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January 31, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O R . C O M VOLUME 84 ISSUE 16
Inside This Issue- OPINIONS: “The mass media makes monsters”
- FEATURES: “Golden Key unlocks the door to students’potential”
- SPORTS: “VSU tennis serves up new season”
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
REVITALIZE YOUR
STUDY SKILLS -
Student Union, Meeting
Room 2 - 6-7 p.m.
Learn what to do and not to
do when studying for exams.
For more information or to
reserve your seat, email eci-
Sponsored by the African
American Studies Program.
BLACKOUT GAME! -
BLAZERS VS. UNION
The Complex - 6 and 8 p.m.
Ga. Lottery night. Prizes will
include Wii gaming systems,
Beats headphones and more.
KARAOKE WITH NATURAL
HIGH - Odum Library
Auditorium - 8 p.m.
Are you a singing wonder? Or
do people wonder if you’re
singing? Either way, join Natur-
al High for karaoke. Snacks pro-
vided. For more information,
email [email protected].
NAACP DOUGHNUT SALE -
The VSU NAACP will be pre-
selling Krispy Kremedoughnuts
from now until January 31. The
cost is $5 per box and the boxes
will be distributed on Monday,
February 4. To order yours, con-
tact any NAACP member.
Today at VSU
Check out Chris Kessler’spreview of the VSU v. Union
basketball games.
“Free to Be”“Free to Be”comes to VSUcomes to VSU
TheatreTheatreSee page 5 for the
preview.
Weather
61 H 37 L
Sunny
Today
63 H 30 L
Friday
42 L65 H
SunnySaturday
How do you feelabout Wednesday
night’s storm?
A. Super scary
B. It was just a
little water.
C. What storm?
Vote online at www.vsuspectator.com!
Question ofthe week
Last Week’sPoll Results
Sunny
What will you dowith your refund
check?
56%Pay bills.
33%
11%
I don’t get excess
checks.
Spring Break fund!
Despite the presence of strong
winds and immense cloud cover,
the highly-anticipated Parade of
Champions took place Wednes-
day evening.
VSU, Lowndes County and
the city of Valdosta came togeth-
er to honor the Division II Na-
tional Championship teams from
the past year.
VSU’s latest championships
that were honored included 2011
men’s tennis, 2012 women’s soc-
cer, and the 2012 football team.
Led by a presentation of col-
ors, as well as Mayor of Valdos-
ta John Gayle and VSU presi-
dent William J. McKinney, the
championship motorcades made
their way down from Mathis
City Auditorium.
Flanked by the Valdosta State
Band, cheerleading squad, and
the Red Hots Dance Team, the
teams gathered at Drexel Park
near VSU’s main campus for a
ceremony in their honor.
After an opening prayer and a
greeting from VSU President
William J. McKinney, Head Ten-
nis Coach John Hansen ad-
dressed the sea of red and black.
Hansen, a 12-time Gulf South
Conference Coach of the Year,
fired up the passionate crowd by
inciting a spirited chant of
“Gooooo BLAZERS!”
In the past 12 years no school
in Division II has made more ap-
pearances in the men’s tennis na-
tional championship than VSU
with five (winning two).
“It’s unbelievable, there are a
lot of schools, especially in divi-
sion II, and a lot of communities
that would not do something like
this,” head tennis coach John
Hansen said. “You can’t get any
higher than the National Champ-
See PARADE , Page 6
Ace EspenshiedA S S T. S P O R T S E D I T O R
Shane ThomasS P O R T S W R I T E R
HSBAbuildingmay sitempty
The new Health Sciences and
Business Administration build-
ing could sit idle once construc-
tion is completed, due to bud-
getary restrictions.
This was revealed during Fri-
day morning’s Planning and
Budget Council meeting, and
was classified by Sue Fuciarelli,
vice president for Finance and
Administration, as a “crying
shame.”
The University System of
Georgia’s capital budget request
for the 2014 Fiscal Year includ-
ed a request from VSU for $3.8
million dollars to use in furnish-
ing the new HSBA building.
“The proposal was sent to the
governor with that included, and
the governor’s recommended
budget, at this point, took that
back out,” Fuciarelli said. “So,
we’re in the midst of talking
with legislators and talking with
the folks at the board office of
how we can try to get that back
in.”
For the University System of
Georgia and its institutions, the
2014 Fiscal Year starts on July
1.
The possibility of that $3.8
million being cut out of the bud-
get or being pushed back to the
2015 Fiscal Year, as Fuciarelli
mentioned, was cause for dire
concern.
“What that would be is from
January through July the build-
ing would sit idle,” Fuciarelli
said. “We don’t have any furni-
ture or equipment to put in the
building.”
There was a further concern
with the way the funding would
be handled and how it would de-
lay matters further.
“Even when July 1 occurs,
they may not fund the bonds im-
mediately, so we would have to
wait until the bonds actually get
funded that year,” Fuciarelli
said. “Then you can order the
equipment, which would be
three to six more months after
that, so it literally could be fif-
teen months sitting there idle.”
The HSBA, currently under
construction at North Campus, is
a $32 million project slated for
completion at the end of the
year.
The goal of the building is to
consolidate several University
science programs currently
housed in various buildings
across campus, including Nurs-
ing, Communication Sciences
and Disorders, Athletic Training,
Exercise Physiology, Social
Work and Health Care Adminis-
tration.
Joe AdgieS O C I A L M E D I A E D I T O R
City council postponed their
decision, yet again, for a demoli-
tion project that would make
room for new student housing.
The Valdosta City Council met
Thursday to listen to citizens and
accept or deny proposals.
Bill Nijem, Langdale Vallot-
ton, LLP attorney and McAlister
Development Co., Inc., represen-
tative, spoke with the City Coun-
cil about the negotiations made
with the Historical Preservation
Commission in recent months.
McAlister Development pro-
posed to the City Council last
October a project for a “multi-
use complex” that will fill a
3.78-acre block on the corner of
North Oak Street and West
Brookwood Drive, according to
the Valdosta Daily Times.
The complex would house
places to eat, shop and approxi-
mately 216 residential units all
within walking-distance to cam-
pus.
The project has been in devel-
opment since the approval, but
with one hiccup in the plan: The
houses that stand on the plot of
land that McAlister wants to uti-
lize.
The Valdosta HPC requested
that the structures standing on
that block should be salvaged if
possible, and McAlister Devel-
opment obliged the request.
Unfortunately the company
does not own the historic proper-
ties, thus contracting people to
buy and relocate the houses is
difficult.
“[A]ll we need at this point is
[a certain date] these demolition
permits [requested] will issue if
our efforts to relocate these prop-
erties don’t work,” Nijem said.
McAlister Development
planned to have the complex
project done in time for the fall
2014 semester and the new class
of freshmen entering VSU, ac-
cording to Nijem.
City Council Member Deidra
White did, however, wish that
McAlister Development would
consider trying to sell the prop-
erties one more time before they
reached a final decision, and in
doing so asked for the appeal
McAlister Development filled
out in December to be post-
poned.
Nijem was asked to come
back to the Feb. 7 City Council
meeting with one condition:
“The [HPC] hear the case and
make its final decision on this
matter at their Feb. 4 meeting.”
The motion was passed by the
council.
The City Council meeting also
introduced a city Employee of
the Month. Valdosta Police Offi-
cer Derrick Keene was noted for
his service to the city and police
department.
Three motions were passed at
the meeting: $247,885 for new
oxygen packs for the Valdosta
Fire Department ($189,308 of
which would be covered by
FEMA), $25,000 for a municipal
election which was requested to
be set Nov. 5 and the third was
for bids for water chemicals in
Valdosta.
