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The online edition of the Spectator, August 22, 2013.
Citation preview
reconstruction on the West
Hall roof and dome began in
July, but the work is for cos-
metic reasons.
the iconic dome that rests
atop West Hall has been a
symbol of VSU since its in-
ception.
as part of the yearly main-
tenance that facilities Plan-
ning oversees, sections of the
roof are being replaced.
ladders and temporary
construction fencing can be
seen from the front lawn as
work has been underway for
over a month.
the West Hall roof re-
placement is “a general main-
tenance repair project,”
robert tindall, associate di-
rector of facilities Planning,
said.
the entire roof is not being
replaced. only repairs to the
flat roof areas, dome roof
deck, and cupola are being
made.
funding for the project
came from the Board of re-
gents of the University Sys-
tem of Georgia.
VSU is awarded yearly
general obligation bond funds
by the state of Georgia to
cover campus maintenance.
the contract for the job
was awarded to lowndes
roofing of Valdosta who
publicly bid for the contract.
the bid was for the rela-
tively low amount of
$184,339, and completion for
the project is anticipated for
october of this year.
the expected date might be
pushed back due to inclement
weather conditions.
Since there has been no
major damage that would af-
fect the structural integrity of
the building some students
see the construction as a poor
allocation of funds.
“the construction on the
dome and roof is a waste of
money,” Kaylee Martin, se-
nior general studies major,
said. “that money could be
used for scholarships.”
austin Bixler, freshman fi-
nance major, said, “i believe
they should use the funds to
improve student housing con-
ditions in Patterson, Brown
and lowndes Halls. they re-
ally need it.”
August 22, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O r . C O M VOLUME 85 iSSUE 1
Inside This Issue- OPiniOnS: “New Wi-fi finally arrives”
- FEATUrES: “oprah gets lohan to talk”
- SPOrTS: “New season awaits for women’s soccer”
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
the hAPPeNiNG - Come to
the front lawn from 1 p.m. to
4 p.m. to see what community
businesses and organizations
and clubs on campus have to
offer.
movie NiGht - Natural High
is hosting a movie night at 8
p.m. in the odum library au-
ditorium. the movie is “G.i.
Joe: retaliation.” Snacks will
be provided. for more informa-
tion about the event and Natur-
al High, call 229-259-5111.
NAACP iNformAtioNAl -
the VSU Collegiate Chapter of
NaaCP is hosting an informa-
tional at 7 p.m. in Meeting
room 2 in the Student Union.
Today at VSU
Weather
91 H 71 L
Mostly
Sunny
Today
91 H 72 L
Friday
70 L88 H
Partly
Cloudy
Saturday
Althea Gibson becomes first
African-American onU.S. tennis tour
August 22, 1950
officials of the United States
lawn tennis association
accepted althea Gibson into
their annual championship at
forest Hills, New York.
Source: History.com
Today in History
Partly
Cloudy
Check out RebeckaMcAleer’s column “AdditiveNoise” in which she features
“Levitate” by Hadouken!.Belize BraceletsBelize Bracelets
Students return from Belize with a cause, page 6.
New SGa president Will
Jimerson came to the first
meeting of the semester with
a road map to success and
left with renewed interest
from the senators.
that road map is a three-
page strategic plan that
Jimerson unveiled on Mon-
day night, which discussed
changes, improvements and
ways to increase the SGa’s
visibility among the VSU
community.
“(this is) everything that
goes along with our platform,
and things that we can take
action on this semester,”
Jimerson said. “this is the
fun part of the SGa.”
the plan
included
what were
termed
“areas of
con-
cern”—
points that
were red-
flagged by
the SGa
as prob-
lems with-
in the or-
ganization.
Jimerson
pointed out various ways to
deal with these areas of con-
cern, through six objectives,
and various strategies for ac-
complishing these objectives.
“this presents a lot of op-
portunities for us
this year, and i
am excited to get
this year started,”
Jimerson said.
one of the
strategies in-
volved getting a
“ground team” to
the students to in-
form them about
the SGa.
“one thing
that i noticed
about this cam-
pus when i was
campaigning was that a lot of
people did not know about
the SGa when i was out on
the ground,” Jimerson said.
“We want to start that with
the SGa, where we get peo-
ple out on the ground on
Monday when we’re wearing
our polos (SGa shirts). Just
walk around the Student
Union at certain hours to
where the students have any
concerns they know that they
can come to you.”
the SGa has also rolled
out a Student Concern form
on their website and a 24-
hour hotline through which
students can express their
concerns.
“it’s tailored to where we
can see how (the students)
would like the issue re-
solved,” Jimerson said in an
Greeks party on
Palms Quad
Sarah Turner / The SPecTaTor
Greek Explosion, hosted by Greek Life and Campus
Activity Board, covered Palms Quad Wednesday,
Aug. 14.
Check out page 3 for Greek explosion!
One thing that I
noticed about this
campus when I was
campaigning was
that a lot of people
did not know about
the SGA when I was
out on the ground.- Will JimerSoN,
SGA PreSideNt
“
”
Jimerson plans changes for SGA SGA NoteS:
the SGa budget was not
made available at press
time.
the meeting was fully
catered, with chicken mi-
lanese as the main course
for dinner. this cost the
SGa $13.63 per person.
the SGa conducted five
votes during the meeting, all
passing unanimously.
- a vote approving new
rules regarding SGa fund-
ing of events, rules that in-
cluded a $500 budget cap, a
requirement that the event
benefit the whole student
body, the event be on cam-
pus and it follow regulations
from the student handbook.
- four votes were made re-
garding elections require-
ments.
Joe AdgieS o C i a l M e D i a
e D i t o r
See SGA , Page 2
Jamal Tull / The SPecTaTor
Students can see construction on the iconic West Hall dome from the street. The project is
projected to be done by October but could take longer depending on weather.
West Hall
construction
continues
John PreerS ta f f W r i t e r
Facilities Planning
began construction
last month on the
dome.imagine logging into the
Wi-fi once and not needing
to again.
at the beginning of fall se-
mester, VSU presented its
new Wi-fi network powered
by SmartPass Connect which
gives the option to login only
once to the Wi-fi with each
registered device.
this is a big change from
past Wi-fi usage as students
were required to log in to the
old Wi-fi carrier, Hallnet,
every time they wanted to
use it.
the old network was also
limited to one device and
was a hassle for students
who wanted to log in on their
cellular devices as well as
their laptops.
Students seem impressed
with the upgrade.
“i’m really glad that it got
the Wi-fi together,” taylor
Scott ratliff, junior market-
ing major, said. “everything
Brian HickeyS ta f f W r i t e r
VSU Wi-Fi
gets an
upgrade
See Wi-Fi , Page 2
Construction on the new
Health Sciences and Business
administration building on
North Campus continues on
schedule with a completion
date set for Jan. 2014.
according to robert tin-
dall, associate director of fa-
cilities Planning, they are 75
percent done with the project
and are on the final stages of
construction.
the HSBa building will be
home to several of the Uni-
versity’s health and science
related majors and programs
including Nursing, Commu-
nication Sciences and Disor-
ders, athletic training, exer-
cise Physiology, Social Work
and Health Care administra-
tion.
