Eugene Dial, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment, spoke on Oct. 18 to the SGA Senate to answer its questions regarding the proposed $20 drop fee. Dial said the concept of the fee is part of a larger problem that needs to be addressed by all public universities in Louisiana. He said the state gives universities money to teach a certain number of students in each class. When students drop those classes after enrollment is closed and other students are unable to fill the now-empty seats, resources are being wasted. Dial said over 4,000 courses are dropped each semester.

“Our message to students is ‘don’t waste a seat in a class,'” Dial said.

SGA President Olinda Ricard said one of the biggest problems at Nicholls is advising for all students.

“If students aren’t properly advised, they will take whatever they feel they need to take and use their own judgment to drop what they think they should,” she said.

Dial said the university will push for students to meet with advisors and take into serious consideration the classes they are scheduling. He said he thinks educating students about the problem and about scheduling correctly is better and will be more effective than punishing students for dropping classes by charging them a fee.

Treasurer Greco Faria suggested an alternate solution where students would have a limit on how many classes they were allowed to drop during their college careers.

Dial said any money generated from the fee, if it were to pass, would go into a general fund, which is used for, among other things, paying salaries. He said, however, that the money could be dedicated to anything.

In other business, Shawn Little, director of student rights and grievances, in his report said because of complaints from students who have had their cars hit due to small parking spots, the spots in the parking lot near Ellender Memorial Library will be measured and repainted to be larger.

Senators also passed a motion to sponsor a table at Family Day Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., which will feature games and prizes for children.