September 19, 2013 W W W . V S U S p E c T A T O R . c O M VOLUME 85 ISSUE 5
Inside This Issue- OpINIONS: “Students, quit blaming the system”
- FEATURES: “Vegas to get piece of Britney”
- SpORTS: “No. 1 VSU football to host Shorter Sat.”
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
Free T-shirT Design -
caB hosts a free t-shirt design
from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Student
Union Ballroom a. Students
that show up with their 1card
can get their t-shirt designed
however they want.
sTuDenT reciTAl - curtis
thornton plays the tuba from
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Whitehead
auditorium.
grADuATe school
Workshop - career Services
hosts a workshop on attending
graduate school from 4 to 5
p.m. in Powell Hall-West,
second floor.
Today at VSU
Weather
89 H 65 L
Today
91 H 66 L
Friday
69 L89 H
Mostly
Sunny
Saturday
Check out Olivia Gear’sstory on D&T Personal
Training!Blazer football to play Shorter, page 6.Blazer football to play Shorter, page 6.
Mostly
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Mostly
Sunny
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This Day in
History
Nevada
experiences first ever
underground
nuclear
explosion.September 19, 1957
a 1.7 kiloton nuclear
weapon detonated in
an underground
tunnel at the Nevada
Test Site--a 1,375
square mile research
center located 65 miles
north of Las Vegas.
Source: History.com
VSU lost a member of its
student body early tuesday
morning.
Marcus Holmes, 19, sopho-
more, was killed when he
was struck by a UPS semi-
truck on i-75.
Police say the accident oc-
curred around 1 a.m. when
Holmes stepped into traffic
just north of the mile 19
marker on the normally
bustling interstate.
"the driver of the UPS
truck, whenever he noticed
the pedestrian in the roadway,
he was unable to avoid im-
pact with the pedestrian,”
Sgt. carl taylor, Georgia
State Patrol, said in an inter-
view with WaLB News.
at the moment officers
with GSP say that drugs or
alcohol don’t appear to be in-
volved with the crash, but a
blood test will provide defini-
tive results. the tests are ex-
pected to be completed in a
month.
President Dr. William
McKinney sent an email to
faculty and students announc-
ing the death.
“On behalf of the entire
VSU family, we extend our
deepest sympathy to the
Holmes family,” Dr. McKin-
ney said.
On tuesday, shortly after
the crash, condolences from
Holmes’s friends and family
flooded his facebook page,
and word of his death contin-
ued to spread following
McKinney’s announcement.
‘Marcus was a bright, out-
going, and hopeful young
man who shared those quali-
ties with those around him,
and without him, those clos-
est to him find the world a
slightly darker place,” ed-
ward Braun, english instruc-
tor, said.
“Marcus was full with joy
and kindness,” Hannah
Davis, former Shorter Uni-
versity schoolmate to
Holmes, said. “He had a huge
heart and gave great advice.”
McKinney said consolers
would be available to speak
with students affected by
Holmes’s passing. Students
seeking assistance should call
229-333-5940.
VSU student struck by semi, dies on I-75Will Lewis
M a N a G i N G e D i t O r
VSU celebrated 50 years of
integration with the Heritage
community cookout and “a
Look 50 Years Back and 50
Years forward Kickoff re-
ception” on Wednesday.
robert Pierce and Drewnell
thomas, the first african-
american male and female to
attend VSU, were honored
during the cookout, spon-
sored by the Langdale col-
lege of Business administra-
tion, in Palms Quad.
Students gathered in Palms
Quad as free hamburgers, hot
dogs and other refreshments
were served from noon until
2 p.m.
SGa president Will Jimer-
son, VSU first Lady Dr. Da-
cia
charlesworth
and Valdosta
Mayor Pro
tem alvin
Payton ad-
dressed the
student body
during the
cookout.
“i think
the turn-out
was great,”
Jimerson
said. “We
had a diverse
group of
people that
came out to
celebrate. that is what the
mission of this event was—to
bring people of different her-
itages, cultures, and back-
grounds together as we cele-
brate 50 years of integration.”
“this moment is so histori-
cal because it allows us to re-
flect on everything that peo-
ple have done to make the
university more inclusive and
it’s important to remember
that 50 years later,”
charlesworth said. “Students
that i spoke
to in line
knew what
they were
celebrating
and they
were excit-
ed—it was
great.”
in addition
to free food,
students
could also
participate
in a raffle to
take home
commemo-
rative “50
Years” t-shirts.
“i feel very thankful,”
ayannie thomas, junior
speech communication major,
said. “for the two that paved
the way for african ameri-
cans to attend a university
Campus celebrates 50 years of integration
rebecka Mcaleer / The SPecTaTor
Students enjoy a cookout Wednesday, kicking off the celebration of integration at VSU.
Shane ThomasS ta f f W r i t e r
&
Von KennedyS ta f f W r i t e r
the SGa traded off help
for a $450 fee on Monday
night.
this $450 fee was directed
to the film and Video society
for the screening of “Land of
Higher Peace”, a Q&a with
filmmaker Mark ezra Stokes,
and the rights for VSU stu-
dents to screen the film
whenever they want.
for the $450 aid, the orga-
nization promised the SGa
help for any promotional
videos in the future.
