Colonel Acts of Kindness is a new program at Nicholls State University that recognizes acts of random charity performed by students.

The Office of Student Affairs created this program so that students would know that their kindness is noticed and appreciated.

Anyone can nominate a student for this award by emailing [email protected] with a cc to [email protected].

The Office of Student Affairs asks that the email include the subject line COLONEL ACTS OF KINDNESS, the date, time and location of the act, and a detailed explanation of what occurred and why it should be considered a Colonel Act of Kindness.

If you do not know the name of the person who performed an act of kindness, the office asks that you give as many details as possible on his/her physical appearance, along with any other significant details that may help that person be identified. There is no limit on how often the award can be given.

Once nominated and identified, the nominee will meet with Dr. Michele Caruso, vice president of the Office of Student Affairs. If the nominee allows it, his/her picture will be taken and put on a certificate that he/she will receive at a later date.

The nominee’s picture and story will also be featured on Nicholls social media pages, as well as Inside Nicholls.

“We know how amazing our students are, so this gives us the opportunity to show the world,” Caruso said.

Toward the end of each semester, a reception will be held to celebrate all nominees of the award. Nominees will receive their certificates at this reception.

Recently, there have been three recipients of the award. The first two recipients were Matthew Williams and Omar Pew, both freshman members of the football team.

Over the summer, Williams and Pew were at a gas station when they noticed a man who seemed to need some financial assistance. Williams said that the man was not asking for money—he and Pew could just tell that the man was in need.

Williams and Pew gave the man money from their wallets, not realizing that anybody witnessed this. Williams and Pew were both surprised to receive the award.

Alexi Tauzin also received the Colonel Acts of Kindness award recently. Tauzin is an employee at the on-campus Chick-fil-A. About one month ago, a customer entered the restaurant at approximately 8:50 p.m., right before it was about to close.

Tauzin, a freshman birth-to-five education major from Houma, said that the customer’s eyes were red and she could tell that the customer had been crying.

When the customer placed her order, Tauzin upsized her order and gave her an ice cream. On the side of the cup of ice cream, Tauzin wrote, “I hope your day gets better.”

Tauzin was surprised when she received the email stating that she had been nominated for the award. She said she did not realize that her act of kindness would go so far.