The Student Government Association passed a motion to purchase four 10-foot by 10-foot tents that students can check out to use for student events.
The Student Union will be responsible for these tents, along with six current 10-foot by 10-foot tents that they purchased.
“We really want students to know to come to the student life office to be able to reserve that tent, the 10-foot by 10-foot tent,” Brandie Toups, director of Bollinger Memorial Student Union said. “This is something new. We will have a total of 10 tents between what Student Union has and what SGA is going to purchase.”
“Traditionally, student groups were asking for bigger tents to be set up by maintenance, so we are doing it a little bit more convenient for the students to be able to just come and pick them up and check them,” Toups said.
Students are asked to be cautious with the resources they use. If a tent is returned with any damage, the student organization will have to pay for repairs or replacements.
These smaller tents will be available for checkout for student events such as philanthropy events and tailgating. It should be easier for students to set up and return the tents.
This summer, a meeting was held to discuss university resources.
“After that meeting, we decided that it would be a good idea to provide some 10-foot by 10-foot tents for these student groups,” Toups said. “We want to encourage university spirit and we want the students to be able to go out there and have fun.”
Toups encourages students to use Student Union resources available to them. Students can check out tables, chairs, rooms, projectors, sounds systems and computers. In order to use these resources, students need to fill out a student activities request form or “Gold Form” which can be found in the Student Life Office or at http://www.nicholls.edu/union/reservations/.
There has been a change in policy regarding resources that can be used at tailgating events. The 10-foot by 10-foot tents are available for tailgates free of charge, but student organizations have to provide their own tables and chairs.
“It’s what other universities do,” Toups said. “The university has limited resources as far as man-power, and a lot of our tents, tables and chairs were getting damaged. And we do not have the amount of money to be able to replenish our inventory. We looked at other schools and what they do and nobody does what we do.”
Anthony Naquin, interfraternal council president, expressed his concerns with following other schools’ policies in getting students to provide their own equipment.
“I don’t care what Southeastern does. We are Nicholls,” Naquin said. “If we become followers, we are heading in the wrong direction.”
Brenda Haskins, executive director of auxiliary services, explained that the policy change is due to resources becoming more limited over the past couple of years, causing the maintenance staff to make cuts.
“The tents are a thing that we use so much that on the weekends they are out there, and our equipment, tables and chairs are out there,” Haskins said.
Haskins went on to say that most schools do not provide anything for tailgating parties, and students bring their own supplies.
“That’s why we call it a tailgate,” Haskins said. “So we ask the students to start bringing their own tents, tables and chairs just to help the University. Also, just to help us with not having to pay overtime to come take the tents down or leave the tents, tables and chairs out in the weather until Monday.”
According to Naquin, the fact that Nicholls has a much smaller population than schools such as Louisiana State University means that we will not use the equipment as frequently.
Bigger tents that range from 24-feet by 24-feet to 30-feet by 30-feet, will not be provided by the University, Haskins explained.
“Those are the ones we would rather not set up because of liability and lack of resources,” Haskins said. “Everything from just having money to replace them, to having people to set them up, it’s a whole combination.”
Haskins reached out to community members in order to solicit tents for larger student groups. So far she has amassed about four tents for usage this weekend.
“I want them to look for those resources,” Haskins said. “I am going to help them to show them that it is not as difficult as you think. You can line up the tents in the spring for the fall semester. I would like to show them that there are ways of doing this and to taking care of their own tailgate and that it really isn’t a lot of trouble.”
A few students expressed concern that these tents would require some type of rental fee.
“I think there is some confusion because for tailgating purposes, student groups are needed to bring their own tables and chairs for that,” Toups said. “For everything else, they are allowed to use tables, tents, chair, sounds systems and projectors.”
Melissa Cloutet, SGA president, attributed this confusion to “a simple miscommunication.”
Naquin felt similarly. “My biggest concern was that I wanted better communication.”
Both SGA and the Student Union urge students to start reserving tents for tailgates and other events.
“I do hope that student organizations will check out these tents and participate,” Cloutet said.