With programs spread
throughout main campus, the
new HSBa will consolidate
all six programs into one
building.
according to a VSU press
release from the beginning of
construction, the HSBa
building will also provide a
number of advancements and
advantages to the programs
moving into the building.
advantages include a state
of state-of-the-art simulation
center, clinical space, includ-
ing space for community out-
reach for each of the health
science programs, develop-
ment of doctoral degrees in
nursing, speech and language
pathology and social work
and several other key advan-
tages that will ensure the con-
tinued success of students in
those fields.
President McKinney shared
his vision of what he hopes
the HSBa building will be in
the same press release.
“the Health Sciences and
Business administration
building will serve as an ad-
vanced academic facility to
educate Georgia’s future
health care professionals,”
McKinney said. “it will also
provide continuing education
for existing practitioners—it
really becomes the corner-
stone of Valdosta State’s fo-
cus on comprehensive health
professions programs.”
Anthony PopeS ta f f W r i t e r
See HSBA , Page 2
HSBA building on schedule
to open in spring semester
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AVAILABLE NOW!$100.00DEPOSIT @ TREELOFT.3BR/2BA $725-775,1BR/1BA $450-475, 3 blocks from VSU, cathe-dral ceiling, pool & laundryfacilities, water & garbageincluded. 229-561-0776
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The SpectatorWelcomes
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Alec Michael Adgie August 9, 2013
&Emilia Louise Warburg
August 22, 2013
Aug. 21
a student reported her“Coca-Cola” bike stolen.
another bike was stolenfrom outside the recreationCenter.
Aug. 20Student reported two ipods
stolen from her car. She wit-nessed a black male shuttingher car door in the Langdale.
a bike was stolen fromodum Library.
a bike was stolen from thefine arts building.
a Parking and transporta-tion bus was vandalized byan unknown individual with afire extinguisher.
Aug. 19Jasmine davis, university
employee, was arrested forMisdemeaner possesion ofmarijuana and transported toLowndes County Jail.
a bike was stolen fromoutside the Physical educa-tion building.
a bike was stolen from theeast side of Bailey ScienceCenter.
Aug. 18 a bike was reported stolen
from the bike rack at SustellaParking deck over the week-end.
a bike was stolen from thebike rack outside BrownHall.
Katie rowland, odum Li-brary employee, was ap-
proached by a patron who re-ported a blue Kia being bro-ken into in the library staffparking lot. Police issued aBoLo for suspects.
Connor Lee,18, was arrest-ed for obstruction of an offi-cer, underage possesion of al-cohol public drunkeness andpossession of a false id.
Aug. 17$20 was stolen from a
purse in Lowndes Hall beforebeing returned to the frontdesk.
a driver was arrested in theCentennial Hall parking lotfor driving under the influ-ence. She was transported toLowndes County Jail.
Aug. 16
a possible theft was report-ed from the equipment ware-house in the west building ofCentennial Hall.
a bike was stolen from outGeorgia Hall.
Aug. 15a bike was stolen from
outside Georgia Hall.
Aug. 14a car was reported broken
into in the parking lot of ash-ley Cinemas. a verbal warn-ing was given to the driverfor registration.
a student reported herpurse stolen in the Studentunion.
Police Briefs
Aug. 23, 6 p.m.
VSu’s men’s lacrosse club willhold an informational meeting inroom 1480 of odum Library. formore information contact Henrywhelan [email protected] or MikeMcGuire at [email protected].
Aug. 24, 7 a.m.
it’s the VSu 5K fun run/walk!the race will start in front of theStudent union and circle themain campus for a total of 3.1miles. VSu students will receivea special registration rate of $12.t-shirts will be provided at thebeginning of the race. don’t for-get to register early for size pref-erence.
Aug. 28-29, 5 p.m.
VSu will host informationalmeetings for the Miss ValdostaState university ScholarshipPageant in the Student unionmeeting room 2. winners will getthe oportunity to compete in theMiss Georgia ScholarshipPageant.
Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m.
the distinguished women of ex-cellence will hold an interestmeeting in Ballroom a of theStudent union. Learn about vol-unteer oportunities to build sis-terhood and the dwe annual re-treat. for more information fol-low the group on twitter@dwe_VSu2012.
Upcoming Events
SGA
Continued from Page 1
interview on tuesday.SGa plans to review each
concern and examine how thestudents would like to seechange happen.
in addition, a day called“Put it on Blast” was also an-nounced by the SGa. “Put iton Blast” would be an openforum where students couldexpress theirproblems withJimerson—aswell as VSuPresident dr.william McK-inney and deanof Studentsrussell Mast,who proposedthe idea.
No date hasbeen set for“Put it onBlast.”
“if they have anything theywant to talk about, they cancome in and speak to us,”Jimerson said. “it’s not tak-ing the place of a town hallmeeting, but it’s more inter-active with the representa-tives.”
Jimerson also expresseddesire to increase the SGa’sinvolvement in the Planningand Budget Council.
the SGa officially has twovoting representatives in thePBC and one non-voting rep-resentative – the SGa presi-dent – but these representa-tives were mostly absentfrom these meetings, andJimerson noted that the SGahad abandoned the PBC.
“we need a strong student
representation on our univer-sity committees,” Jimersonsaid. “this is where our stu-dent activity fees come in,and we haven’t had a repre-sentative go to those meet-ings in a year, maybe morethan that.”
a look at past minutesfrom Planning and Budgetmeetings show that an SGarepresentative attended theseminutes three times betweenaugust of 2012 and this
May—twicefrom then-presi-dent ryan Baer-walde, a non-voting member,and once fromHassanat osho-di, a votingmember.
the SGaalso announcedchanges to therequirements
for new senatorsto join the organization.
Previously, a senator hop-ing to get a vacant seat didn’tneed any signatures.
Now, students wishing tobecome senators need 100signatures on his or her elec-tion packet. Previously, fresh-men hoping to become sena-tors needed only 50 signa-tures.
“we could all get that inthe line at Chick-fil-a,”Jimerson said.
the election packets re-quired for upperclassmen andfreshmen senators were madeavailable on wednesday, andfreshman packets are due onaug. 29. Voting will takeplace on Sept. 5 and 6.
Greek explosion attractedhundreds of students into thePalms Quad wednesdayevening from 7- 9 p.m.
the event was hosted byGreek Life. Students wereable to enjoy free food, playgames, dance and learn aboutan array of Greek organiza-tions.
“i am overly ecstatic aboutthe turn out,”Berkley Hen-shaw, Greek Life summer in-tern, said. “i wasn’t even ex-pecting half the amount ofstudents here; it’s really ex-citing to see.”
as the event progressedmore and more students wereattracted to the area to takepart in the party. the crowdwas entertained by dJ Bigtwin who played current tophits and helped end the nightby playing music to supportdances performed by severalGreek organizations and stu-dents.
“Students can view theGreeks in a more personaland relaxed setting,” Hen-shaw said. “You can seeGreeks on their own level asstudents and not necessarilyGreek students.”
event attendees broughtout their inner child on theinflatables. there was also aslip and slide available; how-ever, it received little atten-tion due to no one bringingtheir swimwear.
the inflatables, as well asfree prizes, were supplied bythe Campus activity Board.
Many of the organizationshad displays explaining someof their national values andlocal traditions.
“it’s beneficial to Greeksbecause it is an opportunityto market themselves to thecampus as a whole,” Hen-shaw said. “they can allcome together and put on thisgreat event, interact witheach other and also be able totalk about what each organi-zation and what each councilhas to offer.”
Greek Life aims to im-prove communications be-tween students and them-selves.
