Personal Opinion: What students will get from the referendum

I’m sure many of you have been hearing the buzz about the student media referendum. Basically, the referendum not only gives students a voice about Nicholls’ student media, but if passed this spring, will allow student media outlets to converge and share resources.

The annual yearbook, La Pirogue, would continue to be produced, and the rest of student media such as the Nicholls Worth, KNSU and the television station would work as one entity to provide the best possible product to the university and community.

This is an extremely important decision that is ultimately in the hands of us, the students. Here are a few reasons as to why this referendum will reshape student media as a whole, and provide a drastically improved and better quality product as soon as this fall.

1. YOU, the students, have a voice

With this re-assessed fee, your initial reaction might not be excitement or hope because of the increase from $9 to $15. The thing is that while yes, there is a $6 increase, it is a student-assessed fee. This means that students, excluding dual enrollment and Nicholls Online students, will have the final say so in what happens to student media funding.

It is= also less than students were paying previously for student media, as when students were previously paying for La Pirogue, they were spending $19 on student media. Should the referendum pass, the $15 would be less that what students were once paying for the yearbook.

2. La Pirogue would be here to stay

If the referendum passes, there would no longer be mystery and worry shrouding the future of the yearbook. The $15 student media fee also allocates funding to La Pirogue, allowing the yearbook to continue to be printed annually.

I personally feel that having a yearbook is an essential university experience. Having a record of the university year by year is important both historically and culturally.

3. New content will be available

Another pro of the referendum being passed is that all of student media will have fresh new content as soon as this fall semester. With the planned convergence, KNSU, the Nicholls Worth, La Pirogue and the television station will all be producing both informative and entertaining content available to the university and the surrounding community.

All for a measly $6 more dollars. Things such as podcasts, videos, new web and television content, the Nicholls Worth magazine, KNSU radio shows and news features on TV are just a few of the many ideas that student media as a whole hopes to provide soon.

So, we cannot accomplish any of this without the help of the student body. We need your vote and your voice to get this referendum passed, because it isn’t just beneficial to student media, but to the student body, faculty, staff and community as a whole.