VPD investigating shotgun incident
The investigation continues into
an alleged attempted robbery and
the shotgun blast that followed, ac-
cording to the Valdosta police.
Late Sunday evening, VSU stu-
dent Don Beard claimed that he
opened his door to the barrel of a
gun with the robber behind it.
He said that one of the room-
mates ended the episode with a
blast from his shotgun. The would-
be-thief then fled the scene in an
SUV.
An incident report released by
the Valdosta Police Department
said that Officer Thomas Newton
responded, at approximately 7:35
p.m., to a “report of suspicious ac-
tivity where a gun was dis-
charged.”
Griffin Driskell, senior market-
ing major, phoned the police, while
attending a fraternity meeting next
door, after he heard the shots.
“We heard a gunshot go off and
several of our [Tau Kappa Epsilon
brothers] thought that it was a car
crash.” Driskell said. “So they de-
cided to run outside and see what
was going on [...]
“They walked outside and
smelled the gunpowder and they
looked up to the top floor and the
guy had a shotgun in his hands,
they heard him load another in the
chamber.”
According to Jon Loudermilk,
junior TKE brother, the police re-
sponded to the scene enforce,
drawing their weapons before ap-
proaching the property.
Griffin Driskell recounted the
panic he felt when he heard the
shots. “I thought somebody was in
our parking lot with a gun.”
The residents of the apartment
where the incident occurred de-
clined to comment, when contact-
ed Wednesday evening.
Detectives were dispatched to
the scene the next day to comb
over the scene. “As far as I know
there wasn’t any evidence found at
the scene.” Lt. Leslie Manahan,
bureau of investigative services.
James Dosier, freshman, did not
hear the shots Sunday night. He
learned about the incident Monday
morning when he saw reporters in-
terviewing residents in front of the
apartment.
“The only thing that really hap-
pens in our front buildings is,
sometimes, you will hear a crash in
the road up there because someone
doesn’t see the bus stopping, but
this is the first I have really heard
of shots being fired.” he said.
Lt. Manahan confirmed that no
one was physically injured in the
incident.
Anyone with information related
to this case is encouraged to con-
tact the VPD at 293-3145 or call
the anonymous tip line at 293-
3091.
Will LewisS TA F F W R I T E R
Housing development stalledJennifer Gleason
M A N A G I N G E D I T O R
Today in History
Jan 31, 1950:
Truman
announces
development of
H-bomb
Source: history.com
The VSU softball team stand with other attendees, listening to speakers during the Parade of Champions Wednesday. The parade was
hosted by the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County. The softball team was one of three teams honored during the parade.
Jamal Tull/THE SPECTATOR
Jamal Tull/THE SPECTATOR
Blaze celebrates VSU’s three national championships being recog-
nizaed during the Parade of Champions Wedneday afternoon.
CCiittyy,, ccoouunnttyy hhoonnoorr cchhaammppss
JANUARY 31, 2013PAGE 2 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM N E W S
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KAPsi annual Who Can Act
Like A Nupe Stroll Off
The winners get both a cash
prize and free entry into the
Greekdom Step/Stroll Competi-
tion
All groups interested should
email their names to
[email protected] to par-
ticipate.
Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.
Blazer Victory Bible Study
Student Union, Meeting Room 2(third floor)For more information, contact
Damian Grey
Feb. 2
VSU HEROS Fundraiser
Buffalo Wild WingsMention H.E.R.O. to your wait-
er/waitress in order for VSU
HEROS to receive proceeds to-
wards their cause to spread
awareness of pediatric
HIV/AIDS.
Proceeds help HEROS raise
money for upcoming events,
such as their Relay For Life
event.
Contact Erika McCoy
([email protected]) for
more information.
Feb. 3
Wild Adventures is looking for a
team to help their 2013 job fair,
employing 200 additional team
members.
The job fair will be held Feb. 5
and 6. Applicants must pre-reg-
ister for teh job fair by Feb. 3
online.
For more information, visit Wild
Adventures' website.
Feb. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Spring Organization Fair
Pedestrian MallIt's like The Happening, but
strictly VSU organizations!
Feb. 6, 7 p.m.
The American Spiritual Ensem-
ble in Concert
Whitehead AuditoriumFree admission to the concert,
presented by the VSU African
American Studies Program.
For additional information, con-
tact Dr. Shirley H. Hardin at
249-4843.
Feb. 8
Oratorical Competition
The Mu Omicron Chapter of Al-
pha Phi Alpha, Inc. welcomes
students to participate in their
oratorical competition. The top-
ic: "From overcoming Plessy v.
Ferguson to passing Brown v.
Board of Education; has Ameri-
ca truly reached equality for
all."
The competition will be during
Alpha Week. Deadline to sign
up is Feb. 8.
First place is a cash scholarship
of $100.
For more information, visit
www.muomicron1906.com.
Upcoming Events
The Spectator prints free classi-fieds for stu dents of Val dos taState Uni ver si ty only. Thesemust be no more than 40 words,or a $8.00 charge will apply.Clas si fieds for fac ul ty, staff,stu dent or ga ni za tions,stu dent-owned busi ness es and the gen -er al pub lic cost $8.00 for up to40 words. Ads should be sent toThe Spectator or de liv ered to ourof fice in 1238 Hopper Hall. Thedead line is Mon day at 5 p.m. Ifpayment ap plies, it should besub mit ted in a sealed en ve lope atthe time the ad is placed. Adsmust be ac com pa nied by the
name and phone num ber of theper son sub mit ting the ad. Adsmust be re sub mit ted each week,as nec es sary. The Spec ta tor ad -dress is: 1500 N. PattersonSt.,Valdosta, GA [email protected] Spec ta tor re serves the right
to reject any clas si fied ad. Allads are sub ject to stan dard ed it -ing pro ce dures.The Spec ta tor isnot re spon si ble for ads sub mit tedun der false pre tens es or for mis -takes due to a sub mit ted er ror.The cat e go ries for classifieds in -clude: For Sale, Want ed, Room -mates and Help Wanted.
For Sale ServicesMicrosoft Office 2010 for sale:
Illustrated Introductory First
Course by Beskeen and others.
It is a First Edition book used for
ACED 2400. It is used but like
new. Contact Aquilius at 912-
245-6002.
House for Rent -
4/2 319 E. Park Ave. Close to
Main Campus, Good Neighbor-
hood. Call:229-292-4400.
PregnancyWasn’t Part of the Plan
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ServicesFor Rent
For Rent
The ClassifiedsMEA Federal Credit Union
cashes Pell Grant, Financial Aid
and Scholarship Checks for all
VSU Students with ID. 308 East
Ann Street…229-333-5751...
Join MEA online at meafcu.org
Like us on Facebook
Of the many different modes
of transportation, bicycles are
quite common on the VSU cam-
pus, with that, so are bicycle
thefts.
The trend of bike thefts might
not take many people by sur-
prise. According to VSUPD in-
vestigator Sgt. Matt Maestas,
less than 70 bicycle thefts were
reported in 2012.
“[Bike theft] does occur out
here, but it's really not large
numbers,” Maestas said. “I think
anytime one of them gets stolen,
it's an issue, so whenever it oc-
curs, it's not something we
want.”
With bike racks placed all
around campus, it is hard to de-
cide which one is the safest to
leave a bike tied up to overnight.
“They all get looked at by
whoever is taking them,”
VSUPD investigator Lt. Cindy
Cobb said.
When it comes to combatting
the problem, VSUPD is very ac-
tive.
“We have a BAT (Bicycle
Anti-Theft) program,” Maestas
said. “It doesn't prevent your bi-
cycle from being stolen, but
what it does is it logs the own-
er's information. If it's ever re-
covered, then we automatically
get a hit as to who has it, where
it's at, and then they'll make
preparations to get it back to us.”