“often times Greeks areseen as exclusive and secre-tive, but really they are valuebased organizations that wantto share their purposes withothers,” erin Sylvester, assis-tant director for organiza-tional development, said.
although rain cloudslurked over the crowd, therain held off until the eventwas over.
Greek Life also plans tohost a similar event in thespring called Greek Stock. inthe future, Greek Life plansto have a live band for theseevents.
for more information onupcoming events, contact thestudent life office at 229-333-5674.
Greek life invite students
to party at Palms Quad
a Peace Corps meetingwas held in the west audito-rium of Powell Hall onwednesday evening.
Students were welcomed tolisten in on a presentation be-ing conducted by currentmembers of the Peace Corps
the presentation started offwith a video about trainingprograms. onscreen, currentmembers discussed how theirlives have benefited fromserving in the Peace Corps
after the video, two guestspeakers both spoke aboutwhat it has been like for themto participate in Peace Corps.
emily whitfield, a PeaceCorps recruiter shared her ex-
perience in Honduras."if someone has it in their
heart to volunteer, PeaceCorps is the best option be-cause you can use your tech-nical skills while also form-ing lifelong relationships, andliving in a new culture andlearning a new language,"said whitfield.
after the speakers weredone, they opened the floorfor a Q&a session.
"i thought the meeting wasextremely helpful. i'm readyto graduate and hopefullyserve overseas," LorenaGasque, senior mass mediamajor, said.
anyone interested in join-ing the Peace Corps shouldsubmit an application beforeaugust 30.
Peace Corps spreads
word about program
Sarah Turnerf e at u r e S e d i t o r
Neil FrawleyS ta f f w r i t e r
This is where our
student activity fees
come in, and we
haven’t had a repre-
sentative go to
those meetings in a
year, maybe more
than that.- Will Jimerson
“
”
august 22, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3N e w s
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday
August 221–4PM
Front Lawn
Participation in the thrilling, yet informative, event is free for both exhibitors
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
and community organizations often provide free food samples, prizes and
promotional giveaways. VSU departments and student clubs will also pass out
information and engage students in balloon tosses, quiz games, miniature golf
and many other activities.
This year’s Happening promises to be the event of the semester with more
tents, games and freebies than last year’s affair, which was the largest in its 21-
year history. Call the Of�ce of Student Life at 333-5674 for more information
or visit www.valdosta.edu/student/student-life/our-services/special-events/the-
happening.php.
Come enjoy free food,
great music and plenty of give-always!
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013
The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013
August 22
Thursday
ont LawnFr
41–August 22
Thursday
PMont Lawn
great music free food,
Come enjoy
great music free food,
Come enjoy
give-always!and plenty of
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
give-always!and plenty of
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
Participation in the thrilling, yet informative, event is fr
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
Participation in the thrilling, yet informative, event is fr
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
ee for both exhibitors Participation in the thrilling, yet informative, event is fr
and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses
ee for both exhibitors
tents, games and fr
This year’
and many other activities.
and community organizations often pr
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s Happening prThis year’
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Wi-Fi
continued from page 1
is faster—sign in one time
and let that be it. it’s very in-
novative.”
Commuters have also
found it very convenient as
they no longer have to worry
about constantly having to
sign in, even after traveling
between home and campus.
“i think it is a very good
change,” Cassandra Hines,
senior interior design major,
said. “With the large amount
of people on campus, service
has been very slow in the
past and i think with these
changes, those of us who
have to come to campus will
greatly benefit from this.”
“it will no longer be a has-
sle for commuters to have to
worry about signing on be-
cause it will do itself,” Hines
said.
Before connecting to the
“VSU-Personal” network stu-
dents have to start with the
“VSU-StartHere” network
where a profile will be creat-
ed on the device.
“Each login lasts 180
days,” said russell reese,
lead technician at the it
helpdesk. “(S)o every semes-
ter you re-login so if you are
not going to school it (wipes
off).”
“i’m pretty sure VSU is
following bigger universities
plans,” said ratliff. “Whatev-
er works, works, go for it. if
it works for them why not
use it here?”
HSBA
continued from page 1
Students are also sharing
President McKinney’s excite-
ment about the new building.
Jessica Steinfield, junior
nursing major, is most excit-
ed about the move to a newer
building.
“the building we are now
is kind of old,” Steinfield
said. “it will be nice to have
a new and fresh learning en-
vironment, which is some-
thing that can come in handy
especially in a fast paced en-
vironment like nursing.”
VSU has made the commu-
nity an active part of the con-
struction of the HSBa build-
ing. Via a webcam set up at
the construction site, anyone
who accesses the VSU web-
site can watch the construc-
tion of the building live.
the HSBa building is
scheduled for completion by
the time students return from
Christmas break in January.
according to thressea
Boyd, VSU communications
director, there is no date
scheduled for an official rib-
bon cutting ceremony.
on aug. 15, Major ann
Farmer, assistant director Val-
dosta State University Police
department, sent an email
that alerted students and fac-
ulty to recent series of care
break-ins around campus.
the Valdosta Police depart-
ment assumed jurisdiction
over the burglaries, and so far
only three have been report-
ed.
the break-ins have been,
what Maj. Farmer calls,
“smash and grabs.” they oc-
curred in daylight hours, and
have involved thieves either
smashing car windows or
simply open unlocked doors.
Lt. aaron Kirk, Valdosta
Police department, said that
these types of burglaries oc-
cur across the city, and can’t
be considered the work of a
single individual or group of
criminals.
Lt. Kirk said that there has
been no increase in the
amount of break-ins either.
the cause of the recent pil-
fering seems to be that “a lot
of people leave valuable in
plain view,” Lt. Kirk said.
Maj. Farmer advised that
students stop leaving valu-
ables in visible locations
within their cars.
taking valuables indoors or
simply locking them in the
glove compartment are the
easiest ways to prevent a rob-
bery, Lt. Kirk said.
Will LewisM a n a g i n g E d i t o r
Break-ins not on the rise
Ezra Pinckney, freshman music performance major,Danielle Shaw, freshman exercise
physiology major, and Al Grant, freshman criminal justice major, sing a song by Trinidad
James on Aug. 11.
Will Lewis / The SpecTaTor
Check out the web
for a slideshow
and video of
Natural High’s
event!
Natural High hosts Karaoke in Odum
PAGe 4 | vSUSPecTATor.com OpiniOnsAUGUST 22, 2013
How do you get the “full
experience” of college? There
are so many things to do – so
many opportunities. But as a
student, how do you access
these opportunities? The an-
swer is a simple one: Get in-
volved. There are over 200
organizations on this campus
and that means there are
plenty of chances to do some-
thing besides go to class.
Why get involved? Well,
why not? i have been in a
number of organizations
since i began my tenure at
VSU in 2010 and i have
loved every minute of it.
Sure, it gets difficult to bal-
ance or sacrifice but there are
always bigger goals to work
toward, and that’s the great
part. Being an active student
opens a number of doors and
that serves as a benefit at the
end of the day. You meet a
diverse group of people, you
learn more about yourself and
you get a chance to touch the
lives of others. Who doesn’t
want chances like that? Sta-
tistics even show that active
students are more likely to
graduate and stay at a partic-
ular university. Being active
gives you a sense of pride for
your school because you’re a
part of something. You invest
yourself in something that
you believe in.
As mentioned before, there
are over 200 organizations,
and i dare to say there is
something for everyone.
