As residents of southern Louisiana, we are often commended for our kindness, generos- ity and selflessness. These three characteristics and many others are the very foundation of “southern hospitality.”

We pride ourselves for our supposed south- ern hospitality, but this has faltered, especially on Nicholls’ campus lately. Nicholls students, it is time to step it up.

Nicholls State University is often looked upon as a close-knit family and a place that people can call home. On campus, however, students are too concerned with staying within their social “niche.”

Although there are no signs claiming the ter- ritories of Greek organizations in the Student Union, the separation is evident. This sepa- ration is not limited to Greek organizations; however, it expands to people who like to par- ticipate in certain gaming activities and people

who are from specific areas local to Thibodaux. We have all graduated high school, so why are students so adamant in staying in their own

comfort zones?

No select group has ownership of any area

of the Student Union. So why are some stu- dents given dirty looks when they sit in the “wrong” area? Aren’t we all people who de- serve respect?

We are college students. Soon, no one will care who you sat with in the union or whom you were “BFFs” with.

Common courtesy has been faltering at Nicholls, and we should make a conscious ef- fort to be welcoming, even to strangers.

Imagine how it feels to be a transfer student. Campus is a foreign place for this new student, andasif itisnotscaryenoughtobeatanew school, the transfer student has to deal with alienation. No individual should ever experi-

ence the kind of loneliness that comes with not being welcomed.

After the fall semester, cliques are formed, and routine is set so people who do not fit the mold are left out of the equation.

Many people joke and call Nicholls the “13th grade,” because the experience is so similar to high school. At what point should we as individuals hold ourselves to a higher standard? We are in college, so if you believe that your group has “dibs” on certain areas of the Student Union, you are mistaken.

We challenge you to break the mold that has been encompassing the identity of many cliques. Next time you are in the union, smile at someone you do not know. Hold the door open for the individual with their arms full of textbooks.

It is the little things, Nicholls students, that go a long way.