All of the owner's personal in-
formation as well as the bike's
information, such as its serial
number and value, are stored in
the Georgia Crime Information
Center database.
This database allows all law
enforcement agencies to register
and find stolen property.
“I don't think bike theft is as
big an issue as it was before,”
said Ayanna Whittle, a junior
psychology major, who had her
bike stolen on campus in 2011.
“From what I know, most people
whose bikes are stolen don't get
them returned.”
Maestas said, “Most of the
time [victims] just don't lock [bi-
cycles]. Or, you know, when you
leave a bicycle stationary and
locked up for eight months at a
time—that's another issue.”
Lt. Cobb also adds that stu-
dents who use rope-like locks to
secure their bikes are at risk.
“It looks like it would deter,
but they come along with a
chain cutter and they just cut it,
so really what they need is the
U-bolt,” Lt. Cobb said.
U-bolt locks have been the
most efficient at protecting bikes
from thieves because they can-
not be cut with a regular pair of
bolt cutters.
Bike thefts are committed by
both students and local residents
of Valdosta, but most of it is
done by off-campus traffic.
“Maybe a solution would be
to put the bike racks in more vis-
ible spots because they're kind of
off to the side,” Whittle said.
“If the opportunity is there, it
really doesn't matter which
[brand] it is,” Maestas said.
“We've seen some $1,500-plus
bicycles stolen and we've seen
some that I wouldn't have taken
five bucks for.”
Olivia McLeanS TA F F W R I T E R
VSUPD works torelieve campusof bicycle theftsBicycle ownersare urged to usemore securelocks to alleviatethefts.
According to VSUPD media
log, four cases of marijuana use
have been reported on campus in
the past six months.
“New Years, sometimes, we
see a little bit of rise of students
smoking marijuana,” Scott Don-
er, director of VSUPD, said.
Doner suggests students
should contact a resident assis-
tant or call VSUPD if marijuana
is smelled on campus.
“It’s very popular among the
students especially in our gener-
ation so maybe they should
crack down on that,” Kia Davis,
a freshman political science ma-
jor, said. “I think it’s getting
even more popular because it’s
in the music, it’s on TVs, mak-
ing movies about it, it’s grow-
ing.”
I think it’s gettingeven more popularbecause it’s in themusic, it’s on TVs,making moviesabout it, it’s growing.
- KIA DAVIS
“
”
Marijuana remains a concern on campus
Ritsuki MiyazakiS TA F F W R I T E R
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT HANDBOOK, “The possession, use, manufacture,sale or delivery of illegal or dangerous drugs on or off campus is prohibited.
[...] Possession of drug paraphernalia is also prohibited on campus. This includes any item typically used to facilitate the use of a controlled
substance.”
Cody Hicks / THE SPECTATOR
Housing & Residence Life creates a poster for the department to veer students away
from marijuana use.
An SGA regulation was
changed on Monday and a
Health Center representative dis-
cussed co-pay fees.
That happened during the
SGA meeting that night at the
UC’s Magnolia Room, the first
meeting where the public was al-
lowed to sit in during the debate
and voting sessions of the meet-
ings.
“It’s actually part of the Geor-
gia Sunshine Laws that all parts
of the meetings have to be open
to the public,” said Ryan Baer-
walde, SGA President. “We are
an open meeting, so all parts of
our meetings have to be open to
the public.”
Until this meeting, the SGA
had removed the public from the
debate and voting sessions of the
meeting. This was not a regula-
tion that was officially in the
SGA constitution or the bylaws
or part of Robert’s Rules of Or-
der, the meeting regulations that
the SGA runs their meetings on,
and Baerwalde explained this af-
ter some senators voiced dissen-
sion.
“Trust me, I scanned through
all of them,” Baerwalde said.
“Essentially, it was just a prac-
tice that wasn’t on paper, and
nobody said anything bad about
it.”
Baerwalde also went on to ex-
plain that the Rules Committee
will draft up a resolution solidi-
fying the public’s presence in the
debate and voting sessions.
There was also a discussion
about the fees at the Health Cen-
ter. Lynette Lewis, administrator
and assistant director at the
Health Center, was in attendance
answering questions about these
fees.
“What we’ve done with your
student health fee – which is $87
per semester – we’ve added the
$40 for the new facility, so
you’re allowed to come to the
Student Health Center without
paying anything for approxi-
mately 8.7 times,” Lewis said.
There are charges for other
services, such as x-rays, but this
is largely due to the fact that
some of these services must be
performed by outside medical
professionals.
Joe AdgieS O C I A L M E D I A
E D I T O R
Public presencewelcome at SGARules preventing the public from witnessing votes abolished
Jan. 25
A musical instrument was
stolen from Fine Arts building.
Jan. 24
A laptop was stolen from a
car while parked in the UC lot.
Jan. 23
A cell phone was stolen from
Hopper Dining.
Jan. 22
A purse was stolen from the
Bailey Science Center.
A female student reported to
UPD that a male student made
threats to hurt her and spit on
her.
A student reported that threats
were made against her while a
VSU van was coming back from
a debate.
Jan. 21
A bicycle was stolen from
Langdale Hall.
Jan. 17
A bicycle was stolen from be-
tween Langdale and Georgia
halls.
A student reportedly threat-
ened an RA in Georgia Hall.
A student was threatened to
be attacked in Patterson Hall.
A backpack was stolen from
Barrow Hall.
Jan. 16
Student reported a stolen wal-
let from the game room in the
Student Union.
Police Briefs
H A P P Y‘ TAT O R
DAY !
JANUARY 31, 2013 VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 3OPINIONS
People Poll:People Poll:People Poll:Does the media influence your life,why or why not?
Hyelim Park
junoior
mass media major
“Yes, because we always have
exposure to the media such as
music or television shows. I
think the media influence’s our
lives.”
Jasmine Bennett
junior
mass media major
“I think the media effects my life
a lot. You get a lot of informa-
tion from news outlets on every-
day things in like like the
weather.”
Loren Bass
graduate student
higher education leadership
major
“No, I don’t feel like the media
influences my life because my
friends and family influence it
more and a lot of stuff you see
on TV and in the news isn’t
real.”
Mike Burson
senior
theater major
“I would say not really because I
don’t really have time to watch
too much TV and when I do, I
try to tune out commercials and
I don’t really read magazines so
I would say, no.”
Hannah Hansberry
sophomore
communications major
“I don’t think the media influ-
ences my life too much. I have a
facebook and I watch the news a
lot, but I’m pretty unique so it
doesn’t influence me much.”
The mass media makes monstersW
e’ve seen some real
sad scenes in the last
year-- most notably
from Newtown and Aurora.
We can’t imagine what the
families of those lost are going
through, nor will we try to.
What we have seen coming
from these atrocities, however,
is sensationalism bordering on
nauseating.
Thanks to the wonder of the
24/7 news cycle, the names
“James Holmes” and “Adam
Lanza” have become household
names. The horrendous visage
of Holmes and the deranged
look on Lanza’s face became
staples of the news, as the news
outlets of America covered
every last nook and cranny of
just what happened on those
horrendous days when those two
individuals fired on innocent hu-
man beings.
As a news organization, we
here at the Spectator acknowl-
edge the fact that the media has
the right to cover these stories
how they feel is best for their
organization. However, we be-
lieve that this gross excess of
coverage causes more problems
than it solves.
In fact, some feel that the ex-
cessive news coverage may
serve to encourage copycat
crimes. The film critic Roger
Ebert probably summed it up
best right after the shooting at
Columbine in 1999.