There is a database known as
Campus Connect that con-
tains names and information
on those groups that can be
reached from the VSU web-
site. You can research organi-
zations by name or cate-
gories.
i intended to relax this year
with my activity in organiza-
tions but it’s a certain allure
you get from being active.
Knowing that you had a hand
in something that transcends
you or your single capabili-
ties feels great. if you’re
looking to get involved, there
are many outlets. One way is
The Happening. Every year,
vendors from the Valdosta
Community and student orga-
nizations of all types get to-
gether on the front Lawn to
promote themselves. Campus
Connect is another way to
gain information as previous-
ly stated. Ask your profes-
sors! There are committees
and groups that students are
sought out for that could use
a voice: YOUR voice. Some
people even have peers that
are active and just need a lit-
tle push. Ask a friend abou
their organization and see if
that works for you.
We need diversity in orga-
nizations. feel free to join
whatever interests you de-
spite the “look” of the organi-
zation. Don’t miss out on the
hidden doors VSU offers,
step out of your comfort
zone. Be blessed. Be great.
Be safe.
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: Von Kennedy Copy Editor: Olivia McLeanSocial Media Editor: Joe Adgie Faculty Advisers: Dr. PatMiller, Dr. Ted Geltner, Keith Warburg
Reporters/Photographers:Niamani Carlyle-Hollis, ColeEdwards, Allison Ericson,William Garrett, Brian Hickey,Eric Holley, ivey ingalls-Rubin,Ashley Johnson, LaShawnOglesby, Steven Quinn,Lawrence Smith, John Stephen,Shane Thomas, Alex Tostado,Elan Waite
flash back to the founding
fathers as they authored the
fourth Amendment, carefully
constructing the foundation
of the United States of Amer-
ica, and you will find the
most important document
ever crafted in American his-
tory –the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution was
meant to
guaran-
tee
rights, to
create a
limited
system
of government and, most im-
portantly, to protect us, the
American people, from that
very system.
The fourth Amendment
clearly states that no warrant
shall be issued without prob-
able cause; a warrant goes to-
wards a single person with a
specific cause –not millions
of American citizens.
So what makes the Nation-
al Security Agency’s relent-
less wiretapping of the Amer-
ican people without just
cause constitutional? The an-
swer is simple –nothing.
According to its website,
the mission of the NSA is to
protect U.S. national security
systems and produce foreign
signals intelligence informa-
tion by "adhering to the high-
est standards of behavior." i
believe it is safe to say that
the NSA has deviated from
those values.
One of the main principles
intended by the founding fa-
thers was the importance of
separating police power from
the power of the judiciary.
Police power, or any other
type of power except for the
judiciary, was never meant to
create warrants.
The NSA simply does not
have the authority to create
warrants and to unlawfully
monitor the American people
to this degree, and they must
be held accountable.
The judicial branch of the
government has proven to be
excessively lax with the NSA
and needs to uphold its con-
stitutional responsibility and
question the constitutionality
of NSA surveillance.
The reality that the NSA
regularly
forces tele-
com
providers to
release their
customers’
phone
records does
not coincide with the vision
of the founding fathers as
they composed the constitu-
tional amendment protecting
U.S. citizens against unlawful
searches. The NSA has be-
come a vacuum for disturb-
ing amounts of metadata
leaving the American people
helpless in their pursuit for
privacy.
This editorial was written by Ritsuki Miyazaki ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
New Wi-Fi network finally arrives
Student organizations ‘want you’
Could we be one step clos-
er to information overload?
On Aug. 8, VSU released
a new wireless network sys-
tem that allows electronic
devices to stay connected to
the internet for long amounts
of time.
if you are not new to
VSU, you might remember
how frustrating it was when
the system required you to
enter your username and
password every few hours to
connect to Hallnet. Now de-
vices can get smooth Wi-fi
access for browsing the in-
ternet,
checking e-
mails or up-
dating their
social net-
works.
Technolo-
gy has dra-
matically
changed our
lives. Think
back to a
few years
ago: How
many of
your class-
mates took lecture notes on a
laptop or tablet? How many
professors even allowed stu-
dents to use those devices
during class?
These devices are now
taking up a large part of
our lives and the ways we
communicate. As long as
we are connected, we can
talk with one another, no
matter the distance. That’s
a good thing, right?
To an extent, it is. Think
about the time you got
frustrated when the net-
work servers were down.
Were you pleased with
modern technology?
According to a July 2013
online survey conducted by
Harris inter-
active on Ju-
mio.com, 72
percent of
U.S. smart-
phone-owning
adults keep
their devices
within five
feet of them-
selves the ma-
jority of time,
55 percent of
them use their
smartphone
while driving,
and, surprisingly, 9 percent
use their smartphone during
sex. Trying to limit the usage
of their smart device to no
more than 30 minutes a day
must be a tough challenge
for a lot of people.
How important is it to
know what your friend ate
for lunch yesterday? Think
about the last time you went
to dinner with a group of
people and how many people
had their phones in their
hands and their eyes affixed
to their devices. imagine
how nerve-racking it is when
you’re on a date with some-
one who is constantly typing
on his or her phone. Your
date could be telling the
whole world that you’re a
horrible date when they’re
the inattentive one.
it’s good to stay connect-
ed, but in the long run we
don’t reap many benefits. We
have to draw the line to dis-
connect ourselves from the
smart devices that stay glued
to our hands.
Isaiah SmartS TA f f W R i T E R
NSA treads on citizens
Last week, over the course
of several days, millions of
cellphones across the Western
United States buzzed like fire
alarms - loudly and, to some,
annoyingly - as authorities
sent out an Amber Alert that
appeared as a text requesting
everyone to be on the lookout
for a blue Nissan Versa from
southeastern San Diego
County.
No matter what they were
doing or the hour they were
doing it, everyone in Califor-
nia, Nevada, Washington
state, Oregon and idaho who
owns a cellphone with the ca-
pacity to receive emergency
messages got one about the
car driven by the suspected
kidnapper of 16-year-old
Hannah Anderson. Californi-
ans are accustomed to seeing
Amber Alerts posted on free-
ways. But no statewide Am-
ber Alert, which is issued
only for abducted children in
critical danger, had been sent
over cellphones before in
California. The grating alert
was not only startling and ir-
ritating to many cellphone
users, but it seemed pointless
if you weren't on a road or
freeway.
And yet it worked. The
breadth of the alert and the
novel use of cellphone mes-
saging to get it out kept the
missing girl and her alleged
kidnapper, James Lee
DiMaggio, constantly in the
news. Several people riding
horses through the remote
idaho wilderness happened
upon the pair, then later saw
a television report on the
Amber Alert and notified lo-
cal authorities. That put in
motion the search that led to
Anderson's rescue.
"This Amber Alert, while
it's a minor inconvenience to
people, literally saved the life
of this child," said Robert
Hoever, director of special
programs at the National
Center for Missing & Ex-
ploited Children. So authori-
ties made the right call when
they decided to use what's
known as cell broadcasting to
transmit the Amber Alert
message. There are some
kinks to be worked out.
Some people got the buzzing
message multiple times. That
shouldn't happen.
But overall, the loud phone
messages did what they were
supposed to do, they got
everyone's attention, includ-
ing the media's. To make sure
they work in the future, they
should be used sparingly and
judiciously. The last thing au-
thorities need is for people to
become so irritated by fre-
quent alerts that they disable
the Amber Alert message
function altogether (yes, it's
doable) or so used to the
sound that they treat it like a
random car alarm going off
in the night and ignore it.
