After months without a student union director, the Nicholls family welcomes Francisco Chacon to the position. Chacon will work with the Student Programming Association to enhance student life and give the Nicholls community great ways to get involved on campus. Chacon is originally from Taos, N.M. He has a bachelor’s degree in business finance from New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico.
Chacon said he feels his new endeavor at Nicholls is a great opportunity. He also said he feels Nicholls is very warm and welcoming toward him as a professional.
Chacon was glad when the student union director position became available because the job is exactly what he has always wanted to do. He especially likes the small, intimate and unique atmosphere that Nicholls offers in contrast to campuses that he has previously worked at, such as the University of Utah, which has approximately 30,000 students.
Chacon believes that student union activities are important.
“The union is the ‘living room’ of the campus,” Chacon said, “We should make it a welcoming and safe place for everyone.”
He plans on achieving this through the accessibility of the union and the activities offered.
An obstacle in the area of student activities and programming is apathy in the Nicholls community. Timing and logistics are also major factors that influence the success of activities. Since Nicholls is primarily a commuter college, many students are unable to attend events, even if they want to.
Chacon plans to counteract this issue by encouraging and conducting campus activities surveys, which he will designate as one of his first major projects on the job. He feels that, while the SPA and the student union director feel they know what the student body wants, “the real experts are the students.” He wants the students to be able to stand up and voice what they would like to see take place on campus.
Chacon is planning for Welcome Back Day and Crawfish Day. He is also looking forward to the renovations being done to the ballroom and the Plantation Suite, both of which will greatly enhance the university’s ability to provide worthwhile activities that bring the campus together. Chacon is planning on taking in his first year at Nicholls, using the time to become fully acquainted with the campus, the people and the traditions that are a part of the Nicholls community.
Chacon has long term goals that he would like to see tried for and plans to work on. He would like to see policies reconsidered in ways that would benefit the students. He is also interested in creating more facilities for organizations to use, such as a student activity center.
