Students discuss rumored Ellender ghosts

For students living in Ellender Hall at Nicholls State University, Halloween might get a little spookier.

Ellender is one of the oldest halls on Nicholls campus, and, despite the rumors, not many people were aware that Ellender is speculated to be haunted.

There are a few tales of the spirits that haunt Ellender, but two stand out above the rest. Rumor has it that during some exam week years back, a young girl who was living on the sixth floor jumped to her death. Some residents believe she is one of the spirits to wander the halls at night. However, there was no report of this incident, since the university opened in 1948.

Upon entering the building, a portrait of Helen Ellender, who the hall is named after, hangs in the lobby. She is also thought to be one ghost that haunts the building.

Daedra Howard, a birth to five education junior from New Orleans, lived in Ellender her freshman year and still remembers stories of the suspected ghost.

She said, “I remember hearing footsteps running down the hall, and when I opened the door, nobody’s there. Or if I left something on my bed, it would be in a completely different spot than where I left it.”

However, other past and present residents do not believe the speculated stories of ghosts roaming Ellender.

Julia Eymard, a birth to five education senior from Golden Meadow, said she does not believe the ghost stories about Ellender. Eymard grew up in a family that believes in ghosts and the spirit world. She has always believed in ghosts, but she doesn’t get a haunted feeling from Ellender.

“I lived on the sixth floor, which is said to be the most haunted, but I never experienced anything there,” Eymard said.

She said she never felt scared to be alone in her dorm or in the hallways, so she thinks it’s perfectly normal.

Kelly Zeringue, a culinary arts freshman from Kenner, currently lives in Ellender and said she also doesn’t believe that the dorming hall is haunted.

“I’ve never had experiences with any of the hauntings people talk about,” Zeringue said.

However, Ellender is not the only building on campus speculated to be haunted. Polk and Talbot are also thought to house some spirits.

According to the Houma Times, in 2012, a class conducted a paranormal investigation in Talbot. The group recorded a few electronic voice phenomenons (EVPs) of old and young male and females.

The debate as to if any Nicholls building is haunted is still open for students to discuss. As new students move into Ellender hall each semester, different stories are soon to surface.