National Amber AlertsTaylor Stone
S TA f f W R i T E R
People PollWhat would you like
to happen this semester?
MCT Campus
Now devices can
get smooth Wi-Fi
access for
browsing the
Internet, checking
e-mails or updating
their social
networks.
They got every-
one's attention,
including the
media's.
Students can access the new Wi-Fi by enabling VSU-Personal on their mobile devices. Ritsuki Miyazaki and Stephen Cavallaro / THE SPECTATOR
OddEven
PAGe 5 | vSUSPecTATor.comfeaTureS
AUGUST 22, 2013
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ANSWER
Sudoku
Oprah gets Lohan to talkH
ello, world—anthony
here once again wrap-
ping up everything
that happened in Pop Culture
last week just in case your
brain was still in summer
mode.
Kicking things off this
week, the interview that
everyone, or at least i, was
waiting for finally arrived on
sunday.
troubled actress and per-
petual magnet for chaos,
Lindsay Lohan, sat with
Oprah winfrey to discuss her
90-day court-ordered rehab
and where she’s at in her re-
covery. surprisingly, girl-
friend didn’t hold back.
among other things, Lohan
admitted to being addicted to
alcohol, cocaine and the in-
creasingly popular adderall.
she also said she was “in a
better place” and that “things
are different,” which caused
me to give her a side-eye be-
ing that the interview was
taped only four days after she
completed rehab.
while Oprah may not
have grilled Lohan as some
would’ve preferred, at least
she got the actress to open
up and take accountability
for her actions, something
that she has never done.
Here’s hoping our favorite
ginger can lay off the bottle
and get it together.
while we are on the topic
of Oprah, it’s apparent that
the old saying is true: every-
thing Lady O touches really
turns to gold. the former talk-
show queen’s new movie,
“the Butler,” came in at num-
ber one at the box office last
weekend.
the star-studded film took
in an estimated $25 million
dollars friday through sun-
day. some are beginning to
speculate the film could
sweep next year’s Oscar cere-
mony with winfrey earning a
nomination for her role.
while Oprah’s star is on the
rise, sadly, another has
dimmed. actor Lee thompson
Young was found dead from
an apparent suicide on Mon-
day morning.
Producers for tNt’s “riz-
zoli and isles” became wor-
ried after Young didn’t show
up to film an episode of the
show that morning.
according to sources, the
former “famous Jett Jackson”
star died of a self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the head.
No suicide note was found at
the scene.
several celebrities reached
out via social media to send
their condolences to Young’s
family. He was 29 years old.
while one side of twitter
was in mourning, the other
side was tuned into the drama
that was boiling over between
Lady Gaga and Perez Hilton.
while no reason was given to
why the former “besties” are
no longer friends, it is evident
by their tweets that the parties
want nothing to do with each
other.
Hilton tweeted that Katy
Perry’s new single, “roar,”
was better than Gaga’s newest
effort “applause.” Gaga re-
sponded by accusing Hilton of
stalking her followed by a
tweet that stated Hilton sent
her a picture of herself in a
wheelchair with Madonna
pointing a gun at her head.
so much shade was thrown
you’d think the whole thing
was taking place in the jungle.
that’s going to do it for
Pop addict this week. Be sure
to check back next week for
full coverage of the MtV
Video Music awards as well
as what some of your favorite
celebs are up to.
Po p
Ad d i c tAnthony Pope
Microsoft pacifies customers
welcome to the new
academic year with
a fresh edition of
spectech. if you are new this
year, welcome to VsU!
spectech is all about keeping
you up to speed with the
rapid changing technology
around us. i give the latest in-
formation on cell phones,
tablets, computers and just
about everything in between.
i also occasionally review
video games and mobile de-
vices. so let’s get to it!
i need to clean up Mi-
crosoft’s confusion and ex-
plain their next-generation
system, the Xbox One.
first off, as of now, it will
ship with the new Kinect,
no ifs, ands or buts about
it. Kinect will not be re-
quired to play your system
though. secondly, it will
play used games, bor-
rowed games or stolen
games, just like the Xbox
360 does now. You will not
have to check in every 24
hours to access the Cloud.
Xbox One will, however,
only play Xbox One games,
so digital games from Xbox
360 will not transfer over.
Other features of the Xbox
One include watching tV
through your cable box or
DVr, using only your voice
to control the system (Kinect
required), signing in to any-
one’s Xbox One while having
access to all your games and
ability to stream games live
to twitch. the Xbox One
will be released this Novem-
ber with a 500GB hard drive
for $499.
since we are on the subject
of games, let’s see what sony
is packing. the Playstation 4
will be released on Nov. 15
with a $399 price tag for a
500GB hard drive. this does
not include the Playstation
eye that is required for some
features. the new change to
the Playstation brand that a
lot of people glossed over is
that it is now required to
have a Playstation Plus ac-
count to play online. sony
seems to have a lot of devo-
tion to indie games, so we
will see how games sell be-
tween the Ps4 and XB1.
Google and Motorola finally
released a phone together—
the Moto X. if ordered on-
line, you can customize the
backing and the ring around
the camera lens, get it en-
graved and more. it has a 4.7
inch 720p screen with a
rounded back to the phone.
Google Now is baked right
into the device, so you can
talk to it without even hold-
ing your phone. it has a fea-
ture that will automatically
show the time and date when
you pull the phone out of
your pocket. You can even
open the camera app with
just two twists of your wrist.
the Moto X is available now
online and in at&t, t-Mo-
bile, sprint, U.s. Cellular and
Verizon stores for $199 or
$249.
it’s a phone! No, it’s a
camera! No, it’s the Nokia
Lumia 1020! if you are con-
fused, just look up a picture
of this phone; it looks like a
point-and-shoot camera.
well, i guess it would have
to since it has a whopping
41-megapixel camera. this
thing takes beautiful pho-
tographs and even has
manual controls. the inter-
nals are pretty average
though, with a 720p screen,
32GB storage and 2GB
raM. the Nokia Lumia
1020 looks great, but it is
only available at at&t for
$299.
that is it for this week,
everyone. i’d like to leave
with a weekly question: will
you buy an Xbox One or a
Playstation 4? email your
answers to smsetser@valdos-
ta.edu and your answer could
be in next week’s issue. Be
sure to check out the
spectech blog, which was
updated over the summer at
vsuspectech.blogspot.com.
Spec Techwith Steven Setser
Fans to be “blown away”
from small-town girl to
“american idol” win-
ner to country-music
superstar, Carrie Under-
wood’s stardom continues to
rise.
the “Before He Cheats”
singer just released her first
concert DVD, “the Blown
away tour: Live,” which was
named after Underwood’s
highly successful tour and al-
bum.
the DVD performance was
shot in March on a tour stop
in Ontario, Canada, in front
of a crowd of more than
11,000 people and features
over 100 minutes of high-en-
ergy performances; it offers
20 tracks in total, including
Underwood’s record-breaking
#1 singles.
the DVD was directed by
raj Kapoor, who has also
worked with shania twain
and Celine Dion. the concert
offers a twisted interpretation
of the classic “wizard of Oz”
story by dividing the show
into four acts: storm warn-
ing, Lightning, Calm and
twister.
the show balances senti-
mental ballads with more
rock-oriented crowd pleasers
and ends with a finale of Un-
derwood being caught up in a
makeshift tornado of wind
and confetti.