“if you are willing, i
would like to offer my orga-
nization’s help to produce
any sort of video,” rizal
Buckingham, film and Video
Society member, said.
“We’re always more than
happy to bring our own
equipment.”
Senators were originally
not enthusiastic about giving
the $450 to the organization,
with Senator edgar James
expressing doubt that the
money would go to an event
that would benefit VSU as a
whole.
“it doesn’t seem to benefit
the (student) body as a
whole, as far as catering to
the needs of our students,”
James said.
James also mentioned the
small capacity (30 seats) of
the room that this event will
take part in, and noted that
maybe the event would cater
to just 30 students.
Senator tamelonie thomas
also noted that the Q&a
would primarily concern the
making of the film, rather
than the subject matter of the
film itself, which is about,
according to imdb.com, “the
daily challenges ethiopians
face through the eyes of a
group of well-meaning
americans in the small
northern town of Gondar.”
“i know we have a very
good student body here, who
are mass media students, but
i honestly don’t feel like that
this film will be educational
or really vital for the SGa to
have our money budgeted to
it.”
thomas also noted that she
was excited to see the film,
after having done mission
Joe AdgieS O c i a L M e D i a
e D i t O r
SGA
makes
a deal
See SGA , Page 2
Von Kennedy / The SPecTaTor
Dr. Shirley Hardin, director of African American Studies,
discusses the history of VSU. The photograph is of the
first African American VSU homecoming queen, Skip
McDonald.
First African American students honored Wednesday
See 50 YEARS , Page 2
For the two that
paved the way for
African Americans
to attend a universi-
ty like this I just feel
very honored. I
wanted to volunteer
and do what I can to
help.
- AyAnnie ThomAs
“
”
another void is filled for
VSU as it hires a new admin-
istrator.
Nicole turley was named
the new associate Dean of
Students less than two weeks
ago and will serve alongside
russell Mast, Vice President
of Student affairs and Dean
of Students.
the position involves
working with the vice presi-
dent for student affairs and
the dean of students to imple-
ment plans for the Division
of Student affairs.
the search began in June
and ended on august 1.
the search committee con-
sisted of thomas Hardy,
Sherolyn Hopkins, robin
Vickery, Stanley Jones, Lisa
Long, Kevin taylor and Has-
sanat Oshodi.
thomas Hardy led the
committee but couldn’t be
reached for answers at press
time.
there were 55 applicants,
the final four were invited to
campus.
turley, former SGa presi-
dent and graduate of VSU,
now serves as an advisor for
SGa in her returning role at
her alma mater.
She made a visit to the
SGa meeting on Monday and
New Associate Dean of Students namedIsaiah Smart
S ta f f W r i t e r
See ADS , Page 2
PAgE 2 | VSuSPEcTATOR.cOM N e w s SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
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Help Wanted.
Sep. 11
A student reported a female
leaving a room in Centennial
Hall following an altercation
in the room. Dispatch spoke
with one roommate who ac-
knowledged that and alterca-
tion had taken place regard-
ing a boyfriend staying the
night. VSU student, Heather
Shew, was arrested.
Sep. 13
VSU student, Trenton
Williams was arrested for dri-
ving under the influence, and
transported to Lowndes
County Jail.
A student reported a Co-
lumbia jacket and a TI83 cal-
culator stolen from her back-
pack in Georgia Hall.
Sep. 14
A student witnessed a vehi-
cle being broken into the
night before in the Georgia
Hall gravel lot.
Sep. 16
A red Genesis bike was
stolen from the Student
Union.
A student reported his bag
stolen from the Front Lawn.
Some items were later found
in the bushes beside Patter-
son Hall and turned into the
VSUPD.
Sep. 17
VSUPD responded to a re-
port of an odor of marijuana
coming from a room in Cen-
tennial Hall. Police arrested
VSU student, Justin Culler
and transported him to Lown-
des County Jail.
Sep. 18
A student flagged down a
VSUPD officer at the corner
of the Sustella lot and report-
ed a gray and orange check-
ered backpack stolen. The of-
ficer responded by placing a
BOLO for the item, but po-
lice were unable to make
contact with the thief.
Police Briefs
Sep. 20
The VSU Dance Club will hold a bake sale from 10 a.m. to
noon at the Pedestrian Mall Gazebo near the Student Union.
The Society of International Students will host a Cultural
Hour featuring the country of Belize. The event will take place
at 2 p.m. at the ELI House at 111 Moore Str. Just behind the
Student Union.
Sep. 23
The Peace Corps. will have an informational table set up in
the Student Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. An information ses-
sion will be held from 6-8 p.m. in Powell Hall West, second
floor.
College Republicans are proud to host Congressman Austin
Scott for a meet and greet. The event is open to all Students.
Monday, September 23rd at 6 p.m. in the Union Ballroom A
Sep. 24
A blood drive will be held from 12:30-5:30 p.m. in the Stu-
dent Union.
"The Constitution, the Continued Democratic Voting Chal-
lenge, and the Rise of a New Jim Crow Order." Student pre-
sentations on various cases and background history on the
struggle for democratic voting and the roles played by the U.S.
Supreme Court, Congress, and the various state legislature.
Presentations will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. in the Student
Union Theatre.
