A group of students, all named Nick, have joined together to create a new organization on campus — the Aggie Nickwork.
A casual conversation between friends led to an idea — to unite Aggies that go by Nick. Nicolas “Nic” Hutchenson, a business freshman, realized he had seen a large number of people named Nick on campus while talking with a friend. On Sept. 3, Hutchenson created a GroupMe and began to add various Nicks, encouraging them to add all the other Nicks they knew. From there, it exploded and the foundations of an organization were built, Hutchenson said.
“I didn’t expect people to talk,” Hutchenson said. “I thought everyone would just get a kick out of it, but every day people will chat and say ‘I didn’t do well on a test, hype me up’ and the Nicks are very supportive.”
The Aggie Nickwork now has 75 members and is en route to becoming a recognized student organization. Hutchenson said all the organization needs now is an advisor.
Chemical engineering senior Nicholas “Nick” Sims said he was added by a random Nick and ended up falling in love with the group.
“I think there is a real opportunity here,” Sims said. “It’s a cool opportunity for people to network and get to know other people who might have completely different experiences or stories. It’s all about building that Aggie culture that we’re all huge fans of.”
According to its mission statement the Aggie Nickwork’s official goal is to “support and encourage Nicks and Nicholas’ on campus as well as other unofficial Nicks through various social and service projects.” The organization allows non-Nicks to join, but in order to attend events, they must bring their unofficial Nick license, which the organization is currently making.
In addition to Nick licenses, the organization is working on Nick apparel, said computer engineering sophomore Nicholas “Nick” Evans. He plans to open up a Nick merchandise shop for the Aggie Nickwork called ‘Nick-knacks,’ though he believes the organization is more than just Nick puns.
“Being a Nick is more than a name — it’s a lifestyle,” Evans said. “This is a place by Nicks, for Nicks. We can all come together and be ourselves and show the world what our name means.”
Hutchenson said the Aggie Nickwork has a few events it plans to host once it becomes an official organization, ranging from a group PicNick to participating in the Big Event (called the Nick Event in the Aggie Nickwork) to a service project called St. Nick, in which members donate presents to children in need.
According the Hutchenson, all Nicks are good Nicks, and because of that, he wants to make sure service is integrated into the structure of the organization. Hutchenson is implementing a points system called “Good Bull Points” to keep members active and to get them involved in projects and events around campus.
“Being a Nick means everything,” said Hutchenson. “All Nick’s are a little quirky, kind of tall and overall a good guy. Nick’s are overall good people. That’s what we are trying to do with this organization — keep the good rep with the name.”
For more information on joining the Aggie Nickwork, contact Nic Hutchenson at [email protected].