Highlights include Under-
wood and her band lifted 150
feet above the crowd on a
glass “floating stage” that al-
lows them to travel from one
end of the arena to the other.
the traditional hymn “How
Great thou art” is inter-
mixed with Underwood’s
first number one hit “Jesus,
take the wheel,” a skillful
combination that appeals to
her more conservative fan
base. Perhaps the greatest
artistic moment comes in the
mesmerizing harmonies of “i
Know You won’t,” an ob-
scure gem from her 2007
“Carnival ride” album.
a fan-favorite staple of the
tour, Carrie’s cover of aero-
smith’s “sweet emotion” is
not included because of li-
censing issues. also not in-
cluded is the number-one hit
“remind Me” on which Un-
derwood was featured with
Brad Paisley.
the show’s encore of the
title track, “Blown away,” ar-
guably the most arresting
song in Underwood’s cata-
logue, is both stunning in its
showmanship of visual ele-
ments and pure vocal talent.
the DVD extras offer be-
hind-the-scenes footage of
the tour, an image gallery and
four award-winning music
videos of the “Blown away”
album’s singles.
“the Blown away tour:
Live” bucks the current trend
of “live” DVDs as it was
recorded live during one
show, instead of piecing to-
gether the best performances
from several shows.
Other than Underwood’s
pristine voice, the DVD fea-
tures moving video screens,
confetti showers, extravagant
costume changes and other
various bells and whistles.
from the opening number,
“Good Girl,” to the last, an
ode to paternal abuse and the
damaging effects of alco-
holism, Carrie Underwood
leaves no question as to why
she is among the few main-
stream country artists who
have successfully transcend-
ed the genre to become an
arena sellout.
“the Blown away tour:
Live” is must-have DVD for
die-hard fans and music
lovers in general.
Cole Edwardss ta f f w r i t e r
Oprah Winfrey - MCT
as americans, we take
public education—kinder-
garten through twelfth
grade—for granted, but in
Belize what we take for
granted is considered a luxu-
ry.
five VsU students traveled
to northeastern Central amer-
ica for a summer study
abroad program in Belize. dr.
Matthew richard, an anthro-
pology professor, and tom
Besom, an archaeologist, led
the trip.
“i chose to go because i
wanted to push myself out-
side of my comfort zone,”
ashley dailey, senior english
major, said. “i’ve traveled
abroad before, but always to
tourist destinations that i was
really comfortable with. Be-
lize was a completely differ-
ent experience.”
while in Belize, the group
discovered that even high
school education costs mon-
ey; many villagers, particular-
ly women, cannot afford the
schooling. as such, the vil-
lagers take up crafts and
skills to make an income.
the students met three
women living in santa elena,
Belize: Miriam, Christina and
dyna Choc. their ages
ranged from 25 to 36, and
their source of income is bas-
ket and bracelet weaving.
“One thing that the Maya
are known for in Belize is be-
ing extremely hard working
and extremely tough,” Logan
Hulsey, senior anthropology
major, said. “while this was
true for the men, it was
equally, if not, more true of
the women. they would take
care of so many people and
had an equal share in taking
care of their family. and the
fact that they would even at-
tempt to take over the man's
role of obtaining the money
just shows the persistence
and strength of these
women.”
Miriam and Christina Choc
are sisters whose father died
when they were young. nei-
ther of the women had the
chance to attend high school
due to a lack of stable income
in the household.
“i met (the women) during
my time in the village per-
forming everyday tasks like
washing clothes or going to
church,” dailey said. “My
first meal in the village was
with Christina’s family, and i
ate with dyna’s family quite
a bit.”
dailey met Miriam Choc at
a graduation party for a
young boy in the village.
“Miriam and i made
coleslaw for about 60 people,
and we got to know each oth-
er very well in the time it
took us to shred four heads of
lettuce and three carrots,”
dailey said.
dailey later learned that
Christina Choc married at 17,
and the man she married
eventually became an alco-
holic. she was left as the sole
financial support for their
children after her husband
spent most of the family’s
small income on alcohol.
Miriam Choc did not marry
until the age of 22 and enjoys
her life with her husband but
still regrets never being able
to attend high school.
“i was touched by how
desperately Miriam wants an
education,” dailey said. “we
take for granted our public
school system here in the Us.
an education is not guaran-
teed to everyone everywhere.
“High school is not paid
for by the Belizean govern-
ment, and the poor families
can barely afford to send the
boys. in this male-dominated
society, it’s unlikely that the
families will choose to sup-
port the girls.”
for the women these five
VsU students met, they still
find ways to make money in
a weak economy.
“what touched me the
most about these women
were what hard work and
time they put in to these
bracelets,” Hulsey said.“each
individual bracelet took an
enormous amount of time, yet
they would make several
each day because it was their
only lively hood.”
the bracelets are yarn wo-
ven with wooden beads and
other materials tied into the
designs.
“some of the bracelets that
we have—i think these are
really special—are made
from the clay at the bank of
the river that flows through
the village,” dailey said.
“the clay is shaped into
things like leaves or flowers
and then fired in their
stoves.”
the group learned how to
make the bracelets while on
the trip and learned that it is
not easy.
“for me, a very simple de-
sign took about five of six
hours to weave,” dailey said.
“for a pair of expert hands, it
might take three. it’s incredi-
ble to watch them.”
in Belize, the handmade
bracelets sell for 10 Belize
dollars, which equate to about
five U.s. dollars.
the group collected
bracelets and baskets the
women wove to help support
the women struggling to keep
a steady income for their
households.
“i was talking to dr.
richard about how cheaply
the women sell their crafts
for in Belize and how people
would be willing to pay so
much more in the U.s.,” dai-
ley said. “somehow, it sprang
from there, and when we
asked the women about sell-
ing them to VsU students
they were so excited.”
the students hope to sell
the bracelets for $10 each
with all money going back to
Christina, Miriam and dyna.
“Belize was a life changing
experience that i will remem-
ber for the rest of my life,”
Hulsey said.
PAGe 6 | vSUSPecTATor.com f e a t u r e s AUGUST 22, 2013
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Trip teaches value of education
PHOTOS BY: TOM BESOM
Christina, a Belize local, teaches Ashley Dailey, senior English major and Danielle Jordan, senior anthropology major
how to make a bracelet. Similar bracelets will be sold to send money back to Belize.
Jennifer Gleasone d i t O r - i n - C H i e f
VSU Community 5K returns
Get ready to lace up your
shoes.
the VsU Community 5K
run/walk is just around the
corner. the race will take
place at 7 a.m. on saturday
outside of the student Union.
“the 5K started as a ‘wel-
come to the campus’ type of
event and is now in its eighth
year,” Katy Latevola, gradu-
ate assistant of special events
and student development,
said.
the course is a standard
5K, or 5,000 meters, which is
3.1 miles long. the race will
begin and end behind the stu-
dent Union and will outline
the main campus. Course
markers will be displayed to
direct runners during the
race.
refreshments such as ba-
nanas, apples and water will
be offered during the event.
Prizes will be given out at
the end of the 5K. a male
and female first place award
will be given to five age
groups: ages 12 and under,
ages 13-17, ages 18-29, ages
30-50 and ages 51 and up.
random prize drawings in-
cluding wild adventures
tickets, book store certificates
and gift cards for various
restaurants in town will also
be awarded to selected win-
ners.
the annual 5K is important
to not only the students but
the community as well.