From 7-8 p.m. in the Powell Hall Auditorium, Dr. Fred
Knowles, Director of the Native American Studies Program,
will present an overview of the Supreme Court decision re-
garding their ruling concerning Bab Veronica. Dr. Knowles
will also discuss the significance of these rulings and how they
relate to the current Legislature and the Indian Child Welfare
Act of 1978.
The Student Health Center has received the flu vaccine
(H1N1 covered in this vaccine) and the vaccine is available to
students for $10 (flex, cash or check). If you would like to get
a flu vaccine, but not make an appointment, please come to
the Student Health Center on Sep. 24 , Oct. 1 or Oct. 8 from
8:30-10:30a.m. or 1-3 p.m.
Upcoming Events
work in Kenya.
Senator Heather Washing-
ton, meanwhile, did find one
thing that would have bene-
fitted the VSU community.
“The only thing that actual-
ly looks like it would actually
benefit VSU
would be
the copy of
the film,”
Washington
said. “If I’m
not a mass
media ma-
jor, I’m not
sure if I
would even
show up (to the film screen-
ing and Q&A).”
Washington advocated
“maybe getting the word
out,” but was opposed to
funding anything outside of
the rights to the film.
Senator Breanna Lawrence
noted the SGA could take a
look at how organizations
have tried to raise money be-
fore going to them.
“We definitely have to take
that into consideration with
other organizations,”
Lawrence said. “What have
you done to help yourself
first before you get help from
other people?”
Lawrence advocated giving
$150—which would be the
rights fees for VSU students
to screen the movie whenever
they wanted.
Senator Matt Lovelace,
however, favored the full
amount for the benefit that
the Mass Media department
would bring to the SGA, in
regards to promotional videos
that would be shot in the fu-
ture.
“Mass Media has access to
a lot of filmmaking and pro-
motional styled things,”
Lovelace said. “It may be
worth our money to invest in
them so we have some added
resources in advertising and
marketing for SGA.”
Senator Valencia Warren
agreed.
“This
would be a
huge help to
the PR com-
mittee as far as
the video edit-
ing is con-
cerned,” War-
ren said. “It
would be great
for our YouTube channel and
getting out to students.”
Amendments were pro-
posed to bring the dollar
amount down to $300, and
then to $250, but Lovelace
advocated again for the full
$450 due to the promised
benefit to the SGA from the
mass media department.
“The quality of work that
the mass media department
does is worth a lot of mon-
ey,” Lovelace said. “We are
now limiting the funds we
are giving and asking for
help. I think it is a bit unfair
to limit the amount of money
that we are giving and asking
them to help us. So instead of
limiting us to one event or a
couple of events or one
YouTube channel, why not
give the entire $450 and then
asking for continuous help in
marketing for the SGA.”
The SGA soon afterwards
voted for the full $450 to be
given.
SGA BUDGET: $19,148.23
SGA
continued from page 1
This would be a
huge help to the PR
committee as far as
the video editing is
concerned.
-Valencia Warren
“
”
like this I just feel very hon-
ored. I wanted to volunteer
and do what I can to help.”
Payton reflects on his own
experience in 1963 as a third-
grader when Pierce and
Thomas arrived on campus
and what it means to the city
of Valdosta.
“Being born and raised in
Valdosta and being here in
1963; knowing some of the
changes the city was going
through at that time, as a
third-grader, you don’t see
those things,” Payton said.
“Obviously, Ms. Thomas and
Mr. Pierce, to be the only two
African-American students
on this campus in 1963, those
were some heavy, heavy bur-
dens to bear.”
“From a city perspective, I
think this (event) shows how
far the city and the county
have progressed in their for-
ward thinking,” Payton said.
Various VSU organizations
also hosted “A Look Back
and 50 Years Forward Kick-
off Reception” in the Bailey
Science Center.
The event celebrated Pierce
and Thomas, as well as Dr.
Shirley Hardin, professor of
English and Director of the
African American Studies
program and other notable
people and moments.
Hardin has been at VSU
for 37 years witnessed much
social change on campus.
“Sometimes people take
their education here for
granted,” Hardin said.
“(Here) you get to interact
with different fraternities,
sororities, races and once you
learn their history and cul-
ture, you are empowered. All
of us can soar, and that is my
greatest joy; when students
can come together.”
50 Years
continued from page 1
spoke to the senate and
guests briefly to introduce
herself.
“I hope that the new Asso-
ciate Dean of
Students is
able to fully
foster all the
expectations
for an advi-
sor,” Hassanat
Oshodi, SGA
Vice Presi-
dent, said.
“SGA is in the
reconstruction
stage so at this
point it is important that we
have an advisor who is effi-
ciently responsive and able to
adhere to the needs of SGA
and the other departments the
ADS is over.”
With the increase in social
media use Turley has the task
of had coordinating social
media for the division.
“The general plan is to
deepen the awareness of and
connection to the services,
development and support
provided by the Division of
Student Affairs through vari-
ous social media venues,”
Turley
said.
Turley will
act as an
advisor for
depart-
ments such
as: Access
Office,
Testing and
Orienta-
tion/Lead-
ership Programs.
She will also have a hand
in coordinating student
recognition initiatives, Parent
Programs and Campus Min-
istries.
