This week, on Aug. 19, Nicholls State University will host its student event, Welcome Back Day. 

Themed around “Fun in Da Sun,” Welcome Back Day promises food, drinks, giveaways and fun to engage Nicholls’ students after a premature departure from campus in March. 

In response to COVID-19 restrictions, Welcome Back Day will be spaced across multiple locations, the Student Union Front, the Quad, located between Peltier Hall and Shaver Gym, as well other outdoor areas across campus, to avoid congregation. 

Workers and organization members in attendance must have the approved health check bracelet and must wear their mask. Only two people can work a table at a time, and they must remain six feet apart. Rotations are encouraged, due to the heat. 

On-site interactive tables and yard games, including spinning wheels, bean bag toss, darts and on-site craft making, are not allowed. Common containers/bowls containing candy, pens, buttons and giveaway items are also not allowed. Handouts, brochures, or giveaways must be given  to each student individually.

Hand wash and sanitizing stations will be located at several locations throughout the Quad, and each table setup will be spaced 15 feet apart to provide enough space for students to maintain distance while visiting each table.

When asked about Welcome Back Day, students expressed some anxieties and frustrations about in-person events, even with current safety precautions in place.

“SPA was holding a laser tag event that was apparently going to be socially distanced, but also somehow involves 250-plus people,” Drue Polkey, Gamma Phi Beta member and an English junior with a concentration in Film Studies said. “That made me feel very upset- my sorority could not have in-person, socially distanced recruitment…. I’ve been asked why I feel these are different from events like the SPA’s, and I confidently answer with ‘I know where my sisters have been. I know we are all following CDC guidelines. I know which of us have quarantined or are high-risk, like myself. I don’t know where those 250-plus people have been, if they have been following CDC guidelines…’”

Polkey expressed continued concerns that students who fail to practice social distancing outside of campus might also attend larger campus-wide events, potentially spreading the virus to other people. Polkey also expressed frustration that Nicholls State University had allowed larger in-person events while limiting sorority and fraternity events.

“Yeah, the thing that concerns me the most is the food and drinks,” Angelina Morales, an English junior in Literary Studies said. “Because that gives people a reason to take their masks off, even if it is outside. It’s the same thing like in Disney World- they changed the rules so people couldn’t walk and eat at the same time.”

Welcome Back Day will be hosted this Wednesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.