“it is important to offer this
event to students because it
gets them involved with the
campus and the community,
promotes a healthy lifestyle
and also shows school pride,”
Latevola said.
Pre-registration for the 5K
will be held online and at the
Campus recreation building
until the day before the race.
registration forms can also
be turned in at the informa-
tion table in the student
Union rotunda from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. the Happening at-
tendees will also have an op-
portunity to sign up for the
race at the Campus recre-
ation table today, from 1 to 4
p.m.
for VsU students and peo-
ple between the ages of 10
and 17, there is a $12 pre-
registration fee. Children un-
der 10 are free. for everyone
else, there is a $15 pre-regis-
tration fee. the cost for race-
day registration, available at
6 a.m., is $20 for everyone. a
t-shirt will be given to those
who pre-register.
to register online for the
5k, apply at runsignup.com/
race/Ga/Valdosta/VsUCom-
munity5K.
IFC kicks off Rush Week
it’s that time of the year
again: the interfraternity
Council’s rush week is
rapidly approaching. rush
orientation will be held in
the student Union theater
on sunday at 8 p.m., where
members from each chapter
will put on a short presenta-
tion about their organization
and give the full agenda of
rush week.
the week will give poten-
tial recruits the opportunity
to learn about and become a
part of one of the nine ifC
fraternities on campus.
students rushing will
spend Monday and tuesday
getting a more in-depth view
of what each fraternity is
about.
“everyone signed up will
be driven around to each
house to get a chance to
meet each fraternity,” robert
wehling, a member of Kap-
pa sigma, said.
“Be prepared to shake a
lot of hands and bring an ap-
petite because food will be
provided at each house,”
Blaine Hendon, a member of
Kappa alpha Order, said.
On wednesday, potential
recruits will decide which
fraternity they are most in-
terested in. they will then
be escorted back to that
house to hang out with
members of that fraternity.
thursday and friday are
considered “smokers”—a
name given to the potential
recruits who make it to the
final round of rush. those
potential recruits are invited
back to the house for a din-
ner.
the ifC rush week will
conclude on aug. 31 with
the bid distribution.
ifC plans to have an en-
joyable, safe week and
strictly prohibits hazing and
other damaging occurrences.
“while myths about fra-
ternity hazing still circulate,
each chapter has written risk
management plans which
prevent this from occurring,”
Hendon said.
ifC encourages all male
students looking for some-
thing new to be a part of to
join in on the week.
“it gives a great opportu-
nity to meet people from all
over and connect with some
of the finest men that VsU
has to offer,” Hendon said.
“Joining a fraternity will
provide a lifelong connec-
tion and some of the best
friends anyone could ask
for.”
Olivia Gears ta f f w r i t e r
Jordan Barelas ta f f w r i t e r
A Belize student graduating
from elementary school.
Jessica Caraponale
Codato arrives at Valdos-
ta State from Division i
Winthrop University in
search of a home away
from home.
VSU represents a fresh
start for the transfer, who
already feels comfortable
in her new surroundings.
“everybody is so nice,”
Codato said smiling. “i
feel really welcomed
here. i talk to Coach
Swan a lot and i felt a re-
ally good vibe and ener-
gy from him and my
teammates.”
“that family environ-
ment was something that
i really didn’t have at
Winthrop and i needed
that being away from
home.”
A native of São paulo,
Brazil, the 5-foot-10 ju-
nior strengthens the
Blazers’ attack at the set-
ter position.
“As a setter, every ball
comes into my hands,”
Codato said. “i have to
bring leadership and use
my experience in favor
of the group—it’s all
about the team.”
New Blazers head vol-
leyball coach Mike Swan
expects Codato to chal-
lenge junior setter Ashley
Lala, who was recently
named to the preseason
All-Gulf South Confer-
ence team.
“Having those two
players at that posi-
tion is great,” Swan
said. “it gives us the
liberty of running a
5-1 [set] which has
one setter or a 6-2
with both. Ashley
knows that she has to
step her game up now
and i think it’s a win-
win situation for
everybody when that
happens.”
Codato is eager to
compete with Lala and
welcomes the idea of
playing together occa-
sionally.
“[Lala] is awesome,”
Codato said. “if you have
a lot of people that are
good, it doesn’t matter
what position you play.
We’re competing, but at
the same time, we’re
competing together for
the same goal.”
Swan values Codato’s
leadership and experi-
ence as the season ap-
proaches.
“[Codato] has played
Division i volleyball at
the highest level,” Swan
said. “She has the quali-
ties we’re looking for—
somebody who is going
to work hard on the
court, be a good student,
and make this program
better.”
Codato brings a deco-
rated résumé in interna-
tional play to the Blazers,
having won five consec-
utive State champi-
onships from 2007 to
2011 while playing for
club team Finasa osas-
co/Bradesco esportes e
educao in her native
Brazil.
in 2008 and 2009,
Codato led her All-State
team to national champi-
onships and was named
Best Setter in the Under-
19 State tournament.
“[Championship expe-
rience] is huge, especial-
ly for a setter,” Swan
said. “Any time we can
get an international stu-
dent-athlete who has
played at that level, it’s
just going to challenge
everybody on the court.”
“She’s going to blend
really well with the team
we have right now.”
Codato, a business ma-
jor who enjoys watching
movies and playing gui-
tar in her spare time,
hopes to lead the Blazers
to success this season.
“i am trying to bring
my best, every practice
and every game,” Codato
said. “i just want to make
a difference and have the
team with me and make
a really strong group to
win conference and
hopefully the nationals.”
Follow Shane on twitter
@itsathomasthing
OddEven
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Shane ThomasS p o r t S W r i t e r
Transfer volleyball player challenges
All-conference Lala for starting spot
Winthrop Athletics
Setter Jessica Codato transferred to VSU after one season at
Winthrop University.
Ashley knows
that she has to
step her game up
now.
-CoaCh Mike Swan
“
”
Blazer volleyball heating
up for 2013 campaign
Big things are brewing for
the Lady Blazer volleyball
program.
After 17 years away from
coaching a Division ii pro-
gram, Blazers' new head
coach Mike Swan returns af-
ter coaching the evansville
Aces, a Division i program in
the Missouri Valley Confer-
ence.
"i am very excited to join
the Valdosta State family and
look forward to meeting the
expectations that come with
working at this university,"
Swan said in a press release.
Volleyball guru Swan has
amassed a total of 520 wins
in his career, which places
him 35th all time in number
of wins as a volleyball coach.
"We were very pleased to
have Coach Swan join our
athletic program," Herb rein-
hardt, Valdosta State athletic
director said.
"He comes from a very
strong background. He's had
success at every level. So, for
us to be able to attract him to
VSU is something i am very
proud of, and i think he will
do a tremendous job. "
the 27 years of coaching
experience that Swan brings
to the table is what VSU
hopes will turn what has been
a mediocre volleyball pro-
gram into a Gulf-South Con-
ference championship con-
tender.
"our volleyball program
has certainly not been bad...
But i think Coach Swan is
the type of individual that has
a chance of moving our pro-
gram to the next level... mak-
ing us a player on the nation-
al level." reinhardt said.
Swan is clear about the goals
that have been set for his new
club.
“We want to win a confer-
ence championship, want to
have a winning record, (and)
we want to win at home in
order to build up a fan base,"
Swan said.