Turley’s office is located in
the Student Affairs Office on
the third floor of the Student
Union.
ADS
continued from page 1
”
“
-Hasanat Oshodi
I hope that the new
Associate Dean of
Students is able to
fully foster all the
expectations for an
advisor.
Lawnart goesnatural
Ritsuki Miyazaki / The SpecTaToR
Art took on a natural form withthis sculpture of the sun andmoon outside of WhiteheadAuditorium.
septemBer 19, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3
This editorial was written by Jennifer Gleason ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
Students, quit blaming the systemWhen I was in the second
grade, the quadratic formula,
variables and polynomials
were the last things on my
mind.
that’s what elementary
school students are now
learning: algebra—a subject
that already befuddles many
middle and high school stu-
dents. I can’t imagine being
seven years old and having
to learn algebra (that might
also be because math is not a
strong suit of mine).
Like any business model,
education changes constantly
due to competition and an
influx of a variety of knowl-
edge. this is the same
knowledge academia tries to
expose students to over a rel-
atively short amount of time.
to keep up, educators are
expected to update their cur-
ricula regularly and usher
upcoming students into this
new world of knowledge and
technologies that even they
have a hard time understand-
ing sometimes.
teaching can be just as
much of a learning process
for educators as it is for stu-
dents.
We may have not learned
algebra in elementary school,
but we were still exposed to
it later in our educational ca-
reers. So, the system hasn’t
failed us, it is just changing
to meet the requirements of a
new generation of thinkers.
It is true that students
learning higher levels of sub-
jects so early on will proba-
bly be exposed to even high-
er levels by the time they
reach our ages, but those stu-
dents will be carrying us
when we get older, just as
we’re sure to carry our par-
ents’ generation—and in
some ways we already are.
Whether or not we can
say we understand a subject
thoroughly, our teachers did
what they could for the
amount of time they had
with us.
Plenty of VSU freshmen
complain about not under-
standing certain subjects
well and the fact that the
core curriculum requires us
to take classes such as col-
lege algebra, foreign lan-
guages, biology, geology,
etc., regardless of our ma-
jors.
“I’m an english major,
why do I have to have sci-
ence credits? I’m not going
to use this later!”
the truth is it does not
matter what students experi-
enced in their prior educa-
tion, and it does not matter
what students think is use-
less or not.
each subject has the po-
tential to expand our minds,
and when we’re exposed to
those subjects, there’s a
chance that one of them may
turn into our major or minor.
Not everyone comes out of
college with the same goals
with which they started.
education is a malleable
model that changes case by
case.
We, as students, cannot ex-
pect teachers to do all of our
work or magically implant
knowledge into our brains
effortlessly. We have to be
willing to learn more and
have a drive to learn more—
especially in the fields we’re
trying to pursue as careers.
at the same time, teachers
cannot expect students to al-
ways know everything they
need to know before regis-
tering for a class.
Quite often the foundation
that primary education was
supposed to lay for students
isn’t there—either due to
learning disabilities or cur-
riculum deficiencies.
It’s our responsibility to
take the extra step to learn
about things not presented to
us and prove to teachers and
advisers that they are not
wasting their time.
(taking those extra steps
and building those relation-
ships helps us later when we
need recommendation letters,
too—just putting that out
there!)
We are here now, we are
adults and it is our chance to
take responsibility for our
own education.
OpiniOns
We have to be will-
ing to learn more
and have a drive to
learn more—espe-
cially in the fields
we’re trying to
pursue as careers.
Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those
of the Spectator and its staff. all rights reserved. reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily
those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.
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Online at www.vsuspectator.com
Spectator StaffEditor-in-Chief: Jennifer GleasonManaging Editor:Will LewisBusiness Manager: Kristen VarneyAdvertising Manager:aimee NapierCirculation Manager: abbie Baggerly Opinions Editor: Stephen CavallaroFeatures Editor: Sarah turner
Sports Editor: eric JacksonPhoto Editor: ritsuki MiyazakiMultimedia Editor: rebecka McaleerWeb Designer: John PreerCopy Editor: Olivia McLeanSocial Media Editor: Joe adgie Faculty Advisers: Dr. PatMiller, Dr. ted Geltner, Keith Warburg
Reporters/Photographers:abbie Baggerly, JordanBarela, Khiry Clements, essah Cole, Jessica Cooke,Cole edwards, allison ericson, Neil frawley, OliviaGear, Brian Hickey, VictoriaJohnson, David Lacy, IsaiahSmart, taylor Stone, Shanethomas, alex tostado, alexis Waters, Von Kennedy,Hilary Straball
Just when you thought cig-
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the electronic cigarette is a
newly popular type of ciga-
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according to
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used by many smokers to as-
sist in quitting the habit be-
cause they can deliver nico-
tine and mitigate tobacco
withdrawal symptoms.
a trial done by a group at
the Lancet produced under-
whelming evidence. e-cig
users did quit smoking, but
the results were not nearly as
high as one might expect.
the article states, “e-ciga-
rettes, with or without nico-
tine, were modestly effective
at helping smokers to
quit…Uncertainty exists
about the place of e-ciga-
rettes in tobacco control, and
more research is urgently
needed to clearly establish
their overall benefits and
harms at both individual and
population levels.”