“Events like this, if they are
influenced by anything, are
influenced by news pro-
grams,” he wrote in a 2003 re-
view of the movie “Elephant.”
“When an unbalanced kid walks
into a school and starts shoot-
ing, it becomes a major media
event. Cable news drops ordi-
nary programming and goes
around the clock with it. The
story is assigned a logo and a
theme song; these two kids
(Harris and Klebold – the vil-
lains of Columbine) were pack-
aged as the Trench Coat
Mafia. The message is clear to
other disturbed kids around
the country: If I shoot up my
school, I can be famous.”
None of us here at the
Spectator feel that this is a
good way to cover an atrocity
like what we’ve seen in the
news. In fact, at least one of
us on the editorial staff has
become discouraged from
working for the news media
due to what we’ve seen lately,
and we can’t help but wonder
just how this sensationalized
media BS is affecting some
deranged psychopath some-
where here in America.
A few years ago, a forensic
psychiatrist went on television
and detailed just what is the best
way to cover these atrocities – if
you want to avoid tragedies like
this in the future.
“If you don’t want to propa-
gate more mass murders, don’t
start the story with sirens blar-
ing,” Dr. Park Dietz said. “Don’t
have photographs of the killer.
Don’t make this 24/7 coverage.
Do everything you can not to
make the body count the lead
story, and not to make the killer
some kind of anti-hero. Do lo-
calize this story to the affected
community and as make it bor-
ing as possible in every other
market, because every time we
have intense saturation coverage
of a mass murder, we expect to
see one or two more within a
week.”
We here at the Spectator
agree with that whole-heartedly.
This editorial was written by Joe Adgie ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
MCT
Our social skills need reviv-
ing.
Just the other day I met up
with an old friend and we began
talking about the new things in
our lives-- soon I began to notice
that our conversation transitioned
into long pauses and awkward si-
lence. This was the same friend
that I sent over 600 text mes-
sages to and retweeted pretty fre-
quently on Twitter. Now that I
was speaking with her face-to-
face, I couldn’t figure out what
to say. I definitely felt like my
social skills were dying and
needed to be resuscitated. After
meeting up with this old friend
and running out of conversation,
I began thinking about why my
social skills had taken a nose
dive.
Today, we live in a world that
shelters us from being social.
Facebook, Twitter and texting,
make it easy for us to forget that
every now and then we have to
do some “in person” communi-
cating. Some individuals spend
countless hours scrolling through
Facebook pictures and statuses of
people they rarely talk to, or
worse, haven’t talked to in years.
Because of this, it’s hard to tell if
people are genuine and honest
about their emotions when they
tweet, text, Facebook or email.
Using myself as an example,
I’ve sent many text messages
with smiley faces when I wasn’t
really smiling and I’ve also used
the acronym, LOL (laugh out
loud) and I wasn’t laughing at
all.
Let’s face it-- there are ruth-
less consequences to only
communicating through tech-
nology. Many of you have seen
the new MTV series Catfish.
Nev explores the lives of many
people who have supposedly
found love online, but once these
lovebirds meet face-to-face, one
of the two finds that the other
person isn’t exactly who they
said they were. One episode doc-
umented a man named Tyler who
was extremely in love with his
online girlfriend Amanda, but
once he went to meet his online
love, he discovered that Amanda
was actually a guy named Aaron.
Aaron was just another face be-
hind a computer screen.
Other people use technology
to avoid confrontation, such as
breaking up with a significant
other through text messages. If
someone says or does something
you don’t agree with online, you
can block them, flag them, ig-
nore them or unfriend them. In
face-to-face interactions it is not
that simple. You can’t just push a
block button and rid yourself of a
person you don’t like--you actu-
ally have to figure out the situa-
tion without
online poli-
cies. You
have to use
your social
skills to
guide you
through
every inter-
action you
encounter,
whether it is
positive or
negative.
As we live
our lives
through tech-
nology, it be-
comes easy
to get preoc-
cupied with
the many
friends
we’ve made
online, not
realizing that
many of
those friends
we’ve never met and never will
meet. We don’t understand that
some of our parents, who have
not quite caught on to texting,
would rather hear our voices
about how our day went rather
than read it in a text message.
Many of our relationships
through technology have been set
on superficial grounds and are
solely based on our likes and
loves. We join social groups
based on our favorite music,
video games, TV shows and
sports. We fail to see that those
around us, in the flesh, have the
same interests that we do, but
our social skills have been relin-
quished to that of technology.
Our social skills need to be re-
vived. Our family and friends
need to get to know who we are
in person. Let’s stop maximizing
our technology, and start maxi-
mizing our “in person” time with
others.
Family planning saves time
Pregnancy wasn’t part of the
plan.
College is a time when you’re
young, thriving and absolutely
thrilled to exist. This is ideally
the circumstance at least. The ab-
solute last thing on your mind
should be a child.
Most of your focus should be
on making good grades and in-
vesting in your education. Prob-
lems arise however-- especially
on a campus like ours which is
so diverse. We’ve all seen the
signs around campus, on park
benches and billboards: “preg-
nancy wasn’t part of the plan,”
and for most of the students at-
tending this school, pregnancy
wasn’t, isn’t and shouldn’t be
part of the plan.
We must accept, however, that
life is full of surprises, and more
importantly consequences. Now
you may be thinking at this point
“that won’t be me or anyone I
know” and I truly don’t under-
stand that thought pattern-- it’s
not reasonable. There are ways to
avoid a hick-up in your academic
plan. You have to think ahead
and prepare-- just like anything
else. It’s necessary to study and
be aware of all the options and
answers and. Think of sex like an
upcoming test—you don’t want
to be the person that comes to
class without a pencil or paper
on the day of the final.
There are many ways you can
avoid pregnancy through contra-
ceptives, and the word “avoid”
should stand out in that sentence.
The methods vary and you
should choose the best one for
you. Condoms for example,
should be the first choice that
pops in someone’s head when
thinking of what they want, and
don’t want. Sex yes-- baby no. In
my opinion, they’re not the
greatest things, but they’re defi-
nitely a better option than the fa-
mous “pull out” method. Con-
doms can be bought at any store,
and anyway let me just say that
price really shouldn’t be an issue
when dealing with a life chang-
ing decision.
The next method of pregnancy
prevention, birth control, is al-
most just as crucial. Use this
people. Kids should not be rais-
ing kids. There are so many ways
you can take “the pill.” Not tak-
ing any method really is just ask-
ing for trouble. Whether you take
a pill every day or a shot once a
month, I say this is the most ef-
fective way to prevent pregnan-
cy.
Sometimes, however, it’s too
late to think about all your op-
tions, when “Mother Nature’s”
call hasn’t arrived yet. Hindsight
is 20/20 from what I hear. Now,
let’s say you are pregnant,
young, in college and worried.
It’s totally understandable that
keeping that festering, breeding,
ever growing lump of cells inside
you is not the noble decision--it’s
not even the logical conclusion.
We’re still kids ourselves and
you’re thinking about raising
one? Wrong. There are programs
around Valdosta that offer ser-
vices that really should be used
more often. I’m not talking about
comprehensive family planning
education, I’m talking about get-
ting rid of your problem--and go-
ing on with your life. Focus on
the things that are absolutely
necessary to your future. College
is a time to be selfish, to know
what you want and go and get it.
Anything else presented to you is
nothing other than a disgusting
distraction that should be thrown
out as soon as your mind realizes
what’s going on.
Yes, sometimes things happen-
-its part of life, and we all must
deal with it. Maybe you forgot to
take your pill, or didn’t have a
condom, but whatever the reason
you do have other options that
don’t lead to a second job, quit-
ting school and starting some
malfunctioning family like the
rest of the world.