Swan is not the only one
expecting a big change this
season; rather it's the entire
program that has its sights on
a new standard.
"it's like a whole culture
change. So, in order to be
very successful you have to
do things a little differently,"
Jordana price, assistant vol-
leyball coach said.
"i am overly excited about
this season."
A total of seven newcom-
ers, including four freshman,
a sophomore and two juniors
make up this off-season's re-
cruiting class.
the other six members are
all returners from last season,
none of which are seniors.
As far as players go, VSU
has plenty of depth in every
position.
According to Coach Swan,
despite junior setter Ashley
Lala being selected last week
to the preseason all-GSC
team, it is still not certain that
she will be the starter over
Winthrop transfer Jessica
Cordato.
"i think we have players
who can make all conference,
but i also think we have a lot
of competition at each posi-
tion. i think it's going to be
very competitive at each
playing spot," Swan said.
No.19 West Florida has
been tabbed to win confer-
ence for the sixth straight
season while the new look
Blazers are picked to finish
fifth.
the season begins with
VSU traveling to West
Georgia on Sept. 6 for a
weekend tournament then re-
turning home for its home-
opener on Sept.10 against Al-
bany State.
"We obviously still have a
lot of areas we need to work
on...But i see the potential
there. So, that part of it i am
encouraged by. i think the
new players are bringing a lot
more athleticism and experi-
ence to our squad,” price
said.
Neil FrawleyS p o r t S W r i t e r
Preseason All-GSC Team
Position Name School
OH Alexis Gillis Christian Brothers
OH Hannah Kurtz Christian Brothers
S Ashley Lala Valdosta State
MH Jenny Bellairs West Florida
OH Autumn Duyn West Florida
MH Lindsey Homme West Flordia
OH Lesley Bemis West Georgia
OH Emily Reul West Georgia
august 22, 2013Page 8 | vsusPectator.com SPORTS
Come by The Spectator Tent @
The Happening & Get A Copy!
Five burning questions for
VSU Football this season 1. How will the offensive
line shake up?
presumably the strongest of-
fensive line in Blazer history
is now gone and the vacancy
draws doubt in this season's
success. VSU goes into the
season with five unproven
starters upfront. preseason
camp is solidifying who these
five will be. returning line-
men Colin Glasco, Jesse Yan-
cy, Jack Bradley and Alexan-
der Brock are involved in the
current position battle. Coach
david dean expects last
year's reserve center Mike
Miller to step up not only on
the field but as a leader too.
dean agreed that preparing
this raw offensive line will be
the most difficult task of all.
Quarterback Cayden Cochran
has already begun getting ac-
climated with his new protec-
tors. Cochran and the new
unit are working against time
to mesh quickly or the begin-
ning of the season could be a
drag.
2. Can the Black Swarm
make up from the loss of
Matt Pierce?
You can ask any team and
they'll tell you that replacing
an All-American is far from
easy. With pierce and other
former cornerback Alex Web-
ster gone, corners like Manny
evans and isaiah Gresham
must step up more than ever.
Not having much depth here,
VSU cannot afford any in-
juries at this position espe-
cially facing plenty high-cal-
iber receivers this season. it
will benefit the Blazers im-
mensely if a newly added
cornerback could bring some
much needed intensity.
3. Will Cayden go out with
a bang?
in 2013, Cochran is still the
most efficient quarterback in
the conference and will have
to lead once again by exam-
ple. He is coming off a stellar
season but unfortunately he
most likely has to produce
similar numbers again for the
Blazers to fathom defending
their title. Good thing for the
senior quarterback is he
comes back to all his re-
ceivers from last season and
more. this can be irrelevant
however if he doesn't have
enough time to throw to
them. depending on how the
offensive line stands has
great influence on how much
of a bang his final season will
be. When Cochran first ar-
rived to VSU in 2011 and
played with unfamiliar line-
men,that season resulted in
the Blazers falling short of
even a playoff berth. it's vital
that as much camaraderie as
possible is gained upfront be-
fore September.
4. How will the running
back tandem pan out?
preseason All-Conference
pick Cedric o'Neal and
Austin Scott shocked the na-
tion last season both rushing
for over 1,000 yards. the two
sophomores won't be nearly
as much of a surprise for op-
posing defenses this season
so how they adapt plays a
major factor into the season’s
outcome. Freshman running
back Nick davis, who had
three touchdowns in last
week’s scrimmage, is trying
to cement himself as a third
threat in the backfield as
well. obviously it takes some
weight of Cochran's shoul-
ders when the running game
is fluid which ultimately sets
up an effective passing game.
if the duo can avoid specific
game plans the upcoming
teams will implement to con-
tain them then i have little
doubt that the Blazers won't
win the conference and
maybe more than that.
5. Who will be kicking for
VSU?
daniel Anderson's replace-
ment is assumed to be deter-
mined very soon. Coaches
will either decide to use
sophomores Jake Walker or
dominic demasi to kick field
goals this season. demasi
mainly handled punting in
2012 and Walker was on
kickoffs. if not those two,
coaches may experiment and
plug in GSC top newcomer
Anthony pistelli. this linger-
ing question gets less atten-
tion and if taken too lightly
could backfire later. the up-
coming schedule includes
some matchups that very well
could end up being decided
by three points.
Commentary
Eric Jackson
S p o r t S e d i t o r
New season awaits
for women’s soccer
Blazer soccer is ready to
pick up where they left off
last season.
the Blazers are coming off
of a 13-5-2 season which end-
ed in a first round loss at the
NCAA tournament.
third year Head Coach Mel
Heinz is eager to get her girls
back on the field to compete
for a Gulf South Conference
title.
“every game is going to
matter and if we show up
every game and play it to win
and play it to win bigger than
(a tie), and we are going in
with confidence… i feel like
any time you have that going
into bigger games, you can
pull out a win,” Coach Heinz
said. “in the GSC preseason
polls, we are ranked second…
people recognize that we
work hard and have some tal-
ent.”
Heinz is proud of the up-
perclassmen on the team for
their leadership.
there are 15 juniors and
only one senior on the team.
“they have been great,”
Heinz said. “the freshmen re-
member when they were (up-
perclassmen in high school)
and we need them to step up,
and they have.”
VSU lost its scoring leader
in rebecca Miller in the off-
season. Miller, who has trans-
ferred to UGA, also led the
team in shots, points and was
tied for the team lead in as-
sists.
“Nobody is going to fill
Miller’s shoes, and our kids
know that,” Heinz said. “A lot
of people turned to Miller to
say, ‘we need you’ but a lot of
the kids are coming and step-
ping up and they feel like
now it’s their chance.”
VSU plays its first four
games at home,as well as six
of its first eight games.
“Being at home feels good
and we want to make our
community proud and being
at home brings a little extra
pride,” Heinz said.
“We need to score more,”
Heinz said. “i think we put
ourselves in some situations
that we didn’t take over the
game immediately and when
you keep the score close its
room for error and room for
losing a game that you should
not lose. We can’t be content
with just winning by one.”
VSU wants to get back on
the field and give back to the
fans that support them every
game.
“We have some thank yous
to do and we know that thank
yous come with wins, at least
in this town,” Heinz said.
Follow Alex on twitter:
@Alex_tostado12
Alex Tostado
S p o r t S W r i t e r
After being bounced in the first round of the NCAA’s last season, the
Blazers are back with a little vengeance this time around.