So are e-cigs a better al-
ternative to cigarettes? I
think they are. there is not a
lot of evidence supporting
the theory that they can help
people quit, but I have been
around people who smoke
them. e-cigs seem to be a
great alternative for those
who enjoy smoking inside or
around non-smoking friends
since secondhand smoke
risks associated with e-cigs
are lower than those associat-
ed with regular cigarettes.
the idea in theory is great.
an odorless cigarette that can
be smoked without harm to
others sounds fantastic. We
may not be at this point just
yet, but we are getting there.
Personally I hope research
proves that e-cigs can help
people quit or at least control
the urges that many people
have to smoke. I have seen
many friends try to quit but
not be able to because the
patch did not work. If this is
truly an effective way for
smokers and non-smokers to
live in harmony, I’m all for it
and hope that more research
proves that this will benefit
people.
Do you feel strongly about
electronic cigarette? Is this
technology a benefit or a haz-
zard to humanity? express
your opinions by sending the
Spectator staff a tweet at
@vsuspectator.
E-cigs, innovative or recreating the past? David Lacy
S ta f f W r I t e r
Body piercings and tattoos
have had a long-standing re-
lationship with humans
throughout history. In some
cultures, body art represents
history, lineage or religion,
but in other cultures a tattoo
may simply represent a
drunken night.
In March, arkansas Senate
Bill 387 was passed. the bill
redefined “body art” and in-
cluded scarification—the
etching, scratching or cutting
of skin to produce a design.
the bill isn’t exactly clear on
what is limited or banned,
but it is clearly stated that
subdermal operations are
prohibited but can be per-
formed by licensed physi-
cians. this shouldn’t be
much of a problem as Joe
Phillips, a member of the
arkansas Body Modification
association, stated that he
doesn’t know of anyone do-
ing such procedures.
Misty forsberg, a piercing
and scarification artist in
arkansas, worked with state
legislators to update the bill.
She was reported as satisfied
with the results despite a
“bumpy ride” at first.
What if this moves along
to Georgia? a council in
Washington, D.C., wants to
establish a 24-hour waiting
period to prevent impulse
acts of getting a tattoo or
piercing. “We’re making sure
when that decision is made
that you’re in the right frame
of mind.” Yvette M. alexan-
der, a council member, said.
as stated, the bill is am-
biguous to what is limited or
banned, but what isn’t? this
ambiguity could give the
government some type of
grey area to reign in. Could
the prohibition of subdermal
body art be the beginning of
widespread regulation on
self-expression? Is this an in-
fringement on your first
amendment rights or just a
way to keep things safe for
minors and people acting off
impulse?
Regulating body artIsaiah Smart
S ta f f W r I t e r
People PollIn response to the incident at UA:
Is VSU greek life segregated?
Want more opinions?Check out the Video People Poll online at:
youtube.comValdostaSpectator
are “tobacco free” ciga-
rettes better for your health?
What if that tobacco was re-
placed with liquid nicotine?
Say hello to electronic ciga-
rettes, or “e-cigs.”
electronic cigarettes are
quickly becoming a preferred
option among smokers to tra-
ditional cigarettes. With such
a rapid increase in popularity,
questions arise about the
safety of these sleek, smoke-
less, battery-operated alterna-
tives.
You have probably seen
people smoking these innova-
tive, ultramodern, “safe” cig-
arettes in unconventional
places such as restaurants and
elevators, but what makes
these popular substitutes
“safer?”
a common myth about
electronic cigarettes is that
they are a healthier option
because they don’t contain
tobacco, but the nicotine is
still there, only in a different
form. electronic cigarettes
contain a mechanism that
heats liquid nicotine turning
it into a vapor, allowing
smokers to inhale and exhale
as they would a normal ciga-
rette.
Why do so many people
believe that inhaling liquid
nicotine will not affect their
health? this myth may stem
from the fact that e-cigs are
readily available to everyone,
regardless of age – especially
online. It doesn’t help that
many electronic cigarettes
come in kid-friendly flavors
such as gummy bear and
cookies cream, leaving little
room for debate when it
comes to its targeted audi-
ence. Since they are tobacco
free, electronic cigarettes are
not subject to U.S. tobacco
laws, which give them a
guise of safety.
the fDa is in the process
of trying to have e-cigarettes
regulated as a “drug-delivery
device” but the manufactur-
ers insist that e-cigs are sim-
ply recreational and should
not be subject to regulation.
the truth is, there simply
isn’t enough known about
electronic cigarettes to so fer-
vently claim that they are
safer than traditional ciga-
rettes simply because the
nicotine is being delivered to
your lungs in a different way.
a cigarette is a cigarette,
regardless of whether you use
a lighter or batteries or
whether you’re producing
smoke or vapor. We shouldn’t
question what the “healthier”
option is if they are both de-
livering nicotine, the very
component that makes ciga-
rettes addictive, directly to
your lungs.
So I guess the real question
is, do you want to be addict-
ed to a “traditional” cigarette
or an electronic cigarette?
