To make the Nicholls Alumni House more attractive, University repairmen began renovating the interior of the building a few weeks ago and should be finished by April. Currently, they are painting the inside rooms. A bid for new carpeting has not yet been accepted.

“We are really giving the house a good face-lift on the inside,” Debbie Raziano, director of alumni affairs and University Homecoming committee chairperson, said.

“We have been in the Alumni House for about 11 years. All of the original painting and carpeting are from when we first moved in.”

Because visiting professors who come to Nicholls stay at the Alumni House, it is important that the house look its best. The Alumni Federation is using members’ dues to pay for the renovations, she said.

“The purpose of the Alumni Federation is to foster and promote the University,” Raziano said. They do this by giving scholarships to students and providing funding to the Nicholls tutorial program and the Center for the Study of Dyslexia. They also take part in Welcome Back Day and sponsor a graduation reception.

Students often do not realize that once they have successfully completed 12 semester hours at Nicholls, they are alumni. Active alumni are Nicholls graduates who pay dues, Raziano said.

“I think the dues that one pays is a very small contribution to a University that has hopefully afforded (one) so much,” Raziano said.

Nicholls maintains contact with its active alumni through the Alumni Federation, which sponsors an annual meeting and crawfish boil, Raziano said. “We (also) have tailgate parties at different athletic events,” she said.

Active alumni are eligible to run for the Board of Directors and take part in the (Board’s) election process of that, she said.

At the upcoming Alumni Federation’s Awards for Excellence, the organization will recognize those who have been generous to the Alumni Federation and University.

“We try to be a contributing factor both in volunteerism and financial support. We look at the academic areas, our student areas and athletics. I think we are very community-oriented also,” Raziano said.

The building that the Alumni Federation currently occupies did not always belong to the Alumni Federation. Originally, they conducted business from an office in Elkins Hall. They owned a house in Thibodaux which was a replica of Francis T. Nicholls’ home, Raziano said.

However, because it was very expensive to heat and cool. Because it was located in a residential area of Thibodaux, it was not conducive to the Alumni Federation’s needs, she said.

Prior to housing the Alumni Federation, the building was part of the Home Management program (now known as Family and Consumer Sciences). Students were required to live in the building as part of the program to get experience.

“I plan to join the Alumni Federation once I graduate from Nicholls in May. I want to give back to the University and support the students,” Lynne Smathers, marketing senior from Patterson, said.

Smathers said the scholarships the Alumni Federation award to students are very beneficial and are something she wants to support.