AAUW meet and greet

The American Association of University Women is currently actively involved in its first full-
fledged semester on Nicholls’ campus.
The AAUW is an organization originally founded in 1881, pursuing advances in equality for
women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.
“AAUW is specifically dedicated to supporting girls and women,” Kellyn LaCour-Constant,
marine and environmental biology graduate student from Houston said, “They provide information and
resources for girls and women in academia or in pursuit of collegiate degrees or careers that are
traditionally male dominated.”
The AAUW offer scholarships and grants for international students, and students doing doctoral
research. The AAUW also performs research on issues such as equal pay, traveling from state to state
and compiling statistics on gender pay gaps and title nine as well combating campus assault.
The AAUW came to Nicholls’ campus last spring and is currently participating in its first full
semester as an on-campus organization.
Mrs. Gene Murphy, president Murphy’s wife, regularly hosts welcome back receptions or
banquets. She invites students, faculty, staff and people from the local community to come out and
learn about new organizations on campus or new faculty hires.
“On Sept. 28 we were invited to one of the meet and greets. She formally introduced us to the
provost, President Murphy, different deans and the athletic department,” Constant said. “She just really
wanted to give us her endorsement and the administrative endorsement. We were her guest.”
The AAUW hosted a film-screening of the documentary Equal Means Equal. They also had a
panel of faculty, staff, students and professors from other universities to talk to students about the
reality of life as a woman.
“At the panel they discussed what are those differences of being a woman,” Constant said. “As
well as the issues women are battling to change. And how that affects students day to day.”
AAUW also hosted a donation drive benefiting victims of Hurricane Harvey. They are currently
partnering with SGA and extending that throughout October. The collected goods are being delivered to
the Houston Foodbank and the United Way in Baton Rouge.
The AAUW hosted an International Day of Peace in collaboration with the Nicholls International
Community and the Nicholls University Counseling Center.
In the upcoming months, the AAUW will be collaborating with the Sociology club and the District
Attorney’s Office to host domestic violence awareness events. They will also be having study sessions in
collaboration with the Princeton Review.
The AAUW is participating in a letter writing campaign that will send inspirational messages to
breast cancer patients in partnership with Girls Love Male in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
“We are just trying to get our name out there to students,” Constant said. “We want them to
know what we do and what we hope to accomplish