The point here is mistakes
happen. This is the 21st century
and we aren’t in the dark ages
anymore where women are de-
manded to start spewing out chil-
dren as soon as they can to have
their existence validated.
So, don’t use the modern med-
icines technique as a form of
birth control-- just plan ahead
and avoid the discomfort that fol-
lows pregnancy decisions. Use
some form of contraceptive and
don’t be a statistic. You have the
rest of your lives for mother-
hood.
Ivey Ingalls-RubinS TA F F W R I T E R
Quasha RossS TA F F W R I T E R
Issue of the
Week
This is the 21stcentury and wearen’t in the darkages anymorewhere women aredemanded to startspewing out children.
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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Spectator StaffEditor-in-Chief: Amber Smith Managing Editor:Jennifer GleasonBusiness Manager: Brandon MainerAdvertising Manager:Aimee NapierCirculation Manager: Sarah TurnerOpinions Editor: Stephen CavallaroFeatures Editor: Amanda UsherSports Editor: Eric Jackson
Photo Editor: Cody HicksMultimedia Editor: Von Kennedy Web Designer: Rebecka McAleerCopy Editor: Shambree WartelCartoonist: Garrison MuelhausenSocial Media Editor: Joe Adgie Faculty Advisers:Dr. Pat Miller, Dr. Ted Geltner,Keith WarburgReporters/Photographers:
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Avoiding the real conversation
MCT
PAGE 4 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM JANUARY 31, 2013FEATURES
Hello World—Anthony here
wrapping up all the stories that
had us buzzing this past week.
Kicking things off this week,
Chris Brown proved to everyone
why he is the picture perfect
poster child of mental stability
by getting into a physical alter-
cation with R&B singer Frank
Ocean.
According to sources, proba-
bly the local crack head on Sun-
set Blvd., Brown and Ocean
were leaving an L.A. recording
studio when Ocean’s posse
blocked
Brown’s
posse from
leaving.
Words
were ex-
changed, fits
were thrown
and Ocean
received two
cuts on his
hand. After
the fight,
Ocean took to his twitter to let
the masses know about Brown
and his antics.
“Got jumped by Chris and a
couple guys,” he tweeted. “lol. I
only wish Everest was there. cut
my finger now I can't play with
two hands at the Grammys.”
No charges have been filed
against Brown or Ocean, but I’m
secretly hoping that they settle
their little dispute by having a
dance off like from “Stomp the
Yard.”
Didn’t Brown die in that
movie? Never mind…
From one struggle to another,
Michelle Williams, from the
popular girl group Destiny’s
Child, released a statement
squashing the rumors of Des-
tiny’s Child reuniting and per-
forming at the Super Bowl.
"I'm going to be in the musi-
cal Fela," she recently told a re-
porter in an interview.
While I’m happy that
Michelle is getting steady work
outside of DC, we all know Bey-
oncé wasn’t going to let anyone
except for herself be the star of
the Super Bowl halftime show.
Something tells me Kelly will
be okay without a DC reunion,
being as she was always the one
that didn’t fit in with the other
two. Michelle might want to
look
into
draw-
ing un-
em-
ploy-
ment
soon,
because
I doubt
if any-
one is
check-
ing for her solo music.
Continuing with her attempt at
making sure her fans know she’s
not a little girl anymore, Miley
Cyrus is on the March cover of
Cosmopolitan sporting a white
blazer with nothing on under-
neath.
Okay…
Since her new haircut, Miley
has taken a more aggressive ap-
proach when it comes to her im-
age. While there are no signs of
trouble now, we’ll have to keep
a close watch on the former Dis-
ney darling.
We all remember what hap-
pened to Britney after she cut all
her hair off.
As always tune into Pop Ad-
dict next week to catch up with
all your favorite celebs.
Golden Key unlocks thedoor to students’ potential
In 1977, a legacy started.
The Golden Key International
Society is committed to a high
standard of academics, service
and leadership by upholdi ng the
values of integrity, collaboration,
innovation, respect, diversity, ex-
cellence and engagement.
Golden Key strives to unlock
the potential of each of its mem-
bers by upholding standards of
excellence on-campus and be-
yond.
This organization has chapters
at over 390 colleges and univer-
sities in the U.S, Australia,
Canada, India, Malaysia, New
Zealand, South Africa and the
Bahamas.
Golden Key offers its mem-
bers exclusive opportunities and
connections through one million
dollars in scholarships and
awards, partnerships with major
corporations, career advance-
ment and graduate programs.
“Academic, Service, and
Leadership are pillars to our fu-
ture in that they provide us with
a means of becoming success-
ful,” Jessica Naranjo, historian,
said.
Golden Key organizes activi-
ties that benefit and contribute to
the welfare of the community.
“Through academics, service,
and leadership we can learn how
to serve others in a way that not
only builds the quality of our
lives but the quality of the lives
around us,” Naranjo said.
Honorary Members are people
who have had a positive impact
and continue to impact the peo-
ple around them.
Golden Key inducts new
members once every semester
and is recognized at the
New Member Recogni-
tion Event.
This year the chapter
recognized approximately
150 new members.
The top 15% of VSU’s
sophomores, juniors, se-
niors and graduate stu-
dents are admitted into
Golden Key.
“I chose Golden Key
because of the numerous
benefits that being a part of the
organization has to offer,”
Naranjo said.
“Golden Key does a number of
community service events, offers
scholarships and allows me to
associate with a diverse group of
people.”
P o p A d d i c t
Anthony Pope
They may not be MC5, but
the Math department is looking
to “kick out the jams” in their
own way this week.
Dr. Shaun Ault, math pro-
fessor, is headlining this
week’s Science Seminar, with
his presentation titled, “Cy-
cles in Music and the Mathe-
matics of Rhythm” and
dubbed “The Musings of a
Mathematician.”
The seminar will take place
at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the
Powell Hall Auditorium and
will showcase a variety of
genres.
“Within the past three or
four years, I have really devel-
oped an appreciation for house
and dubstep,” Dr. Ault said re-
garding the presentation.
The presentation is being
pushed forward as a joint effort
between Dr. Ault’s personal pas-
sion for music, and the math de-
partment’s desire to get student
more involved and interested in
the subject.
“As our department's faculty
shares their expertise at the Sci-
ence Seminar, we hope to see
students of all majors and inter-
ests see the importance, beauty,
and enjoyment of mathematics,”
Dr. Greg Harrell, professor and
head of the math department,
said.
Dr. Ault took the challenge to
heart.
“Can we get kids interested in
mathematics?” he said. “How
can we do that? Well, music is
an obvious gateway.”
Dr. Ault has a history in music
that goes back to him achieving
a Bachelors of music from the
Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio.
Later, when he graduated with
a Bachelors in mathematics, and
later a PhD, he found that his
passion and his field might not
be so far apart.
“I find that math has a lot of
structure, you can define it as the
science of patterns and as I look
at more and more music over
time, I see those structures recur-
ring.” Dr. Ault said. “I just found
that fascinating, that there is that
structure in music. So, you can
actually bring mathematics to
bear, and analyze that in a
meaningful way.”
Members of the stu-
dent body aren't the only
viewers who are expected to
benefit. The seminar will give
the math department the op-
portunity to showcase its re-
search to other departments.
“Through the Science
Seminar, faculty members
from outside of mathematics
can enjoy Dr. Ault's presentation
and perhaps see potential areas
of research in which they can
partner with Dr. Ault,” Dr. Har-
rell said.
Dr. Ault also suggested to the
possibility that some of the fac-
ulty in the audience may have a
few new introductions to their
musical repertoire.
