Thomas Mortillaro, Arts and Sciences dean, and Laurie Kraus-Landry, history instructor, came before the Student Government Association at yesterday’s meeting to ask for funding to help defray the costs of supplemental instruction sessions.

“I come before you today begging, and I don’t do that often,” Mortillaro said.

Mortillaro said Nicholls has a student program that he feels very strongly about, the supplemental instruction program, and that he would like to see the program expand.

“The program usually costs us $6,000. This year, we are going to cut that in half. What we would like is $1,500 for the year, which is $750 a semester, and Dr. Ayo will match that amount,” he said.

SI sessions are offered in history to help students with the material taught in the classes.

The sessions, which target difficult courses, have proven to be beneficial on college campuses.

The program has been in use for two years at Nicholls, and the SGA kick-started it for the 1999-2000 school year, Kraus said.

“Last year, we used a grant from a proposal that Dr. Paul Leslie and I worked on. We got $1,300 from the state, Kraus said.

“That money was used to purchase printers and computers to make a small lab, as well as pay for eight SI leaders last year,” she said.

With the program, there is a student who is introduced on the first day of class, along with the teacher. This student sits in on classes, takes notes, does the readings and then reinforces the material to the students during a study session.

“If I teach two or three 101 sessions, that is 180 to 200 people who are being offered help,” Kraus said.

Kraus said the money is going to be used to pay the SI leaders.

“The study sessions give the students a little bit more personal attention,” she said.

In the past, SI leaders were paid $1,000 a semester, but leaders are willing to work for $750, Kraus said.

Jarrod Gonzales questioned as to how many students actually used the SI sessions last year, and Kraus said that about 260 students had used the sessions for help.

“I think that part of the thing that grabs them is they don’t have to pay anything. It is a free service, “she said.

Jarett Hubbell posed the question as to how the program would be funded after the spring semester.

“We have a proposal now that I am trying to get to the Coca-Cola Foundation that we are pending, but there are other proposals that I am working on,” Kraus said.

The United States Department of Education claimed these sessions were effective in improving students’ grades and success rate.

“This (program) helps students and puts money in the pockets of the other students who are helping the instructors,” Mortillaro said.

The motion for the $1,500 SI funding was tabled until next week.