with you.”
Robinson decided to pursue teaching after being rejected for a job at The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.
“The guy at The Advocate told me, `Well, you don’t have enough experience.’ I really got upset and discouraged because I spent five years writing,” he said.
Robinson said his experiences at Nicholls have changed his life completely.
“I have a more liberal perspective on life. Before I came to college I had a lot of views on life. They were pretty narrow-minded. Now, I can honestly say I understand a lot more of what’s going on, and I don’t pre-judge.”
He said he wishes he would have taken high school more
seriously.
“I graduated with a higher GPA in college than I did in high school,” he said.
Robinson has some words of wisdom for those in the community.
“Support athletics. Support the younger kids. Go out and watch these kids play ball, whether it be football, basketball, baseball, including the girls. Encourage them,” he said.
“When you see them standing out there asking for donations, hey, flip a dollar in the bucket. Go to their car washes, because that’s keeping these kids off the streets, keeping them out of trouble and keeping them in school. So, support the youth around here.”