“I think they are going to hear
things they have never heard be-
fore,” he said.
Amber Smith/THE SPECTATOR
Located on 3338-B Country Club Rd., Two Friends Cafe & Market prides themselves in providing
fresh and high quality food items for their customers. Check the web Spectator to see what edi-
tors Amber Smith and Jennifer Gleason thought about after their visit Wednesday.
‘Two Friends’ offer highquality food on its menu
Event to mix math, jamsWilliam LewisS TA F F W R I T E R
”
Within the past threeor four years, I have re-ally developed an appre-ciation for house anddubstep.
- SHAUN AULT
“
Chris Brown,Frank Ocean brawl
Do you know an awesome student or faculty/staff
member that we could profile in the Spectator?
Email names and descriptions to features editor
Amanda Usher at [email protected].
Candice Weaver/THE SPECTATOR
On Sunday, Golden Key International Honour Society took the time to acknowledge their new Hon-
orary Members Dr. Dacia Charlesworth, Karla Hull, Dr. Ellis Beaumont Heath, Dr. Timothy Fort and
Justin Yanushefski.
CORE Outdoors will be tak-
ing up to 15 students from cam-
pus to the great outdoors this
weekend for their Stress Relief
Campout Getaway.
The trip still has available
spots, and interested students
should contact CORE Outdoors
to sign up.
The campout will begin with a
bus ride to Reed Bingham Park
on Saturday and end with the re-
turn to campus on Sunday.
The campout is focused on be-
ginner campers.
“It’s for all the students that
have never had an opportunity to
go camping and we give them
that experience,” Brent Gibson,
CORE employee, said.
CORE hosts at least one be-
ginner camping experience each
year. The experiences teach stu-
dents the basics of camping.
Along with other skills, stu-
dents will learn how to start a
fire and pitch a tent.
“We were planning on just do-
ing a camping trip to Reed Bing-
ham and when we talked to them
they were telling us they just
opened this new island for camp-
ing,” Sean Wilkinson, manager
of the Rental Center and trips,
said. “This is the first month it
has opened, so we will be one of
the first groups out on this is-
land. It’s pretty exciting.”
Students will have the oppor-
tunity to canoe out to the island,
set up and spend the night there.
On the island, students will
get to hike, play putt-putt and
make s’mores.
“It’s going to be awesome,
this is the first time we are doing
this particular trip,” Wilkinson
said.
CORE trips offer students op-
portunities to gain physical and
social qualities.
“They get a since of commu-
nity and they always meet new
friends,” Wilkinson said. “ It’s
really cool-- a lot of times we
get people who have never met
each other before and they come
back two weeks later to go on a
trip and so on.”
William Taylor, CORE direc-
tor, along with Gibson, who is
also in charge of the ropes
course, will be supervising the
campers.
For students, the cost is $25
and for faculty the cost is $30.
Wilkinson feels that students
will take more than they expect
from the trip.
“They really do make college
and lifelong friends on these
trips,” Wilkinson said.
Sarah TurnerS TA F F W R I T E R
CORE to teach camping
They really domake college andlifelong friends onthese trips.
-SEAN WILKINSON
“
”
Things Students Will Learn
Start a campfire
Pitch a tent
Canoe
Hike
Play putt-putt
Make s’mores
I chose Golden Keybecause of the numer-ous benefits that be-ing a part of the orga-nization has to offer.
- JESSICA NARANJO
“
”
VSU is home to Daniel Leon
Raybon, music education major.
Raybon has been given the
chance to showcase his talents
in a solo recital at 3 p.m. on
Sunday at Mathis Auditorium.
After seven months of prepa-
ration and practice, Raybon has
hopes of inspiring the audience
w ith his unique musical talent.
"The selection of music in-
cludes, ‘Six Studies in English
Folk Song’ by Ralph Vaughn
Williams, ‘Euphonium Concer-
to’ by Joseph Horovitz and
‘Bride of the Waves’ by Herbert
L. Clarke,” Raybon said.
These pieces are of classical
context, many of which will be
played on a tuba euphonium.
“The name euphonium means
beautiful sound,” he said. “It
looks similar to a tuba, but
smaller in size, hence the nick-
name the ‘tenor tuba.”
The recital is open to all stu-
dents, faculty and staff and con-
veniently located between
VSU’s main and north campus
on N. Ashley Street, and is free
to attend.
“When going to a musical
performance, a person should
come empty ready to receive,”
he said.” Hopefully, I will im-
part something wonderful.”
Raybon has predicted the
recital to be around 20 to 30
minutes long. If attending, be
sure to arrive on time to experi-
ence the full performance.
Raybon has requested his audi-
ence dress casual.
“I prefer a person to come
just as you are,” Raybon said.
Allison EricsonS TA F F W R I T E R
Studentto getclassical
La’Brit BulluckS P E C TAT O R
C O R R E S P O N D E N T
CYAN
MAGENTAYELLOW
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VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 5JANUARY 31, 2013 F E A T U R E S
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Cody Hicks/THE SPECTATOR
During rehearsal for the play “Free To Be...You and Me,” the tigers of the Fine Arts department exhibit
to their audience why it is important to be your own person and not let others limit you.
Hostovsky engages mindsduring UC poetry reading
VSU sponsored a poetry read-
ing featuring poems written by
Paul Hostovsky on Wednesday
night in in the UC Magnolia
Room.
Hostovsky, poet and sign lan-
guage interpreter at the Massa-
chusetts Commission for the
Deaf, received an introduction
by Marty Williams, creative
writing professor, before he took
the stage to begin the reading.
“Coconut” was the first poem
that Hostovsky read. He previ-
ously called it his “big hit” as it
has been read by Garrison Keil-
lor on National Public Radio.
Prior to the event, Hostovsky
had an idea of how he wanted
the poetry reading to ensue.
“If I can get the students to
laugh at some of my more hu-
morous poems that will be a suc-
cess, I like when that works,”
Hostovsky said.
If success is based off of
laughter, the poetry reading was
a huge success. Hostovsky’s
clever use of humor and his in-
fectious character captivated the
audience.
Hostovsky recited a total of 14
poems during the reading and, in
keeping with the humorous tone
of the night, paused midway and
reached for his harmonica for a
brief musical interlude that had
the audience laughing as Hos-
tovsky added even more charm
into an already fascinating
evening.
Jennifer Marlatt, English ma-
jor, enjoyed the honesty and sim-
plicity of Hostovsky’s poetry.
“It was very simple, but
touched basis on a lot of things
in life, issues and memories,”
Marlatt said.
This was Hostovsky’s first po-
etry reading on a university cam-
pus.
He has said that he both loves
and hates his poems.
“I love them because they’re
like children, I’ve spent so much
time nurturing them and trying
to make them as good as they
can be . . . I hate them because
they steal my life away, time
spent writing is time that I’m not
spending with the people I
love,” he said.
Hostovsky’s love/hate rela-
tionship with his poetry became
clear as he got further into his
reading. Many of the poems
were centered on his family and
offered an incredibly raw look
into his private life. It didn’t
take long to learn that family, re-
lationships and life experiences
in general play a vital role in his
poetry.
Hostovsky’s inspiration is
spontaneous-- his ideas coming
from everyday life. He writes his
poetry to satisfy his need for
clarity-- to make sure that he is
being understood.
“I hear someone say some-
thing that sticks with me and so
there’s a spark, something that
tickles my imagination . . . most
of the poems are a process of
surprising myself with where it
goes, where the poem takes me,”
Hostovksy said.
Hostovsky offered some
words of wisdom and experience
to any aspiring poets at VSU.
