In July, the Louisiana Board of Regents donated 27 laptops to Nicholls State University due to COVID-19. 

Library Director Elizabeth Batte said they are Dell laptops and can be checked out through the Ellender Memorial Library. In order to check out a laptop, students need to present their Colonel Card. 

Batte said all the Dell laptops have been updated to have Microsoft Office and Zoom. She said this was important to have because of the HyFlex situation. 

Batte said students can check out a laptop one week at a time and said she has been asked if students can check them out again without always returning them.

“As long as all the laptops aren’t checked out, as long as there is still one on the shelf for another student, then we just let them automatically check it out. Otherwise we usually ask them just to wait a day and then go back and check and see if more have been returned or if the other one have been available,” Batte said.   

Batte said the laptops do not cost anything to be checked out by students, they just have to make sure they have been returned. 

Batte said these laptops were originally state surplus laptops that were repaired, reimaged and redeployed for student use.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Terry Braud confirmed the computers were distributed here and to other universities. He said the Board of Regents purchased computers in response to the need for technology during the spring semester.  

Batte said the laptops were delivered on Aug. 17 and that they are ready to be used or checked out by students now.