Taylor StoneS ta f f W r I t e r
Candyce Peters
junior
pre-nursing major
“I do feel like we’re segre-
gated by tradition because I
was so surprised when I saw
a white girl in a black
sorority”
River Page
freshman
exercise physiology major
“I would definitely like to
see a lot more diversity in
fraternities and sororities
because right now they’re
mostly traditional, black
and white”
PagE 4 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coM FeaturesSEPTEMBER 19, 2013
anyone looking for an
adrenaline rush should be
glad to know that COre will
be taking students white-wa-
ter rafting in the cool ap-
palachian Mountains on
sept. 28-29.
COre plans to tackle the
rapids in Hiawassee, Ga. and
Ocoee, tenn. during the trip
which will include rafting,
hiking and plenty of water.
"water,” sean wilkinson,
COre outdoors graduate as-
sistant, said. “there will be
water everywhere! Plus, they
will be in the foothills of the
appalachian Mountains,
which provide a beautiful,
deciduous forest along the
cliff sides. Did somebody
say fall leaves?"
Not only will there be
white-water rafting, but the
group will also take a short
hike through the mountains
on the John Muir trail.
there is no experience nec-
essary to go on the trip.
“we are hiring a trained
guide through an outfitter
near the river that will tell
you everything you need to
know before we get on the
river,” rebecca tucker,
COre team leader, said.
“they are also providing all
the gear that will keep you
and your friends safe during
this action-packed adven-
ture.”
food will be provided on
saturday night, but students,
faculty and guests are re-
sponsible for all other meals.
students will need to bring
a fast-drying swimsuit, dry
clothes to change into, river
shoes or an old pair of tennis
shoes, a light jacket and sun-
screen.
COre will provide tents,
sleeping bags, stoves, spray
jackets, sleeping pads, head-
lamps and dry bags at no
charge.
“On past trips, there has
been nothing but positive
feedback about our white-
water rafting from both be-
ginners and experienced
folks alike,” wilkinson said.
“the Ocoee is full of every-
thing, Class i to Class iV
rapids, and is sure to get that
adrenaline pumping. Person-
ally, this is one of my fa-
vorite trips that COre Out-
doors does.”
Costs for the trip are $55
for students and $65 for fac-
ulty and guests.
students, faculty and
guests need sign up and pay
before sept. 26 at the COre
office in the sustella parking
deck.
the pre-trip meeting will
be on sept. 26 at 6 p.m. De-
parture times will be deter-
mined at the meeting.
Hello, world—anthony
here bringing you all
the pop culture events
from the last week that had us
talking.
it’s Britney, Bitch! the
pop princess made her re-
turn to hearts this past week.
But let’s be honest. she nev-
er left.
Ms. spears’ new single
“work Bitch” leaked sun-
day morning. the leak
prompted spears’ team to
move up the itunes release a
full day before scheduled.
the following morning Brit
Brit made a huge announce-
ment in the only way Britney
can: by flying in a helicopter
to the middle of the Nevada
desert.
surrounded by a few hun-
dred screaming fans, spears
announced she would be tak-
ing residency at Planet Holly-
wood in Vegas for the next
two years.
titled “a Piece of Me,”
spears will perform 48 shows
per year over the next two
years. Britney might want to
buy a bigger purse too be-
cause her wallet is about to
get a whole lot bigger.
it is being reported that she
will take home $30 million
for the tenure of her residen-
cy. it works out to $310,000
per performance.
that’s going to buy our
Louisiana princess a lot of
Cheetos and UGG boots.
that wasn’t the only news
spears had. she also an-
nounced her next album will
be released on Dec. 3, the day
after she turns 32 years old.
while Britney’s profession-
al life seems to be moving
right along, another star’s per
sonal life seems to have crum-
bled apart.
Both Miley Cryus’ and
Liam Hemsworth’s publicists
confirmed that the young stars
have ended their engagement.
the announcement came
after both of them quit follow-
ing each other on twitter
which, apparently, in 2013 is
a big deal.
allegedly, Liam wasn’t too
happy about all that twerking
and tonguing Miley has been
doing and ended the relation-
ship.
whatever the reason, he ob-
viously was not too heartbro-
ken because he was spotted
with a new girl late tuesday
night at an L.a. nightclub.
Miley probably isn’t too hurt
either. Her latest single,
“wrecking Ball,” off her
forthcoming album,
“Bangerz,” dethroned Katy
Perry’s “roar” to take the No.
1spot on Billboard’s Hot 100.
this is Miley’s first song
ever to go No. 1on the Hot
100 chart. i guess all the
“hood rat” antics Miley has
been displaying is working.
that’s it for Pop addict this
week. Be sure to check back
next week to read what some
of your favorite celebrities are
up to.
Po p
Ad d i c tAnthony Pope
Vegas to get piece of Britney
Cool down with COREAbbie Baggerly
s ta f f w r i t e r
Cyrus and Hemsworth shed few tears and move on from breakup
iPad revamps orchestra
Photo by: Summer Yates
Valdosta State Orchestra opened its season with U.S. premiere of Ned
McGowan’s innovative Concerto for iPad and orchestra last Saturday.
Scan the QR
code to read
Cole Edwards’
preview of
“What to Do
with a Degree
in English?”