“Hell is having nothing to
read but your own poems, be-
cause if all you read is your own
stuff then you’re cutting yourself
off from all the talent and wis-
dom and pleasure that is being
offered out there by other peo-
ple,” he said. “If you’re a writer
then you’ve got to read.”
http://qr2.it/Go/1870393
Scan to see a clip of
Hostovsky reading one of
his poems. Also in the video
is an interview with
Dr. Marty Williams.
Taylor StoneS TA F F W R I T E R
The stage is set and the lights
are bright.
The Fine Arts department will
be performing a musical entitled
“Free to Be…You and Me” at
7:30 p.m. on Friday and 10:30
p.m. on Saturday.
“Free to Be… You and Me” is
a music theatre performance
from an album and illustrated
book released in 1972. The al-
bum includes contributions from
stars like Harry Belafonte,
Dionne Warwick and Michael
Jackson.
The musical carries a serious
theme of respect for others, but is
expected to still be enjoyable.
The musical celebrates diversi-
ty and an individual’s uniqueness
by promoting the idea that every-
one is free to be the best of who
they are.
“It is an exploration of how
people don’t need to be limited
by stereotypes,” Jacqueline
Wheeler, theatre professor and
Peach State Summer Theatre
artistic director, said.
The drama is set to last ap-
proximately an hour and will fea-
ture eight of VSU’s theatre ma-
jors.
The show is free to students
with a valid VSU ID.
After the two day showing of
the play, there will be touring
performances scheduled during
February and March.
For more information, contact
the Fine Arts department at (229)
333-5835.
Isaiah SmartS TA F F W R I T E R
How is everyone doing? Hope
you didn’t have a heart attack af-
ter hearing that J.J. Abrams is di-
recting Star Wars Episode VII. If
you did, I hope this tech update
will ease the pain.
You can no longer unlock
your phone from your cellular
carrier. That’s right, on Saturday
it was made illegal.
Before mobile companies
could just write you a nasty e-
mail, but now they can take legal
action against you.
To give you an example of
how many people unlock their
phones, T-Mobile has 2 million
iPhone’s on their service. T-Mo-
bile does not sell the iPhone. To
get an unlocked phone you have
to buy it unlocked. You can buy
a new iPhone 5 locked from
AT&T for $199 or unlocked for
$729.
The independent film titled
“jOBS”, a Hollywood biopic
about Apple founder Steve Jobs,
was shown privately over the
weekend. The film takes place
between the 1970s and the
1990s. A scene was posted on
YouTube, and Steve Wazniak,
co-founder of Apple, was not
happy.
“Not close--we never had such
interaction and roles...I'm not
even sure what it's getting at…
We were both kids,” he said in a
statement. “Our relationship was
so different than what was por-
trayed. I'm embarrassed but if the
movie is fun and entertaining, all
the better. Anyone who reads my
book iWoz can get a clearer pic-
ture.”
On Feb. 5, Apple will begin
selling a new model of the cur-
rent generation iPad with 128GB
of storage. The Wi-Fi model will
cost $799 with a 4G version cost-
ing $929. I’m not sure whether
or not Apple will be the only one
to sell this model in stores.
Well, that is it for this issue;
next week I will have new infor-
mation about the highly antici-
pated BlackBerry 10 operating
system and phones. Please visit
the Spec Tech blog at http://vsus-
pectech.blogspot.com/ to view
my number 5 favorite video
game console of all time.
Question of the Week: Will
you go see the “jOBS” movie
when it is publicly released on
April 19th?
Spec Techwith Steven Setser
Carriers no longer ableto unlock cell phones
Have you always
wanted to take photos
and never received
your chance? Well, the
Spectator wants to
give you that
opportunity. Email
photo editor Cody
Hicks at
and share with her
your interest.
The Spectator is always ac-
cepting new writers. Email
Amber Smith at
Jennifer Gleason at
Check the web
Spectator to see
new columnist
Dowling Payne’s
profile on football
player
Cayden Cochran.
She shows why he
is what means to
be a Blazer.
Cochranexhibitstrue Blazerskills
‘Free To Be...You and Me’sets limits, sterotypes free
The sun is shining, flowers
are blooming, birds are
singing: this can only mean
one thing right?
It’s time to serve up anoth-
er season of VSU tennis.
Head Coach John Hansen,
in his 39th season at the
helm, believes it’s too early
for him to be confident about
the men and women’s squads
in 2013 however at the same
time he is not unconfident.
“I think we’re going to be
a little better than last year
mainly because some of our
freshman from last year have
more experience,” Hansen
said of both teams. “Do we
have a run at the national
championship? I don’t know
but I think we’re going to
scare some people.”
The Blazers will certainly
get a chance to do that facing
six of the best teams in the
nation early on in the season.
These teams include
biggest non-conference rival
Barry, Lynn, Armstrong At-
lantic and this season’s Gulf
South Conference favorite
picked to win not only the
conference but the national
championship as well, West
Florida.
UWF defeated the Blazers,
5-1, and the Lady Blazers, 5-
2, to claim their second
straight GSC Championship
victory for both tennis teams
last year.
The men and women
squads will look to improve
after both finished with an
unsatisfying 10-10 record
last season.
The men already start the
year off at disadvantage due
to Santiago Vidales and
Niklas Herbring out indefi-
nitely with injuries.
This hinders VSU im-
mensely considering both
players were in the top six
last year; Vidales hasn’t been
ruled out for the entire sea-
son.
Herbring was named 2012
GSC Freshman of the Year.
The remaining six players
must step up in their absence
and stay healthy.
Another injured player
could be costly for the Blaz-
ers.
Lone senior Konstantin
Kutschenko is expected to
lead the team on and off the
court.
“Without any problem, he
has come in and just taking
over,” Hansen said. “He real-
izes that everyone is looking
up to him. I think he has an
excellent chance in being one
of the top players in the
country this year. He’s al-
ready shown that and I think
with his help we’re really
putting something together.”
Kutschenko, the only re
maining active member of
the 2011 national champi-
onship team, last year beat
Eudaldo Bonet (1-6, 6-3, 10-
3) the No.3 player in the na-
tion at the time.
With 2012 ITA Senior
Player of the Year Christian
Hansen graduated, the pres-
sure on Kutschenko to carry
the load is at an all-time high
but the challenge doesn’t
seem to faze him.
“I’m trying to be there for
everyone,” Kutschenko, also
a graduate assistant, said. “I
kind of feel like I should be
the leader on the team; I’m
just excited we have a couple
new players again. I’m ready
to start the season to see
where we stand. I look for-
ward to it; this will be my
last season.”
The women’s team head
into the season with just six
players total.
On the bright side, Hansen
says some of the best teams
in years past have been with
only the starting six.
“It also puts that much
pressure on us so we have to
say fit, stay healthy,” Jessica
Tuggle, third-year player
said. “I think we have a real-
ly good team. As long we
keep our heads focused on
every single match and not
worrying about the post-sea-
son now.”
Hansen believes if the in-
jury bug can stay away his
teams have the potential to
be as talented as the 2011
championship squad that
was honored in Wednes-
day’s parade.
“We get compared to
them every day,” Hansen
laughingly said. “We’ll find
out.”
The mens begin their sea-
son Friday 3 p.m. at home
against USC-Aiken and the
women’s first match is
Wednesday against Georgia
College.
PAGE 6 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM S P O R T S
Blazer baseball begins Friday night
The Valdosta State baseball team
has a unique challenge ahead of
them this season.
The Blazers are relying on their
veteran pitching staff due to them
returning only one position player
from last season.
The team opens its season on
Friday at Billy Grant Field against
Palm Beach Atlantic as a part of the
Comfort Inn Suites Classic.
