With over 400 students registered as members of the fast-growing student spirit organization Nicholls Nation, leaders are trying new ways to promote pride on campus, including “Black Friday.”

Ministry of education and higher education graduate Andrew Kearney began the organization last year as part of his practicum for his graduate degree.

“Nicholls Nation was my practicum for my graduate’s degree in higher education. My original idea and plan was much different than what Nicholls Nation ended up being. However, the plan always included changing, developing and sustaining a level of pride in Nicholls,” Kearney said.

Last year was used as a trial to see what would work and what would not.

“There were a good number of students at the tailgates and games, but we now need to find a way to keep people going to the games,” president of Nicholls Nation and student athlete Carolyn Noble said.

This is the first year Nicholls Nation is an official student organization. The cost for students to join is $10 and includes an official Nicholls Nation t-shirt.

Nicholls Nation strives to be an outlet for fun activities through athletic events, especially for students who live on campus. It is an opportunity for many to invest time and energy back into the University by showing their Colonel pride, associate director of marketing and development Brandon Ruttley said.

One of the new, big things they are trying to encourage is “Black Friday,” Noble said.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to wear red on Fridays, so as a student spirit organization, Nicholls Nation is encouraging students to wear their black Nicholls Nation shirt or black Nicholls shirt.

“With the encouragement of Black Friday, we are hoping more people will be interested in joining us and in helping to show our Colonel pride. It is a fun addition and will hopefully increase the excitement around campus,” Noble said.

“Athletics is a great outlet for having a good time. The goal of the organization is to provide an atmosphere for our athletes where they can play a little bit better than what they normally would have played while also making it fun,” Ruttley said.

The group is organizing events for half time shows during basketball season, a 5K “Black Dress Run” before either a baseball or softball game, as well as many other events. They are also working with local businesses to provide students with promotional offers such as a free combo from Raising Canes when they attend certain events.

“My personal hope is to create intimidating atmospheres so when guest teams come to play at Nicholls, the fans have a big effect on the game,” Noble said.

“I know personally playing at schools like ULL, when their fans have our rosters printed out and they are screaming at our players during the game, it can really change the game. This is what I want to see Nicholls Nation members doing,” Noble said.

“Nicholls Nation helped a lot last year. I noticed a lot more people at athletic events, but I still think we can get more people to come in the future. It shows how much pride the students and athletes have in Nicholls,” redshirt men’s basketball senior Fred Hunter said.

Nicholls Nation strongly encourages students who want to get involved on campus to become a part of the group.

“New ideas for events or anything to make the athletic experience at Nicholls more exciting are always welcome,” Noble said.

“With the incoming freshman class and the start of a new year, the increase of members has been tremendous. We have the numbers; now we just need leaders within those numbers to help us get things done and to bring new ideas to the table,” Noble said.

To become a part Nicholls Nation you can register at geauxcolonels.com