OddEven
PagE 5 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coMSportSSEPTEMBER 19, 2013
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SudokuANSWERS
VSU soccer team
falls out of top 25
Valdosta state women’s
soccer (3-0-1) hits the road for
the first time this season as
they make stops at Gulf south
Conference opponents Delta
state (1-3) on Friday after-
noon and Christian Brothers
(3-0-1) on sunday afternoon.
VsU is 1-0-1 this season in
the GsC after a double over-
time tie with Union and a 3-0
win over Alabama Huntsville
this past weekend.
the Blazers admittedly did
not play their best in the tie
against Union and have been
working physically and men-
tally to ensure they do not
take an opponent lightly.
“we are still hugely moti-
vated since the Union game,”
Head Coach Mel Heinz said.
“we are still going to gnaw on
that (Union) game that should
have ended in a win… and we
are also going to remember
that each game is important
and 90 minutes need to be
played.”
so far this season, CBU is
outscoring its opponents 12-1.
“it’s shocking that (CBU)
fall(s) in the polls every year,”
Coach Heinz said. “they are a
very strong team and clearly
they have done good so far.”
Heinz and the Blazers want
to make sure they stick to
their game plan this weekend.
“i would say that going into
each match strong, making
sure we stay focused, we are
prepared and when we step on
the field we play all 90 min-
utes (will bring us a victory),”
junior goalkeeper olivia Mills
said. “(we need) to stay confi-
dent in our abilities and put
the results on the board early
and keep it that way. we know
we can win. we know we
have the capabilities.”
sophomore midfielder Mar-
garet stauffer knows how im-
portant each game is and
doesn’t find any excuses.
“we are a team that
wins,” stauffer said. “we
are not intimidated by any
other team or their success
because we are focused on
what we are doing and we
know that we are going to
succeed.”
stauffer and the rest of
the team realize that more
goals need to be scored and
they have been working on
that this week.
“we are working on be-
ing more connected up
front and to our (midfield-
ers),” stauffer said. “we
are working on triangles
and easy passes so we can
break pressure with the
long pass. (we also work)
on team chemistry.”
the Blazers dropped out of
the NCAA top 25 rankings in
the nation after last weekend’s
performance and the attitude
of the team is disappointed yet
motivated.
“i think we have to get back
in check with us,” Heinz said.
“we’ve got to play well and
we’ve got to win games for
us. if we do that, then we will
get rewarded, not just on the
field and in our conference
and for our university, but i
think nationally we will start
getting attention.”
Mills is upset about the
news but knows that there are
still a lot of games to be
played this season.
“(the team is) frustrated be-
cause we know we deserve to
be in the top 25,” Mills said.
“it was pretty bitter learning
that (we dropped out) but at
the same time, it just lights
our fire even more.”
Follow Alex on twitter:
@Alex_tostado12
Alex Tostado s p o r t s w r i t e r
Junior forward Blakley McClellan
advances the ball during VSU’s
win over Florida Tech (above).
NCAA Division II Top 251. Grand Valley State
2. Saint Rose
3. Armstrong Atlantic
4. Western Washington
5. Tampa
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Fort Lewis
8. Minnesota-Mankato
8. American International
10. West Florida
11. Cal State Stanislaus
12. William Jewell
13. Colorado Mines
14. Millersville
15. North Georgia
15. Sonoma State
17. Central Missouri
18. Wisconsin-Parkside
19. St. Edwards
20. Dowling
21. Gannon
22. Rollins
23. UC San Diego
24. Columbus State
24. Southwestern Oklahoma
David Lacy/The Spectator
WANT TO BE A SPORTS WRITER?EMAIL: [email protected]
Follow @BlazerSports on Twitter
page 6 | vsuspectator.com S p o r t S september 19, 2013
No.1 VSU football to host Shorter Sat.
No. 1 Valdosta state (1-0)
plays their home opener
against Gulf south Confer-
ence rival shorter (0-2) this
saturday at Bazemore-Hyder
stadium.
“it's weird; it does seem
like a long time since we've
had a home game. But we're
excited to have an opportuni-
ty to play at home and get the
atmosphere of a home game,”
said Coach David Dean.
saturday's contest is the
GsC opener for both teams.
A win could set the table
for a successful season for
the Blazers, while the Hawks
try to stop the bleeding with a
rough start.
“we have to get off to
a 1-0 start in conference
if we want to have an
opportunity to win the
conference,” said Dean.
the Hawks run a veer
option attack on offense
lead by quarterback eric
Dodson and fullback
Bradley Moon.
Dodson leads sU with
264 rushing yards on the
season, and Moon led
the GsC last season in
rushing.
“what you have to do
is limit their big plays,
and force them into
those long yardage situa-
tions,” said Dean.
Defensively, VsU's biggest
key will be playing discipline
football to prevent explosive
plays.
“Any time you play an op-
tion team it's all assignment
football,” Dean said.
“You make sure someone is
on the dive, the quarterback
and the pitch man, but still
aware of them pulling back
and throwing down the field,
there's just so many options
they have to go by.”
this week VsU had some
difficulties preparing for the
upcoming unique offense in
practice.
“their offense is something
we can't practice for because
we don't have any players in
here that run that type of of-
fense, so to simulate it in
practice is difficult,” Dean
said. “we're going to go into
it blind as far as the speed is
concerned.”
the Blazer's best defense
against shorter could be their
offense. if VsU can get
ahead early, it will force
shorter to rely on Dodson's
arm, rather than legs to make
plays. Dodson has completed
less than 35 percent of his
passes along with three inter-
ceptions.