The Blazers are looking to im-
prove from last season’s record of
27-19, including 14-9 in Gulf South
Conference play.
Head Coach Greg Guilliams
looks to guide this team to victories
while having eight new starters at
any point.
“Every year you are going to
have new players but part of the
challenge is to get your team to
match the philosophy [of the of-
fense],” Guilliams said. “Especially
when you have a new team, I don’t
think that you ever feel that you are
ready. Part of it is just the un-
known. Until you start playing
games that count, you just don’t
know how your team is going to re-
act.”
One of the players that the Blaz-
ers lost is Christian Glisson, who
was the 2012 GSC player of the
year.
“I don’t think you ever replace
[Glisson] in just one year; you just
don’t do it… But this year’s team is
going to be different in ways than
last year’s team wasn’t. This year’s
team just needs to find its own
identity,” Guilliams said.
In order to find that identity early
on in the season, Guilliams is look-
ing to his veteran pitching staff that
includes six of the seven seniors on
the team.
Nick Fogarty, one of the seniors,
is a starting pitcher who is looking
to bounce back from a broken hand
last season.
“My confidence is up and my
arm is feeling better than it has in a
long time,” Fogarty said. “It is go-
ing to start off with our starters…
We need to lead the way and the
bullpen guys need to come out and
do their job and the late inning
guys are really going to have to be
big for us,”.
Jamie McMillan, a transfer from
Mercer, is hoping to have an impact
on the younger guys and hopes to
bring leadership to the team.
“I want to help these young
guys stay… focus[ed] on the task at
hand, win every pitch, practice
hard, a lot of effort and a lot of in-
tensity.”
The Blazers play Lynn Universi-
ty on Saturday and wrap up the
weekend against North Georgia on
Sunday.
VSU does not open up confer-
ence play until March 2nd at Alaba-
ma-Huntsville.
“Obviously playing at home
brings a comfort level rather than
going on the road,” Guilliams said.
“We have a lot of Florida and South
Georgia guys that like the warm
weather so hopefully the weather
cooperates this weekend.”
Alex TostadoS P O R T S W R I T E R
Braves to visit Valdosta Sat.
Attention Braves fans!
The Braves Caravan will
be stopping at the Academy
Sports + Outdoors on Nor-
man Dr. between the hours
of 1:00 and 2:30 PM.
For those unfamiliar, the
Braves Caravan is an annual
fan appreciation event that
the Atlanta Braves put on be-
fore the start of Spring Train-
ing.
The caravan includes sev-
eral Atlanta Braves’ both
current and former players,
as well as other members as-
sociated with the team.
The purpose is to give the
fans the chance to meet some
of their local heroes and for
the players and other Braves’
members the chance to give
back to the community that
they represent.
“We look forward to our
annual Braves Country Cara-
van as a time to provide our
fans throughout the South-
east an opportunity to inter-
act with our manager, coach-
es and players and to express
our gratitude for their loyalty
and support.
This is one special way we
can show our appreciation to
some of the most passionate
and dedicated baseball fans
in the world,” John Schuer-
holz, Atlanta Braves Presi-
dent, said in an Atlanta
Braves press release.
Atlanta Braves members
will be attendance include:
Hall of Famer Phil Niekro,
former right-fielder and
World Series champion Ryan
Klesko (1992-99), former
catcher and now bullpen
coach Eddie Perez (player
from 1995-2001, and a coach
since 2007), current hitting
coach Greg Walker (since
2012), and current Braves
commentator Joe Simpson
(since 1992).
The Braves Caravan began
nine years ago as a single
day event nine years ago, but
was then expanded about
five years ago into what it is
today; a five state, two
week-long tour leading up to
Spring Training.
But the tour is about way
more than just signing auto-
graphs.
“It’s the most important
thing that we do in the off-
season,” Gus Eurton, Atlanta
Braves’ Vice President of
Marketing and Sales, said.
“We enjoy it as much as
the kids do,” Fredi Gonzalez,
Braves manager said in a
press release.
“The fans support us all
year, for eight straight
months. They come out to
the field, so it's the least we
can do is give a couple of
our days, and see the fans,”
Freddie Freeman, Braves
first baseman added in an-
other press release.
Braves’ pitchers and
catchers are scheduled to re-
port to camp on Monday,
February 11 which marks the
start of spring training.
Neil Frawley S TA F F W R I T E R
JANUARY 31, 2013
Eric JacksonS P O R T S E D I T O R
VSU tennis serve up new season
Austen Hutto/THESPECTATORAusten Hutto/THESPECTATOR
Matt Mariott/NCAA Photos
(Left) VSU guard Kourtney
Williams was held to a season
low two-points in the 52-48 loss
to Delta State last Saturday.
Williams looks to bounce back
against Union Thursday.
(Right) Patrick Diop drives the
lane for a lay-up during last
Thurday’s win over Christian
Brothers. Diop was awarded
Gulf South Conference player of
the week for the second
straight week after recording 37
points total in the last two
games.
Make sure tofollow
@BlazerSportson Twitter for
constantupdates on
VSU athletics
Konstantin Kutschenko in his final season as a Blazer is expected to lead VSU this season.
ParadeContinued from Page 1
-ionship and when you ac-
complish that it’s really
something special. It’s great
that we can give back to the
community.”
After Hansen warmed the
crowd, VSU Head Softball
Coach Thomas Macera took
the podium to express his
thanks and congratulations
to the teams being honored
at the ceremony.
“This is a great honor for
the university,” Macera said.
“It was great for our girls
and the coaching staff. I
would love to do [the pa-
rade] again next year.”
The women’s 2012 soft-
ball team was not only the
first women’s team in school
history to bring home a title,
but they were also the first
softball team from the Gulf
South Conference to do so.
Following Macera, VSU
Head Football Coach David
Dean was cheered loudly by
the Blazer faithful as he ap-
proached the podium.
“I was in Atlanta this
week recruiting,” Dean said.
“I met with several coaches
and told them I had to get
back for the parade.People
asked me why it was in the
middle of the week and
standing here now, I can tell
them that this is what Title-
town is all about.”
At the conclusion of the
ceremony, Valdosta Mayor
John Gayle and Lowndes
County Board of Commis-
sioners Chairman Bill
Slaughter Jr. issued the joint
proclamation.
Since this was the first
time in school history that
more than one team in a cal-
endar year took home the
championship, the parade
represented a special day for
Valdosta State athletics
Gayle and Slaughter here-
by declared that January 30
will be deemed Blazer Na-
tional Championship Day.
As a VSU alumnus, May-
or Gayle relishes the fact
that three teams from his
Alma Mater have reached
the proverbial mountaintop
in their respective sports.
“We’re so proud of these
teams,” Gayle said with a
smile. “It gives us something
to brag about. We can brag
about the fact that we’ve got
three national championships
in the last 18 months.”
VSU Athletic Director
Herb Reinhard understands
the importance of what win-
ning national championships
brings to the university, as
well as the effect it has on
the community.
“Winning those champi-
onships and getting the na-
tional visibility—it helps our
national perception,” Rein-
hard said. “Any time that the
community recognizes our
student-athletes for their
achievements, that makes
me very happy.”
President William J.
McKinney, who kicked off
the ceremony by thanking
the teams and students for
attending, had one word to
describe what this day
means to him and the uni-
versity.
“This is a lot of pride,”
McKinney said. “The city of
Valdosta and Lowndes
County would organize this
parade in our honor—in our
students’ honor. That’s just
priceless.”
“I will be riding the emotion
of this day for weeks to
come.”
It goes to show that Title-
Town not only consists of
the championship teams, but
the fans and community as
well.