“that's what you got to do
when you play those option
teams, force them to do the
things they're not comfortable
doing, then they play into
your hands a little bit,” Dean
said. “if we can get a big
enough lead, hopefully we
can force them to do that. it's
going to be a heck of a chal-
lenge for us.”
there's more at stake be-
sides conference standings.
VsU wants to continue their
winning ways against new ri-
vals and continue their estab-
lishment as top D-ii program
in Georgia.
“As far as recruiting goes,
we want to be undefeated
against all the teams we play
in state, and this is the second
one. From that aspect, to go
2-0 in the state is very good,”
said Dean.
Kick-off is scheduled for
7pm at Bazemore-Hyder sta-
dium saturday.
Dowling Payne/Blazer Pride
VSU football team runs out of the tunnel before its 36-21 victory over
Fort Valley State on Sept 7.
Chris Kessler s p o r t s w r i t e r
Maylisa Johnson fights off
injuries for final season
the words ‘torn ACL’ are per-
haps the most feared words in
sports. For Valdosta state Lady
Blazers guard-forward Maylisa
Johnson, those words have been
a little too familiar.
Johnson missed all of the
2012-13 season after undergoing
a second ACL surgery on her left
knee and finds herself working
to get back into game shape for
her senior season.
“physically, i’ve been going
hard,” Johnson said. “i went
hard in the summer and when i
was out with my ACL. each and
every day is a battle, but as the
days go on i’m getting better and
stronger.”
Johnson, a self-proclaimed
professional shopper away from
the floor, admits that rehabbing
the injury has been tough on her
mentally.
“the rehab process was very
tough,”
Johnson
said. “this
was my
second
ACL
surgery so
i knew
what to
expect but
mentally, i
got down a
lot. physically, it wasn’t that
hard but it was mostly a mental
thing.”
in 2011-12, Johnson started all
30 games for the Lady Blazers,
averaging 5.8 points, 4.3 re-
bounds and 4.0 assists per game,
which led the team and tied for
the Gulf south Conference lead.
“My goal is to make my team-
mates better every day in prac-
tice,” Johnson said. “i just want
to be tough every single game.”
“i’m more of a distributor—i
like to get the team going and
excited. i have a lot of energy so
that’s what i bring to the table.”
the okmulgee, okla. native
was a key piece to a team that
finished 22-8 and advanced to
the sweet sixteen in 2011-12.
Head coach Kiley Hill ex-
pects Johnson to be a force in
the upcoming campaign.
“May just brings an intensity
and competitive spirit,” Hill said.
“she can play multiple positions
for us. As long as she stays
healthy, she does some very
good things for us, on and off
the floor.”
Despite a few new faces this
season, Hill believes that John-
son will fit in seamlessly with
this collection of players.
“we had a lot of injuries last
year,” Hill said. “we’re returning
10 players and we’ve signed four
new kids.”
“May knows how to mold
within that group and can morph
into what the team needs. that’s
a major positive for her coming
back.”
read the rest of shane thomas’s
story at www.vsuspectator.com.
Shane Thomass p o r t s w r i t e r
Blazer volleyball team opens
conference play this weekend
Valdosta state volleyball
team enters Gulf south Con-
ference play with a pair of
matches against Alabama
Huntsville and North Alaba-
ma on Friday and saturday.
Despite going up against
two teams with losing
records, this weekend pre-
sents a great opportunity for
VsU to improve upon its
weaknesses as they play to-
wards their goal of winning
the GsC volleyball tourna-
ment that begins in late No-
vember.
Although VsU is going up
against what should be much
weaker opponents, head
coach Mike swan is not con-
cerned about the plights of
his opponents when going
forward through his game
plan.
“i worry about my team
and our side of the net and
where we need to be playing,
what level we need to be
playing, and executing. so
it's about us being disciplined
and focused and ready to
play," swan said.
VsU enters conference
play 7-2 after suffering two
losses in the Aiken invitation-
al, a two day tournament held
in Aiken, south Carolina.
VsU opened the tourna-
ment against Lander Univer-
sity, in which Lander won 3-
1 in four sets, a game that
head coach Mike swan
would love to have back.
“Friday's loss to Lander
was very disappointing. they
had a winning record and
they left the tournament 4-0,
so they weren't a bad team,
(but) i just felt like funda-
mentally we should have won
that game and we didn't,"
swan said.
the second loss came to
No.25 palm Beach Atlantic.
VsU held a two point lead in
the first set of the match, but
ultimately fell, and went on
to lose the remaining sets.
VsU bounced back on day
two, handling Limestone Col-
lege in a 3-0 sweep, but the
match of the weekend came
against the host school UsC
Aiken, where VsU pulled out
a 3-2 victory in which they
fell 14-12 and rallied back
with three straight points to
win the match 15-14.
VsU lost the first game,
25-22, and then traded wins
the next three games, which
forced a fifth, first to fifteen
game to decide the match.
read the rest of Neil’s story
at www.vsuspectator.com
Neil Frawleys p o r t s w r i t e r